Hillary was on assignment in Canada with Kota, so he’d been able to keep his dealings with her coworkers from her. Her roommate, Kayla, was up to speed on everything and she was over-the-moon happy for her friend. He’d spoken with her bosses and negotiated the purchase of a parcel of property inside their compound, on Kayla’s recommendation. The first project of his new series would be the construction of his and Hillary’s dream home. Connie had insisted on being a part of it, so he’d arranged with Kendall and Olivia for Connie to produce the inaugural episode.
Everything was contingent on Hillary and her feelings about him moving to be with her. If she freaked out, he’d cancel all his plans. Filming wouldn’t start until he’d spoken with her, though the network was fired up about the project.
He’d talked with his parents and they were beyond excited for him. They couldn’t wait to meet Hillary and Kota, and he couldn’t wait to introduce them to his folks. His condo sold quickly so he packed up his truck with his belongings, shipped what wouldn’t fit, and headed to Indiana.
He’d been offered several places to stay, including with Sawyer and Wyatt in the house they shared, and with Kai and his family. Frankly, Reed was surprised Kai could keep his secret, so it was a good thing Hillary was out of the country. Even Hillary’s brother Quinn offered him a room. Quinn was in the process of settling in and he’d asked Reed to design the training facility for his dogs. Reed had been honored he’d asked, and it turned out to be one of the most exciting projects he’d designed.
Kayla offered room in the apartment she and Hillary shared and that’s where he decided to stay. Kayla was also away on assignment, but he’d talked to her several times on the phone to make arrangements.
With LA in his rear-view mirror, Reed couldn’t keep the smile from breaking across his face.
#
Hillary waited for her luggage to circle the baggage carousel, Kota by her side. As she sat in her hotel room in Vancouver the night before, she’d come to a decision. She loved her job. She loved her bosses and coworkers. Kayla was like a sister. And now her brother would be close, establishing his business. She had an amazing life. But none of it mattered if she couldn’t be with the man she loved.
One night on Skype, she admitted the truth to him: she’d loved him from the beginning and she’d lied when she said she didn’t. Tears filled his eyes and he wasn’t embarrassed for her to see them. Then tears filled hers, too. Her love for him was all-consuming.
Their first few days apart had been rife with tension as she’d been riddled with insecurity and angst. He assured her that he loved her and he’d never given any indication that he had any feelings for his ex-girlfriend. It was the utter certainty in the other woman’s voice that bothered her. Daniella had been so sure she would win Reed back. They lived in the same city and sometimes traveled in the same circles. Their paths would undoubtedly cross.
Not if Hillary could help it.
She’d finally admitted to Reed that Daniella had contacted her. He’d been enraged with fury and Hillary felt a little spurt of concern for the woman. Not that she thought Reed would hurt Daniella because she knew for a fact he wouldn’t, but he could damage her career, even destroy it. As much as she despised the supermodel, she didn’t want to be responsible for that happening.
After he convinced her that Daniella would not be contacting either of them again, he’d set out to prove his feelings for her, including sending a huge bouquet of roses. She’d never tell him, but it was the box of treats for Kota that finally swayed her. That he loved her dog as much as she did was the clincher.
Her heart felt lighter when she came to the decision and even though it’d been late, she couldn’t wait any longer. She’d called Luke and Logan to inform them she was resigning. They were both supportive but asked that she give it some thought. She was a valuable employee and they didn’t want to lose her. In fact, everyone she discussed it with told her to wait. She’d spoken to her brother next and then Kayla. They all repeated the same thing. Did they think it was a mistake for her to go after the man she loved? Reed assured her every night that he loved her back, and she believed him.
Finally, her suitcase appeared. “I got it.” She turned to see her brother grab it off the carousel. He sat it on the ground and then hugged her. “Sorry I’m late.”
She knew Kota adored her, but Quinn was his first love. Quinn had put him through so much when he was a puppy training him and their bond was forever. Kota was beside himself, trying to climb Quinn’s body to lick his face, little yips of doggie happiness squeaking from his throat. Quinn laughed and scratched his sides, letting her dog slobber all over him.
“Okay, that’s enough, bud. I already had one shower.”
Kota dropped down with a doggy grin, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, and bumped against her legs, letting her know he still loved her. She rubbed his head.
Quinn picked up Kota’s crate as she lifted the handle on her suitcase and locked it in place before rolling it behind her. She’d much rather be traveling on the corporate jet, but she didn’t mind flying commercial.
“How’d it go?”
“Good.” She didn’t want to talk about the job. “I’ve done as you asked and thought about my plans. I hate to leave with you just moving here, but I’m going to do it.”
Quinn glanced over at her, one brow raised. He’d practiced in front of a mirror for hours during his teen years to master that trick. “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. Don’t you think you should give it more time?”
She shook her head. “Don’t need to.”
Quinn stowed the crate in the back of his pick-up and then added her suitcase. He held the passenger door open so Kota could jump in and she followed. “He’s not good enough for you.”
He slammed her door before she could respond. She smiled. It was such a Quinn thing to say. She waited until he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “I want him anyway.”
He sighed. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
When he drove past the turn for her apartment and kept motoring along, she asked, “Where are you going? I need to get home and call Reed right now.”
“There’s something you need to do at the compound first.”
“Can’t it wait? This is important.”
“This is more important.”
