Burning Up: Firefighter Contemporary Romance Series Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  “I’ve heard stories about your boss, but seeing it in action? No wonder you’re afraid of her,” he commented.

  “I’m not afraid of her,” I said. “I just don’t want to lose my job.”

  “Right,” Justin said. “As always, so eager to please. If only you were that eager to be there for Melody--”

  That was it. I turned on my heel and stood on my tip-toes, our faces inches apart. “I want nothing more than to be there for my best friend. You have no fucking idea,” I hissed, my voice cracking as I tried my best to appear tough. It was hard. I wanted to be there for Melody, more than anything. But fear of losing my job cut deep into my soul.

  Justin took me by the shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.

  “Then let me help you,” he said. “I can take Tammy to the groomers for you.”

  “Tiffany,” I corrected him, biting the inside of my lip. It was a tempting offer, it really was, but if anything happened to Elizabeth’s dog, God have mercy on us all.

  Justin pulled away from me, shoving his hands back into his pockets. “You don’t trust me, I get it,” he said with a shrug. “But you know I love dogs, Hannah. I’d never let anything happen to Taffy--”

  I cringed, preparing to correct him again when I noticed the smirk on his face. He was messing with me. He knew the damn dog’s name, he was just having fun at my expense. Typical.

  But he was right. I knew that Justin cared about animals. He might be a pain in the ass, but he had a decent heart. I had to give him that.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “I mean, you just got off work and--”

  “I’m sure,” he said. “Logan would want me to help you get to this appointment.”

  My heart had swelled for a moment, wondering why he’d be doing something nice for me. But truthfully, it wasn’t for me at all. It was for Logan. A happy Melody meant a happy Logan, and Justin always looked after his best friend.

  But it would still help me a lot, so I was thankful. God, I was so fucking thankful.

  “Alright. We’ll head over to Elizabeth’s and grab the dog. I can’t let her know you’re doing this, though. She doesn’t trust just anyone with her dog. But I’ll pass her off to you, and you can keep me in the loop.”

  “Yep. I can do that,” he said nonchalantly.

  “And if anything happens to that dog, just know that I will come after you,” I said, shooting him my most serious look.

  He grinned, looking amused as ever. His chiseled cheekbones were almost painful to look at, sharp enough to cut glass with. And those eyes… Jesus, Hannah, get it together. Just because he’s doing you a favor doesn’t mean he’s a totally different person. He’s still the same Justin.

  The barista called out our names, and we walked to the counter together. We picked up the drinks, and I managed to text Melody as we walked toward the door.

  On my way, sweetie. Sorry, got held up, but I’ll be there soon.

  It felt so good to send her that, as opposed to an apology for not being there at all. She responded, telling me it was okay, that they were still waiting for the saleslady to finish with another customer. I still had time.

  I would be there for my best friend on one of the biggest days of her life.

  “I owe you one,” I said as I climbed into my car. I hated to admit it, but it was true. “Never thought I’d say those words, but yeah, there you have it. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said with a playful wink that caused my heart to flutter.

  Stop it, I reminded myself. This is the same boy who used to snap your bra when you were thirteen, and he hasn’t grown up in the slightest. Stop looking at him like that.

  Easier said than done considering he looked like a Greek God. He might still be the same obnoxious Justin on the inside, but on the outside, he was all grown up.

  And my heart didn’t know what to make of it.

  Ooo000ooo

  Sweat dripped from my forehead as I rushed into the dress shop, only five minutes late. I hurried in the door, breathing heavy and my heart racing. Melody and the other girls were talking to an older woman, and no dresses had been picked out yet. As soon as Melody saw me, she rose from her chair and rushed over, a giant grin on her face. We embraced, and I knew I’d made the right choice. Justin would be fine with Tiffany, everything would be fine. He’d promised to send me confirmation when the dog was dropped off safe and sound.

  Melody whispered, “I’m so glad you could make it.”

