Hearts Ablaze (Hearts On Fire Series)

by Heather Lyn

  ***

  Bottom of the seventh inning and we decide to call the game quits. Aubrey and her mom brought lunch into the living room a while ago. We all ate on TV trays so her dad could be with us, as he was too tired to go into the kitchen. Ten minutes ago, he started to get a headache, so Sharon brings him his pain meds and helps him upstairs. Once she comes back down, she looks pretty beat, so we help her clean up the kitchen. Her mom gives each of us a tight hug, thanking us profusely for the night.

  We climb into my truck and head out, Aubrey holding onto my hand tightly for the entire drive. It’s a nice night out, with the windows in the truck down and the music playing loudly. I can’t see her face, as she has it turned to look out the window, but I can see a few tears rolling out of the corner of her eye. It kills me to see her hurting like this. Once we pull into my driveway, I turn off the engine and reach for her arm. She finally turns to look at me and I can see that she spent the entirety of the drive home crying.

  “Come here, sweetheart.” I reach across the console and pull her onto my lap. She straddles my lap and buries her face in my neck, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I can feel the hot tears spilling down my neck, so I pull her closer and just let her cry. I know there’s nothing I can say to make her feel better, so I don’t—I just hold her. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I love her, but this isn’t the right time.

  Once she’s cried herself out, I feel her body relax.

  She sits up and looks down at me. “Sorry, I’m a total mess. I snotted all over your shirt.”

  “Don’t apologize Aubrey.” I take her face in my hands and lean forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips.

  “This is what I’m here for, baby. I want you to feel comfortable enough to talk to me about what you’re feeling. If you need to cry, feel free to snot on my shirt. You’re my girl, Aubrey. My job is to take care of you. When you hurt, I hurt. I really like your parents, and even though I hardly know them, it hurts me to see them go through this. So never apologize to me for being upset about your dad, baby. Never.”

  She gives me a small smile and then a kiss. Pulling back, she moves off my lap and then opens her door. I climb out and we head into my house. We kick our shoes off and spend the next few hours curled up together on the couch, watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother. It’s grown dark out and I notice Aubrey has fallen asleep. Checking my watch, I see it’s only seven forty-five. but after the day we had I’m not surprised that she’s so wiped out. Carefully moving out from under her, I head into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water as I shoot a quick text to Grayson, asking if he’s still with Kennedy. I drink my water while I wait for a reply.

  Grayson: Yeah, we’re at a bar with a couple guys from the station. Heading out soon, gotta drop her off at home first. What are you doing texting me anyway? Don’t you have someone to be underneath right now? Or on top of? Behind? Come to think of it…

  Noah: Shut the fuck up, jackass. She’s asleep. And for your information, we’ve taken care of all of those. Not that it should matter to you. Sounds to me like someone needs to get laid, bro.

  Grayson: Nah, I’m good. That’s what a monthly subscription to porn is for. I don’t have to deal with bullshit women drama. And besides, two hands are better than one.

  Jesus Christ. I just can’t handle my best friend right now.

  Noah: Yeah, you enjoy that, buddy. See ya in the morning.

  Shaking my head, I shove my phone in my pocket and head back into the living room. Aubrey is still asleep, her soft hair falling into her face. I carefully lean down and scoop her into my arms. Carrying her into my bedroom, I lay her down on my bed, remove her socks, shoes, and jeans, and pull the covers over her. Going into the bathroom, I strip out of my own clothes, throwing them into the hamper. Walking back into my bedroom in just my boxer briefs, I plug my phone in and make sure the alarm is set. Then I get into bed and pull her against me. She immediately melts into me, resting her head against my chest. I can hear soft snores coming from her, so I place a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Good night, Aubrey. I love you baby,” I whisper, knowing she can’t hear me. I close my eyes and let sleep take me under.

