29. Matty
Chapter 29
Matty
REID
Soooo are you finally going to admit to Ox and me who your mystery girl is or am I gonna have to make this awkward
Ox
Wait does Reid know?
Reid
Yes Reid knows. Reid most definitely knows, and he has since a certain walk on a pier. AND Matty should be grateful I’ve been quiet this long.
Matty
Dammit
Ox
Spill it
As Chief of Police I command you to spill it
Matty
I hate you two
Reid
You don’t. In fact you’re glad that I haven’t told my beloved girlfriend
Matty
Actually, you’re right. I love you. So much. It’s almost unheard of, the love I have for you as my *best friend’s* boyfriend.
Ox
Reid
Now we’re getting somewhere.
Ox
I’m dying. DYING.
Matty
Can we meet for dinner?
Reid
Sure how about Dash In Diner
Matty
Not there for the love of God
Ox
Why not? They have the best burgers in town and Daddy feels like a burger
Reid
Ox. My man. I’m gonna have to ask that you never, on your life, refer to yourself as ‘Daddy’ in any chat you and I are in for the rest of our lives
Ox
Okay that’s fair
Hall’s Balls then
Matty
Fine
I t was only a matter of time. If I’m being honest, I’m surprised Reid has let me go as long as he has, because that pier walk was absolutely when he figured it all out. All I can figure is that he’s enjoyed letting me sweat.
And I might be. Sweating, that is.
I don’t know. I’m confused. Maybe talking to Reid and Ox about everything will be good. Helpful, even. Either way, I’ve run out of time.
I roll into Hall’s Balls at the appointed time and find the guys at the bar, both of them in full police gear. “Are you two even allowed to be in here dressed like that?”
Reid smirks and Ox waves the idea away. “We’re on shift. But you aren’t. Have a beer.” He slides my preferred beer to me as I take a seat.
“How do you want to do this?” Reid asks.
I gulp my beer, then look over at Anthony. “Did they order already?”
Anthony stares back at me.
I nod. Of course they did. “Burger, please.” Then, “Did you—did you tell them anything?”
“About what?” Anthony’s expression betrays nothing.
“Right. Of course.” Dude is a freaking vault.
Ox is damn near wiggling beside me. “Wait—before you say who it is, can I make a guess?”
“Sure.”
“It’s Liv Stinson.” He says it with such confidence, too, all puffed up and certain of himself. He snaps and points at me. “See? Ha! I’m right. It’s Liv. All those years working together, the tension off the charts, and then boom !”
Reid laughs as I press my lips together and shake my head. “No, man, it’s not Liv.”
His face falls. “Are you sure? Because the tension there…I feel like it could be. Maybe it should be.”
“No,” I repeat. Is he serious? Liv? My receptionist? Tension?
“Can I have another guess?”
“Sure.” But honestly, I’m a little worried. “You really thought me and Liv?”
Ox coughs. “Uh, yeah. But you know what? Never mind. That’s weird. I’m weird. Sorry. Forget I said anything.”
“I’ll try.” He saw tension with me and Liv? Jesus. I look at Reid. “Should I?—”
“Nope,” he says. “You should not. Don’t think about you and her. Think about you and her .”
I swallow. “Right. Right!”
Anthony swings back over and pours more tea for Ox. “You know who it is, little brother. Use that head of yours.”
Ox’s eyes bulge. “ You know, too? Oh, come on!” he whines. “This isn’t fair! How long have you known?”
Anthony shrugs and shoots more water into Reid’s glass from the gun.
Ox groans. “This is worse than growing up. You never tell me anything! And you,” he glares at Reid. “Sounds like you’ve known this juicy secret for a while, too. I don’t think I like any of you very much right now.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then maybe we should all leave.” Reid stands and grabs my arm.
“No, no, no wait!” Ox says, panicked. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good. Just, please tell me.” He turns his hulking form to me, bending his knees to look me in the eye and raising his hands in a prayer position. “Please?”
I laugh. “You’re completely ridiculous, you know that, right?”
Reid nudges me. “Come on. Admit it.”
I take a breath, then brace myself. “It’s Goldie Dash.”
Anthony nods in a way that looks suspiciously like pride. Reid just grins, happy to be right. And Ox? Ox loses his mind.
“What? What? ” He grips my biceps. “No way! No. Way! ”
I wince at the man’s giant hands on my upper arms. “Um. Ow?”
Ox beams, his face ruddy with absolute joy. “This. Is. Amazing!” He shakes me with every word.
I don’t fight it. Who fights an ox? Or, an Ox?
“Holy shit. Holy shit! You and little Goldie Dash. This is amazing!” he repeats, looking at his brother, then Reid, then me. His grip, if it’s possible, gets even tighter.
“Seriously. Ow.” But I’m also laughing, because I have never seen Ox like this. He is absolutely giddy.
“Buddy,” Reid says gently, placing a hand on Ox’s.
“What? Oh. Sorry.” Ox lets me go, but his joy doesn’t diminish. Not even a little bit. He crushes me to him in a hug. Which, I gotta say, isn’t comfortable. The man is huge, plus he’s wearing his bulletproof vest. I pat him in return.
