Caution (Harper Security Ops Book 14), page 21
He immediately pointed his weapon at Forrest, but being caught off guard, he was unsuccessful in hitting him with the two shots he’d managed to fire off.
With his own life in danger after having just saved me from Jeremy’s attempts, Forrest didn’t think twice. He fired a single shot and killed him.
A man was dead just like that.
And it never had to be that way.
A broken heart had led a man to kill someone else before it cost him his own life. No doubt, the lives of three families would forever be changed—Jeremy’s, Kevin’s, and the woman caught in the middle of them.
It was devastating.
But through it all, one man had stuck by my side. He’d given me the one thing I needed to make it through.
Forrest loved me.
He didn’t let me suffer on my own.
And eventually, the nightmares stopped.
Now, I was here, standing in front of the mirror weeks later, dressed to the nines, so Forrest could take me out to celebrate my birthday with me.
He hadn’t forgotten.
And the only request he’d had was that I get myself dolled up, because he wanted nothing more than to see me like that.
So, I happily honored his request.
I gave myself one final look and a nod of approval before I turned to walk out of the bedroom to meet him downstairs.
When I walked into the living room, his eyes fell on me. And I was convinced he didn’t blink for more than a minute as he took me in.
At some point, he became unstuck and moved in my direction. Once he was mere inches away, he brought his face close to mine and said, “It feels like it’s my birthday today. You look stunning, Daisy.”
I smiled against his lips. “I feel beautiful.”
Forrest kissed me and allowed his hands to roam over the curves of my body. I loved it. I loved the way he communicated how he was feeling using his hands and mouth in the most delicious ways imaginable.
When he pulled his mouth away, he said, “You’re going to have the best birthday of your life.”
The fact we were celebrating at all made that so, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t curious to see where the night was headed. “I can’t wait.”
Taking me by the hand, he jerked his head to the side and said, “Let’s get you to your dinner.”
I happily went.
For the first time since I’d arrived in his hometown, Forrest was taking me to the one place he’d promised he’d take me to if I came to visit him. With everything else that had been happening immediately after my arrival, we hadn’t managed to make it here.
My birthday felt like the best opportunity to make it happen.
Tonight, we were going to The Ridge, the place he’d wanted to bring me, so he could see me all dolled up.
And apparently, it had been worth the wait for him.
We made it to the restaurant, and I had to admit I was soaking it all up. Forrest had always gone out of his way to make me feel good and to show me he cared, but this was extra special.
I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have met him, to have finally found the love I’d been searching for all along.
Once we were seated and had given our orders to the waitress, I looked across the table and beamed at Forrest. “I haven’t tasted a bite of the food, and I’m already in love with this place. It’s beautiful here.”
“Just wait until your meal arrives,” he advised, reaching his hand out to mine.
“I’ve never been disappointed with anything you’ve taken me to do, so I know it’s going to be fabulous.”
“So, I have a question,” Forrest declared.
“What is it?”
“What do you want for your birthday?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” I countered. “You’ve already brought me out for dinner, and I suspect there’s going to be some fun in store for me when we get home tonight.”
He chuckled. “That goes without saying.”
I shrugged. “That’s more than enough for me.”
“You’re not even going to ask for cake?”
“Oh, well, I mean, cake would be lovely. Cake is the one thing that truly makes it feel like a special birthday.”
“Okay. What else?”
I was beginning to think Forrest had something he wanted me to say that I hoped to get for my birthday, but the truth was that I didn’t want for anything.
“I have you, Forrest. I really don’t need anything else. And I know you understand that, because you said the same about being able to spend your birthday with me.”
Nodding, he returned, “Fair point.”
“Why do I get the feeling you have something you’re hoping I’d say I was wishing for?”
“I don’t know. I guess maybe I’m gearing up for your next birthday, trying to figure out how I can make it feel just as special for you.”
The fact he believed we’d still be together next year was already enough of a birthday gift. Instead of saying that, I replied, “Well, maybe, assuming we’re still together then, I’d love to think I will have developed a better relationship with all the girls. It might be nice for us to have a celebration by ourselves, and then be able to do something fun with them.”
Forrest nodded his understanding. “I think one word about that to Avalon could make it happen. She lives for stuff like that.”
I laughed. “Yeah. She does, doesn’t she?”
“Alright, so I do have a gift for you to open,” he finally revealed.
My eyes widened. “Really?”
A moment later, he pulled out a small, wrapped box and slid it across the table toward me.
I was going to cry before I even opened the box. Not wanting to be a complete mess, I blinked my eyes rapidly.
“It’s just something small, Daisy. I thought it was perfect for us. Open it.”
I lifted the box from the table and began removing the wrapping. This felt so surreal. Once the paper was gone, I pulled the lid off the top of the white box. There was a velvet wrapped jewelry box that made me think a necklace would be inside.
