“Bad. She was knee-deep in it. You’re not knee-deep in anything. You can still bounce.”
“Does it have to be all or nothing?”
“Yeah, Linden. That’s how we roll. You either fuck around with a Blue Angel and then move on with your life or you become his Old Lady. There’s no in between. We live a different kind of life. We don’t play by the same rules as the rest of society. We gotta know that our women have our backs, that they’re in this fucking rollercoaster for the long haul. Otherwise, they’re just party playthings. They know it, and we know it. No one gets hurt that way. I’m just trying to lay out for you what you’re really getting into.”
He exhaled. “This family is everything to me. I don’t want to bring some woman around who’s gonna disappear after people start getting attached. Stay or don’t, but you have to make a decision.”
“I didn’t expect to like you,” I admitted. “But Boxer, this is a lot to think about.”
“I know.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. “But I’m still pushing for it anyway because I’m wondering if you’ve got what it takes to be part of this life. My life.”
Did I?
I hadn’t been able to close the door on my unresolved feelings for Boxer. I hadn’t liked how I handled the situation at my condo. But choosing to stay meant choosing a man and a world that was completely foreign to me.
Peyton’s words came roaring back to me.
Was I really going to walk away from a man who made me feel alive?
Chapter 15
A few days later,I walked into the lounge and immediately went to the coffee maker. The coffee in the pot was old and cold so I dumped it. While I was filling the appliance with fresh water, Peyton came in.
“Hey,” she greeted. She headed to the fridge, opened it, and set a Tupperware on the top shelf, and then closed the door.
“Hey, yourself,” I replied.
She was wearing light blue scrubs with a pink starburst pattern, her shiny red hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her cheeks were rosy.
“You look…” I trailed off, surveying her from head to toe. “Different.”
A slow smile crept across her face. “Different how?”
My jaw dropped open. “You totally got laid!”
“I might have,” she said.
“But—buthow?”
“You want me to draw you a diagram?” she asked with a grin.
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, after you came over for dinner, my alter ego had an intervention with my normal everyday self. It was weird, because I was standing in my kitchen, arguing with myself. Out loud, mind you.”
Laughing, I said, “Then what happened?”
“I called someone who’s made it very clear he would be happy to, ah, scratch my future itches.” A blush stained her cheeks, making her look young and joyful.
“Well, hot damn,” I said with a chuckle. “Good for you.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Now, is there anythingyouwant to tell me?”
Even though I was worried about the things Boxer had explained to me about his life, I couldn’t stop my own telling grin from spreading across my face.
“Oh my God,” she squealed.
“Stop,” I said, looking to the door. “We can swap stories later. Right now, I have to get down to the ER.”