His Brother's Fiancée

by Vivian Wood

  “It’s not just that,” Cade said.

  There was something about the firehouse that he guessed would always be familiar. It was the same scents he grew up with, that certain cleaning solution that had wormed its way into his hippocampus. The same wooden benches worn smooth after decades of use. But it seemed smaller now. The ceilings felt lower.

  Is this just how it works? he wondered.

  When he’d been a kid in the foster care system, he’d lucked out when he befriended Elijah. Cade just didn’t know how lucky he’d been at the time. Elijah’s whole family had accepted him as one of their own.

  One of his few good memories as a child was stopping by the firehouse after school. Elijah’s dad hadn’t been the fire Captain then, but he was clearly one of the most respected men on the crew. It was the closest thing to a father figure Cade had ever known.

  “How’s, uh, how’s Crane as Captain?” he asked.

  “Eldon?” Elijah gave a short laugh. “You’ll see. He’s an old fucker, that’s for sure. Like in his sixties! But doesn’t look or act it. Come on, I’ll show you your locker.”

  Cade followed Elijah to the back and tried to hold it together. Being back in that firehouse made him feel like a kid again. He didn’t know why. After all, he’d been a recruit here with Elijah right after high school. But those weren’t the memories that were seared into his head.

  It was the countless hours hanging out here as kids that he remembered. He could still recall all the stories the old crew told. The valiant rescues and the brave measures they took to keep people safe.

  There were certainly remnants of those long-ago years, but there were also some major changes.

  “Look weird?” Aiden asked from behind him.

  Cade nearly jumped.

  “Yeah,” he agreed.

  “Dad had remodeled the whole place six months before … well, you know.”

  “Remodeled it?” Cade asked. He slung his bag onto one of the benches as Elijah opened a locker with a flourish. “How’d he get that kind of funding?”

  “Dad had been badgering the state for years for a facelift,” Elijah said. “Then, of course, when some idiot kid goes and lights the whole Columbia on fire, even more emergency funds came rolling in.”

  “Damn,” Cade said. “Looks good. But it’s just, you know, different. Where’s the rest of the crew?”

  “Special training in back,” Aiden said.

  “Yeah? Then why aren’t you guys there?”

  “We had it last week, jackass. We were just picking up sustenance for these guys. Before you randomly popped up at the bakery, that is” Elijah said. “Oh, shit, the pastries! You think they’ll care if they don’t get dessert?”

  Aiden shrugged. “I think one of the guys brought in doughnuts this morning,” Aiden said.

  “Yeah, but you know how they get about Lily’s desserts…”

  A loud bark rang through the firehouse. Cade braced himself as a massive dalmation barreled towards them. The dog immediately buried its nose in his crotch as it checked him out. Elijah laughed.

  “That’s Sparky Number Six,” Aiden said. “Or, you know, just Six.”

  Cade held out his hand for the dog to inspect. “You all get Stranger Things questions from civilians now, naming the fire dogs like that?”

  “Sometimes,” Elijah said with a shrug.

  “So, Five, she …”

  “Last year,” Aiden said.

  There was a quiver to his voice. They weren’t supposed to get attached to the dogs, but Aiden had always had a particularly rough time with that rule.

  “Well, let’s get this over with,” Elijah said with a sigh. “C’mon, let’s go meet up with the Captain.”

  As the three of them headed down the hall with its new, crisp white coat of paint, the alarms started to go off. Cade felt the jolt of excitement sizzle through him. Even after all these years in a firehouse, there was something about that alarm that always reminded him of why he did this.

  They started to move faster as an unfamiliar voice crackled over the intercom. Captain Crane calmly announced the address, turnout time, and apparatus for the call. Cade could hear the crew as they flew into the firehouse and the truck rumbled to life.

  Elijah and Aiden were instantly in rescue mode.

  “What a way to start a shift,” Aiden said.

  “We’ll pick this up when we get back,” Elijah called to Cade. “Damn, Commercial Street,” he said to Aiden.

  Cade smiled as their backs retreated.

  Change or no change, coming back here is like coming home, he thought.

  He nodded at some of the crew that charged past him. A wave of emotion washed over him, and he felt wet pricks at his eyes. Cade blinked away the tears, grateful that the call meant nobody would pay him much attention.

  It was stupid, getting emotional over the station, but he couldn’t help it. Ever since the Montana fires had taken three of his crew right in front of him …

  Cade wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

  “Can I help you?” The deep voice startled him, and Cade looked up at the grizzly new Captain. The man had blue eyes that pierced straight through him.

  “Captain Crane, hello, sir,” he said. “I’m Cade—”

  “I know who you are.”

  Cade took in the older man, grayed but in peak physical condition. The Captain offered a small but kind smile that wrinkled his eyes and softened his face. “Come on back, we have some paperwork to take care of.”

  Cade settled into the straightback metal chair across from the rich wooden desk.

  “I’ll need you to affirm a few details about your company in Montana,” Captain Crane said.

  “Sure, I—”

  “It’s where three crew members died, correct?” the Captain interrupted.

  Cade nodded, a lump in his throat.