  CHAPTER 13

  AUBREY

  Ever since that night at my parents’ house about a month ago, things have changed between Noah and me. We’ve grown incredibly close, and we spend our every waking minute together. I only go home when he’s on shift, and even then it’s usually just to do some laundry and grab some things. But tonight, I’m staying at my apartment, because I’m having a girls’ night out with Kennedy. We haven’t spent too much time together and I’m starting to feel guilty.

  Next week is the Fourth of July, so I’m looking forward to my parents’ annual party. Noah and Grayson are lucky and don’t have to work during it this year. I can’t help but feel like this year’s party will be a final farewell to my dad. He’s been getting lot worse, just in the last week alone. Mom has been thinking about hiring a private nurse to come stay with them, as she’s having a harder time helping him get around. He’s almost always in a wheelchair now, because it’s easier for Mom. I’ve talked to Landon about it, and he’s thinking about moving home to help out. We don’t want them to have to dip into Dad’s retirement for that.

  Landon has been around a lot more. I think he’s finally come to terms with Dad as best as he can. He can still be really closed off, which is totally unlike him, but at least he’s around.

  Noah and I have been going over once a week, for dinner and usually a baseball game. Mom and Dad both really like Noah, and he’s also grown quite fond of them. Mom told me he’s stopped by on his way home from a shift to bring them coffee and breakfast a few times. I feel bad because we haven’t gone to see his parents even once.

  Oh, I’ve spoken to his mom a couple times. I called Molly one day to introduce myself, since we’ve been so busy. We met up one day and had coffee while Noah was at the firehouse. She’s awesome; I can see why he talks about her all the time. I told her all about my situation with Dad and apologized for not being over since we started dating. She told me that she’s spoken to Noah several times, and that she understands. I invited her and Noah’s dad, Jack, to my family’s party and she happily accepted. I told her not to mention it to Noah, because I want to surprise him.

  He’s been so wonderful, always trying to be so attentive, and I can see how much losing my dad is making him think about his own family. Even more of a reason to spend time with them. His sister, Carmen, came home a week ago from college for the summer. She usually stays with Noah in his guest room, but since I’m there all the time she decided to stay with their parents. Sometimes it feels like I’m completely monopolizing all of Noah’s free time. I love spending time with him, and I love that he spends time with my family, but I don’t want to mess up their normal dynamics. I need to talk to Noah about it.

  Kennedy and I have plans to go shopping and then we’re going to buy several bottles of wine and order tons of Chinese food for dinner. I want to get a new outfit for the party next week, and I’m in dire need of a mani/pedi. Maybe I can convince her to fit that in. I finish my cup of coffee and rush through a shower, knowing I have tons to do before I meet up with her at noon. I run a comb through my wet hair and twist it up into a knot on top of my head, using some bobby pins to clip down the short pieces that won’t stay up. Throwing on a maxi dress, I head into the living room, grab my Mac off the coffee table, and open it to iTunes. My mom wanted me to transfer all my music to a flash drive for her so she could make a huge playlist for the party, so I copy my entire country folder and save it. My parents are huge country music buffs, and luckily I have a ton of their old stuff saved to my computer.

  I throw the flash drive into my purse, and then head out the door. As I’m getting into my car, my phone chimes with a text. It’s from Noah.

  Noah: Hey, beautiful. Have a good night with Kennedy. I miss you.

  Aubrey: Miss you too. Have a
good time with Grayson. Don’t get into too much trouble.

  Noah: Can’t promise anything, baby.

  Laughing, I plug my phone in and put it in the cup holder, then roll my windows down and open my sunroof. I have the latest Dierks Bentley album playing and I’m loudly singing along to it, enjoying the drive. Kennedy told me to meet her at the mall’s main entrance, so I find a spot and pull in. I unplug my phone and call her, telling her I’m here and to meet me at Bath & Body Works. I head inside, looking forward to this night. Noah and Grayson are going out to some bar tonight. I pray we don’t have to deal with their stupid asses. Grayson drunk is hilarious, but I have yet to see a drunk Noah. Hopefully neither happens.

  I’ve only been in the store a few minutes when Kenni comes walking in. “I’m here! Let’s shop, biatch!”

