“Winter—” Jasmine laughed and started to point out the mistake before her friend turned the greeting into a one-finger salute when Victoria turned away.
“She doesn’t know any better, anyway,” Winter whispered with a smile and wagging finger. “Will texted and said that when he left the station this morning, most of the guys were leaving on shift change. Leo was getting ready to head home after he cleaned up a bit.”
Jasmine reached for her phone, which she had been checking every couple of minutes, and found no missing call or text. “Leo hasn’t called me yet, I think I’m going to head over to the house and wait for him.”
Winter gathered up the small bag she had brought with her to the apartment and looked around as if for the last time. “I’m going to miss this place.”
Jasmine stood beside her and took in the living space that they had shared like sisters for the past couple of years. “Me too. It holds some really good memories.”
“Word.” Winter nodded. “Although, I’m not going to miss the sound of Rosco upstairs at four in the morning.”
Jasmine grimaced at the thought of their party-hard neighbor who liked to crawl home when the bars closed and then proceeded to moan and vomit until the sun came up…all of which could be heard through the thin ceiling of the apartment.
Winter nudged her shoulder into Jasmine’s, knocking her out of the memories. “Jazz, you and Leo are going to be awesome. You’ve got this.”
Jasmine smiled at the little pep talk. She no longer needed to hear someone else say the words. She knew in her soul that Leo was her other half and she would do anything to ensure that they weathered whatever life would throw their way.
“If you want to beat Leo home, you should probably head out soon,” Winter advised as she leaned forward for a hug.
“I’ll follow you down.” Jasmine grabbed her own bag and locked the door behind them.
Walking down the stairs together seemed so final. It was truly as if they were moving on from one phase of their lives toward another. The scene had been played out hundreds of different ways over the last couple years. She had been truly lucky to not only have found a good roommate when she posted the ad on the college forum, but she had won the roommate lottery when she had met Winter. What started out as a simple way to share college expenses had morphed into a family bond with the sister she had never had.
“Alright, bish. Give me a hug and go get your man,” Winter said as she tossed her bag into the backseat of her car.
Jasmine laughed a little when they both teared up.
“No tears, only happy thoughts,” Winter whispered when they stepped back from each other. Climbing into the small car, she rolled down her window and started to wave when Jasmine walked up to the opening.
“Winnie…” Jasmine cleared her throat. “Thanks for everything. I mean everything…all the times you stood by me when my folks went off the rails, advice with Leo, just…everything.”
Winter winked and smiled. “That’s what sisters are for. Text me tomorrow and we will set up dinner this week.”
After Winter pulled out of the parking lot, Jasmine started up her own car. Driving through town, she made a point to avoid the area where the fire was the day before. She didn’t need to see the building to acknowledge what it could have cost her. The main thing she needed to remember was how fucking lucky she was to have Leo safe and sound and hers.
It was at that moment that she decided to make a little detour. She had two stops that she needed to make before going home.
Feeling the need to get to Leo as quickly as possible, she made quick work of her impromptu errands only adding on another forty minutes to her trip to his house when all was said and done.
Pulling into the driveway of the house she was going to be sharing with Leo, Jasmine sat for a moment trying to figure out the best way to present the surprises she had picked up.
The past twenty-four hours had been a doozy, and she was still feeling a bit rattled at all of the decisions that had been made.
Climbing out of her car, she smiled when Leo opened the front door to welcome her home. Even though he looked beyond tired, he had managed to keep an eye out for her when she pulled up and opened the door to give her his trademarked dimpled smile.
“Hey, you.” Jasmine walked straight into his arms, dropping her bag onto the front porch without a thought. She had left the car door open behind her since there was more to carry but at that moment she needed to feel Leo surround her more than anything.
Leo rocked her back and forth while they hugged and kissed the top of her head. “Your parents called me this morning, sugar.”
Jasmine kept her face hidden in his chest at his words. Her mind reeled with all the things that her well-meaning mom and dad may have said.
“You ok?” Leo asked when she kept her head buried.
Jasmine leaned back only enough to look up into his face. “Never been better.”
Leo studied her for a moment before leaning down for a soft kiss. “Good.”
Before she could say anything else, he leaned over to grab her bag and started to pull her into the house.
“We need to talk…”
At those words, Jasmine felt her body go cold. She quickly shook off the old feelings of insecurity that had plagued her for so long.
“We definitely do, but first we need to get the rest of my stuff out of the car.” Jasmine smiled at the thought of the surprises she had picked up on her little side adventure to the house this morning.
“That stuff can wait.” Leo shook his head and started to nudge her into the house.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure that the bags can wait but Big Ricky may get a little impatient.”
Leo raised his eyebrows in question and glanced back at the car.
“Big Ricky?” Leo’s voice was full of amusement as Jasmine walked back to the car and opened the passenger door.
Unlocking the travel kennel she had borrowed from the shelter, Jasmine coaxed out a sausage like dog. “Sooo…I know you mentioned a puppy but this guy here is around seven years old and his owners just moved into a nursing home.” Jasmine lifted the heavy dachshund in her arms, his shaggy reddish-brown hair blowing in the slight breeze. When the dog gave her chin a lick, she giggled and then turned him in her arms a bit to lighten the load. “We didn’t have much luck finding him a new home because of his age and well…he’s overweight so he’ll have to go on special food.”
