I took her hand, squeezing hard. “It looks way worse than it is. I’ve always bruised super easily.”
That much was true. Thankfully, my voice was mostly back to normal.
“They arrested him?” Aspen pressed.
I nodded. “He’s in jail.”
Though I didn’t know for how long. Gabe had all the money in the world for a good lawyer. The thought made me shiver. At least with Lawson and Nash working at the station, I’d get a heads-up if they released him on bail.
Aspen looked down at our joined hands, and her eyes widened. “Wait, is that…?” Her words trailed off as if she were scared to even say them.
I laughed. “It’s been a somewhat eventful twenty-four hours.”
A little of the tension running through Aspen melted away, and her eyes shone. “This is just the thing to soothe the hurts. I’m so happy for you.”
She pulled me into another hug.
“Thanks,” I mumbled into her hair.
Aspen straightened, released me, and tried to brush away the tears. “Here I am, barging in on you, and it’s the morning after you got engaged. I’ll just be on my way. But let me know if you need anything. I can bring over dinner or anything at all.”
“You don’t have to go,” I assured her.
Aspen shook her head, the tears still coming. “I need to get to work anyway. I’ll see you later.”
She scampered down the hall before Caden or I could stop her, and the door slammed in her wake.
I glanced at Caden. “That was extreme, right?”
He nodded, his brow furrowing. “She was jumpy at The Brew the other day, too. I wonder if something’s going on.”
I stared down the hallway. “I hope not.”
My phone rang on the kitchen island, and I crossed to it. Lawson’s name flashed on the screen. I picked it up and hit accept. “Hey.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good, actually.” I glanced down at the ring on my finger, smiling at everything it meant. But I wasn’t about to tell my brother over the phone. This was an in-person reveal.
“Good. Doc checked you out?”
“Last night. And I’m going back for a recheck tomorrow, but she wasn’t overly concerned about anything.”
Caden sent me a look that calledbullshit. But I just rolled my eyes.
“No concussion?” Lawson pressed.
“She didn’t think so.”
“Okay, but Caden’s keeping an eye on you?”
I smiled down at the counter. “Yes, Caden’s taking good care of me.” I paused for a second, the smile slipping. “How are things at the station?”
Lawson knew what I was asking without me saying the words. “Caden there, too?”
“Yeah.”
“Put me on speaker. I can bring you both up to speed.”
