Page 30 of Her Paramedic (Men in Uniforms #3)

A fter taking her last bite of red velvet cake, Talia placed her fork on the dessert plate.

She and Kaydence were celebrating their birthdays with their friend group.

The night had started with the two of them getting ready together at Talia’s house and Journee picking them up for dinner.

Afterward, the eight would head back to Talia’s house to play a few games, since neither she nor Kaydence wanted to do much of anything else.

Their server returned to the table, and they asked for checks to be brought, as the few who hadn’t finished dessert yet did.

“Since we’re returning to your house, we’ll give you and Kaydence presents there,” Nova informed them.

“You know what we haven’t done in a while?” Aariah started. “Have a sleepover.”

Talia thought about it, and the other woman was right. She’d had a couple stay with her, or she’d stayed with someone, but they all hadn’t had one in at least two years.

“If no one has plans tomorrow, we can have one tonight,” Talia responded.

“Yeah, we should do that,” Aryah agreed. “If everyone’s up for it.”

Affirmations went around the table, and a few of them made plans to stop and pack a quick bag before arriving at Talia’s house.

“I’m surprised Slate didn’t pop up tonight,” Alivia stated.

“Why is that?” Journee asked.

“Would it not make sense for him to want to come to celebrate her birthday with her?” Alivia countered.

“Axel isn’t here with me,” Kaydence replied. “Besides, we agreed to a girls’ night dinner to celebrate.”

Talia watched Alivia shrug. “He still isn’t here, and she just invited us to a sleepover, which means he isn’t waiting at her house or coming tonight. I’m only pointing out that it’s kind of unthoughtful and insensitive.”

“Not really.” Talia took a drink from her glass. “He came up on my birthday, and we celebrated.”

“And if he hadn’t, you would have been the insensitive one by bringing this up, Alivia,” Zuri stated.

“He came on your birthday?” Alivia asked. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Was she supposed to?” Journee inquired. “Maybe she wanted to have the memory for herself. Besides, anyone with eyes can see that she has a new charm on her bracelet. So he’d either sent her one or gave it to her in person. Either way, it meant he thought of her on her day.”

As if on cue, her newest gift from him vibrated on her wrist, and the moon and star lit up purple.

Talia couldn’t help but smile. They’d set the bracelets up the morning after her birthday and found they could choose the type of vibration and color it lit up for the different options. He missed her.

“That’s pretty, Tal,” Nova stated.

“Thank you. It was my other birthday gift from Slate,” Talia responded, pressing the center of her bracelet twice, sending the message back to him.

“Such thoughtful birthday gifts from your friend,” Journee teased with a smirk, and Talia rolled her eyes at her playfully.

They all knew she and Slate were more than friends, but she knew Journee would never let her live down saying they were, and then staking claim on him not even five minutes later.

The server returned with their bills and passed them around, putting them on the table by each person. Journee reached over and grabbed hers and Kaydence’s. The younger woman held it out of her reach when Talia tried to take it back.

“Don’t be difficult, Tal. It’s your birthday. You don’t get to pay,” Journee told her.

“I got it,” Alivia stated, holding her hand out for Talia’s check.

“I’ll cover it. Leave her share of the tip,” Journee replied, pulling her card from her purse.

“I’ll leave KD’s,” Aariah volunteered.

Once the bills were paid and everyone had their cards back, they exited the restaurant and headed to Talia’s house.

“I t’s a pretty bracelet,” Alivia stated in the early morning hours as they sat on Talia’s bed.

After dinner, they played a few games once everyone arrived at her house and then watched a movie before deciding to all turn in a little after one in the morning.

Journee and Kaydence occupied her guestroom, while the twins and Zuri took residence on her pull-out sofa.

She, Alivia, and Nova were sleeping in her room.

The latter-mentioned woman was currently in the shower.

“It was…nice of him,” Alivia said, leaning over Talia to put the bracelet on the nightstand.

Talia refrained from sighing. She’d thought that their original conversation about her dating Slate would be the end, but with what her friend had said at dinner, she realized that wasn’t the case.

“Why do you dislike him so much?”

“I don’t dislike him.”

“You do,” Talia countered.

“No, I don’t, because I don’t care about him one way or another.

