“DAMN, THE MILITARY GETS YOU in shape, huh?” My hands on my knees, I’m bent over in front of the farmhouse dragging in breaths. “Fuck, Ford. Remind me to never run with you again.”

The asshole stands, looking barely winded, and watches me with amusement. “And they pay you to be in shape? Hell, maybe I’ll forget the security company and just go play baseball.”

I don’t even dignify that with an answer. Besides, I still can’t breathe.

“Ford kick your ass too?”

Looking up, I see Graham heading our way. In jeans and a green polo shirt, he looks as casual as Graham gets in public.

“Does he make you run with him?” I ask, finally able to stand up.

“Once. I ran with him once,” Graham laughs. “I’ll run alone rather than be run so hard I want to die.”

“Pussies, both of you,” Ford laughs. “I’m heading in to shower. Don’t eat all the pie before I get out.” We watch him go up the stairs and into the house.

“He’s a beast,” I laugh. “Damn. Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Because it’s fun to watch you get schooled. What can I say?” He pushes his hands in his pockets. “Where’s Danielle?”

“Getting ready.” I think back to how she looked standing in my room, wearing one of my old robes, a coffee mug in her hand. “Unless I can get up there and unready her before she comes down.”

Graham laughs, his watch catching the morning sunlight. “Is Barrett here yet?”

“Yeah, he and Ali and Hux are in the kitchen.”

“I need to talk to him later.”

“No business on Thanksgiving, G,” I snort. “Give us all a day without talking shop, okay?”

“I wish.” He makes a face. “My assistant has decided she and her new guy are moving to Maine of all fucking places.”

“Why would they go there? It’s cold.”

“Apparently they’re opening a bed and breakfast. Bad idea, if you ask me. She’s known him for like two months now and she’s tying up all her investments and accounts with this guy. But what can I do?”

“Nothing.”

“Exactly,” he sighs. “It’s hard to watch. Anyway, she quit. No two-week’s notice, no courtesy call. Just picked up her check and said she won’t be back after the holiday.”

“Shit. That sucks. What are you going to do?”

“Fuck if I know,” he sighs again. “I hate temps. I’d rather do it all myself than have to explain every little thing. I’m hoping Barrett has someone that I could hire.”

“Hire Paulina,” I say and brace for the shove that’s undoubtedly coming. It does. He knocks me back a few paces.

“You’re an asshole,” he laughs.

I look over my shoulder and see the window of the room Dani and I share. A bubble of excitement creeps through my veins. “Hey, I’m going to go get showered. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Don’t lie,” he jokes.

“Okay,” I say, jogging to the steps. “I’m going to find my girl, get dirty, get a shower, and then I’ll see you.”

I hear his chuckle behind me as I enter the house, wave to Barrett as I skip up the steps, and land at the end of the hall. Shoving the door open, she’s standing in front of a full-length mirror in the corner.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I say, coming up behind her. Our reflections look back at us. She’s a head or more shorter than me, her dark hair pulled back from her face. She’s dressed in a long floral dress and a denim jacket.

“I’m nervous,” she whispers, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Why?”

She shrugs. “I can hear them all down there. What if . . . What if I don’t fit in? What if I feel weird today?”

“Then we will come up here and I’ll bury myself inside you until it’s time to leave,” I shrug. “Sounds easy to me.”

She swats at me as she turns around, giggling. “You have a one track mind.”

“What’s your point?” I grin. “I like it.”

I kiss her and then grab the robe she was wearing earlier. “I need to grab a shower.”

“What should I do?” she gulps.

“Wanna watch?”

“Yes,” she sighs happily.

I laugh, picking out a pair of jeans and a red collared shirt to wear to dinner. “Go talk to my family. Just jump in the mix.”

“I don’t know . . .”

“I do,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “They’ll love you, but don’t believe everything they say. Now go make yourself at home.”

If I stand here and talk to her about it, she’ll end up coming into the bathroom with me. And if that happens, I’ll end up getting her naked. And if that happens, we’ll fuck and that means we’ll be late to dinner. And that means I’ll have one very upset mother and we all avoid that at all cost.

So I leave her standing in the middle of our room and head down the hall.