Off the Hook by Laura Drewry

more.”
    She hesitated a second, sighed, then pulled the cabin door closed again. They walked in silence until Kate let out a short choking laugh.
    “I still can’t believe we got married like that,” she said. “I mean, that was some kind of crazy, wasn’t it?”
    “Pretty much batshit, yeah.”
    Yeah. What was even crazier was that she still had her ring. Okay, so it wasn’t really a ring, it was a strip of leather, but still.
    Kate had no idea why he’d brought his ball glove to Vegas, but before they’d run off to the chapel, he pulled the damn thing out of his bag and tugged an already-loose, ragged piece of lacing out of the back near the wrist strap. Using her nail scissors, he’d cut it lengthwise into two thin strips, and they’d tied those around each other’s fingers.
    When she’d finally gotten home, she tossed hers into the old cigar box that served as her jewelry box and hadn’t worn it since. Her fingers had brushed it a couple of times when she’d been reaching for other things over the years, but she’d never actually picked it up since tossing it in there.
    Next time she went home, maybe she’d pull it out for old times’ sake, just to look at it.
    Back at the lodge, Liam held the door and waited for her to go in ahead of him. She didn’t mean to hesitate, but she’d have been lying if she said she didn’t feel a bit stupid walking back into the kitchen after her little tirade, a feeling that grew exponentially worse the second she clapped eyes on Finn.

    Still in his chair, Finn was sitting with his head tipped back, holding a plastic bag of ice over his face from the bridge of his nose to his chin. Blood—some dried, some running—streaked down his cheek, and as she watched, he lifted the ice pack just enough to be able to breathe out of his mouth.
    “Oh my God,” Kate gasped. “What happened?”
    Jessie turned from the sink, a wrung-out washcloth in her hand, her cheeks drawn in. “Ask your ex-husband.”
    “What?” Liam shrugged innocently when Kate turned her accusing glare his way. “I told you I explained it to him.”
    “By punching him?” she cried. “ That’s how you explained it? What the hell is wrong with you?”
    “Sometimes you gotta speak the language he understands.”
    “Is he okay?”
    “No.” This from Jessie, even as Liam waved dismissively at his brother.
    “He’s fine,” he said, lifting Kate’s plate a little. “I’ll nuke this for you.”
    Kate slumped into her chair, while Liam headed for the microwave and Jessie gently wiped the blood from Finn’s cheek.
    “Can I do anything?” Kate couldn’t blame Jessie for flashing her that look, the one that said she’d already done enough, but still, there had to be something. “I have a bottle of Advil in my cabin; I could go get that for you.”
    This time it was Finn who spoke, mumbled and congested as it was. “Don’t worry ’bout it. He doesn’t hit nearly as hard as he used to.”
    “Is that right?” Liam asked, taking a lunging step toward him. “Should we give it another go?”

    Quick as a whip, Jessie was between them, shoving Liam back toward the microwave. “Grow up.”
    By the look on Liam’s face, Kate thought he might have actually taken another swing if he’d gotten close enough, especially after she saw Finn smile. Blood running down his cheek, ice on his nose, and he thought it was funny?
    These guys really were crazy.
    “Gotta hand it to him,” Finn groaned. “He’s fast. I didn’t even see it coming.”
    Liam set Kate’s plate down and pushed the Parmesan toward her, then sat down, reached over, and jerked the ice pack off Finn’s face, holding it just out of his brother’s reach. “Tell her you’re fine and you’re sorry for being such a dick.”
    Still leaning back, Finn made a grab for the ice, but Liam moved it farther away.
    “Oh, for God’s sake.” With a loud sigh, Jessie sat down in her chair and crossed her arms tight across her chest. “I