How About No (Bear Bottom Guardians MC 3)

“Still,” he grunted. “I’m not proud of the way I acted.”

“But you’re human,” Landry’s soft voice said from behind us. “And we all make mistakes, even though I am happy that you stayed loyal to Wade. He deserved that, not me.”

But Cass and I both turned to survey the woman looking so heartbroken standing behind us.

I kept my mouth shut, realizing that this was something that Castiel and Landry needed to discuss, or it’d never get straightened out.

A lot of the guys were likely feeling much the same way, but none of them had been as vocal about their dislike of each other more than Landry and Castiel.

Castiel was one of my best friends, and even though we didn’t have much time to hang out due to our jobs and our obligations, we still knew that we each had the other’s back.

“You deserved to be treated differently than the way I treated you,” he murmured. “Suffice it to say, I should’ve been able to control my anger, but that has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the fact that the same thing happened to me. But where you both have a happy ending—I didn’t.”

“I never knew you were married,” Landry said softly.

Castiel looked up at the burnt remains of our house. “A lot of years ago I met someone who I thought loved me like I loved her. I was wrong, and she showed me that by packing up and left to pursue her dream of acting.”

Landry cleared her throat. “That’s tough. And I hope one day to hear the entire story.”

Castiel grinned, but before he could say anything else, a white semi-lifted newer model Chevy Silverado pulled up to the curb and Conleigh hopped out.

She looked tired, but her welcoming smile instantly put a smile on Landry’s face.

Linc, who’d stayed over by the truck with his phone at his ear, started to argue with someone on the other end.

Conleigh ignored it and left him.

“Hey!” She practically skipped over, her feet faltering when she saw the melted gnome in the middle of the yard. “He’s actually still kind of cute. You should keep him.”

I looked down at the gnome. He was black with soot, half of him was melted, but he did still somewhat resemble what he was supposed to be.

Then Landry was bending down in front of me to pick him up, and I got a really good view of her cute little ass.

“I was thinking the same thing,” she replied sadly.

“What are you doing here, Conleigh?” Castiel asked conversationally.

Conleigh’s eyes went from the gnome to Cass. “I’m here to take Landry shopping.”

“We’re here to take Landry shopping,” Linc groaned at the same time.

Cass made a gagging sound. “Have fun with that.”

Conleigh and Landry giggled at his words and at the look of apparent disgust on Linc’s face.

“Where, exactly, will y’all be going, and when will you be back?” I asked, then turned to Landry. “Remember that we have an appointment with the realtor this evening at seven.”

I’d found a house while searching for land that was in my price range that I wanted Landry to take a look at. I had a feeling that she’d really like it.

“I’m going to take her to the mall,” Conleigh informed me. “I’ll have her back by dinner time.”

I looked over at her husband and said, “She’s going to have her back on time, isn’t she?”

Linc snorted. “Conleigh talks a good game, but I can guarantee you that she’s going to be tired in two hours tops. She’ll have her back in time.”

I looked over at Landry and thought much the same thing.

She went into work this morning at six after only getting three and a half hours of sleep—gotta love unreliable employees—then went straight from the daycare to the rescue, and she hadn’t had time for a nap.

Hell, I could use one and I was used to the long hours with little sleep thanks to my job.

Landry looked like shit warmed over, but she seemed to get a little more pep back in her step at the thought of buying clothes.

“I’ll get them back in time,” Linc promised.

After offering him my hand, I pulled Landry in for a deep kiss.

“Be careful, baby. And have fun.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled up at me. “I’m a cop’s wife. We’re always careful.”

***

Landry

“You promised you wouldn’t leave me again,” he rasped against my skin.

I opened my eyes, brain completely confused, and tried to figure out where I was.

“Baby, please wake up.”

I frowned, or tried to.

Something was over my mouth and nose. The air blowing at me was causing my mouth to hang open.

“Baby, please.”

I took a deep breath and realized there was something wrong with my lungs. Something hurt. Something hurt very bad, and I couldn’t figure out what it was.