Page 48 of Single Mom for the Firemen

“Thanks,” I murmur, and he reaches across to give my hand a squeeze. The guys have been all over me since they got me out of that cell, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Their presence feels like the only thing that can keep me steady in the face of everything that happened, and I don’t want to be apart from them, not even for a second.

We arrive back at the house just as it’s starting to get dark, and I scoop Callie up into my arms and carry her inside. Killian makes up a bed for her upstairs, and I lay her down to get some much-needed rest.

She’s asleep before her head hits the pillow, and for a moment, I just find myself staring down at her. She looks so peaceful when she’s like this, so utterly at ease, though I know she’s going to be anything but in the coming weeks. It’s not going to be easyfor her to recover from what’s happened, but I just hope I have everything I need to make it happen. Tears prick my eyes as I reach down and brush her hair out of her face, leaning down to plant a kiss against her before I pull back.

“Love you, sweet girl.”

And with that, I get to my feet and head for the door, flicking off the light and pulling the door shut before I lean against the wall and let out a long breath. It’s over—that’s what I need to keep telling myself. It’s over.

Even if it feels like something else might be just beginning.

25

VANESSA

“Hey.”

I hear Jake’s voice, and I open my eyes, looking down the stairs to see him gazing up at me with some concern. He gestures for me to come down, and I move as quietly as I can, not wanting to disturb Callie.

“Hey,” I reply. “I…is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Jake assures me, and he puts his arms around me to pull me in close to him. “You’re all good. We were just wondering if you wanted a drink.”

I nod. “I think that sounds like the best thing in the world right now,” I agree with a slightly shaky laugh, and he grins and steers me toward the living room.

Killian and Mason are already in there, sitting in the armchairs that are dotted around the fire. There’s a large, plush rug in front of the fireplace, creating the most perfectly cozy atmosphere I could imagine as the flames flicker in the hearth in front of us.

Jake leads me to one of the chairs and gestures for me to take a seat. I do as I’m told at once, glad to play by his rules. Right now, I just don’t want to think about anything else but being here, in this room, in this moment. Maybe, just maybe, everything else can wait for a while.

Killian hands me a glass of scotch. I take a long sip as I tuck my legs up and under myself in the armchair, staring into the fire. The bite of it at the back of my throat makes me wince, but it doesn’t exactly feel bad.

“How are you doing?” Killian asks me, breaking the silence.

“I’m…okay,” I assure him. “I’m glad that Callie and I are okay. I’m just worried about how this is going to hit her, you know, when she realizes…”

I look back up the stairs to where I left her, my voice choking slightly.

“She’s a strong kid,” Mason cuts in. “And she’s going to do great, especially with you as her mom.”

I shake my head, pressing my lips together. “I don’t know,” I whisper. “Sometimes, I feel…I feel as though I haven’t been enough for her, since her dad died…”

I trail off again, and none of them press me for more. They can tell reassurances aren’t going to cut it right now—they just need to listen to what I have to say.

“Because it was just her and me for so long,” I continue. “And she’s relied on me for everything. And I…I put her in the middle of this…and if it hadn’t been for you guys, I don’t know if we would have gotten out. I feel so guilty, you know, not doing enough to protect her…”

I draw in a long, shaky breath, and sink back into my seat. After a long moment, Jake reaches for my hand. He’s in the chair closest to me, but the others both lean forward too, as though letting me know they’re a part of this.

“I know how that feels,” Jake interjects gruffly, catching me off guard.

I look up at him. “You mean…?”

“I mean the fire,” he replies, staring into the flames flickering in front of him. They cast dark shadows around his eyes. Though I don’t normally think of the guys as old, for a moment, I can see all of Jake’s forty-ish years. In the small lines around his eyes, in the streaks of silver in his hair. He’s lived through so much pain. They all have.

“When we lost our foster parents, our home,” he continues, looking around at Killian and Mason for support, “I carried that guilt so heavy on my shoulders. We all did. That’s why we came out here in the first place. Because we wanted to make right what had happened, even though we never could.”

“But at least nobody else will have to lose someone like we did,” Killian cuts in.

Jake nods. “Exactly,” he replies. “But we couldn’t have done all of this alone. Not one of us could have pulled it off without help. We needed each other. And there’s no shame in needing other people to do what needs to be done.”

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