Leo was beside her in what seemed like a second holding his hand out for the dog to sniff. Big Ricky watched Leo with shrewd eyes after figuring out that the man wasn’t giving him a treat, but instead just letting him smell his hand.
“What did his owners feed him before? Hot dogs and pizza? That’s the biggest wiener dog I’ve ever seen.” Leo chuckled, reaching up to pet the soft fluff on the long-haired dog’s ears.
“I’m pretty sure they fed him whatever they were eating instead of normal dog food. Plus, they weren’t able to exercise him much since they both used walkers.”
“Well, when your dad called and hinted that we might be adding to our little family I have to admit, I never expected you to pull out this chubby guy.” Leo held out his arms for Jasmine to pass Big Ricky over.
She smiled when she saw him instantly cuddle the dog closer to his chest. The image of her strong-armed firefighter holding onto such a pudgy dog with a loving look in his eyes made her heart flutter at what the future may hold.
Then what he said hit her. “My dad hinted I might be pregnant?” She closed her eyes in mortification at the conversation he must have had.
Leo grinned at her, allowing his beloved dimple to make an appearance. “Reggie said something along the lines of, ‘If my baby girl is knocked up before a wedding date has been set, I know ways to castrate a man.’”
Jasmine covered her face with her hands and gro
aned. “Kill me now.”
Leo used his one free hand to push back a strand of hair that had fluttered over her face, helping her conceal her embarrassment. “So, is this the new family member or will we be visiting a doctor soon?”
“I’m not pregnant,” Jasmine reassured him. “I just had a bit of a…spell last night and they were worried.”
“I heard about that too.” Leo’s words were a little grimmer at the mention of what she went through the night before. “Let’s take Big Ricky here inside, and then we need to talk.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Jasmine muttered as she grabbed the food and water bowl she had picked up at the store. Leaving the rest of the bags for later, she followed Leo into the house.
“Don’t panic, I just realized we never really talked about my job and what it means for us.” Leo pulled her down into the oversized chair and into his lap after sitting Ricky down on the floor to go exploring.
“I can handle it, Leo,” Jasmine said with a newfound confidence. “I may have had some doubts, but I’ve got this. I don’t want to give her a bigger head than she already has, but Winter has helped out and answered a lot of my questions.”
Leo nodded, obviously pleased with her response. “I’m glad she’s there to help you get a grasp on it. I realized this morning that we never really talked about it. So…this is the time to ask if you have questions or break my heart and tell me you can’t be married to a firefighter.”
“Married?” Jasmine whispered, her throat feeling tight with emotion.
“I don’t want to jump the gun, but I know that I’m never going to let you go. It may not be tomorrow or even this year, but I fully plan to tie you to me as much as possible in the future, sugar. I love you. I loved you when I was a boy and saw you as a sad princess who needed a friend, and I love you as the man I am today. You’ve become my everything, but I need to know that you’re okay when I leave to answer a call.”
Jasmine felt her eyes well with tears even though she thought she was all cried out. “You’re my everything too. I admit that I never imagined I would have fallen in love with a firefighter, but I can’t imagine not being with you. I admit that it may be hard, but I know I can’t let you go. I got this.”
Leo stroked the tears off her cheeks, his own eyes getting moist. “You got me and I got you. That sounds about perfect to me.”
“It’s more than perfect…it’s us.”
“And Big Ricky.” Leo laughed when the dog walked back into the living room with one of his socks. He stroked her hip, massaging the soft flesh under her leggings. “I saw all of the bags in the backseat. Did you decide to go ahead and start moving your stuff over?” Without waiting for her to answer, Leo added, “I wish you would have waited. The guys will be more than happy to help us get you moved in.”
“Oh, that’s not stuff from my apartment,” Jasmine answered with a twinkle in her eye.
“Well then, what was it? Your car looked packed.” Leo leaned back, the confusion plainly written on his face.
“I had to get some supplies for our new little guy here.”
“Little?” Leo snorted.
“Shhh…he has sensitive ears,” Jasmine whispered in admonishment, while giving the obese dog a pointed look.
“He’s sleeping,” Leo pointed out with a roll of his eyes at the dog loudly snoring with the sock half in half out of his mouth. “All of those bags can’t be just dog stuff.”
“Well, I also decided since I’m going to be moving in that there is no time like the present to get settled, right?” Jasmine quipped as she scooted off his lap with a sly grin.
“Jasmine, what’s in the bags?” Leo asked, obviously not liking the teasing.
“Come with me and see,” she said. Without waiting for him to reply or follow, Jasmine walked out the front door and back to her car.
Handing him four bags and taking the other three for herself, she couldn’t stop the giggles when he realized what he was holding.
“Throw pillows?” Leo mock glared at her when all she could do was laugh. “How many of these fuckers did you buy, Jazz?” Holding up the bags by the handles he started to count out loud the random pillows that she had bought this morning.
“Just enough for us to be comfortable in that big bed of yours,” Jasmine teased before carrying her burden in the house.
