Chapter Fourteen
Blue
For all I know, Hunter isn’t even home, but his apartment feels like the safest place to be right now.
Safe. As if anyplace is safe with Pandora around.
Still, being here beats involving friends, and it sure as hell beats having Mike and Scar asking questions. So, here I am, knocking on my brother’s door in the middle of the night.
I shift my bag higher on my shoulder as his steps thud on the other side of the threshold.
My nerves kick up, and I calm myself by going over what I’ll say when he answers.
He opens the door, one eye closed as the other squints when light from the hallway floods into his dark living room.
He braces his forearm against the door frame, resting his forehead on it as he tries to get his bearings.
“Blue? What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
Guilt sweeps over me. My night’s ruined, now here I am, ruining his.
“I’m okay, I just… I…”
He sobers a bit, running his hand down his face and beard. Then, he steps aside. “Come in.”
The second I enter the apartment, I drop my bag and lower onto the sofa.
Luckily, Hunter leaves the lamp off because the light coming in through the balcony is enough.
For a while, I just sit there, not speaking, not finishing what I’d started to say out in the hallway, because I’m still trying to process it all.
The way my marriage is falling apart.
The way my life is falling apart.
“Talk to me, Blue.”
I peer up at Hunter when he speaks, still searching for words. “I just need a place to stay for a few days. While I figure things out,” I force out, possibly hoping that makes things sound less serious.
He’s silent for a bit, so maybe it worked, maybe it didn’t.
“Are… you and West okay?”
Tears fill my eyes. I inhale, choking back a sob as I shake my head. “No. We’re not.”
Hunter goes quiet again. This is new territory for him.
Not only because West and I have always been so solid, but because he was away during the years when I had boy drama.
Prison stole so much time from us, and I actually feel bad for him right now, knowing he probably has zero clue what to do in this situation.
“Did he hurt you?”
I wince at the words, because I hate that he even has to ask. “No. It’s nothing like that. We’ve just been having a hard time lately. It’s like, everything I say, everything I do, starts a war. We can’t talk without it turning into some sort of misunderstanding or argument. But tonight…”
My voice trails off as I remember West stumbling into our bedroom, then into our bed, reeking of alcohol. It took me back to a place I thought I’d never have to go. A place he swore he’d always protect me from.
I swipe a tear from my eye.
“Things just got bad enough tonight that I thought it best to put some distance between us.”
Hunter rises from his seat, then returns with a box of tissue. He sets it in my lap, then drops down beside me. The weight of his arm looping around my shoulders brings a sense of comfort I didn’t know I needed as he pulls me into his side, letting me lean on him in more ways than one.
“Whatever it is, whatever happened, I know you two will work it out,” he says, which has me crying even harder.
“I know you guys have struggled a bit lately, with the fertility stuff and West’s injury, but…
you’re West and Blue,” he adds with a quiet laugh.
“You’re two of the few people I know who’ve actually found their soulmates.
Hell, you guys actually give me hope I’ll find someone one of these days. ”
Hearing his words warms my heart, and also makes me incredibly sad. Because he’s right. West is my soulmate. I’ve never once doubted that. But lately, I’ve been forced to ask myself… is that enough to make it work? Is that enough to bring us through this?
“But to answer your question, you know you’re more than welcome to stay here anytime you need, for as long as you need. Shit, I’m hardly here much these days anyway.”
“Right, your training,” I say with a sniffle, wiping my nose with a tissue. “How’s it going?”
He shrugs, and his gigantic shoulder lifts my head a little. “I don’t love the schedule, but I’m addicted to the work. It’s almost like I’ve found my calling.”
He laughs after that, but I believe the job fits him to a tee. My brother may have taken the hard road in his early years, but Hunter has always had a big heart, a need to save people. So, what better career path for someone like that than firefighting?
“With any luck, something will open up at CPFD by the time I’m done with training, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.” He glances down on me with a smirk, and he looks so much like Uncle Dusty it’s uncanny.
“It’s worth a lot. Thank you.”
He sits with me for a while, letting me calm down, letting me ignore West’s back-to-back calls without prying. Then, he leaves for a moment and returns with a blanket and pillow.
“Take my bed. I’m good on the couch,” he yawns.
“What? No. It’s bad enough that I showed up at your door in the—”
“Blue, end of discussion,” he says, taking a tone with me.
I smile and stand. “Whatever.”
A triumphant chuckle puffs from his nostrils as I pass him, heading toward his bedroom, but then I halt.
“Wait… point me toward the clean sheets. There’s no telling how many girls you’ve had in that bed.”
He laughs again, already settled in with his head on the pillow, pulling the blanket over his shoulder.
“Relax. I’m too busy for any… extracurricular activities. But if you plan on sleeping over after I’m done with training, no promises.”
My face scrunches. “You’re disgusting.”
That draws another laugh out of him as I enter his room, shutting the door behind me. I fall onto his bed and stare up at the ceiling, trying not to feel like a total failure. But if I could make a guess, I’ll still feel the same tomorrow.
Because my marriage will still be in the tank, and I’ll still have no idea how to fix it.
Fuck my life.