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I only wished Bones were here to share the moment with me.
Because this new baby would be his niece or nephew too.
I didn’t know when he would ask to marry me, and it really didn’t matter when that time came. Even if he never asked me, that would still be fine. I would always see him as the man I’d spend my life with. Even if we were husband and wife, it didn’t do our connection justice. It was even deeper than matrimony.
My phone rang, and Max’s name appeared on the screen.
I was sitting next to my father, and I answered the call instantly as I stepped away to take it. “Hey, is Griffin okay?” Max usually called me to check in, so I shouldn’t assume there was any bad news to share. But I’d been waiting for this stupid mission to end—once and for all.
“Yes. He’s totally fine. But we did have a bit of a hiccup in our planning. The target isn’t where we thought he was going to be, so we had to go with a new plan. So he’ll be gone an extra day.”
I had to wait a whole extra day for him to come back? “But he’s fine, right? Nothing has happened to him?”
“Vanessa, he’s fine,” he said with a sigh, as if Bones had warned him I would behave this way. “I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t worry when he didn’t return home on time.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the checkered tile of the waiting room. “Thanks for letting me know. My stomach is tied up in knots, and there’s stitch in my chest every time I breathe.”
“I get it. Cynthia goes through this too.”
“I’m so glad this is the last one. I can’t keep doing this.”
“He mentioned this was difficult for you.”
I didn’t care if everyone thought I was overreacting. Normally, I was a logical person and had a good attitude about a lot of things. But when Bones was gone and there was nothing I could do to help him, it gave me the worst bout of anxiety. I turned into an overprotective, obsessive girlfriend.
“All I’ll say is, Bones is my best guy. I’ve never seen him come across something he couldn’t handle. To be honest, it’s far more likely that something would happen to you instead of something happening to him.”
That shouldn’t make me feel better, but it did. “Thanks.”
“Just relax, Vanessa. He’s given up everything for you. There’s nothing that’s gonna stop him from coming back to you.”
“I know, Max.”
“So, your brother is having a baby, right?”
“As we speak. I’m in the waiting room.”
“Well, congratulations. And enjoy this wonderful time. Don’t worry about Bones.”
“I’ll try…”
“Talk to you later, Vanessa.”
“Okay. Bye.” I hung up and held the phone in my hand. I didn’t turn back to my parents because I was still on the verge of tears. Even though Bones was okay, the idea of waiting an extra day for him to come home killed me. I couldn’t wait for the moment when he walked into the house with that bag over his shoulder. It would be over for good—and we would never have to worry about it again.
“Tesoro, everything alright?”
I turned around to see the concerned expression on my father’s face. “Yeah. Max just called and said Griffin would be gone an extra day. Had to move something around. Didn’t really explain why.”
Even though today was an exciting day for my father, his face immediately mirrored my own. The sadness crept into his expression, and he moved his hands into his pockets with slumped shoulders. “I’m sorry, tesoro.”
“I know I shouldn’t worry, but it’s not hard not to.”
“I understand the feeling more than you know.” He released a sigh, the corner of his mouth rising in a sarcastic smile. “It’s what I’ve been doing on an almost daily basis since I had the two of you. I constantly worry about everything. Now you know how it feels.”
“If this is how it feels, I’m very sorry,” I said with a weak chuckle.
“Apology accepted.” He moved his hand to my shoulder and gave me a gentle pat. “Don’t worry about it, tesoro. I’ve seen that man in action, and there’s nothing to worry about. He’s not only fast and powerful, but he’s smart. If he can’t fight his way out of a situation, he’ll think his way out of it.”
Except for the time when the men came to his apartment and almost blew his brains out. If I hadn’t been there, he would have died. What if that situation happened again? What if I wasn’t there to help him? “I know you’re probably right…but my heart isn’t going to slow down until he comes back. He promised me this would be the last time. I know he keeps his promises.”
