The Fireman's Ready-Made Family

by Jules Bennett

  “Oh, Drake, come on. Don’t make me arrest you.”

  Drake fisted his hands on his hips. “If Marly and Willow are safe, I don’t care what you do to me.”

  “Don’t say that. Just let me handle this, all right?”

  Drake merely stared, not saying anything else. Cameron knew full well that if Kevin stepped foot onto Marly’s property, there would be no holding back for Drake. He would protect what was his, and Marly and Willow belonged in his life now.

  The swift revelation overcame him, and he knew right then that he would fight for her no matter what. He’d been given this second chance, and he wasn’t going to throw it away because he was worried about his sometimes unsettling feelings.

  There would always be that piece of him that missed Andrea. There would always be that piece of him that would wonder what would’ve happened if he’d been able to save her or if there’d been no accident at all. But he had to move on. Not just in small steps, but in this life-changing decision. At some point he would have to take a leap over that hurdle he’d placed before himself. So why not jump in and reach for the goal that was standing right before him?

  “Dude, you all right?”

  Drake glanced at Cameron, who was staring. “Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out for a minute.”

  “Anything to do with the fact you and the pretty nurse came to breakfast together?” Cameron asked with a knowing smile.

  “Something like that.”

  Cameron smacked Drake on the shoulder. “Good for you. I knew you’d be able to fully move on once the right woman came into the picture. For what it’s worth, and even though I just met her, I really like her. I’m a good judge of character, and Willow is a little pistol. She’s adorable.”

  Drake couldn’t help but smile. “She’s pretty amazing, like her mom. I better get back in there. Keep me posted no matter how minor the information is.”

  Cameron nodded. “Will do. I’m headed home for a few hours of sleep before I hit the shift later. Text me if you need anything. Can’t guarantee I’ll get right back at you, but I will when I can.”

  “Just take care of yourself.”

  Cameron gave a mock salute. “Okay, Mom.”

  Drake gave him the one-armed man hug and headed into the house, where he found Willow on a stool at the sink washing dishes. Her nightgown sleeves were pushed up to her elbows, her bed head had been pulled up into a ponytail and she was just scrubbing away at the forks.

  “This is how you wrap up a fun sleepover?” Drake asked his mother, who was putting fresh French toast onto plates.

  “She wanted to do it,” his mom defended.

  Marly poured a cup of coffee and sat it in front of Drake. “Really, she loves doing dishes. She loves being a big girl and helping.”

  “I wanted to make the breakfast,” Willow muttered with her back still to the room.

  “It won’t be long,” Marly promised. “I’ll have you making me breakfast all the time in a few years.”

  “So how was the sleepover?” Drake asked, pouring an insane amount of syrup onto his stack.

  “Loud,” his father said, stepping into the kitchen. “Those two laughed and talked until after midnight. I gave up and went to bed.”

  Drake saw Marly cringe, and he reached across the table to pat her hand. “You’re just jealous you can’t stay up like you did when you were young,” Drake told his father. “Put to shame by your wife and a little girl.”

  “Yeah, well, I found out that little girl is the best Go Fish player in the world.” Mac St. John went over to the sink and patted Willow’s head. “She beat me four times before I finally called mercy and asked her to leave me with some dignity.”

  Willow glanced over her shoulder. “He’s really bad. I offered to give him lessons.”

  Marly relaxed a bit in her seat and started to cut into her breakfast. “Well, thank you so much for having her and for this amazing breakfast.”

  “Anytime,” his mother said with a soft smile as she placed a couple of plates on the counter behind her husband for Willow to wash. “We loved having a young one in the house. Movies, cards, popcorn... We’ll have to do it again.”

  Willow clapped, sending suds flying. “I can’t wait!”

  As much as Drake loved his mother’s cooking, he couldn’t help but sit back in his seat and take in the atmosphere of his parents bonding so easily with Marly and Willow. This was what he’d always wanted. When he’d grown up in this house, he’d known one day he would bring his family back here to spend time with his parents. Family meant everything to him.

