A Chance With You

by Sarah Taylor

  One of her dark eyebrows lifts.

  Olivia, who’d been content in my embrace until she suddenly became all too aware of the way my arms were looped around, steps away from me. The gliding movement sways her voluptuous hips and my throat instantly tightens so much that I can’t even squeeze down a single breath.

  “There’s nothing to make up for,” she says with a suddenly terse tone. “You and I agreed that we wouldn’t continue to see one another. I can’t... I won’t get involved with anyone who works in such a dangerous job. That’s why it’s important we not get attached, Brady.”

  My whole adult life, I’ve always been the one to avoid commitment. I’ve always been the one to turn away from women who want something more from me.

  Now, all of a sudden, I find myself caught on this beautiful, fascinating, bruised woman.

  When she walks away, every fiber of my being wants to chase her. My feet, however, remain rooted in place.

  Chapter 6

  Olivia

  My heart is heavy as I bury my face into the bouquet of pansies and hyacinths I’d just finished arranging, breathing in deeply so that the floral fragrance might clear my thoughts.

  My phone buzzes again in my pocket, but I ignore it. Jaxon has been trying to get in touch with me, but I just haven’t had the heart to talk to my big brother. I know I shouldn’t withdraw completely from those who care about me, but right now my head is a jumble.

  A week has passed since Brady and I had our encounter at the café...and I still haven’t been able to forget the way his eyes gazed intensely into my mine or the way he touched me. Every time his fingers brush my skin, it feels like fire sizzles from my pores.

  I hadn't expected him to come after me when I left the table. People tended to get awkward and weird if I mentioned my loss, but Brady had chased me down just to apologize.

  Why?

  Our hookup was supposed to be a no-strings-attached type of deal, wasn’t it? Then why had he looked at me like that? What were the feelings that stirred deep inside me when we talked – feelings I never believed I would experience again?

  Since losing Carl, I figured I was broken. That my heart was permanently damaged.

  People only get one love of a lifetime, don’t they? Even though Carl and I never slept together, surely I’ll never be able to find someone who can make me feel as happy and blissful and overjoyed as he did.

  But, if that’s the case, why do I keep dreaming about Brady and our single night together?

  Why have I laid in bed every night since then staring at the ceiling and wishing I could feel his hot breath on my neck, his strong arms around my slender waist? Why would I give almost anything to hear him say my name again?

  My heart feels like it’s being torn in two different directions. I feel like I'm underwater and have no idea which way is up.

  “What should I do?” I whisper out loud, head tipped up towards the clouds as though the angel watching over me could answer.

  “You should do what you feel is right,” someone says from behind me.

  I whip around to find Lucy smiling at me softly. I hadn't even heard her enter the flower shop.

  “Hey, Liv,” she greets, sliding into a chair I have sitting at one of my counters. “I haven’t heard from you in a few days, so I wanted to check in. You doing okay?”

  Eight months ago, when I moved to this city, Lucy had been the first person I met. I’d run into her at the library, where I was searching for a romance novel that would make me forget my own painful tale, and she’d been hunting down stories for her elementary class to do book reports on. The connection had been instant. It’d been so long since I’d had a real friend. I’d pushed all my old ones away after Carl’s death.

  Over some wine, we spilled our hearts. She told me how Cooper saved her from a burning building, and I told her about the terrible phone call I’d received from my brother on a balmy Tuesday afternoon.

  “So, you and Brady hooked up after my engagement party, did you?” she asks, arms folded over her chest.

  My face instantly floods with heat. “He told you?” I shriek.

  Lucy giggles and shakes her head victoriously. “I knew it! No. Brady didn't spill a word, but the way you two were looking at one another after brunch last weekend said it all.”

  I set down the bouquet and walk over to Lucy. My fingers drum on the counter as I try to arrange my thoughts as carefully as I arrange flowers. Lucy just beams, smug over having sleuthed out the brief relationship between Brady and myself.

  “It was just a fling,” I stammer. “You know how I feel about people who work dangerous jobs. You know I’d never give a firefighter my heart after I lost Carl.”

  Lucy doesn’t look convinced. “What job isn’t dangerous in its own way? I mean, mine is supposed to be safe, but I was trapped in a fire! You never know what the day might hold. You could live to be a thousand or die tomorrow.”

  “That’s morbid,” I mutter.

  She just shrugs.

  I lean further against the counter, head swimming as I try to process what Lucy is saying.

  “Even if – and I do mean if! – I wanted something more from Brady...he just could never understand what I’ve been through...”

  Lucy softly lays her hand over mine. “I think he might understand more than you think, Liv. Give him a chance. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you when we were at brunch.”

  “A carefree guy like that could understand what I’ve lost?” I scoff. “I highly doubt that.”

  Lucy squeezes my hand and then releases me. “I disagree... And believe me, Brady has his own form of baggage.”

  I frown at her, searching her eyes for a moment. “I get that everyone has baggage, Lucy, but Brady has such a reputation for being a bachelor and a playboy. What could really be troubling him?”

