“My intentions—I thought—were obvious. She’s my best friend too—or at least used to be. I’m not married or dating. I’m definitely not gay. What do you mean by “kinky”? Like, on a scale from one to ten, ten being the kinkiest, I’m probably a five, I guess. No, I’ve never worn women’s underwear. And no, I don’t hate Johnny Depp, but I can assure you, I don’t love him like you two do.” I arch my brow at her, waiting for more questions.
This has been the most awkward day of my life. I still haven’t gotten to talk one-on-one with M, mainly because Cam has been drilling me this entire time. I can’t fault her though. She only has the best intentions for our girl, so I comply. I answer her unorthodox questions, and I brace myself for more. If this girl isn’t a female version of Micah, then I don’t know who is.
Suddenly, Cam is laughing so hard she’s gasping for air. This girl is an odd one, for sure. I really have no clue why she’s laughing.
“You really will answer every question I ask, won’t you? Oh my God, this is great. You are a keeper for dealing with my bullshit for this long. Kudos to you, fella. Anyhoo, I guess this is the time that I pretend I have to go to my room so you two can catch up. So yeah, I got some shit to do, and I will try really hard not to listen at the door. Mkay?” Cam says as she gets up.
“Oh, it was nice meeting you, Rhett, even if you aren’t kinky and you don’t like wearing lace panties.”
“Umm, thanks, I think. Nice meeting you too, Cam.”
Now I can finally catch up with my girl and find out about her life after the move. Her life after me.
“What are you thinking about over there, McCoy? You look lost in thought,” M says as she comes over and sits beside me and gives me a shy smile. “This is kind of weird, isn’t it? I mean, I never expected to see you when I moved back. I assumed you’d moved away and were married with kids by now.” She gives a sad smile, and it breaks my heart into a thousand pieces.
“Yeah, it’s definitely crazy after all these years. I’m sorry for freezing up at the school like that, but I thought I was seeing a ghost. I thought I had lost you forever and then you were there. It’s unbelievable. How were things with you after the move?”
“I know. I thought the same thing, Rhett. And you actually became a firefighter. All those years of talking about saving people and battling the blaze and you did it. I’m so proud of you.” She looks at me for a minute, lost in thought. “After the move I was terrified. I had no clue what those people were going to be like, but they were so kind. They were patient with me and they made it a point to learn as much as they could about me so they could make the transition easier. They’re not my blood parents, of course, but I can say honestly that they took to the parent roles amazingly. They are the best adoptive parents I could have asked for. I still talk to them every day. You would love them, and they practically know you already, because you’re all I talked about when we first moved. I just wish we hadn’t lost contact. I missed you every second of every day,” she says, looking at me with those deep gray eyes just as the doorbell rings.
That’s when we hear Cam pelting down the hall like she’s trying out for the Olympics. “Don’t mind me, you little love bugs. Pizza guy’s here though, and nobody gets between me and my pizza,” she says as she races past us.
Laughing, M looks over at me. “She really likes pizza, even though it makes her ass fat.”
“I heard that, skank-balls. You love my fat ass,” Cam yells.
M is laughing a full belly laugh at this point, and it’s completely contagious. I can’t help but laugh along with her.
“Please excuse Cam; she’s kind of a nut.”
“Oh, I completely understand. You haven’t met Micah yet. He’s the male version of Cam. Only he’s worse, and kind of disgusting, but in a lovable way. It sounds like getting our friends together would be an entertaining night. We should do that some time.”
“Oh, that would be fun! So, how have you been?” she asks, staring at me and waiting for my answer.
“I’ve been good. I stayed here, of course. When my dad passed, I just couldn’t leave my mom alone, so I went to college here and got a job here. It’s not an extravagant life, but it’s been a good one. I love my job and the people I work with, and now you’re back, so it’s definitely worth it. Damn, M&M, it’s so fucking good to see you. I missed you so much,” I say, looking down at her misted eyes.
