by J. M. Walker
I pointed, unable to take my eyes off the scene going on inside my house. The living room was fully engulfed. Nothing would be salvageable. Not that it mattered. They were only material items and they could be replaced, but watching your house along with everything you own go up in flames, was like losing a piece of yourself.
“I got him.”
I snapped out of my trance at those words.
The man came toward me with his arm around Vince. “He must have passed out from the smoke. That’s why he didn’t follow you.”
“Oh God.” I rushed to them, hooking Vince’s other arm around my shoulders.
“I’m fine,” Vince coughed.
We walked back up the side of the house to the older man’s yard. Sirens sounded, the fire trucks barreling down the streets as we walked to safety.
An ambulance parked in front of the neighbor’s house and the paramedics rushed toward us with a stretcher between them. They pulled Vince from the man who helped us and laid him on it, placing an oxygen mask on his face.
“No.” He sat up, handing me the mask. “She needs it more.”
“Vince.” I went to his side, trying to calm him. “They’re going to help you.”
“You need this more than I do.” He tried handing me the mask again.
“Stop.” I placed the mask back on his face and kissed his forehead. “You were in the smoke longer than I was.”
“She’s pregnant,” he told the nearest EMT, ignoring me. “She needs it more.”
“I’m fine, Vince.” But my words didn’t stop the other EMT from guiding me to the ambulance and giving me my own oxygen. “Wait.” I pushed away from her and went back to the man who helped Vince.
He was talking to a police officer. They both turned toward me.
“Sorry for interrupting. I just needed to thank you.” Before he could respond, I hugged him around the middle.
“You don’t need to thank me at all,” he told me, stiffening.
“You went into a burning house and got my boyfriend.” I squeezed him. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing him back to me.”
The man relaxed and hugged me back. “You’re welcome.”
I released him and went to head back to the ambulance when another officer came toward us.
“We just have some questions,” he said. “You’re the homeowner?”
“Yes I am.”
He nodded. “We’ll meet you at the hospital. Go get checked out.”
“Thank you.” I went to the ambulance and stepped up into the back.
“What’s going on?” Vince asked, pulling the mask off his face.
“I thanked my neighbor for saving you and the police are going to meet us at the hospital to question us.” I wasn’t sure why, but I imagined they needed to rule out arson. It was probably faulty wiring. No. My dad wouldn’t have let that happen when he and the guys built the house for us girls.
“I need to check you out,” the female EMT told me.
“Put your mask back on,” I told Vince.
Something flashed behind his eyes.
I grabbed his hand, holding onto it for dear life, thankful that I didn’t lose him.
The EMT checked my vitals, put an oxygen mask on my face, and did what they could before we got to the hospital.
When she was done, I moved closer to Vince and leaned my forehead against his. “We’re fine, baby.”
He nodded, his eyes fluttering closed. He squeezed my hand.
I kissed his knuckles, trying to give him all of the strength I could even though I didn’t feel strong.
At all.
***
“What the fuck happened?”
“How the hell did this happen?”
“Where is she?”
“Don’t tell me to calm down. Where’s my daughter?”
I sighed, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed just as my mom and dad came into the room.
“Baby.” Mom rushed to me, pulling me into her arms. “You okay?”
I nodded, returning the embrace. I waved my dad over, needing his big teddy bear hug that always made me feel like I could get through anything just by having his arms around me.
“What happened?” he asked gently.
“We woke up to the smoke detectors going off and the house on fire.” I swallowed hard. “The police are investigating.” After Vince and I had shown up at the hospital, they arrived shortly after and asked me a bunch of questions. Vince needed extensive care since his lungs were damaged from the smoke more than mine were. But once the doctor gave the go-ahead, the police asked him questions as well. When it was determined that neither of us had anything to do with starting the fire, the officers left. But I still hadn’t seen Vince since we were separated from the start.
“Have you seen Vince?” I asked my parents.
“Not yet. Creena and Stone are here though,” Mom told me, petting a hand over my head. “You sure you’re good?”
“Yes.” I gave her a smile for reassurance. “Just a little freaked out.”
“That’s understandable.” Mom looked up at Dad. “Angel, stop.”
He huffed. “I’m not fucking doing anything.”
“You’re plotting.” She wrapped her arm around his middle. “Let the police do their job.”
“Someone set my baby girl’s house on fire while she was in bed. Add to the fact that she’s pregnant with our grandbaby. We’ve been through a lot, princess. But this…” Dad pulled away from Mom and started pacing. “I just need a moment.”
“I’m fine, Daddy. I promise.” I cupped my stomach. “We’re both fine. The doctor gave us a clean bill of health.”
Dad rubbed the back of his neck, his shoulders tense. “I know you’re fine. I see that you’re fine but it’s not making me feel any better.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked, remembering the accident he had a few weeks ago that freaked us all out.
“I’m fine.” Dad dropped his arm to the side. “Your mother has been my rock and I’ve even started wearing glasses while working.” But he wasn’t wearing them at that moment. He scowled. “I’ll start wearing them regularly. I swear you two have the same brain.”
