Page 34 of Call You Mine
For the people who matter to me.
And there’s nothing I want more than to call her my wife, especially if that means she doesn’t have to run into every fire alone—not when I’m right here to walk beside her.
CHAPTER 11
AVA
Lookslike I'm getting married.
Words I never thought I’d say.
I gave up on the idea of marriage a long time ago, after realizing that when you’re alone, you can’t get hurt.
And you can’t hurt others.
“Then we’ll need to get our stories straight, not only for our friends and families and our jobs, but for the social worker and CPS too.”
Anderson nods, his cheeks finally returning to their normal color.
I wish I didn’t know how easily he blushes or how easily he flusters. That is knowledge I could’ve gone my whole life without knowing. It complicates things in ways I don’t want to read too much into right now.
Especially after telling Child Protective Services that I’m marrying my one-night-stand-turned-one-hundred-night-stands.
No feelings, just sex.
That was predictable. That was safe. That was easy.
The complete opposite of getting married—fakemarried.
“Work shouldn’t be a problem,” Anderson starts. “Wedon’t do a ton of heart-to-hearts at the station between calls. The chief might be surprised to hear, but I can deal with that.”
I raise a brow. “Why would the chief be surprised but not the crew?”
“Chief Sanders is my uncle.”
I cock my head to the side, crossing my arms. “And I was going to ask how you became a firefighter.”
“Hard work, perseverance, and my mother’s maiden name,” he offers.
Even though Anderson doesn’t seem like the type to not have worked hard for everything he has, and I don’t sense even an ounce of nepotism, I play along. “You should get that put on a T-shirt, nepo baby.”
“I prefer ‘genetically advantaged’.”
“That’s worse.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I’m workshopping it.”
I find myself smiling by the end of the exchange, but I don’t let it linger. Clearing my throat, “I guess that leads us to families.” I round my kitchen counter, swiping my hand over the granite in case I missed any crumbs when I wiped it down before Patricia got here. “Georgie is the only family that I have close by right now. I’m not close enough with my sisters for them to be surprised that I got engaged or married without them having met the guy.”
A look passes over Anderson’s face, one too akin to pity for my liking, but I try to ignore it. “What about your mom?” he asks.
I hear the shower turn off, bringing my voice back down in case Georgie hears us. “Too drunk to care,” I whisper, hoping he doesn’t ask more about it.
My fingertips prickle as the voice in my head reminds me that I should’ve been there for Georgie. I should’ve known that my mom wasn’t going to be able to beat her griefandher need to self-medicate.
Guilt weighs heavily on me, and my fists begin to openand close before I can help it, and the need to count is something I have no power over. I have to do it.
Anderson’s gaze burns, but I can’t focus on it right now.