“Pizza and beer. Who wants pizza and beer? Every-fucking-one, that’s who,” Cam says, breaking up our little talk. I guess that’s all for now, but it’s far from over. I want to know everything there is to know about her, what makes her tick, what she loves, even what she hates. I need to see if she’s still the same girl I remember.
Chapter Seven
Emma Grace
“Seriously, I was going to sit in my room and let you play catch-up, but it’s boring as hell in there. And Johnny Depp is out here,” Cam says, biting into her pizza and taking up residence on our large chair.
I’m juggling my plate of pizza and my fresh beer, walking from the kitchen to the living room. Rhett grabs the beer from my hands. “I’ll grab these,” he says with a smile. I smile in return. The ease I feel being with him just falls into place, like the last fifteen years weren’t spent apart.
“Cam, would you like another beer?” Rhett calls from the fridge.
“Umm, yeah, that would be great,” she says, examining her half-empty bottle.
“What kind?”
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
The minute the words leave her mouth, I spit my pizza across the living room and fall into a fit of giggles. Cam isn’t far behind me. By the time Rhett makes his way into the living room, I’m lying sideways on the couch, clutching my stomach from the laughter, and Cam is doubled over with silent chuckles, wiping tears from her eyes. He just stands there, staring. I don’t think he knows quite what to make of us.
I’m trying to catch my breath when I look over at Cam. “You just…you just…oh my God, Cam. You quoted Rhett to Rhett. A million, bazillion points. Honest to God, best one yet.” And we fall into another fit of laughter.
Cam sits up and glances at Rhett, who is still wearing the most bewildered look. “If you can’t handle us randomly blurting out movie lines that relate to what you just said, this just isn’t going to work,” she says in all seriousness.
His eyes bounce between us as a slow smirk takes over his face, his eyes showing his amusement, he just shakes his head and hands us our beer. “Major party foul there, M. Spitting your food across the room and all.”
“Oh, shut it!” I respond with a mock glare.
We spend the next few hours laughing and sharing stories. As I lean back against the couch, I realize how truly blessed I am. Never in a million years did I imagine that these two people—who so profoundly impacted my life—would be merging together. I smile, thinking about the way my life has turned out. Life is so full of twists and turns, but somehow you’re always lead right back to where you belong.
“Em. Ma. Grace,” Cam says, snapping her fingers in my direction.
“Huh? What?”
Rhett looks over at me with a small grin on his face. Cam promptly rolls her eyes at me. “Rhett here was saying that he and a few of his friends hang out at a bar called Reed’s downtown. Pool on Saturday night. He wants us to join them this weekend. You game?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“Well, I am totally spent. I think I’m going to call it a night. Catch ya both later, ‘kay?” she finishes with a yawn, standing to stretch.
“Alright, hooker, see you in the morning.”
“Bright and early, whore-a-licious.” She throws me a wink and rounds the corner to the hallway.
“Night, Cam,” Rhett calls.
“Night, McCoy.”
I shake my head and smile, thankful that Rhett doesn’t take offense to Cam’s form of pet names. I look over and see Rhett staring at me. “What?” I question him. There
is something in his gaze that I can’t quite decipher. It’s a confused look with a dash of wonder thrown in. I’m not quite sure what to make of it.
“What were you thinking about earlier?” he asks, turning to face me on the couch.
“When earlier?”
“When Cam and I were talking about going to Reed’s this weekend. You completely zoned out, but you had this content smile on your face. I want to know what makes you smile like that, M.”
“I was just thinking about how surreal this whole situation is. I mean, really think about it, Rhett. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be sitting here right now, sharing a night with you and Cam, I would’ve had you committed. And the whole night—it was just easy. It was like you and Cam clicked right away and fell into this banter that normally takes people years to develop. It’s hard to believe,” I explained.
“No it’s not,” he says, taking a pull of his beer.
“Really? And why not?”
“Because, M, we’re both a part of you. Given, us being together in the same condo isn’t something I’d thought would happen. But Cam and I are like pieces to the puzzle that is you, Emma Grace. It only makes sense that we would fit.” He shrugs his shoulders like what he said was no big deal. “I’ve got to get going. It’s late, and you need some rest after such a crazy day.” He stands, holding his hand out to pull me up.
