Dream Chaser (Dream Team, #2)(113)

Yup.

My hero.

“I can live with that.”

He drew in a deep breath, his wide chest expanding with the intake, and let it out.

Once he did that, I carefully lowered the boom.

“I need to make some peace with her. I’m not okay with not seeing Portia and Jethro.”

“I get that,” he replied. “But you aren’t gonna eat shit to find it.”

I pressed my lips together.

“Kathryn,” he said warningly, eyes on my mouth.

“They’re worth eating shit over and I miss them, Boone,” I said quietly.

It took a beat before he hissed, “Fuck.”

I moved the three steps between us and put my hand to his abs.

“She isn’t going about it right, but her life did get derailed. She participated in that,” I said the last quickly when he looked ready to interject…heatedly. “But I can see her pining for what her friends have, and she doesn’t. I can see getting depressed about it and having trouble facing the enormity of her responsibilities. She’s acting spoiled, yes. And selfish, yes. And childish, yes. And I don’t know if she’s ever going to grow up. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I have to give it some time, get out from under this cloud with Brett and those cops, and then find a way to build a bridge I can walk over so I can see the kids.”

“Okay, but there has to be a line you’ll draw, Ryn,” he advised. “Breaking your back, putting your dreams on hold, getting so strung out you’re passing out…” He shook his head.

I nodded mine. “I’m with you. And I promise, I’ll listen if you think I’m at a place that line needs to be drawn, and I’ll be aware of what’s happening, so if the time comes, I’ll do it myself.”

He studied me as if assessing my veracity.

Then he murmured, “I’ll accept that promise, baby,” bent and touched his mouth to mine.

God, I loved it when he did that.

I pressed into his abs with my hand as I leaned into him with the rest of me.

“And I’ll repeat, I love how you look out for me,” I said.

“Good,” he replied.

“And Mom loves it too.”

Something flickered in his eyes, showing me he was pleased with that, and his mouth relaxed as he said, “I’m glad.”

“So thank you for giving it to me, but also, thank you for giving it to her too.”

“Shit, you’re sweet,” he muttered.

“That’s what I’m always thinking about you.”

With that, he closed his arms around me and we made out.

When he let me up for air, I told him, “But, just saying, the way other people behave doesn’t affect your hero status.”

His brows shot up. “My what?”

“You need to be the hero, Boone,” I replied. “I get that. I love that about you. And not to be too gushy, but you’re that to me and nothing they do affects it.”

“I need to be the hero?”

I wasn’t able to put my finger on his tone.

So I said cautiously, “Baby, before we were even together, you looked into things to find out what was going down with me so you could step in and help. You heard Brian talking smack to me and laid him out. You mow Whitney’s lawn because her husband isn’t there to do it. We haven’t gotten into that sitch with the sheikh’s son. And you’re a freaking commando. I think evidence is strongly suggesting you have a hero complex, and that is not a bad thing.”

He stared down at me.

Then he actually threw his head back and burst out laughing.

I wasn’t sure what I was saying was funny, but I still smiled at him while he did it.

When he sobered, he gave me a squeeze and said, “I’m takin’ this serious because you would know.”

“Sorry?” I asked.

“Babe, you race in to save the day every freaking time. Even when people are treating you like shit, you go for it.”

Hmm.

“It’s not about being a hero though,” he went on. “It’s about being a decent person.”

Hmm again.

“But I got the sense you were a little miffed that Brett got in there first, helping me out with the house,” I noted.

“That’s different, Ryn, because you’re my girl and no guy wants some other guy to lay tens of thousands of dollars of anything on their girl.”

Oh.

Right.

“That makes sense,” I muttered.

He was grinning at me, and through it said, “But in the end, it was about what was best for you and what you want out of life, so I’ll remind you I did not swing my dick and push you into giving it back.”

No, he didn’t do that.

I pressed closer to him.

Boone took the hint and started making out with me again.

We did that until Mo showed to take my security detail for the day.

After Boone shook hands and bumped forearms with Mo on his way out, he turned to me and gave me a chin lift and a tender look before he walked out the door.

And I knew.

I was in love with that man.

I was going to live my life with him.

I was going to give him babies.

I was going to die (years and years from then) loving Boone Andrew Sadler.