Page 11 of Unpredictable Flames

He was still wearing his military uniform, and his face looked tired like he had had a long trip. I smiled as he let go of Jake and slowly made his way to me. “Hey Cole.”

“Lily,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.”

“Protect me?” I laughed. “It was a house fire. There’s nothing you could have done.”

I glanced at Jake and let out a soft smile. “Thank God Jake got to me when he did though. I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t.”

Cole let go of me and looked back at Jake, gratitude evident in his eyes. “Thanks again man. You’re a real brother.”

I noticed the flash of guilt in Jake’s eyes, but he masked it with a smile. “Of course, man, I would never let anything happen to Lily.”

Cole nodded in appreciation at Jake, snapped his head back around to look at me, and grinned. “I’ve got a surprise for you, Lil.”

I rolled my eyes at the silly pet name he always called me. I had told him countless times I didn’t like it, but Cole was still as stubborn as ever.

“What’s this surprise?” I asked, as he wriggled his eyebrows.

“It’s outside.” He nodded to the pickup truck outside and threw his hand over Jake’s shoulder.

I rolled my eyes again, clutching my robe even tighter, and walked out of the house toward the pickup truck. As I got closer, I caught sight of Cole’s so-called ‘Surprise’ and stopped dead in my tracks.

“Oh, good God.”

“Well, hello there, Lily.” The door of the truck swung open, and he stepped out. Liam Henderson.

Liam was Cole’s army buddy and someone I had been involved with before he left with Cole a couple of months ago.

He was a striking figure with the rugged charm of a man who had seen the world. Tall and broad-shouldered, he carried himself with a confident ease that commanded attention wherever he went. His piercing blue eyes, framed by a chiseled jawline and a dusting of stubble, gave him an air of mystery and authority. But despite his imposing presence, there was a distinct warmth and sincerity to Liam that instantly put me at ease.

“Liam,” I gasped. “What the hell are you doing back?”

“Well, your brother told me about what happened to you,” he said, gently taking my hands into his. “I couldn’t stay back at the base knowing something that terrible happened to you.”

“Did you really request for unofficial leave for my sake?” I asked.

“Well, to be fair, my grandmother had a heart attack so that was the only way they would let me follow Sergeant Cole. But I’m here, right?” Liam laughed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

I couldn’t help but giggle. Liam had always been so easy to connect with.

He looked behind me and scrunched his brow. “So Cole tells me you’re staying with his best friend?”

As Liam said that my mind raced back to Jake and the recent tension between us. I glanced over my shoulder to find Cole and Jake standing on the porch, engaged in a conversation.

Cole was clearly engrossed in the conversation, but Jake's gaze kept flickering between Cole and me. Our eyes locked for a moment, and I saw Jake's gaze shift, his expression unreadable.

“What do you say we go say hi?” Liam said, and panic surged through me.

“I, uh... I don't know, Liam,” I stammered, but he was already striding toward Jake, leaving me no choice but to follow, my heart pounding in my chest.

When Liam reached Jake, he extended his hand with a friendly smile. “Hey, I'm Liam. Nice to meet you,” he said, his voice warm and sincere. “Cole has told me so much about you.”

Jake shook Liam's hand, his expression still unreadable. “Nice to meet you too,” he replied curtly, his eyes darting between Liam and me.

“I have to say, the fact that you rushed into a burning building to save your best friend’s sister. That’s almost as heroic as fighting for your country.” Liam smirked.

“I do the best I can.” Jake forced a smile. “Like I’ve said before, I’ll always do my best to protect Lily.”

“Really?” Liam scoffed. “That’s very noble of you. But there’s only so much a firefighter can do.”

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