“Bro, at least you don’t get calls to the station asking for one of my guys to come pet her kitty, and I’m not talking about one of her barn cats.”
“Jesus. Tell me you didn’t send someone.”
“You bet your ass I did.” He smirked. “Sent Willis. That probie needed to know his place in the ranks and that our job is to service the community, no matter the call.”
“Bet he came back traumatized.”
“Yeah, took him a while to live that one down.”
The next few hours passed in the same easy manner: light banter, steady laughs, and good company. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so relaxed, free of that unpleasant weight constantly pressing on my chest. I didn’t know if what I felt would qualify as depression in any official capacity; it was more like an emotional autopilot setting, where work and family were the only things I had the capacity to focus on.
I wasn’t a recluse by any stretch of the imagination. I hung out with the guys. Boden, Jameson, and I were a solid trio, hitting the gym together, grilling, working on a flip property or my lake house, or just kicking back and relaxing when we weren’t on shift. I made an effort to travel to Ford’s baseball games whenever they were on the West Coast.
But everything shifted when Lakelyn moved across the street from Boden and into his life, and my brother finally pulled his head out of his ass and got together with Arizona—his longtime dream girl.
Their connections made me stop and take stock of where I was in life.
Was I jealous? Yes, I was brave enough to admit it, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t happy for them. They were both great guyswho deserved to find the ones who made their hearts dance and beat louder with a greater purpose.
Mine had just been beating a lonely, sad rhythm for the last ten years.
Until a week ago.
Now it beat with an air of hope.
It was proof that the heart knew what it wanted and that, sometimes, it was devoted to only one person.
Chapter Seven
Lily
Iwalked in the door after my shift at the hospital just as my phone pinged with a text from my landlord letting me know the repair crew planned to wrap up their work on my condo in the next few days. The news stirred an ache, heavy and lingering, in my chest.
Arizona had been incredibly kind to delay listing her place for sale so I’d have a comfortable place to stay, and while I was genuinely grateful, the thought of leaving made me uneasy. Logically, I knew it was silly. Rockwood wasn’t far, and I didn’t need to hide anymore, fearful of Jaxon’s reaction to my return. But what had surprised me was how much I’d fallen in love again with the small town.
After my shifts, I enjoyed the scenic ride home. The soothing stillness and the sense of peace it provided allowed me time to decompress, away from the constant noise of the city. But if I were being completely honest with myself, the biggest draw to the small town that used to be my home growing up was the nearness to Jaxon. It wasn’t something I could properly articulate;it was just the feeling that everything was right in the world when he was close.
We once dreamed of graduating, going away to school, returning home to start our careers, getting married, and raising a family on the lake, but my dad shattered those dreams.
Being punished for the consequences of someone else’s actions was cruel enough, but when that someone was your own father, it cut extra deep. It was a hard life lesson to learn when you were young and trusting, raised to believe your dad always knew what was best for your family. I never imagined the man who was supposed to protect us above all else would twist that trust into something so self-serving.
My dad didn’t just lie; he manipulated me.
He knew exactly where to land the punch to the heart, playing the only card he knew would have me falling in line, warning that if I stayed, I would be putting Jaxon’s life in danger. ThatIwas the threat. And I believed him, because back then, I didn’t know what it meant to be gaslit by someone you loved.
It was never about safety.
It was all about control.
Some say betrayal is worse than heartbreak, but I don’t think you can truly compare the two. They cut in different ways; one shatters your trust, and the other breaks your heart. Both left me emotionally wrecked, alone, and vulnerable. I don’t know if there will ever be a day when I can forgive my father; his betrayal still cuts too deep. My relationship with my mom was distant at best; it hurt to know she was complicit in his plans. She agreed to uproot our lives on the condition that he went straight into rehab, and to his credit, he did uphold that promise and made amends.
That atonement was enough for her.
But it wasn’t enough for me. Not even close.
I quickly showered and threw on a pair of leggings and a sweater before I lost my courage. The drive to Jaxon’s place didn’t take long, but when I pulled onto his street, his house was bathed in darkness. I knew he wasn’t on shift from my last conversation with Arizona, who liked to drop his schedule into our conversations casually.
That meant there was likely only one place he’d be.