Page 47 of Silver Fox Firefighters Next Door

“She’s taken. You can go back to your wife.” Nash’s grip on my neck tightened slightly. “Eve will never be yours again. You fucked up and now it’s too late. You missed heaven and that’s something you’ll have to live with. Sucks to be you.”

I pulled away from his grip and sidestepped Tate and Aiden. I just wanted to get away from all of them. It was too much.

“Eve! Wait a second. I came here for you. I don’t know who these guys are but we need to talk. Please.” Mark dodged Tate and hurried behind me. He caught my wrist and pulled me around to face him. “After what we had, you owe me five minutes, Eve.”

I tugged my wrist away from him and shook my head as I let out a sarcastic laugh. “I owe you? You’re a married man, Mark. Go home. I’m sorry I called you last night but I was in a bad place. I didn’t want to talk to you, I just wanted to know something about me. It had nothing to do with you. As much as I loved you and what we had, it’s over. It’s been over for a year. This? What you’re doing? It’s wrong. Your wife deserves better.”

“Eve, no. What we had, it was special. You know that. I made a mistake. I love you, though. We can—” He was cut off by Aiden grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him away from me.

“She said no. Unless you want to leave town in an ambulance, I suggest you get back in your car and you drive until you get back home to your wife.” Aiden met my gaze. “And you. We showed up to do your battle. We did what you wanted. Why are you running away?”

“You only came because I wanted you to!”

CHAPTER 38

Eve

I forgot that Mark was there. “Not because you wanted to. I don’t need to be patronized. You guys are leaving and it’s time I protected myself from men who can’t give me what I need or want. The battle? It’s meaningless if you don’t really want to fight for me. I desperately wanted you guys to show up. I wanted to have some grand moment. I was wrong, though. Because you did show up and it sucked. It sucked because it was a pat on the head for the stupid woman who didn’t protect her heart. I don’t want your pity. I don’t want you to stick around for me. If you’re leaving, just do it. You guys and Mark should carpool.”

I turned and jogged across the street, not bothering to check for traffic. A horn blared and I nearly got taken out but I didn’t stop. I ran around the side of The One and Only and stopped short when I got to the back parking lot and saw Charlie and Aaron against the side of Charlie’s truck, making out.

Normally I would’ve been happy for the two guys but all I felt in that moment was incredibly alone. Jealousy wasn’t pretty but I was smothering myself in it. Hurrying past the two of them, I heard them jump apart at my interruption. “Just ignore me. I’m happy for you but I can’t face a happy couple right now or I’m going to burst into tears.”

“Are you okay, Eve?” Charlie shifted towards me but stopped when I held up my hands.

“I have to go home. Go back to your happy kissing. You guys look great together. Congrats.” I slipped behind the wheel of my car and pulled out of the lot before either man could try to comfort me. I was hanging on by a thread.

I couldn’t stay at the cabin but I needed to grab a few things. I wanted to get out before the guys came home so I raced home and then made a mess of my room as I packed a bag. I was already on the way out when the phone rang. Despite how badly I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t. Not many people had the number and it could’ve been an emergency.

“Hello?”

“Well, Evie, I heard you caused quite the ruckus.” Grandpa clucked his tongue at me. “You better make up with those boys. I brought them here for you and it’s time you started acting like it.”

“What? What are you talking about? Where are you?”

“I’m at my girlfriend’s house. I’m moving in with her. That means you’re going to lose that recliner. If you make up with your boyfriends, you can just use the big one as a recliner. Nash. He looks like he’d be comfortable.” Grandpa snickered. “I have some news about the Sheriff’s Office, too, but you don’t seem like you’re in the headspace to take it in.”

“Your girlfriend? What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, I’m dating Coco. She’s nothing like your grandma but she sure does keep things interesting. I tried to move in with her a while ago but she was worried about what people would think, since she was the army behind Margaret for the battle. We’ll have dinner as a family soon. You can bring your boys and their appetites. Coco is a damn fine cook.”

My brain wasn’t computing. “What?”

“I’m happy, Evie. You will be, too. About the Sheriff’s Office, though… I fully retired. I’m out. I want to spend more time with Coco. The station is a bit short staffed for patrol but I told them you could fill in for me. Just go by the station and Jimmy will get you set up.”

I sat down heavily on his precious recliner. “Grandpa…”

“Don’t freak out. I was down to just patrolling the highway between town and our little neck of the woods. You just park there and watch people. If they see a Sheriff’s jeep there, they’re less likely to drive like idiots. Stop by and see Jimmy after you fix things with your boyfriends. I mean it. You’ve been giving them the milk for free, young lady. Now it’s time for them to buy the cow.”

“Excuse me?”

“You know what I mean.” He suddenly let out a loud laugh. “I have to go, Evie! Coco just came in with a water gun and nothing else on.”

I barely contained a gag as I slammed the phone back into its holder. My Grandpa was sleeping with the most insane woman in town. He was trying to push me into a very unusual relationship. He wanted me to become a cop? What the hell was going on in the world?

I needed to get out of there and try to make sense of the world somewhere I wouldn’t have to face the guys. I hoped Vera wasn’t sick of me because it looked like I was moving in again.

When I pulled into her driveway she was already at the door, opening it wide for me. “This town doesn’t hesitate with gossip. I’ve already heard everything.”

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