  Which meant now that Marly and Willow were part of his, he would stop at nothing to protect them and keep them safe. And soon he’d have to reveal to Marly that he wanted more. He wanted a future.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Marly had been home only a few minutes when her doorbell rang. Willow had just gone into her room to play, but knowing her daughter, she was probably worn out from the big night and would fall asleep amidst a pile of toys.

  Marly headed toward the door, fully expecting to see Drake on the other side. But when she pulled it open, her heart literally jumped into her throat.

  “Kevin,” she whispered.

  In a pale blue dress shirt and black pants, Kevin Haskins always looked like the smarmy politician he was. It nauseated her just to look at his flawless hair, perfectly manicured hands and that cocky way about him, now that she knew what lay behind the facade.

  “I know I’m a day early, but I wanted to surprise you,” he told her with that sickening grin on his face as he pushed past her and looked around her living room. “I assumed you understood when I gave you another week that you would be getting ready to come home, but I can see you’re not moving in that direction at all.”

  Marly glanced out the door onto the narrow street. Of all the times she wanted Drake to make a surprise appearance, this wasn’t one of them. She couldn’t let Kevin’s and Drake’s paths cross. She had to keep Drake protected, even though he was convinced he could handle Kevin.

  “I see small-town life has changed you into a slob.” His eyes raked over her hoodie sweatshirt and jeans. “Really, Marly. This is taking your independence a bit too far. Why on earth would you want to look like a suburban housewife with no care for herself?”

  Marly crossed her arms and tilted her chin. “You need to leave.”

  Kevin jerked back as if she’d slapped him. Oh, the irony. She’d never talked back to him before. Never stood up and made a bold statement like that before. Damn...that had felt good.

  “I’m not leaving,” he all but laughed. “I’m here to get you and the girl and we’re going back home.”

  Fury bubbled within Marly. “The girl is your daughter, and her name is Willow.”

  Rolling his eyes, Kevin sighed. “I don’t have time for your games, Marly. For crying out loud, I had to drive all the way out here to retrieve you.”

  Retrieve her? Like she was a lost shoe?

  “I’m not leaving, Kevin. We’re divorced. No matter what you say to me, I’m not going with you.”

  Marly silently applauded herself for standing up to him. Years of marriage, being under his thumb and always being afraid to make him mad had weakened her. But since moving here, meeting Drake and seeing what love was, seeing how a man and woman should be together, Marly had a new outlook on Kevin, and she was ready for him.

  “Hi, Daddy.”

  Marly turned and nearly cried. Willow stood at the end of the hall, almost as if she was afraid to come any farther. This was her own father, a man Willow hadn’t seen in months. Just this morning Willow had been laughing and joking with a family that obviously loved her, and here the little girl stood before her own father and she was afraid to make a move.

  All of those facts lined up to confirm that Marly had made the right decision in leaving and she’d made the right decision in moving on with Drake.

  “Willow,” Kevin said with a nod as if he were just greeting an acquaint
ance. “Your mother and I need to talk. You need to go play or something.”

  Willow looked at Marly and Marly offered a smile. “Go play, sweetheart. We’ll build a fort in just a bit, so why don’t you get all the blankets and pillows we need. Okay?”

  “Okay, Mama.”

  Marly waited until her daughter was out of earshot before she rounded back on Kevin. “Don’t be a jerk to your own daughter. I realize she’s not what you wanted, but she’s my world and you will respect her or leave her the hell alone.”

  Kevin stepped forward. Even though Marly wanted to step back, wanted to go straight into protective mode, she stood her ground. This was her house, her sanctuary, and he was not going to ruin what she was trying to build here. He was not going to come in and start taking charge. No more.

  “My, my,” he taunted as he continued to close the gap. “You’ve grown quite the backbone since you left. That’s cute, Marly. Really. But we both know you’ll come back to me.”

