“Good. Then how about going out with my brother? He just went through a breakup, too, and he could use a little distraction. I can give you his phone number if you’re interested.”
To prevent her jaw from dropping, she clenched her teeth and blinked at him. Jerry seemed to take her silence for curiosity, however. “His ex-wife was a real bitch who couldn’t even prepare a proper meal,” he explained with beaming eyes. “He needs a nice woman, one who doesn’t only think about his paycheck. I immediately thought of you, because you’re a wonderful cook. And you earn your own money.”
He really seemed to think his remarks were compliments, and he looked at her with the devoted eyes of a dumb Rottweiler expecting a treat in return for the giant turd he’d placed in the front yard. Hayden considered calling Jerry’s wife Teresa, to tell her it was time she put her overeager husband on a leash or kept him at home, lest he managed to offend every single person in town. Her first suggestion would have been his castration, but that sounded a little radical, and she doubted Teresa would have complied.
“Listen, Jerry, that is very … flattering. That you thought of me.” She cleared her throat. “But I’m sure you understand that I’m not ready to date again and probably won’t be anytime soon.”
“Haven’t you been broken up for more than three months now?”
“Heath and I were a couple since high school,” she countered snappishly, though she didn’t know why she even bothered to justify herself to Jerry. “That means I need a little more time to get over it.”
“In case you’re concerned about Heath, there’s no need to worry. I’ve already spoken to him, and he said it was fine with him. If you went out with my brother, I mean.”
She frowned at him and crossed her arms in irritation. “Pardon me?”
The giant oaf simply smiled at her and elaborated. “Heath gave his okay for you to date my brother. I asked him a few days ago at the gym.”
“You asked Heath for permission? Before you decided to go about matchmaking?” She saw red and considered using the heels of her shoes as murder weapons.
“Of course,” Jerry answered indignantly, looking at her as if he suddenly doubted her common sense. “I could hardly proceed without his consent, could I?”
Hayden had the sickening feeling that she’d been sucked into some weird parallel universe. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. This couldn’t be happening! “And Heath told you that it was okay with him?”
“Exactly. That’s what I said.” Now Jerry was getting impatient. “So what do you say, Hayden? Can I give my brother your number? Or would you prefer to call him?”
The words that had been on the tip of her tongue for a long time, the words she would have liked to hurl at Heath right now, came tumbling out: “Fuck you, Jerry!”
Hayden was surprised to see her boyfriend waiting for her at the fence of the schoolyard after all the children had gone home. Smiling and waving, he waited behind the fence, his car parked on the curb in front of the school. She waved back at him and snuggled more deeply into her thick winter coat, thankful for the cap she’d put on this morning. The temperature had dropped overnight, and the cold had the city in its icy grip. The forecast promised snow, which she wasn’t looking forward to, for she didn’t enjoy the slush and the cold. Heath loved winter and had been trying to convince her to go on a winter vacation for years. She looked at his thin clothes and thought grumpily that he had it good—he rarely felt cold. Even now, his coat was unbuttoned, revealing a sweatshirt with the logo of his department underneath. She would have turned into a block of ice in the same outfit, but Heath looked completely comfortable and fit as a fiddle.
“What are you doing here?” She shifted her heavy school bag on her shoulder and stepped over a large puddle. “I thought you had to work late today.”
“I wanted to surprise you.” He offered her the wide smile that still, after all these years, made her heart beat faster. Then he leaned down and took her face in both hands, before kissing her tenderly on the lips. “Hi, my darling.”
“Hi,” she mumbled and closed her eyes for a brief instant.
“Let me take that,” he demanded softly and took the heavy bag from her, which made her sigh with relief.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took her hand, hoisted the bag up on his other shoulder, and led her to his car. “It should still be warm inside. I turned the heat on full blast.”
“That was very sweet of you.” Hayden pressed his hand and studied his handsome profile. “How come you came to pick me up? Are you skipping your shift?”
He snorted in amusement, held the passenger door open for her, and reluctantly let go of her hand. “I wanted to show you something, so Dad gave me two hours off.”
“You wanted to show me something?” She stared into his green eyes, which were surrounded by thick lashes. “What is it?”
“Wait and see, baby.” He pushed the door of his Dodge shut, put her bag into the trunk, and then walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in.
When he started the engine, she looked at him with a smile, leaned her head back, and let out a deep sigh. He focused on the road, but threw her a quick sideways glance. “What’s the matter?”
“Oh.” She slid a hand under his sweatshirt and giggled, feeling his warm skin and steely abs under her fingers. “Once again, I was just thinking about how sexy you are in your uniform.”
He raised his eyebrows and feigned innocence. “Sexy?”
“Oh, yes. Unbelievably sexy,” she replied ardently and let her hand drop a little lower. “Could I maybe convince you to wear your helmet the next time we have sex?”
His snort sounded more like a choked moan. His hand, which he placed on hers, with only the fabric of his sweatshirt between them, was probably meant to keep her from gliding any lower. At the same time, one of his eyebrows traveled up in an expression of chastisement.
