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At the name, Tucker stopped barking but emitted a low, continuous growl. I started to worry that the only way we’d be able to free him was to bring my girl there. Which was the last fucking thing I wanted to do. It would kill Annalise to see how Tucker had been treated, and she would be eaten up with guilt over it.
Determined to save him without exposing her to this, I tried again. “Tucker, I’m Kade. Annalise is anxious to see you, buddy.”
I took a step closer and held out my hand—hoping he’d pick up on her scent. Tucker leaned forward and sniffed. After sniffing a second time, he stopped growling and lay down. Hesitantly, I crept forward a little more, my hand still out. Tucker’s head lifted, and I paused, but then he licked my hand and whined. “Yeah, boy. I miss her, too.”
He let me free him from his confines and then glued himself to my side. As we exited the building, he barked at Huntley, but I rubbed the top of Tucker’s head. “He’s a friend, too, Tucker.” The dog hushed and remained close as I walked him to my truck. I opened the passenger door, and he leaped inside. I watched him sniff all around the seat, then sigh and curl up, surrounded by Annalise’s scent.
“Let’s go get our girl.”
12
Annalise
I’d told my dad and brother not to show up on Kade’s doorstep unless they were bringing Tucker back to me, but I really should’ve made him promise not to drop me off at my dad’s place instead. Especially since he was in a rush and watched me head inside instead of walking me to the door, something which I’d insisted on but made my dad furious. And my brother too when he showed up, and my dad told him about it.
Neither of them was willing to be reasonable—and I sure as heck wasn’t going to explain that Kade had shut down my argument about going with him by pointing out that I was pregnant. So I’d given up on trying to make them understand that I was the one who insisted Kade take off right away, and he only agreed because I’d threatened to take a rideshare instead.
Pacing back and forth in the living room, I heaved a deep sigh when I checked my phone to make sure it was on. “What’s taking so long?”
“These things take time. They gotta be careful, kiddo,” Dad reminded me for about the thousandth time.
“The guy might be a Navy SEAL, but that doesn’t mean he and his buddies can just go charging into this mess without taking precautions,” Andrew added.
Since I hadn’t mentioned that he was in the Navy, let alone a SEAL, I’d been right about them digging into Kade after they found out I was staying with him.
“Especially since they’re not supposed to operate on US soil without authorization from the president,” Dad muttered.
Turning toward where they sat side-by-side on the couch, I narrowed my eyes at my dad. “Like that would ever stop you from doing what was right, especially when it was a situation that involved me.”
“That’s totally different. You’re my baby girl, but you’ve only known this guy for less than a week,” my dad muttered. “Things shouldn’t be serious enough between you two for him to risk his career and freedom for you.”
I glared at him and planted my fists on my hips. “I might’ve only been eight when we lost Mom, but I remember the story she told me about how the two of you met.”
That shut him up since they’d gotten married after knowing each other for only a week, right before he was sent to Saudi Arabia. They’d had the war as an excuse to rush down the aisle, but my mom said it wouldn’t have taken him much longer to convince her since she fell for him at first sight.
My brother was ready to butt in with his opinion on how quickly Kade and I were moving, but I ignored him when my phone finally beeped with a notification.
Kade:Tucker is safe. I’ll be there with him in 30.
“Oh, my gosh,” I squealed. “They got him! Kade is on his way with Tucker now.”
The other two most important men in my life heaved sighs of relief as I stalked over to the front window to stare outside until I saw Kade’s truck pull in front of my dad’s house. Racing toward the door, I flung it open and ran down the sidewalk to meet Kade as he rounded the front of the truck. Then I threw myself into his arms. “Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome, baby.” He brushed a kiss against the top of my head, his arms tightening around me before he took a step back. “I think someone else can’t wait to see you.”
Happy tears filled my eyes as he opened the passenger door, and Tucker bounded out, his tail wagging. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Hey, boy. I’m so happy to see you, too. I was really worried about you.”
My dad and brother had followed me outside but didn’t say a word as they glared at Kade with their arms crossed over their chests. After I showered Tucker with attention and gave him the treat I’d grabbed from the box I kept in Dad’s kitchen, I turned to scowl right back at them. “This is the greeting Kade gets after taking care of me and rescuing Tucker?”
Kade chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, ignoring their ire as he growled, “How about we have this conversation inside? You don’t have shoes on, baby.”
“I’ve been barefoot in my dad’s yard plenty of times,” I grumbled while he nudged me toward the house.
Tucker trotted after us, with my dad and brother right behind him. I headed straight to the kitchen to get him a bowl of water and pinched the bridge of my nose when none of the men followed us.
Once I was certain that the German shepherd was okay, I wandered back into the living room and found my father and brother squared off against Kade. All three of them were glaring at each other, and I threw my hands up in frustration as I cried, “Seriously?”
Andrew shot me a look. “You had to know we weren’t going to just welcome him with open arms, sis.”
