Chapter 19

nineteen

. . .

River

“You seem a little off today,”Kingston said, because God forbid my brother didn’t say every single thing he thought aloud.

“I’m sitting here, listening to you guys talk like I always do. How am I off?”

“I don’t know. Does he seem different to you guys?” he asked Romeo, Hayes, and Nash, who were sitting in the chairs around the fire pit.

Demi, Peyton, Saylor, and Ruby were swimming in the lake with Cutler, but we didn’t feel like going in just yet.

“He seems like his usual grumpy self,” Hayes said, holding up his water bottle to clink with mine.

“Takes one to know one.”

“Touché,” he said.

“Well, of course, you don’t notice, Hayes. You’re as moody as he is.” Kingston laughed, taking a long pull from his beer. “Come on, Romeo, you notice it.”

Romeo turned to look at me, his lips twitching a little, so I knew he was going to give me shit. “He’s a little more smug than usual.”

“For fuck’s sake. You’re making this shit up.”

“Nash, what do you think?” Kingston asked.

“I think he got laid last night. He’s got that relaxed air about him.”

“Spoken like a man who hasn’t gotten laid in a long time. You’re so horny that you’ve convinced yourself that everyone else is getting some.” I raised a brow, hoping I’d shut this shit down.

Nash barked out a laugh. “That could be true. Cutler is definitely the world’s biggest cock block.”

“What do you mean?” Kingston gasped. “That kid gets you more attention from women than I’ve ever seen.”

“Correct. They love Beefcake.” He laughed some more. “But I’m a fucking dad. I have you guys watch him when I’m working. But it’s not so easy to get laid when you’ve got a six-year-old at home.”

“Hey, nooners aren’t a bad idea,” Kingston said as he waggled his brows.

“As hard as this is for you to believe, there aren’t a ton of women who are available for an afternoon quickie.”

“You know we’ll watch him at night if you want to go out,” Romeo said. “Hell, Demi is working with Brinkley’s sister-in-law, Reese, that designer we hired, to come up with a room design just for Cutler at the new house.”

Brinkley was Romeo’s sister-in-law from Cottonwood Cove, and he’d told us about her brother’s wife, who was an interior designer and was helping them with their house.

“He doesn’t need his own room. And he sure as fuck doesn’t need it professionally decorated.” Nash shook his head as he stared out at the water as all the women took turns swimming with him. “That little dude gets way too much attention from everyone.”

My eyes moved to Ruby. I swear she was fucking with me when she showed up in that little red string bikini and cut-off denim shorts. She knew I thought she had the best tits I’d ever seen, and this suit was just driving that fact home. And then she’d peeled off those goddamn shorts and bent over, reminding me about that award-winning pussy.

She was an evil queen sometimes.

“You going to tell us what’s going on with you and Ruby?” Romeo asked as he turned to me.

“Nothing.” I wasn’t a guy who would disrespect a woman by talking about that shit, but I also never lied to these guys. They were my brothers in every sense of the word.

“Your eyes bugged out of your head when she showed up in that bikini.” Kingston was laughing now because he was an asshole, and he enjoyed seeing me struggle.

I flipped him the bird. “She’s a cool girl. There, I said it. Can we stop talking about it now?”

Romeo smiled. “Yeah, brother. We can stop talking about it.”

“I heard John Cook is thinking of retiring next year,” I said, anxious for a subject change. John was the captain at the Magnolia Falls firehouse where Hayes worked.

“Yeah. He’s ready. He said he’s got a few more months in him.” Hayes shrugged like he hadn’t been waiting for this day for the last few years.

“You putting your name in the hat?” Nash asked as he stared out at the water, where Cutler was jumping off the dock and the girls were catching him.

“He knows I want it, but fucking Lenny Davis is pushing for it, too. And apparently, they like a well-balanced dude, and Lenny being married to Kimber now makes him appealing. The dude will stab you in the back and throw you in the flames, but he’s got a social-climbing wife, so that makes him appealing? It’s such bullshit.”

“Play the fucking game,” I hissed. “The system isn’t always fair, so you’ve got to play by their rules.”

I fucking hated injustice, and there was a lot of it out there. It was the reason I got into law.

“I’m not going to get married just to get a job. I’m fucking good at what I do, and they know it. Who gives a shit if I have a wife?”

“Well, obviously, the people in charge care.” Kingston chuckled.

“Why would they give a shit if you were married?” Nash asked as he sipped his beer.

“It’s not necessarily about me being married. They like the firehouse to be an extension of family. John’s wife, Elise, is always throwing family picnics for everyone in the park, and it builds community or some shit.” He shook his head. “Kimber is nothing like Elise Cook, and I don’t see her doing any of that shit, but now, she’s suddenly bringing cookies to the firehouse every week. Fucking Lenny knows how to play the game.”

“So, play the game, too,” Romeo said. “You don’t have to be married. You could start dating again. I think a stable relationship might do the trick.”

“Been there. Done that. We all know how that turned out,” Hayes hissed.

“Not everyone is like Kate Campbell,” Kingston said.

“I almost walked down the aisle with the devil. I’m reminded of it every fucking day I have to see Lenny. Every fucking time I have to run into Kate in town. Not everyone needs to have that shit, and it definitely should not be a reason why I get promoted. It pisses me the fuck off.” Hayes crossed his arms over his chest.

“Really? It’s hard to tell that you’re pissed off with that vein about to burst in the side of your neck.” I chuckled. “You dodged a bullet, brother. And the day you give us the thumbs-up to kick Lenny’s ass, I promise you we will sic Romeo on him in a dark alley.”

More laughter.

