Page 38 of Will Bark for Pizza (Bluebell Springs #1)

TWENTY-EIGHT

BECKETT

“Where’s Aunt Kira?” Opal asked as I set a couple of camping chairs between the metal patio furniture already stationed around the firepit to accommodate the additional guests.

Connor’s daughter insisted we have an epic s’mores night before she headed off to summer camp tomorrow so she’d be a pro at it, and no one, Nana included—I swear, that woman was immune to jetlag—had the heart to turn her down.

“I think she took Husker for a walk,” I said, remembering the two disappearing into the woods earlier. Maybe it was a good thing Nana was here, because the urge to join Kira for that walk was overpowering. More so since we agreed to be just friends .

“They’re back,” Opal said, matter-of-fact.

I scanned the patio, but no one else seemed interested in Kira’s whereabouts. Luke was chopping wood, and Connor was carrying the split pieces to the firepit. Dale was a dozen yards away, arms folded and deep in conversation on the phone.

Kira might be inside helping Nana and Connie with the s’mores fixings. Or she might be upstairs, hiding from everyone. She did that a lot, isolated herself, even though she loved her family. I didn’t know much about her past, but I certainly knew a thing or two about healing from one.

I remembered the panic attack at the bookstore, and my pulse doubled.

What if something was wrong?

“I’ll go check on her.”

“Bring a treat for Husker,” Opal said, reaching into her pocket and handing me a bone-shaped morsel, as though she knew I had yet to fill my own pockets.

“Thanks.”

I took the stairs to the second floor two at a time, waiting until I reached the end of the hall to call her name. Her door was closed, but I knocked anyway.

I saw the paw under the door first.

“Beckett?” Her voice sounded off, and I went on high alert at the strangled sob. It reminded me of the times Madeline admitted defeat with our parents when we were younger, after they showed their true colors and broke her heart once again.

“Can I come in?”

“Please go away.”

Hand resting on the knob, I leaned my head against the door. If she didn’t want me to come in, I would leave her. But I had a sneaking suspicion she really didn’t want to be alone right now .

“Please, Kira?”

After several beats of silence, she finally said, “Okay.”

I gently pushed the door open, and was greeted by Husker.

I offered him the treat Opal gave me, warding off his escape attempts.

Kira was curled in the fetal position on top of the covers, her ponytail fanning the pillow.

I didn’t need to ask if she’d been crying.

The puffiness around her eyes gave it away.

“It’s time for s’mores,” I said, biting back the urge to ask what was wrong. Because something was definitely fucking wrong.

“I might pass tonight. You can take Husker down, though.”

“Opal will be really disappointed if you don’t join us,” I said gently, closing the door behind me.

“I can’t go out there like this, Beck,” she said, her words a panted whisper. Tears sprang to her eyes, falling down her cheeks.

Fuck.

I crawled onto the bed slowly, gathering her into my arms. She didn’t fight me, just melted into me. Her tears soaked through the cotton of my shirt.

“What’s wrong, Red?”

“Everything.”

Husker hopped onto the bed, tilting his head at the two of us. I patted the spot beside Kira, and he plopped down at the back of her legs. Good boy, Husker .

I held Kira in my arms, allowing her to cry.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” I reassured her. “But I’m here to listen if you do.”

“Why? ”

Because you’re important to me, and although I don’t fully understand how that’s possible when we hardly know each other, it’s true .

“Because you deserve to be heard.”

That made her cry harder, so I held on tighter.

“It’s stupid,” Kira said.

“I doubt that.”

“It is.” She sniffled, and I handed her a tissue. “My stupid ex.”

“Well, I don’t need a lot of context to know he’s stupid,” I agreed.

That made Kira laugh, and the sound calmed my racing pulse. “I went no contact with him last summer. You probably heard about the wedding toast.”

“I did, but I haven’t heard about it from you.”

“I’ll spare you the details. Just know, it was as bad as Luke makes it sound.”

“Yikes.”

“Tell me about it.” She sniffled again, wiping away moisture from her cheeks as she nestled against me.

It felt right to hold her, though I didn’t know what that meant.

Friends, Beck. Just friends . “I broke up with him that night. Last time I saw him was the next day, after I showed up to get what little stuff I still had at his place before he did something mean like throw it all away.”

My fist balled against her back at the thought of someone disrespecting Kira so harshly, but I stayed silent. This was not my story to tell.

“I told him that night I’d never talk to him again, and I’ve stood by that. Blocked his number, his email, his SnapChat, his Venmo. ”

“Venmo?”

“He’s tried everything he can to reach out, even after I told him I wanted to be left alone.”

“He didn’t listen?” I had an urge to drive to Omaha right fucking now and confront this asshole.

“He gets creative. Changes his number sometimes.” Kira reached for the phone resting beside her, and I watched as she navigated to her voicemail. “I don’t get it,” she said, sounding more frustrated than sad. “If you block a number, why the hell can they still leave a voicemail?”

But it wasn’t just one voicemail. It was several. At least a couple dozen. Maybe more. All with recent time stamps.

“Have you told anyone?”

“You?”

“Maybe Luke?—”

“No,” she said quickly.

“He cares about you.”

“I know there’s a heart somewhere beneath all those layers of ice,” Kira said, “Which is why I can’t let him know. He’ll do something stupid like get arrested trying to make a point. Not a great look for the police chief, you know?”

