Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4)

by Toye Lawson Brown

  Megan’s bottom lip quivered. “This is a new record. You’ve been in the house two minutes, and the gloves are off. You must have missed this over at Jon’s house.”

  Ryan sat on the couch. “I’ll admit it is peaceful over there. They don’t argue like we do. You need to grow up and stop letting it always be about you for a change.”

  “Really, Ryan! It’s always about you and what you want. My input doesn’t mean a damn thing. I’m just supposed to take it and keep my mouth shut in the process.”

  “In this case, yes, you should! I was not going back to that school and be ridiculed. I have my fucking pride. As my wife, you should understand that and support me. But you don’t! Instead, you’re trying to make me feel guilty for taking a negative situation and turning it into a positive one.”

  Frustrated, Megan balled her fists at her side. “Your pride remained intact, Ryan. As for your new positive, I hate it. Don’t get me wrong, I respect firefighters, but it is a dangerous job. I can’t be like Gabby and not worry about you. So, no, I can’t get on board with your new career because it scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to get that call telling me I’m a widow.”

  Ryan stood up and faced her. “It seems we are at a standstill. I love you, but I also love my job. It’s unfair you want me to choose which is more important to me. Marriage is supposed to be about compromising, Megan. We talk it out and make decisions together based on what is best for the both of us.”

  “In a typical marriage that’s how it works. However, you didn’t do any of that with me. I didn’t think you were serious until you informed me you were accepted at the fire department.”

  Ryan rubbed his chin and looked at her with a steely glare. “Well, I guess it’s over because I’m not quitting.”

  Megan nodded her head. “My mother was right when she said you only needed me to get you through the trial. I told her she was wrong and that you appreciated everything I sacrificed for you because you love me.”

  Ryan cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes. “I do love you, Megan. I appreciate everything you did for me during the trial and before that.”

  “Good because my sacrifices cost me a lot.”

  “What are you talking about? What price did you pay that I’m not aware of?”

  Slowly, she shook her head. “Nothing. I have to go. I’m supposed to meet the girls in twenty minutes.” He reached for her, and she twisted away from his reach. “I’m done talking to you about this. This is your house, and you have every right to stay here so I won’t ask you to leave again. I’ll be by to get my things tomorrow and move in with my parents until I can afford a place of my own.”

  “Megan, don’t walk out that door, please,” Ryan pleaded.

  Megan took her purse off the coat hook and hurried out of the house. The warm night air made it hard for her to breathe. She fumbled for the car keys in her purse; her tears fell harder. Unlocking the car door, she got in and backed from the garage. She looked up and saw Ryan standing in the doorway, his broad shoulders slumped. Straightening the car, she pressed on the accelerator and drove away.

  Twenty minutes later Megan drove down the tree-lined street she grew up on. As she got closer to the Colonial brick house with its immaculate lawns and neatly trimmed shrubs, she saw an expensive red sports car parked in the driveway. She knew her father was out of town on business and Connor wasn’t expected to come home for a visit until Thanksgiving.

  I wonder who Mom is entertaining. She pressed on the brake bringing the car to a stop across the street from the house. Maybe it was a mistake to come here, she thought. Blowing off girls’ night to cry on her mother’s shoulder about her impending divorce would only add salt to her wounds. Iona was not a fan of Ryan’s, and it didn’t matter that he treated her daughter like a queen, Iona still found him unsuitable for her daughter.

  Megan lowered the visor to look in the mirror. The dark circles under her eyes and smeared makeup would be a sure indicator to Iona that she’d been crying. Opening her purse she removed a compact to fix her makeup. She added extra concealer under her eyes and touched up her lips with gloss. Fingering the curls of her hair she closed the visor and got out of the car. She wanted to look presentable before entering the house and facing whatever company Iona had.

