“Can I see more?”
I walked her down the hall, through the gym, and into the common room, with her asking thoughtful questions about our day-to-day life and rescue operations.
“Hey, Jenna,” Ethan called from the couch. The other guys all looked over and added their greetings, and Cole gave me a fist bump.
“Hey, guys,” Jenna said, her cheeks pink.
I quickly escaped into the empty kitchen.
“Sorry. Was that weird?” she asked after I confirmed we were alone.
“Nope. They didn’t seem surprised, did they?”
“No?”
“I’ve liked you for a long time, Jenna. They’ve all seen it, and they’re happy for us.”
Doubt flickered across her face, and my chest squeezed. “Us,” she repeated slowly.
“Us,” I confirmed, wishing I could reach through the screen to hold her hand. “If you’re okay with it, I want us to be an us.”
I held my breath watching a hundred emotions swirl in the depths of her blue-green eyes. Then she smiled, her eyes shimmering like sunshine across a tropical sea. “Yeah, I’m okay with that.”
Thank fuck. My breath whooshed out and I grinned at her. “Want to see the trucks?”
“Of course!”
“You got it, but first, this is the kitchen. I cook most of the meals. No one else can cook for shit.” Damn, I didn’t mean to cuss to her. She never did. “I mean, no one else can cook.”
“You can say whatever you want. I don’t mind cursing. I just don’t because it wouldn’t be right if it slipped out at work. Or even if I was out in public talking to friends, and a kid from the library overheard.”
“That’s really sweet—” The alarm cut me off.
“Be safe! Let me know when you’re back, please.”
I braced my feet against the smoldering roof, raised the axe overhead, and brought it down, ripping through the wood, sending embers flying. Sparing a quick glance at the flames dancing through the thick smoke, I raised the axe again andagain, Jenna’s words setting the rhythm…be safe,crack…be safe,crack…be safe,crack.
Brady’s chainsaw roared to life, and he finished cutting through the hole I started until smoke poured out like the fire-breathing dragon below had raised its head to exhale into the night sky.
“Got it. Let’s get the fuck outta here,” he said through the comms. He wasn’t wrong. It was a good vent.
It was a million fucking degrees up here, and the fire and roof were crackling around us. Still, I held up a staying hand and watched the smoke billow out for a few more seconds until I was satisfied it was enough to relieve my brothers inside.
“Thank fuck they all came home,” Ryan muttered a while later as we packed up the hose. I grunted in agreement, rolling my aching shoulders. The neighbors had told us the parents were out, and the lack of cars corroborated that, but there was a teenage son who might’ve been home. We were still searching the house, praying it hadn’t turned from a rescue to a recovery when the family of three came running up the street.
“Let’s move it, boys. No need to be here all night.” Battalion Chief Pratt, the incident commander, criticized with his typical disdain but made no move to help.
Ryan spun to face him, and I sent a sharp elbow into his ribs. “Don’t,” I warned quietly. “He’s not worth it.”
Pratt gave us plenty of reasons to dislike him, but the one thing we’d never forgive was his disgusting rant when Dylan was injured, which had sent Juliette into such a spiral we’d almost lost her too. Any other night, I might’ve let Ryan loose on him, but there was no time to argue tonight. I couldn’t wait to get back to the station to call Jenna.
Her words had echoed in my mind. My family told me to be safe all the time, but it hit differently from Jenna. Getting myselfand everyone home safely was always top priority, but it felt even more urgent tonight knowing she was waiting for me.
We climbed back into the truck, and a different kind of adrenaline flowed through my veins as I opened her messages.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jenna