Well, fuck. She had a point.

“Maybe it’s a sign,” I said.

“A sign?” she asked, an incredulous laugh slipping out.

“A sign to move home.”

“Oh.” She sniffled again, and I handed her another tissue. “Maybe. But what would I do?”

“Write more books?” I offered.

The tears that had dried started up again, and I wondered what I said that was so damn wrong. I wrapped both arms around her, pulling her tight against my chest once more. I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Whatever it is, Kira, it’s going to be okay.”

“There are no more books,” she said on a shaky sob.

“What do you mean?”

It took her a few minutes to calm down enough to speak again. At some point soon, someone would come looking for us. And finding us together on her bed would not go over well with anyone downstairs. But I wouldn’t rush Kira. Not now. Not ever.

“I haven’t written a single word in a year. Not since I finished the last book. I—I can’t write anymore.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“He broke me. He fucking broke me, and no matter what I’ve tried, I can’t seem to fix it.

I can’t believe I was stupid enough to fall for him.

Stupid enough that I pursued him and followed him to Nebraska when he got a job transfer.

Stupid enough to believe he supported me when really he was jealous.

He did everything he could to strip me down to nothing. ”

“Kira—”

“I’ve been rebuilding. I’m proud of how far I’ve come. But Diana—” She shook her head against my chest. “She’s done writing. And once my readers find out, they’re going to hate me.”

“They won’t hate you.”

“You leave your readers on a love triangle book, and tell them the guy who didn’t get the girl will never get one, and see how that goes.”

“Maybe you just need time,” I said gently .

“I’ve had a year . And before you say I’m being too hard on myself, I already know I am. It’s not going to change anything. And the worst part? No one knows. Not my readers, not my friends or family. Not my PA. No one.” She turned her head, looking up at me, her blue eyes shiny. “No one but you.”

“I’ll keep your secret,” I said, pressing another kiss to her forehead. I should probably stop doing that, considering the friend pact, but I didn’t give two fucks right now. I couldn’t fix all her problems—only she could do that—but I could reassure her she wasn’t in this alone.

“Thanks.”

We should get downstairs soon, but instead, I tucked her head back against my chest.

“Beckett?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s up with the redheaded curse?”

“Fuck,” I said, laughing. “What did Nana tell you?”

“Nothing. I overheard her say something about it.”

It was the last thing I wanted to talk about, but I could already feel the tension lightening in Kira, likely at the prospect of talking about anything else but her own life. So I swallowed my pride. “I have a thing for redheads, and they have a thing for messing up my life.”

“No wonder Nana doesn’t like me,” Kira said, the vibration of her laughter rumbling against my chest. It took every ounce of restraint I had to keep my imagination from turning reckless with all the ways body-to-body vibrations could make both of us very happy.

“I’m sorry. The cards are stacked against you. ”

“When did it start?”

“In the fourth grade.”

“Oh, wow, that young, huh?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t have a crush in the fourth grade.”

“I had a couple,” she admitted. “What was her name?”

“Carly Mitchell.”

“How did she ruin your life?”

“She kissed my best friend during recess.”

“That’s horrible.”

“I was heartbroken.”

“There were others?” she asked, the heaviness she’d held lightening a little more with her curiosity.

“Darci Peters.”

“High school or college?”

“After,” I said. “She was my first wife.”

Kira pulled back from my chest to stare at me, and dammit if my gaze didn’t immediately drop to her lips.

I couldn’t decide which was worse—never kissing her and always wondering what it would be like, or kissing her and having my world turned upside down in the best fucking way, only to know I could never kiss her again.

“First wife?”

“Only wife. Now ex-wife.”

“Oh.”

“Jealous?” I teased.

“Of course not.” She nestled back against my chest, but not before I caught the flush spreading across her cheeks. “What happened?”

“We were too young. I enlisted in the Army and sent for her as soon as I finished Basic and AIT.”

“That’s the school portion?”

“Yeah.”

“You were a Blackhawk mechanic, like my brothers and Thoren?”

“Yeah.”

“I think it’s really cool how the four of you were together from the beginning.”

“Me too.”

“So, she came out to Fort Lewis. Then, what?”

“We got married at the courthouse, and a week later, she ran off with an infantry guy.”

“What?”

“True story.”

“Geez, Beck. I’m sorry.”

“I was devastated back then. She cleaned out my meager bank account, so that sucked. Stole my car and wrecked it. But I found out later she’d been sleeping around while I was in Basic.

It would have been better if I knew before we signed the marriage certificate.

But the judge was kind enough to grant an annulment, and save me a lot of headaches. ”

“I’m guessing Nana was not pleased.”

“She didn’t want me to marry her in the first place.”

“She has good instincts?”

“Most of the time.”

“There were more?”

“There have been a few others, yes,” I admitted.

“Would it matter if I told you I’m not a natural redhead?” Kira asked, looking up at me again.

God, it would be so fucking easy to lower my lips to hers and kiss away her fears. To take my time showing her exactly how special she was. How well she deserved to be treated.

Husker rocked the bed as he hopped to all fours, the only warning we had before a quick knock came.

“Are you two decent or do I need to get the garden hose?” Nana hollered through the door.