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SAM MOVED QUIETLY THROUGH the crowded bar two weeks later, letting out a deep breath. He used to be all about happy hour with his buddies, but lately, he’d been feeling out of sorts. Antsy. He rolled his shoulders, the muscles slightly stiff. He’d tossed and turned the night before and needed a good night’s sleep to feel like himself again. Maybe a good workout first thing in the morning. That was all.
The team had gone on a quick mission earlier in the week, flying down to South Florida to intercept several drug traffickers off the coast. It wasn’t their normal type of operation, but the government had wanted answers, believing the men had terrorist ties. A little detour further offshore had landed them the intel the government needed and checked off another job well done for the team.
Sam’s gaze swept the crowd. Tables were packed, loud conversations and laughter filled the air, and he could make out the crack of pool balls from the tables in the back. A giggling woman bumped into him, almost spilling her beer, and he sidestepped her, frowning.
“Sam!” Ford called out, lifting a hand to get his attention from a table in the corner.
Sam’s eyes tracked over his friends. Fucking great. They were there with their women. Luke and Wren sat side-by-side, looking cozy. Ford was with Clara, his arm around her shoulders. Nick had a pretty blonde with him, and Gray was nowhere to be seen. Jett was home with his fiancée and baby. That left Sam as the odd man out.
The blonde woman excused herself as Sam yanked back a chair, heading to the restroom. She waggled her fingers at Nick as she walked away, sashaying off in a tight miniskirt and cowboy boots.
“I thought you preferred brunettes,” Luke said, elbowing Nick as soon as the woman was out of earshot. “It sure seemed that way a couple of weeks ago.”
Wren raised her eyebrows. “Are you talking about Blair?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to getting her digits, now that you mention it,” Nick said. “I just met this girl earlier. You guys weren’t here yet, so we had a drink together. I invited her to join us when the rest of the group showed up.”
“And now she’s plastered to your lap?” Sam asked bluntly.
“Maybe she likes it there,” Nick joked. “I don’t mind her checking out the goods.”
The waitress brought over another round of beers, and Sam plucked a bottle from the tray, taking a long pull. The hoppy brew seeped down his throat as he swallowed.
“Can you bring us one more beer?” Nick asked the waitress, shooting Sam a look. Yeah, he’d taken his buddy’s drink but didn’t give a shit. His friends had talked him into coming for a beer tonight, so he’d do exactly that—enjoy a goddamn beer.
“You could take your date’s beer,” Luke pointed out.
“Nah. She’ll be back. I’ll wait for the waitress to bring another one.”
“We can’t stay long tonight,” Ford said, casually caressing Clara’s shoulder with his hand. “The wedding is in two weeks, and we’ve got to write more thank-you cards tonight.”
“Before the wedding?” Sam asked, raising his eyebrows.
Ford shrugged. “People order gifts online nowadays. As soon as we open the gift, we send a note. Otherwise, random relatives are calling or emailing to ask if we received it yet. Clara’s got us on top of it all. She’s organized like that.”
“Shit, I have to get you a gift?” Nick joked. He smiled and thanked the waitress, grabbing the single bottle she’d brought over on a tray.
“Of course you don’t,” Clara said. “We’re just happy that you’ll be able to attend the ceremony.”
“He’s just being an ass,” Luke said. “Don’t mind him. And I can’t believe your wedding is coming up that quickly. Feels like you two kids were just getting engaged.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ford said, smiling at Clara. “A year flew by quickly. I always figured the boss would get married first.”
Clara tried to cover her laughter. “I can’t see them rushing to pull off a wedding. Anna is anything but laid back. Don’t get me wrong, I love her like a sister, but I have the feeling their wedding will be over-the-top and more than a year in the making. She’ll probably want some fancy place in Manhattan that books three years in advance.”
“Well hell,” Luke said. “They’ll probably have a house full of mini-Jetts and Annas by then.”
“Goodness, they might,” Clara said. “She’s excited about her new pregnancy. Jett’s worried, obviously, in his typical growly, over-protective manner.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Sam muttered.
“Anna’s calming him down. Their little guy is fussy, but she’s as calm as can be. I’ve tried to give them all the baby tips, at least what I could remember. They’ll have their hands full, that’s for sure.”
“So after the wedding, are you two next? Should I just stock up on boxes of diapers to give as gifts for everything from now on?” Nick joked.
Clara smiled at Ford. “We’ll see,” she said lightly.
Ford squeezed her shoulder. “We’re in no rush. If it happens, it happens. If not, then we’ll be a family of three with Eloise. She has been asking for a baby sister though,” he said with a chuckle. “At any rate, we’ll be official now—legally wed and all that.”
