Firefighter Wolf's Next Door Mate: Midlife Mates Book 1 by J. S. Striker

Author:J. S. Striker [Striker, J. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-13T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

A tense Hattie was something that he could handle, but a nervous, shifty Hattie made Rafe helpless, torn between asking her what was wrong and leaving her to the secrets that she so desperately seemed to want to keep. That their make out session inside the cinema could’ve been the cause of this came and went, dismissed instantly when he knew her enough and knew that she’d be honest if she didn’t want anything to do with him.

The silence went on as she brooded and stared ahead, decidedly still. The need to pry returned, but the look on her face in the theater kept his mouth shut. When he turned the corner to their neighborhood, her relief was palpable, so he kept going until he could roll to the front of her yard and turn off the engine. She stayed in her seat, biting her lower lip, struggling with something that he couldn’t touch. So he unlocked the doors and gave her the leeway to leave without having to explain herself.

“I ran away from the city to escape a bad relationship. It was so bad that it affected my mental health, my work, and my whole life there. I came here to escape and have a fresh start. I came here to heal because every spot that I loved in the city reminded me too much of everything…of him.”

The admission was soft and shaky but with a hint of steel that matched the straightening of her spine. He gripped the steering wheel hard, his suspicion confirmed.

“Including the gunshot?”

“Including the gunshot,” she whispered, nodding. “It reminded me of the day when I realized just how toxic that relationship had become, leaving me a shell of who I was. It made me wary of trusting men, including neighbors.” At that, she glanced at him. “Even when my neighbors were nice and weren’t anything like my ex.”

“I don’t even know the whole story and I already think that he’s a bastard,” he drawled, trying to keep it light. Her courage to tell him now touched him to the core, and he understood how much easier it would’ve been for her to leave and just not broach the subject again. “In the theater…”

“I saw mints, a small tin can sitting there at the concession. They were his favorite mints. I dreaded coming home to our apartment and seeing those mints on the entrance table.” Her head hung. “It’s ridiculous how I would even connect it that way when it’s just a silly can of mints. It doesn’t belong to him.”

“It’s not ridiculous. It’s valid. Your caution is valid, Hattie, and so is everything that you stand for.” The words had her turning to look at him, and he kept the eye contact, wanting her to understand so badly. “You’re important. You have every right to feel those things and every right to take your time. Don’t ever change yourself for anyone.”

Hattie shuddered. “I won’t. I’m…the Hattie you’re seeing now…that’s me. I’m forty, and I’m just starting my life again.

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