Page 103 of That One Heartbreak

“I’m so sorry.” His face crumpled, and it about broke her heart. “I didn’t mean to ruin everything.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. Hush, it’s okay.” She leaned down to kiss his cheek. His skin was warm, soft. “Your arm will need to heal, but the doctor says you’ll be fine in a couple of weeks.” She’d save the fire safety talk until later. Not that she thought he’d need it – he’d learned from his mistake in the most horrific of ways.

Right now he needed to rest and heal. And his mom’s love. “We’re staying here tonight, and hopefully in the morning if everything is looking okay we can go home.” she told him.

“It hurts a little,” he whispered. “I was so scared.”

Her heart tightened. “I bet.”

“I just wanted to surprise Aunt Shana. Show her how good I am at cooking smores. With James gone, I’m supposed to be the man of the house.” His face started to crumple. “Aunt Shana must hate me.”

“Oh honey she doesn’t.” She cupped his warm face with her palm. “She was just worried, that was all. Scared, like you were. You’re a little guy and you had a huge fright.”

“You don’t hate me either?” he asked, his voice small.

“Not at all. I love you so much.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m so thankful you’re okay. We’re gonna get you home tomorrow and you can spend the next few weeks healing. I’m here, honey, I’m not going anywhere.”

He nodded, still looking pale, his eyelids starting to flutter closed again. And as he fell back asleep, she sat down in the chair beside him, planning to never let go of him.

“Hey, how’s Paul’s kid?” Tayto asked Marley the next day. They were at the station, tidying up after the Junior Firefighters who weren’t at camp had left. It was a smaller group, so they didn’t start until after lunchtime. As it was, he wasn’t supposed to be at the station today. In some other life he’d still be in the cabin with Kate, tidying up there, getting ready to leave. Probably having one last dip in the hot tub because it was too good to turn down.

But this wasn’t some other life.

He’d driven Kate, Ethan, and Shana home this morning after Ethan had been released from the hospital. After he helped them get Ethan into the house, he carried her suitcase into the hallway, leaving the three of them, because the last thing they needed was for Ethan to start asking questions about why Marley was hanging around them.

So he’d left them and it had been the hardest thing in the world to drive away.

“He’s doing good.” Marley didn’t look up. Truth was, his gut had been twisted all day. All night, too. Every time he thought of Ethan in that garage, catching on fire, with him and Kate so far away he felt like hitting something.

He should have been there. Hell, Kate should have been there.

If he hadn’t wanted to fuck her with some kind of privacy, she would have been. And a little kid wouldn’t be in pain. Wouldn’t have some kind of scar on his arm for the rest of his life.

Some things were indelible. You could never reverse them.

It felt like the heaviest of weights on his shoulders.

“Paul would have been livid, huh?” Tayto continued. “Knowing one of his kids was playing with fire.”

“Two.” Marley’s voice was monotone. “Two of his kids have been playing with fire.”

Tayto blinked for a moment before recognition washed over his face. “Oh yeah, I forgot about James and that party. Jesus, it’s been a long few months. You heard how he’s doing at camp?”

“He’s doing good.” He’d called one of his contacts at the camp this morning. Just to be sure. And because Kate needed to know her other son was safe.

She was keeping it together remarkably well. Which only made him feel worse, because he wasn’t keeping it together at all. He was getting that old, itchy feeling, needing to constantly move. Sitting still meant thinking and he couldn’t do that.

“Hey, can you grab that hose?” Tayto asked. “I’ll start reeling it in.”

The end of the hose was on the far side of the yard. Next to the wall. Marley glanced up, his gaze landing on Paul’s portrait.

And the guilt he’d been trying to keep down for so long felt like it was exploding inside him. His breath started to come faster as he thought of that day. He and Paul were talking about Kate. Because yes, he always had a thing for Kate, but he’d tried to hide it.

He loved Paul. He was one of his best friends. And he’d never do him dirty.

But you did.

He tried to blink back that thought. But it lingered, like the smell of hot concrete after freshly fallen rain.

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