Sizzle & Share: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 9)

by Kelli Callahan

“Yeah, but he loves you.” I tilted my head to the side and shrugged.

  “He loves you too.” Hudson’s lips came together in a thin line. “You see that, right?”

  “The only thing I see is the man I love—who needs us both to get better.” I squeezed Hudson’s hand.

  “He deserves another chance.” Hudson sighed. “I think he’s finally grown up and truly regrets the mistakes he made.”

  “It’s just—really complicated. I don’t understand why you’re so eager to share me with him again. It’s been great with just the two of us.” I looked down for a moment before lifting my head.

  “It’s really complicated for me too. Trust me, having you back has led to some of the greatest moments of my life, but in the back of my mind—I just can’t stop thinking about what we had.” He sighed and slowly shook his head. “When I told you how I felt all those years ago, I wasn’t trying to make the relationship about the two of us—I thought it would just strengthen the bond that the three of us had.”

  “Preston would have left though. He was going to college. If I had stayed, it would have just been us.” I squeezed his hand again.

  “And that was okay back then, because it was his choice.” Hudson nodded. “I love you and if you tell me that you don’t want to give him another chance, I’ll respect that. I’ll cherish what we have. I told you before that I would understand if some of those old feelings returned…”

  “Yeah.” I looked away and nervously chewed on my bottom lip. “I just don’t know—I need to think about it.”

  Preston had definitely shown me that he could be a better man, and I didn’t believe he was the self-centered jock I thought he was when I left Andalusia. It was just really hard to forget all of the things he did—the cruel words he said to me the day I left. My heart didn’t ache for him like it did for Hudson. My body didn’t beg for his touch. Still, there was some truth in what Hudson said—I would never forget the good times we had when the three of us were together. The damage Preston did seemed to be undone. The Anderson brothers were closer than they ever were, despite everything that happened between them. Preston had never tried to push for more. He seemed to respect what I had with Hudson. I saw the pain in his eyes sometimes though—I recognized the longing. Maybe the ultimate act of forgiveness was to allow myself to open my heart to him again—to bring everything full circle.

  I just don’t know if I’m strong enough for that.

  25

  Preston

  “How’s the patient?” I walked into Hudson’s house to find Eliza sitting on the couch watching television.

  “He’s okay. He sat up for a long time yesterday, but it made him really tired.” She looked up at me.

  “He definitely needs sleep.” I walked to the bedroom and found Hudson fast asleep, so I returned to the living room without disturbing him.

  “How was work?” Eliza looked over at me as I sat down.

  “Quiet—thankfully. We had a small fire last night, but it wasn’t bad.” I leaned back against the couch. “I was able to get some rest, so now I’m wired.”

  “That’s better than coming home exhausted.” She chuckled and nodded.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” I shrugged. “I’m going to be here all day if you need a break. Dad said he will try to stop by tonight as well.”

  “I was thinking about having dinner with my foster family tonight since you’ll be here. I promised them I would before the accident, but I haven’t had a chance yet.” She tossed the remote over to me. “Maybe you can find something to watch—I’m tired of channel surfing.”

  “That’s why I stick to Netflix.” I hit the button to switch over the video streaming service.

  It was hard to come to Hudson’s house and see Eliza every day, but it was getting easier. She held a special place in my heart, even if it wasn’t the one I truly wanted. During one of my visits with Hudson, he confided in me that he was open to a relationship that involved the three of us, but I didn’t see how that could be possible. Too much had happened, and he deserved the woman he loved. I could love her from afar, and probably love her as my sister-in-law one day, but what we had all those years ago was extinguished because of what I did. Coming back from that was impossible and it was time to let that hope fade. There were others out there—if I just gave them a chance. I might find a second chance at love, but it wasn’t going to be with Eliza. That much was clear. I had her friendship, and I really didn’t even deserve that.

