The ground was still radiating warmth beneath him, a welcome contrast to the deep cold that’d set into his limbs from the lake water. Every breath he took made his throat feel like it was being scraped raw all over again and his chest ache. He couldn’t imagine finding the energy to get up, let alone walk down the trail to the main campground.
He let himself slump down, deciding he’d rest just until the shivers stopped, and then he’d figure out how the hell he was going to get himself moving. Except his eyes started dragging closed again, exhaustion tugging determinedly at him, even as his mind ordered him to stay awake.
A shout from somewhere nearby jerked him into complete awareness, and then he felt a hand clamp on to his shoulder. He forced his eyes open and took a long minute to focus on the form of a firefighter kneeling next to him.
“Troy!” the man exclaimed, a wide grin splitting his dirty face. He vaguely remembered seeing him with Jared’s crew the morning the dock had burned and again when the rangers’ station had gone up but didn’t know his name. “Shit, buddy, I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved to see someone in my life.”
Since he’d never officially met this guy, he couldn’t imagine why that might be, but it seemed his brain couldn’t work out how to make his mouth form words anyway.
“Don’t worry,” the firefighter continued. “We’re going to get you some help.”
Another firefighter came over, and the pair helped him sit up, then wrapped a crinkly silver blanket around his shoulders and shoved a sports drink into his hand.
“It’s warm, sorry,” the first firefighter said. “But after being in the lake, I’m guessing that’s not going to bother you.”
He took a long swallow of the too sweet liquid, but then his body seemed to abruptly reboot itself and he realized he was parched. He paused to take a breath and then gulped down the entire bottle.
“There you go.” The guy clapped him gently on the back. “I knew that’d perk you right up.”
“Thanks,” he said, then winced when even that one word hurt his throat. And he sounded like an eighty-year-old pack-a-day smoker. “How did you know where to find me?”
“We didn’t,” the firefighter replied. “We came up here to douse behind the main fire front to stop any secondary flare-ups.”
“Well, thanks anyway. I don’t think I could have made it back out on my own.”
The firefighter cast a critical gaze over him. “Yeah, you look like you could use some medical attention. How about we get you back down to the command tent at the lake. I know someone there is going to be very, very happy to see you.”
“Jared is okay, then?” he asked, feeling relief pour through every limb.
“Well, he was until about an hour ago,” the firefighter replied ruefully, but somehow also with a hint of amusement.
He grabbed the guy’s arm. “What does that mean? Did something happen to him?”
“Jesus.” The guy pointedly removed his fingers from their bruising grip. “You two are totally gone for each other. Jared is fine, but he thinks you’re dead.”
“He what?” The shout wasn’t very effective considering how hoarse his voice was, and it only served to make his throat ache worse.
“We found the ATV along with a body halfway back to the main campground. Since last reports had you heading out on the ATV—”
“They assumed it was me,” he finished, head spinning for an entirely different reason now. God, poor Jared. He couldn’t even imagine how he must be feeling…. Actually, he kind of could. It was probably close to what he’d been feeling when he’d thought Jared was in danger from Kevin and hadn’t been able to do anything about it. “That wasn’t me on the ATV.”
The firefighter sent him a droll look. “Obviously.”
“I mean, it was Kevin McDowell. Jared’s ex. He stole the ATV from me and tried to get out.”
“Kevin McDowell as in the football player?”
When he nodded, the firefighter swore. “Sorry, but he’s dead.”
“I wouldn’t be too sorry,” he muttered darkly. “He tried to kill me and was going to hurt Jared. He was the one who lit the fire today. And burned the rangers’ office. And set fire to the old dock.”
Both the firefighter’s eyebrows went up as his eyes widened. “Well, fuck. I guess he got what was coming to him, then.”
For some reason, he found that statement morbidly funny and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped, even though he felt kind of sick imagining exactly how Kevin had died. He didn’t have to try too hard, because he’d almost been killed in exactly the same way.
“Come on.” The firefighter helped him to his feet. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“I didn’t catch your name,” he said as he got upright and swayed a little. As a whole, however, he was feeling much better now he was warm and had gotten something to drink.
“Brody Allan,” he replied with a smile, helping to steady him as they started walking toward the fire engine. The other firefighters were hosing down tree stumps glowing with embers and small fires flaming up in the wind. “Jared’s my best buddy at the firehouse.”
“Nice to meet you, Brody.” He would have offered to shake the guy’s hand, but he was using all his concentration to put one foot in front of the other and not fall flat on his face. “Could you maybe get on the radio and find someone to tell Jared I’m not dead? He must be going out of his mind.”
“You’ve got no idea,” Brody replied with a grim shake of his head. “But the radio has been on the fritz on and off all day. We’re not getting good coverage out here, so he’ll have to wait a few more minutes until we’re back down the trail.”
Brody helped him up into one of the two fire engines parked nearby, then got in behind the wheel. Two other guys got in and started talking to Brody about tactics the combined firefighting forces from across several counties were using to try and bring the blaze under control and whether or not Everness was going to be evacuated. It seemed the front had moved a little east and wasn’t on a direct path toward the town any longer.