  She’d had her doubts, I knew she did. This wouldn’t have been the first time work got in the way of us hanging out or doing something together. She’d always been understanding, sure, but I knew it hurt.

  “Me too,” I said, hugging her tightly.

  This was such an important day for her, and I couldn’t imagine missing it. Justin was a life saver. I’d be eternally grateful to him for this.

  “Come on, we’re just getting ready to pick out some dresses to start with,” she said, releasing me from the hug and taking my hand. She guided me over to the table with the rest of the girls. Catalogs with dresses were laid out in front of them, some with wedding dresses, others with bridesmaid dresses.

  My sister, Izzy, stood up and hugged me too. We saw each other less than usual now that she was in school full-time outside of New York City and living on campus. Izzy looked like a younger version of me - literally, she looked a lot younger than her twenty years of age. She was even more petite than me, coming in at five foot, but just barely. It was sometimes hard to remember that she was an adult, even though she’d be finishing her nursing degree and working before much longer.

  In addition to my sister, Melody’s older sister, Cassie, was also there. She gave me the stink eye, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was jealous that I was the maid of honor and not her. While I understood her feelings, Cassie was much older than Melody and the two of them were never really that close. Melody said she often felt like she hadn’t had a sister until she met me in middle school.

  I smiled politely at Cassie as I took a seat between Melody and Izzie.

  The older woman smiled at me, reaching across the table to shake my hand.

  “Hi there, I’m Jane. I’m guessing you’re the maid of honor, Hannah?”

  “I am,” I said, the excitement from that one statement filling me with such joy.

  “Good,” Jane said. “It appears the entire bridal party is here, then?”

  I looked around and felt sad for Melody. I knew she had other friends and family she was close to, but none of them were local and able to come to the wedding.

  “Yes, we’re all here,” Melody said, wiggling a little in her seat like a kid on Christmas. She was clearly aching to start trying on dresses, and I couldn’t blame her. Not one little bit.

  “Good, let’s get started,” Jane said, looking down at the notes in front of her. Her friendly smile faded. “Oh, so the wedding is in two weeks?”

  “Yes,” Melody replied, looking at me briefly. “I’ve been told you have a large selection of bridal gowns I could buy off the rack.”

  Jane looked at Melody, sizing her up, focusing on her growing belly. She’d tried to hide it, but I could see the panic in her eyes. She hadn’t been expecting a pregnant bride, not one with such a large belly already.

  “Well, yes, we do, but our maternity selection is a bit more limited.” Her smile returned, and she looked as cheerful as ever. “But I just know we’ll be able to find you something.”

  “Of course we will,” I agreed, squeezing Melody’s hand firmly.

  “I told the person on the phone I was pregnant,” Melody said, her cheeks flushing. She rubbed her belly. “But I am a bit larger than many women at four months, I suppose. I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Pamela.”

  “It’s fine,” Jane assured her, making note of who spoke to Melody. She pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, the girl you spoke to is new, so this is entirely our
fault. We’ll do whatever we can to make it up to you, Ms. Scott.”

  Melody looked at me, worry setting in. I said again, “We’ll find something, Melody. It’s going to be okay.”

  God, I was thankful I was there. Izzy wouldn’t have been able to comfort her like I could, and Cassie wasn’t the comforting type, sitting in the corner with her hands folded in her lap, oblivious to her younger sister’s distress.

  “Maybe you should have put the wedding off until after the baby is born,” Cassie suggested dryly. “What do you expect with everything being so last minute?”

  I scowled at Cassie, hoping she’d take the hint and shut up.

  “It’s fine,” Melody said, taking a deep breath. “It’ll all work out. I’m not expecting any miracles here.”

  I knew she wasn’t, but I also knew she’d been feeling more and more emotional these days. Her pregnancy hadn’t been an easy one - lots of morning sickness, sleepless nights, and emotional outbursts. The fact that she hadn’t snapped at Cassie was a good sign.