  * * *

  Later that night

  “Is Hudson awake? I need to talk to him.” Dad walked into Hudson’s house and I could see purpose in his eyes.

  “He just laid down, but I don’t think he’s had enough time to go to sleep.” I looked up at my father. “What’s going on?”

  “Come on. We need to talk. Is Eliza here?” He tilted his head to peek into the kitchen.

  “No, she’s having dinner with her foster family.” I stood to my feet.

  “Okay, we can fill her in later.” Dad motioned for me to follow him. “Son, are you awake?”

  “Yeah.” Hudson leaned over and turned on the lamp next to his bed. “Hey Dad. I was going to stay up until you got here, but I was feeling woozy.”

  “I talked to Henry Walford.” Dad’s eyes narrowed, and he looked directly at Hudson. “He said you came to see him the day that you had your accident.”

  “I did?” Hudson blinked in surprise. “I don’t remember that—I remember driving towards Indian Hills—and then the accident.”

  “Yeah, I think you had more memory loss than you realize, because Henry Walford offered to support your campaign if you ran against Mayor Stevenson.” Dad nodded.

  “Seriously?” My eye brows shot up in surprise. “Why? He’s an ally…”

  “Old Man Wrigley told me to talk to Henry Walford, but he didn’t tell me why.” Hudson pulled himself up to a sitting position.

  “The alliance between the Walford family and Mayor Stevenson isn’t as strong as we’ve always believed. Mayor Stevenson paid them to shut down the mill, which has caused most of the problems here in Andalusia.” Dad sighed and shook his head. “This place used to thrive because there were more jobs available than people to fill them.”

  “Why would Mayor Stevenson do that?” I pulled over a chair and sat down. “Destroying the economy isn’t beneficial to anyone…”

  “Unless you want to buy the land.” Dad turned towards me. “He’s buying up the land as people go broke and have to sell it—or the bank takes it. He’s getting it for pennies on the dollar because the economy is so fucked up.”

  “So, he’s doing everything he can to keep money out of Andalusia.” I felt my face twist into a snarl. “That fucking asshole—fucking greedy asshole.”

  “Yep.” Dad nodded. “Henry Walford believes that the reason Mayor Stevenson doing it is because he’s going to wait until he owns enough land—and then revive the economy so he can sell the land to developers for a premium price. He’s even been talking with some automobile manufacturers—and there are a few that are interested in putting a plant near Andalusia.”

  “Why is Henry Walford turning on Mayor Stevenson now? His family has plenty of money. Closing the mill hurt the town, but they still live in a mansion.” I tilted my head inquisitively.

  “Yes, but Henry Walford has cancer.” Dad sighed. “It’s really aggressive and he doesn’t have long. I think he’s just worried about karma—or maybe he found religion in his old age and is looking to atone for his sins.”

  “Fuck…” Hudson shook his head slowly. “If I had Henry Walford behind my campaign, I would have had a shot—I mean, I could have beaten Mayor Stevenson.”

  “Yes.” Dad nodded quickly. “With his help, and the frustration that people are already dealing with—I think you would have won by a landslide.”

  “That means Mayor Stevenson had a real motive for making sure you never got a chance—if he knew that Henry Walford was going to turn on him.” I nodded in un
derstanding. “But how would he have known?”

  “I don’t know.” Dad shrugged and turned back towards Hudson. “But very few things happen in Andalusia that Mayor Stevenson doesn’t know about. You were making waves and then you went to see Henry Walford. Maybe he connected the dots.”

  “This is bullshit.” I was so angry that I couldn’t sit anymore. “I’m going to handle this.”

  “Wait!” Dad hopped up and grabbed my arm. “What do you think you’re going to do? Storm into his house and kick his ass?”

  “Yeah.” I pulled away. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “No—Preston stop.” Hudson’s voice caused me to stop before I walked through the door. “That isn’t the right way to handle this.”

  “You’re laying in a fucking bed—you had to have part your damn skull removed to relieve the pressure from that accident! Blood for fucking blood.” I growled under my breath.

