Ava scrunched her nose. Her deep blue eyes were wide as she nodded. “It’s so true! There were so many of them, and I wasn’t expecting it.”
I chuckled and waved at them. “It’s great to meet y’all.”
“Uncle Ki Ki!” Avery shouted. I turned and watched Kiernan come into the room, bending to scoop up Avery. He tossed her in the air and caught her.
“Hey, pretty girl,” he said and set her on his waist. He strode to my side. “Avery, this is Caroline. Caroline, this is Avery, my best girl.”
I smiled. Avery didn’t smile as she stared at me. “Are you Uncle Ki Ki’s girlfriend?”
“She is,” Kiernan said.
Avery frowned and stared at him hard. “Does that mean I won’t be your best girl anymore?”
He scoffed. “You’ll always be my best girl. She’s my woman. Get it?”
“No,” Avery said.
I laughed and she swung her gaze to me, watching me intently. “Guess what Caroline’s job is?”
“What?” Avery asked.
“She works with puppies all day,” he said and opened his eyes really wide. Avery gasped and turned back to me, but this time with a wide smile on her face.
“Puppies?”
I nodded. “Sure do.”
“Can I have one?”
Savannah swooped in, taking Avery from Kiernan’s arms, and set her on the ground. Savannah kneeled in front of her. “The puppies she works with belong to other people, so you can’t have one of those.”
“Can I get my own puppy?”
“Me too,” Caden shouted.
“Well, that backfired,” Kiernan muttered and I chuckled, stepping to his side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.
“No puppies,” Roman said as he came into the living room with a trail of men behind him. I didn’t know what kind of water this group was drinking, but each of them was gorgeous. The men matched the women.
Savannah stepped back up to my side. “Ready for some more?”
I nodded and smiled at her. “Yes.”
“That’s Liam, he’s mine. The huge guy in the back is James, that’s Tate’s husband. Roman belongs to Harper. The one with the gorgeous eyes is Callan. I think you’ve met Maddox?”
I nodded. “Yes, briefly. Hi. It’s nice to meet y’all.”
By the time the night was wrapping up, I was blown away by Kiernan’s group of friends. They were funny and sweet. The women had embraced me openly, and we made plans to go to a self-defense class at James’s gym. Each person there was worried for me and offered to help in whatever way they could.
I blew out a breath when I was inside Kiernan’s truck. My heart was filled with warmth. “Not so bad, huh?” Kiernan asked as he slid behind the wheel.
“You’re really lucky,” I said. “They’re all wonderful.”
He nodded. “You’re lucky now too.” He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist. Every moment I was spending with him, I was falling deeper and deeper.
35 Caroline
“I think he’s worked out well today,” I said. Dr. Asher Townsend was my top candidate for a second vet. He’d been working throughout the day on a working interview. We’d seen each patient together, but I was probably going to let him take the last one of the day by himself.
“That’s great, Caroline,” Kiernan said. He smiled at me. “I’m glad that you’ll finally have some help around here. You’ve been completely slammed, and I don’t know how you’ve managed this schedule for this long without some help.”
I sighed. “It’s been really hard, but I’m ready for the extra hands. I can even work on some paperwork before the end of the day and might not have to take it home.”
“Have any idea what to do with your newfound freedom?” Kiernan asked, his lips tugging up at the corners. I tapped the side of my cheek in thought.
“Hm,” I mumbled. “Assist Daphne at some photoshoots. I think I have a knack for rubbing baby oil on muscles so they’ll really pop in photos.”
Kiernan growled and I grinned wickedly. I shot him a wink. “What do you think? I think Daphne could for sure use some help.”
“Sweetness, unless it’s me she’s photographing…you aren’t rubbing your hands on anyone else’s muscles but mine. You feel like rubbing some muscles?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I’m right here, baby,” he said, gesturing to himself, and patted his stomach, laughing. I snickered and shook my head.
“Maybe I’ll teach Pepper Jack to go five houses on a walk in the neighborhood. Have a girls’ night with Savannah and the girls. Babysit for Harper, Savannah, Iris, or Ava. Hang out with Daphne.” I shrugged. My options were endless.
Kiernan arched a brow. “Think you’ll have any time in that busy schedule for me?”
“I might,” I said.
“What if I whisked you off to an island vacation. Would you have time for me then?”
“Most definitely,” I said.
He shook his head and tried to smother his grin. “So I’ll have to bribe you to be with me?”
“Maybe sometimes,” I said, winking. He shot me a wink back. He knew he’d never have to entice me with anything to spend even a second with him. But I definitely wouldn’t mind being on a beach with him and forgetting all our troubles.
Kiernan closed his laptop. He was still working at my office every day, still convinced he needed to be my twenty-four-seven bodyguard. It had been quiet for three weeks, without a peep from the person targeting me. There was a part of me hoping Kiernan and Maddox were wrong and I wasn’t the next target for this guy. That the person who was harassing me was not the serial murderer taking brunette female doctors in Austin.
I wasn’t sure how much longer Kiernan would be able to work at my office. He insisted he could work everywhere, but he’d officially bought into MarxMen and probably needed to