  “I’m real sorry about that. It’s a terrible thing. I’ve lost some good men in my twenty years of service,” the Captain said as he made some marks on a thick stack of papers.

  Cade nodded again.

  The Captain pursed his lips and glanced up. “Don’t take this personally, but you’ll need to get checked out by the company psychologist.”

  “What?”

  “Since I’ve taken over here, every man and woman on this crew is my responsibility. To ensure that everyone is capable of doing their best, I’ve brought in Dr. Hersh. Sometimes it’s just good to talk to someone when you’ve seen some of the stuff we see every day.”

  “So I’m going to see a shrink instead of fighting fires?” Cade could hear the judgment in his voice, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Hey. Take it easy,” the Captain said.

  Cade clamped his mouth shut.

  Don’t give him a goddamned reason to send you to the psyche ward, he admonished himself.

  “It’s my understanding that you haven’t been on active duty since some of your crew died. I just want you to talk to Dr. Hersh tomorrow before you go rushing into a blaze, that’s all.”

  Cade glowered, but stayed quiet. His crew had died, with him watching, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  But I’m sure as hell not going to let it happen again.

  The Captain handed him a ream of paperwork. “Why don’t you get started with this today?”

  “Yes, Captain,” he said, and stood up.

  “Close the door on your way out,” the Captain called to Cade’s back.

  Cade stalked towards the break room. A dark cloud hung over his head.

  3

  Lily

  Lily pushed her cart through the Milk and Honey grocery store and smiled at the staff. She’d gone to high school with some of them, and even though they’d barely spoken as teenagers there was the small town demand to be polite.

  As Lily made her way to the produce section, she began to load up on veggies. Jean-Michel was right. She needed to be better with her diet.

  But this low carb, high veggie kick she�
��d been on wasn’t easy. Lily had almost been tempted to forget the whole thing, especially since Jean-Michel had helped her with her croquembouches last night, but her horoscope had kept her in check.

  Libra, it’s time to work on things of a personal nature, she’d read on her favorite horoscope app as soon as she parked in the grocery store lot. You’ll have a strange encounter, but the outcome will be great.

  She’d sighed.

  “October twelfth, smack in the middle of the Libra dates,” she’d said aloud. “Come on, Lily, you can do this. It’s just carbs, you’re not giving up oxygen.”

  If she was going to work on something of a personal nature, why not make it her diet? Of course the outcome would be great. This diet would fulfill two horoscope messages in one.

  Carbs were one thing. But her caffeine addiction? There’s no way she was giving that up.

  Besides, doesn’t that help with weight loss? She made a beeline for the coffee section, and as she turned the corner she nearly ran right into a mountain of a man.

  “Whoa,” he said as he held the small hand basket aside.

  Shit. Of course I’d run into Cade.

  “Uh …” Lily searched for her words as she looked him up and down. Her face was inches from his muscled chest, and she could smell the musky scent of his cologne. It was intoxicating.

  God, I hope I’m not drooling. Wait, is this what my horoscope meant when it meant things of a personal nature, strange encounters—and a great outcome?

  Just seeing Cade made her stomach do gymnastics. She should know, better than anyone, that messing with Cade meant she’d get burned. How many girls had she watched him hump and dump over the years?

  He had a real reputation around Salem before he left for California. Some girls still talked about him as they bemoaned why they couldn’t be the one to make him change.

  And with how he looks now, I’m sure he’ll be on a whole new streak by tomorrow.

  Lily forced herself to stop staring at him.

  “Hi,” Cade said. A corner of his mouth hitched up.

  Does he know what I’m thinking? Lily turned bright read.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  God, you sound like an idiot. But once she started apologizing, she couldn’t stop. At least it gave her something to say.

  Cade laughed.

  “I’ll let it slide this time,” he said.

  “I was just trying to get to the coffee,” she said awkwardly.

  “I’ll walk with you, if that’s okay.”

  “Uh, sure?” she said. She was so nervous, she had started to sweat.

  Real attractive, Lily.

  As they walked down the narrow aisle side by side, she couldn’t stop the images of when they’d been together from replaying through her head. It was like she could feel his lips on her again, nipping at her ears.

  And how he’d felt when he’d eased her onto his cock. Just the memory instantly made her wet—and even more embarrassed.

  Lily couldn’t be completely certain why she was so nervous.

  Except maybe that he’s freaking gorgeous. The very definition of a bad boy. Not to mention my brother’s best friend, she reminded herself.

  Okay, so there were plenty of reasons to be nervous. And plenty of reasons to not talk to him, to let this crush go once and for all.

  And yet here you are in the grocery store with him, she thought.

  As they made their way towards the coffee aisle, she noticed every woman in the store checked him out. It didn’t matter if they were teenaged girls or middle-aged women in yoga pants.

  They think I’m with him, she thought. She nearly gloated. Did it matter that it wasn’t true?

  Lily searched for something to say, anything to talk about, but her mind was blank. All she could think about was how good he’d made her feel.

  “You look really good,” Cade said.

  “Sorry?” she squeaked.

  She wished she could just disappear. That the floor would open up and swallow her whole. For a second, she willed it to happen.

  How would that be for a strange encounter?

  “So, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?” she asked, a desperate attempt to change the subject.

