Page 57 of From Our First

“Let’s go over it again, just in case, as well as secure the rest of your protective gear. We’ll be on the same team as a couple of people from my old job. And we’re going up against the firefighters.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? But aren’t they, like, muscular and athletic?”

I snorted and let out a shocked gasp, taking a staggering step back. “Are you saying that I am not athletic or built?”

Her gaze raked me, and my dick hardened. “You do have your attributes.”

“You keep talking about my attributes, and we won’t be spending much time on the field.”

“Okay, you two, that’s enough of that,” Ed said as he came over. Ed had been my boss back when I was an EMT. He had retired early thanks to a back injury, an injury from the same accident I had been in, though he had lasted a couple of additional years behind the wheel. Eventually, he had given up, though, and now he spent his time at an at-risk youth center, working his ass off. That was how I’d heard about this place. He brought his kids here every once in a while, and the field was consistently maintained and supervised. I felt safe bringing Myra here, even though it never occurred to me that she would be the only girl here today.

“We’re going over the rules and our game plan, and then we’re going to beat those firefighter bastards.”

“Am I the only civilian here?” Myra asked, glancing around, looking very cute in her helmet and getup.

Ed shook his head. “We’re all civilians here, ma’am.”

She raised a single brow. “Let’s not call me ma’am.”

Ed snorted and gave me a look.

“Just do what the lady says.”

Ed grinned, making him look years younger. “I like you looking all whipped with that fishhook in your mouth.”

“You’re mixing metaphors,” Myra said, her voice cool, but I heard the laughter in her tone. And from the way the light in Ed’s eyes danced, so did he.

“All of us are retired—if a bit early given our different ailments or wanting a career change. You’re the only lady here, though. Not by choice,” Ed added.

“So, you’re not saying that a little lady should be scared of you?” she asked, and I sat back and let Ed deal with it. I kind of liked her all feisty and sounding like the old Myra instead of the one always yelling at me. It was nice for a change.

“We usually have a less dude-heavy crowd, but two of our usuals are pregnant, and therefore, can’t be on the field. The other two are out of town. So…sorry, you’re stuck with a bunch of testosterone.”

Myra winked at me. “I think I can handle it.”

“I sure hope so because we are on a winning streak when it comes to these guys. You can’t be the reason we lose.”

“No pressure,” I said drily.

“You’ve been out of the game for the past two months, Brady. I needed to call your brother in as a ringer.”

“Which one?” Myra asked.

“Technically, if they’re not married into the group, they have to be in the medical field at least. So, Macon’s the only one we can take.”

“And it’s okay that Nate and I aren’t married?” Myra asked, her voice very careful.

It was weird to not stutter over the words, considering we had actually been married. But it didn’t feel like that had been real. It was almost as if it were all a dream, and we were somehow coming out of the fog now.

We were finding our footing—only we weren’t very good at it.

“No, you don’t need the ring to be here. Now, let’s go over the plan.”

I slid next to Myra and tried my best not to reach out and grab her butt since it looked delicious in her black pants.

“Pay attention,” Myra whispered.

“It’s really hard.”

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