  We each pick out a couple new fragrance lotions and over the next couple hours make our way through our favorite stores. By the time we’re done, we’re each loaded down with bags of clothes and some new shoes. We drive back to our apartment separately. Heading straight for my bedroom, I throw all my bags onto my bed just as Kenni walks in.

  “Girl, I think I have enough clothes to last me the next three summers!” I shout to her. Maybe I did go a little overboard, but it was worth it. Besides, I did need some new clothes. Reaching into one of the bags, I pull out a new pair of black and teal leggings and a teal tank top with a razorback. I throw them on and head into Kenni’s room, where’s she’s changing into a new pair of shorts and a sweatshirt. Kennedy heads into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and tossing me one. We plop down on the couch and relax.

  “So, honestly, Kenni. What is going on with you and Grayson? You can’t tell me it’s nothing, because you guys hang out way too much for it to be nothing.”

  “Seriously, Aubs. Nothing is going on. We hang out. He’s never tried for anything more, and neither have I. Hell, he’s flirted girls while we’re out together. It’s no big deal. He’s more like the goofy older brother I never had.” She smiles at me, but I can see the pain in her eyes. Ever since I met her freshman year, she has always been very tight-lipped about her family. I know she has an older sister she doesn’t speak to, and her parents are divorced and remarried. She only speaks to her dad, but even then it’s limited. I’ve always thought she’ll eventually tell me, but it’s almost eight years later and she still hasn’t. She’s always just thought of my family as her own, and they feel the same about her.

  Kenni is the best friend I could ask for, so I’ll always respect her privacy. But I can’t help thinking that maybe if she told me what was going on, she’d feel more open to being with Grayson. She can deny it all she wants, but I know she likes him.

  We end up deciding to wait on dinner and put on the new Jurassic World movie. Hello, Chris Pratt. Once the movie is over, it’s about five, so we decide to get dinner ordered. We have this tradition that whenever we have a girls’ day we order Chinese and get way too much. And it’s always the most fun ever.

  My stomach has been growling for the last thirty minutes and I’m starved. Luckily, the Chinese place we order from doesn’t take too long. We place all the containers on the kitchen island and dig in. We don’t ever use plates, and even though we try to use the chopsticks, we’re usually using plastic forks by the end.

  “So, what should we do for the rest of the night?” Kenni asks as she stuffs a dumpling in her mouth. She starts digging through the boxes, looking for a fortune cookie.

  “I don’t care. Do you want to go out? I know we wanted to stay in, but it’s so nice out. And we have all those new clothes. We could always meet up with the guys tonight.”

  “Yeah, sounds good. Did Noah say which bar they were going to?”

  I shrug as I finish the food in my mouth. “Nope, but I’ll text him. I won’t tell him we’re coming though.” I pull my cell out and quickly text Noah.

  Aubrey: Hey, where are you and Grayson going tonight?

  Noah: This bar called Prime. It’s over on Market St. Why?

  Aubrey: No reason. I just wanted to know where you’d be. You’re going to be out drinking, Noah. It’s just for my peace of mind.

  Noah: Baby, we’re going to be fine. Please don’t worry about us. I’ll text ya later.

  I tell Kennedy where they’re going and then we clean up the food. Stuffing it all into the fridge, we sit back down in front of the TV to watch something until it’s time to get ready. I know Noah had said before they were going out around eight, so I know we still have a little time. Pulling up the browser on my phone, I Google this bar. It’s a small country bar that does karaoke on Friday nights. It actually looks like a pretty neat little place, and I love me some country music. Kennedy seems pretty excited too. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when we show up. I just hope they don’t mind us crashing their boys’ night.

  At about nine o’clock, we decide to start getting ready; Kennedy already ordered a cab for nine thirty, so we don’t have long. I untwist my hair from the bun and, because it was wet, it’s now wavy. Grabbing my curling iron, I add a few more curls. I ask Kenni to do my makeup since I suck at it, so I have a smoky eye with thick liner and lashes. I’m also sporting my fire-engine-red lipstick.

  Now for what to wear.

