Preservation (The Walshes, #7)

by Kate Canterbary

"What we're talking about here, Alex, it's preservation. I need it as much as you do."

Cal was the kind of guy who could clean out an all-you-can-eat buffet and then ask about dessert. But he was also the kind of guy who was generous to the core and never thought twice about giving everything—time, attention, money, pastrami sandwiches—to the people he cared about. And when he decided to give you something, he didn't take

no for answer.

"You take all the horrible things and there are plenty of them, and set them aside. You let them be. They're not everyday issues. Not anymore."

"If it helps," I said, "you're adorable in that 'I want to bend you over and bang you like a screen door in a tornado' kind of way."

Alex was strong and capable—she was my Shortstop for a reason—but she was also a woman. Tender and lovely, and deserving of some deference. I wanted to open the door for her, bring her flowers for no reason, kiss her in the middle of the grocery store, buy her soft and delicate things. And I still wanted to fuck her like a whore.

Alex: You're going to tell me about this dungeon. Riley: Nevertheless, she persisted.

"What's her nickname?" she asked. "What?" I asked, my voice still raspy and raw. "Her nickname," Shannon said. "You always find the perfect nicknames for the people you care about, so I'm just wondering what you chose for her." Gastro Girl. Shortstop. Honeybee. But that wasn't it. I couldn't force Alex into the narrow mold of a comic book heroine or fairy tale princess. She wasn't a handful of conveniently aligned characteristics. She was my Elektra, my Mystique, my Leia, my Katniss, my Daenerys, my Agent Carter, my Elizabeth Swann, my Arwen Evenstar, my Buffy, my Beatrice, my Catwoman, my Dorothy Gale, my everything, my… "Aly," I said. "She's my Aly."

If I stay here much longer, I'll never be cheerful again."

The house is a dementor!

"That's inadequate and eight days is too fucking long to let this linger. She's going to have a profile on eHarmony or Bumble by now, and résumés out to every hospital west of the Mississippi," he replied, shooting a pointed look at Andy. I didn't want to know what that

shit was about. "You need to mount a full-scale attack. Use every weapon in the arsenal. Lucky for you, I've got a multistep plan ready."

Brothers to the rescue

"Now that you mention it, Will could be helpful. I'll text him. He's got a lot of negotiation skills. Not from the Navy SEALs, but, you know, from living with Shannon."

I wanted the idea of her, and you have to know that the reality of you is far better than any idea I've ever had."

"I'm not good at many things. But I'll always be good to you."

"Promise to keep me for always, and I'll give you everything I have to give, and then I'll find a way to give you more. I love you, and I want you and I need you."