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Emily had shown on my doorstep after a rough shift at the firehouse and I’d been napping on my couch. But my mood hadn’t really been about work. It had been about her. And Holden, of course.
And then my parents had shown up out of the blue, too. Fucking ridiculous. Of all the days.
And poor Slugger, she hadn’t seen my momma coming. Most people didn’t. But she’d stood her ground. She hadn’t let my mother step all over her. And good on her for that because if my momma could, she would.
Annie had always been like that, too. She didn’t put up with my mother’s shit. It had always worked in her favor. My mother had a lot of respect for strong women.
And Emily was definitely strong. I knew she’d be able to handle her. And she had. Like a champ.
I’d thought about calling her every day for the past week. Goddamn it, I’d fucking missed her and I hated myself for it.
Holden was right. I didn’t deserve her. She needed more than what I could give. She needed a stable family man. Not some crazy ex-marine fireman widower.
That didn’t stop me from thinking about her. Wondering what she was doing. I’d even found myself curious about how Parker was doing.
I had no business wondering or being curious about any of that. They weren’t mine.
Still, I thought maybe I’d just check in, see how they were doing. It was a bad idea. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to do that anymore. The yard had been the last bit of help I was going to give.
But the more I thought about Emily touching the picture of Annie in my kitchen, the more my resolve weakened.
When she’d turned and looked at me while I was leaning in the doorway, her eyes had so clearly been the windows to her soul. I knew the same ghosts haunting her plagued me. It drew us together as sure as the sun set every day. It was inevitable.
It was tragic, our story. But for some reason, we were better together. Even when we argued or disagreed or downright shouted at each other, it was still better. It was more. It was good.
While I chewed on a too big bite of noodles and sauce, I reached into my pocket for my phone, finally caving.
I was just going to reach out and make sure she was okay. The other night when she’d left, it had been too sad. I needed to know she was all right. That was it.
I tapped a quick text and told myself I didn’t really care if she answered, but as soon as I saw my phone light up on the counter, I picked it up quickly.
Me: How’re things going?
Slugger: Meh
That was it? She was only going to give me a meh? Was she mad we hadn’t talked in days? Was she giving me the cold shoulder? Or was shit in her life really only meh?
Me: Anything I can help with?
Why was I always offering myself up when it came to her? I had no damn self-control. Not when it when came to Emily Davies.
Slugger: Not really. Just mom stuff.
I didn’t like how she blew me off by just saying mom stuff, but I guess I should have expected it since I’d blown her off for days now.
I shoved the last of my food in my mouth and took my paper plate to the trash can, still staring at my phone.
“Who got you on the hook over there, Reeves?” Jackson, my best buddy at the firehouse, asked. He gave me a knowing bright white smile that set against the dark skin of his face looked ever brighter. He was a big black man who spent every moment he wasn’t working in the gym and it showed. I often joined him, but lately, I’d been distracted and he’d been pointing that shit out to me for days.
I’d told him about Emily and Parker only because he’d been giving me shit for not working out with him. Now, I was regretting it.
“No one,” I said, putting my silverware and glass in the sink. “I’ll wash dishes tonight after I make a quick call,” I announced to everyone, who just gave me a bunch of grunts in acknowledgment.
I walked to my room at the firehouse and closed the door, leaned back on my bed, and did something I knew I shouldn’t.
I called Emily.
She answered, sounding out of breath and more than a little snippy.