Hayes was engaged to Kate, whom he’d dated for several years. I’d never been a fan of her. The way she flirted with all of us had never seemed playful. She was desperate for attention, and she’d get it any way that she could. Hayes had always been guarded, but for whatever reason, he’d let his guard down with her. And she’d fucked him over in the worst way.

“Trust me… I’d love to unleash Golden Boy on his arrogant ass. There’d been a rumor that he was thinking about transferring a few months ago, but with Cook letting word get out that he might be retiring, Lenny is suddenly determined to stay here,” Hayes said, letting out a frustrated breath. “My disdain for the guy just gets worse every time I’m around him.”

“Yeah. He’s a real piece of shit,” I said, and Nash, Romeo, and Kingston all nodded in agreement.

“Well, you’ve got time. He’s not leaving for a while. Maybe the right woman will knock you on your ass.” Nash stretched his legs and crossed them at the ankles.

“I think meeting the wrong woman first sort of ruins it for all future women.” Hayes barked out a laugh. “And then I look at the men my mom has picked, and the truth is, some people are better off alone.”

“I get that. I mean, my reasons are different. I just personally can’t imagine only being with one woman. It’s like being told you can only have vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life. I like mint chocolate chip. Sometimes I feel like cookies and cream.” Kingston smirked.

“Baby, did King just basically compare me to vanilla ice cream?” Demi said with a laugh from where she stood behind Kingston’s chair.

“Ah, not you, Beans. If I met a girl that was all the flavors mixed together, I’d for sure change my ways.”

“Nice save.” Demi sauntered over and sat down on Romeo’s lap. “What are we talking about?”

“Hayes is telling us why he’s never going to date anyone again after the shit Kate pulled on him,” Romeo said before he kissed her cheek. She looked over at Hayes, and her gaze softened.

“Yes, there are bad people in the world, Hayes. But not everyone is bad.” She smiled at him.

“I’ve just met too many of them to ever go all in again.” He shrugged.

“Don’t you worry that you’ll get lonely?” she asked.

“I do just fine, Beans. Don’t you worry about me.” Hayes winked at her.

“Yeah, the women in Magnolia Falls love a broody, damaged firefighter,” Nash said.

Hayes chucked his napkin at him. “Hey, I’ll own the broody firefighter, but I take offense to the damaged part.”

Now we were all laughing.

Demi shook her head and pushed to her feet. “I’m going to go get the cookies and bring them out. Cutler is ready for something sweet.”

“So am I,” Romeo teased, and she waggled her brows.

When she’d walked far enough away, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, as he looked at each of us. “I was going to wait to tell you guys this week when we met at the gym, but since we’re here shooting the shit, I may as well tell you now.”

“Is something up?” I asked.

“I’m going to propose to Demi soon. We’re working on this house together, and we spend every damn day together, and I don’t know. It feels right.”

“She’s all the flavors, brother,” Kingston said, pushing to his feet and pulling Romeo in for a hug.

“I’d lock that shit down, too.” Nash stood and gave him a bro hug, and we all stood and did the same.

“Happy for you, Romeo. She’s one of the good ones.” Hayes clapped him on the shoulder.

I studied him for a long minute. I’d known Romeo since we were just kids. He’d always been the toughest guy I knew, but he had a heart of gold and would walk through fire for the people he loved. I’d seen something there right away with them, and I couldn’t be happier for him. He and I had been through a lot of shit, and we’d come out the other side still standing.

“I knew there was a tender heart beneath all that tough-guy shit.” I pulled him in for a hug. “You deserve this, brother.”

“Thanks. I may need you guys to come with me to pick out a ring. Demi’s got nice taste, and I don’t know shit about diamonds.”

“Beans deserves the biggest one out there,” Kingston said.

“Nah, she doesn’t give a shit about the size of the diamond; she only cares about the man behind it,” Hayes said, and we all turned and gaped at him.

“Dude. That was deep. Where the fuck did that come from?” Nash said over his laughter.

“Just saying. I went all in on Kate’s ring, and she went and fucked my coworker. It’s not about the diamond; it’s about the girl you’re giving it to.” Hayes raised a brow.

“You got that ring back, right?” Romeo asked.

Hayes glanced over at me, and the corners of his lips turned up. “Yeah. River managed to get it back for me.”

“I paid a visit to good ole Kate while she was crying on Lenny’s shoulder about getting caught in bed with him, and I may have used some intimidation to get the job done. But let’s just say, she handed over that ring real fast, and Lenny looked like he was going to piss himself when I showed up.”

“That’s right. I remember now,” Kingston said. “We were all trying to keep Hayes from losing his shit on Lenny that I forgot you went and got that ring back.”

“Where’s the ring now?” Nash asked.

“It’s just been collecting dust for the last few years. I just want it gone. If any of you want it, it’s yours.”

We all turned to Romeo, who held his hands up. “Fuck that. I’m not giving Demi a cursed ring. You need to sell it and get your money back.”

“So, I guess we’re all going ring shopping,” Kingston said as he looked at each of us with a big grin on his face.

“Those are words I never thought I’d hear for us,” I said.

“Lincoln thinks we should road-trip to Cottonwood Cove so no one can tip her off here in town.” Romeo’s brother turned out to be a great guy.

“Who are we shopping for a ring for?” Ruby popped her head in between Romeo and Kingston.

“Shit. This is why I can’t tell you guys anything,” Romeo groaned.

“She won’t say anything, will you, Queenie?”

“Please. I’m a vault. You’d have to kill me to get a secret out of me.” She waggled her brows at me. “Although River would probably enjoy seeing bodily harm come to me, wouldn’t you?”

There was a lot I wanted to do to this woman at the moment.

But killing her wasn’t one of them.

Unless it was a silent death by orgasm.

That, I could get on board with.