Mom and I laughed.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Stone peeked his head inside the room. “Can we interrupt?”
“Of course,” Mom told him.
“Someone was ready to kick some ass to get to you,” he said, giving me a smile and coming farther into the room.
Creena pushed Vince into the room in a wheelchair.
Before I could say anything, he was up and out of the chair and in my arms like I needed. He sat beside me, pushing his face into the crook of my neck. “You good?” he asked, cupping my stomach.
“Yes,” I whispered. “We’re good. Are you?”
His dark eyes met mine. “The doctor said that I’m good to go. My lungs will be tender for a few days though.”
“But are you good?” I asked, turning toward him.
“She knows him well,” Creena pointed out.
“Vince.” I grabbed his hand. “Answer me.”
He leaned toward me, his mouth brushing over the shell of my ear. “I want to skin the person alive who set your house on fire and risked your life and our baby’s life. Does that answer your question, Queenie?”
I shivered at the image he put in my head. “You don’t think it was an accident?”
“Nope.” He kissed my cheek. “Not at all, babe.”
“But they would have seen our cars. Do you think they wanted us to be home?” I swallowed hard at the thought that someone would deliberately set my house on fire, hoping we would be home at the same time.
“I…” Vince hesitated. “I don’t think it was an accident,” he said again.
While our parents talked, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Vince was right and that someone did set the house on fire. But I wasn’t sure why they would do that. What could they possibly get out of burning my
house down? Was it a random person or someone we actually knew? Either way, it didn’t make sense but if I knew our dads, they were already trying to figure out a way to get the answers I was looking for without me even having to ask them.
I looked at my dad.
His gaze locked with mine.
He nodded once.
I swallowed hard.
I almost felt sorry for the person who tried to hurt Vince and I but then again, maybe they deserved whatever was coming to them.
Vince
After leaving the hospital, we headed back to Gigi’s parents’ place. My mom and dad offered to take me back to theirs and as much as I appreciated that, I wasn’t leaving Gigi. Ever. Luckily, I had to just say no once, and they understood. Dad shot me a look that meant he knew exactly how I felt. I didn’t want to know how he understood, knowing him and my mom had it hard in the beginning.
When I made sure that Gigi was safely tucked away in her bed, I left her childhood bedroom and stepped out into the hall. Once I shut the door behind me, it was like the weight of the night had come crashing down onto my shoulders. I rubbed my chest, my lungs still aching from the smoke damage. The doctor said it would be a few days before they were back to normal. No marathons for me anytime soon.
I took one step before I fell to my knees.
My heart started racing, my breathing becoming uneven. Spots danced in my vision.
I could have lost Gigi. I could have lost our unborn baby. I could have lost them both. If that had happened, I wouldn’t know how to live without them. They were fine. They were okay. But it didn’t make it any easier. The fact that they were almost taken from me, forced this newfound rage from the very depth of my soul. It was an anger I had never felt before. It scared me because I knew that I would go to the ends of the earth to get the person who did this and make sure they never hurt us, or anyone, ever again.
“Breathe it out, son.” A heavy hand landed on my shoulder. “You got this.”
I took a deep breath and then another. I didn’t know what happened or who had set Gigi’s house on fire, but I had a feeling. And it was a feeling that I didn’t like. I wanted to be wrong and I prayed that I was.
When my heart calmed down, I sat back on my ass and leaned against the wall.
Angel sat beside me, stretching out his long legs in front of him. “You good?”
“Nope,” I bit out. “Not one bit.”
He stared straight ahead. “What about Gigi?”
“She didn’t want to rest. She told me that I needed it more than she did.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “But she finally listened and fell asleep.”
She had tried fighting the exhaustion but eventually, fell asleep in my arms. It was where I always wanted her. Tucked in my hold, safe in my touch and at peace in my heart.
“She’s like her mother that way. Meadow and Ryder are more me. But Gigi?” Angel shook his head. “Jay will always be walking this earth as long as Gigi’s around.”
“I could have lost her and our baby tonight and it’s messing with me,” I blurted, leaning my head back against the wall. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost them.”
“You saved her,” Angel pointed out. “And you saved your unborn child.”
“I’d die first before I let anything happen to them.”
“You were raised well, Vince.” He paused. “I remember the first night we brought her home with us. I put her in her crib while Jay took a shower. I wanted to give her a little bit of time alone. Pregnancies and births aren’t easy. Even the quickest deliveries can still be stressful, so I was trying to give Jay a moment of reprieve. Anyway.” Angel cleared his throat. “I never really prayed before that night. Not outside of the missions I’d been on. It’s hard to have faith with the shit I’ve seen. But that night I did. I prayed hard, Vince. I prayed for a man like you to come into my baby girl’s life and take care of her like I do. To love her even more than I can and ever will. Thank you for answering my prayer.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Thank you for giving your daughter to me.”
“You have my blessing. I know you haven’t asked for it, but you don’t need to. I’ve seen the way you are with her.” Angel looked at me then. “I always said that I would threaten any of the guys my girls ended up with but you and Shade? I haven’t had to threaten either of you.”
