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“Devon? Is that you?”
He turned around to see a very pregnant woman standing a few feet away. He didn’t recognize her for a second, and then it hit him. This was Aisling. “Ash? Is it you?”
Then fumbling, he’d surely hurt her feelings, but she was unscathed. “It’s me! Can you believe it? I have more edema than a swollen tick.”
She went to him, clearly expecting to be hugged, so, still not convinced this was Aisling, he hugged her anyway, all roundness and Mother Earth.
“How are you?” he asked, dubious.
“I’m great! I just started my maternity leave. Baby’s due in two weeks, can you believe it? I’ll have to work hard to get into my bathing suit.”
“Two weeks.”
They’d never spoken again after the weekend she found out about the baby. She didn’t call him, and he forced himself not to call her. The other guys would mention they’d talked to her, or had run into her somewhere, but he didn’t inquire further. He’d heard Rick was going with her to the childbirth classes, and that stung, like an arrow piercing his heart. It was one more reason to let the past go, all those childhood memories. He’d moved on without Mike and Aisling somehow. He figured she had, but wasn’t going to start that conversation in the middle of the rose garden.
“Do you know what you’re going to have?”
She looked down at her huge belly, smoothing her hands over it. “I didn’t want to know, so I’ll find out at the birth.”
“Aisling,” a male voice rang out, and they both turned to find Rick bearing down on them.
Rick? A sick feeling flooded over Devon. Mike would be furious.
“Hey, buddy,” Rick called out, catching up with them. He held out a hand to Devon while sliding an arm possessively around Aisling’s shoulders. She had the decency to look uncomfortable, but it was meaningless to Devon. So this was whom she’d chosen, less than a year after Mike’s death.
“I’ll let you two get back to the flowers,” he said, forcing himself to smile at the couple. Turning his back, he didn’t give them a chance to protest, and he didn’t care if he was being rude or childish or an asshole.
“Wait,” Rick said, coming after him. “Devon, I didn’t say anything at the station because we’re not making it public. It’s too soon.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“That’s not why I’m telling you,” he said. “Please don’t say anything at work.”
“No worries on my part,” Devon said, moving away from him.
“You’re being a dick,” Rick said.
In a heartbeat, Devon had taken a step toward Rick and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “Don’t speak to me again.”
Stunned, Rick didn’t say anything or try to fight him off.
Aisling screamed, trying to get between them. “Stop! You two, stop!”
Devon looked down at her. He was out of breath for no reason, shoved Rick, and moved from them, striding away as quickly as he could.
“What’s his problem?” Rick said, shaking it off.
“What’d you say to him?” she asked. “That’s not like Devon. He’s always so even-tempered.”
“A lot you don’t know,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Aisling let him lead her away, looking over her shoulder at the same time Devon looked at her. They made eye contact, and his disdain was unmistakable. She felt terrible. Later, she’d text him and try to explain in a long message. It looked worse than it was. Rick was just a friend who’d had few associations with Mike. He’d offered friendship with no strings attached. He had some mannerisms that reminded her of Mike, but later she thought it might have been just a firefighter thing.
Running into Devon like that was a shock. She’d forced herself to forget his existence. Her focus had stayed on Mike, and then when Rick came around, she’d let herself get to know him, but innocently. Now, seeing Devon, her heart began to ache all over again. Mike and Devon had been like conjoined twins. She couldn’t take one without the other.
“Sorry about that,” Rick said as they buckled themselves into the car.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” she said, looking out the window. “It was a shock to see him. It’ll take me a week to recover.”