  For a moment, Lucy lowers her eyes. She chews her thumbnail as if debating saying something, and then she heaves a sigh. “I'm only going to tell you his because I think you’re making a huge mistake in writing him off like you are, Liv. Earlier this year, Brady found out that he was on the cusp of being promoted to fire chief earlier. Then...an incident happened. A fire got out of control under his watch. A family was lost.”

  Her words hit me like a freight train. I know how it feels to lose someone, but I’d had no role in Carl’s passing. Brady, however, had been right there when that horrible fire took a turn.

  I try to suck in a breath, but my lungs feel hard. “So the chief refused to promote him or something?”

  Lucy shakes her head. Her eyes skim the flowers in my shop before returning to me. “No. Brady refused to take the position, even though the fire chief still wanted Brady to take over. Shortly after, they found out there had been a gas line below the house that had been leaking undetected. Brady did everything right. No one could have stopped that fire. But that hasn’t stopped Brady from blaming himself.”

  I lean hard against the counter, head spinning.

  How could I never have seen that Brady was fighting not just fires, but his own personal battles as well?

  “After all of this mess, do you really think he would even want to hear from me?” I ask in a quivering voice.

  The redhead laughs before she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. I sink against her, but the only arms I want to be in are Brady’s.

  “Only he can answer that question, Liv. The question you should really be asking yourself is if you’re ready to put your heart — your whole heart — on the line again. Isn’t it time you both found happiness again?”

  Chapter 7

  Brady

  A siren blares in fire station as we grab our gear to head out to put out yet another fire. The other firefighters swiftly grab their hats and jackets, but my feet are dragging slightly.

  It used to be that the second a call came in my adrenaline started pumping, and I’d get psyched up to run out and help someone... However, that had changed over the last few m
onths.

  Cooper frowns at me as he pulls his jacket over his broad shoulders.

  “Brady. You should know...” he says quietly, glancing around to make sure no one else is listening over the shrill siren calling us to the firetruck, “the call came from Pinewood.”

  The all-too-familiar name of the small, sleepy neighborhood makes my throat instantly constrict. My tongue goes heavy behind my teeth, and my already-slowed-movements go completely still. My jacket is only half on, half dangling down my back.

  I hadn't allowed myself to even think of little neighborhood since the last time I was there.

  It was in Pinewood that everything changed. My whole life was flipped upside down.

  When we first got that life-changing call earlier this year, I’d been exhilarated. Helping people and fighting fires was what I lived for.

  The housefire appeared to be perfectly manageable at first, aside from the fact that the family was trapped inside by some debris. It was me who took charge. I’d been more than eager for that fire to be the final point of proof that I was ready to take on the fire chief’s role so he could retire. I’d instructed some of our men to douse the flames while I would lead a small team to retrieve the family inside.

  It seemed simple enough.

  But, as I ran toward the front door, the house exploded into flames.

  No one inside survived.

  It took hours to gain control of the fire and most of the neighborhood had to be evacuated in the process.

  I didn’t care about the report that came out about the leaking gas pipe underground. All I cared about was the fact that it was my responsibility to save those people, and I’d failed. The chief tried to convince me to still take the promotion, but I’d refused. How could I have accepted such a role at our station if I’d allowed that fire to turn out the way it did?

  I didn't deserve it. I don’t deserve anything... Especially not Olivia. I don’t blame her for shutting me down.

  Am I even brave enough to return to Pinewood now?

  “You don’t have to go,” continues Cooper. He puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. “But... You and I both know you refused that promotion to punish yourself, Brady. How much longer are you going to do that? How much longer are you going to torture yourself?”

  “I do deserve punishment,” I insist, but he shakes his head.

  “How can you think that? What happened was an accident. A horrible, terrible accident. Don’t you think you could save many more people as our chief? You’re smart and quick on your feet. You’re a natural leader. If you weren’t so scared—” He cuts himself off abruptly and grits his teeth. “Sorry,” he adds stiffly. “I'm going too far.”

  I want to argue with him. I want to tell him that I'm not scared. That I’ve never been scared in my life. But the truth is, ever since that fire, I’ve doubted myself completely. I'm terrified to return to Pinewood and fail all over. I'm terrified of ever feeling the pain I did that day.

  My jaw clenches.

  “You’re right,” I answer simply. “Ever since that fire, I’ve let fear control me. I’ve let it paralyze me.”

  Cooper gazes at me levelly, his chin lifting and falling a nod. “You have. But what are you going to do about it now?”

  I suck in a deep breath and watch as our team runs towards the firetruck.

  I could give up right now. I could give in to my fear and sit back on that bench and let everyone else go on without me... Or I could prove to them — to myself — that I'm still a man, that I can still fight, that I can still be brave.

  “It’s time to finally break free,” I whisper.

  A grin cracks Cooper’s face. He slaps my shoulder proudly and then we hurry to the waiting truck.

  When we climb in the back, the fire chief’s eyes meet mine, and a slow smile spreads across his own face.

  When we arrive at the burning house in Pinewood, the fire is already fighting to swallow the building whole. We’re on the other side of the neighborhood, away from the house that exploded months ago, but I find myself staring glances toward it.

  I can’t make the same mistakes. If I'm ever really going to move on, I need to stay strong.