She wanted to argue but knew it wouldn’t do any good. Quinn’s head was harder than any of the presidents carved on Mount Rushmore. The sooner they got this over with…whatever this was…the sooner she’d be back home where she could call Reed and tell him her decision. When he stopped at a light, he pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket and punched in numbers.
“Who are you texting?”
“Hum?’ He looked up. “Oh, just someone interested in a dog.” Then he chuckled to himself.
“What was that snarky laugh about?”
He ignored her as he typed more before sliding the phone back in his pocket. When he reached the compound, he navigated through the gates and greeted Tucker Nash as they drove past the guard station.
“Welcome home,” Tucker called out with a wave.
“Thanks.”
When he turned left and then drove by the offices, she narrowed her eyes. They motored past the spot where his canine training facility would be constructed. She was excited to see that it had been staked off.
“Hey, do you have a design for the facility already?”
“Yep. Good one, too.”
“Oh.” She was disappointed. She’d hoped Reed could do it, but he’d been so busy with the project in Oregon and then with the next house he was building. She sighed when she thought about it. It was magnificent. He’d asked her opinion on all aspects and he’d told her to imagine she was designing her dream house, picking her choices based on that. It’d been fun. “Where are we going?”
Conveniently deaf, Quinn continued down the road, driving through the area where her coworkers li
ved. When he pulled up to the parcel of land that she’d coveted, her heart picked up speed. It was nestled in the trees with a view of the lake. Though it was close to her coworkers, the woods made it seem secluded. The plot next to it was also vacant and she and Kayla had talked about purchasing them so they could live next to each other.
A truck was parked on the lot, with a man leaning against it, his back to them. When Quinn shut off the engine and got out, she did the same, sliding to the ground. The man turned.
“Reed!”
She ran as fast as she could, leaping into his arms. He caught her easily and spun her around. Kota raced after them, barking happily. Reed kissed her and then gave plenty of attention to her dog before he barked himself crazy. Quinn called for Kota and they got back in his truck and drove away.
“How are—”
“What are—”
They laughed as they spoke at the same time. Reed caressed her face with his thumb.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m thinking of moving here, building a house on this spot.”
The breath seized in her lungs. “What? Seriously?”
He nodded, studying her. “What do you think about that?”
“But your job, Reed. It’s in California.”
“Nah, I can work anywhere.”
“I don’t want you giving it up for me. I talked to Luke and Logan. I told them I was resigning.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
He smiled. “They told me I better convince you to stay here with me since they didn’t want to lose you.”
“They knew?” He nodded. “That’s why,” she muttered.
“Why what?”
“They told me to think about it first. Quinn, too and Kayla. They all knew?”
“Kendall and Olivia, also, since they’ll be producing my new show right here. The funniest thing is that Kai knew and he didn’t spill the beans.”
Tears poured down her cheeks. “You moved here for me?”
“No, I moved here for me. I can’t live without you.”
Her heart banged against her rib cage. “And the house you’re designing…”
“I had this lot in mind. Kayla sent pictures.”
“You did all of this for me? For us?” A thought struck. “Quinn’s facility…”
He smiled. “Finished that up a couple of days ago. We’re slated to break ground soon.”
She threw her arms around him. The man of her dreams and he was here and he was staying.
“I love you, Reed. So much.”
He cupped her face and kissed her tenderly. “I love you, too, Hillary, so much. Even more than my first love.”
She gasped. “Daniella?”
He smiled. “Baseball.”
###
Notes
I hope you enjoyed the tenth book in the COBRA Securities series. Several characters from previous books made appearances in Tough as Nails. If you would like to read their stories, you can find them here:
Logan Bradley from The Fan
Dorian, Kendall and Daphne Demarchis from Trust No One
Kai Costa, Sawyer Oldham and Wyatt Hollister from Hide and Seek
Alex Mylonas and Olivia Larrson from Vigilante
Luke Colton from Face the Music
About the Author
Velvet Vaughn is the author of The List, The Fan, Committed, Violets are Blue, Trust No One, Hide and Seek, Killer Cuisine, Vigilante, Face the Music, and Tough as Nails, the first ten books in the COBRA Securities series, as well as Saving Santa, a COBRA Securities Short Story. In addition, two novellas: A Christmas Miracle and Flying High Christmas are available as stand-alone books or in the anthologies All I Want For Christmas and Yuletide Treasures, respectively. The eleventh book in the COBRA Securities series, Total Surrender, will be published soon.
Connect With Velvet
Website: www.velvetvaughn.com
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/authorvelvetvaughn
Blog: http://www.velvetvaughn.com/blog.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/velvetvaughn/
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Email: [email protected]
From Velvet
Thanks so much for purchasing Tough as Nails. I hope you enjoyed Hillary and Reed’s story. If you did, I would appreciate you leaving feedback at Amazon.com or Goodreads. Thank you!
The eleventh book in the COBRA Securities series will be out in early fall. Total Surrender is Hunter McGrath and Talia Cohen’s story. You might remember Hunter and Talia from Face the Music.
If you would like to read the story of one of the characters from my books, let me know. You can reach me through the contact page on my website or my Facebook Fanpage. I'd love to hear from you. And be sure to like my Fanpage so you can take part in giveaways.
Thank you again for your support!
Tough as Nails (COBRA Securities Book 10) Page 25