Page 7 of Fire

This isn’t working.

And then nothing else. I texted. I called. I obsessed. She was just gone, and it killed me.

Fuck.

That was probably right around the time she met her little girl’s dad.

Her parents never thought I was good enough for her and she swore they were idiots who couldn’t see me for who I really am. Maybe that was just something she said to make me feel better…

Either way, I believed her, and I’ve loved her ever since.

I rake a hand through my hair because enough! I’ve spent too many hours and too much energy on Ivy Cole.

My cousin, Angela, catches my attention, waving vigorously from a table near the back of the bar. Our cousin, Nathan, sits across from Angela’s husband, Garrett, the three of them in deep conversation. They look like mob bosses, or CEOs negotiating billion dollar deals with their expensive clothes, arms folded on the table, heads close, voices low as I approach.

It’s always a little weird, sitting with these rich assholes when I’m just a blue-collar guy. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, given my family. And I am. For the most part.

“Look at this somber fucking atmosphere. Guess the party arrived just in time.” I puff my chest and take a seat while Angela punches me in the arm.

“Nate’s got more drama with you know who,” she whispers.

“I don’t know who,” I whisper back, “and shame on you for assuming I would.”

“Yes, you do know who.” Angela leans even closer, widening her eyes like I’m the fool in this conversation. She should know by now that I’ve turned fucking with her into an Olympic sport.

“Blossom,” she hisses. “The super yucky girlfriend he’s always having drama with, so I just assumed you’d be able to connect those dots on your own since you…”

I lose the battle with my laughter, and she sits back, frowning.

“I know who you’re talking about, Angel.”

She slaps my arm. “Why do you always have to mess with me like that? Not cool, Mi. Not cool.”

“I don’t know. For me, the cool part was watching you think I’m an idiot only to realize you underestimated me once again. It’s one of my favorite things.” I pause as a waiter arrives to take our order, then turn my attention to Nathan. “I hate to hear there are still problems between you and Blossom, Nator Tot.”

Problems that should have been ironed out long ago because that woman is a massive pain in the ass.

“I’m sorry.” Garrett grins like he’s been handed another million dollars. “Did you call him Nator Tot?”

“You bet your sweet ass I did. And he loves it.” I jerk a thumb at Nathan’s scowling face. “Just look at him.”

My cousin rubs his hands together then shoots me the bird. “It’s an old nickname everyone but this asshole has let me shake,” he says to Garrett. “And believe me, I wish he’d let me shake it.”

“You’ll get no judgment from me.” Garrett holds up his hands. “My sister still calls me Bear. As in Gare Bear. Who calls a grown man Bear?” he grumbles, more to himself than any of us.

“Maybe she keeps it up because it’s the perfect name for a grumpy guy like you.” Angela shrugs, beaming at her husband who scowls, then kisses her forehead while our waiter arrives with our drinks.

“There’s trouble in paradise, huh? Again?” I take a long swig of beer, eyeing Nathan over the rim of my glass.

Not a day goes by that Blossom doesn’t give him hell for something decidedly not his fault. That woman is a ballbuster and a parasite. Sure as shit, she knows he’s got more money than God and the patience of a saint and plans to drain him of both. I try to give everyone space to be themselves, but she needed to figure out how to be anyone else a long time ago.

“Not really trouble. No…” Nathan peers down the neck of his beer before taking a swig. “Blossom’s feeling guilty because she doesn’t make enough money to send her girls to private school. She keeps beating herself up over wasting their potential and I…” He shrugs, running his hands through auburn hair. “I do have the means to send them to private school.”

And there it is.

There it fucking is. Ball-busting parasite.

“It’s not okay for her to ask that of you.” Angela scowls, instantly defensive of our overgenerous cousin.

---