Page 38 of Everlasting Vows

Turning in my seat, I reach over the passenger seat to look out of the rear window and put my foot down. When I hit the road, I slam my truck into gear and go to press the gas. Quickly glancing back at the house, I see Abbi standing where I left her with her arms folded across her body and her shoulders slumped forward.

“Fuck! Shit!” I slam my hand on the steering wheel and pull back into my driveway.

Coming to a stop, I wrench up the handbrake and climb out of my truck. I walk straight to my wife and wrap my arms around her, cradling her head against my chest. “I’m sorry, Abs. I just need to get to my man.” I pull away and hold her by her shoulders. “Tell me you understand.”

She nods, her eyes glistening. “Yeah. Go. I know how important he is to you.” She pushes at my chest to make her point. “I wish you’d let me come with you, but I know you won’t,” she huffs. “Drive safely, please, and send me an update.”

“I will.” I kiss her forehead and stride back to my truck, feeling more settled than I was a few minutes ago. Abbi does that for me. When shit goes down, she’s there. Her soothing presence calms me. It always has. I look at her one last time and jerk my chin up before I head down the street.

Sticking to the speed limit is tough when every part of me wants to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. But it won’t get me there any faster if I’m pulled over by the cops, so I take deep breaths and call on the calm I always drew on during a mission. It’s at times like these that I second-guess my choice to live on the outskirts of the city. The extra space away from neighbors is nice and all, but when there’s an emergency, the extra travel time sucks.

Shit! Toby wanted me to call Hope. I pull up her number through the Bluetooth, but the call goes unanswered. “Damn it, Hope. Answer your phone.”

I try to call again. It rings, and then I hear her voice. My shoulders drop, and the tension that was caught there fades away. “Hey, Nix. Long time no speak.” I can hear the smile in her voice. She sounds lighter, happier than I’ve ever heard, and I wonder what’s going on in her life. I don’t keep in touch nearly enough, and lately … well, time’s been more difficult to manage.

“Hey, Hope. Yeah, it’s been a while.” Fresh guilt rises that it’s been too long between visits. “Sorry about that, I’ve been busy and time seems to disappear,” I tell her, trying to keep the stress I’m feeling out of my voice.

“That’s all right. Is everything okay?” she says, almost distractedly.

It takes me a moment to find the right words, but I’m at a loss as to how to soften the blow. I know that she and Shane have become close. He often helps out around her house and has become a kind of uncle to Evan. He even coaches his soccer team every other week. “Uh, I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll just say it.”

“What’s wrong?” Her tone is no longer upbeat; instead, full of fear and worry, and I hate that I’m the person to upset her.

“A rattlesnake bit Shane this afternoon, and Violet rushed him to the emergency room,” I tell her as I spot the exit I need to take. I flick on my blinker and move into the correct lane.

“Oh my god! Is he gonna be all right?” Hope asks, her voice high-pitched and distraught.

“What’s happened?” I hear Evan asking in the background.

“A rattlesnake bit Shane. He’s in the hospital,” Hope tells him.

“They took him straight in for treatment when they arrived, and he’s still there. Violet hasn’t heard anything more. I’m on my way. I’ll keep you updated.” I tell her quickly, using my mirrors to check for traffic as I merge.

“No, we’ll head over. Which hospital is he at?”

“Mercy Vale. Go to the emergency entrance. I’ll meet you there,” I tell her quickly. I was stupid to think she would be happy with updates.

“Okay,” she says quickly, and then the line goes dead.

I hope she drives carefully. I don’t need more to worry about at this point.

14

ABBI

I wipe beneath my eyes and push my shoulders back. Nix has always had what I consider an unhealthy sense of duty to his men. I get that it was part of his job when he was serving as their sergeant, but it’s been years since he was in a position of leadership, yet he still feels responsible for the men who were part of his team. I can’t fathom the bonds they formed under dire circumstances, and to a point, I understand the situations they’ve experienced together forge a deep connection, but Shane is no longer ‘his man’. At what point will Nix relinquish his role as their leader? At what point will he stop feeling this heightened level of responsibility?

Maybe I’m an asshole?

Am I the asshole here?

I guess I am.

Shane’s badly hurt. He’s in the hospital.

I’m definitely the asshole here. I huff.

I understand that he and Nix are close. If it were one of my friends, I’d head straight to their bedside too.