Into the Fire

by T A. McKay

  “I can honestly say for the first time in a very long time, I’m happy, and I’m working towards making myself really fucking ecstatic. The story is very simple, my job is gone, and Judi is gone. I will be coming home as soon as I can get my house sold, so you’re going to have to put up with me from now on. But that means I need a job, can you help?” Rocco sits with a straight face, but I know he’s trying to hide the smile that wants to break through. I knew he would be happy I'm coming back, he was the one who took it the worst when I left. We’d spent so much of our childhood being best friends, not just brothers, and I think we thought we would always be that way. When I graduated from college and word got out about me and it wasn’t long until I was getting job offers from big companies. I have a gift with numbers, it led to being head hunted into some of the big banking companies. The job with Tate, Callum and Rose was like a dream come true for a new graduate, so there was no way that I could say no. The move to London felt like a huge step, I would need to leave my family and friends behind but it was one I wanted to make. I wish I knew then everything I know now.

  “Welcome to the RM Custom Designs family, big brother.” He reaches over the table and we shake hands, and just like that, I feel like my life has just improved even more.

  Sitting looking out the window in Madison’s living room, I take a drink of the cup of coffee I'm holding. I think about everything that has changed the last few days, everything that I’ve lost in my life. I feel like I'm starting over again, like I’m a teenager with my whole life in front me. The feeling should be scary, but I can’t wait to start this new challenge, surrounded by the people who I love.

  After Rocco left I called my solicitor and told them to get my house on the market today. I would be returning to pack up everything that’s left, even though I’ve a feeling there won’t be much after Judi takes what she wants. This is the only visit I want to make back to London. I want every signed and packed so I don’t have to go back for anything, my life is here now.

  I look up when I hear a yawn and footsteps from the hall. Madison enters, rubbing her eyes.

  “What time is it?” She asks in a sleep-roughened voice. I look at the watch on my wrist.

  “Good afternoon, Angel. It’s just gone two o’clock. Did you sleep well?” I can’t help but look her over. Her face is bruised from the night before and she has red creases from where she’s been sleeping, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She groans before walking over and taking a seat on my lap, curling into my chest.

  “I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.” I wrap my arm around her back and kiss her head. She feels so good in my arms, she always has. I breathe in her scent, letting it surround my heart, the heart that she already fills. I want this woman to be mine, no actually I need this woman to be mine. Now that I’ve nothing standing in my way I’m going to make her just that.

  “Nope, not a bus, just a really large guy.” I feel her laughing, her body moving against mine. She sits up a little and takes the cup from my hand, drinking the hot coffee. She sighs as she rests back against my chest, handing me back the cup.

  “I'm sorry you had to come here because of this. I'm sure Judi isn’t happy with me just now. I honestly didn’t think she was going to let me speak to you. I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t, but I'm sorry if I'm causing you trouble.” I kiss the top of her head again, making the most of being able to touch her openly without the feeling that I’m doing something wrong. I need to let her know she has nothing to worry about. I wasn’t going to do this until she was feeling better but I don’t want her worrying when she should be just relaxing and getting better.

  “You don’t have to worry about Judi, Angel. That relationship is over.” She sits up quickly, turning in my lap so we are sitting face to face. She places both her hands on my cheeks, making sure I'm looking at her.

  “No, Noah. You can’t be over with Judi, I can’t have caused this. Call her and tell her you’ll come home straight away.” She really is cute when she panics. I find it funny that she’s telling me to go back to Judi when I know she hates her, she hates everything she stands for. If there were anyone out there that could be classed as the exact opposite of Judi then it would be Madison. I lean forward and kiss the tip of the nose.

  “I could go home, but I think it would be pointless since I told her to leave and put the house on the market this morning.” Her mouth drops open and she shakes her head.

  “Oh God, Noah. This can’t be happening. I'm so sorry I called you and caused this, just go home and make it right.” She tries to move off my lap, but I hold her tighter not letting her move.

  “Angel, stop worrying. This whole thing had nothing to do with you. I lost my job and then I realised that my whole life was a fucked up mess. I need to sort some things out and I won’t be able to do that in London. I need to do that here, surrounded by people that love me. And lets be honest, we both know that Judi never loved me, not the way she was meant to. I'm fine, actually I'm better than fine. This is the best thing that could have happened, I am finally taking control over my life. I have a new job lined up here, but I do have one little problem.” I kiss her on the nose again, showing her that I’m really fine about all this.

  “You have a job? Here? Already? How long was I asleep?” I laugh at the expression on her face, she looks shocked and I really don’t blame her. A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours, and most of it wasn’t planned.

  “You’re looking at the proud new partner of RM Custom designs, even though I'm gonna have to talk to them about changing the name. Maybe Noah’s garage. What do you think?” She’s still sitting there with a look of shock on her face and I can’t hold in my laughter anymore. She still hasn’t said anything so I continue talking.

  “So going back to that favour I need, I’m hoping that maybe you can help with this one. Since I have put my house up for sale, there is a chance that I may be homeless soon. You wouldn’t know anyone with a spare room I could rent for a little while do you?” I see a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, and I know she’s getting what I mean. I'm just hoping she offers likes I want her to.

