Page 7 of Blindsided By Fake Love

“Thanks for the heads-up. I have something I need to talk to you about,” my voice echoes as I step into the stairwell, the door slamming closed behind me.

“Is it about that game yesterday?” Cole Nichols, Mike’s best friend and fellow firefighter, asks. “That was a nailbiter. Rugby is growing on me.”

I laugh lightly, I scrub my hand up and down my face, giving extra attention to the morning scruff. Yesterday’s game seems like weeks ago with everything that’s happened since then. “Yeah, it was.”

“Is everything okay?” Mike asks. “You sound off.”

I blow out a heavy breath. “Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know.” I groan. Stopping on the landing, I lean against the wall and pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Ut-oh” Cole chuckles. “Sounds like girl problems.”

“Give me a second, and I’ll take you off speaker,” Mike says. “Just need to finish doing this one thing.”

“I got it,” Cole says. “Go.”

I hear mumbling on the other end and then steps as Mike walks out of the station and into the parking lot. “Okay spill.”

“Do you remember Kit?”

“The girl you talked my ear off about your senior year of high school and freshman year of college?” Mike teases. “Um, no. Why don’t you tell me who she is?”

I snort and shake my head. Okay so it’s safe to say I was obsessed with her for a long time. “I ran into her last night.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“It depends, I guess,” I hedge. “We did clear the air.”

“Finally!” Mike shouts. “Well, isn’t that a good thing? Is she single? Maybe you two can try and pick up where you left off.”

“Yeah, about that.” My chin drops to my chest, and I grip the back of my neck.

“I’m not sure I like that tone.”

“We kind of got married.” I push out through a tight throat.

“Youkindof got married?” Mike’s voice gets an octave higher. “Kind of, or you did?”

“We did.”

“Beau, that’s…wait.” I picture Mike scrubbing his face and taking a deep breath. It’s what he does whenever his wife Melanie does something that vexes him, and he needs to pull himself together before he says anything that could get him in trouble.

My body rumbles, and the tightness in my chest loosens a bit.

“The two of you talked about everything, and you told her how you felt?” Mike asks, enunciating every word. “Did she tell you how she felt?”

“Yup.” My lip curls at the corner. Mike is exactly the comic relief I need at the moment. Because even thoughthissituation is not funny,hisreaction is.

“So it’s good, then?” He affirms.

“Umm—”

“Beau, you’re acting like Mel and it’s driving me crazy. Just tell me what the heck happened.”

“Well that’s the thing…”

“Beau,” Mike growls, and I let out a chuckle.

“Okay, okay. Geez. You’d think you’re the one who just had the craziest night of his life.”

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