“Meadow and Shade have been through a lot.” I crossed my arms under my chest, looking at the man I hoped would one day be my father-in-law.
“They have. I didn’t know Sunny for long. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my youngest kid was dating two men who were closer to my age than her own.” Angel sighed. “But when it comes to Meadow, she does what she wants and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. She has a good head on her shoulders. They all do but Gigi was the one I was worried about the most. Until you broke down her walls.”
“I’m in love with her,” I finally confessed to him.
Angel smiled. “Oh I know and I’m happy you are.”
“You’re in love with me?”
My head whipped around.
Gigi stood outside her bedroom door, staring down at me with wide eyes.
“You should be sleeping,” I said, rising to my feet and going up to her.
“Vince.” She grabbed the hoodie I was wearing, thanks to Angel letting me borrow one of his, and pulled me closer. “Tell me that again.”
I looked over my shoulder.
Angel nodded. “I’ll be downstairs. I’ll try and calm your dad down. He’s more furious than I am.” He shook his head and went back down the hall, leaving Gigi and me alone.
“Vince.”
I turned around and grabbed Gigi’s hand, pulling her back into her bedroom.
“Vince,” she repeated, her voice firmer. “I need to know. Did you mean what you said?”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” I cupped her shoulders. “I’m in love with you, Gigi.” It felt so damn good to finally get those words off my chest. Words that I had been wanting to say ever since I gave her the necklace so many years ago.
“You love me?” she asked through unshed tears.
“Yeah, Queenie.” I kissed her forehead, brushing my nose against hers. “I’ve always loved you. From the first moment I met you.”
“I’ve known you since you were born,” she whispered.
“Exactly.” I pinched her chin, tilting her head back to meet the soft impact of my mouth. “I loved you then. I love you now. And I’ll spend the rest of my days, continuing to love you.”
A lone tear rolled down her cheek.
“Don’t cry, Gigi.” My tongue peeked out, licking up the drop. “I’ve been in love with you for so long.” I fingered the necklace wrapped around her throat. “Probably since before I gave you this necklace so many years ago.”
“God, Vince.” Her chin wobbled. “I’m in love with you, too.”
I cupped the back of her head and crushed my mouth to hers. “I know.”
A shaky laugh left her. “How?”
“Just do, babe.” I kissed her nose. “I have to tell you that it feels so much better getting that out. I’ve been wanting to tell you for years that I’m in love with you, but I was scared that you would reject me.”
“Never. I would never reject you, but I was scared about that too. I wish you would have told me sooner and I wish that I would have told you too.” Gigi stepped out of my embrace and went up to her dresser. Opening a drawer, she reached inside and pulled out a small box. Her gaze met mine in the mirror. “Come here.”
I did as I was told and stepped up behind her, leaning my chin on her shoulder and wrapping my arms around her middle.
“Do you remember when we took this?” She lifted a picture of her and I. We were smiling for the camera. It had been the night of my eighteenth birthday. She had a glow on her cheeks since it was right after I fucked her in her car. Looked like we started taking sexy pictures long before
I even realized it.
“I forgot we took this.” I cupped her stomach. “We looked good together.”
“We still look good together.” Gigi ran her hand up and down my arm that was holding her tight. “I love you.”
I kissed the side of her neck. “I love you, Queenie. More than I could ever tell you but promise to show you just the same.”
Gigi placed her hand on her stomach. “We’re good.”
“No.” I turned her in my arms and cupped her face. “We’re fucking perfect.”
***
(Gigi)
Vince and I sat at my parents’ dining room table. Much to Vince’s dismay of course. After we confessed our love for each other, finally, he insisted that I go back to bed. I refused. I could sleep later. It was after eight in the morning and everyone looked exhausted, but our dads were determined to figure out what had happened.
The landline rang off in the distance, but we were too tired to bother.
Vince took care of it for us and came back a few minutes later. “They got the fire out but…” His voice trailed off.
“What?” My heart jumped to my throat.
“It’s bad, Queenie,” he said gently. “They also determined that the window was glued shut along with a few nails hammered into the windowsill.”
Curses muttered around the room but all I could do was stare at Vince over what he was telling me.
I exhaled a shaky breath, looking down at my hands on my lap. I had known all along that the fire wasn’t an accident, but it didn’t mean I wanted to be right.
“Gigi.”
I looked up at the sound of my dad’s deep voice. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Dad scowled. “You didn’t start the fire. Whoever this asshole is that tried hurting my baby...”
Mom went up to him, placing her hand on his chest.
He sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“The police are investigating,” Vince added.
“Maybe the window became stuck. It is old.” I was grasping. “Maybe someone from one of my parties messed with it or the wires or…” I didn’t want to believe that someone would intentionally hurt Vince and I.
“Baby, the house isn’t that old, and you know that’s not what happened,” Vince told me gently. “The police are still doing their search but it’s not an accident. I wish it was. I’m sorry that it wasn’t.”
