Page 216 of Wrecked
He was gonna play the rescue down, too, because losing her would have killed him.
As the euphoria spread through him, he let go… and he let Addison love him like only she could.
THE FOLLOWING EVENING, Hawk, Addison, and Z were enjoying a bottle of champagne on their balcony as the sun dropped into the horizon. The day had been filled with nothing but Addison.
No work. No discussion of work. No crises. No emergencies.
It had been a perfect day. A run in the morning, then they swung by Jericho and Liv’s to see baby Liam. Lunch in Jericho’s booth at The Road, back home for some good afternoon loving, then a romantic stroll along the river in Hawk’s neighborhood. They deserved that after what they’d been through.
“We have news,” Hawk said to Z.
“We got engaged,” Addison added.
Z stared at them for a beat, then a grin brightened his face. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful. I’m very happy… for both of you.”
“We went ring shopping,” Addison said.
“How’d you fit that in?” Z asked.
“Who knows?” Addison’s sarcasm made Z chuckle. “My ring will be ready in a few weeks.”
Hawk topped their flutes, then excused himself. In his home office, he opened the credenza, and pulled out his gift. Back on the balcony, he set it in front of Addison, then eased back down in the chair.
“Happy birthday, babe,” he said.
She smiled. “I completely forgot.”
“We’ve had a lot going on,” Hawk said.
“My baby is thirty.” Z pulled an envelope from the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket. “From me.”
She pulled out the card from her dad and read it out loud.
“Dear Addison, happy birthday. Enjoy two relaxing weeks at my condo. All expenses paid. All my love, Dad.
P.S. This gift is for Nicholas, too.”
Hawk laughed. “Thanks for making that clear.”
“You have a condo?” Addison asked.
“In Bali.”
Her eyes grew large. “Is that where you go when you leave the country?”
“Sometimes.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Daddy. This is so generous of you.” She turned toward Hawk. “When do you want to go?”
“We could go as early as Friday, if we got it approved, or we could wait—”
“No waiting. I’m so there.” She smiled. “I love this present. Thank you, Dad.”
After a beat, she picked up the gift box, unwrapped it, and extracted two small jewelry boxes.
“Two?” she asked.
“I couldn’t decide,” Hawk replied. “I thought they’d both look great on you.”