  “You’re staying?” I nod my head, letting her take her time to get her head around everything I have told her. It’s a lot to deal with, especially after everything that has happened to her in the last twenty-four hours.

  “But you need somewhere to live, because you’re not going back to London?” I nod again, watching her smile growing bigger and her eyes start to sparkle with tears.

  “Well I’ll keep my ears open and let you know if I hear of any rooms for rent. You didn’t plan this well, you might have to stay in a hotel until you find something.” She tries to give me her most innocent look but it’s never worked on me, I know her far too well. I place the now empty coffee cup on the table next to me and turn quickly. My fingers diving under her arms, digging in and tickling like I know she hates. She wriggles in my lap, creating a friction on my dick that I try my hardest to ignore, but I know that nature is going to take over soon.

  “Noah, no. Stop it, I was just kidding.” I don’t stop tickling and she slips from my lap, landing with a soft bump onto the carpet. I follow her down to the ground, never stopping. I know it won’t be long before she is screaming at me that she is going to pee herself, but for now she is going to pay for being cheeky. She starts gasping, trying to talk but failing.

  “Noah … I'm … I'm … sorry! Take the … room. No rent. Just … please … stop.” I keep going, trying to make her suffer just a little more.

  “What was that, Angel? I didn’t quite catch what you were trying to say.” She screams, knowing I'm going to make her repeat everything. She turns her head, catching the bruised side of her face on the floor. The cry she gives out next is a very real one, showing the pain it just caused. I bundle her into my arms and hold her on my knee.

  “Angel, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot about your face.” I feel like shit as I si
t and hold her. How could I have forgotten what she had been through, the pain she was probably in the whole time I was tickling her? She pushes against my chest and looks up at me.

  “I'm fine, not totally broken yet.” She gives me a sweet smile but it doesn’t help me feel any better. Knowing that I’d caused her physical pain makes me sick to my stomach. She reaches her hand out and cups the side of my face, the feeling causing my eyes to close, and I lean into her hold.

  “Noah, I'm fine. Don’t get all weird on me. It only hurts when I lean on it. Right let’s talk about you moving in, and just so you know, I don’t want any of your boy crap lying about.” I open my eyes and smile at her. She always knows how to put me at ease. I just wish she knew how much she means to me, it would make what I'm about to do so much easier.

  Madison Leigh will be mine.

  Madison

  I stand under the shower, letting the hot water soothe away the pain from the day before. I rest my hands against the wall and drop my head, allowing the water to massage the back of my neck. I don’t think a shower has ever felt as good as this one.

  I let my mind drift, thinking about everything that’s happened since I woke up. I can’t believe that he finally left Judi. I tried to get him to make it right, to go back and be with her, but my heart wasn’t in it. I have never wanted Noah with that bitch, she’s nowhere near good enough for him. I just didn’t want to be the reason he left her, thinking that maybe one day he would hold it against me. When he told me though my heart started racing, thinking that maybe I would get another chance to be with him, to make him mine. Even the thought brought a smile to my lips, and thinking about him moving in here, seeing him everyday makes me want to giggle like a love struck schoolgirl. Knowing he’s going to be in the room next door every night I go to sleep and be there every morning I wake up does funny things to my heart, making it beat faster than it should.

  I know he doesn’t realise what he does to me, there’s no possible way for him to know. The last time I gave into my feelings for him he told me he’d made a mistake, that being with me shouldn’t have happened. So this is a lesson for me before he moves in, friends only. I need to keep control of my attraction to him, keep everything on a purely platonic level.

  Maybe I should go out on a date, show him that I hold no feelings for him whatsoever. There’s this guy that comes into the salon, he’s asked me out a few times and I’ve always said no, maybe it’s time to change my mind and say yes.

  I’m broken from my thoughts by a banging on the bathroom door. It isn’t a gentle knock, it’s a panic inducing thumping against the door.

  “Madison! Get your sweet arse out of that shower. It’s time!” I turn the water off, grabbing a towel and wrapping it round me as quickly as I can. I open the door and look at Noah who’s standing there with a huge smile on his face.

  “Time for what? What are you talking about?” He grabs me by the hand, dragging me towards my room where he pushes me in and goes to my wardrobe, grabbing clothes and throwing them on the bed.

  “Noah. Tell me what’s happening. What is it time for?” He looks up at me, the smile still there, showing no sign of vanishing.

  “Mason called. The baby’s on its way.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Madison

  I'm sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. There’s been no news yet and all the guys are getting anxious. They like to act all macho, like nothing ever affects them, that it’s us ladies that get all anxious and emotional, but looking at Rocco pacing the floor I know they’re liars.

