I shake my head but do it anyway, pushing the incline up until my quads start aching with every step. We fall quiet until the timer runs down and cooldown mode kicks in, slowing us down in increments. We’re walking at an easy pace when Ryan looks over, his brows arched inquisitively.
“Paisley, huh?”
I focus forward. “Yeah.”
She left pretty quickly after we packed up her basket, walking off to her mother’s car with a jaunty wave. Still, the whole encounter left me with a sour feeling sitting in my gut, remembering the promise I made to Gracie on the weekend—full transparency.
It is twice now that I have seen and talked with Paisley, but this was at the fire station and out in the open. I don’t want to cause Gracie any more stress than she’s already feeling, and nothing happened.
There’s nothing to be transparent about.
“Not often people are friendly with their best friend’s little sister,” Ryan muses.
I blink, my eyes stinging as sweat slips into them, remembering a time when I wanted more than friendship with Paisley. A time when I envisioned a very different future for myself than the only one I am currently building.
“Braxton?”
I don’t know how much time has passed, but going off Ryan’s frown, he must have called my name a few times. I shut off the treadmill, grabbing a towel and rubbing it over my face. “What?”
He watches me for a beat, his expression inscrutable. “Did the chief talk to you when we got back the other day?”
My knee buckles, and I catch myself with a hand on the side of the treadmill. “Yeah,” I mutter.
Ryan grabs his water bottle, chugging half of it in one go. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand, saying, “He talked to me, too. Gave me the name of a counselor in Ashland.”
I pause, sliding my eyes his way. “You’re gonna go?”
“Yeah, man. I am,” he admits. “I haven’t been sleeping, and it’s fucking with my head.”
My throat is tight as I confess, “Me too.” I turn away from him, heading for the door, but I can feel his eyes on my back.
“The counselor has openings,” he says just as I reach for the door handle. “I checked. There are two appointments on Wednesday. I’m off that day. Are you?”
A few seconds pass. “Yeah, I am.” He lifts his eyebrows, a question and a challenge mixing in his stare. “You got the number?”
His lips curl into a smirk. “Sure do. Don’t worry about it, though.” I frown in confusion, but he’s walked away. “Your appointment is at one.”
“The back gate is unlocked again,”Marco says, squinting as he peers out the window into the dark evening. He looks over his shoulder at me with a frown, mouth open, but a loudbangcuts him off when the gate slams into the side of the building. “And the wind is picking up,” he adds wryly. “It’s too dark to get out there now, but I can fix it tomorrow.”
I’m already getting up. “We’ve got some plastic zip ties somewhere.” My lips twitch as I remember my conversation with Gracie about zip ties and duct tape. “It’s a temporary fix, but at least the banging won’t keep us awake all night.”
“Better than nothing,” he agrees.
I grab everything I need and pull my jacket on. Outside, the security light flicks on at my movement, and I grimace as a gust of wind hits me in the face, a shiver rolling through my body.
Don’t give a shit what Paisley said. If winter got any colder here, I’d be convincing Gracie to move somewhere else.
It takes me less than five minutes to get the gate tied to the fence post. I give it a rough shake before adding a second zip tie lower down, ensuring it won’t come loose in the night.
I’ve just gotten back inside when I hear Gracie call, “Hello? I come bearing pizza and garlic bread!”
I walk toward her voice, rounding the corner just as Asher, Ryan, and Marco descend on my girlfriend, expertly relieving her of her burden—five boxes of hot pizza and two rolls of covered garlic bread.
Ryan lifts the box he has claimed, inhaling deeply. “Gracie,” he says solemnly. “You let me know when you’re ready to leave Brax. Because lady? You’re a keeper.”
“Just because I brought you pizza?” Gracie tuts her tongue. “I never knew you were so easy.” She grins when the guys all laugh, and something eases my chest at how happy she looks. “But you know what? I might just do that. Gotta keep Brax on his toes, right?”
She peers in my direction, and I shake my head, giving her a mock disapproving look. It only makes her giggle, the light above catching the blue in her eyes and making them seem brighter than usual.
