by Tess Oliver
Helix walked in behind me. "Hey, how'd you beat me down the hill in that plodding jeep?" he asked. Considering he'd hardly spoken two words to me the entire week, it was a little surreal having him not only talk but joke around, as if nothing had happened between us. I hadn't anticipated an event like tonight to bring us back into a friendly relationship, but I was going to take it. I also wasn't going to ever forget what he'd done. He'd pushed Layla away from me. That hurt wasn't going away anytime soon. I was just going to have to ignore that particular thorn because we needed the kind of trust we had tonight when out in the wilderness.
We reached the check-in station. The nurse behind the glass seemed to be expecting us. She smiled. "You must be the two guys who rescued the mom and her little boy. We've been listening to it on dispatch. You two are quite the heroes. Let's get you both checked in, then we'll get you to a room." She stretched up to get a look at our arms. "Those look painful. We'll get you all taken care of."
Helix went first to check-in and I followed. An orderly led us to one large exam room. "Heard all about the big rescue. Everyone at the nurses' station was listening to the whole thing on the two-way. We could hear the explosion too," he said as he pointed us each to a bed. "The nurse will be in to—"
"The nurse is here," a familiar voice said from around the bend. Layla's face was pale as she reached us. She looked at Helix's arm, then mine. "Did you guys plan those burns? It's like my friends and I used to do in high school when we coordinated our outfits," the last words burst out on a sob. She covered her mouth.
"Layla," I said. Just having her name on my tongue sent familiar sensations through me, sensations that reminded me just how much I still loved her.
"Thank goodness you're both all right." She hugged Helix first. I tried not to feel too slighted about it. When she turned to me, she paused and all I could think was how bummed I would be if she didn't hug me too. But she did and for a lot longer than Helix. Burn and crazy night aside, everything about having her in my arms felt right. It was where she fucking belonged.
She released first. "Uh, guess I should do my job since I just played rock paper scissors four times to get the gig where I take the vitals of the two hot heroes slash smokejumpers. You two are all the rage at the nurses' station. I actually lost the last round, but I told Nurse Ryland I would cover her shift on Christmas Eve if she let me do this."
The whole night, the stressful moments trying to get the boy, then the driver free while flames were grabbing at our heels, disappeared, and all I could do was listen to the most amazing, beautiful woman in the world talk. Her words were fast and a little shaky. I selfishly convinced myself it was because she was just recovering from the shock that the two of us might have been hurt or killed tonight.
She smiled faintly my direction while she was taking Helix's blood pressure. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her pink lips were glossed lightly, and those big brown eyes sparkled under the fluorescent lights. She pulled the stethoscope from her ears. "Looks like you'll live," she teased. Then she stopped and peered up at him for a second before hugging and kissing him on the cheek.
"I'm going to expect equal treatment over on this side of the room," I noted. Just a few hours ago, I couldn't have even considered suggestively teasing Layla in front of Helix, but without words being spoken, it felt as if all that'd changed tonight. Helix and I were on a different plane now, a much more understanding one.
Layla gazed at me as she listened for my blood pressure numbers. All I could think was my numbers were probably through the roof. She straightened. "It's a little high."
"Not too surprising." I looked at her pointedly. "It's got nothing to do with the injury, I assure you."
The slightest pink blush covered her cheeks. She walked over to the charts and wrote down numbers, then turned to both of us. "Seriously, you guys, good work out there. Proud of both of you."
"How are they?" I asked.
"The doctors are checking them out. Lots of bruises and shaken nerves, but they'll both be fine." She stood there in her nurse scrubs and flat shoes looking as fucking hot as ever. "The doctor should be here soon. I think they're just getting the burn wound trays ready. If I have time, I'll see you before you're discharged." She gazed at me for a long time before spinning around to leave.
"Layla," Helix said hesitantly.
She turned back to us and looked expectantly at Helix. "Yes, Gabe?"
Helix shook his head and stared down at his feet hanging off the end of the exam table. "Layla, I'm sorry." He looked up and glanced at me for a second before returning his focus to her. "I was just—It's just that—"
She walked up to him and took hold of his hand. "I know you were just standing up for Adam. You loved him and it's understandable. You are still hurting. We all are. Death is so fucking final that it doesn't make sense. Nothing that big should be so final."
"I promised to protect you, instead I just tore up your life. You're still alive. You're smart and independent and the last thing you need is some thick-headed yahoo like me messing with that."
Layla smiled up at him. "Yahoo or not, it never hurts to have a big, hunky guardian angel watching over me." She released his hand, took a deep breath and looked over at me. It was brief but it melted my heart. Without another word, she walked out of the exam room.
Helix and I sat in silence for a moment, then he cleared his throat as if he had something difficult to say. "Listen, Bronx, I made a big mistake. I'm not going to get in the way of you and Layla. Frankly, she couldn't be in better hands. You're a good guy. I've always known that. Not sure what got into me. It's just that—"
"That you were standing up for your friend. I would do the same for Kingston." I glanced over at him. "Not sure if I would be such a ginormous asshat about it, but still, I get it."
