Epilogue
“I hate to say I told you so this soon in our relationship, but….”
Saint waggled his eyebrows, and Val shook his head with a laugh.
It took a lot of late nights and busy weekends to get The Red Ax Tavern ready for opening night.
Even the Kings had pitched in, taking turns helping them get everything stocked when the supplies started coming from the vendors, while Saint helped Val hire employees, several of which were out-of-work first responders or firefighters with injuries that no longer allowed them to do the job they loved and who were struggling to find work.
Once the staff was in place, uniformed T-shirts ordered, and all of the systems installed that Val would need to keep track of everything, they started to look for a manager.
That had turned out to be one hell of a challenge.
Val had a very specific idea in mind, but he couldn’t really put his finger on it, which made the hiring process extremely difficult. No one seemed to fit.
Until former paramedic, Casimir “Cas” Shaw, walked in.
Saint had known some pretty optimistic and cheerful people in his life, but he had never met anyone like Cas.
The guy was like a puppy wrapped in a ball of sunshine in a bubble factory that was giving away free candy.
That level of optimism should have come across as either annoying, too much, or too forced, but Cas was just a genuinely warm and funny guy.
How the hell someone who used to be a paramedic could be so cheerful was beyond Saint, but his interview had turned into an informal chat, with the three of them laughing so hard they were in tears.
Cas was hired on the spot, and so far, he was a star at managing the tavern.
Everything had turned out great. The black, red, and gold chrome accents gave the place a classy, elegant feel, but the atmosphere was warm and laid back.
Leo had used his computer skills to track down all kinds of cool vintage firehouse items in great condition to line the walls, and he’d even found Val a vintage fire truck that everyone had chipped in to get Val as a gift.
It was parked outside the tavern to one side and was a hit, capturing the attention of anyone who walked by.
Val wrapped an arm around Saint’s shoulder and squeezed him. “In this case, you can say it as many times as you want. This is incredible.”
His sweet man had been unable to believe the number of people who showed up to pack the place to full capacity.
Val had really believed the only ones who’d show up would be employees from Four Kings Security, and although it looked like the whole company here, plenty of others had shown up too, like the majority of his former firefighters.
“You underestimate how important you are to people,” Saint said softly, kissing Val’s cheek.
They stood to one side of the busy bar as the pint glasses filled and the servers delivered all kinds of gourmet yet simple bar food, from several types of burgers to fries, a multitude of flavored wings, and lots more.
“Maybe.”
“Nope. Everyone here is here for you, babe.”
“And for the fancy beer,” Ace said, raising a glass. “To the chief!”
Everyone raised their glasses and shouted. “To the chief!” They whooped and cheered, and Saint could tell Val was moved, even if he just sniffed and shook his head at them.
“I’m so proud of you,” Saint told Val. “A lot of people talk about maybe one day doing this or that, but you followed through and made it happen.”
“Thank you, and thank you for everything you’ve done to help. I wouldn’t have managed to get it all done in time without your help.”
One of Val’s former firefighters called him over, and Val excused himself, which was perfect timing because Saint needed to know why his best friend was brooding from his stool at the other end of the bar while everyone was celebrating and having a good time.
Saint stepped up beside Ryden, amused that his friend hadn’t even noticed he was there. “What’s the scuttlebutt, Marine?”
Ryden gave a start and glared up at him. “What the hell you sneaking up on people for?”
Wow. That bad. “Since when does anyone sneak up on you?”
Ryden eyed him. “Fair point.” He took a sip of his soda, and Saint followed his line of sight. What could possibly have— Oh .
Jay was holding court at one of the booths.
He sat on the table dressed in a particularly snazzy royal blue paisley vest with matching pants and bow tie, a fuchsia button-down shirt underneath with the sleeves rolled to the elbows.
His blond hair was perfectly coiffed, and his cheeks were almost as rosy as his lips.
“Look at him. He’s such a diva.”
Saint shrugged. “He’s just having a conversation.”
“Oh, bless your heart. Saint, those three men right there are what we call bears, and that in the middle is a sweet little pot of honey for those bears.”
“I know what a bear is,” Saint said, amused by how annoyed Ryden was. The guy was practically vibrating with how worked up he was, which said a lot since very little got to Ryden.
The three large, muscular men sat around Jay, enraptured by whatever story he was telling. And, yeah, okay, maybe they might also be looking at him like they wanted to eat him with a scoop of ice cream.