  “That’s not what I want. There will be hell to pay for what Mayor Stevenson did—if he was even the one who caused the accident. I can’t remember for sure. He’s sure as hell not innocent, but that doesn’t mean he was responsible.” Hudson grimaced as he spoke.

  “Then his blood will be the price he pays for all the other shit he did! He’s certainly earned enough of it with how he’s destroyed this town!” I growled and balled my fists—feeling my anger rising.

  “Which is why beating the fuck out of him won’t do anything.” Dad walked closer. “I raised you to be smarter than that.”

  “He’s done hurting our family. He fucked you over long before Hudson’s accident.” I shook my head angrily.

  “Which is why you have to beat him—but not with your fists. You have to run for mayor.” Hudson shifted to the side of the bed. “The foundation is already there, and truthfully, you’re a lot better politician that I would ever be.”

  “Run for mayor?” I blinked in surprise. “I don’t want to be the fucking mayor.”

  “Then do it for me.” Hudson’s eyes locked on mine. “Take Mayor Stevenson down and fix everything in Andalusia but do it the right way.”

  “He’s right.” Dad nodded. “You could do it. Henry Walford will support you.”

  “He’s just as bad as Mayor Stevenson.” My jaw tightened.

  “I’ll help.” A voice startled me, and I turned to see Eliza standing in the hallway. “Hudson’s right. This is the best way to take him down.”

  I haven’t seen that look in her eyes in years—total faith in me.

  “If I do this—and that’s a very big if…” My fists fell open and I nodded. “I have to do it my way. I don’t want Henry Walford’s blood money.”

  “The people in this town need something to believe in.” Eliza walked closer. “Believe in them and they’ll believe in you.”

  I walked outside and sat down on the porch to think through things. I never wanted to pick up my brother’s mantle. I was no superhero. I didn’t deserve to have a whole town believe in me—I barely believed in myself. Hudson would have been a great mayor. He was fair, compassionate and understanding. I was a loose cannon. If they hadn’t stopped me, I would have run my truck through the gate surrounding Mayor Steven’s mansion and extracted my vengeance with pieces of his flesh. My Dad came outside and talked to me for a few minutes before he left. He offered words of encouragement, but I was hardly responsive. I was lost in my own thoughts—tangled up in my need for revenge while trying to convince myself that there was a better way. I had to do it. There really was no other way to take down Mayor Stevenson. Beating the fuck out of him would have given me a lot of fucking pleasure, but it wouldn’t solve our problems. It would just make them worse—it would turn him into a martyr. I finally came to terms with my decision and walked back into the house.

  “Okay.” I nodded and looked at Eliza, who was waiting inside the door. “I’ll do it.”

  Eliza didn’t say a word. She walked up to me—close enough to touch. There was something in her stare that I remembered. It was a look that I hadn’t seen since I was a teenager. She grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me towards her until our lips were pressed together. She kissed me. I was stunned at first and I had no idea how to respond, but all of those emotions came flooding back—the ones I never thought I would feel again. I wrapped my arms around her and started kissing her with a ferocity that I hadn’t felt in years. It was redemption—forgiveness—everything I needed to bring balance back to the turmoil that had raged inside me since I made the worst mistake of my life. We were both gasping when our lips finally separated.

  “I guess things are back to normal.” Hudson’s voice sent a surge of concern through me, but when I looked towards the hallway, I saw that he was smiling. “Finally…”

  26

  Eliza

  The next morning

  I don’t know what came over me when I saw Preston’s rage boiling inside his veins. That was the guy I remembered—the one I had a crush on in high school long before the Anderson brothers took my innocence. He was pure chaos back then. The only thing I had seen since returning to Andalusia was the broken version of Preston that his lies turned him into. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t see a path in front of me that could rebuild what we shared all those years ago. I was happy with Hudson. I truly didn’t need anything else. Despite that, seeing Preston stand up for his brother—finally come into his own for the first time since I had returned—it set off something that drew me back to him. I would have never acted on that attraction if I didn’t know that Hudson had given me his blessing—even pushed me in that direction more than once. His reaction confirmed it. Our bond had been reforged and it was going to be stronger than ever. We had purpose, passion, and a fire that wasn’t going to go out again.

