Page 45 of All It Takes

“You got it. Also, how are things going with Ross?”

I paused, considering my thoughts for a moment. “Okay, I think. He seems to be doing all right. The whole thing is just…” I paused again. “It’s just hard, I think. Both of his parents died, and now he lives in Alaska. He’s got two grown-ups in charge of him who I know he doesn’t remember before this.”

“I know. It makes you really think about how you have to plan for contingencies. It’s just sad. What do you think about them setting it up so both of you share guardianship? I think that’s interesting.”

“I know. Many people have more than one person listed, but I don’t know what they were thinking. We’re making it work.”

“I think they were trying to set you up,” McKenna said, her tone sly.

My internal gossip radar pinged. “What have you heard?” I ground out, sensing she and Hallie had spoken.

“Not much,” she replied in a singsong voice.

“What did Hallie tell you?” I demanded.

“That means there’s something to tell.” She laughed, and I knew I was caught.

I gritted my teeth and let out a groan. “Fine. I kissed him, so now it’s complicated, and I don’t know what the hell to do because I really like him.” I conveniently left out that we’d gone far past kissing.

“Good thing I’ll be there. I think you and I need to get together ourselves. Just you and me. This is not a phone conversation.”

I didn’t know why it was so easy, but McKenna and I understood each other in a way that not everyone did. She didn’t even know all the details about my mom, but she obviously knew the main part, which was that our mom had kept a big secret from our dad.

I didn’t know everything about her either. She was the only sister in a whole passel of brothers. That alone would be challenging.

“We can meet at Firehouse Café the morning after you get here. You can tell me how to untangle the mess I’ve created for myself.”

“It’s a deal.”

ChapterThirty

WES

I stepped off the elliptical in the workout area at the fire station, tapping the button on it to turn it off before grabbing my water bottle and taking several swallows. When I lowered it, Rowan stepped off the other elliptical across from me.

He drained his water bottle and glanced over, cracking a grin. “How far did you go?”

“Ten miles.”

“Same here. That interval thing kicks my ass sometimes.”

“Isn’t that the point?” I set my water bottle down as I walked over to the weights.

Rowan followed me, and we both began a rotation. “So how are things with Tiffany?” he asked between reps.

“Huh?”

He waggled his brows. “Dude, you know the way news travels in this town. There’s a betting pool on whether Chase will kick your ass if you fuck this shit up. Just a heads-up on that.”

I finished a series, lowering the weights and setting them back in their stand. “For fuck’s sake,” I muttered.

“You’ve got this. Just plan on marrying her, and you’ll be all set.”

“Marrying her?” I sputtered.

He set his weights down, shrugging as he straightened. “Just don’t break her heart.” His gaze sobered as he looked at me. He clearly sensed my internal confusion. “You okay?”

“I think I’m in over my head.”

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