Page 8 of When We Burn

“In through your nose,” he says perfectly calmly, doctor mode obviously kicking in. “Out through your mouth.”

“Sorry,” she mutters and closes her eyes, her teeth chattering. “I d-don’t like water.”

“I know,” Blake says grimly, and then his eyes find mine. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything as he passes her to me.

I immediately wrap my arms around her and hug her close.

“Thank you, kitten,” I murmur into her wet hair. God, I haven’t hugged Dani in years, always careful to keep a safe distance, and I’m not sure that it’s a good idea right now, but she’s so scared, and she helped my girl. “Thank you for jumping in for her.”

“It was too deep,” she manages as she clings to me. “She scared the heck out of me.”

I grin. Dani’s always refused to swear. It’s probably a good quality to have in a kindergarten teacher.

“Me, too.” I rub my hands up and down her back. “You okay?”

She nods, and I look over her head to the crowd gathered around. “She’s okay.”

Holden’s eyes catch mine. Hands on his hips, his face is grim. He shakes his head, and I can read his thoughts.

This will be bad for her.

So, despite the fact that I want nothing more than to keep her with me, I let him hold her. Holden raised his sisters, kept them safe from a fucking tyrant, and she’shisbaby girl.

She’s not mine.

Everyone resumes what they were doing before the fall into the pool. Birdie’s completely fine, laughing with some of the Wild kids as she warms up in a big pool towel and they eat ice cream from Beckett’s ranch.

About an hour later, when I’m about to get Birdie ready to go home, I spot Dani watching me from that same lounge chair as earlier. Someone gave her different clothes to change into, and her hair is mostly dry now. She doesn’t look away when I meet her gaze like she usually would.

I have to know that she’s okay.

So, I cross through the yard to where she’s sitting by the pool and tap her lightly on the shoulder.

“Can we talk somewhere private?”

Chapter Two

DANI

Holy moly, my heart’s pounding, and my hands feel shaky. Not just because I willingly jumped into that godforsaken pool.

But because Bridger wants to chat.

Bridger, the man I’ve had a crush on since I was a kid, but who firmly told me when I was fifteen that nothing could ever happen between us. Because I was a kid, and he was an adult, and we were just friends.

I can respect that, but it totally broke my poor little teenage heart at the time.

The hardest part about moving back home, moving into the house right across the street from him, was that I’d have to see him and his adorable daughter all the time and keep my hormones in check.

I don’t want to flirt with him and make it all uncomfortable again. I’ve known Bridger forever, and our families are tight. He’s always going to be a part of my life, and I just have to deal with it.

Icandeal with it.

Maybe I’ll download a dating app or something to distract myself from my hot neighbor.

Bridger leads me into the house, which is perfectly quiet. Everyone is outside, so we’re all alone when he turns back to me and shoves his hands into his pockets.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

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