He nodded then rubbed the scruff on his face. "Demons? Like you killing people for a living?"
Aiyanna pressed her lips together and looked down at her plate. I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or horrified. It was probably a mixture of both. "Dad!"
"It's okay," I said to her before I turned back to her dad. "My fiancé and my family died in a fire. I blamed myself for a long time for it and still do sometimes. I can't seem to escape it."
Her father nodded his head like he understood. "I see."
"Anything else you'd like to know, sir?" I asked.
He shook his head. His braids swung and hit his shoulders. "No, but you can call me Elan, instead of sir.”
"That went much better than I thought it would,” Aiyanna said later as we drove to the hospital.
I took her hand in mine and kissed her knuckles. She looked at me shocked again. I would never get tired of seeing that look on her face either. "Did you think he would try to kill me?"
"If he knew you had tried to get into the shower with me this morning, most definitely, yes.” She looked out of her window and watched the mountains in the distance.
"Do you miss it?" I asked after a few minutes.
She looked at me startled. Like she had been lost in her thoughts. "Yes, sometimes. The mountains more than anything."
I waggled my brows at her suggestively. "You don't like the ocean and all the shirtless beach boys?"
She barked out a laugh. "Definitely not. I always preferred the mountains over the sand. In fact, the other day, with you, was the first time I had ever been to Virginia Beach since I moved there."
I kept my eyes on the road but tried to give her my best surprised face. "I have been to the beach almost every day since I moved to our base."
She snickered. "I think you like all the bikini babes on the beach."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh yes, definitely." I pulled into the hospital parking lot. "Speaking of, I have yet to see you with a bikini on."
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip before she hopped out of the car. "If you play your cards right, you just might before we go home. I don't know how much longer I can take this heat before I dive headfirst into my brother's pool."
I grabbed the bag out of the trunk. We were here to bring Aiyanna's mom some clothes and snacks. A care package that would hopefully help brighten everyone's spirits. "If we go swimming at your brother's pool, I don't think I'll ever get to see you in a bikini."
Chapter Forty-Four
Aiyanna
My mother rushedacross the little waiting room right into my arms. Tears immediately fell from her eyes as she hugged me tight to her chest. "I didn't know I needed you here so badly."
I ran my hands over her back as soothingly as I could. "I'm here for as long as you need me." She lifted her face from my shoulder and a new emotion passed over her face. It resembled desire. I knew immediately she was looking at Derek. I smacked her hand. "Stop staring at him. He doesn't need a bigger ego."
She grinned at him. "I'm Halona. It's nice to meet you."
He pulled her into a hug and I knew she was smitten. If I didn't bring this man home with me for every holiday, she was going to banish me and then invite him in my place. "Do you work out?"
I groaned and ignored the rest of the conversation. Maze was curled up in a corner chair staring off into the distance. Her red hair was pulled up, away from her face and she had deep circles under her eyes. I sat down next to her and pulled her hand into mine. We hadn't started off on the right foot and I didn't know how to like her but I knew she felt alone and I knew that feeling all too well. She snapped out of the trance she was in and looked at me with shock.
"You came." Her voice was a ragged whisper.
All I could do was nod. "I have been gone for a long time, Maze. It's time for me to forgive and let go. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't come."
Maze looked over my head. "Who is Mom fussing over?"
The words felt foreign but I said them anyway. I wasn't going to lose the label anytime soon. "That's my boyfriend, Derek."
She smiled but it didn't meet her eyes. "You guys finally got to an actual label in your relationship. We all placed bets. I was hopeful that he would do right by you and take you off the market."
