“I’m okay.” He gave her a look. “I will be okay.”
“So, I don’t have to punch Dimitri for you? Because I know Shep and Mace could easily do it, but Shep got to be all big-brotherly toward Mace, and I haven’t had my chance yet.”
Thea couldn’t help but smile. “You want to act like my big brother?”
He shrugged again. “Of course. I might not be a Montgomery, but I married one. We stick together, right?”
She blinked back unexpected tears. “Yeah, we do. And, Carter? You’re totally a Montgomery. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
“I can do that.”
She smiled again. “Okay, I’ll let you eat. I need to go in the back and deal with my damn oven. It’s been acting up today, and I don’t have time for that. Not today.” She had the afternoon off to be with Dimitri and didn’t want to waste time, but if she couldn’t get a repairman in soon after she checked it out, she was screwed.
Carter wiped his mouth again and put his napkin on his plate. “I’m all done. Why don’t I take a look for you.”
“You fix cars. Not ovens.”
“True, and I’m not pulling the little lady routine either. I’m just good at fixing things. Most things, anyway.” He shook his head and, once again, she had to wonder if he meant something far deeper than what they were actually talking about. “Anyway, I’ve had to tinker with our oven at home a few times since we need a new one but it’s not in the budget right now. And I had to do it growing up at home when my mom didn’t want to part with her favorite appliance.”
Thea snorted. “I have a favorite oven, too, though that one’s working just fine.” She knocked on the wood paneling on their way back to the kitchen. “Knock on wood, right? Have you ever dealt with a professional convection oven?”
“Once. You’re the one with the experience when it comes to those, but if I can help, then it’ll save you time and money, right?”
“I’ll pay you in pastry if you can fix it.”
Carter grinned. “You do that, and I’ll have to work out more if I want to keep in my jeans.” He patted his no-doubt rock-hard abs. Roxie’s husband was one attractive man, and Thea figured he could indulge in a few more pastries if he wanted—not that she’d say that aloud.
The two of them made their way back to the kitchen where her oven lay quiet, annoying her. She’d made do with her other ones, but she was seriously pissed off.
Carter frowned, taking a look at it before bending down. “So, it’s not heating?”
“It’s heating for like five minutes, then it stops. I don’t get it.”
He went to the side of it and looked around, not touching anything before stiffening and standing quickly. “This looks tampered with.”
She froze herself. “What?”
There was a hissing sound, then a loud boom that shook the floor beneath her feet. Carter was suddenly on top of her, slamming her hard into the floor as the wall behind the oven caught fire, flames dancing along the ceiling and over her precious countertops.
But that wasn’t why Carter had pushed her way.
No, because there were other flames, closer flames, ones that burned and singed and made her scream. Ones that flowed exactly where she and Carter had been standing.
He’d pushed her out of the way, but her arm hurt, and she’d hit her head. Then smoke filled her lungs, and others screamed around them. She tried to push at Carter but he didn’t budge, and she was having trouble focusing. She called his name and knew that others were doing the same around her, but they were both in trouble, both hurt. And Roxie’s husband had not only saved her life but had risked his in the process.
When the sprinklers went on, the fire died, but she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t do anything.
Instead, the sirens came, along with Shep, Adrienne, Ryan, and Mace from the tattoo shop, as well as Abby from her tea shop. Then she saw Dimitri, horror on his face as he went to his knees beside her. He was calling her name, but she couldn’t hear it, and she knew something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.
She wondered if she’d lost everything. Because no matter how hard she fought, it all seemed to be slipping away, one flame, one choice at a time.
* * *
Hours later, Thea found herself lying in a hospital bed, a bandage on her arm, another scratching at her chin. She was damn lucky that nothing else was wrong with her, and she knew it. But she still couldn’t stop shaking.
Her bakery. Her future. Her work.
Not gone, but hurt.
Her body hurt.
And Carter…she sucked in a breath. She couldn’t think about Carter without wanting to scream or hit something. He’d only been in the kitchen to help her, and if she’d been standing where he had been like she planned, she would have gotten hurt far worse.
“Thea? Talk to me.” Dimitri sat next to her bed, holding her unbandaged hand. “Are you feeling dizzy? Do you need me to get the nurse?”
She looked over at him, studying the lines of his face. The new creases that had come when he’d seen her on the floor under Carter, smoke in the air, and water drenching the floor and every part of her shop.
“I’m not hurting. Tell me again what happened? I mean, after the explosion.”
Dimitri squeezed her hand gently, then leaned forward to kiss her temple. She closed her eyes, trying to take in his scent buried beneath the smoke in her nostrils and the antiseptic stench of the hospital.
“We came in when we heard the fire alarm.” Mace sat on her other side, Adrienne by him, holding his hand tightly. “We told your staff to get any customers out of the building, as well as our space and the others in our lot just in case. No one else got hurt. Just you and Carter.”
Thea closed her eyes tightly, willing the tears to go away. “And he’ll be okay?” she whispered. “He has to be okay.”
Adrienne leaned forward and rested her forehead on Thea’s leg, her sister’s body shaking just like hers was. Then she sat up, looking directly into Thea’s eyes as she answered.
