Page 62 of Forged Forever

“I agree, darling,” Zander smiles. “I was thinking of going to Finn. All the guys who were with Troy have given their statements and should be back at the office, and I’d like to get an update from them. Would that be okay with you?”

“Of course, yeah. Go do what you need to do. I’ll be right here.”

I get a kiss on my head as he gets up. “Charge your phone, and I’ll call when I have an update.”

After he leaves, I decide to call Sarah, so I let E know I’m going into our room. Plugging my phone into the charger I have in my nightstand, I give it a few minutes before calling. Sarah is shocked when I tell her what happened, but we work through everything I experienced last night. When I get to the house being tossed, I shed a few tears. I kind of forgot that happened, having not paid attention when we finally left the house this morning.

“Remember, belongings can be replaced. You and Zander cannot. I’m glad you had that room to protect you both,” Sarah comments.

“Yeah, me too. It was a crazy experience.”

“Definitely. Remember to focus on one moment at a time. All the stress may be over very soon.”

“I will, thanks, Sarah.” This woman never ceases to calm me and help process.

“You’re welcome, Summer. Please call when it’s resolved.”

Agreeing, I end the call. I’m a weird combination of wired and tired. I don’t think I’ll be settled until I know they successfully caught everyone and Nick is here with me.

Texting Ray next, I then video call Jake. I tell him Nick reached out, that the bad guys were coming, about the attempted kidnapping and safe room, and that we’re fine now. I also mention I won’t be able to visit after school today. He’s rightly concerned, but I assure him both Zander and I are good, and I’ll visit him tomorrow.

Alex knocks and enters the room just as I hang up. “Would you like to swim this afternoon? I thought it would occupy everyone and act as a good stress reliever.”

“Good idea, Alex,” I smile. This might be just what I need. Sitting around the rest of the day will cause my thoughts to spin and make me anxious. Excusing myself, I go to the closet, grab a suit, and get changed in the bathroom. Luckily, I've taken to leaving a few suits here because of the pool. Once I throw a t-shirt over top, I offer Gabby my other suit to use. We’re not the same size, but it’s a stretchy one piece so it should work for today.

When everyone has changed, we follow Alex downstairs to the pool. Despite my worry, I have a fun afternoon. After a few water volleyball games, I soak in the hot tub with Gabby as we pretend to score the guys’ dives, which get more ridiculous with each round.

Zander calls around 4pm with an update. All the Finn employees are safe, and he stopped by the house, but it’s trashed. The FBI finished processing the area, and the insurance people have gone through the damage. He suggests staying at a hotel, but I really want to be here, so he agrees, offering to grab a bag of necessities for me. He’s going to swing by the police station to get an update on Troy and Nick before coming back here.

With tired, pruned skin, we head back up to the apartment to clean up. E goes to the downstairs kitchen with Alex to make dinner for everyone after they’ve both showered. Once we’re clean, the rest of us huddle on the couch to watch a movie.

Seb gets a text from Troy partway through that he, Nick, and Zander are on their way here. He lets Alex know, who replies that dinner will be ready soon. Getting excited to really see and talk to Nick, I jump up to set the table. It will be a tight fit with all of us, but that sounds wonderful to me after we’ve been incomplete for so long.

As I’m placing the last dish on the table, the door opens with Alex, Steven, and E coming in, food in hand, followed by Troy, Zander, and Nick.

Gabby squeals, heading directly for Nick. Zander grabs the dish he’s carrying before Gabby hugs the life out of him. Seb and Bay are waiting patiently in front of them to get their greetings. I stand behind the table and watch, smiling at everyone being here in one place.

Once Nick greets everyone, his eyes find me. Quirking an eyebrow as if to say, why are you across the room? I leave my spot and walk his way, Nick not allowing me to break eye contact. Once I’m near our family, he steps forward and pulls me into a hug, picking me up and burying his face in my neck. I feel him shudder against me, holding tight. Tears gather, blurring my vision, but I hold them back. It’s so surreal that he’s back in my arms. I dreamed of this day so often these past months. Looking over his shoulder, I see Gabby fussing over Troy and Seb beaming at us, giving me a wink.

Nick lets me down after a few minutes. I look over his face, running my fingers through his beard. How did I miss the beard this morning? He needs a shave and a haircut. I didn’t imagine his black eye this morning, although now that I’m rested, I can tell it’s not fresh. He has dark circles under his other eye, probably exhausted. “Okay?” I ask.

Nodding, he grabs my hand and pulls me over to the island. After handing me a plate, he fills one for himself, and then the others follow suit. E made a mini feast for us with chicken, steaks, potatoes, roasted veggies, and fresh biscuits. Sitting down beside Nick, he places his hand on my thigh while digging in. Poor Troy is grimacing, so Gabby is cutting all his food up for him while he grumbles, and I can’t stop smiling.

Once we’re all full, we spread out in the living area for an update.

“It’s still early, but the FBI thinks they’ve gotten all the important people from Tennessee. Nick and Cash helped them identify several key players. The man in the suit at Z’s house was the boss,” Troy begins.

“Who is Cash?” Seb asks.

“Hacker working with Patrick. I got them out when I left. Boss had his sister to keep him in line. He got the evidence Fawx released to the FBI yesterday. That’s why they came,” Nick replies.

“What about Patrick?” I ask.

“I killed him,” Nick responds with no inflection in his voice.

Oh, my. Leaning forward to look into his eyes, I don’t see any regret there, just surety. “You’re safe now,” I say, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“Shit, man,” Seb remarks, shaking his head. “I’m still sorry you had to do that. So what now?”