  “There’s nothing you could do to make me come back.”

  That gleam in his eye made her nervous. Great, she’d just gone and basically challenged him. When he reached up to stroke her cheek, she gritted her teeth and held her gaze firm on his. She couldn’t show any weakness or he’d completely turn this around and take all control.

  “I’m sure I can get you to come back,” he taunted as he continued to stroke. “I’ve known where you’ve been for a while now, actually. I know all about your little boyfriend. I know all about the young boy who was injured in the fire. I was at the festival yesterday. Across the street, actually, but I saw you.”

  Terror slid through her. He knew about Drake. Oh, no. Had he followed her to his house last night?

  “You will come back,” he continued, gripping her jaw with his crushing fingers. “Because I will donate enough money to this town to reinstate the men your boyfriend needs back at his department, and I will send a very generous check to the family of that boy who was injured. That’s a lot of people whose lives could be changed for the better, all with one decision from you.”

  Marly hated him. She’d hated this man for a while, but right at this very moment she positively loathed him. She batted his hand away and took a step back.

  “Get out of my house.”

  “I can see you’re surprised by my generous offer. I’ll give you two days to think about it before I come back.”

  As soon as he left, Marly’s shaky legs gave out and she sank onto the floor. What would she do?

  All of Drake’s men would be back on the job, medical expenses would be not as much of a burden for Shawn and Amy and all Marly had to do was return to living in hell, living a nightmare.

  “Mama,” Willow called from the back bedroom. “I’m ready.”

  “Be right there, honey.”

  That sweet little voice, that precious, innocent little girl depended on Marly to keep her safe. There was no way she could return to the life she’d finally escaped from.

  How could she fully explain this to Drake?

  The two powerful men would inevitably meet. Marly only prayed Drake controlled himself, because the last thing Marly wanted was for him to be arrested by his own brother.

  * * *

  Drake pulled up to the curb at Marly’s house with strawberry cupcakes. Apparently, when Willow had stayed over at his mother’s house, the little girl had mentioned that her favorite dessert was strawberry cupcakes. He was such a sucker for a cute little girl with lopsided pigtails and cowgirl boots. He was a sucker for her mother, too.

  Why hadn’t he heard any news from Cameron? Not that Drake wished a woman to be another victim, but perhaps if the woman was willing to step forward, they could build some sort of case against Kevin so he would stay away from Marly. A man like that needed to pay, needed to be held accountable for his cowardly actions.

  But right now, he was going to focus on building his future with this amazing woman who’d swept into his life and instantly had him reevaluating his priorities. She’d put light into the darkest corners of his heart he never thought could be touched again.

  And sweet Willow thrown into the mix was just the cherry on top.

  Drake held the cupcake box in one hand, rang the doorbell with the other and was a bit surprised when Marly’s soft tone came from the other side of the door.

  “Who is it?” she asked.

  “It’s me.”

  The dead bolt slid back, a chain jingled against the door and finally the door opened. He knew she’d been frightened, but this was a first for all the locks and her extra security.

  She turned when he entered. After closing the door behind him, Drake glanced around. “Where’s Willow?”

  “She’s in my room watching a movie.” She still kept her back to his. “We were having movie night and I was about to make some popcorn.”

  When she went into the kitchen, Drake followed again. He sat the cupcake box on the kitchen table, wondering why this felt so...off. Something was wrong.

  “I brought strawberry cupcakes,” he told her, watching as she reached up into a cabinet to grab a box of popcorn. “My mom said Willow mentioned they were her favorite, so I thought she may like some.”

  “That’s sweet. I’ll go get her.”

  Her clipped words, her lifeless tone had Drake crossing the small space and grabbing her elbow until she turned to face him.

  When he caught sight of her pale face, her swollen eyes, fear gripped him. “What happened?”