  “Good morning.” I woke up and rolled over towards Preston.

  “Good morning to you too.” He chuckled. “I never thought I’d wake up here again.”

  “I bet you never thought you’d go to bed with me and just sleep either.” I grinned and rolled towards Hudson. “He’s—fast asleep still.”

  “He woke up earlier and took some more pain medication. I didn’t see any reason to wake you up.” Preston sat up. “I’m going to go make breakfast.”

  “Then we’re going to get started on your campaign.” My hand lingered in his for a moment before he walked towards the door.

  Despite the explosive attraction that drew me back to Preston, I wasn’t ready to share the bed with him except to fall asleep in his arms. I wanted to wait until Hudson was healed and the three of us could have what we had before. I also wanted to make sure my emotions weren’t strained because of Hudson’s condition. I needed to make sure what I was feeling for Preston was real and was strong enough to build on as time went on. I didn’t want to be shared by them—only to have it ruin what I had with Hudson. He claimed it wouldn’t, and I trusted him, but time would show us whether or not it could truly work again. Being open to it was far enough to give us a start while Hudson recovered from his injuries. We had a lot of work in front of us—stressful work that would consume the time we had.

  “I think Hudson had a good strategy, but it’s going to be tough to get everyone to give me the same chance they gave him—especially after he got their hopes up before the accident.” Preston sighed as he looked over some of Hudson’s notes.

  “It was a good strategy, but we have to be bolder with your campaign.” I leaned against the counter. “I think the bacon is burning.”

  “Shit!” Preston turned around moved the pan off the stove. “I hope you like it crispy…”

  “You really can’t go wrong with bacon.” I chuckled and nodded. “Just pile it on a plate.”

  “What do you mean by bolder?” He turned back towards me after he finished dealing with the bacon.

  “You need to do a press conference, and you need to do it today. Don’t hold anything back. You can’t directly accuse Mayor Stevenson of hurting your brother, but the message can still be cle
ar. The Anderson family doesn’t back down—the Anderson family will fight for Andalusia.” I sat down on one of the stools.

  “Andersons for Andalusia.” He nodded. “I really like the sound of that.”

  “Hudson is still a part of your campaign, even if he’s not running for mayor. I’m sure people are talking. Some of them asked questions at the wedding. They’re not blind or stupid—they know there’s a chance Mayor Stevenson was behind the accident, even if there was no proof.” I picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite while Preston fixed me a cup of coffee.

  “Yeah, you’re right about that.” He put the coffee cup in front of me and sat down. “I just wish we had some evidence—something that could sink him.”

  “Henry Walford might be willing to support a campaign, but there’s no way he’ll actually implicate himself. That would be disastrous for his family.” I shook my head back and forth. “The best thing to do is become mayor and start undoing the damage. If we can find a way to put soon-to-be ex-Mayor Stevenson in prison, then it’ll just be icing on the cake.”

  “I hope it’s that easy, but I have a feeling things are going to be pretty intense once I hit the campaign trail. I want you by my side—but I’m also concerned for your safety. If he went after Hudson, who knows what he would do…” Preston grabbed a piece of bacon and it into it.

  “We’re doing this together and I’m not taking no for an answer.” I looked towards Hudson’s room. “If we make a big enough deal about Hudson’s injury and allude to what happened without coming out and saying it, then it might scare him off a little bit.”

  “Maybe…” Preston’s words drifted off.

  * * *

  A few days later

  “Andersons for Andalusia, can we count on your support?” I handed a flier to a woman walking out of the grocery store.