Free What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) by Sherri Hayes

I’ll need a valid driver’s license. You said a 9mm?”
    “Yes, please.” It used to be her favorite to shoot.
    The man nodded and left her to complete the paperwork.
    Twenty minutes later, Abby was standing in front of a paper target. The gun felt good in her hands as she clicked the magazine in place and racked the slide. She took aim and fired the first shot, then another. As the bullets hit the target, Abby felt some of the tension leave her body. This was exactly what she’d needed.
    Abby went home that evening feeling a lot more relaxed. Unfortunately, when she woke up the next morning all her anxiety had returned. It was Friday, which meant her date with Trent was only hours away.
    When she arrived at work that morning, she did her best to keep busy. Max was working on something with accounting, so at least she didn’t have to explain to him why she was so jittery.
    She was shutting down her computer at the end of the day when Max called her into his office. Abby grabbed her notebook in case he needed her to write something down, and made her way into his office.
    Max motioned for her to take a seat. “I wanted to talk to you.”
    “I gathered that.” She smirked as she lowered herself into the chair. Max intimidated a lot of people, but she knew him too well. He was a teddy bear under that tough exterior.
    He grinned. “We’ve been so busy this week, I feel like we haven’t talked about anything except for work and my family.”
    “Both of which are important.”
    “Yes, but I dragged you halfway across the country. Away from your life. And I’ve pretty much abandoned you.”
    “I’m a big girl, Max. I don’t need a babysitter.”
    “I know. I didn’t mean to suggest that.” He ran a hand through his hair in apparent frustration. “I just wanted to know how you’re adjusting. Are you getting settled into your apartment? Do you need anything?”
    “I’m fine. Really. You have enough to worry about.”
    He swallowed and she knew something was coming. “What about Daniels? I know you spent a lot of time with him on Monday. And I saw him working out front yesterday.”
    The last thing Abby wanted to do was talk to Max about Trent.
    Max sighed, pushed back from his desk, and stood. “We haven’t spent any time together outside of work since we’ve been here. What do you say we go grab a pizza and talk about anything other than work?”
    “I can’t. I have plans.”
    “What kind of plans?” he demanded.
    Abby stood and shot him a look.
    When he realized what he’d done, he tucked his head down sheepishly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
    She knew he’d been under a lot of stress lately. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”
    Abby moved toward the door, and Max followed. He placed his hand on her arm before she could step out into the hallway. “Promise me you’ll be careful with Trent Daniels, okay?”
    Shock crossed her face. “How did y—”
    “If you had plans with anyone else, you would have told me.” His tone was one of resignation.
    Max’s parting comment stayed with her on her drive home. He was right. If it had been anyone but Trent, she would have told him. Max was her best friend. She told him everything.
    The problem was Max knew what had happened with Chris. He knew how much it had messed her up and he was afraid she’d get hurt again even though what had happened wasn’t Chris’ fault. That didn’t seem to matter to Max and he was transferring his irritation onto Trent. Abby understood. She was as nervous about whatever was going on with Trent as Max was. But making Trent pay for something he had no part in wasn’t fair either.
    After parking her car in front of her apartment, she pressed her hand to her stomach. It was flat now. The baby that had been inside still haunted her dreams when she least expected it.
    She took a cleansing breath and made her way inside. Dwelling on the past wouldn’t do her any good—especially tonight. She had to get