Page 191 of Nothing Special X: The Last Stand

“That’s Fox. Another member of God’s team,” Cassidy answered Xander’s silent question. “He’s in Atlanta. He’s the one who helped us find you.”

Fox had messy-ish silver hair, tired but amused light grey eyes, and a killer, almost cunning smile. “It’ll be the experience of your life,” he said.

Genesis glanced back at the screen. “Um.”

Fox leaned back in his chair. “Imagine a ten-foot-tall arch, covered in roses, in a wide-open field of wildflowers, and arriving at the altar in a carriage pulled by the most majestic Clydesdales you’ll ever see.”

Curtis gasped.

“Yes. Yes.” Curtis turned fully toward the screen. “Yes, Fox. I want that.”

Fox nodded and stood, stretching his back. “Well, I got shit to do then. Get your asses back over here. I think you’ve done enough on the West Coast.”

“Fox,” Xander said quickly, lifting his head from Cassidy’s chest.

Fox’s eyes flicked to him on the screen.

“Thank you,” he said, wishing he could say something far deeper, but he was wrung out.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Fox said and hung up.

Cassidy took his wrist and examined the red marks from the zip ties. “Let me look.”

“Cassie.”

“Let me look, Lane.”

Xander stopped fighting.

Cassidy checked him again with careful hands. His wrists. His jaw. His shoulders. His ribs where one kidnapper had grabbed him too hard climbing out of the van. Xander watched the fury move behind Cassidy’s eyes, but that never reached his touch.

When Cassidy’s hands reached his face, Xander caught one and held it to his cheek.

“I love you, too.”

Cassidy went still, as the room continued moving around them, but for Xander, every sound dropped away.

He hadn’t meant to say it there. Not in front of everyone. Not with assassins nearby and Curtis planning a ranch wedding. Not with his body still buzzing from fatigue and terror.

But Cassidy had said it through Free on a warehouse floor.

“I love you,” he said again, voice steadier. “I think I loved you before I understood what was happening. Maybe the first night you stayed with me, and I realized I couldn’t breathe without you in the room.”

Cassidy stared at him with those whiskey-brown eyes that were bright in a way he’d never seen.

“And I know this is a terrible place to say it, but I don’t want another terrible thing to happen before you hear it.”

Cassidy slid his warm hand around the back of Xander’s neck and pulled him forward until their foreheads touched.

“I love you,” Cassidy said, rough and deep. “I love you so much I haven’t known what to do with myself for the last seven hours.”

Cassidy kissed him, sealing the confession between them.

God clasped Free’s shoulder. “You did good.”

Free sagged into Day’s side. “I was terrified.”

“I know,” he said. “You still did good.”