“I’m happy for you, buddy,” Sam said, eyeing his friend. “And you too, Clara.”
“Thank you,” she answered.
His friends began chatting more about the wedding and their plans for the summer, and Sam’s mind drifted as he thought about his lack of any plan. He’d do the usual—hit the gym to lift, hang out with his buddies, head off on ops. Roll into the office every single morning. He didn’t date. He wasn’t chasing after women at bars, looking for a good time like he had when he was younger. He hadn’t even really taken a vacation in years. He traveled for work, and that had been enough.
Then there’d been Paris.
He took a swig of his beer.
The hurt look on Ava’s face before she’d left had slayed him. It was like she’d been pleading with him not to hurt her again, and he felt like the biggest asshole on Earth. If they’d flipped the script, and she hadn’t replied to him after the most amazing twenty-four hours, he’d have been gutted, too.
Didn’t mean he could change the past.
He took another pull of his beer, realizing that Wren was watching him. She was observant. Sharp. They’d realized that down in Mexico when she’d tracked her sister there from some online sleuthing. She was good at reading people, a trait that obviously served her well as an investigative journalist.
“I heard from Ava,” she said nonchalantly. “She’s got an apartment in Cairo for the summer. She’s already painting,” she added, pulling out her phone to show him a picture of the piece. Sam watched as she swiped through a few photos. They were good. He could paint a wall a solid color, and that was about it. She was beyond talented.
“I thought she was doing sculptures,” Nick said.
“She will be. There was a delay in whatever materials they were waiting on, but she’s exploring Cairo and painting on her own for now. Plus, she’s working on the design. Some of the sculptures are for a building in downtown Cairo, so she took photos and measurements to plan what to do in the space.”
“It sounds like she’ll be there longer than the summer,” Sam said with a frown.
Wren shrugged. “Maybe. I think she’ll have some assistants—local art students or something. I’m not entirely sure. Something happened with her cell phone, so she sent me her new number last week. I’ll text it to you,” she told Sam.
He raised his eyebrows. “Not sure she wants to hear from me while she’s gone.”
“I think she’s homesick,” Wren admitted. “Ava was so excited but hasn’t even worked on the pieces they commissioned her for yet. It’s been a couple of weeks, she has the design, and they’re stalling, claiming it’s a delay with the materials.”
Sam’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, staring at Ava’s new phone number.
Wren nodded. “You should text her.”
Sam eyed her suspiciously and slid his phone back into his pocket. Of course, Wren was urging him to reach out. She wanted them on speaking terms when Ava eventually got back to the States. Ava would move on at some point if he didn’t pursue her. Find another guy. How would he feel if another man was with her?
Pissed off.
No one else should be touching her, making her laugh, seeing that fire in her eyes. And at night? Fuck. It made him see red to even think about another man undressing her, taking her to bed, and hearing Ava’s sweet cries.
He’d been an idiot last year. Now Ava was in Cario all alone and just...waiting. Not creating any of the pieces she’d been flown there to work on.
A hint of doubt wound through him as he thought over the missing phone and sculptures that weren’t happening yet. Something about the situation felt off, but he didn’t know enough about the specifics to say why. Certainly, ordering materials was understandable. Seeing the space and coming up with a design had probably been built into the timeline.
Sam’s jaw ticked as he thought it over.
“Did you miss me?” the blonde asked Nick as she walked back to their table, sliding onto his lap once again. He grinned, snaking his arm around her waist.
“Of course, baby girl. Here’s a beer for you,” he said, handing her the full bottle.
Sam sat there, listening as his friends started up their conversation again. His phone felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. Should he text Ava? Make sure she really was okay? He didn’t know why Wren was pushing this out of the blue, but if Ava was unhappy there, it wouldn’t hurt to check on her. Ava could always ignore him, just like he’d done a year ago, and wouldn’t that just serve him right.
***
SAM: Princess, Wren gave me your new cell number. Hope you’re staying safe. How’s Cairo? The sculptures? I didn’t listen to what you said, because I haven’t forgotten about you yet.
***
SAM: Princess, it’s okay, I figured you wouldn’t respond. Wren assures me this number works. Are you making progress on your art? You are so damn talented. I was thinking about you last night. Guess I’m stubborn like that.
***
SAM: Princess, I went to a wedding this weekend. Don’t worry, it wasn’t mine. ;) The last woman I was with I left in Paris a year ago. I still regret it—letting you get away. That night together was everything.