“I must remind you of the traffic laws, miss. I’m sure it’s prohibited for a passenger to paw the driver.”
“That’s a shame.” She pulled back her hand, but leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “But your shift is going to last for so many more hours, isn’t it? Imagine all the things we could do if we had all that time! Me, completely naked, and you with your helmet on.”
“Hayden.” His voice shook with suppressed laughter. “How come I never knew, my dear? Has this always been a fantasy of yours or did you just get drunk in the teacher’s room during lunch break?”
“No, Mr. Moralizer.” She leaned back with another sigh and stretched her legs. Gathering from the route Heath was taking, she assumed they were headed for the idyllic part of Charlestown, near her school and Heath’s parents’ house, the neighborhood she’d always been particularly fond of. There, the houses were cute and quaint, with old trees and well-kept front yards, and the streets were quiet and neat.
She had no idea where exactly he was going or what this was about, but after the exhausting shifts he had worked in the preceding weeks, any quiet moment alone with him felt luxurious and soothing, so she simply enjoyed the ride.
She snuggled up against his side with a smile. “Why don’t we order in some Chinese food after you get off tonight, darling? I could rent a movie, and we’ll watch it in bed.”
“That sounds fantastic.” Heath pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, and she closed her eyes in bliss. “Exactly what I need after that last shift.”
“You’ve been working too much,” she chided him softly, concern in her voice. “Even your mom mentioned it the last time I talked to her. She’s worried.”
“It’s all good.” He grinned and turned right into the driveway of an unfamiliar house, putting the car in park. The engine fell silent.
She looked at him quizzically, but he didn’t say anything. He kept grinning as he climbed out of the car, so she did the same, following his gaze in slight irritation. He let his eyes travel over the house and then the unten
ded front yard, which hadn’t seen a lawnmower or a pair of hedge clippers in ages.
She didn’t know what to make of Heath’s expectant face, so she buried her hands in the pockets of her coat and said, “Apparently you’re waiting for some kind of reaction, but I’m completely clueless. What are we doing here, Heath?”
He rolled his eyes, put an arm around her shoulder, and steered her toward the uneven steps that led up to the front porch. It was worn down by weather and time, and the entire house and yard looked as if they were in dire need of renovation. Still, Hayden thought the two-story house was adorable with its wide verandah and large windows. She was in love with this type of old-fashioned, rustic architecture, and she also knew it was rare to find a house like this in Charlestown, with a spacious front yard and driveway complete with garage to one side.
“I took time off to show you this house, Hayden. It has a big living room with an open fireplace, a dining room, a kitchen that faces the back yard, with a second, smaller verandah out back, and—now for the highlight—it has four full bedrooms.”
When Heath pulled out a set of keys from his jacket, she blinked at him, still confused. He moved to unlock the front door. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on his.
“Heath.” Her voice suddenly trembled violently, and she could feel the butterflies rise in her stomach. “This house …”
“It’s ours,” he said shyly, “if you want it.”
“If I want it?” She thought she might burst with this sudden euphoric excitement. She wanted to jump up and down like a child. “Of course I want it!” she cried, goading him to unlock the door.
When he finally pushed the door open, she ignored his soft laugh, grabbed his hand, and pulled him with her as she entered the empty house. Fascinated, she spun in place to take in the front hall and the wide set of stairs that led to the upper floor. Then she stepped into the room to her left, staring open-mouthed at the fireplace.
She could not explain why she then suddenly burst into tears.
“Shit …” Heath said, panicked, as he hurried to her side. “Hayden. What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” He sounded disappointed. “The house belonged to Dad’s old bowling pal’s sister. She was recently moved into a nursing home, and … and I thought you might like this place. The price is good, too. I have enough to make the down payment with all the money from the extra shifts. And if we used our savings and a small loan, we could pay it off really quickly, and even have money left for renovations. Dad said he’d vouch for us with the bank. But if you don’t like it …”
She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love it!” she wailed.
“Then, babe, why are you crying?”
“Because I’m so happy, because the house is perfect, because … because you’re just so wonderful.”
“Oh.” He pulled her close, laughing and kissing the tip of her nose. “Well then, that’s a yes?”
“How did you manage to keep all of this a secret?” She wiped away the tears, still amazed at his find and excited to inspect the rest of it. But for the moment she was content just to feel the warmth of this man, the man she loved more than she was able to express, and to look up into his smiling, proud face.
“Yeah, that wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “But it was supposed to be a surprise.”
“The most wonderful surprise anyone has ever given me. You can be sure of that.” The thought of moving out of her tiny apartment and into a real house, a real home for the two of them, made her knees weak.
“I know it still needs a lot of work,” Heath murmured. “Of course we’ll have to remodel and renovate, but I promise you it’s going to be perfect in the end.”
“Oh, it’s perfect already,” she objected softly. “Oh dear God, we’re going to own a house!”
“A home for a new family,” he added meaningfully.
Hayden beamed at him, nodding and taking his face in her hands. “You said there are four bedrooms?”