He chuckled. "Guess I have been an asshat. Anyhow, I won't get in the way anymore."
I nodded. "Yeah, to be honest, I don't think you're standing in the way at all. It's Bulldozer. He's the guy in the way, and I'm not sure how to ever go around him. He was big in every sense of the word."
"You've got that right, Bronx."
Our burns were treated. The two of us walked up to the ward where the Evan's mother was resting. She was being held overnight for observation. It turned out she had never driven that mountain road at night and had trouble seeing the curves. She realized too late that her night vision was too poor for the twisting road. Her husband was sitting in the room with Evan on his knee.
Evan hopped up. His face had been washed, and he looked far less terrified. "Is it true? You guys parachute into fires?"
I rubbed the top of his head. "You bet."
"Wow, wait till my friends hear."
The woman, Teresa Bleeker and her husband, Owen, thanked us a million times. I took down an address to send Evan some free stuff from the base camp, then Helix and I walked out of the hospital into the night air. It had cooled down considerably. A hot shower was going to be like heaven. Layla had not returned to the room, and I didn't see her anywhere on the ER floor. It was for the best, I told myself weakly, knowing it was not for the fucking best.
"Maybe you should go back inside and find her," Helix suggested.
I laughed dryly. "You pry us apart, and now you're trying to throw us together?"
"Guess I'm trying to appease my guilt," Helix admitted. He put a fist to his mouth to stifle a yawn. "I texted Penelope about what happened, but she's still going to be pissed off that I'm so late. So I'm going to hit it. See you in the morning."
"Yep, and Helix, glad it was you and me out there tonight. It was really fucked having things so frosted between us."
He nodded in agreement and headed to his truck.
I reached my jeep and looked back at the emergency room entrance once more. I contemplated taking him up on his suggestion but talked myself out of it. This was all in Layla's hands now.
32
Nine months later
I pulled the jeep into th
e Morgan Lake Recreation Center. Right on cue, Kingston texted asking where the hell I was. This year there was only one rookie to celebrate. Weston Novak had been an awesome pick for the crew. He was definitely going to make his old man proud. He'd stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of us, fighting back fierce flames that consumed the parched wilderness like hot water on a sugar cube. As usual, we'd found ourselves in the middle of a hot hell, an inferno of triple digit temperatures made worse by the fires and unrelenting wind, and Weston, now called Drifter on account that his landings never quite hit the mark, had stood solidly by the rest of us, dedicated and enthusiastic.
"Be there in a few," I texted back to my impatient friend. I used the few quiet minutes in the jeep to text my mom. Vick had undergone a few tests to see how the clinical trials had been going. It was his second trial. The first had gone along nicely for six months, with tumors shrinking and Vick feeling well enough to ride his horses. The thing with trials though, was as soon as they stopped working, they cut you free. A scan showed some tumor growth, and the trial no longer needed him. My mom had gotten pretty good at doing her own research, and she signed Vick up for another trial. Layla and I hadn't stayed in touch. All of it was too painful. Only, I found out soon enough that not talking to her was even more painful. I'd hoped, somewhere along the way, she'd decide to give it another go, but it seemed she just couldn't. The video, having Bulldozer straight up tell her to not date Bronx was all she needed. The breakup was hard on my parents. They were convinced that she was the best woman I could find. I had to agree. Unfortunately, lamenting my loss wasn't going to do me any good. I'd dated a few women in the interim but was always disappointed.
"Any results yet?" I texted. Vick was having his first set of scans since the start of the new trial. He was being more and more realistic about his life and the time he had left, but my mom refused to even consider losing him.
My mom was one of those texters who had to make sure every word was spelled correctly and all the punctuation was something a third grade teacher would be proud of. I rested my head back against the seat and waited for her response. It was going to be another blistery hot day out on the sand. For a millisecond, we'd all considered trying a different location for the annual summer celebration, but nothing else felt right. It was tradition, and so we reserved a section of sand at the lake.
The text came through and I paused before reading it. Bad news would set them back to square one. There were only so many times you could find yourself back at square one before you had to throw in the towel. I noticed a few smiley face emojis, my mom's favorite, before I read the words. It assured me things were all right.
"Scans look good. Several tumors shrank, and two stayed the same size." It wasn't the words I really wanted to hear, that the tumors had been obliterated, but at least it meant he could continue in the trial.
"I'm so glad, Mom. Love you guys."
"Love you too, baby."
Kingston would be scouring the parking lot if I didn't show up on the sand soon. I grabbed my stuff from the back seat and stepped out to the beach. Lynyrd Skynryd was blasting through the speakers. Loud voices and laughter drowned out Van Zant. The usual shade tents had been set up. King was sitting on his red striped beach chair. As I spotted him, he nearly fell headfirst into his personal ice chest as he leaned over to fish out a soda. Splotches of white cream were all over his shoulders and face, and he had an old straw hat forced down over his cropped hair.