  That quivering chin of hers nearly did him in. “It’s nothing. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  “You’ve been crying. Talk to me.”

  Her face searched his and for a moment he thought she’d open up, but she shook her head. “I... It’s nothing.”

  So they were back to that. Disappointment slid through him, making him wonder how they could’ve taken such giant steps forward and suddenly be taking more steps back. She’d erected that wall again.

  Hadn’t she just left his bed that morning? Was she having delayed regrets? Something other than the usual issues was troubling her enough to bring her to tears. And not just a few tears, but enough to have her eyes puffy and red.

  “If you shut me out again, I can’t help you,” he whispered.

  Marly’s face crumbled, and he quickly wrapped her in his arms. Before he could do much more than run his hands up her back, Willow, with her lopsided pigtails, came skipping into the kitchen.

  “Hi, Chief. Why is Mama crying?”

  Marly started to straighten, but Drake held her tight. “These are happy tears,” he explained with a smile, hoping she’d buy the lie. “She was so excited about the strawberry cupcakes I brought, she just started crying.”

  Willow’s eyes scanned the kitchen until they landed on the box on the table.

  “Can I have one?” she cried.

  Marly sniffed into his chest as Drake continued to stroke her back. “Sure,” he told her. “Go ahead and take it on back, but try not to make a mess, okay?”

  Quickly, she tore into the box and chose the perfect cupcake and raced from the room.

  “I hope you don’t mind you’re probably going to have strawberry-cake crumbs in your bed.”

  “I don’t mind.” Marly wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to fall apart on you. I was back there in the dark and Willow didn’t notice I was upset. I thought I could keep this to myself, but...”

  Easing back just a bit, Drake tipped his head to the side to peer down at her. “But what?”

  Wet eyes came up to meet his. “I need you. I thought I could do this, I thought I could save you, but I can’t do it alone.”

  “Save me?” he asked.

  Marly bit her trembling lip and glanced away for a moment. But that was enough for Drake to see the round bruises along her jaw.

  Stroking the spot lightly with his finger, Drake asked, “What’s this?”

  A deep breath sent a shudder through her body that shook him. “Kev
in was here earlier.”

  Rage like Drake had never known rolled right through him. “He was here? He put his hands on you?”

  “Please, stay calm,” she pleaded, a fresh round of tears filling her eyes. “I can’t do this if you’re going to get all Neanderthal on me.”

  Barely able to rein his temper back in, Drake nodded. “Fine. Did you at least call the cops?”

  Marly shook her head. “He wasn’t here but just a few minutes.”

  “Enough time for him to put his hands on you.” Drake glanced at the bruises again and nausea settled deep in his gut. “Damn it, Marly.”

  “I wanted to handle this all myself,” she told him, easing back and wrapping her arms around her waist. “I didn’t want to run to you to save me or you to ride to my rescue, but he gave me an ultimatum.”

  Drake didn’t give a damn what this ultimatum was, he was going to track down Kevin and see just how well he liked having someone else’s hands on him. Drake couldn’t wait to meet the man and finally put this nightmare for Marly to an end.

  “What did he say?”

  Drake almost didn’t want to know what this man was threatening Marly with now.

  “Basically he wants me to come back and when I cooperate he will donate enough money to your department to reinstate the three men you had to lay off, plus he’ll make a very generous donation to Shawn and Amy for medical bills.”

  Drake cursed beneath his breath and gripped her shoulders. “You do understand you’re not going back? No matter what he promises, you will not go back to him.”

  Marly nodded. “I know. I battled back and forth. I could save several jobs and help Shawn and Amy, but at what cost? I can’t put myself in danger again and I refuse to bring my daughter back into that hell.”

  Drake let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. At least she was thinking straight and not trying to play hero by sacrificing herself.

  “I’ll notify Cameron.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth. “I’m just letting him know Kevin is in the area and that he threatened you. I’ll need those pictures you have, and I want to take pictures of your jaw.”