Page 70 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

“I didn’t plan it, okay? It just…happened. She was there, and it felt right.”

“That’s not the point,” Jaxon snapped, his voice rising. “We’re supposed to be a team. Communication, Colt. That’s what keeps this from falling apart.”

I stepped between them, my chest tight with anger and something deeper—something closer to hurt.

“You think this is just about you? That you can do whatever you want and we’ll all just fall in line? That’s not how this works.”

Colt’s eyes flicked to mine, and I saw the frustration warring with regret.

“I didn’t mean to mess things up,” he said quietly.

“Too late for that,” I muttered, turning away.

The gym fell silent again, the tension thick and suffocating.

I grabbed a towel, slinging it over my shoulder as I headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Colt called after me.

“Out,” I said without looking back. “Because I need to figure out how the hell we’re supposed to fix this.”

But deep down, I wasn’t sure if we could.

* * *

The rest of the day felt like I was dragging myself through wet cement.

The tension from the gym clung to me like a second skin, and every interaction with Colt or Jaxon was stilted and forced.

Even when we were working together, the usual camaraderie was gone. It was like the thread that tied us together had frayed to its breaking point.

After our shift, we all ended up in the break room, trying to act like everything was normal while we sucked back coffee like caffeine was a lifeline.

The atmosphere was lighter, sure, but that was only because none of us were saying what we were actually thinking.

Lila.

She was the unspoken elephant in the room, sitting on all of us, making it impossible to breathe.

Chief Anderson, oblivious to the undercurrent, leaned back in his chair and clapped his hands together. “So, fellas, the annual charity fireman’s ball is coming up. You know the drill. We need to make sure we show up and represent.”

The guys murmured their agreement, and I forced myself to nod along with them.

The charity ball was a town tradition, a chance for the department to schmooze with the community and raise money for a good cause. Everyone loved it, especially Chief Anderson.

It usually involved tuxedos, a lot of awkward small talk, and more than a few women trying to cozy up to the firemen.

Typically, it was a lot of fun, but things were… different this year to put it mildly.

Chief’s gaze landed on Nate, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I know who I’m bringing. But you, Harper… you got anyone in mind?”

Nate smiled. “Probably my sister.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

I felt Jaxon tense beside me, and I didn’t have to look at Colt to know he was feeling the same way.

This was just going to be another evening where we didn’t know how to act around her.

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