Page 77 of Terms and Traditions

I made it back to the apartment with twenty minutes to spare. Sweaty, gross, and desperately in need of a shower. But less stressed.

My phone chimed as I jumped into my Jeep. Pathetically, I wondered if it was Stephanie. But I knew it wasn’t. She’d looked exhausted and lost when I left her earlier. Hopefully she was getting some rest. But when I pulled my phone out, I did a double take. Because Gabe Carson’s name was the last name I expected to see at this moment.

“Gabe,” I said as the phone paired over my wireless speaker, and I backed out of the parking stall. “To what do I owe this surprise?”

“How are you holding up?”

I frowned, even though he couldn’t see me. We’d traded numbers before I’d left, but I thought it more of a courtesy thing because I was dating his sister. Not that he’d actually phone me up for a chat. “Me? You mean Stephanie?”

“No, I mean you. I’ve got a good handle on how my sister is right now.”

I huffed. “Liz call you?”

He gave a noncommittal grunt. Smart man. I couldn’t see Stephanie being appreciative of Gabe probing her friends for updates, but my guess was she wasn’t answering her phone, and this was a last resort. “My question stands.”

I blew out a breath, turning into traffic and navigating the mostly deserted streets. “You were there. You saw what Hiram did.”

“Mm-hmm. And I know what Steph did about it. Now I’m wondering how you’re holding up.”

I wasn’t used to this big-brother routine. Gabe didn’t just care about Stephanie, but he was calling to check in with me. Not threatening me not to hurt her—though I had no doubt he was capable of that. No, he was asking about me. “I’m royally annoyed with Hiram at the moment,” I confessed. “As majorly as this messes me up from a business perspective, I’m more concerned with how it’s impacted us. Me and Stephanie.” I cleared my throat as her words skipped in my mind like a broken record: I’m not sure I can stay. “I’m not giving up on her. I’m just hoping she can hold on long enough for me to prove it.”

Gabe was eerily silent. So much so, I had to check my phone to make sure we hadn’t lost connection when I stopped at a red light.

“My sister loves you,” he said, breaking the silence. “She’s loyal to the point of martyrdom, which isn’t her finest quality, and doesn’t make smart life decisions when she’s running high on stress and a lack of sleep. She’s told you about her childhood?”

“Yeah.”

“Trust doesn’t come easy for her. But you’re a good man, Nash. I saw the way she looked at you, opened up to you.” He blew out a breath. “I doubt it feels that way right now, but she loves you. Problem being, she’s convinced herself she’s the problem and that the noble thing is to try talking herself out of her feelings. And she’s a dang good negotiator.” He chuckled mirthlessly.

“Any advice for me? Besides patience?”

“You love her.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Pretty sure I should tell her that before I tell you,” I said wryly. But would I get the chance?

“That’s answer enough. Stability is the one thing Steph’s always wanted. And yet she runs scared when it looks her in the face. All I can say is prove you’re there and not leaving. Like you’ve already done.”

“Pursue her.”

“I knew you were a smart man.”

Maisie’s comforting blue building appeared in a sea of red and ivory brick, and I parallel parked in a rare front parking space. “Thanks,” I said, leaning my head back on the headrest. I’d spent the majority of my life alone with a few trusted friends. Having Gabe call just to check in did something to my insides. My circle was expanding. I wasn’t so alone. There were people who genuinely cared about me as a person, not just my wealth. Stephanie had given me that. “But aren’t you supposed to be warning me off your sister? You know, threatening to bury my body where no one will find it after you feed my guts to the gators?”

Gabe chuckled, catching my lighter drift. “Guess it’s a good thing I like you then. And the Marines tend to frown on homicide. Semper fi and all that. Now, go get your girl, Nash. We’re all rooting for you,” he said warmly. Well, warmly for him. “Take care of yourself and we’re just a call away, okay? Don’t forget that.”

“Thanks.” It took me a second to clear my throat of the clogging emotion. “Enjoy the game tomorrow night.” Before I hung up, I had one more burning question. “Hey, Gabe, what’s your actual military ranking? Or would you have to kill me if you told me?”

He laughed, loud and long. “I’m a First Sergeant, not James Bond.”

“Good to know.” We said our goodbyes and hung up.

Inside the coffee shop, only a few patrons lingered around tables, and the soothing hum of the machines blanketed the space. I found my friends at a booth in the back corner. Maisie’s was only open for another hour, but it would be enough.

Ryan slid an Americano and a chocolate croissant across the table as I sat down opposite them. “Fortitude. You used the sacred word. What are your orders, O great one?”

Emmett flicked the back of Ryan’s head. “Be normal for once, why don’t you?”

Ryan shoved at him, but his face was solemn when he faced me. “Em told me about Hiram.”