He didn’t try to follow the conversation as the fire truck bumped down the trail. When they passed the ATV and the spot a few feet away that’d been surrounded by yellow tape where several cops and the coroner stood, he let his gaze skip away, not wanting to see what’d become of Kevin.
When they finally rolled to a stop alongside several other fire engines near the lakeshore, he was surprised to see quite the mobile command post had been set up in several large tents filled with everything from stacks of bottled water to extra firefighting gear and even some kind of fancy-looking table of computer equipment.
“This way,” Brody told him, pointing to one of the last tents, on which someone had hung a first aid sign.
“I thought we were going to find Jared,” he said to Brody as they walked toward it, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice. Judging by the look Brody shot him, he hadn’t done a very good job of it. “I’m okay. I’ll see someone after I’ve talked to Jared.”
“Well, it’s your lucky day, because you clearly need the first aid tent, and that’s where Jared is.” Brody tossed him a charming smile.
“I thought you said he was fine. Why is he in the first aid tent?” This time his voice wasn’t much more than a hoarse growl.
“He is fine. He wanted to help, but the fire chief wouldn’t let him go out to the fire front, so he’s putting his EMT skills to good use.”
They arrived at the tent and Brody stepped aside, pushing the already open flap a little more out of the way to let him pass. It was a little brighter inside the tent with huge lights set up in the corners so the paramedics could clearly see the minor injuries they were patching up.
The first familiar face he spotted was Del, sitting in a chair looking bored. Lewis and Aaron were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the ground nearby, watching the controlled chaos of people being treated. He started to step toward them, but then one of the nearby paramedics ste
pped aside and he saw Jared talking to a firefighter sitting on a wheeled gurney.
His first instinct was to call out, but his voice was so hoarse and he doubted Jared would hear him over the low chatter in the tent. He started forward but had only taken two steps when Jared looked up.
Troy stopped for a long second at the utter shock freezing Jared’s features. However, it quickly gave way to a flood of other emotions. Relief, joy, disbelief, affection, and too many other feelings flashed through Jared’s green eyes. The simple truth and power of them stole his breath.
“Troy,” Jared exclaimed, and he didn’t think anyone had ever said his name with so much love and desperation.
He took a step, and then the distance between them disappeared in a blink. They collided, arms wrapping tight, pressing as closely as they could. For a moment they fiercely held on to each other, and then Jared’s mouth was on his jaw, and then his cheek, and then finally found home when their lips slid together.
Their mouths clung and dragged in an unhurried claiming that was nothing but a reaffirmation of life and everything they hadn’t been looking for but had found in each other.
Troy cupped Jared’s face and broke the kiss to stare into his eyes. His gaze was a glistening emerald of unshed tears.
“Troy, I thought I lost you.”
“I know. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But I’m okay.”
Jared dropped a light kiss on his nose, thumbs stroking along his jawline. “You don’t sound okay. You sound like you inhaled too much smoke. We should get you to the hospital.”
“Will you come with me?” He might have been a schmuck, but he wanted Jared with him, wanted the steadying comfort of his presence. Today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of his life.
Jared gave a watery smile. “You’ll be lucky if I leave you alone ever again.”
“I’m definitely not complaining about that today.” He sighed in relief and pulled Jared in for another tight hug.
“Bet you won’t be saying that in a few weeks. Jared can be annoying as shit.” Del stepped up next to them and invited himself into the hug. Two more solid forms collided into them, Lewis and Aaron making it a big squish group hug with Troy in the middle.
“Welcome to the family,” Del said, gaze briefly touching on the two boys before focusing on Troy. “I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re alive. I was really worried you’d broken Jared for a while there.”
“Not on purpose,” he said quickly and heatedly. “I’d never hurt him. Not intentionally.”
“I know,” Jared replied, elbowing Del and making him step back again. “Just don’t ever almost get yourself killed again and we’ll be fine.”
“Deal,” he replied, catching Jared in a quick but heartfelt kiss. “One near-death experience is more than enough for this lifetime.”
“Come on, then.” Jared took his arm and steered him to a nearby gurney, then helped him climb up and lie back. “Let’s get you to the hospital. Del, can you—”
“I’ll take these two home and check in on Tate,” Del finished for him with a smile. “I’ll text you later.”
“Thanks, brother.” Jared pulled Del in for a brief hard hug before letting him go and then turning to speak with two other nearby paramedics.
Troy relaxed back into the gurney, deciding he’d never been so happy to be on such an uncomfortable contraption. He lazily watched Jared as he worked efficiently to update the paramedics and let the supervisor know he was leaving.
When Jared returned to his side and caught him watching, he seemed to pause, a bashful smile creeping over his lips as a subtle flush of color touched his cheeks.
“What is it?” Jared asked, coming up to his side and taking his hand as the paramedics started wheeling the gurney out of the tent.
“You,” he replied, voice so hoarse now it was almost gone. “Just wondering how I got so lucky.”
Jared shook his head slightly. “Stop talking nonsense and save your voice.”