  Heat licks at my face and sweat drips slowly down the back of my neck. My knees shake slightly, but I refuse to let my fear of failure overwhelm me. It will not stop me anymore. Not here. Not anywhere. My heart has been so guarded that I refused to let anyone too close — but I refuse to let that be the way I live any longer.

  “Status?” I shout. “Anyone trapped inside?”

  “Just a dog, sir,” one of the other firefighters responds.

  “Just a dog...” I echo, shaking my head. “He has a life too! Start hosing down the house. Have the gas lines been checked?”

  The other firefighter gulps. “No, I’ll have them shut down in a moment—”

  “You get them shut down now!” I growl back before charging toward the house.

  There’s no time for hesitation. I have to act now if want to keep hold of anything. I’ve learned that now.

  Ashes fall around me as I call for the dog, keeping low to the ground so that the smoke remains overhead. This is what I'm trained to do, missions like this are why I decided to become a fireman. It is my duty to save those who need saving.

  I let out a long whistle and a tiny head pokes out from behind a counter.

  The dog, tiny and gray and trembling, whines from where he’s trapped in the flames of the kitchen. I push through the heat until I can get to him, then scoop him up to my chest.

  “We’re getting out here, boy,” I promise the little dog.

  Through the falling embers, I make my way back outside so that I can reunite the dog with its owners.

  The family gleefully takes the pooch into their arms while thanking me. The other firefighters start spraying the home with gallons of water, and the fire wanes under their efforts.

  “That was good work,” the fire chief says as I walk over to him and take off my hat. “Seems to me that you took control of this situation just fine.”

  I lift my chin and shrug. “I'm just doing my job, sir.”

  He chuckles nods, though his eyes are gleaming. “...Maybe you’ll finally be willing to talk about another job, hm? Perhaps, we can discuss a certain promotion that I’ve been wanting to give you so I can retire?”

  I swallow hard, resisting the urge to run away from this moment. It would be easy for me to refuse the promotion again...but I can’t punish myself anymore. Cooper had been right. I'm more valuable to my community if I take every opportunity I can to help them.

  “You’re right, sir,” I agree. “It’s time we talk about that... But there’s something I need to take care of first.”

  “Oh?” he says, surprised.

  I just nod. There’s a beautiful brunette bombshell of a woman who’s made me feel all sorts of things that terrify me... And it’s time I work up the courage to say just how I feel about her. She might turn me down, but I can’t be afraid of failure anymore.

  “Brady!” Cooper suddenly calls.

  I turn towards him, but it’s not my friend that I focus on.

  Beside him is a petite, gorgeous woman illuminated in the fading flames and afternoon sunlight.

  It’s her. The only one I want. My Olivia.

  Chapter 8

  Olivia

  Brady stands before me. Flames rage behind him, ash is streaked on his cheeks, his hat dangles from his fingers, and my whole heart feels like it might explode in my chest.

  I’d told myself I never wanted to give my heart to someone who willingly put themselves in such perilous positions... but how can I turn my back on Brady when my heart yearns so relentlessly for him? Every inch of me wants him, heart and soul, forever.

  How can I give into my fear of pain when the hope of happiness could be so much more?

  He walks forward slowly as if he can hardly believe I'm here. Honestly, I can hardly believe I'm here either.

  He reaches for
ward with cinder coated finger, almost touching my face but hesitating. I step forward, cupping his palm and pressing his warm hand to my cheek.

  “I—” I start to say at the same time he whispers my name.

  We both laugh and then I lurch forward to throw my arms around his neck. I hold him tightly as his strong embrace circles around me.

  “Lucy and I saw the story on the news,” I explain softly. “She told me this was the same neighborhood where...” I trail off, not wanting to bring up something painful.

  He just nods. He hasn’t been able to speak yet. Is he upset that I'm here?

  I lean back to meet his eyes. He gazes at me, swallowing hard. His brow knits, and he draws in a shaky breath.

  “I'm just shocked that you’re here. I was just thinking about you,” he begins softly. “I was thinking about us... About how I’ve never been able to commit to anyone before because I didn't think I deserved it... But I see now that I do deserve happiness. My past, I can’t let it define me anymore.”

  My chin tips in a nod as tears pool in my eyes. One slips free and he tenderly kisses it off my cheek.

  “I agree, Brady. I always told myself I would never love again, but I can’t close off my heart. Carl wouldn’t want that. He wouldn’t want me to isolate myself as I have been. Maybe, together, you and I can finally become whole again.”

  He cups my face, tilting my chin up so that his mouth can descend on mine. The kiss is sweet and tender and deep, so full of promise and hope that more tears spill down my cheeks.

  When we part, both of us are panting.

  “I love you, Olivia,” he murmurs.

  For perhaps the first time, I see a radiant smile spread over his face. His touch makes sparks of joy simmer through my whole frame.

  I throw my head back and laugh, allowing myself to finally feel a happiness that I have been fighting against. “I love you, Brady. All of you. Every stubborn, sexy inch...”

  “Oh, I'm the stubborn and sexy one?” he muses, kissing me once and then again for good measure. “The same could be said about you, Olivia.”