Page 19 of No Take Backs

I jump at Ella’s voice, smacking her in the face in shock as my arms flap out like an albatross of their own accord.

“Ow,” she groans, clutching her nose with both hands. Her eyes water slightly from the impact, and she shoots me a pained look. “What the shit, Nia?” she grumbles, rubbing her nose as if trying to assess whether I’ve actually done any damage.

The sight of her standing there, nursing her injured pride more than anything else, pulls me back to reality, grounding me in the moment. It’s the jolt I need to remember where I am, who I’m with, and that this isn’t some cruel trick—this is my family, my friends, and they’re here for me.

Heart racing and my face flaming with embarrassment, I clutch my chest and glare at my big sister. “I hate surprises, you know that. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself.” Accusingly, I point at her and then the people who are done applauding and stand watching the scene. Dropping my voice, I step closer. “What is this?”

“It’s your birthday party.” She rolls her eyes sarcastically, propping one hand on her hip while she shakes her head. “What do you think it is? It’s a party to celebrate you starting your new job and leaving behind temp jobs while you studied your ass off and got your licensing.”

Ella slaps me on the shoulder and walks to a table where I can see her husband, Rich, and Lyla playing an intense game of what looks like Go Fish while they ignore everyone else.

My sister abandoning me seems to give everyone permission to move, because as soon as she is gone, I find myself surrounded by the police officers that I’ve worked with for the last year.

Unfortunately, the first person to make it to my side is also my ex-boyfriend, Eddie Stryker. All six foot four inches of delicious cop, with his badge on one hip and his service weapon on the other. If it wasn’t for that, he might look like he belonged to a motorcycle club. His black shirt hugs every single inch of muscle, and it looks like it barely contains his arms. I don’t need to look down to know that his jeans hug his body, either.

“We’re gonna miss you when you move downstairs.” He shuffles back and forth from foot to foot in a rare display of insecurity that doesn’t fit with his no-nonsense attitude. But he doesn’t leave my side while everyone else from BPD says their goodbyes and wishes me luck.

“Go away,” I mutter in his direction when there is a break in the well-wishers. “Why are you even standing next to me, anyway?”

Eddie makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat and I can’t help looking over at him when I hear it. “Just because you broke up with me doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, V. I’m really sorry that I was an ass. I know it wasn’t your fault. It was all mine.” He uses the nickname he’s used our entire relationship. “It didn’t work out with us, sure. But I’d still like to be your friend. If you’ll let me.”

Reflecting in his brown eyes is the same affection he’s carried for me for what feels like forever. Affection. Not love. And when I see the pained grimace that does a piss-poor job of looking like a smile, I can’t even pretend to miss it.

“Look.” I soften toward him, especially seeing the torment in his eyes. “We tried to be friends, Eddie. You didn’t want to be just my friend. And after everything we went through… that you went through. I can’t date cops. It just won’t work out.” I reach over and put one hand on his arm, squeezing lightly.

The doors behind us jingle, announcing more people are here, but I find myself caught in the moment with Eddie, needing to be the friend I hadn’t been at the end of our relationship.

“Are you okay?” I watch his face for any sign that he isn’t, but there isn’t any sign of the insecurity I heard only a few moments before.

In its place is the affable and comedic man whom I met in college.

“I’m fine, V.” He reaches down and brushes a soft kiss against my cheek. “Don’t worry about me. Go. Enjoy your night. And congratulations on landing your dream job. We’re all proud of you.”

Eddie leaves me standing there, feeling a lot like I had when I broke up with him two years ago. Like a piece of my life is walking away, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do to fix it. But then, that is the choice I made. And up until this very moment, I haven’t regretted it in the slightest.

“I thought you didn’t date cops?”

My heart does something funny at the sound of that voice. The one I’ve almost been able to pretend doesn’t exist.

Standing there, with his arms crossed over his chest, is the man I have been unable to forget for a single day over the last six months.

Wearing a mischievous smirk, with dimples that immediately erase every other man from my mind, something dangerous flashes in Josh’s eyes as he watches me flounder to find an answer.

“Or was that just an excuse to leave after the best sex I’ve ever had?”

8

JOSH

Nia runs away from me for the second time. But calling it "running away" might be a stretch. She doesn’t sprint or even offer a hasty retreat.

Instead, she does something infinitely more frustrating—she says nothing. Not a word in response to my accusation, no witty retort or defensive denial.

Her silence cuts deeper than anything she could have said.

Before I can even process the blank look she gives me, she’s whisked away by none other than Chloe, Kevin’s sister, who swoops in with perfect timing, as if she’s been waiting in the wings just for this moment. Chloe’s arrival is like a well-rehearsed act, and Nia plays her part flawlessly, slipping into the crowd without so much as a backward glance. The ease with which she escapes me is maddening.

“Guess I’m chopped liver now,” Kevin mutters from behind me, his tone carrying that familiar blend of sarcasm and resignation. I can hear the faintest trace of a smile in his voice, but there’s something else there too. A hint of frustration, maybe even disappointment. It’s no secret that Kevin doesn’t get out much these days, and when he does, it’s usually because someone has dragged him along to some event or party, like I did tonight to get him out of the house. I turn to see him standing there, hands shoved deep into his pockets, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watches his sister and Nia disappear into the crowd. He’s trying to play it off like it doesn’t bother him, but I know better. I know him.

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