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Just as Avalon sat down beside me on the couch and the guys walked out of the room and into the kitchen, she asked, “How’d it go at the hospital?”
I offered a friendly smile in return, even though I felt slightly embarrassed by my situation. “It went well. Other than the visible injuries and some soreness I’m expected to feel for a few days, all is good. I don’t have any broken bones or other major complications.”
“I’m so sorry about what happened to you.”
“Thanks. It’s humiliating to be in this mess,” I murmured.
She placed her hand on my shoulder briefly. “Don’t feel embarrassed on my account. I’ve been in your shoes before.”
My lips parted in shock. “You have?”
In a move that surprised me even more, Avalon let out a laugh. “Oh, yeah. I was actually kidnapped and tortured almost two years ago.”
“What?” I gasped.
Avalon nodded, confirming I hadn’t heard her incorrectly. “Technically, I guess I got myself kidnapped purposely as a way to help rescue Damon’s sister, who had been kidnapped.”
My eyes roamed over her face in disbelief. “Are you okay?”
“The best I’ve ever been.” Avalon sent a reassuring smile my way. She went on to tell me the basic gist of what had happened to Damon’s sister, and subsequently, her. She revealed how she’d sacrificed herself to save Damon’s sister, and how Damon had come in to rescue her along with his team. “It wasn’t great when I was going through it, but the whole ordeal brought Damon and me together in a way we hadn’t been before. And now we’re engaged to be married at the beginning of June, so it all worked out for the best.”
Wow.
She was getting married to the man who had rescued her from something so horrific. It was awful to think about what she’d endured, but it was heartwarming to know she’d found the man of her dreams in the process.
“I can’t believe what you went through. I’m not sure I would have survived something like that. Damon must have been horrified to learn you went through what you did for his sister,” I noted.
“It wasn’t easy for him, either. But it’s becoming like a rite of passage for the men at Harper Security Ops. I swear, of all the men there who are in relationships, none of them had it smooth sailing.”
Curiosity got the best of me. “What do you mean?”
Avalon’s whole face lit up. “What I mean is that Forrest is well on his way to joining the ranks of the rest of the men at the office who are spoken for.”
Even though he’d just called me his girl, I thought it was important to clarify things with Avalon. “Oh, um, well, Forrest and I aren’t exactly?—"
“You will be,” she assured me, not an ounce of doubt anywhere to be found.
I didn’t know how she knew that when she’d only met me just a few hours ago, but I wasn’t upset by her claim. I could only hope she was right, because there was nothing that would have made me happier than to wind up at the same place as she was now, weeks away from her wedding.
“Can I just say how much I love your personality? Despite what you went through, you’re unbelievably optimistic. I don’t think it’d ever be possible for me to get to a point where I could look back on my situation and feel happy about any of it,” I told her.
Avalon’s eyes roamed over my face, and I could see there was something happening inside her head. Following a brief pause, she declared, “I think you need to meet the rest of the gang, so you can see that it does get better.”
“What?”
“I’ll set it up,” she declared.
“Set what up?”
Before Avalon could respond and explain what she was planning, Forrest and Damon reappeared.
“Everything okay?” Forrest asked.
I started to nod, but it was Avalon who spoke. “It’s perfect. In fact, I was just telling Daisy I think she needs to meet the rest of the girls. If it’s cool with you, Forrest, I’d love to rally the gang and have them come over to meet Daisy. Considering she’s new in town, it’d probably be a good idea for her to make some friends.”
Forrest didn’t hesitate. “That’s cool with me as long as Daisy is okay with it.”
I didn’t think there was any situation I could ever be in where I’d turn down the opportunity to make some genuine friends. “I’d love that.”
