AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stood up and kissed her forehead. Stepped back. “Sorry, but I was overhearing what you guys were talking about, and Shae’s right. You don’t always have to protect yourself, Iris. You’re not alone, okay?”
She frowned, not sure what he was getting at. “I don’t—”
“I got this?” He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it’s okay if you don’t.”
Oh.
He picked up his duffel on the way out and closed the door behind him.
Shae had gone to the table, was drinking her tea. “He’s right. Tea is terrible.”
Iris laughed, then groaned. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Sorry.” She set down her tea. “The guys are taking a long time. Did you get a text back?”
“From…who? I don’t have any contacts.”
“I thought you texted Ned!” Shae got up. “Where’s your phone?”
“Maybe my duffel? I didn’t have it when I left the stadium.” She gestured to somewhere across the great room. She spotted her duffel sitting on the floor near the door.
Shae got up and headed to the duffel.
“It won’t matter—I don’t have his number.”
Shae found the burner phone. “You only have one contact in here.”
“I know. It’s Hud.”
Shae pressed Send, and it rang, then died. “Shoot. Your phone died.”
“Sorry.”
Shae tossed it back into the bag. “Please, God, let Ned know where I am. Please let him not kill me.” She got up. “We should have waited at the hospital and not gone with your friend Zach.”
“Listen, we’re fine. Ned will figure it out—”
“Ned nearly died in the Bering Sea looking for me!”
Iris stared at her.
Shae put her hand over her mouth, her pale blue eyes wide. “Sorry. I just…maybe I’m worried.”
“C’mere. Let me tell you a story about Ned.”
Shae walked over.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Ned and the Russian kid. I can’t remember his name—Alexi, or Illya or something like that. Anyway, he was a couple years older than Ned, and a complete bully, and Fraser and Jonas talked him into standing up to the kid. I mean, he had twenty pounds on Ned and razors for teeth—”
Shae laughed, although her eyes were wet.
“Anyway, Ned totally took him on. He got licked, but he stood his ground to this kid. And after that, everybody around him knew that Ned was the real deal. So, you don’t worry about him. Ned is going to be just fine.”
Shae ran her hands over her cheeks. “I just need to marry the man as soon as I possibly can.”
Iris reached out to give her a hug, then groaned.
Shae grabbed her hands, squeezed. “I think Hudson has a thing for you, by the way. So maybe that dress worked.”