“He’s in the ICU with a concussion, a broken right arm from how he fell, apparently, and second and third degree burns on the right side of his body. It’s less than thirty percent, but it’s still enough that they’re going to watch for infection and keep him in the hospital for a while.”
“I…I can’t believe he got hurt because of me.”
Dimitri glared at her before schooling his features. “It wasn’t your fault. None of this is your fault.”
If only she believed that. She wasn’t sure she’d ever forgive herself if Roxie lost Carter because of her oven, because of her.
“Mom and Dad are with Roxie, making sure she’s not alone. Shep, too. Shea has Livvy and Daisy at their place, keeping up with things there as well as answering any questions from the media that come in. Or, in her case, ignoring it but keeping everything organized for us. Mace and I are heading over there soon to help her. We just wanted to stay with you a bit.”
Thea reached out and gripped her sister’s hand. “I’m okay. I’ll be okay. I know there will be questions and I’ll have to talk to the police and my insurance company and everything but…thank you for being here. And for being here for Carter.”
Dimitri kissed her temple again. “Landon, Abby, Ryan, and Kaylee are around as well, though they’re helping with any on-site issues and bringing food and coffee to those who need it. They’re all looking for something to do, I think. We’re all looking.”
Thea looked at the bandages on her hands and wondered what she was going to do now. She’d almost died, and Carter had come even closer. Yet in the end, that wasn’t the whole of it. Once she was back on her feet, she would have to go to Colorado Icing and see what could be salvaged. From there, she’d have to restore and possibly rebuild. Her expansion loan paperwork might be thrown entirely out the window at this point, and the next phase of her dreams and her bakery might be over before they started.
She was just grate
ful that no one else had gotten hurt, though she’d never forget the feeling of Carter lying on top of her, his body limp after he’d slammed into her as the flames licked at their skin.
The heat of it was a clear memory, so vivid she could almost feel it against her skin where the burns beneath her bandages lay. She had second-degree burns on her arm and a cut on her chin from flying debris.
It could have been so much worse.
“I can’t believe I almost lost you,” Dimitri whispered.
“I’m still here.” She swallowed hard. “But I don’t know how.”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Carter noticed that something was wrong at the last moment and pushed us both out of the way. What if he hadn’t noticed in time?”
“Don’t think about things like that,” Mace said quickly. “You can’t. If you do, you’ll go in circles and end up hurting yourself more.”
Mace squeezed Adrienne’s knee, and Thea knew he was thinking about the events that had led to her sister’s attack just a short time ago. So much pain, so much fear, and yet so little time had passed.
“Carter noticed something, but what?” She looked at the man she loved, biting her lip. “What if it wasn’t an accident with the oven, Dimitri? What if…what if it was on purpose?”
Mace and Adrienne cursed under their breaths while Dimitri just stared at her. She knew all four of them were thinking the same thing.
Molly couldn’t have done this. It had to be an accident.
And yet stranger things had happened.
Far stranger when it came to the Montgomerys.
Chapter 24
After Adrienne and Mace went off to check on Shea and see what they could do about their own building for the next day, Dimitri scooted closer to Thea’s bed, grateful the others had allowed them some privacy. He knew it wouldn’t last long since her parents and Shep made their rounds constantly, but he didn’t blame them.
His heart was still racing, and he felt like everything he’d thought he would finally be able to keep in his life was sliding through his fingers like sand.
The authorities had come and gone during the time he and Thea had sat next to one another, not speaking, just touching each other as if it would be the last time, as if it could be the last time. He’d listened and tried to make sense of what they were saying, but for now, everything was inconclusive, and it would be a while before anyone could go back into Colorado Icing. That meant they had to wait for answers.
Answers to the questions about who could have done this, and if it had, indeed, been done on purpose.
Jesus.
“I’m okay,” Thea whispered.
Dimitri blinked, then looked up at her, wanting to memorize her face all over again. He was afraid he’d lose her if he were away from her for too long. The agonizing wait in the waiting room while the doctors had been working on her had almost killed him. Same as the wait as he’d driven behind the ambulance. Adrienne had ridden with Thea because they were family. But, honestly, Dimitri wasn’t sure if he would have been sane enough to sit next to her and not growl or scream. No one had ridden with Carter as they’d needed the space, but Roxie and the rest of the crew had shown up soon after. Cousins and family from around the state wanted to come down, but so far, they were being held at bay until later. Too many Montgomerys in one place could be a bit much, even for him.
“I almost lost you today.” He held Thea’s hand, playing with her fingers as he tried to formulate his thoughts.
She turned her hand, palm up, and covered his fingers with her own. “I was so scared. So scared about Carter, everything I’ve worked for, and not seeing you again.” She gave him a shaky smile. “But they’re getting me my clothes, and I’m going to be released soon. So, I guess that’s something. We can wait to hear about Carter with the others. I don’t want Roxie to be alone.”