  Jane must have sensed the tension, and thankfully, she changed the subject pretty quickly, not giving any credence to Cassie’s statements. I had to give the woman some credit; she was trying her best here. We were asking for a lot.

  “And for the bridesmaids, have you determined what color you’d like their dresses to be?” Jane asked.

  Melody shook her head and looked at me, then back at Jane. “It all depends on what you have in stock, honestly. I’m not going to be too picky, considering the deadline and all.”

  Jane nodded. “Alright then, let’s get started. We’ll start with the blushing bride first.”

  She led us to a small showroom with rows and rows of dresses. Melody’s eyes widened the moment she stepped inside, looking around the room like a kid at Disney World for the first time.

  Jane pointed out the racks with maternity gowns on them, and she was right - our options were fairly limited. While the room itself was large with many dresses, there were only two short racks with maternity gowns on them. Melody’s face fell, but only a little.

  Jane pulled out a few dresses, showing them to Melody. The first was a simple white gown with an empire waist, very similar to the one Melody had bought when she thought about eloping. The second one looked more like a white burlap sack, with no shape to it at all. Melody shook her head and started looking through the racks herself.

  I started looking too. I knew my best friend better than Jane did, so I figured I’d have better luck finding her something she’d like.

  At first, it was hard. If I found something nice, it wasn’t in her size. There was no time to order a dress or have too much tailoring done, so I resisted showing them to her. With limited options, best not get her hopes up on a style that wouldn’t fit her.

  I was feeling the pressure as I moved down the rack, and I could tell Melody was beginning to stress too. We crossed paths, and she gave me a worried look.

  “Don’t worry,” I said with a small smile. “We’ll find something. And if we don’t, we can go to another store. We’re bound to find something that works.”

  Melody nodded. I wanted my best friend to feel like a princess on her special day, but she was asking a lot. I knew that Melody understood this, but exhaustion coupled with pregnancy hormones could cause her to cry at a moment’s notice. I kept an eye on her, again grateful I’d been able to come.

  Cassie wasn’t even looking at the maternity gowns. She was looking at another rack entirely. Izzy was with me, searching, and offering a few choices now and then, but nothing that would fit Melody’s personality, not really. Melody nodded to a few, but there was no excitement - just a willingness to try it on, to see if maybe it looked better on her than on the rack, as dresses often do.

  Cassie pulled a dress off her rack and gasped, holding it up. “This is simply gorgeous.”

  And it was. It was a ball gown with intricate lace detailing throughout the skirt and pearls lining the corset top. It was also clearly not a maternity gown, but rather a regular, size four dress that wouldn’t come close to fitting the pregnant Melody.

  Melody looked at the gown in awe, tears filling her eyes. I hurried over to her, grabbing the first ball gown I could find on the rack that wasn’t a complete disaster and which was also her size, so bonus points.

  “Oooh look at this one,” I exclaimed. The more I looked at the gown, the more I liked it. It wasn’t as extravagant like the one Cassie held up, but it was a beautiful gown - something I could see Melody rocking even if she wasn’t pregnant and limited on choices.

  “The lace detail on top is gorgeous,” I continued. “And that skirt would flow out around you perfectly, making you look like the perfect princess.”

  Melody stared at the gown, and her tears dried up. There was hope in her eyes again, and a small smile on her lips. “Yes, I like it. Let’s try it on.”

  Crisis averted, for now. I just hoped she loved it and that it lived up to her expectations.

  With a few dresses for her to try on, we headed to the dressing rooms. Jane went back to help Melody get into the gowns, leaving the rest of us outside, waiting.

  “I can’t wait to see her in the gown you picked out,” Izzy gushed. “She’s going to look so beautiful.”

  “I know, right? It’s perfect,” I commented, beaming with pride for having found such a perfect dress for her.

  Cassie piped up. “She’s still going to look pregnant.”

