Page 98 of Her Paramedic
She paused for a second as if trying to collect her words and thoughts.
“A few years ago, Tal got into a relationship that started out very similar to yours. His actions were the same, and sometimes I saw mirror images of what he would do from you. It took me a minute to realize that while he did them to continue to get what he wanted from her, to keep her right where he wanted her and string her along, you meant them.
I was afraid that she was going down the same path, and I didn’t want to see her hurt like that again. I didn’t want to see her stumble into that dark space. I live there. It’s a terrible place to be, and I don’t want her ever keeping me company again.”
She paused again, and Slate wondered if she was referring to the end of her relationship with Axel or a different one. He knew the two had dated in high school. Long before he’d met the other man. He wasn’t sure how it ended. It wasn’t his business, and he wasn’t that interested in it, but if she still held feelings for his friend, then it must have been hard seeing him marry her best friend’s sister.
“She also jumped into the relationship with you rather quickly, and in the past, that’s done nothing but ended with her upset or feeling likeshewas the problem when she wasn’t. So, I put my guard up, and I never gave you a fair chance. I’m sorry. All I want is for her to be happy and loved, and she gets that from you.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, and I get you were worried about her, but you could have talked to me,” Slate said.
He wouldn’t fault her for trying to protect her friend, for wanting to shield Talia from being hurt like that again. Talia had told him a little about the relationship Alivia was referring to after her confrontation in the kitchen. Enough for him to understand that the other woman was being protective, and while he could appreciate that, it would have been easier ifshe’d just spoken to him. If she’d gotten to know him instead of judging him on actions that reminded her of the past when those were false and his were genuine.
“I love Talia, and I would never do anything to hurt her.”
Alivia nodded. “I believe you. I know you wouldn’t. I’ve seen it.”
She held her hand out to him, and Slate raised a brow, but took it nonetheless, assuming she wanted to form some sort of truce.
“Hi, I’m Alivia. The woman you’re dating is my best friend, and I love her like a sister. So take care of her. It’s nice to meet you,” she reintroduced herself.
“Hey, I’m Slate. I am madly in love with your best friend, and I would never do anything to hurt her. I promise. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Alivia nodded, releasing his hand, and leaned back in her chair. They only had to wait a couple more minutes before Talia returned.
“Sorry about that. So, where to now?” Talia asked.
“It’s fine,” Alivia said, standing. Slate followed suit. “You should go with Slate and celebrate. I’ll drop your things off at the shop.”
“Are you sure?” Talia asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Spend some time with your boyfriend. We can celebrate when the group can get together.” Slate watched Alivia pull Talia into a hug. “I’ll see you later. Have fun, you two,” she said when they pulled apart and then headed towards the exit.
His girlfriend looked between Alivia’s retreating back and him, confusion written on her face.
“Did something happen?” she asked as she took the hand he held out to her.
Slate shrugged. “No, not really.”
“Define not really,” Talia requested as they exited the building.
“We just talked. Nothing major.”
He didn’t feel the need to elaborate because Alivia had been the one to bring the conversation up. So, he would allow her to be the one to tell Talia if she wanted to. The newfound common ground they were on was nice, but he hadn’t necessarily needed it because her attitude towards him hadn’t bothered him. All he cared about was that the friendship worked for Talia, and Alivia was a good friend to her, which was easy to see with the way she didn’t mind being disliked by him if it meant protecting Talia.
“How do you want to celebrate your success, baby?” Slate asked once they were in his car.
“Can we pick up lunch and go back to my place? I just want to relax for the rest of the day.”
“We can do that,” he replied, backing out of the parking space.
Slate’s next shift wasn’t until the following night. He planned to stay with her until he needed to leave for work tomorrow evening, and if she wanted to spend that time in the house relaxing, he was more than fine with that.
30
Talia listened with everyone else as they sat at dinner while Zuri told them about a client who booked with her. From the start of the story, she could tell that the man had shown up with ulterior motives. Who in their right mind undressed in front of a stranger at an appointment? People didn’t even do that at the doctor’s office. Why had he thought it would fly at a wellness center?
“Then this man asked when his happy ending was coming and got belligerent when I told him our facility did not take part in such disgusting actions. I had to ask him to politely remove himself from the premises,” Zuri finished, rolling her eyes.