Once the paramedics had loaded him into the back of the ambulance and Jared sat down next to him, Troy grabbed his hand.
“It’s not nonsense. And don’t ever say otherwise again.”
Jared reached up with his free hand and smoothed it over his hair. “Almost getting killed makes you bossy, huh?”
“It made me realize what’s really important,” he replied seriously, even though he knew Jared had been trying to lighten the mood by teasing him. “And in case you need it spelled out, the most important person in my life is you.”
Jared opened his mouth like he wanted to say something as the ambulance rocked into motion but then seemed to change his mind.
“Hell of a way to figure it out,” Jared murmured, green gaze studying him intently.
“I already knew,” he said, letting his heavy eyelids drop closed. “We’re meant to be.”
If Jared replied, he didn’t hear it as he sunk into the dark exhaustion he’d been fighting for what felt like hours.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
JARED REARRANGED the pillows on the couch and then hovered as Troy sat down, sending him an exasperated glare.
“How many times are we going to have the I’m fine conversation?”
Troy’s irritated demand would have been more effective if his voice hadn’t still been scratchy.
“At least another fifty,” he replied, debating how much more annoyed Troy would be with his fussing if he spread the throw blanket over his legs.
Troy grabbed his arm and tugged him down onto the couch next to him. “They wouldn’t have let me leave the hospital if I wasn’t fine. And aren’t you a trained paramedic? If anything goes wrong—which it won’t—I couldn’t be anywhere better than your house.”
“Fine,” he huffed, crossing his arms as Troy leaned in and kissed his jaw.
Truthfully, he wasn’t that worried about Troy’s health. He’d spent a few days in the hospital to recover from the smoke inhalation and dehydration, but that’d been the extent of his injuries. Troy had been extremely lucky. If not for the fact the campground had been right next to the lake and he’d been able to escape into the water, he wouldn’t have survived—he would have died horribly like Kevin had.
Though he’d hated Kevin and had been even angrier when he’d found out Kevin had been the one calling him incessantly and had lit all the fires—the reckless behavior culminating in his plan to kill Troy and hurt Jared—he still wouldn’t have wished that kind of death on him.
He’d been trying not to think about it the past few days—what could have happened. What he’d spent an hour thinking had happened. It’d been the longest, most horrible, heartbreaking hour of his entire life. The taste of it had readily convinced him he couldn’t live without Troy. Thank God Troy seemed just as desperate to be with him, or he didn’t know what he would have done.
Still, most of his apprehension since convincing Troy to come and stay at his house for another week or two of recuperation all came down to the conversation he’d been putting off since he’d turned in the first aid tent and seen Troy standing there: alive, eyes red-rimmed, dripping wet, and looking like something the cat wouldn’t have even dragged in, but never more gorgeous.
“Okay, time to spill,” Troy suddenly said, catching both his shoulders and holding him in place so he couldn’t escape. “What the hell is going on with you? This isn’t just about me almost being killed, is it?”
For a second he considered denying it, but then he blew out a long sigh and decided to just get it over with. Tiptoeing around the issue was becoming exhausting.
“No, it’s not,” he replied slowly.
“Is it about what happened to Kevin?” Troy’s brow creased, expression concerned. “I’m sorry, Jared, but he—”
“No, it’s definitely not about Kevin.”
Even saying his ex-boyfriend’s name was enough to send a shiver down his spine. He’d had a horrible nightmare two nights ago that Kevin had come for Troy—this time a disfigured,
charred corpse. He’d been asleep in an uncomfortable hospital chair and awoke to Troy gently shaking him. Apparently he’d been calling out Troy’s name in his sleep. Troy had ordered him to climb into the hospital bed with him—though it’d been a tight fit—and he’d slept fitfully, wrapped around Troy and probably doing an excellent octopus impersonation.
“Then what is it?” Troy asked gently, his grip changing from a hold to a caress.
“The day of the fire, before everything went to hell—the last time we spoke to each other on the phone—”
A mysterious smile crossed Troy’s face. “I was distracted because EFD were arriving and I told you I loved you before I hung up.”
“So you did notice.” He released a pent-up breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding.
“Yeah.” Troy gave a shrug that held a hint of self-consciousness. “But I figured since it was true, there was no point taking it back or pretending like I hadn’t blurted it out.”
Jared wasn’t sure how he’d thought this conversation would play out—truthfully, he’d been trying not to think about it, part of him terrified Troy would say it’d been a mistake or it was too soon. So the calm announcement the words had been true made his heart launch into a crazy, frantic beat.
“You— Really?” He gulped, trying to regain some common sense against the ridiculous giddiness whipping around inside him. “You love me?”
Troy drew him closer. “Yes, Jared. I love you. I’m only sorry I didn’t plan a better moment to say it properly.”
“It didn’t need to be perfect. It just needed to be real.”
The exact opposite to the big production Kevin had put on the first time he’d said those words. And in the end, he’d still somehow made it all about him. Everything of Troy was exactly the opposite of that and exactly what he needed.
He pulled Troy in for a sweet, tender kiss, lingering against his lips and enjoying the simple yet consuming feelings thriving within him.
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