“Okay, Ox. Let the man breathe,” Reid chuckles.
Ox releases me once again and I take a deep inhale. “Wow. Oxygen. Good stuff.” I take another breath.
“Goldie Dash,” he repeats. “Wow. Really?”
I nod.
“Because I always thought…well.”
“Enough with Liv Stinson,” Reid growls. “What is wrong with you, man?”
“I don’t know—I’m an idiot.” He hops up on the stool and shakes himself off. “There. All done. No more Liv. We are all Goldie, all the time. Tell. Us. Everything .”
Resigned, but also feeling lighter than I have in weeks, I tell them about signing up for the Blinding Love app, and how it matched me with someone named Dawn. How we talked and eventually decided to meet at the Masquerade Ball but didn’t reveal who we were.
“Wait,” Ox says, his eyes wide. “You were there ? You couldn’t have been. I saw Goldie—she was beautiful. But she was with a cowboy.”
I blink, then grin. “The cowboy was me, Mr. Chief of Police.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “That guy’s ass was way nicer than yours.”
Even Anthony’s composure breaks, and we all dissolve into laughter. “Glad to know you think my ass is nice, Ox.”
He reddens. “That was you ? Seriously?”
I shrug. “It’s a good suit.”
“Clearly,” he deadpans. Then he winks at me. “Hat wasn’t bad, either.”
“Thanks,” I say, still chuckling and shaking my head. “But how the hell did you know it was Goldie?”
“Willa knew I was going and wanted me to make sure Goldie was okay. She told me she’d dyed her hair and what she’d be wearing. If it makes you feel any better, she thought I was my brother.”
“Liam?”
Ox nods. “I left once I saw Goldie seemed to be having a good time.”
Reid leans in. “Oh, I’m told it was way more than a good time.”
Ox’s eyes go wide. “Ooh, do tell.”
Reid looks at me.
I glance over at Anthony, who’s slowly moved over and is doing a shit job of pretending to polish glasses and ignore us. He raises an unapologetic shoulder, and I shake my head. Even he’s a gossip. Glad to know it’s a town-wide affliction. Still, there’s no harm in giving the masses what they want.
“I pulled her into a dark room and kissed the hell out of her.”
Ox swoons. Literally. The man puts a hand on his heart and tosses his head back and swoons . “That’s so fucking romantic.”
I glance at Anthony, who cracks a smile, and I nearly fall off my stool in response. He smirks. “Ox has always been like this, man.”
Ox nods. “It’s true.”
“But you took your masks off first—right?” Reid prompts.
“You’re incorrigible.”
Anthony slides a fresh beer over.
“The man wants to know,” Reid says. “Give our Chief the details.”
“Fine. But no more details like that.”
Reid holds his hands up. “I don’t want to know any more than that.”
“Same,” Anthony chimes in.
“Girls aren’t my jam,” Ox adds.
I roll my eyes. “I pulled her into a dark room. I took my hat off, then my mask. Then I took hers off and we kissed. It…was incredible.”
“And you really didn’t realize it was Goldie?” Ox asks.
“Never,” I admit. “But she knew it was me.”
“No way,” Ox says.
“Really?” Reid says.
“Yep,” Anthony answers.
I point to him. “You, my dude, are an eavesdropper of the highest order.”
Then he winks at me. What is it with the Hall men winking today?
“How does he know?” Reid asks.
I take a deep breath. “Because this is where we met as ourselves. She’d said she knew who I was, and instead of telling me over chat, she suggested we meet here.”
Anthony snorts. “He looked like a deer in headlights.”
I glare at him. “Not. Helping.”
“Maybe he thought it was—” Ox starts.
“ No ,” we all chorus.
“Don’t make me kick you out,” Anthony warns.
“To be fair, I was shocked,” I admit. “But, shocked in a good way? If that’s a thing.”
“And now?” Ox prompts.
“Is it serious?” Reid pins me with a look.
“Um…” I hesitate, all my insecurities flooding in at the absolute worst time. I want it to be serious, but I can’t shake the worry that she’s going to get tired of me.
“Um? Um? What is happening right now?” Ox gestures at my open mouth.
“Don’t start with me,” I shoot back. “You with your Liv Stinson mess.”
“I’m sorry!” His voice pitches higher than I’ve ever heard it. “I’m just trying to rewire my brain. Give me a minute.”
“You’re not giving me much of a minute,” I huff.
“Just tell us if it’s serious,” Reid pushes.
I stare at Reid, wanting to answer. But I can’t get any words to come. I should be able to immediately say Yes, this is serious . But the cold hand of doubt swings from nowhere to grip at my throat, and I swallow thickly. “It’s…complicated,” I finally manage to say.
Anthony glares at me, muttering under his breath and disappearing to the other end of the bar to serve customers.
Reid’s jaw ticks.
Ox gapes. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
I point at him. “You. Don’t talk.”
I down my beer. And the one after that.