I want to say yes right now. Sign me up. But it's a monumental decision that can't be made lightly. It's just as many hours and a different type of stress. But he's right. I wouldn't be going into the flames anymore. Or shouldn't be, since I'd be carrying out orders on the scene outside rather than inside it.
Can I give up fighting fires, though?
"Come on. You don't have to decide tonight," Gabe says.
"That's right," Sully says. "Time to toast the groom. Vi, can we get some drinks?"
I'm looking at Sully as he calls out to Violet, which is why I see him go red with fury.
"What's wrong?" I glance to Violet and see her ducking out from behind the bar away from us rather than toward us. "Sully?"
"Be right back," he growls before disappearing into the crowd.
"What's that about?" I ask Gabe.
He looks concerned but shakes his head. "I'm not sure. Sully will sort it out, though."
"Should we go after him?"
Gabe plants himself on the stool Sully vacated and leans against the bar.
"He probably saw someone flirting with Violet."
I chuckle and shake my head. "Think he'll ever pull his head out of his ass when it comes to her?"
"I don't know. Think you will when it comes to Lindsey?"
I glance at Gabe and find him watching me like a bug under a microscope. "You got something to say?"
Gabe inhales and rubs his hand over his mouth and chin.
"Do you remember the guy that told me certain things—people—are worth risking everything for?"
I grab the drink in front of me and take a sip. "She's vulnerable. Hormonal. She's dealing with her pregnancy and a job and settling in and…"
"And what?"
I stare at the label on the bottle. "I'd only be adding to her stress. My kid plus a teenager plus a baby… Come on, you really think that's a good idea?"
"Have you asked what she is or isn't willing to take on? Or did you just assume the answer's going to be no because, in your head, you're comparing her to your sister and your ex?"
I flinch. "Low blow, man."
"It's the truth. You told me not every woman cheats and lies and does what Deborah did to me. The same holds true for you and Lindsey. She's the one who was lied to by the baby's father. You're the one abandoned by Dani's mom and then had a teenager dropped on you without warning. I get why you're wary, Kace. Believe me, I do. When you've walked through hell, you never want to go there again. But you can't punish Lindsey for something she didn't do. And wasn't it you that ordered me to flirt with Bronwyn, or you would?"
"I wouldn't advise flirting with your fiancée's sister if you know what's good for you."
Gabe grinned. "I don't plan to. But if you're not going to see Lindsey as the loving and beautiful woman she is, it won't be long before some other guy does."
"Is this a pep talk or a warning?"
Gabe chuckled. "Guess you'll have to decide."
A warning, then, I muse. And maybe the first honest one I've gotten about what it's going to cost me if I let my past dictate my future.
Chapter 35
Lindsey