“Why don’t you just tell him?” Saint asked, snatching up the stool next to Ryden that someone had just vacated. Seating was a little scarce at the moment.
“Tell him what?” Ryden asked, his frown deep. He seemed genuinely perplexed by whatever Saint could mean.
“That you’re interested in him.”
“But I’m not.” Ryden narrowed his gaze. “He’s annoying.”
Saint let out a heavy sigh and let his head hang. Had he been this stubborn? Yeah, he had been, but at least he’d gotten his head out of his butt. Why couldn’t Ryden admit he liked Jay? What was the big deal? Was he afraid of being turned down, or was he afraid Jay wouldn’t feel the same?
Ryden stood. “I’m going to say something.”
“Oh, great! It’s about time.”
“I’m going to tell him he needs to stop before he gets himself into trouble.”
“Oh, no. No, no, no. Please don’t do that,” Saint said, hurrying after Ryden.
Oh, this was bad. Why did Ryden go looking to antagonize Jay?
Why? It wasn’t like he didn’t know Jay by now.
They’d been working in the same office for years, and Ryden spent more time at the office than the others since he worked risk assessment.
In that time, Jay had thrown everything but his desk at Ryden. Something had to give.
Ryden moved through the crowd, and Saint followed, needing to be there for his friend in case the three bears decided Ryden was a pesky bee that needed swatting.
“Excuse us, fellas,” Ryden said when he stopped in front of Jay. “But I need to have a word with Glee over here.”
Off to a great start. Great.
The three men looked up at Ryden but didn’t move until Ryden dropped his gaze to one of the guys, and that terrifying Marine stare had them all practically falling over themselves to get out.
Jay folded his arms over his chest and arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at Ryden. “Do you live to torment me? Do you get up every morning and think of all the ways to make my life miserable?”
“Yes, it’s my favorite hobby, along with getting my balls waxed and chest hair plucked. My sole purpose in life is to annoy you.”
Jay sighed. “Delightful.”
“This isn’t the place.”
Saint’s groan was ignored. Why? Surely his friend had enough experience with dangerous situations to know when the best course of action was to retreat. Abort, abort!
Jay narrowed his gaze, and Saint said a few solemn words in his head for his former soon-to-be eviscerated best friend.
“Place for what? Talking?”
“Picking up men.”
“First of all, I was conversing. You know? That thing that mature adults do. Second of all, whether or not I pick someone up is none of your concern.”
“It is when you’re causing a scene.”
Jay looked around, then moved his narrowed gaze back to Ryden. “Yes, I can see everyone is absolutely up in arms about it. Oh, wait, no, they’re not.” Jay leaned forward. “Because they’re not all up in my business like you are.”
“You keep teasing men the way that you do, and you’re going to get yourself into more trouble than you can handle.”
Oh fuck. Had Ryden just said what Saint thought he’d said?
Jay’s bright blue eyes went icy cold. “I’m sorry. Did you just say I’m asking for it?”
Ryden had the decency to look ashamed when he realized what he’d said. His cheeks went pink. “Um, I didn’t mean…. What I meant….”
Jay’s eyes welled with tears, and the smack to Ryden’s cheek was heard over the music and chatter. “Ryden Foster, you are the biggest asshole I have ever met!” He shoved Ryden with a strength Saint had no idea Jay possessed, and Ryden stumbled back.
“Jay—”
Jay jumped down off the table and turned to go when Ryden caught his arm.
“Jay, I’m sorry. I—”
“Go to hell!” Jay jerked his arm away from Ryden and disappeared into the crowd.
“I should go after him,” Ryden said, his voice rough.
Saint caught Ryden’s arm. “Let him go. I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.” Something told him that Ryden wasn’t going to let it or Jay go.
“I fucked up,” Ryden admitted. “I need to go after him.” He pulled away, and Saint let him go. He watched as his friend disappeared into the crowd after Jay. There was a good chance Jay had left. Saint just hoped Ryden didn’t make things any worse than they already were.
“Everything okay?” Val asked, coming up beside him.
“I don’t know. Ryden stuck his foot in it. Again. Only this time, I think it’s serious.” Saint had a feeling there was a story behind Jay’s reaction.
“As much as I know you want to help, this is between Ryden and Jay. All you can do is be there for him if he needs you.”
Val was right, and Saint knew that. Ryden would come to him if he needed help or wanted someone to talk to. They had each other’s backs. Didn’t mean he couldn’t feel like shit about it at the moment.