“So everyone knows?” She shouldn’t feel so embarrassed—what had happened was out of her control. She was a child at the time. Orphaned.
Mentally, she understood all that.
But emotionally, the shame of it left her devastated. Her pathetic past showed her lack of family morality even before her parents had died. And after their deaths, she’d been dropped right back into the same situation, only without any affection, without any concern for her well-being.
The past more than emphasized her lack of upbringing, extended family, friends.
Her lack of...everything.
“They know,” Denver said gently, “and they’re concerned. That’s all, honey. No judgment, no pity. Just understanding.”
Because Denver was now involved, too, she pushed the humiliation aside. She wanted him protected, and his friends were in a great position to offer that service. They were well-trained fighting machines with lethal ability, already spending a lot of time with him, and they were also the most moral men she’d ever met.
Denver probably thought he didn’t need the added security. But then, he didn’t know Carver, Gene and Mitty like she did.
* * *
DENVER KNEW SHE was trying to sound more upbeat and accepting than she felt when she said, “I need to thank the guys for their concern.”
“Sure.” None of them would expect that, but if it made her feel better he didn’t see how it could hurt. He glanced her way, saw her chewing her bottom lip and wanted to say all sorts of things, most of them inappropriate to the moment. When he started declaring himself it’d damn well be in private so that as soon as the words were said he could take her to bed. He was better at showing than telling, and he wanted her to know every single thing he felt for her.
“We’ll see them Friday night. That is, if you don’t mind our date including a trip to Rowdy’s bar.” She’d been to the bar many times while he was also there, but they’d never gone together as a couple.
Pleased, she smiled at him. “That sounds like a perfect date.”
“A movie first,” he clarified, wanting her to know he’d taken to heart her request for a real date. “Then a casual dinner, and the bar last.”
“Denver,” she chided. “It doesn’t have to be all that.”
Hoping she’d understand, he said, “I think with you, with us, it has to be everything.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out until she finally gave a strangled, “Okay.”
And again he laughed. “By the way, I called in our RSVP to Dad’s birthday party.”
She went still in surprise. “You left a message?”
“Actually, no.” He cleared his throat. “Dad answered.”
Wincing, she asked, “How’d it go?”
His brows twitched together. “Better than I expected.” Way better. He’d half expected his dad to kill the call—but he hadn’t.
Tentatively, she asked, “That’s good, right?”
“I could tell Dad was thrown by hearing from me.” He scratched his chin. “I explained, told him that Pamela had invited me over. At first he didn’t say anything.”
“And then?”
Denver hesitated. He wasn’t used to sharing, especially not with a woman. Damn, but it made him uncomfortable.
Cherry touched his arm. “I don’t mean to pry. I know it’s private.”
That made him frown. “I want to tell you.”
“You do?”
Strange as it seemed... “Yeah.” Then he gave her a look. “I want you to share with me, too.”
“I do.”
Not everything, but hopefully he could lead by example. He went quiet as he recalled the details of his talk with his dad.
Sounding noncommittal, his father had asked, “So you’ll be there?”
“If that’s okay.” Then to deflect some of the tension, Denver had added, “I’m bringing a date.”
“A date,” Lyle Lewis asked, “or someone special?”
That tone had been so familiar, so paternal, that Denver fell easily into the old camaraderie. “Very special.”
“Then I look forward to meeting her.”
Cherry nudged him. “Denver? Are you still with me?”
“Yeah.” He was with her now, and if things went his way, he’d be with her always. “I told him about you.”
“About me?” she squeaked.
“Yeah.” Grinning, he said, “Hope you don’t mind that I set you up as the buffer, a way for us both to give a little. I want to introduce you, he wants to meet you. You okay with that?”