  Walking up the front walkway, Megan smelled the aroma of grilled food hanging in the air. Her stomach growled as she inhaled. She had eaten a light breakfast but skipped lunch. She and Gabrielle were busy, and it didn’t ease up until the end of the day. She rubbed her stomach to calm the grumbling. Her dad was the grill master while her mom did the side dishes and decorated the deck for the party’s occasion.

  James Jones was a quiet man that operated a successful corporate consultant business. He graduated from Ohio State with an MBA and started his consultant business with one other partner in a converted storefront. Iona came to work for them as a temporary secretary. In a few years, the office space for Jones Consultants took up three floors in TowerCity and had over 100 employees on the payroll and Iona had become his wife. He decided to expand his business and opened a smaller office in Miami, Florida. Connor, who also earned an MBA, operates that office.

  The Jones’ children were encouraged early in age to do great things with their lives. Although, Iona quit working to be a stay-at-home mom, she was very involved in their school and any outside activities. She was a Den Mother for Megan’s Girl’s Scout troop and a soccer mom for Connor’s soccer team. Iona James was a known face in the community, and everyone loved her, including Emin Grigorian, who was sort of like a boyfriend.

  Megan pushed open the tall wooden fence that led to the backyard. The yard was aglow from the tiny white lights that outlined the deck. The music was low enough so it wouldn’t disturb the neighbors. The light smoke coming from the built-in barbecue pit smelled of grilled steak and vegetables. The standard fare when her father grilled.

  She walked up on the deck; there was no one around. As she reached to open the screen door, a burst of laughter came from inside the house. Megan frowned. I’m glad someone is having a good time.

  She stepped into the kitchen, and her mother spotted her. With outstretched hands, she motioned for her. “Megan! What a surprise to see you.”

  “Hi, Mom,” Megan said hugging her mother. At 52-years of age, Iona Jones maintained a slim figure and looked much younger than her actual age. She colored her sandy brown hair but other than that she was an attractive woman that appeared ageless. While Connor favored Iona, Megan favored her father who had the same light brown eyes and the same texture of hair.

  Iona took a step back to examine her daughter. “My goodness, Megan; you’ve lost more weight. When are you going to stop letting that man worry you to death?”

  “Mom, please. You have company, and I don’t want my dirty laundry exposed to whoever is here. I saw the grill was going; is there enough food for me to make a plate?”

  Iona smiled. “There is always plenty of food. Go see who is in the living room. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and I’ll make you a plate.”

  Megan groaned. She wasn’t in the mood for surprises but since she was crashing her mother’s party it only seemed fitting she’d be the one to greet the guests. “Okay, but make me a small portion. Oh, is it okay if I stay here tonight?”

  “What happened, Megan? Did Ryan kick you out of the house? I’ll call your father.”

  “No, he did not kick me out of the house, I left. We’ll talk after your company is gone.”

  Iona snarled. “I can’t stand that man. Sweetheart, this will always be your home. You can stay here for as long as you want.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Stalling, Megan caught the smirk on Iona’s face before she turned around to tend to the food on the stove. She decided to let it go. Her mother would undoubtedly give her more unwanted advice about Ryan once the visitors were gone. Walking through the short hallway that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house, Megan en
tered the living room and stopped dead in her tracks. The reason for the underlying smirk on Iona’s face hit home. A blast from her past sat comfortably on the couch with wide eyes of surprise. Apparently, he was not expecting to see her tonight.

  Their eyes had met before any words were spoken. Megan hadn’t stared into those piercing dark eyes in years. The last she had seen Emin Grigorian was the night she broke it off with him. Emin had fallen in love and was looking to make her his wife before he left for law school in New York. She cared about Emin and enjoyed his company, but she was not in love him. Even though they dated, they had never been intimate. She also knew she would never be accepted by his Armenian parents. Emin was born in America, but his parents were deeply rooted in their culture and expected him to marry an Armenia woman.

  Emin argued that his parents adored her and were not opposed to them getting married, but Megan felt their disappointment in her whenever she was around them. Between Emin’s clinginess and Iona pushing her to be with him, Ryan was the breath of fresh air she needed. He gave her the strength to tell Emin it was best they go their separate ways.

