Page 99 of Right in Front of You

CARTER

A welcome backbanner was strung at the entrance to the firehouse. The sound of a popping cork stopped me as soon as I crossed over the threshold, and a loud cheer echoed from the guys.

“Welcome back, son.” My father greeted me with a firm handshake.

“Thanks. You guys didn’t have to do this.”

“Of course we did. Grab a beer and come inside. We have a special surprise for you.” My father guided me to the back, behind the fire truck, and now it made sense why the vehicle was parked halfway out of the garage. Whatever was hidden underneath the tarp behind it was taking up the space.

“Ready?” asked Andrew, one of the firefighters.

Was he kidding me? I didn’t have time to wonder about the covered surprise because the amount of force the pairs of anticipating eyes staring at me were exerting was enough to knock me down.

“I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Each man took a corner and pulled back the cover. There it was, my old car, which my father had gifted me to fix, shiny with a fresh coat of wax, nearly sparkling. The car that I thought had turned into charcoal with my house when, along with all my belongings, it all went up in flames.

“How? I thought it burned.”

“We were able to salvage it. The house caved in away from the car. There was some damage, but all the boys from the firehouse chipped in.”

This time, the Chief, aka my father, went in for the big one. He was known to give out free hugs in the past, but this was way more than a hug. Here, in the presence of our closest friends, who would each give a life for one another, he let his guard down and allowed his emotions to seep from his eyes onto my shirt, embraced me tightly, and held me. I returned the gesture, holding onto him. The welcome back he had just given me was more like I’m so happy you’re alive.

That’s when it hit me. This was my home. This was the only place in the world I ever wanted to be, and I wanted it to be with Molly. Yes, I got engaged pretty fast the last time, but heck, I was happy. And I could be happy again.

There was only one little problem, in the form of a venomous snake who had fucking raped my girlfriend. Molly would never move back if he were alive. But I couldn’t kill him. That would only send me to prison. And even if I did manage it, I couldn’t live with my conscience after taking a life. I’d leave that to the professionals in prison who’d eventually find out what Fowler was arrested for.

Something grasped at my leg, followed by a shriek of happiness.

“Congratulations, Uncle Carter!”

I looked at my niece and crouched to pick her up into my arms. She straddled my hip the way she always did when she was in my arms. “You know, being pulled out of that fire by your father is the second best thing that happened to me.”

“What’s the first one?” she asked naively.

“It was the day I got to deliver you.” I smiled, gently tapping her nose with my finger.

“Eww, Uncle Carter. Don’t talk about mommy’s vagina,” she screamed through the hall, and everyone’s attention rested on me, especially Nick’s, Mackenzie’s father. Maybe I could have used that look to kill Fowler?

“Now, now, let’s not twist my words.”

I was beginning to think this girl would one day make a great politician. I set her down, took her tiny hand, and led her toward the car, away from the crowd of firefighters eating vanilla cupcakes sprinkled with colorful sparkles that Mackenzie had brought. A scene totally calendar-worthy.

“Doesn’t it look glam?” I nodded to the car in the back and looked down to Mac. She crossed her arms over her chest the way I did, and spat to the side — the way I used to do when Mac still lived with me and I worked on the car.

“Yeah, totally glam,” Mackenzie said, like an old soul. “I helped with the wheels, Uncle Carter.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I twisted and turned those little screws there.”

I wondered whether I should double-check them.

“Don’t worry.” Mac frowned. “They were double-checked.”

I chuckled. Either politician or a spy. “And how in the world did you manage to keep this secret from me, Mac?” I pointed to the car.

“I dunno.” She shrugged. “But I’m good at keeping secrets, and I have a lot of them.”

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