  “Yeah, because she is,” I snapped. “What’s wrong with that?”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. She looked a lot like Melody, with the same dark hair, only cut shorter and closer to her head. Cassie was ten years older than Melody, and as far as I knew, single. Never been married, no kids, and no boyfriend. She had her career as a lawyer and that was about it. I always assumed she was happy with her life, but sitting beside her, I had to wonder if there wasn’t some jealousy because her baby sister was getting married and giving their parents grandkids before she did.

  Cassie spoke with her voice raised, loud enough that I feared Melody might hear her. “Shouldn’t the marriage come first, then the baby?”

  I shrugged. “I mean, if that’s what you want, sure, but life doesn’t always go as planned, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  Melody and Logan were planning to get married long before she got pregnant. The pregnancy wasn’t exactly planned, but they weren’t not trying either. They were both in good, solid careers and at a place in their lives when a baby would be welcomed. They had assumed it might take a while to get pregnant, but it happened faster than anyone could have imagined - within a month of her getting her IUD removed.

  Cassie continued to pout, her negative energy grating my nerves. I knew Melody felt obligated to include her sister, but personally, if I were her, I’d have told Cassie she could get lost. Hell, with her attitude and the disdain she had for Melody being pregnant before the wedding, I don’t think I’d have invited her at all. But Melody was sweeter than me and wanted to have a bond with her sister for some reason, which I couldn’t understand at all.

  I’d do anything for my siblings - and I had. My entire life had been devoted to giving Mason and Izzy the best life possible after our parents died. If Izzy got pregnant before she got married, and she was happy about it, I’d be happy too. I wanted my brother and sister to be happy, and while I might not always agree with every decision they made, I’d always be there to support them.

  Cassie was about to say something else, but I shot her a look that clearly said shut up. The dressing room door opened, and I didn’t want Melody to hear any more negativity.

  “Oh, look, she’s coming out now,” I squealed.

  Melody walked out of the dressing room in the gown I’d picked for her, and even Cassie gasped in awe when we saw her. Jane had pulled Melody’s hair back into a makeshift updo and even added a veil. Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at my best friend and future sister-in-law looking like the blushing bride she was
always meant to be.

  The gown was perfect for her, as I suspected. The lace trip of the top, which looked to be a corset top modified for a pregnant bride, fit her perfectly. It showed off her beautiful shape instead of hiding it. Her belly wasn’t disguised by the skirt, as I thought it might be. The skirt was flowy and just slightly poofy, not nearly as full as I thought it would be. But it was perfect - not too much poof, but just enough for her to feel like a princess.

  And from the look on Melody’s face, it was perfect. She was also crying, but these were tears of joy. She was smiling so large and giggling, wiping away the tears as she stopped in front of us.

  “What do you think?” she murmured, her voice soft.

  I spoke up first, wanting to get in before the negative Cassie. “Wow, just-- wow,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I’m speechless, Melody. It’s so gorgeous, but what do you think?”

  “I love it,” she gushed, turning toward the mirror. The skirt swished as she turned her body, twirling with her. She looked into the mirror and started crying even harder. “It’s perfect.”

  She looked over her shoulder, her eyes falling on Cassie. My heart raced as I feared the worst, feared that Cassie might tear her down. I shot the woman a look but was surprised to find that she, too, had tears in her eyes.

  “You look beautiful,” she whispered. Maybe she did have a heart after all, or maybe even she couldn’t deny that her sister was ravishing in that gown.

  Izzy chimed in too. “You look like a princess - no, wait, more like a queen.”

  There was no doubt at that point - this was clearly the dress for her.

  With the wedding dress ready to go, we perused the bridesmaid gowns on display. It was less important and less stressful for Melody. I knew her favorite color was purple, but she wasn’t planning to stick to a color scheme. The wedding would be very simple. And if we didn’t find anything at this store, Melody and I agreed that we could pick something up at a department store. A regular formal gown or cocktail dress would work; these details mattered little.