Geez, has it only been a few hours since the fire at school? It feels like eons ago.
I stand and walk Rhett to the door. “Before I go, I need you to do something for me,” he says.
“What’s that?”
“Toss me your phone.” He gestures to my cell sitting on the coffee table. I hand it to him and he calls himself. “Now we can’t lose touch again,” he says as he hands it back to me.
“Good.” I smile and open the door for him.
He bends down and presses his lips to my cheek, leaving a soft kiss there. He straightens and looks right in my eyes. “I’ve missed you, M&M. So much.”
“You too, Rhett.” I grab him in a hug and tuck myself under his chin. He wraps his strong arms around me and squeezes tightly. I reluctantly let go and back away. “Goodnight,” I say, grabbing the door.
“Goodnight, M. Sweet dreams. I’m looking forward to Saturday.” He smiles one more time before he turns to leave.
“Me too,” I reply. “Me too,” I say again, to myself this time.
Chapter Eight
Rhett
“Man, I hope they find this arsonist soon. They seem to only be starting small fires right now, but the dumbass is forgetting that any fire can be deadly and they spread very fucking quickly. One day, someone is gonna get hurt, if not killed, in the process of this asshole trying to make some sort of statement.” Micah huffs in frustration.
“I know. I was just getting the rundown from Tanner. They gotta find this fucker soon, before worse damage is done,” I tell Micah as we head in to check all of our equipment for the day.
Micah nods in agreement as we start our routine.
The day seemed to be moving along rather smoothly. I guess I should learn to never get comfortable or think that we’re going to have a good day. Just five minutes ago, we were called to the scene of an accident. Not just any accident—a tragic one. Drunk driver falls asleep at the wheel and veers into oncoming traffic, hitting a mom in a minivan.
By the time we arrive, there are already three police cars and an ambulance there. There is no time for thinking as we all jump and go to work, praying to God that we can do enough to keep these people alive.
Luke and I rush to the lady in the minivan, who seems to be trapped inside and not in very good condition from what I can see. Micah and the rest of the crew rush over to the truck with the drunk driver inside.
“Ma’am, ma’am, can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” I ask the lady in the car. I need to see if she’s coherent enough to understand me. While I’m checking on her, Luke is busy trying to figure out how we can go about getting her out of this tin can.
She gasps from the pain but gives a slight nod of her head. “Ma’am, my name is Rhett, and this guy here is Luke. We’re here to get you out of this car, okay? I need you to do one thing for me, okay? I need you stay calm and try your best not to move. No matter what is going on, please try to stay as still as possible,” I say to her, my voice steady and holding as much calmness as I can muster. I see Luke mouth that we’re going to need the jaws to cut her out, and I walk out of hearing range so he can tell me what’s going on without terrifying her.
“Man, it’s jammed tight; there is no way to get it open without using the jaws. She’s crushed in there. I’m gonna go fill in the paramedic. You just sit with her real quick and talk. Try to keep her heart rate as steady as possible. And Rhett,” he calls out to me. “Don’t let her go to sleep.”
I nod my head and take a deep breath to control the emotions running through me.
This is the part I hate about my job. I try and steady my breathing as I walk back around to her side of the van. As I round the back of the van, I see the remnants of a stick-family decal on the now cracked glass of her back window: two kids and a husband. I close my eyes and hope like hell we can save this woman’s life. She deserves to live. As I make it back to her window, I reach in and grab her hand.
“Ma’am, can you tell me your name?”
“M—Melinda” she says, barely audible, blood splattering the corner of her mouth.
“Melinda, my friend Luke is going to use what we call the Jaws of Life to cut and pry this door open, so we can get you out and get you to a hospital so the doctors can patch you up, alright? It’s going to be really loud and scary, but I will be here every step of the way, okay? It sounds worse than it really is, but the quicker we get you outta here, the better.” She gives a barely noticeable nod and I give them the go-ahead.
