Page 18 of Ward
“I respect that, Ward,” I tell him, and he finally looks up from the coffee he’s been having an exclusive religious experience with for the last ten minutes. “Your covenant,” I explain. “It’s yours to hold on to, as long as you want.”
“But?” he raises an eyebrow.
“Youareintuitive.” I half smile.
“Well, let’s hear it.”
“But don’t kill yourself just because you think you have nothing to lose, or you think no one else has nothing to lose because you haven’t made any official attachments.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Oh, no?” I tilt my head at him in challenge. “You have a bit of a reputation amongst the firefighters. When they’re over here, they talk. You’re the first to run in, the first one willing to self-sacrifice. Not just here. But that you always have such, such…” I dig around for the words but can’t quite catch a grip on them right away.
“Such what?” he presses, more curious than combative.
“Utter disregard for your personal safety.”
“You could say that.”
I hear my phone ringing from inside the house, but we trade a look that says,let it ring. The second it stops ringing, Ward’s phone starts going off.
“Okay maybe we should see what that is,” Ward says, smartly. He hands over his coffee and rushes inside to answer it. A beat later, he’s outside again, his cell phone in hand. “That was Penn, Hearth’s going into labor.”
“Oh, how wonderful!”
“His mom is still on her trip but she’s going to try to catch the next flight out.”
“And Hearth’s mom?”
“Doing a final show at that art show in Gatlinburg, she’s hauling ass back.”
“Someone needs to watch Laney so Penn can be there to support Hearth.”
“Tag, we’re it.”
“Well let’s go!” I jump from my seat, splattering a bit of coffee from both of our mugs but I don’t even care.
“You were right,” Ward says to me once we’re settled in his truck. His expression is a mixture of almost-afraid, and something like reverence. “How did you… How did you—” His eyebrows furrow so hard they nearly squish together as one.
“I don’t know, Ward. Sometimes I just… I don’t know how I know.” I lower my head. I wish I could explain it in a real way, a tangible way.A logical way. I can’t, so I don’t explain it at all.
Magic. Weirdness. Coincidence.
Who knows?
Seven
Ward
Seeing Yvette with Laney again, that tickle in my stomach immediately returns. I could almost steal Laney, she looks so content in Yvette’s motherly embrace. Sure, she’s a fireball, but cute as a kitten.
No. You’re not getting married. You’re not having babies. You settled this fact a long, long time ago.
“Hold her a second?” Yvette hands her over. The fucking timing. Good God. I hold Laney a little tighter than I probably should. I force out a slow exhale, loosening my hold.You can’t have this. We agreed.
But Iamin love. I can have that. I never made any personal covenants about merelyfalling in love.
The words burst from me the second Yvette returns. “I love you.”