I poured that out onto my palm, flipped it over, and opened the jewelry box. What I saw inside made it even more difficult to hold back the tears.
When I lifted my gaze to Forrest’s, he said, “In case you ever get lost and don’t know your way home, I thought that would help.”
Attached to a delicate silver chain was a charm with a compass on it.
Maybe in his eyes this was something small, but it wasn’t to me. It was the best gift anyone had ever given me.
“Of all the traveling I had planned to do in order to figure out where to put down roots, nothing would have come close to Steel Ridge. And that’s because of you. There’s not a chance I’ll ever forget where home is for me, Forrest. Thank you so much for this.”
“You’re welcome, sunshine.”
Forrest stood, took the necklace from me, and put it around my neck. Then he bent down and kissed my cheek before returning to his seat.
Our waitress arrived with our dinner salads, and when she took off again, I said, “You know, this necklace really is the perfect gift.”
“What makes you say that?”
I lifted my fork in my hand, speared through my salad, and focused my attention on Forrest. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days while you were at work. I think I’m ready to start figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Confusion washed over his face. “What do you mean? I thought you liked going places and trying out new things all the time. Are you telling me you don’t want to do that anymore?”
“I’m not saying I never want to travel or try new things. I think I’ll always want to do that. But when I was doing it before, it was a means to an end. I was searching. I was looking for love. I was looking for you. Now that I’ve found you, now that I know where home is, I need to figure out what I want to do with myself. I don’t want to sit around all day doing nothing while you’re at work.”
The confusion was gone, and warmth flooded his features. “Do you have any ideas as to what you think you’d like to do?”
I let out a laugh. “Not a clue.”
“Well, we’ve got some time now. I’m happy to help you brainstorm.”
“I appreciate that. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take me as long as it did to find you to figure this out.”
“If it does, I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it fun.”
There was that.
For the remainder of my birthday dinner with Forrest, we brainstormed ideas for my future. I didn’t know if I wanted a full-time career, something part-time, or if I wanted to volunteer.
We came up with a bunch of ideas that sounded like fun, so Forrest was right about one thing. I was definitely going to have a great time figuring it all out.
Following dinner, our waitress returned and asked, “Would you like some dessert tonight?”
I perked up, but Forrest said, “Nothing tonight. Just the check, please.”
The wind was out of my sails, and I slumped against the back of the seat.
Forrest noticed, laughed, and explained, “I’ve got one more surprise planned for you, Daisy. I promise that cake is part of the equation.”
Instantly, I perked right back up.
And ten minutes later, Forrest had me in his truck driving to parts unknown. Or, well, they were unknown to me.
I had assumed we were going to be heading back to his place in order to start the part of my celebration that would be had without any clothes on, but I was wrong.
Forrest eventually pulled into a parking lot, but I had no idea where we were.
“What’s this? Where are we?” I asked when he met me on my side of the truck to open my door.
He simply smiled at me and took me by the hand.
When we made it to the front of the building, I realized we were at a place called The Steel Pub.
It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t recall where I knew it from. But the moment we stepped inside, it hit me.
This was where Sawyer worked.
“What are we doing here?”
Forrest ushered me forward. And when we turned the corner, it happened.
“Surprise!!”
Everyone was there.
All of the girls, and all of the guys from Harper Security Ops—even the single ones. Even Vivian and Forrest’s parents were there. I recognized every single face in the pub, save for those behind the bar, who were working.
“What’s going on?” I asked Forrest.
“We’re here for your birthday party with your friends, Daisy.”
My bottom lip quivered. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “There’s cake, music, dancing… the works.”
“You did this for me?”
“I’d do anything for you, sunshine. And so would all of them.”
Unable to stop myself, I threw my arms over his shoulders, hugged him tightly, and whispered in his ear, “Thank you for loving me like this, Forrest. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
“I’m just as lucky. And you’re welcome.” After giving me a kiss, Forrest loosened his hold on me and urged, “Go see your friends.”
So, that’s what I did.
I gave him one more smile, turned, and walked toward my friends, my heart feeling so full of love for the man who’d changed my whole life and the family he’d given me in the process.
EPILOGUE
Forrest
Nine months later
“Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Keep going all the way to the end.”
Daisy zipped past me, where I was waiting at the juncture of several trails. We were back at Keystone Mountain Ski Resort, and we were enjoying our first day out riding together.
Having gotten off the lift just a little while ago, the two of us decided we wanted to have our first ride down any trail to be the one we’d met each other on a year ago. I thought it was perfect.
Since she was still a little skeptical of going too fast, I’d urged Daisy to start making her way down the trail ahead of me. She agreed it was the best option. And when I thought she’d gotten far enough ahead of me, I’d thought it was time to make my way down.
