Only with Georgia.
Wilder’s still out in Washington on a long solo detail he picked up, running protection for a senator’s daughter with a stalker. Job he took on his own, freelance, after he walked from Iron Shield—something I still can’t wrap my head around.
True to his word, Griff sold off his land in Tennessee to chase this new dream.
A dream far away from the demons he left back home.
I haven’t seen him much lately. He’s been bouncing back and forth, tying up loose ends out east. And me? I’ve been buried in this new life I didn’t see coming.
I climb out of my truck, slamming the door behind me.
“Jesus,” I mutter, walking over. “You ever think about shrinking?”
Griff smirks. “You ever think about growing?”
“You’ve got three inches on me, asshole. Relax.”
We clap hands and pull into what Colby claims isbro-hug.
“You good?” I ask.
“Better now that I’m here,” he says roughly, eyes trailing downtown. “Tennessee’s a mess. Final papers are signed though. I’m all in now.”
“Never doubted you.” I glance around the lot, then up at the building that sits on the corner of two main streets. “Where’s the realtor?”
Griff chuckles, pulling a ring of keys from his pocket. “Didn’t need one.”
I blink, jaw unhinging. “Youboughtthe fuckin’ thing? Christ, Sarge.”
“Rented,” he grunts, bearded face tipping with a smirk. “Long-term lease. But yeah. It’s ours, man.”
I gape at him as he unlocks the front door and pushes it open. Sunlight spills into a wide, open space that smells like old paint and drywall dust. It’s dated, sure—but it’s got good bones. Room for desks and a few private offices. Even space for the tech setup we’ll need.”
“Damn. You did good.” I shoot him a look. “Hope you kept all the shit I gave you from working remotely. Just sprung for a surveillance system at the farm.”
He waves me away. “I’ve got it all. No worries.”
Gratitude washes through me. “Can’t believe you really pulled this shit off, man. And fast.”
“Yeah, well... now I just need a place to live.”
“You can crash at the farm,” I offer, leaning against a wall, arms and ankles crossed. “Mom loved having you and Wild in the big, empty house.”
He scoffs. “I’ll be damned if I move in with Mrs. A, Kade. I’m forty fuckin’ years old.”
I laugh, and he just shakes his head, dragging his fingers through his long, messy hair.
“So how are you?” he asks. “How are your girls?”
I smile before I can stop it, everything in me soaring. “Good. They’re really fuckin’ good.”
Griff studies me. “You gonna marry her?”
My heart skips a beat. There’s a lot I haven’t said—not out loud, not even to myself. But I meet his eyes and grin, because yeah, if she lets me, I’m gonna marry the fuck out of that woman.
“I didn’t want to love again,” I say, voice thick. “Then she stormed into my life, all fire and fight, and suddenly…” My hands flail helplessly. It’s exactly how I feel. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Griff’s face softens. He closes the distance between us and claps a heavy hand on my shoulder, squeezing hard. “She’s damn good for you.”