” Alivia paused. “I told you when we spoke before. I’m trying to look out for you.

The way this relationship started is how the others did.

Fast, whirlwind, you think you’ve found someone who wants the same things as you, a genuine relationship, a commitment, and you end up disappointed and hurt when it crumbles a few months later.

I have the right to be worried about my friend.

” She paused, gesturing to both bracelets.

“And this, all these gifts. It’s very reminiscent of what Chris used to do to keep you pacified so he could continue to get what he wanted. ”

“I understand that you’re worried, and I appreciate you for that, for wanting me to be happy, but Slate isn’t like that.”

“None of them were in the beginning, and I’m not saying every person you’ve dated has been a bad choice because there were a few that you probably could have built with if the timing had been different.

I’m not trying to upset you or devalue what you feel you have with him. I only want you to be careful.”

“But that’s what you’re doing each time you make a comment that lends to him not being the right person, or you doubting his intentions.

It upsets me because my best friend has an unfounded issue with my boyfriend, and he has done none of the things you’re worried about.

And it not only devalues my relationship with him, it devalues me, my ability to make my own choices and determine whether the person I’m dating is right for me.

” Granted, she knew in the past she hadn’t chosen the right people.

Alivia was quiet for a moment. “You’re right. I’m sorry for doing that, and I will try to be more positive and supportive until he gives me a reason not to.”

“That,” Talia stated, pointing at her. “Is what I’m talking about. You’re so sure that he’ll mess up somehow.”

“I apologize. That was the wrong choice of words,” Alivia replied. “ Unless he gives me a reason not to.”

Talia didn’t respond as her en suite door opened, and Nova walked out dressed for bed. Instead, she slid off the bed and headed for the hall. “I’m going to check the front door.” She knew it was locked, but wanted a second to herself.

When she passed the living room, she found Zuri and Aariah watching something on the latter’s phone while Aryah lay there. Talia couldn’t tell if she was already asleep or not.

“You okay, Tal?”

“Yeah, Riah. I’m good. Goodnight,” she told them.

“Goodnight,” all three responded simultaneously. As she approached her bedroom, she heard Nova talking to Alivia and paused.

“Stop this,” Nova demanded.

“Stop what?”

“You know what I mean. She likes him. He likes her. He treats her well. That’s all that matters. You throwing your constant negativity in her face, bringing up the past and pointing out any similarities to that man is going to put a cloud over their relationship, and it isn’t fair.

I get you want her to be happy, and she is. That’s what you need to focus on. Not shit from the past. I know that you’re worried. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Talia’s supposed to be your best friend. Act like it, and cut it out. I mean it, Alivia.”

“Why are you lecturing me when I have done nothing wrong?” Alivia asked. “I just want her to be careful.”

“You do a lot of things wrong, and no one is faulting you for trying to be a good friend. I’m faulting you for your delivery, for injecting your opinion when it wasn’t requested, and for whatever issue you have against that man, regardless of what you said, because someone would have to be blind not to see this differs from several past relationships. ”

“It was me there every day after the situation with Chris. Not you. I saw everything she tried to hide. I know how much that hurt her, and right now it feels like I’m watching a rerun of how that started. So maybe you’re the one who’s blind,” Alivia countered.

They fell quiet, and Talia took that moment to enter the bedroom.

She turned off the light and climbed into her side of the bed, bidding them goodnight.

Alivia grumbled for a couple of minutes because she didn’t want to sleep in the middle, but with it being Talia’s room, she would not.

Nova pulled the age card, stating that, as the youngest of the three, Alivia didn’t have a choice.

It wasn’t long before Talia drifted off to sleep.

? ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ · ─ ?

S late leaned against the wall and watched Ace run through a drill with a few new hires.

He had the next two days off since his schedule was switching from nights to days to give his body time to acclimate.

He and Ace were having dinner together and discussing the expansion.

Slate also wanted to know what the other man needed from him when this happened.

He was currently a silent partner, working in the background when needed, but taking on more employees and training them wouldn’t be something Ace could do alone.

Since he was closer, Slate didn’t mind stepping up to assist him more and help him train trainers.

The bracelet on his wrist vibrated in two short bursts and he looked at it to find the sun lit green. Talia was thinking about him. He pressed the center of his bracelet once to return the message.