As it turned out, I hadn’t given her quite enough time, because before I knew it, I was making my way past her. I’d ridden the trail down a bit farther until it split off into several different trails.
That’s where I’d been waiting for her to catch up. She had just done that, and I wanted her to try to maintain her speed as she made it down the remainder of the trail.
There was the slow spot coming up, and despite having explained to her last year how she needed to maintain her speed, I already knew she was going to slow herself down. She didn’t like to go too fast, even if it was on a relatively level part of the trail.
Fortunately for me, that was going to be perfect for what I had planned.
I took a deep breath, watched her as she continued to make her way down the trail, and followed behind her as she reached the bottom, where it leveled off. Then I couldn’t stop myself from grinning from ear to ear as she did just as I had expected and turned onto her edge to slow herself down.
God, I loved her.
It had been one year to the date that I’d met her, and it had officially been the best year of my life.
I managed to find a way to appreciate the six weeks we’d been separated from one another after we left here last year. Those weeks taught me just how much she meant to me, and how much I needed her in my life. I’d even gotten to the point where I found myself grateful for those first few weeks of being back together right after she’d arrived—beaten, bloodied, and bruised—in Steel Ridge.
At the time, when I was going through it all, it had felt like torture. But I could look back now and understand that it was all part of our story. Those trying times were part of what would make us stronger together.
I didn’t often think much about those moments now. I didn’t like to recall the time I’d been without her, and I certainly didn’t have the desire to reminisce on the day I nearly lost her. Thank God those doughnuts came home with us and fell out of her hand. I shuddered to think what could have happened to her if she hadn’t bent down to pick them up when she did.
Despite those hurdles we faced early on, we were here now. The last nine months had been nothing short of amazing.
And today, being back in the place where it all started, I was ready to make it official. Daisy was about to make it perfect for us, too.
Just as I had suspected would be the case, Daisy slowed herself down far too much. Without the speed to propel her forward on the level terrain, it was no surprise she was barely moving.
The closer I got to her, the more I slowed myself down. And at precisely the right moment, I reached out for her, grabbed hold of her, and urged her forward with me around the bend.
Then I brought us to a stop on the side of the trail, so we wouldn’t block the way for anyone coming around too quickly.
I unstrapped one of my boots, and Daisy did the same before she lifted her goggles and pulled down the face warmer in front of her mouth. “Are we recreating our initial meeting?” she asked.
I settled my own goggles on top of my helmet and removed the material covering my face before I answered, “Don’t you want to? I thought it might be romantic.”
She smiled at me. “You’re always romantic, Forrest. I’m not sure slowing me down to this point was the wisest move on your part.”
“But then, how would I make it better?”
“Make what better?”
This was it.
This was going to be our moment.
I pulled off one of my gloves, reached into the pocket of my jacket, and pulled out the ring box. Then I got down on one knee, removed the glove from her left hand, and looked up at her beautiful face. It took her half a second to realize what was happening. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
“It’s been exactly one year since I met you in this very spot, Daisy. And for the last year, you’ve made me the happiest man on this earth. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making memories and raising a family. Will you marry me?”
Tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Yes, Forrest. You’re my home. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
I slipped the ring on her finger just in time for her to nearly tackle me to the ground. By some miracle, I wrapped my arms around her and stood, holding her close, and kissing her. I’d never tire of that for as long as I lived.
When we finally separated, she said, “I’m so happy. You’ve made me happier than I ever dreamed was possible, and I’m so glad I took a chance on you.”
“I’m just as grateful that you did, too. And I promise it’s only going to get better from here, sunshine. I hope you’re ready for it.”
“I can’t wait.”
Powerless to stop myself, I kissed her again.
The second time we tore our mouths from one another, we didn’t need to speak any words. We simply stared at one another, unable to stop ourselves from grinning at each other, until eventually, I said, “Are you ready to really get this vacation started, Daisy. I’m looking forward to enjoying my fiancée.”
Daisy squealed with delight. “You know I’m always up for an adventure, Forrest. I’ll go wherever you want to take me.”
With that, I took her by the hand and urged her forward on the trail ahead of me. Daisy went, and I followed her all the way to the lift, looking forward to our journey.
No matter where it led us, I knew it was going to be a blast.
PREVIEW OF SHELTERED
Prologue
Harlow
Death was inevitable.
The timing of it was always in question, but it would come, one day or another.
I had a feeling it had come for me.
As someone without medical knowledge or a degree in the field, I couldn’t be certain. But I’d always imagined that a situation involving even a single gunshot wound would mean a person would be knocking on death’s door.
And if that was the case, it was almost a certainty that two gunshot wounds would lead an individual to that fate even faster.
