Tacker (Arizona Vengeance #5)(55)

And yet, I can’t help thinking people will look down on me for dating my patient. My credibility as a counselor will be questioned for even letting this occur. It shows me that perhaps I’m still not fully comfortable with how things turned out between us, but on the flip side, I really like Tacker.

A lot.

He’s ultimately a risk I am willing to take because I think he’s just that special.

Tacker assured me the team already knew about me, and that everyone was happy for us. He’d told his first line mates, then word sort of spread to the others over the following days.

Still, I was a ball of nerves when we showed up, my heart thumping hard in my chest.

But that was an hour ago, and I’m completely fine now. Everyone was so gracious even though I got a little bit of ribbing from the guys.

Erik had bumped his shoulder against mine, nodded at Tacker, who had his hand on my lower back, and playfully said, “Nora… you saucy vixen… ensnaring the big guy there.”

I’d blushed, Tacker growled, and Erik just shot us both a mischievous wink before Blue stepped in to give me a welcoming hug. She had whispered, “I can’t wait to hear all the details about how you two fell for each other.”

Something about the breathlessness in her voice… the hopeful romantic tone… makes butterflies circle in my tummy. Yes… I do think we’re falling for each other, and it makes me feel giddy.

Tacker and I walk around Erik and Blue’s immense house, talking with various teammates and guests. Most I had met when they’d volunteered at the ranch, but some I had not.

The mood is festive and upbeat, everyone coming together to celebrate Legend and Pepper’s marriage. While she’d already been unofficially welcomed into the Vengeance family, now she was legally a family member.

And it is a family.

It’s fascinating to watch how they all interact with each other. The absolute fondness in their expressions and the care in their voices, even if they are giving the other person hell about something.

We make our way down to the basement, Tacker on a mission. He finds Billy down there, playing video games in front of a large, flat-screen TV with Dax.

Tacker waits patiently. When the game ends, he boots Dax off the couch. I smile, watching Tacker hold his hand out to Billy—man to man—for a fist bump. Billy grins at him with adoration shining in his eyes. There’s no doubt Tacker is his favorite or that Tacker has a genuine touch with Billy.

He has practice, of course. I’d learned that MJ had a disabled and wheelchair-bound older brother, and Tacker was exceptionally close to him. It’s clear Tacker just has an innate gift within him to bond with those who need care and protection the most.

Dax walks around the couch, coming to stand beside me as we watch Tacker and Billy start a new game. Tacker starts gentle smack talking, and Billy laughs while they play.

“So you and Tacker, huh?” he asks, a smirk on his face. “What would possess you to start dating that asshole?”

Tacker doesn’t even miss a beat, his eyes pinned hard on the TV screen as he replies for me, “Because she has impeccable taste.”

Dax roars with laughter. Leaning over the couch, he squeezes Tacker’s shoulder briefly. “Of course she does.”

Next thing I know, Dax has me by the elbow. As he starts to lead me away, he calls out to Tacker. “Got your woman. I’ll return her safely.”

“You better,” Tacker calls back, again eyes still engaged fully in the game, but there’s no mistaking the warning in his tone. “Or you’ll regret it.”

Dax leads me up the stairs, through the great room, and out onto the back patio where several people congregate, talking, eating, and drinking.

I’m tugged along with him, right over to a small group of women. I recognize Blue, who I’d seen a bit earlier, and Brooke and Regan, who had come out to Sh?rim Ranch that day with the team. There’s another woman there—petite and stunning with her dark hair in a pixie cut—who I don’t know.

“Nora,” Dax says as he releases my elbow. “I believe you know everyone but Pepper.”

Of course, Pepper. The woman of the hour.

She opens her arms to me, and I step in for a hug. When we pull apart, I say, “Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Thank you,” she gushes, pushing her hair behind her ears. “I’m so glad you came with Tacker. I’ve been dying to meet you.”

Suddenly, a glass of wine appears in front of my face, held by Dax. “Here you go.”

I accept it, not worrying about the fact Tacker doesn’t drink. He hasn’t minded me having a glass of wine or beer when we go out to dinner. Sometimes, I do. Other times, I don’t, depending on my mood. Tacker assured me it was fine as he wasn’t much of a drinker anyway, so he wasn’t bothered by the team’s mandate he couldn’t have alcohol. It works out, because I’m not much of a drinker either. Like I said, just a drink with a meal sometimes.

“And with that,” Dax says with a slight bow and wink at Regan, “I’m out of here. Unlike Tacker, I don’t hang out with the girls.”

Everyone laughs but me, because I don’t get the joke. Regan notices my perplexed expression as Dax disappears, and explains, “In an effort to get Tacker engaging with people, Dax sort of set him up.”

“Yeah,” Brooke pipes in with a snicker. “Asked Tacker to check on Regan one day and unbeknownst to poor Tacker, we were all there baking cookies for a charity event. We sort of pulled him inside, and we didn’t give him a choice about leaving. Made him hang out with us for a few hours and actually have a conversation.”