“I know! I couldn’t think of another word for half-assed. He has me so on edge, I just said it again, and nothing even happened yet! And you know it’s true.”
“Yeah, it probably is,” she admitted, sounding way too happy.
“I know! I’ve read enough books with guys just like him. It sounds wonderful, but I don’t think it would be good in reality.”
“I gotta say, being with Dylan is like living in one of those alpha protector romance books, and it’s just as hot in real life. Except for the drama. I could do without any more crazy exes or fires. Just the sex and his caveman-like care of me.”
I groaned, making Thor whine and nudge my side. At least someone was appropriately worried about me. “That doesn’t help at all. What if he doesn’t want to deal with all my issues?”
“You’re not that bad, and he’s a good guy. Give him a chance.”
“Fine. But when it’s too much for him, you better be ready with brownies and sad movies and lots of nights of ditching Dylan to snuggle with Thor and me.”
“You know I’ll be there if you need me, but I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“We’ll see.”
“You got this. You’re the one who always says you’re not going to give into your fear, right? Take this chance, Jenna. I know you’re nervous, but deep down, you know how incredible this could be.”
She was right. I’d chosen not to kowtow to fear, and I wasn’t going to change that now. But, man, this was going to be hard.
“Thanks, Juliette. I love you.”
“I love you too. Remember, you and Liam already know each other, already like each other. Just act like you always do. Call me right after so you can tell me how great it was. And to tell me I was right.”
I laughed and we said our goodbyes.
She was right on all counts. I did know how incredible it could be, and how incredible Liam was. That’s why it was so scary. His intuitive, thoughtful, protective nature was going to make this impossible for me. Impossible to hide from. Impossible to walk away from. Impossible to be with him unless I was willing to face my demons.
CHAPTER THREE
Liam
“You look good, man. You feel ready?” I asked Dylan as we jogged through the park, the early morning sun filtering through the trees.
“Yeah, I’m ready. It’ll be good to be back.”
“How’s Juliette taking it?” Brady asked.
“She says she’s okay, but she’s nervous. I hope after a few uneventful shifts, she’ll be alright.”
“She’s strong, she’ll be okay,” Ryan said from behind us.
“Bring her to visit us during this next shift,” I said. “Let her hang out at the firehouse, get reacquainted with just chilling there, see it as something good.”
“Great idea. I will.”
“I’m full of great ideas,” I said as I shot ahead, picking up into a run.
“Can I ask Juliette to bake cookies again?” Brady asked when he caught up to us.
“She’d love to. She’s become quite the baker.”
We ran hard without talking for a few miles, then slowed down when we got back near our cars. Brady asked what we were up to later. Even though we spent practically half our lives together at the fire station, we still spent a lot of our free time together too. These guys plus Ethan and Cole, the other two in our crew, were my brothers, and they were as important to me as my own siblings.
“Sanding my deck,” I answered, leaving out my evening plans. “I want to finish that today, then be ready to stain it on our next days off.”
“Need a hand?” Brady asked.