Nine Hours

Chapter 27

Seated in the casino restaurant, I keep my hand firmly wrapped around Cassie's. I'm not letting go. Never. I almost lost her once, a second time, or anything close to it, is not an option.

"They'll be here in a minute. I'm nervous, Gunnar. No one will understand any of this. Except Erik." I brush an imaginary stray hair behind her ear so I have a reason to touch her face. My thumb slides along her temple, easing the concern evident in her expression.

"Don't worry. I will provide most of the explanations. You will need to make sure your friends understand you are not doing this under duress, however. If you are having second thoughts, now is a good time to tell me. Don't be afraid to say so." My gut twists at the slim—very slim—possibility she'll say exactly that.

"What is she having second thoughts about?" Mandie slides into a chair opposite us eyeing me suspiciously.

"I'm not having second thoughts." Her words are accompanied by a shy smile that makes my heart sing with relief.

"About what?" Lindsay and Trey join the group.

"We will explain when everyone's here. We're expecting Erik to join us. I hope you don't mind, sweetness. He may be able to help explain things to your friends."

Cassie nods.

"I hate to bring this up, but Zach was a little upset about what happened yesterday," Trey says. Cassie's body stiffens and she sits up straight in her chair. I drop my claim on her hand so I can stroke her neck and shoulders, allowing a soothing vibration to radiate from me to her. The touch relaxes her a little.

"He shouldn't have been. I told him many times I didn't want to go out with him. He's a great guy, Trey, but..."

"I'm sorry I kinda pushed him on you, Cassie, but you were miserable for so many weeks. Once Zach met you, he was interested." Trey is watching me closely, clearly skeptical about our sudden relationship. I'm fighting an urge to reach across the table and strangle him for bringing the other man into the discussion. Cassie was mine, is mine. Not up for grabs, no matter how nice the guy is.

"Trey, you guys, this is gonna be hard to understand, but Gunnar and I—something happened neither of us could control and we got separated. I missed him so much, and didn't think I'd ever see him again." I wrap an arm around her and pull her close, kissing her forehead. This was hard for Cassie to admit. Her friends are going to question everything we say, and rightly so. The answers aren't easy. She's barely got a grasp of our situation.

"See, that's what I don't get." Trey's his brow furrows in confusion as he waves an index finger between us. "When did you two ever even meet? You ignored him every night in the bar. Then you were sick for a week and came back totally devastated. It doesn't add up."

"I agree," Lindsay says. "What exactly happened?"

Cassie looks to me for help explaining. "It's all right, I promise, dove."

"Ah, you started without me, I see." Erik flops into a chair next to Mandie and immediately gives her his attention, making her blush. "Good morning, lovely Amanda."

"Uh, hi. How are you?" She fidgets in her chair, the intensity of his gaze making her uncomfortable. He's not wasting a moment.

"Couldn't be better. Mostly because I am sitting next to the prettiest woman in the city." He lifts her hand and kisses it softly. Mandie's blush deepens.

"All right, Casanova. This isn't about you. Yet. Shall we?" I say, adding to the confusion of everyone else. I take the reins and start talking.

"Cassie and I met after I saw her at the bar. Our courtship was not typical. It was quick and extremely intense. Cassie was not sick. We spent a great deal of time together. Unfortunately, an emergency called me away, and Cassie didn't get the entire message. In fact, I was terribly injured while I was gone and had no way to contact her, which added to her distress."