Page 27 of George’s Big Day

“This is not one of my sessions,” she told him. “This is us, me and you, out in the world, meeting as friends.”

“Excellent announcement of boundaries,” he praised her before opening his arms.

She grinned crazily and leaped at him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Everyone was stunned. Marcum, his new partners, their spouses, Vanessa, and of course, Kurt’s half-siblings and their significant others, could not stop staring. It was as if they hadn’t really seen Kurt until then.

It made sense. He’d been off-balance earlier, blindsided, as Thomasin had pointed out, by his mother’s reappearance, and as a result had gone quiet. I was betting that everyone thought him weak, maybe even a bit of a doormat, which he was not at all, evidenced by his decision for us to go. He’d been prepared to tell her we were leaving without excuses, no sugarcoating, only that he didn’t want to be there anymore. The appearance of my boss hadn’t saved us. It had saved his mother from Kurt explaining that we were out of there.

When I glanced at her now, I knew what she saw—a radiant young woman step back and gaze at Kurt like he was dear to her, which he was. Hannah liked him as a person and as her doctor.

Whirling around, she wrapped both arms around my left bicep, and I groaned like I was dying, rolling my eyes for good measure. Kurt shot me a warning look, and Hannah tugged gently.

“What’re you doing?” I complained.

“I’m still hungry, so come on. I want to make sure you’re moving, because I have to tell Uncle Aaron more about a redevelopment opportunity in Old Town Scottsdale.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Marcum asked brusquely, sounding almost angry. I remembered then that he lived there.

“Oh, just some opportunities in Arizona we’re looking at,” she told him, smiling.

“And you are?”

“I’m Hannah.” She let me go, moving like the dancer and athlete she was and offering Marcum her hand. “Hannah Kage.”

He didn’t take her hand, which I saw Sutter notice even though he’d gotten stuck talking to some people from other tables, shaking hands and nodding.

I wished I could have warned Marcum that snubbing Hannah was a really terrible, really life-changing decision. “Well, I don’t know what you think you’re going to do in my neck of the⁠—”

“I’m also Aaron Sutter’s goddaughter,” she interrupted, still holding out her hand, long beats of time ticking by, like slow motion in a movie, before the man himself appeared beside her, putting his arm around her. His obvious display of both affection and pride, as Hannah looked down and then lifted her eyes, spoke volumes. Poor Marcum had thought he was in control. In reality, the power was hers. There was another noticeable silence from the table as Marcum finally took her hand.

“Nice to meet you all,” my boss lied, giving Hannah a last squeeze before he let her go, pointed at me and then the stairs. “Captain Hunt,” he announced, using my military credentials that time. “Let’s go.”

“Yessir,” I replied as Hannah darted after the billionaire real estate mogul.

“You’re in the military?” Nelson asked me, which was weird.

“I am.”

“And you’re the assistant director of corporate security for Aaron Sutter,” Marcum stated.

“I am, yes,” I said, taking hold of Kurt’s hand.

“You sort of buried the lead there.” Phillip was trying for jovial but didn’t quite make it.

I shook my head. “Not at all. I am a bodyguard, that’s it.”

“That’s not it,” Kurt said, and I could hear the swell of emotion in his voice. “You’re an Army Ranger and are called on again and again to serve your country. You’re a good man.”

As long as he thought so, I was happy.

I heard Marcum say Vanessa under his breath.

“Kurt,” his mother called over to him. “We would love to⁠—”

“Please do give me a call next time you’re in town,” he told her. “Perhaps we can have dinner then.”

“I heard you say you’re getting married soon?” Addison rushed out.