Page 97 of Hollow State

"What does that mean?" Gideon jerked his head and glared at his fiancée. They'd officially gotten engaged, but according to them, they weren't having a wedding. One day, they'd just all of a sudden…be married.

“You installed three security cameras on a cottage that doesn’t have walls yet.”

“It has two walls.”

“It has one and a half walls and a pile of lumber you keep calling a future exterior structure.”

“It’s important to have vision.” Coulter raised his beer. "Although, I'm not sure Gideon's architectural drawing makes sense."

“I think his AI assistant forgot to add the roof the first time around,” Scout said. "So, he had to go back and yell at it. Who yells at AI?"

Gideon pointed at Scout. “The roof is scheduled, and there’s a method to my madness.”

“Is that before or after the motion sensors?” Quinn asked.

“You're just jealous.” Gideon shrugged.

Zadie closed her eyes. “I love him. I really do. But this project might take years, and the outside will be more secure than any military base.”

“It sits on bunker property,” Gideon said. “It should be secure.”

“It sits near a bunker that already has a general, Shepherd, three levels of security, and probably enough hidden surveillance to track a squirrel with bad intentions,” Zadie said. "We should just hire the contractor that Darwin and Coulter used."

“He does great work,” Coulter said.

"And that cottage of yours won't take any time at all," Neve added.

Darwin smiled and looked out over the lake. This was what Finch had never understood. People weren’t systems. They weren’t assets. They weren’t proof of concept or biometric output or performance markers waiting to be exploited.

They were this.

A patio full of noise. A woman beside him carrying his child. Friends who’d been dead on paper and alive in every way that mattered.

A family created in a bunker, battle-tested by grief, and somehow still capable of arguing about absolutely nothing and loving every second.

Wynn’s belly shifted again.

Darwin’s fingers stilled.

“She loves her daddy,” Wynn said. “So, speaking of babies and questionable decision-making, when are the four of you going to start a family?”

Quinn turned his head slowly. “You’re asking us?”

Scout dropped her boots from the rail and leaned forward.

"We're in no hurry." Quinn rested his elbows on his knees."

Scout nodded. “Especially with Quinn's new job.”

“Exactly,” Quinn said.

"How is it, being staff sergeant?" Darwin studied the way Scout’s hand had landed on Quinn’s thigh. Casual. Familiar. They were still young. Definitely madly in love, and Quinn was right, they had plenty of time to just be a couple.

Darwin envied the energy, not the age. However, the older he got, the less time he’d have with his kids. That was a reality he couldn't change. As for the rest of his life, he honestly had no regrets. Every decision, every mistake, every choice, had brought him to this moment, with these people.

"I love it," Quinn said. "More responsibility. And add in the fact I get to be the liaison for Black Hollow, I'd say it's one of the most rewarding promotions I've ever received."

"We're glad you’ve got our back," Coulter said. "Now, what about Zadie and Gideon? Any thoughts about having a baby?"