  Of course, when “the last time” came out of her mouth, she blushed even deeper. It had been three years since she’d seen Cade, five years since he had up and vanished.

  One minute she’d been falling asleep next to him after he took her v-card, the next she had woken up to a cold, empty bed.

  She bit her lip and tried to focus on his answer.

  “Just been in Montana. Fighting fires and taking care of my Aunt Mary.”

  “How is your aunt?” she asked, eager to be on safe territory.

  Cade’s face fell. “She passed away almost a year ago.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry…”

  Lily instinctively reached and touched his arm. She nearly yanked it back as an electric current flowed between them. When his eyes met hers, her mind went blank.

  Even in the bright lights of the supermarket, it felt like it was just the two of them. And the connection between them was palpable.

  Lily licked her lips and felt her body inch towards him. She couldn’t help herself. But the connection was broken when two teenaged boys ran down the aisle towards them. As one of them jolted her cart, the kid sneered at her.

  “Excuse you,” he said while his friend laughed.

  She sensed a shift in Cade. He cracked his knuckles and turned lightning fast on the boys.

  “Hey!” he called. Something in his voice made them stop. “Get back here and apologize.”

  “Cade, stop,” she hissed under her breath. “It’s not a big deal—”

  “It is,” he said.

  Why was he so riled up over something that most people would just roll their eyes at? Her heart started to pound in her chest.

  “Are you for real?” the boy asked who bumped her cart. That teenage confidence he’d displayed was gone, replaced with a touch of fear.

  “Apologize now,” Cade said.

  “Sorry,” the kid mumbled.

  “It’s fine—” Lily started.

  “Like you mean it,” Cade interrupted.

  “I’m sorry! Okay? Can we go now?” the kid asked. He looked around for help, but there was nobody.

  “Can you go?” Cade repeated. “No, you can’t go. You think you can just do whatever the hell you want and there won’t be consequences?”

  “It was an accident, dude,” the other kid said. He tilted his pointy chin upwards, an attempt to look more grown-up.

  “It wasn’t an accident,” Cade said. “You think that would have happened if you weren’t running around the place like a couple of kindergartners? Is that how you think men act?”

  “We were just in a hurry,” the kid who bumped into her said.

  “And where the hell do you have to be that’s so important? Shouldn’t you be in school, anyway?”

  The boys looked at each other and shuffled their feet side to side.

  “What are you even getting here?” Cade asked.

  “Nothing,” one of the kids started to say, but his friend shot him a look.

  “What is it?” Cade asked.

  The quieter one sheepishly held up a half-dozen box of free-range eggs.

  “Eggs?” Cade asked. “You two think you’re Rocky or something?”

  “Who?” the kid with the eggs asked.

  “Nevermind. Just go buy your eggs and get lost.”

  “So we can go?” one of them asked, uncertain. He looked longingly towards the front of the store.

  “Yeah, sure,” Cade said. “Just don’t be a little shit again, alright?”

  “Yes, sir,” the kid said, without a hint of sarcasm. “We just… we just want our eggs.”

  What was that all about? Lily wondered. Sure, the kids had been jerks, but that’s what kids do.

  But before
Lily could say anything, Aiden appeared around the corner.

  “Hey!” he said. “There you are. And you found Lily, too.”

  “We didn’t come here together,” Lily said quickly.

  Aiden gave her a strange look. “I didn’t think you did. But I saw both your cars outside.”

  “Oh. Right,” she said. “Our cars. Yeah.”

  “So… what’s going on?” Aiden asked.

  “What do you mean?” Lily said, defensive. “We’re just shopping, I wanted coffee—”

  “Whoa, calm down,” Aiden said. “I mean, it just seems like something weird’s going on. There’s some kind of, I don’t know, energy in the air.”

  “What, are you psychic now?” Lily asked. “We were just shopping.”

  “Yeah, you said that,” Aiden replied.

  He looked from one of them to the other. Lily racked her brain for something to say.

  Could Aiden tell? Maybe it was written all over her face. Maybe he and Elijah had always known she’d harbored a crush for Cade.

  “Just some little jackass running wild through the store,” Cade said. “Seriously, were we that wild when we were teenagers? What the hell are they doing in some boutique market, anyway?”

  “Probably picking up some bougie asparagus water or something,” Aiden said. “Seriously, kids these days don’t eat tater tots and crap like we used to. It’s all artisanal this and organic that.”

  “Yeah, well. I don’t think it’s doing their attitude any good,” Cade said. “Hey, man, I need to head out, but we’ll catch up soon, alright?”

  “Sounds good. See you at the station,” Aiden said.

  “Vegetables?” he asked as he examined Lily’s cart.

  She watched Cade’s broad back retreat.

  Yeah, I know exactly what that “weird energy” is, and it has nothing to do with those kids, she thought.

  It was attraction, mixed with a little self-loathing.

  If Elijah ever found out that his little sister was obsessed with his best friend, he’d flip out. She had no doubts about that. Aiden might not be too upset.

  Would he be upset? He’d never had the same degree of protectiveness over her that Elijah did. But ever since their dad had died, both of them had upped their guard over her a little more.