I can see the pain and fear written across her face, and in that moment I’m powerless. I try my best to keep eye contact with her. Her pained whimpers come more and more frequently as they start opening up the side of the car. I glance up and see the guy who caused the accident walking—walking—to the ambulance. I don’t understand this. This beautiful young wife and mother is here, trapped in her worst nightmare, and he’s just walking away, unfazed. The unfairness of it all causes a fit of rage to flare deep in my chest. I look back at Melinda and I see the light dying out in her eyes, just as they get the side of the car opened enough to get her out. Paramedics swarm in and I stand there motionless. They put her on the gurney after securing her neck, and I see her hand reach out. I grab it and run with the paramedic. She needs to know she’s not alone in this moment. They load her up, and I see them putting a breathing mask and a blood pressure cup on her. All I can think is, Fight, please fight. That’s when I hear them: She’s coding. I need the paddles. It’s the last thing I hear as they pull away.
I’m lying in my bunk at the firehouse, hours later, trying to purge the images of the accident from my mind, when Micah walks in.
“Rhett, man, are you okay?” Micah asks, his question soaked with concern.
“Yeah, I’ll be okay. It just never gets easier. No matter what we see, no matter what we have to do, it never fucking gets easier.”
“Brother, Sgt. Bullard called and said they got Melinda stabilized. She’s got a long road ahead of her, but she’s going to be okay. I thought you’d want to know,” Micah tells me.
“Thank fuck for that. She’s too young to be stripped away from her family like that.”
I’m so glad to hear she’ll make a full recovery. Her kids will have their mother, and her husband won’t be making funeral arrangements anytime soon. I’m not sure why this weighed so heavy on my heart. Some people just stick out more than others. Maybe it was the look in her eyes. Who knows? But one thing’s for certain; this life is full of surprises. You never know when the person you love will be stripped away from you, and dammit, I need to talk to Emma immediate
ly. She needs to know that even though we’ve been apart for all these years, that I still feel a connection to her—a pull, so to speak. Like gravity itself wants me near her.
Chapter Nine
Emma Grace
“Mmhmm,” I mumble into the phone. No one who calls someone at…five forty-five in the morning deserves a proper greeting. It’s way too early for pleasantries.
“M?” Rhett’s questioning voice brings me out of my slumber and into a semi-awake state.
“Rhett? Hey. Are you okay?” It’s been three days since I’ve seen or talked to him, other than the occasional text, so a phone call before six on a Thursday has me a bit worried.
I hear him blow out a breath, and I’m met with silence again. “Rhett, you’re worrying me. Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“God, M. It was just a shitty night at work. I wasn’t even thinking about how early it was. We just wrapped up everything a few hours ago and my first thought was that I needed to talk to you. And you’re probably still asleep. Shit. I’m sorry, I’ll let you go.” He’s flustered and rambling. I can picture him pacing and running his hand through his hair.
“I’m good, Rhett. I’m up and at ‘em. Don’t worry about that. Tell me what’s going on. What happened at work?” I sit up in bed and get comfortable. I’ll forego sleep if it means he’ll be a little less tortured over whatever happened tonight. I can only imagine how his job can take a toll on him physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“There was this wreck that we had to respond to. It was just awful. This poor woman—and she was a mom, M. And the kid who hit her, just careless. He’d been drinking and just—boom. In an instant everything changes. She was so scared. I could see it written all over her face. And she was in pain. They cut her out and she coded in the ambulance. She’s stable now, but for a minute there I thought about her kids were losing their mom. Her husband. Fuck. I don’t even know. I mean, I see stuff—ugly stuff that people should never see. And I’m okay. I can deal with it most of the time. And then you have these people who just… God, it just hits you in the gut, ya know? It’s my job to help. I’m there to save them. And there was nothing I could do. Not one damn thing. That feeling of helplessness just sucks, M.” His words are a jumbled mess, like he can’t get his thoughts together. Who could blame him though? He wasn’t lying about having a shitty night.
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