Yearn A. Ellis (carter reed .TXT) 📖

visit you much way back then, but I saw you enough to know you weren’t the most pleasant young man to be around in your early teens.” She patted my hand. “And don’t misunderstand, I don’t blame you for the way you were. Your parents—yes, she’s my sister but I can’t condone her behavior—nearly ruined you. I thank the good Lord that you got out of there and finally found your true self.”

I raised a brow. “And now you think it’s a good thing that I’m stuck with someone who hates me—don’t get me wrong, I’m not overly fond of him either, but I think his hatred runs deeper than mine.” I took the last drink of my tea. “And you’re okay with it?”

“For one,” Bev wagged her finger, “I don’t see Khi as hating you so much as being hurt and afraid and dealing with a load of baggage from his past—the distant and not so distant—but that’s not really my place. Two, I think being forced together will maybe finally get the two of you talking. I’ve always said communication is the key in any relationship. If you two keep going on avoiding and ignoring the issues between you, they’ll just get worse.” She brushed a few crumbs into her hand and dropped them on the empty plate. “Maybe this job situation will push a change.”

Was she serious? I glanced at Cooper and he shrugged. “She has a point. One thing I’ve learned since moving here, Bev is usually pretty spot-on with her take on things. And her whole communication is the key thing is actually pretty helpful.” He gave me a teasing smile. “If talking and using our words helps with my preschoolers, maybe it can work with you and Khi.”

I flipped him off as I groaned. “So, I’m stuck with Khi basically on an endless loop of time and the two of you agree it’s probably for the best? Do I have that right?”

They both gave me sorry-not-sorry smiles.

“I want it noted that I’m not in agreement. You’ll see. This is going to be a disaster.”

Cooper winked and Bev gave a solemn nod. “Noted.”

Four

Khi

“Do you remember my first date?” Logan asked as we leaned against a workbench in the shop and watched Jesse and Cruz work.

Scents of oil, gasoline, and rubber filled the air and I didn’t completely hate it. There was something somewhat comforting about being there. Almost as if I could block out the shit-show of my life and breathe easier. I knew next to nothing about the mechanics of a car, but the noise of tools, music, and casual chatter was a welcome relief.

I thought about Logan’s question. “Your first date with Cruz when he came to the door to pick you up?”

Logan nodded.

“Yeah, I remember. You were pacing and looking nervous as hell waiting for him.” I smiled as I thought of how good Logan and Cruz were together these days. My own life may have been a danger-zone for anything resembling a loving relationship, but I couldn’t begrudge others being happy.

“Do you remember what you told me?”

I winced. “I remember I’d had a bad day and I butted my nose in where it didn’t belong.”

Logan shook his head and took a drink of water as he watched Cruz bent over the engine of his current project. “No—okay, well, you maybe butted in, and at the time the advice wasn’t welcome—but what you told me that day ended up being a huge part of who I am now—or at least who I’m working to be. It’s not been easy, but your words that day were a catalyst and I appreciate them more than you can know. So, thanks for butting in.”

I shrugged. “Still think I should have kept my mouth shut, but you’re welcome. Glad things with you two worked out.”

“They did.” Logan nodded. “But they only worked out because I worked on me.”

I grunted.

“In the spirit of maybe-I-should-keep-my-mouth-shut-but-I’m-not-going-to,” Logan rushed on, wincing when I shot him a look, “one of the things that helped me make the biggest strides toward healing and moving on was talking. I don’t know what happened between you and Dre or your breakup, and I’m sure those things hurt like hell, but talking about stuff like that really can help clear your head and make room for bigger and better.”

Fists clenched and jaw set, I did my best not to growl at Logan. “First, nothing happened between me and Dre aside from him being an obnoxious jerk asshole who gets under my skin just by breathing.”

Okay, that maybe wasn’t the whole truth, but it was all I was giving up. It wasn’t like Dre had broken my heart or anything, he was just a dick who annoyed me back then and annoyed me even more now.

“Second, the breakup was a messy disaster. I thoroughly misjudged the guy and paid for it. There’s nothing to talk about.” I crossed my arms over my chest. Just the thought of having to admit how badly Blaine had fucked me over worked me up.

As if sensing his boyfriend may have pushed me too far, Cruz popped up, wiping his hands on a rag. “What was so urgent that your boss had to call you back on a Sunday morning?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed—mentally exhausted from living with a man I couldn’t stand and now finding out I’d be spending nearly every moment of my life with him. “She switched shifts around.”

“And it wasn’t a good move for you?” Logan asked warily.

“If you call finding out that Dre is my new partner good—which, by the way, I don’t,” I bit out.

“Oh, shit.” Cruz winced. “That’s…unfortunate.”

I snorted. “Unfortunate. Now there’s a word for it.”

“Are you worried Dre won’t be a good partner? Like he won’t pull his weight or know what he’s doing?” Logan asked.

By that time, Jesse had paused his work and grabbed a water while he listened.

“No, nothing like that. For an EMT, he’s really