Page 82 of Finding Lexie
“I will. Pika or Jack will walk me home if I ask them to. Or one of the part-time guys can do it.”
“Don’t want anything happening to my girl,” Midas said.
“I’ve been on my own for a long time and lived in much more dangerous places than here,” Lexie reminded him.
“But I didn’t know you then,” Midas returned. He leaned down and kissed her briefly, running a hand over her head gently. “Have a good day,” he said.
“You too,” Lexie replied.
“See you tonight.”
“See you.”
Lexie sipped her coffee as she watched Midas walk out of the kitchen. She listened as the door shut at the front of the building, sighing with contentment. Then she turned and got to work.
* * *
“Looks like someone had a good night,” Aleck commented as the team stretched before heading out on a long run.
Midas merely grinned.
“Seriously, between you and Mustang, you’re giving the rest of us a complex,” Slate grumbled.
“Hey, all you gotta do is find yourself a woman,” Mustang said.
“Right, easier said than done,” Jag complained. “It’s crazy that after all the missions we’ve been on, the two of you hooked up with chicks you met while on missions,” Pid threw in.
“First, I’m not sure you can call it hooking up,” Mustang said. “A hookup is more of a one-night stand kind of thing. And Elodie was never that, not even from the start.”
“Same with Lex,” Midas threw in.
“Not sure how you knew the difference. I mean, what made them different from all the other women we’ve rescued over the years?” Aleck asked seriously.
Midas shared a look with Mustang. Then he said, “I’m not sure I can explain it. For me, maybe it’s because I knew her when we were in high school. Though, I don’t want to have a relationship with any other girls I knew back then. I think it was a combination between her bravery and her strength that first drew me to her. And of course, spending hours getting to know her when we were in hiding didn’t hurt either.”
Mustang nodded. “It was similar for me and Elodie. And I can’t deny the mystery behind why she was using a fake name was a draw. I wanted to know why, wanted to fix whatever her problem was.”
“So it’s a damsel-in-distress thing?” Jag asked.
“No,” Midas and Mustang said at the same time.
Midas smiled at his friend. “We’ve saved women in the past, and I hadn’t felt a draw toward any of them. Not like I do toward Lexie. Maybe it’s chemistry. Maybe it’s a higher power intervening. I don’t know. But I’m not questioning it. All I know is when I’m with her, I don’t constantly think about work, or some of the shit we’ve seen. She makes me believe for the first time that maybe I can have a relationship like my parents have.”
“Same,” Mustang said. “My mom and dad don’t have the most conventional marriage, they fought a lot when I was growing up. But they never went to bed mad and I always knew their love was unbreakable. When I met Elodie, something told me she’d be worth fighting for. I can see us being together for the next fifty years. And instead of freaking out at the idea, it calms me.”
Slate scoffed.
“What? You don’t want to find someone to be with for the rest of your life?” Mustang asked.
“It’s not that. I mean, I love Elodie, and Lexie seems cool. It’s just not that easy to find someone who can put up with what we do,” Slate said.
“Not to mention, someone who isn’t annoying,” Pid added.
Mustang picked up a stick and threw it at their teammate.
“Kidding!” Pid said, holding up his hands.
Midas grinned. He knew what his friends meant. He’d felt much the same way before he’d met Lexie. He liked living alone and couldn’t imagine having someone in his space all the time, for the rest of his life. But now he looked forward to the end of the day because it meant he’d get to see Lex. Yes, the sex was amazing. The best he’d ever had. And yes, sexual compatibility was important in a healthy relationship. But he looked forward to sitting on his back porch and talking about their day. To laughing in the kitchen. To holding her hand when they drove.