  Going through my bags, I finally decide on a new pair of jean shorts that are almost obscenely short, as well as a new red halter tank top with a low-cut back, but not too low that I have to go braless. I pair them with my favorite nude wedges and I’m all set. Kennedy comes bouncing in, wearing the yellow dress she bought today. It has spaghetti straps and the back is open all the way to her waist. She has her hair curled and hanging down her back, and Kenni’s sporting heeled sandals. I stare at our reflection in my mirror. We look hot.

  Noah and Grayson have no idea what they’re in for.

  We head out to the cab when it arrives and tell them where to go. We’re only a short drive away, so we make small talk until we get there. The cab pulls up in front of Prime a few minutes later, and it is packed. It doesn’t seem to be a very big place, but the line is out the door and around the corner. We have the cab drop us in front of the entrance, then walk over to the bouncer, intending to ask him how long the wait will be, but he lifts the rope and waves us in.

  “Damn, we must look hot tonight! I’ve never gotten right in!” Kenni has a huge smile on her face as we head inside. There’s a huge dance floor off to one side, with tables around it and a stage in the corner, which has a DJ booth set up with a screen and microphone. Guess that’s where they do the karaoke the website talked about. On the other side is the bar, with several more tables next to it. We head over to grab some drinks, making our way through the crowds of people. I order two vodka cranberries for us and then turn to lean against the bar while we wait.

  “Shit, Kenni. I hope we can find them in here. This place is nuts!” The bartender hands us our drinks and I throw a twenty on the bar. “Keep the change,” I tell him. As we sip our drinks, the loud music cuts out and we hear someone announce the first people who will be doing karaoke tonight.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Davis and Michaels!”

  My eyes practically bug out of my head as I look over at Kennedy. She spits her drink out and starts coughing. No fucking way. Pushing our way through the crowd, we stand towards the side of the dance floor as Noah and Grayson bounce up to the stage. They are definitely drunk; Grayson is leaning on Noah, and they’re both slurring their words when they grab microphones.

  “Hey, ya’ll. I’m Noah, and this is my buddy Gray. Let’s get this party started!” I can’t help but laugh when I see how seriously they’re taking this. And then I hear their song choice come on and I’m doubled over laughing hysterically while Kennedy has tears in her eyes.

  Seeing my boyfriend drunkenly sing “Dibs” by Kelsea Ballerini with his drunk best friend is the greatest thing ever. They’re clearly under the impression that this is a concert hall. I pull out my c
ell phone and record it, blackmail for a later time. When they’re finished they hold hands and bow, then jump off the stage. As terrible as it was, people clearly liked it based on the amount of cheers they got.

  Grabbing Kennedy’s hand, I pull her over to where they’re standing. We stand behind them and I reach out and tap Noah on the shoulder.

  “Great job, guys. That was awesome.”

  Noah turns around and his mouth drops open.

  CHAPTER 14

  NOAH

  “Aubrey?” I can’t believe she’s standing in front of me. Kennedy is with her. I smack Gray on the back of the head and he spins around. He looks pretty shocked too. Oh, God, they must have just seen us sing. Jesus Christ. Grayson bet me that I wouldn’t have the balls to get up there with him. Definitely regretting that now. If I weren’t drunk, I never would’ve done it. Of course, that’s every man’s excuse, right?

  Now that I’m over my shock, I get a good look at Aubrey. Holy shit, my girlfriend is so damn hot. She has on these tiny shorts and heels that make her legs look a mile long, and that red lipstick again. And she smells so fucking good. I can already feel my dick getting hard.

  “Baby, what are you doing here?” I lean down and give her a kiss.

  “We wanted to surprise you guys. We were bored and missed you.” She wraps her arms around my neck and leans up on her toes to kiss me. I place my hands on her hips and pull her against me. “That was a hell of a performance too, by the way.”

  Laughing, I look over at Gray. “It was that idiot’s fault. He bet me I couldn’t get up there, and I couldn’t back down. Whatever.” I elbow Gray in the arm.