Page 20 of Return By Fire

That’s when he hoists his muscular body off my ship and into the fiery twilight.

I stumble back to my chair in shock. The implications of what Dean said are too great and contradict everything I thought I knew about my band of brothers.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Present Day

Rainey warns us, “Don’t say another word until I get back,” before she dashes off to use the restroom. It gives me a chance to take Maris’s hand and say for the millionth time, “Thank you.”

For all the bravado Maris displays, she has a tender heart. “No, thank you. Thank you for giving me the gift of being there with you that night, even if it wasn’t in person. For letting me feel what you felt, even if I wasn’t the one going through labor.”

“I think you were suffering enough,” I remind her.

“I did. The time for that has passed.” Her deep blue eyes drift toward the house across the lake—a monstrosity called Nature’s Song and owned by the head of Wildcard Records. Meadow had our jaws on the floor when she told us that tidbit the first night. “You know, the one who represents Brendan Blake and Beckett Miller?”

I recall Maris jamming her fists on her hips and demanding, “If you tell us you’ve met either of them and haven’t told us, I’m going to throat punch you.”

Meadow replied, “I’m not that crazy. Remember, I know who your kickboxing coach is.”

Maris beamed. “Damn straight.”

Now, that light is dimmed as we recall our shared past. I lean closer and murmur, “If this brings up too many memories, we’ll stop.”

She threads her arm through mine. “No. They should be here, and then they could stop us gossiping about them.”

“True.” Very true.

Rainey races back out onto the porch and throws herself into her seat. “Okay. I’m ready. Keep going.”

With a last squeeze of Maris’s arm, I resume the story about Dean’s struggle with his attraction for Jed warring with his love for me.

And his nephew.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I send a text to Kara to let her know I won’t be home tonight. I struggle for a moment with the words because I can’t lie to my sister.

I won’t.

But I need time and space to process the information Jed Smith imparted tonight before I’m on shift.

Dean:

Headed in.

Kara:

Stay safe. Check in when you can.

Dean:

Love you. Love Kev.

Kara:

We love you too.

Parking my car in the station lot, I roll up the ends of my jeans, leave my shoes in the car, and head directly for the beach.

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