Taking the Leap (River Rain 3)

She could also far more easily see her house and the turn-off from a greater distance, which was something needed with as dark as it got up in those mountains at night without a streetlight for miles.

While he was setting that up for her, he’d gone wild, done her deck, zigzagging the strings from overhang to trees.

It looked the fucking bomb.

She’d loved it.

Since she was a deck girl, he’d loved giving it to her.

His headlights flashed on her Subaru, and he parked behind it, knifed out, went to the steps, and he could tell by what he could see, down Alex’s mountain off the front of the house, the deck lighting was on along with the lights at the steps.

She was outside a lot, and he was there with her. On his deck. Hers. As much of their weekends as she could manage.

Maybe she was late because she’d had a glass of wine under her trees, and she hadn’t turned off the lights.

This didn’t upset him.

He’d wished he’d come earlier.

He hit the door.

Opened it.

Walked in.

“Surprise!”

Streamers streamed from the loft, confetti rained down, and people jumped out of the pantry and powder room, not to mention where they’d been hiding on the deck.

There was a tall stand covered in cupcakes on Alex’s kitchen table, food all around it. More food on her coffee table. Steel tubs filled with ice and bottles and cans on her kitchen counters.

There was more out on the deck, he could see, including two half kegs.

The reason for all of this was she was there. Chloe. Judge. Katie. Gal. Kevin. Genny. Duncan. Chloe’s sister, Sasha. Her father, Tom. Tom’s girlfriend, Paloma. Rix’s mom and dad. Some of his friends from the store…

And the entire fire crew with wives and girlfriends…

Were all there.

Shit.

Alex got to him first.

She was wearing a black slip dress with some meshy, see-through thing over it that had red and yellow shit stitched in, and that overdress ran longer than the one under it. High-heeled red sandals with lots of straps.

He loved his woman wash and go, but it was a fantastic fucking birthday present, her in those heels.

And wearing that smile.

“Okay?” she asked softly.

It was not.

“Yeah,” he replied, forcing his mouth to smile.

Her head cocked.

She read the smile.

To distract her, Rix swept her in his arm and kissed her.

Hoots and hollers and from close a back slap.

He then heard his buddy Jarrod from the crew say, “Jesus, man, let us get a few beers in before we have to give you two the room.”

Rix broke the kiss, and since he’d lifted his hand to her jaw during it, he swept her lip.

Only then did he turn to Jarrod.

“Fuck off, asshole.”

Jarrod smiled huge and came in for a man hug.

Rix let Alex go and gave it to him.

And he felt it open further.

That thing in his chest.

It started oozing.

Infected.

He didn’t have time to do an emergency patch job and stitch it together.

He was dragged into his own party.

He was sitting on Alex’s deck railing, ignoring his mom and dad’s looks, Judge’s, Chloe’s.

Alex’s.

For the first time since he got to the party, he had a second to get his shit tight.

So he was taking it when Gal moseyed up to him.

She swung up beside him and knocked their knees.

“So, the skinny,” she began.

Ah hell.

She laid it on him.

“She didn’t want your fire buds here. Or your store buds. But mostly your fire buds. You know. She’s Alex. She wanted something quiet. You, her, Judge and Chloe, me and Kate. But more, she wanted that for you. Judge insisted. Said it was time. She enlisted Chloe, who sided with Alex, both of them saying you’d decide when it was time. Judge would not stand down. Said you were making strides, they needed to facilitate that. He enlisted Duncan and Chloe’s dad. And to put some gusto into it, from afar, Judge’s dad, and to push their case, your dad. Alex’s next play was to draft your mom, who sided with the dudes. So your fire buds are here.”

“Right,” he muttered.

“So if you’re pissed, it’s all Judge’s fault.”

He shot her his first real smile of the night.

She smiled back and explained, “Your brother and sister-in-law couldn’t make it. Too far, both of them had to be back for work tomorrow so they’d be getting home late, and they didn’t want to leave your niece with a babysitter that long.”

He nodded.

“A lot went into this, Rix, and I’m not talking cupcakes and hauling kegs.”

He was getting that.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

She studied him.

As she did, her neck arched sideways.

Too far.

Then she looked from him into the house.

Alex’s house.

The house of a woman who did not like to be around a lot of people.

Filled with people who loved Rix.

Then Gal said to the house, her voice soft and pained. “I trust you, Rix. Do it fast. But do it right. We’ll take it from there.”