His to Protect: A Fireside Novel(8)

I didn’t blame her. I didn’t talk about Mara to anyone except for maybe Tyson and Aidan. Our other friend David was in the middle of finishing up his ER residency at a hospital in Chicago, so he was too busy to talk to any of us frequently, although he did know that Mara left.

We got drunk one night via Skype on one of our infrequent nights off and toasted heartless women. David’s own girlfriend since college had recently broken up with him after deciding that she was tired of being alone all the time.

Not that he blamed her. Being a resident was hard work.

He put in even more hours than I did in the restaurant, and I knew Mara got sick of being alone all the time, too. The difference was that I thought this was something we were building together, but apparently, I was wrong.

Someone banged loudly on the door, making both of us jump at the sudden sound.

Sitting on the couch, Trina’s fingers dug into Boomer’s fur, and her eyes shot wide open.

“I’ll get it,” I said and pushed up off the chair. “But, Trina.” I waited for her to look at me as I walk past her. “While you’re here, no one will hurt you. You have my word.”

“Thank you,” she whispered and I looked away, frowning while I tried to figure out who could be here.

“Aw, hell,” I muttered and dropped my head back as I reached the door. “It’s fucking Friday and I totally forgot.”

“What does that mean?” Trina said from behind me.

“You’ll know in just a minute.”

Because it was Friday night at nine o’clock, and I’d promised Aidan that his son Derrick could crash at my place. At thirteen, he was old enough to stay alone at his own house for the night, but Aidan still wasn’t comfortable with that.

And since Aidan rarely dated, too busy being a single dad and owning his own construction company, I always let Derrick stay here on the nights I was off from the restaurantwhich was about as often as Aidan dated.

“You ready for company?” I asked Trina, turning to see her standing behind me. “Because shit’s about to get interesting.”





Chapter 5


Trina


Interesting?

I didn’t have time to consider what Declan said when realization began to dawn as he opened the door.

He had a date?

My jaw dropped at the thought of a woman coming to get him for a date, then that idea was blown to smithereens as soon as I heard masculine voices drifting inside.

“I totally fucking forgot, Aidan.”

“Jesus, Declan. Watch your language.”

“Not like you don’t say it, Dad.”

Dad?

I moved away from the entryway as the door widened and Declan stepped back, still explaining. “The last few days have been crazy and I’ve got some company.”

“You’ve got a date?” the older male voice said. Something inside my chest warmed and flipped at the question.

I wasn’t on a date. Neither was Declan.

“No,” Declan said, “A friend…staying for a while.”

“I know all your friends, Declan,” the male voice continued to say as he pushed his way in. I saw a flash of dark brown appear from behind Declan’s shoulder and then those eyes widened. I could barely see him, but based on the way his eyes then crinkled at the edges, he was also smiling. “Well, hell. I don’t know this friend though, do I?”

“Watch yourself,” Declan growled, his voice low and thick.

His friend’s eyes darted to Declan before he nodded once. The smile disappeared as Declan took a step back and waved them in.

“Trina,” Declan said as the guy and his sona teenage sonwalked in. The boy had a bag thrown over one shoulder and his eyes were glued to Declan’s. “This is Aidan and his son, Derrick. I feel like an ass”

“Language,” Aidan interrupted.

“Heard it all from you,” Derrick muttered, his lips twisting into a grin.

Side by side, the two guys look almost like spitting images of each other. Derrick was lanky, a young boy growing into a man, whereas Aidan had filled out…much more nicely.

He was attractive in that blue-collar, hard-worker kind of way, and his smile was friendly when he held out his hand.

“Trina, huh?” He grinned. If I were that kind of girl, or looking for that kind of guyor any guyI might have felt that smile down to the tips of my toes. “Didn’t know Declan had company tonight, but it’s nice to meet you.”

I shook his hand, much less tentative than I would have for Declan. My eyes shot over to see him standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on where Aidan’s hand was wrapped around mine.

