Chapter 37 Braedyn
brAEDYN
Owen would not stop talking about Dex and his inside-out shirt. He thought it was hilarious. He wanted to know if he’d had it on that way the whole day, why no one had told him, if he was trying to start a new trend.
And every time Owen brought it up, Dex would look at me and wink. The bastard.
Even the next day, Owen didn’t let it drop. “At least you have your shirt on the right way now,” he called to Dex as he got out and headed to camp.
Dex choked on a laugh as he gave my son a thumbs-up and winked at me. Again.
“It’s not funny,” I hissed from my spot in the passenger seat.
Dex navigated my SUV away from the rec center and toward town, a cocky-as-hell grin twisting his lips. “I mean, it’s a little funny. Owen thought there might’ve been an earthquake he missed.”
My lips thinned. Thankfully, Owen’s mind hadn’t gone to the truth of the situation—not that it would at his age, but the paranoia was real. “You’re real freaking lucky the only one who truly knows is Aster.”
A low chuckle left Dex’s lips. “Aster does have friends.”
A curse slipped free, and Dex only laughed more. But anxiety dug its icy claws into my sides, making it harder to breathe.
“Hey,” Dex said softly, reaching over and laying a hand over mine. That steady pressure. That heat.
I wanted to lean into both. I wanted to trust that they’d always be there when I needed them. But I didn’t trust anyone, myself most of all. Because no one I bet on had stayed. God, I felt like the worst kind of human, even thinking that about Nova.
None of it was her fault. Not in the slightest. Yet I still felt the sting of betrayal. The agony of losing her.
Dex swung into one of the parking spots behind the Boot and shut off the engine. But he didn’t move his hand from mine. His fingers didn’t slide through mine. He didn’t push for more. He simply showed me he was there. “Talk to me.”
“What are we doing?” The whisper was a cannon in the SUV, echoing around and bouncing off every surface. “I have a son—one growing incredibly fond of you.”
Owen had started copying everything Dex did, down to asking me to buy him some hacker T-shirts. He was the first man he’d ever really had in his life on a consistent basis. And it scared the hell out of me to think what might happen if this all blew up.
“You think I’ll bail on Owen?” Dex challenged.
“I think if I piss you off or become someone you don’t like very much, it’ll be hard for you not to do that.”
His perfect mouth thinned. “I don’t bail. Your kid is cool as hell. I like teaching him about computers and listening to his endless questions. His mind works different than mine, and I learn just as much from him. He’s amazing and deserves all the people who care about him in his life.”
Crap. Crap. Crap.
My nose stung. “He’s the best.”
Dex squeezed my hand. “He is. But I don’t think this is really about him.”
My heart thudded against my rib cage in that pulsing two-toned beat. “You don’t want a family. I can’t trust a soul. That’s a recipe for disaster.”
A muscle popped in Dex’s cheek. “Maybe.”
I looked up into those shadowy eyes. “How’s it not?”
His gaze held mine for a long moment as if he, too, were looking for answers. “Maybe we figure out how to do both.”
My heart picked up speed. Fear and hope spurred the beats along like a rider pressing their heels into a horse’s flanks. “I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want.”
“Never said I didn’t want it. Said I wasn’t ever going to reach for it.”
That racing heart of mine shattered then for the man who wanted but never let himself take. Living a half-life all this time. “Dex.” His name was more breath than word.
“I think we take it one day at a time. You don’t want Owen to know? I get that. We’ll figure it out. Otherwise, one day at a time.”
I swallowed, trying to clear the fear still clinging to my insides. “One day at a time.”
“That’s my girl.” Dex leaned over and brushed his lips featherlight against mine.
It was the first time he’d kissed me since the incident yesterday. And this one felt more real somehow. Not a heated moment where we’d lost control but a choice.
“I have to go to work,” I whispered against his lips.
Dex’s fingers slid into my hair. “I know the boss. I can get you a day off.”
I laughed, the sound ping-ponging between us. “I’m not leaving Wylder in the lurch.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re all responsible.” Dex released me, climbing out of the car. I followed his movements, and he beeped the locks and tossed me the keys. “Wanna pick me up at the cabins on your way to get Owen?”
Dex was planning on meeting up with Kol to go over the case. He wasn’t sharing much—not yet. But they were focused, and that meant something.
“Sure, just tell me where you’ll be.”
“Probably back at the cabins by then, but I’ll let you know if I’m somewhere else.”
I nodded, starting toward the front of the building. Dex fell into step beside me. He didn’t take my hand. Instead, he placed his palm on the small of my back.
The heat of it scalded my skin through my T-shirt, which was adorned with the words The Boot. His thumb traced the spot where my back and hip met as if he’d memorized where those stretch marks were.
Phoenix wings.
The words echoed in my head like the most beautiful sort of brand.
A door slammed, jolting me out of my swirling thoughts.
“Dexter Archer,” a woman called out.
Dex’s hand was gone from my back, a grin stretching his face as he strode toward her. “Ever Devereux.”
Ever.
God, even her name was cool. And the rest of her was, too. She wore scuffed-up combat boots and dark jeans. A worn and faded tee with layered necklaces, and she had delicate tattoos on her fingers.
Dex pulled her into a hard hug, lifting her off the ground. I wanted to die a little. I hadn’t seen him greet anyone like this before. Not a single soul. Certainly not me.
He released the woman, setting her on her feet and stepping back. He turned to me and read my face in a single breath. And then the asshole laughed.
He laughed.
I glowered at him, mentally vowing vengeance. Something that locked him out of every tech device he owned. His beloved hot sauce in his coffee. Shaving cream in his Oreos.
Dex moved to my side. “Brae, this is Ever. She grew up with us in Connecticut. She and Orion were high school sweethearts.”