“My bed isn’t comfortable enough for you?” he growled into the crease her neck once he caught up to her in the bedroom.
Jasmine bit her lip at the sensation of his hot breath fanning over the tender skin at the back of her neck. “Well…”
At the drawn-out word, Leo raked his teeth over the sensitive skin. “I think you might need a reminder of what already comes with my bed.”
Jasmine turned in his arms, the bags of pillows now forgotten on the floor. “That sounds like a fabulous idea.”
Epilogue
Winter’s and Will’s park wedding went off without a hitch. The South Park gazebo had been decorated with pastel flowers and garlands, showcasing the couple perfectly. Leo’s mom had even made the trip into town for the party, taking a break from her retirement village in Florida. Jasmine wasn’t going to lie, the extra help that she had from Leo’s mom had really come in handy the last week before the wedding. She had helped put out more fires than she cared to count when the little things started to fall apart. The musicians realized they were double booked at the last minute so Jasmine had managed to have a couple of violinists from the university play for some extra cash and so far, everyone had been behaving themselves.
Well, mostly everybody.
As maid of honor, Jasmine took her duties very seriously. Whether it was making sure the mother of the bride didn’t try to add anything to the decorations, or fighting off bony fingers pinching her ass every time she turned around.
She was just starting to relax and enjoy her best friend’s moment when she felt a hand touch her bottom. Letting out a sigh at the fact that she was going to need to somehow restrain Winter’s horny goat of an uncle she turned around with a frown on her face only to smile when she realized it was Leo.
“Hey, sugar,” Leo murmured, kissing the top of her head. “You look beat. How much longer before this shindig is over?”
“Not long. We just have the bouquet toss left and then that should be it,” Jasmine said, checking her watch.
“That reminds me.” Leo pulled Winter’s bridal bouquet out from behind his back and handed it to her. “Winter said no to the toss and wanted me to give this directly to you.”
Jasmine turned to look around the crowd of people for her best friend, and noticed that everyone was staring at her and Leo. Winter was standing in the middle of the group smiling so wide that Jasmine was amazed her face didn’t crack.
“What’s going—” Jasmine turned back toward her man to find him down on one knee in front of her with a ring in his hands.
“Jazz.” Leo cleared his throat. “I love you. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. My mom was right all those years ago when she told me that if I decided to pursue you then I had to make sure it was for keeps. Can I keep you?”
Jasmine had felt the tears start to gather the moment she had turned around to see Leo down on one knee. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he was proposing and that Winter had helped him set it up in some way.
Sniffing and trying to hold back tears, Jasmine nodded. “Only if I get to keep you too.” Holding out her hand she let him slip the ring onto her finger.
“Deal,” Leo said in a rush, standing quickly to sweep her into a kiss before she even had a chance to look at the ring.
Leo ended the embrace and leaned his forehead against Jasmine’s, simply staring into her eyes for a moment before getting pushed out of the way by her parents and swept into a hug by his mom.
“Oh, JJ!” Victoria
cried and pulled her daughter into a hug. “She’s getting married, Reggie. I can’t believe our girl is getting married!”
Jasmine simply hung in her mom’s stranglehold but couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped when she saw her dad standing beside Leo carrying Big Ricky, who was wearing a tuxedo T-shirt.
At that moment, with her mom hugging her like an anaconda smothering its prey, and her dad slapping Leo on the back, Jasmine realized one thing.
The heat between her and Leo had been simmering for years and she was more than ready for what came next.
Taming Fire
Don’t miss the next book in Leora Gonzales’s Braving the Heat series.
Coming soon from Lyrical Shine!
Chapter 1
“Lou, I think you may have bitten off more than you can chew with this one.” Louise spoke to herself as she stared into the flames starting to catch in the fire pit.
Swirling her sweet red wine around in the glass, Louise leaned back in her patio chair. Hearing the familiar squeak of the old metal base was slightly comforting as she tried to shake off the day’s stresses.
Two weeks.
Jacob Jr. had only been living with her for two weeks and she was already over it. The cute nephew that she played with at family functions had decided to turn into the devil the moment Louise picked him up for an extended stay at her house. Louise couldn’t really blame him either. His dad, her youngest brother, had checked himself into a much-needed rehab program for two months which had thrown Jr.’s life so out of routine that he was reacting like any other four-year-old would.
Horribly.
Louise had known that Jr. thrived on routine in his life. She just hadn’t expected the lack of his familiar daily schedule to be as if she were feeding gremlins after midnight.
Everything she did was wrong. She bought the wrong type of mac and cheese, the bathwater she ran was too cold, and she forgot to grab his favorite pair of sneakers from his dad’s house.
Earlier this morning, he had thrown a tantrum at day care drop off that would act as birth control to anyone watching for at least the next year. His angry screams had hit a pitch so high that she wouldn’t be surprised if she had permanent hearing loss. The reason behind the fit that he had thrown was still something that Louise couldn’t figure out. Between the boogers running down his face, his high-pitched squeals and the thrashing of his legs, she thinks it was because he didn’t want yogurt raisins for his snack, but honestly, she couldn’t be sure. It had been chaos.
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