Page 49 of The One Who Risked it All

The couch at the station groaned under my weight as I collapsed into it. A fender bender outside of church on this fine Sunday morning had escalated into a fist fight that sent one parishioner to the hospital. Sometimes, Christ’s faithful weren’t so faithful when tempers flared.

I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around how a fender bender had turned into a sermon on self-control delivered through flying fists.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone lose their testimony over a dented bumper, but it didn’t make it any easier.

A soft chuckle from across the room drew my attention.

“Rough call?” Hearing Nathan’s voice made me turn all the way around. He leaned against the counter, cradling a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. He always hung around the station too much, even when he was off-duty. It was one of the strains on his marriage with Becca. But seeing as he’d just spent two weeks on an island with her, he was probably in the clear.

“Welcome home, bro. Rough doesn’t begin to cover it,” I said, running a hand over my face. “Nothing like a Bible in one hand and a balled fist in the other to keep a guy humble, right?”

Nathan nodded knowingly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “We’re all a work in progress, my friend. Even on Sundays.”

I sighed, leaning back into the couch. “Yeah, well, I’d like to see some progress in humanity. Some days it feels like the world is just getting worse. Aren’t we supposed to be the light?”

Nathan took a slow sip of his coffee, then set it down on the coffee table as he took a seat next to me. “We are. But even lights flicker sometimes. It doesn’t mean the light’s out. It just means we’ve got some work to do.”

“So, how was your week?” Nathan asked, pushing a second steaming mug toward me.

I wrapped my hands around it, grateful for the warmth. “Ten days,” I corrected with a crooked eyebrow. “It was good. Boys were great.”

Nathan’s eyebrow quirked up in return. He wasn’t buying it. “Right. And that’s why you look like you’ve been chewing on lemons all morning?”

I forced a chuckle, but it sounded hollow even to my ears. “What, a guy can’t have a sour face without his big brother playing twenty questions?”

“Not when that guy is you, Eli,” Nathan replied, leaning forward. His captain’s voice was creeping in, the one that always made me feel like I was about to get a lecture. “Come on, spill. What’s got you so wound up?”

I took a sip of coffee, buying time. How could I explain the tornado of emotions swirling inside me? The way the fight with Dad had reopened wounds I thought had long since healed? The constant tug-of-war between what I wanted and what Dad expected? The niggling fear I had that Carla was going to be the one to walk away from us this time?

“It’s nothing,” I muttered, but even I didn’t believe it. “Just... Dad’s been extra Harold-like since his heart attack. All this talk about legacy and family honor.”

Nathan’s face softened. “Eli, you know Dad’s proud of you. You’re an excellent firefighter.”

I snorted. “Yeah, sure. That’s why he keeps comparing me to you, the golden boy who can do no wrong.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Nathan’s face fell, and I felt like the world’s biggest jerk. Here he was, trying to help, and I was lashing out like a petulant kid.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. “I didn’t mean that. It’s just... complicated.”

Nathan nodded, understanding in his eyes. “It always is with family. Want to talk about it?”

I hesitated, the words stuck in my throat. How could I explain something I barely understood myself?

I glanced around the station, making sure no one was within earshot. The last thing I needed was for this to become small-town gossip. Leaning in, I lowered my voice.

“It’s Carla,” I confessed, the name alone sending a jolt through my chest. “I can’t... I can’t shake her, Nate. Every time I see her, it’s like I’m seventeen again, sneaking kisses under the bleachers.”

Nathan’s eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t interrupt. I plowed on, the words tumbling out now that the dam had broken.

“I know about the feud, about Dad’s issues with her family. But there’s this... connection. It’s always been there, and I won’t ignore it anymore. I love her,” I admitted.

My brother nodded slowly, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “I get it, Eli. I always suspected it would come to this, actually.”

He took a sip of his coffee, and I could see him choosing his words carefully. “Remember when Becca and I hit that rough patch?”

I snorted. “You mean this summer? Yeah, vaguely.”

Nathan chuckled, but his eyes were serious. “That time apart... it nearly broke me. But fighting for her and for us? Best decision I ever made.”

---