So I'd put her in a box.A secure, locked,dead-boltedfriends-only box.Because if I didn’t let myself go there, I wouldn’t be at risk of fucking it all up and losing her, annoying the Cap, and disappointing my mom and sisters, who Iknowhave their hearts set on London and me becoming a thing.Then there’s the rule of the firehouse—it’s something that has always been in the back of my mind.
This means I’ve shut out thoughts of there beinganychance of a London and Luca.
But now it’s like the dam gates have been opened and everything is coming at me at a mile a minute.
How could I have been sostupid?
What if it’s too late?
I brace my arms on the handrail outside the building, gripping the bar tight as all the what-ifs hit me like a Mack truck barreling down a freeway.What if she’d cut me out of her life when I rejected that first kiss?What if she’d hit it off with PerfectfuckingBrock and went riding off into the sunset with him?What if she’d moved and hadn’t left a forwarding address, or didn’t tell me and then ghosted me and left me without a London in my life?
God, Luc.Get a grip.
The sound of the front door opening behind me has my back going ramrod straight.I turn around, plastering a grin on my lips as I prepare to pretend that I haven’t just rocked my own damn world, except when I see that it’s Cohen and he’s looking me over with a curious and somewhat amused expression on his face, I let the façade go.
“Damn, you okay out here?Because I can’t decide if you’re having an existential crisis or what?”he says.
“I’m fine?”
He quirks a brow.“You asking me ortellingme, because from where we’ve been watching you from the balcony up there, I’d say you’ve found yourself an imaginary friend or you’re coming up with ways to put Scotty Jones out of his misery for eventhinkingabout trying out your girl’s shower.”
I shrug at that but I must give something away because Cohen’s brows hit his forehead before an all-knowing smile appears.“Ah ...”
“Ah, what?”
“Just an ah.”
“Co, cut the bullshit.What the hell doesahmean?”
He steps in and lowers his voice for my ears only.“It means I think you’ve just had the epiphany we’ve all been waiting for you to have, and that’s freaked you out.Am I close?”
I can’t do anything but jerk my chin up by way of an answer.
Cohen holds out his hand to shake mine.“Welcome to the club, dear brother.”
I frown.“What club?”
“The ‘being in love with your best friend’ club, doofus.”
I groan and shake my head.Love?I didn’t think love ...did I?
“And that means myahis exactly that.Anahhhh.Because I’m not sure if you remember, but a few years ago, I was the one in your position, and it happened when your sister stayed out all night with Val and I thought she’d been with someone else.So I stormed up to her place and confronted her, and then we—”
I make a show of gagging.“Don’t ruin this little heart-to-heart by mentioning you sleeping with my sister.Please.For the love of God!”
That earns me a full-body laugh from my brother-in-law.“Okay, I won’t.What Iwillsay is take it from me—you don’t want to wait until you almost lose your best friend to let her know how you feel.”
“It’s going take more than just an ‘I’m sorry I was an idiot’ speech and facing down a gauntlet of brothers like you had to do.She doesn’t have any of those anyway,” I reply.
“She kind of does, you know.She’s got a whole firehouse full of them, and the Cap ...”
My head drops forward with a groan.The Captain ...I’d been so sure that London and I were so firmly in the friend zone that this would never become an issue.That when I said to him that I wasjustfriends with his daughter, I meant it.
Now look at yourself, dumbass ...
“God.Can this get any worse?”
“Well ...at least she didn’t see that doctor from the restaurant fire again.That’s a bonus.”