Page 26 of Saving Sarah (Blissful Bets)

Gavin left the firehouse in better spirits than he arrived in. Trevor happened to be a great guy and things were already set up when he arrived. But being away from Sarah drove him almost to the point of insanity. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between her and Devon last night. Did things go well, or did the domineering cowboy complicate things worse than they already were?

Having to share Sarah wasn’t something Gavin liked, but he wasn’t stupid enough to make her choose. As a recently divorced father of a five-year-old daughter, he’d already been in the exact spot before. Ultimately, he wasn’t the one chosen. Although, he hadn’t marked his ex- wife, he did love her.

Much like Devon and Sarah, Hilary and he had gone to school together. They had only been married for three years when Gavin contracted lycanthropy. He’d been so focused on why Hilary had been acting strange that when their fire truck approached the intersection at the high rate of speed, he hadn’t even noticed the white Honda Accord until the second before it plowed into them. One minute he was sitting there in the back seat, and the next he was getting slammed into his buddy. Everything turned into slow motion as he felt himself falling toward the passenger’s side. The road came into view through the window and he could see himself getting closer to the asphalt.

Gavin felt weightless, yet heavy as he fought against gravity. The feeling didn’t last long because his memory blanked after that. The crew said he’d hit his head on the roof of the truck, and at some point he probably did, but he couldn’t remember it. All he knew was what he’d been told. He suffered a major concussion, a broken arm, and a few lacerations.

When the first full moon rolled around, he found out he’d caught more than a mini vacation from the outcome of that accident. How exactly, he wasn’t sure. They had to have been all bleeding, and all thrown together when the truck finally came to a stop. Whoever he’d caught it from never said a thing, and they sure as hell didn’t show up at the pack he had discovered on his own. For months he waited, but to no avail, he was left to face his new life as a werewolf alone.

Gavin thought back to the day when he told Hilary about what he was. At first she thought he was losing his mind. She even made calls to try to get him committed, but ultimately he had to show her firsthand. He’d thought his wife could handle the change. She couldn’t. The mere thought of her being with someone not human repulsed her, and soon, she began seeing another man.

Gavin tried to make her love him again, but he ultimately knew their divorce was probably for the best. A deep need to find a mate pulled at him. When he received the invitation for the wedding, he knew he needed to go, no matter what.

The moment he saw Sarah everything clicked, and like a punch in the gut, he knew that no one would ever hold his heart like she would. Her history, her past, nothing mattered but being together and making a future with each other, whatever future she chose.

Devon constantly brought out his defenses, but he couldn’t deny the love Sarah carried for the cowboy. From experience, he knew he couldn’t change her mind. He’d like to think he learned from his past. Of course, having to deal with this other man was something completely different than what he’d ever been through before.

Pulling into the apartment complex, Gavin noticed Devon standing outside of Sarah’s apartment with Stephen. He quickly got out, walking to meet the men. Curiosity about new information made him move faster.

“Gavin, how was the interview?” Stephen asked, shaking his hand.

“Good, I start next Monday. So, did you learn anything from the license plate?”

Devon and Stephen looked over at each other, not saying anything, but Gavin could feel their disappointment. Confused, he lifted his hands gesturing for them to start talking.

“The car was reported stolen out of Corpus Christi two weeks ago. It seems we’re at a dead end.”

“You’re fucking kidding me.” He ran his hand through his hair. Who in the hell was this guy? Even a random stalker wouldn’t steal a car.

“I’m afraid not. Both of you might want to keep a close eye on Sarah. I know if it were Evelyn, she wouldn’t be leaving my side. I don’t care if I had to go to work with her. This guy is bad news, and I don’t like the fact that he knows who Sarah’s friends are. That puts all the girls in danger until he’s caught.”

“So what do we do?” Gavin asked.

“I think I’ll let Ayden know. He can send some of the pack to watch over the other girls without them knowing. As long as you both protect Sarah, then everything should be fine. Evelyn would kill me if I didn’t make sure I did everything possible to keep her friend safe.”

“She’ll be with one of us at all times,” Devon assured him.

“Good, well, I’m headed back to the house. I have Brandon keeping Evelyn occupied so she won’t go into work today. We can’t afford for anything to happen to her.”

“Why is that?”

Stephen looked at Gavin and smiled proudly. “Because I’m going to be a father. Evelyn doesn’t want anyone to know yet, but it won’t be long before she spills to all her friends. I, of course, already knew from her scent, but Brandon and I kept silent until she found out for herself. We have a doctor’s appointment next Monday. We can’t wait. I’m surprised you both didn’t pick up the scent when she was here.”

“I did,” Devon said in a low voice.

The pure panic pouring off of him made Gavin take a step back. He wasn’t quite sure what to make out of the anxiety racing through the cowboy. Shouldn’t he be upset or hurt because of their loss? Why scared? It made no sense.

“Congratulations,” they both said at the same time, in two separate tones.

Stephen smiled. “Thanks, but please don’t tell Sarah. I want Evelyn to surprise her with the news.”

“Your secret is safe with us,” Devon said.

Gavin threw his hand up in a wave as Stephen said his goodbyes. Something felt off, and the quicker he straightened out things with Devon, the soon he could get the guy to drop him off at Sarah’s office. The need to be with her, to make sure she was all right nearly caused him to get in his car and drive straight over there. Problem was he didn’t have a clue where she worked. He could sniff her out or use the pull, but it would take too long.

Devon headed in the direction of Sarah’s apartment. Gavin followed, closing the door behind him. He didn’t even wait for the cowboy to turn around before he lost patience.

“So what happened last night? You didn’t get kicked out so it must not have gone too bad.”

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