  On the night Megan decided to break the news to Emin. She was stunned when he proposed with a ring that had a diamond the size of a marble and sparkled as bright as the highest star in a night sky. It was breathtaking. It hurt her to say no, and his dark eyes expressed a pain that touched her soul.

  Several years later, here she is face to face with him again, and in the same speechless situation. She was sure her mother had filled in the absent years since they’d last seen each other. She didn’t doubt Emin knew all about her troubled marriage to Ryan.

  She swallowed and hitched her chin up. “Emin, it’s good to see you? You look great.”

  Emin was always a perfect gentleman. He opened doors, held out chairs and helped her with her coat whenever they went out together. She didn’t expect any less of him when he got up from the couch and greeted her with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

  Megan gave him the once over. The years had been decent to him. His thick hair had not thinned, and his smile was just as bright as ever. He wasn’t a very tall man. His height put him a few inches over her, and he had lost the extra weight he carried around his mid-section. The expensive black Italian leather shoes, silk shirt, and dark trousers were tailored to fit his new masculine body. He wasn’t nearly as muscular as Ryan, but not the pudgy man he was before either. The new image he’d made for himself was a vast improvement.

  He finally spoke. “Wow, Megan. How is it possible for you to be more beautiful than I remember?”

  Her cheeks heated as his eyes roamed over her. She smiled and said, “Stop it, Emin; I look a mess.”

  “You could be covered in dirt and still be beautiful to me. Iona didn’t mention you would be stopping by tonight. I’m glad I didn’t cancel when she offered me the dinner invitation last week,” he said as a glint of light from the lamp sparkled in the corner of his eye.

  Megan froze from the shudder running down her spine. Why had her mother contacted him? The urge to confront her mother increased as the scenarios ran through her head. It made sense; Iona had run her mouth like she often does. He’s an attorney and Iona’s obsession with kicking Ryan out of the family was evident to everyone. She wouldn’t hesitate to pull a stunt like this and justify herself in doing it.

  Megan blinked to clear her head. “My mother contacted you? I didn’t know you were still in Cleveland. I figured you stayed in New York after law school. That was your dream.”

  Emin shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. “After you broke my heart, I did decide to live in New York. I’m here visiting my parents before they travel to Armenia for the next six months.”

  “That’s great,” she said tucking strands of curls behind her ear. Even when he was chubby, his go-lucky personality attracted people to him. She wondered what his love life was like now that he had dropped the weight and was quite good-looking.

  “I’m not going to pretend with you, Megan. We’ve known each other for years, and it’s no secret I wanted more with you. My dream was for us to get married, and I would give you anything and everything you could want.”

  Megan lowered her head to look at the floor. The wood flooring had never been updated or replaced after years of polishing and deep cleaning. She could identify what every off-colored stain, scratch, and notches were that she and Connor made on the floor when they were kids. Her father was a stickler to the rule if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. He only replaced or upgraded fixtures in the house that were unable to be repaired.

  “I assume my mother has talked to you about my marriage.”

  He nodded slowly. “Yes, she mentioned there are problems in your marriage.”

  Megan turned her back to Emin and sighed loudly. “I wish she had not done that. If I wanted people to know about my private life, I would tell them myself.”

  “She’s worried about you, Megan. She thought I could help somehow.”

  She closed her eyes to count and slow her anger. “I bet she did. She hoped by spilling my troubled marriage to my ex-boyfriend, who is also an attorney, would get me to file for a divorce. I’m not ready to file for a divorce just yet.”

  “Megan, I’m not offering you any legal advice. I’m here to help you through this. If you decide you want to pursue a divorce, I promise you’ll get whatever you need from him to get back on your feet. If you want the house…you name it, and I’ll get you whatever he has.”

  She turned around to face him hoping the anger in her eyes didn’t reflect how mad she was at the moment. “Thanks but I’m not out to bankrupt Ryan. I love him, and there is still hope we can save our marriage.”

