Page 42 of Saved By the Firefighter

He stands and lets out a sigh that ripples through the room. "I knew this was a mistake. I never should have—"

"Don't say that." I place my hand on his arm, heart pounding. "Please don't regret this. I don't. Not for a second."

He searches my face, eyes flickering with doubt. "Ellie, I can't come between you and your brother. Family is too important."

My thoughts drift to the little baby just barely beginning to grow inside me and it feels like something too big to try to contain any longer. “I agree. Family is important. And…uh…you should know that I’m—”

"We need to talk about this...about us."

My pulse races, but I force my feet to move closer, standing before him with a resolve I can barely muster. "I agree. I know what Marcus said, but—"

"Marcus has a point," Jake interrupts again, his brown eyes finally meeting mine, guarded and shuttered like windows against a storm. His words are heavy, but I refuse to buckle.

"Whatever he thinks doesn't change how I feel about you," I press on.

He moves away from my touch. "It's not just about your brother. It's...everything." Jake's voice is weary, the words dragging like chains. "I'm not sure I'm ready for any kind of relationship. I’ve been fighting it, going back and forth. The truth is I do feel something for you, but I’m not ready. This all feels too soon for me, and I know my resistance has hurt you. I don’t want to keep doing that."

My nose stings and tears are pooling in my eyes beyond my control. Jake touches my cheek, wiping a tear away, but I step back and turn my head. “I hear you,” I say, trying to keep my voice clear even as everything inside me is crumbling. I have no idea what this means for my baby. Will I have to raise this child alone? Because if he’s not ready for a relationship, I can’t imagine him being ready to have another child.

I’ll take a few days to recover before telling him but…I’ll give him a clear out and let him know he can be involved in the child’s life but won’t be expected to raise the child with me.

Jake is standing like a statue, staring out the open doorway. “I’m sorry.”

I nod and then I just leave. What else is there left to say?

Each step back to my place is heavier than the last. By the time I reach my apartment, the dam breaks, and tears stream down my face, hot and relentless. Once I’m inside, I collapse against the door. I fumble for my phone through blurry vision. I know Danielle is spending time with a man she’s dating today, and I hate to interrupt, but I just can’t…I can’t handle any of this right now.

"Danielle," I choke out when she answers.

"Ellie? What's wrong?"

"Can you come over?" My voice cracks, betraying the turmoil within. “Please, I need you to come over.”

“Oh my god, of course. I'll be there as soon as I can," Danielle replies, her words wrapping around me like a warm embrace.

"Thank you," I manage before ending the call, sliding down to the floor as sobs rack my body.

I wrap my arms around my stomach, cradling the future within me. This wasn't the plan I’ve always envisioned. I saw myself with a loving husband and a united family, not this solitary path shadowed by what-ifs and maybes. But as I sit here, drowning in despair, I know that this baby, my baby, will never lack for love. Because no matter what, this baby will get all the love I can give.

"Everything's going to be okay," I whisper to myself, to the little life inside me. "I've got you, and you've got me. That's enough."

Chapter 18

Jake

The firehouse is busy this morning, the usual chaos of trucks pulling in and out, sirens blaring. I rub my temples, the sharp sounds piercing my pounding head. The fight with Marcus a week ago still hangs over me like a shroud. I stand in the kitchen for a moment, watching my colleagues shuffle around in their work outfits—thick yellow jackets and forest-green pants, scuffed boots trudging across the concrete. I can barely focus on my job today. Thankfully, there are no fires to fight, just drills and going over strategies.

Elijah sidles up beside me, his brow furrowed. "Any word from Marcus?"

I shake my head, staring at the map of fire zones tacked on the wall. Trouble spots flare angry red, the dry season turning our corner of the state into a tinderbox. But today, everything is quiet. Well, everything outside of me.

Elijah's voice is gentle but firm. "Marcus will come around."

"Will he?" The question bursts from me before I can stop it. I drag a hand through my hair with a sigh. "I betrayed his trust, Elijah. I broke the one rule he asked me to follow, and now..."

Now Ellie's gone. The thought claws at my chest, ripping away the fragile control I've clung to all week. But all of this is my fault. I slump against the kitchen counter, images flashing through my mind on a loop—Ellie's tears, the softness in her eyes as she tried to convince me to give us a chance, the hollow ache inside me when I watched her leave.

Elijah grips my shoulder, steadying me before I slip into too many spiraling thoughts. "You can't help who you fall for. And you didn't mean to hurt Marcus. He'll understand that, in time."

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