“Mm-hm.” His gaze traveled to her lips. “Exactly. Four bedrooms. That means—”
“Three babies,” she finished breathlessly, and then she pressed her body against his.
“At least,” Heath corrected her hoarsely. Then he pulled her down to the floor with him so they could consecrate the house the way he had been dreaming of.
Chapter 10
“You didn’t have to come here just to mow the lawn, Heath. Kyle and Ryan could have done that. They live here, after all.”
“I know, Mom.” Heath kissed his mother’s temple and peeked over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. He was thrilled to see her homemade potato dumplings, a dish he was ready to kill for right now. He was aware of the fact that she’d prepared the dumplings only because she knew exactly how much he loved them. He didn’t want to fight the nostalgia this knowledge triggered within him and instead welcomed the comfort it gave him.
He would never openly admit as much, but he could really use every bit of comfort he could get. He wanted his old life back, wanted to be able to call up his brother and talk to him, and he wanted Hayden back. But none of that was possible.
If at least he were on good terms with Shane again, he wouldn’t feel quite so low. His brother, who was only one year his junior, had always been his best friend. He and Shane had always been on the same wavelength and had stood by each other, whatever happened. But since their father’s death, the connection had been severed, and they were no longer on speaking terms. After the moment Shane had shown up at his hospital bed, asking how it was possible that his dad had lost his life while Heath had barely been hurt, they had hardly exchanged another word. The implied accusation in his brother’s question had hit him hard. After all, he felt guilty enough for his father’s death anyway.
From a rational perspective, that was nonsense, because it was not in any way Heath’s fault that a leaky gas main had set an entire building on fire. That fire had then spilled over to the adjacent building, where he and his dad had been standing on the roof, trying to get a better idea of where the central seat of the fire was located. Nobody could have guessed that one of the residents of the adjacent building had illegally tapped the gas main. But that was the ultimate reason for the explosion and the eventual collapse of both buildings.
The only thing Heath was actually responsible for was the fact that it had been his idea to climb the roof. And it was from this roof that his dad had fallen to his death when the outer walls had collapsed like cardboard—only with much more weight and momentum. His dad had been hit full force by the blast of the explosion and hurled against a smokestack. The other men had rescued Heath’s unconscious body from the half-collapsed roof, but his dad was already dead down below.
Ever since, Heath had wondered whether his suggestion had been too rash. At first, he’d suggested that he could climb up onto the neighboring roof to check for any air supply or vent options. As chief, his dad could have led the operation from the ground. But then Heath had jokingly asked him whether he was still able to climb the fire ladder at his age. If only Heath had kept his big mouth shut, he’d have been on the roof alone. But he’d lured the leader of the operation—his own dad—into following him up there. He could still hear the echo of his dad’s dismissive snort, calling his oldest son a greenhorn, still wet behind the ears.
Heath’s throat constricted as his mind wandered to the day, shortly before the disaster, that his dad had defended him in front of the whole department. Greg had teasingly asked why it was taking Heath so long to impregnate Hayden. And his dad had suavely put Greg in his place, making a joke at the expense of the older fireman and prophesying that Heath would make him a grandfather within two years. Heath was a true Fitzpatrick, after all, his dad had said. In bed that night, Heath had told Hayden about the exchange, and that, yes, he did want to make his dad a grandpa, give him a healthy grandson or granddaughter. In true Irish fashion, he wanted to name his first child after his father—Joseph or Josephine—another generation of
Fitzpatricks. He’d told Hayden all this without thinking of the fact that her own father had long been dead and would not see his grandchildren grow up. And Hayden’s mom was living in a different state by then, which didn’t make it any easier for her. But when he’d tried to comfort her, finally realizing that his talk of grandchildren had led her thoughts down less happy avenues, she had shaken her head. And then she’d whispered that, while she still missed her own dad, she would be happy to make Joseph a granddad. She even liked the idea of naming their child after him.
Everything had seemed so perfect then.
Heath had been a gloriously happy man who lived with his fiancée in their own house, who planned to have children, who had a good, easygoing relationship with his siblings and parents, and who was working in a profession he loved.
All of that had gone down the drain in an instant.
Now, he was deeply unhappy, had broken up with his fiancée, whom he would not be having children with, and had moved out of the dream house, which said fiancée now wanted to sell. He was at loggerheads with his siblings, had buried his father, and was about to be suspended because he refused to tell all of this to a shrink.
Recently, he’d been asking himself whether it had been a mistake to break up with Hayden. God, he missed her like crazy, and she was constantly on his mind. He didn’t want to hurt her, and it pained him to think that his behavior was, in fact, hurting her. Ever since first grade, he couldn’t bear to see her cry, or to know she was feeling low.
But one look at his sorrowful mother reminded him he’d made the right decision. Did he want Hayden to suffer like his mom was suffering now? He couldn’t bear the thought of her sitting there at his funeral, receiving a damn flag, and losing the third fireman in her life. It wasn’t as if he risked his life every single day, but unfortunately, unforeseen accidents could happen anytime, and firemen lost their lives. It happened.
The Heat Is On (Boston Five Book 1) Page 12