  “According to Iona, this guy is a total jerk and won’t even return your phone calls. Megan, don’t let him drag you to hell because you don’t want to face a failed marriage.”

  Megan rolled her eyes upward. “Oh no, she is not going to get away with playing you. Emin, Mom, has never accepted Ryan as my husband. She has you here under false pretenses. She hopes to rekindle some old feelings between us that will force me to see what I gave up to marry Ryan.”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “How is that possible when I had no idea you were coming tonight? You’re very stressed, Megan. I see it in your eyes. Look, if you need to get away to relax, I have a place in SoHo that is available whenever you want to use it. You can come for a weekend or stay a week or more. We’ll take in the sights of New York and get reacquainted with each other.”

  “Do you live in this apartment in SoHo?” Megan asked cutting off Emin before he could finish.

  “Yes. I go to the Hamptons when I need to get away from the grind of work to unwind and relax. You loved it there, remember?”

  She walked around him to sit down in a chair. She got a nose full of his expensive cologne. Emin was extremely wealthy, and that’s what Iona wanted her to marry—a wealthy man. He didn’t have to be a good man, just rich and connected in the community. “I remember the house in the Hamptons. The cherry blossoms trees were gorgeous. Are they still there?”

  “Yes. I know the house isn’t being used by anyone in the family at the moment. How soon can you clear your schedule for a quick getaway?”

  “Megan makes her own schedule for now, don’t you sweetheart?” Iona interrupted the two-way conversation as she entered the room carrying a tray with food and placing it in front of Megan.

  Megan cringed. If she did want to get away from Cleveland for a short while, it wouldn’t be with Emin. “Mom, have you forgotten that I’m a married woman?”

  “That disaster of a marriage is as good as over, Megan. Emin is offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity and New York is beautiful in the summer. The city is full of excitement and adventure. I’m sure he’ll be the perfect host to show you a good time and take your mind off your problems. You should think about it before snubbing your nose at the idea.”

  Iona was dictating again how she should run her life. Instinctiv
ely, she wanted to rebel. Megan released a frustrated breath. Emin’s gaze was as immovable and inflexible as Iona’s. They were teaming her, but she did have choices other than to sit and take it. She could go home—only Ryan was there. They would be alone together for the whole night. She loved when early in the marriage they would curl on the couch and watch a movie or just talk. It could be that way again if she would concede and be the happy wife she was before the fire department came into Ryan’s life.

  Megan looked at the plate of food on the table and her stomach knotted. She’d rather sit with Ryan in total silence than to sit with Iona and Emin and listen to them berate her husband or belittle her for marrying him. “I have to go.” She raced from the house and was in her car not looking over her shoulder to see if Iona or Emin had followed her. The tires of the gray Chevy Impala squealed as she pulled away from the curb and tore down the street.

  Chapter Four

  Ryan stuck his head out of the shower door and listened…it was the telephone ringing. Turning off the water, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He picked up the extension in the bedroom. “Hello?”

  “Ryan?”

  “Yeah. Who is this?” he asked, wiping away the water that had dripped in his eyes from his wet hair.

  “It’s me, Gabby. Is Megan with you?”

  He cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he removed the towel to dry himself off. “No, she left over an hour ago to meet you and Pam. She isn’t there yet?”

  “No, and she isn’t answering her cell phone. We’ve been waiting for her to show up. Was she planning on making any other stops?”

  Ryan let the towel fall to the floor and fought to keep his voice from showing concern. “Gabby, she doesn’t tell me what she’s doing anymore.”

  “Okay, I’ll keep trying to reach her.”

  Ryan hung up the telephone and panic quickened his heartbeat as he hurried to dress. It was apparent that Megan was upset when she left. He should’ve stopped her from leaving even if it would have meant holding her against her will. He tied the laces of his tennis shoes and took his wallet and keys off the dresser.