Page 41 of All It Takes

“It would be hard for me to rest. I get it. I’m sure you’d be the same way,” I teased before taking another bite of pancake and enjoying the little burst of flavor from the blueberries scattered through them.

“Absolutely,” Wes agreed.

When I smiled over at him, my heart tumbled in my chest, and I abruptly changed the subject. “Do you miss George?”

He finished his last bite and set his fork down. After he swallowed, he nodded. “I do. Couldn’t see each other all that much, but we played online games weekly and texted. Whenever I log in to play with Ross now, I think about him. What about you? Do you miss Sarah?”

I nodded. “She was my best friend when we were younger. Life does get in the way, but we stayed in touch. We used to text, usually a few times a week. I still can’t believe they’re both gone.”

A rush of emotion hit me. My throat felt tight, and tears stung my eyes. I reached for my coffee, taking a quick swallow and savoring the sharp flavor.

“It’s weird, huh?” he prompted.

His tone was understanding. When I met his eyes again, I saw grief and sadness held in his gaze and knew he understood.

“It is,” I agreed. “Maybe after we weren’t living in the same place, we didn’t see each other that much, but she was still a presence in my life for years. Now she’s gone.”

“And now we have Ross.”

“Should we be worried?” I blurted out.

He studied me quietly. “About us?”

I nodded jerkily.

He was quiet for several beats before offering, “Maybe we should be, but I don’t want to be. This feels like something more, Tiffany.”

I couldn’t believe what I said next. “Maybe it feels like something more for me too.” My tears were still threatening, and they weren’t just about missing my old friend.

He reached across the table and curled his hand over mine, his thumb brushing across the back. “Maybe?” he teased.

I looked down at my coffee mug, tracing my thumb along the handle. “Maybe.” When I lifted my eyes to his, I answered honestly, “I’m not great at relationships.”

“It’s not a sport.” He shrugged.

His simple reply, how unworried he was, soothed and was precisely what I needed. My lips curled in a smile. “What time do we pick up Ross?”

“Archer texted me this morning that they’re taking the boys cross-country skiing. He said they should be back this afternoon. Let’s go do something.”

ChapterTwenty-Eight

WES

“Hey, hey!” Levi Phillips said, walking past me as he clapped me on the shoulder and stopped beside me where I was standing by a table at Wildlands Bar & Restaurant.

I cast him a grin. “Hey, dude. How’ve you been?”

“At the moment, I’m starving,” Levi said flatly.

Graham looked up from where he stood on the other side of the table. The server had just wiped it down and gestured to it. “All yours, guys.”

Usually once or twice a week, a number of us firefighters met here to grab dinner and sometimes drinks. Just as I was sitting down with Graham and Levi, Russell and Rowan approached with Chase right behind them. Within a few minutes, Beck and Cade had joined us, along with Ward and Donovan. “Big group tonight,” I observed.

Chase, who ended up sitting beside me, replied, “We’re all starving.”

“How’s the baby sleeping?” Beck asked.

“Okay,” Chase said. “I think. I’m trying to wake up whenever he needs to nurse, but he always wants Hallie.”

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