He looked up then, letting out a slow breath. “I love you so damn much, Thea Montgomery. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.” He stood up, leaned over her, and cupped her face. “I know it’s fast, I know everything in the world seems to be pushing us apart, but I don’t care. I love you. I don’t know when I fell, but I know it was soon after landing on you during Twister when we thought we could try to just be friends. Honestly, I probably started to fall when I saw you in the grocery store, afraid you were hurt but finding out you were just pissed off and in need of ice cream.”
She searched his face, and he leaned down, brushing his lips along hers.
“I love you, Thea. I know you might need more time, and I get that. I’ll wait. I’ll always wait for you. But I can’t go another moment wondering if I could lose you again without you knowing how I feel.”
She reached between them, putting her bandaged hand over his lips. “I love you, too.”
He swore his chest was too small for his heart just then. He kissed her fingers, and she lowered her hand. “Say it again.”
She smiled, tears filling her eyes. “I love you, Dimitri. I should have said it before this, you know, but I thought it was too soon, as well.”
“Nothing’s too soon. Not for us.” He kissed her again, careful of the cut on her chin. She was numb now, but he knew it would hurt her soon. “I’m just sorry I waited until we were in the hospital and you were hurt. I wanted to tell you last night, I thought I could finally say the words, but it didn’t feel right. Not with how we just wanted to be.”
Thea’s uninjured hand came up to his face, cupping his cheek. “I get it. And this moment, right here? I’m going to remember this feeling. Yes, I’m going to remember everything else that happened today, but it’s not going to be all bad. There will be touches of light and warmth in the darkness, and I think that’s what I need.”
He kissed her softly, aware he needed to stop before someone walked in and found them in a compromising position.
“I love you. I’m never going to stop loving you. I thought my path was one thing, but it turns out it was just a curve for me to find you.”
She kissed the corner of his mouth. “Lots of curves and twists for us. And with everything else up in the air, I have a feeling we’re not through with them yet.”
As if on cue, his phone rang, and he closed his eyes, letting out a curse. “That’s Molly’s ring.”
Her face paled. “I know. You should answer. It could be about Captain.”
He looked down at the readout and shook his head. “We need to confront her together about what she’s done, but what if she did more than we think?”
Thea ran her hand over her head and winced since she’d done it with the bandaged one. “Answer anyway. Because there’s just no way Molly had anything to do with the explosion. I mean, that would make her insane.”
Dimitri gave her a look that spoke volumes, but since he didn’t believe Molly knew how to tamper with an oven or would actually do that, he hoped it was all just an accident, and his mind was playing tricks on him.
He answered the phone on the last ring, wishing he’d just let it go to voicemail. “Molly. I’m a little busy right now. What’s wrong?”
He knew something was actually wrong from the first sound of her voice. “Oh my God, Dimitri. It’s Captain. I can’t find him anywhere. I left the door open when I was coming in, and it’s so cold out. Oh my God. What if it snows? I can’t find him, Dimitri. Captain’s gone! Can you come home? Can you come find our boy? Oh God. Captain!”
Molly started wailing, and Dimitri was instantly up, his hand shaking as he tried to force his breathing to slow down.
Shep walked in at that moment, frowning at them, and Dimitri figured his phone’s volume was up high enough that both the other man and Thea had heard Molly’s words.
“Shit. Molly. Calm down. I’m on my way.” She cried some more, and he hung up. “I’m sorry, Thea. I need to go.”
She was already trying to get out of bed, but Shep put his hands on her shoulders, stopping her. “I’m coming, too. They’re signing m
e out, and I don’t want you to have to go over there yourself. Plus, I love that dog. Captain’s your baby.”
He kissed her softly, ignoring Shep’s warning look. Yeah, Shep’s baby sister had gotten hurt, and he was being overprotective, so Dimitri would let it slide this once. Considering he’d be tearing down the walls if Amelia got hurt, he understood. It was all caveman and would annoy Thea to no end, but he got it. He just wouldn’t say anything about it.
“You need to stay here. Let me find Captain, and you can get signed out. If for some horrible reason I can’t find him by the time you’re cleared, then—and only if you’re rested—you can come.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You can’t actually tell me what to do, Dimitri. It doesn’t matter if I love you, you don’t get to order me around.”
“I know, baby. But I need you safe when I go look for him.”
Shep cleared his throat. “Thea, stay with me for a bit. Let’s get you signed out and dressed. By the time you’re all ready to go, Dimitri will probably have found Captain. You know how dogs are, they come right when you call them if they’re in love with you like that dog is with Dimitri.”
Dimitri kissed her again. “I’ll see you soon. I just need…” He let out a breath. “I need to make sure Captain is okay. And with how things are with Molly, I just don’t know anymore.”
“Go. I’ll be right behind you.”
He nodded, kissed her again, then headed out of the room after lifting his chin at Shep. He didn’t have time to stop by the other Montgomerys and check in with Roxie and the others, but he knew Thea would update him. He wouldn’t be surprised if she were already getting dressed, tapping her foot as she waited to get checked out so she could follow him.
On that thought, he was glad she didn’t have her car and Shep would have to drive her out if she wanted to come. She’d almost been fucking blown up for God’s sake.
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