  We arrived at the maternity hospital about two hours ago and Mason has been out once to update us. Niamh is the final stage of labour, so it’s just a matter of time before we meet the new addition. No one knows the sex of the baby so we are even more excited to know what’s happening. There has been a poll going on and a very interesting discussion on the sex, with the guys hoping it’s a girl, just to see Mason’s face when she brings home a guy just like him. If I'm honest, I think that will be hilarious as well. I think it might be a boy, Niamh’s bump sat very low and according to all the old wives tales that meant a boy. Makenzie is saying a boy, but I have a feeling it’s just to annoy Rocco, she seems to have fun disagreeing with him. From what I have seen when she disagrees with him, it ends with her getting kissed in a way that would make any woman insanely jealous. I have been tempted a few times to disagree with him just to be kissed like that. Not that I think of Rocco as anything but a friend, but I would have to be dead to not notice how gorgeous he is. With his dark, almost black hair and his drool worthy tattoo, he could have any woman he wanted.

  There is only one Cole brother that I want though, one brother that makes my heart beat faster and my hormones go insane, and he’s the one currently sitting on the floor across from me. He’s sitting between two seats with his head leaning back against the wall, his eyes are closed and he looks at peace. It’s been a long time since I saw Noah so relaxed, he always seems stressed, on edge, even when he’s sleeping. This is the Noah I remember from before. The Noah that smiled and enjoyed life, not the one that we have had the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always thought he was the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen, even from the first moment I laid eyes on him in school I thought he was perfection. Now as a man, no one compares to him, but you could see the worry playing on him, the stress of his life.

  “Why are you staring at me, Angel? Were you never taught that it’s a rude habit?” He opens his eyes and looks me directly in the eye, almost like he could see me staring. I stick my tongue out at him and look over to Rocco, who’s still pacing across the waiting room.

  “One of these days I'm not gonna give you that tongue back when you stick it out at me. I'm gonna keep it for my own personal use.” I know what he’s saying is a joke, but it doesn’t stop my face from heating up. Thoughts of what he can do with my tongue, what he has done with my tongue, rush through my head making me lost for words.

  Thankfully I’m saved from trying to answer when Mason walks out of the double doors that lead to the labour ward. We all rush over to him, Rocco making it first and asking hundreds of questions. Mason grabs Rocco into a hug and I can see tears in his eyes as he tries to answer the questions. Stepping back from Rocco he manages to let us know what’s happening.

  “I can’t be long, but I wanted to give you an update. She’s here. I have a daughter and she’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, well apart from her mum.” He gets this huge smile on his face and my heart swells for him.

  “I'm a daddy. Holy shit, I'm a dad.” The smile never leaves his face as he repeats this to himself. Rocco grabs him again and hugs him, showing the brotherly bond between them. Noah steps in next to me and puts his arm around my shoulder, obviously feeling the emotion in the room. Rocco moves back, holding Mason’s shoulders as he speaks.

  “I’m so fucking happy for you, man. I never once thought I would be standing here with you as you tell me you’re a daddy, but I'm so fucking happy. What’s she called? Who does she look like?” A look of pride comes over Mason’s face and it’s clear to see how happy he is. He grabs his mobile phone from his back pocket and brings up a picture of the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. I grab it from Noah’s hand when Rocco passes it to him and just stare at it. There’s nothing like seeing a baby to make you broody.

  “Her name is Quinn, I got to name her. How amazing is Niamh, she let me name our daughter. She is perfect like her mum. And Niamh was a fucking hero, I don’t know how she did that. I would have died going through everything she did, but she’s just sitting there looking more beautiful than ever, holding our daughter.” I can feel tears forming in my eyes listening to the love that Mason is sharing with us. I reach up and wipe the tears from my cheeks, hoping that no one notices how emotional I am, but I know it’s too much to ask.

  “Do you want one?” I look up into Noah’s soft eyes.

  “One what?” Everything around me fades away as I look
at Noah, his thumb grazing over my cheek catching my tears.

  “A baby? Do you want a baby?” I resist the urge to lean into his touch, to close my eyes and enjoy it to its fullest.

  “I do, but I'm missing a vital part of the equation.” He raises his eyes brows before answering.

  “What’s missing?” His voice has lowered, sounding almost husky and I can’t help how it makes me feel. No matter how much I tell myself not to let him affect me I always do. I keep seeing things in his actions that aren’t there, I want to kiss him right now but I know that he’s just chatting. I try to keep my voice level, not let it sound breathy and desperate.

  “A guy who loves me, one that wants to have a baby with me.” He looks like he’s about to say something but he is interrupted when Mason takes the mobile out of my hand and hugs me.

  “It means so much to me that you’re all here, but you need to leave now. Niamh won’t be allowed visitors until the morning and I want her to get some rest.” I smile at him when he pulls back from the hug. He really is going to make the best dad, even if he’s going to be so over protective that it will drive Quinn insane.

  We all say our goodbyes and watch as Mason walks back to his family.

  “We’re heading home too, see you at Mason’s tomorrow when Niamh gets home? I don’t think I will be able to keep Makenzie away for much longer.” This comment earns Rocco a punch in the arm and a scowl from Makenzie. He rubs his arm, scowling straight back at her.

  “Am I lying?”

  “No, but you’re making me sound crazy. I just want a little hold of Quinn, there’s nothing wrong with that.” These two really make me laugh. The relationship between them is so easy and natural. That’s what I want when I finally find the guy I'm going to spend my life with. I want him to be my best friend, which is going to be hard when I already have one of those.