I yanked my hand out of his grip and stepped back, nodding. “Sorry. I was sort of”

“A last-minute surprise,” Declan said for me. “And I’m sorry. I totally forgot about tonight,” he finished, turning back to Aidan.

Aidan gave me a look I barely caught before meeting Declan’s gaze. “I need to cancel?”

“You okay with Derrick hanging out here tonight?” Declan turned to me and I frowned, uncertain why he was asking. It was his house. “Want you comfortable,” he explained, his voice lowering, although there was no point. Aidan and Derrick both gave me a strange look that I felt more than saw.

“It’s fine,” I muttered, taking a step back into the living room.

And it was. In fact, it was better. A teenage boy in the house meant Declan and I wouldn’t be alone, and while I saw and felt that he was a decent guy, and so far had treated me with care, that didn’t mean a night alone with him would be comfortable.

“I can go.”

“No,” Declan said, pinning me in place with his voice. “You stay. And if you’re okay with Derrick being here, he’ll stay, too. This happens sometimes when Aidan has a date.”

“I can reschedule,” Aidan chimed in, although the way he said it said he wouldn’t be happy about doing it.

“You don’t get out enough.”

Aidan smirked. “Pot meet kettle.”

Something simmered between the two of them as they stared each other down. The tension sparked and crackled, and I jumped when Derrick dumped his bag on the hard floor. “You got pop, Declan? Because Dad’s all out and I’m thirsty. I’m also ready to kick your ass tonight.”

At my expression, whatever that might have been, Derrick simply said, “Call of Duty. It’s a game we play when I’m here.” He walked by me, disappearing into the kitchen, and shouted loud enough for us all to hear, “Although it’s a bunch of crap because I am thirteen and old enough to be on my own for a night.”

“Yeah,” Aidan muttered, grinning at his feet. “Except I remember what I was doing when I was a few years older and since Derrick there is the result, no way in hell is he ever staying alone.”

Aidan looked so young that I’d figured he must have been a young dad, but at that surprise, a laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Both men looked at me. Aidan shrugged his shoulders, unashamed of his actions or the result, and Declan’s eyes went soft, soft in a way I didn’t fully understand.

This whole situation was overwhelming and awkward.

“All right,” Aidan said, clapping his hands.

That must have been what finally got Boomer’s attention, because all of a sudden he barked and I heard his paws hit the floor.

He rounded the corner, his tail wagging like it did when he was excited, and before I could stop him, his front paws were on Aidan’s chest, shoving him back into the front door.

“Holy fuck,” Aidan gasped, his hands immediately flying up in the air.

“I’m so sorry,” I gasped, and tried to jump toward Boomer to grab his collar.

Declan beat me, his large fingers wrapping around Boomer’s collar before I could get to him, and something about that quick motion made me snap.

“Get off him!” I shouted, and lunged forward, somehow shoving Declan out of the way. “Get your hands off him!” My hands wrapped around Boomer and I yanked him down, pulling him to my side.

When he was back at my feet, I heard a harsh whisper. “What in the hell?”

“Cool it, Aidan,” Declan said.

He crouched in front of Boomer, hand out, palm up, completely nonthreatening.

“Trina.” I didn’t catch the concerned tone in his voice. All I heard was my name, and I knew my dog had done something wrong. Again.

I flinched and curled myself around the animal when a shadow fell over us. I pressed into Boomer’s fur harder until Declan whispered, “It’s okay, babe.”

Babe.

That one word echoed inside my head and I realized what I’d just done.

I’d just made a complete fool out of myself.

Blood rushed from my face and I stepped back, protecting Boomer at the same time. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my limbs beginning to shake. “I don’t know…I just saw you reach for him…”

Tears blurred my vision and before either man said anything, I gripped Boomer’s collar and turned to rush him outside.

I completely ignored Derrick, who I barreled past on our way to the sliding door, but once the door was opened, I shoved Boomer through it and then my back hit the cement wall. I slid down until I was sitting on the cold cement, my feet pulled up to my backside. I dropped my forehead to my knees while my body shook and trembled.