"Can't believe the women aren't hanging all over you. You look like my grandpa with all that cream and your personal ice chest."
He grabbed some ice from the chest and flung it at me. "I keep getting sunburned. Think I'm getting old or something. When I was young, I could sit on the beach for hours, building sandcastles and catching crabs. The sun never bothered me. Now, I'm like a fucking Victorian woman whose skin hasn't seen the light of day. What the fuck took you so long? Hey, you gonna swim out to the island? It's tradition," he added.
"For who?" I asked and dropped my chair.
"Hey, Bronx," Angus called from the barbecue area. He had a plate piled high with hot dogs. "You gonna swim to the island?"
I looked over at Kingston. "What? Is there a shark out there or something? Everyone wants me out in the water."
Jane trudged by holding the hand of one of her kids. Nathan was ten and didn't look too pleased to be dragged along, holding hands with his mom. From the look on both their faces, someone was in trouble. That didn't stop Jane from tossing out the same suggestion as everyone else. "Bronx, fashionably late as always. Water's nice. You should take a swim to the island."
I followed her with my eyes as she continued on, not waiting for a response. She sat Nathan down on a towel. He crossed his arms and legs and put on a proper ten-year-old pout.
"What the fuck is going on?" I asked as I helped myself to a soda from King's ice chest.
"Nothing's going on. You're always so damn paranoid. It's just, you know, tradition. You get to the party late, then you take off on one of your brooding swims to the island."
"Tradition? I think I've done that swim twice. That's hardly—
"Oh, fucking hell, Bronx. I just think you should swim to the damn island." He looked pointedly across the water to the small, densely green island. I followed his line of sight.
She looked nothing short of an angel as she stepped out from the thick trees. She was wearing the same white bikini, and her bronze skin glistened in the sunlight. The music was still blaring, but the voices had stopped. Everyone, even pouty Nathan, was looking at me.
I glanced over at Helix. He nodded.
"Well, are you going to take that swim?" Kingston asked.
"Don't have to ask me something twice," I said as I kicked off my shoes.
"Bullshit, we asked you way more than twice, you jackass," he called to my back as I jogged to the water. I dove in and swam like that Olympic athlete I never was toward the woman standing on the wet slope of the island. It felt like the longest fucking stretch of water in the world. As I pushed up to wading at the shore, Layla stood shading her eyes with her hand and her bright white smile gleaming.
"I had this all planned perfectly, like the end of a romantic movie," she said. "You swam across, sat down in the exact location, and I came out of nowhere and admonished you for invading my privacy—"
"But you forgive me because I look like I need it more than you." I stopped just a foot from her. I was soaking wet, but my entire body was charged with electricity.
Her dark gold hair fluttered in the breeze. "You remember," she said softly.
"Every damn word." I closed the gap between us and took her into my arms. Our kiss was cheered loudly from the opposite shore.
She laughed. "We've got an audience."
I glanced back. Everyone was standing along the shoreline, Helix included, clapping and whistling.
"I seem to remember there's a secluded place on this island that's invisible to nosy coworkers." I grabbed her hand, and we pushed past shrubs and branches to the center of the tiny island, to the exact place we first met. Before we could sit, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against me.
"Why does everything feel right with the world when you're in my arms?" I asked.
"Guess for the same reason that everything is right with the world when your arms are around me." We kissed, this time without the cheer session, and it was that much sweeter.
I couldn't seem to bring myself to release her. She sensed my unwillingness to let her go and reached up to touch my face.
"Don't worry, Jack Devlin, I've thought long and hard about it. This time, I'm here to stay."
I sighed. "Damnit, guess I shouldn't have gone off and fallen in love with someone else then."
She tensed in my arms, and her smile faded. "You've met someone?" she asked, a slight waver in her tone. She ducked out of my arms. "I mean, of course you did. I certainly couldn't expect you to wait around for me to get it into my thick skull that you and
I were perfect together. I mean—"
I grabbed her back to me. "Just kidding."
She pulled back again. "You're teasing?"
"Yes, do you actually think I would fall in love with someone else after I've been so fucking hopelessly in love with you since the last time we stood right here on this tiny spot of sand?"
The smile returned to her face. "Hopelessly?" she asked.
"Hopelessly, desperately, doggedly, can't think of any more, but you get the point."
"So there's no one else? Because I would totally understand. I'd be heartbroken of course but—"
I pulled her into my arms again and gazed down at her. "No one else . . . ever. Just you, Layla. Only you."
Western Smokejumpers #2
About the Author
Tess Oliver is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of sexy romances. She’s always working on new and exciting projects. You can stay up to date, and get a free book by visiting her website and subscribing to her newsletter.
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