Page 42 of When We Dare

She glanced to the side. “While I don’t want you to lust after my husband, surely you agree he’s hot?”

I sputtered a laugh as I nodded.

“Hotshot firefighters are pretty hot in general,” she added.

My mind instantly spun to Hudson. While I had an objective appreciation for Wes’s looks, that was it.

“Speaking of hotshots, what’s the scoop with you and Hudson?”

I contemplated her question for a few seconds. I could deny it, but we’d already had this conversation about being public. “I guess we’re sort of dating. I don’t know.” My cheeks were burning up.

“You’re roommates. I’ve been in that rental. Paisley and Russell used to live there. It’s kind of one of those places.” She circled her hand in the air.

“One of those places?” I prompted.

Tiffany slowed, her blinker clicking as she turned onto a side road. “Where you can maybe fall in love.” She waggled her brows suggestively when she glanced over.

I let out a sigh. “I can’t fall in love.”

“Why not? It’s great for your mental health if it’s with the right person. Hudson seems totally solid.”

I thumped my head against the back of the seat. “He does, but I have a terrible track record with relationships. I can’t fall in love.”

“Let’s break this down,” she began. She slowed to park in front of the large building straight ahead. She turned the car off and looked over at me. “Why can’t you fall in love?”

I contemplated that before quickly summarizing, “I just want stability. It seems best if I find it by myself. I love my mom, a lot, but she’s totally a flake and we bounced around a lot. And now, she’s back with my dad and is waxing poetic about how we can all bond as a family. She texted me this morning that they want to come visit.”

Tiffany’s gaze was warm and understanding. “You know the story I told you about my brother discovering the other halfof his family?” I nodded, wondering where this was going. “I’ll keep it brief, but none of us were surprised our mom lied about Chase’s father. Our mom was a nightmare. I’ve had years of therapy over it. She was toxic and hurtful to both of us. It doesn’t sound like your mom was like that, but instability can make childhood painful. We had our dad, and he made up for everything our mom wasn’t. He was and is my rock. Maybe the details are really different for you and me, but I definitely understand that what happened in your childhood might lead you to think that love won’t be worth it. It is. Life can surprise you. People can surprise you. If there’s one thing I figured out in my collision course with Wes, it’s that you can’t really tell your heart what to do. Sometimes things sneak up on you.”

As I held Tiffany’s gaze, tears stung my eyes. I was startled at the rush of emotion. I wasn’t ready to say it out loud, or even really to admit it to myself, but a tiny part of my mind knew I was already in love with Hudson. I just didn’t know how to keep my heart safe. I blinked and looked away.

Tiffany was gracious enough not to push. When I looked back at her, I asked, “But what if Hudson doesn’t feel the same way?”

Tiffany’s confidence was remarkable. “If it’s right, he will.”

I rolled my eyes. “That sounds a little woo-woo.”

She leaned across the console and gave me a quick hug. “Maybe it is woo-woo,” she said as she leaned back. “But I believe we find the right people that way. Now, let’s go meet a cat. Biscuit will show you what true love is.”

Tiffany turned out to be right on that. Biscuit was the color of a baked biscuit, a light creamy color with darker hints of gold. She was fluffy like a lioness and all she wanted was to snuggle. She curled up in my arms and began purring.

“Obviously, I’m taking her home,” I announced.

Chapter Thirty-Three

HUDSON

Butter skittered across the floor in front of me as I walked in the front door. Another cat-shaped blur, almost the same color, came dashing by. I watched as the two cats raced into the kitchen and reappeared in the entryway.

Stella came walking over from the kitchen. “That’s Biscuit,” she offered with a smile. “I decided to adopt her. I hope it’s okay.”

The cats came dashing by again. “Clearly, Butter likes Biscuit,” I pointed out.

Stella giggled. “As soon as I let Biscuit out, they smelled each other all over.” She glanced at her watch. “This game of chase has been going on for about fifteen minutes.”

I chuckled and stopped to hang up my jacket and kick off my boots. Stella’s ponytail was lopsided, her curls falling down around her neck. Her eyes caught mine, and all I could think was I wanted to kiss her. So, I did.

I closed the distance between us and stopped in front of her, lifting a hand to catch one of those curls dangling along the side of her neck. “You look beautiful,” I murmured as I dipped my head and dropped a kiss along the soft skin under the edge of her jaw. I was gratified at the rise of goosebumps on her skin.

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