You could’ve knocked me over with a feather. Orion had a first love? I guessed everyone did, but I couldn’t picture it. But what I could see clear as day were those words hitting Ever.
The first blow was a jab. She grew up with us. The second was a sucker punch to the kidneys. Orion. The third blow was a knockout. High school sweethearts.
But I knew in an instant that Ever was a fighter because she pulled herself together after the death blow. She straightened, tugging her mouth into a smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” And I meant it. Because I suddenly felt for her. She knew loss. And that was a club that bonded, even if none of us wanted to be a part of it.
“What are you doing here?” Dex asked.
Ever’s mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. “On my break. You know I had to check in.”
A hint of pain washed over Dex’s face, but he covered it. “Ever works for Medicine For Humanity. Where were you this time?”
“Cameroon,” Ever said, tugging on the hem of her tee. “Got to see some gorillas.”
“That’s really incredible,” I said.
Her blue-green eyes softened. “Not a bad gig.” She turned to Dex, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “How is he?”
The words were whispered, but each one was like a knife to the chest. Because they were full of longing and pain.
Dex’s fingers twitched at his side as if he wanted to reach for something or maybe put his fist through a wall. “He’s okay.”
Ever’s fingers tightened in the hem of her tee. The movements were so similar. Maybe because they were spurred on by the same pain. But she didn’t say a word, just stared at Dex.
He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “He’s communicating less. On his own more.”
Ever’s head turned, the breeze picking up her hair and making it look a little wild. “I’m gonna go talk to Wy. Good to see you, Dex. Maybe we can get coffee before I head out.”
“You got it. Where you headed to next?” he asked, trying to steer them away from the hard and into the normal.
“Haiti. I’ve never been.”
“Always an adventure for you.”
“Always.” Ever sent him a sad smile before turning to me. “Give this one hell. He deserves it. He shaved my Barbie’s head when I was eight.”
“You stole my best baseball card,” Dex shot back.
“You didn’t have a right to it. You’re a freaking Yankees fan,” Ever said, disgusted.
“The Mets,” Dex muttered. “Who picks a losing team?”
Ever pointed a finger at him. “We have heart, and that’s something you can’t buy.”
Dex just laughed as she headed inside, then turned to me.
“I like her,” I said.
Dex’s lips twitched. “You didn’t at first.”
I let out a soft huff. “I was annoyed.”
“Jealous.”
“Annoyed.”
Dex pulled me to him. “I kind of like you jealous.”
“Now you’re annoying.”
He laughed, brushing some hair from my face. “Nothing to be jealous of there. Not even close.”
I knew that now. It had only taken about five seconds to realize it. “What’s the story?”
Dex’s gaze traced my face. “They loved each other. A real kind of love. The kind you knew could go the distance, even when they were only fifteen.”
“What happened?” I whispered.
Dex’s jaw worked back and forth as he searched for the words.
“After Orion saved us, he broke up with her. But she never gave up. She wrote letters. Sent emails. Called. Even now, all this time later, every time she gets a break from her job, she comes here. He never sees her. But she comes anyway.”
God, that killed me. For both of them. It was as if Orion had shoved away every good thing in his life—Ever, any true connection—by staying tucked away on the ranch and silencing himself. If he just let himself—
“Don’t even think about it, Hellion.”
My gaze flicked up to Dex’s face. “What?”
“I see those wheels turning. Do not try to play matchmaker.”
“I’m not.” I totally was.
“Bullshit. But you can’t. I think it would be too much for Orion. He can’t handle it.”
My shoulders slumped. “Okay.”
Dex’s lips brushed my temple. “You take care today. Text me if you’re running late.”
I stepped out of his hold and gave him a salute. “I don’t know, though. Pissed-off sex kind of has its benefits.”
“Hellion…”
“See you later, Buttercup.”
* * *
I arched my back, feeling a few bones pop.
“I heard that one from clear over here,” Roger muttered over the bar as he bent over a burger.
“Long day,” I admitted. We were officially in peak tourist season—at least according to Wylder. And I felt it. More families. And more families meant more kids, who tended to be loud. There was a steady drumbeat behind my eyes as a result.
“Amen to that,” Roger mumbled around a bite of cheeseburger.
I set down the freshly rolled silverware. “You okay?”
There were dark circles under Roger’s blue eyes, and his scruff was thicker.
He took a sip of his beer, swallowing the bite of burger. “Just a lot going on.”
I leaned into the bar. “Meaning you and Travis are working my case in addition to whatever else is on your desk.”
Roger’s lips twitched. “Maybe.”
“I heard via Kol that the sheriff’s department is putting officers back on the case. Shouldn’t that mean it’s no longer side work?”
Roger scowled. “Miller gave it to some green-behind-the-ears deputy. Said he’ll be overseeing the case personally. Wants to give the kid ‘real-world experience.’ But the deputy wasn’t even here when Nova went missing.”
A fresh wave of annoyance flooded me. “Every time I think he’s pulling his head out of his ass, he proves me wrong.”
Roger lifted his beer. “Try working for him for a decade.”
“I can’t imagine.” My gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. “I’m out. You need a refill before I take off?”
Roger shook his head. “I’m all good. Take care of yourself.”
“You get some sleep,” I ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my tote bag. “I’m off,” I called to Wylder and Fiona.
“See you, honey pie,” Fiona called as she wiped down a table.
“You want me to walk you out?” Wylder offered.
“All good. See you tomorrow.”
I headed down the back hall and out into the sunshine. I breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air—the best thing after a long day.
Beeping the locks, I headed for my SUV. As I reached for the door, footsteps sounded behind me. I turned, and the whole world fell away.
Tall. Leanly muscled. Reddish-brown hair. His face had a few lines in it now, but those green eyes were just the same. And they were the mirror image of my son’s.
“Hello, Braedyn.”