Page 10 of Mountain Man's Forgiveness
I smash my lips against hers, and she instantly opens to me. My tongue invades her mouth, her warm heat food for my soul. Her soft hands slide around my neck as I bend down, her legs sliding around my ass and locking behind me as we make out in the doctor’s office. When I finally pull back, her pupils are black, her lips puffy.
“You can’t deny we’ve got something, Trouble. This electricity between us? It happens once in a lifetime.”
With her hand at her mouth, she visibly chooses her next words carefully. “Yes, Aiden, our chemistry is amazing. I cannot dispute that. But my number one priority is our child, and I will not hide away in the woods with you to raise him or her. He or she needs a community and friends to run around with. Your mountain cabin won’t provide that. Unless you make some serious changes, the baby and I will be living on our own.”
Eva slides off the table, grabs her purse, and heads out the door, where it swings shut with finality.
I know right here, right now, exactly what I need to do.
Chapter 8
Aiden
“Hey, man,” Ryder Bannon, captain at Cobalt County Fire Station 8, shakes my hand. It’s late afternoon, so the crowd at Hank and Lulu’s diner is small.
You’d think nerves would be eating me up, but it’s actually excitement that I feel. “Thanks for meeting me. Good to see you.”
“Same.” He scoots into the vinyl booth across from me, signaling to Lulu. “Enjoying the fitness classes?”
I nod yes. “Your man Richards doesn’t take it easy on us.”
“He’s a beast. Made two rookies cry last month. They needed humbling.” He grins, resting both forearms on the laminate tabletop. “So what’s going on? You didn’t call me here to talk about fitness.”
Lulu Jenkins walks up in a tie-dyedH&Lt-shirt, her silvery-blonde hair pulled up in a haphazard bun. “I’m liking this.” She sends me a wink. “What can I get for you boys to drink?” She sets down two glasses of water and a menu.
“Shiner.”
“Same.”
Bodhi Kaufmann has been on my ass for the last year about contacting Bannon for a job. Even though I don’t need the money right now, I want to be a role model for my child. He’s got to know that his dad doesn’t give up when the chips are down. That he’s someone with a strong work ethic. Someone who respects his mom.
Elbows on the table, hands clasped, I meet Ryder’s eyes directly. “Word is you might have a spot opening up on your crew. I want you to consider me. I’m certified, I’m cleared, and I can pull my weight. That’s not ego—that’s fact.”
Ryder studies me for a beat then leans back in his seat, arms clasped behind his neck. “It’s about damn time.”
I shake my head, dumbfounded. “Come again?”
“Bodhi Kaufmann is my brother-in-law. He told me how badass you are. Said you might be coming to see me.” Lulu plunks down two brown bottles and heads to greet some college kids who just walked in. “That was three months ago. What’s changed?”
“Turns out my couch has a time limit for wallowing.” I take a sip of beer, the liquid crisp. “Plus, Bodhi threatened to show up at my place with a bullhorn. That man doesn’t bluff.”
“No, he does not.” Ryder settles back into the booth, the smell of bacon wafting through the diner. “You worked with Mike Gentry, yeah?”
Wasn’t expecting that question. “We were on the same jump squad. Hardworking brother.“
“Yep. We trained together.” The captain thumps the side of the bottle absently, glancing toward the kitchen and then back at me. “Said you taught him everything he knows.”
My gut twists with pride, and for the first time since the accident, not being a part of my old squad doesn’t cut as deep.
Ryder sets his beer down with a decisive thunk. “I’m not gonna waste your time or mine. The spot’s yours if you want it.The station needs someone with your experience, and frankly, having a firefighter who’s been through some shit and come out the other side will help the rookies.”
My chest lightens, like air flooding a room I’d been suffocating in. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He extends his hand across the table. “Don’t think I haven’t already done my homework. You start Monday. Seven a.m. for paperwork. Don’t be late, don’t be soft, and don’t make me regret trusting Bodhi’s word.”
I shake his hand, gripping firm. “Never going to happen.”
Chapter 9
