“I know exactly what she’s been through, and I would never do anything to purposely harm her or her kid,” I say confidently.
“She told you? You… know everything?” Kinsley’s careful with her words, like she doesn’t want to overstep and say something she shouldn’t.
“Yeah.” My shoulders slump as I lean back and rub my palms down my thighs. “She told me about Ryan and the accident. She has done an amazing job at raising that kid on her own, and I know she doesn’tneedme. They both seem to be doin’ just fine. But I haven’t been able to stay away from her since I met her, and after getting to know them over the last couple of months, I don’t think I can stay away.”
“Damn, man,” Cain cuts in. “But, I mean, are you ready for it? You’d be that boy’s stepdad if things get serious.”
“Yeah,” Kinsley agrees as she walks around the couch, moving to face me. “Have you thought about that at all? The last thing either of themneeds is for him to get attached only for you to decide it’s too much to handle.”
I can appreciate where they’re both coming from, but fuck if it isn’t starting to annoy me. Even if they do have a point. But is anyone ever truly ready to be a parent? I mean, some people are definitelybetterparents than others, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were any more prepared than those who aren’t as great. I know for a fact Tessa wasn’t prepared to become a single mom, but they're the cards life dealt her. She had no choice but to persevere.
“I mean… I can’t say for sure if I’m ready or not, but it’s all I’ve been thinking about lately. I’m all in with her.” I glance between the two of them. “She’s well on her way to stealing my heart, and I know the two of them are a package deal. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
My phone vibrates from its place on the couch beside me, and my heart kicks when the nickname I’ve saved her number under flashes across the screen.
Darlin:You should stop by when you get off.
Warmth floods my chest at her offer. It will be well past dinner time by the time I’m out of here. I would feel bad showing up that late in the evening, but I’m also not going to deny her offer when I already feel like I haven’t seen her all week despite it having only been two days.
Like she can read my mind, another text comes through, and I chuckle as I read it.
Darlin:I’d really like to see you, Lo. Even if it’s late.
Me:You sure?
Darlin:Mhm. Just text me when you get here.
Me:You got it, baby.
Lifting my hips, I slip my phone into my front pocket and finally tune back in to the conversation happening around me.
“We could see about The Stampede hosting. That place is plenty big enough for a community-wide event,” Kinsley offers, but I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“We’re planning events now?” I ask.
Cain stands from the couch and stretches his arms above his head for a moment before he says, “I was just telling her about the call we got today and how it would be nice to put on some kind of event to get the town together. If we did some advertising and gave people enough notice, I’m sure we’d get a decent turnout. Might give people a reason to come out and socialize. I hate thinking that we’ve got neighbors who are suffering in silence. Seems like a good way to help.”
It’s not a bad idea. And it’s exactly the kind of thing that draws people to towns like Hartridge to begin with, myself included. Living in a small town where everyone is in each other’s business can be annoying at times, but it’s also nice to think that they would all come together to support one another. After all, wasn’t I just thinking about how I hated knowing that someone here was suffering and wishing there was a way we could help? This might be the perfect thing.
“We could post it all over the station’s socials,” I say. Our fire department didn’t have much of a social media presence for a while, but in the last year or so, Kinsley and one of the other volunteers on the crew havebeen working to build it up. They both swear it brings awareness to the town and helps those who live here feel closer to us, which I guess makes sense. I could do without the silly trends they try to get us to partake in, though.
“I’ll ask Gray to stop by The Stampede when he gets a chance. Pretty sure he’d jump at the chance to have an excuse to talk to Liv,” Cain adds. He’s not wrong if the way I’ve seen Gray watching her is any indication. I don’t know if there’s a history there or if he just wishes there were, but either way, he would be the best option for hitting them up to host.
“And I can stop by one day while Tess is at work and see if Lori wouldn’t mind us hanging a flyer in the diner’s window,” I say.
“Great,” Kinsley chimes. “Looks like we’ve got a plan. I’ll talk to Aaron and see if he’s got any ideas for how to advertise on socials once we’ve got some of the finer details planned out.”
With that settled, we set off to clean up and make sure everything is ready for the crew coming in to take the next shift.
It’s just after eight o’clock in the evening by the time I’ve showered and made it to Tessa’s place. Part of me feels bad for showing up this late, especially knowing that she’s likely just gotten Jake down for bed. But there’s a bigger part of me—a more selfish part—that’s excited to have her all to myself. I’ve got the next seventy-two hours off work, and damn if I don’t plan on spending most of those hours with her if she will let me.
Chapter twenty-six
Tessa
I’vebeensittingonthe couch, waiting for Logan’s text since I got Jake to bed. While not being able to see Logan for two days was harder than I expected, it was knowing that any given time, a potentially dangerous call could come in that had me feeling on edge. I did what I could to distract myself and keep busy, but the thought was never far from my mind.
Lori’s has been steadily busy, and getting to chat with some of my favorite regulars always makes my days go by a little smoother. But then the day turns to night, and thoughts of everything that could go wrong start to trickle in. I know it’s fear talking and not the more rational side of my brain, but it doesn’t make things any easier. The only things that eased some of the anxiety surrounding Logan and the dangers of his job were the frequent texts he would send to let me know he was okay.
