Page 73 of Embers in Our Past

“Yeah, isn’t that awesome?” River says. The smile he’s sporting is proud, while I’m mostly embarrassed I share DNA with him.

“It’s something. Not sure awesome is the description I’d use,” Malloy says while giving me a look. “Also, how did Kennedy not cut your balls off after that? She sort of terrifies me.”

“Skipper? She’s harmless!” River laughs.

I look over at Malloy and admit, “I swear there was a time I thought they were going to kill each other.”

“Speaking of killing each other, how are you two friends now?” My brother points at Malloy and me, questioning the friendship that’s blossomed.

I won’t lie… I’m kind of surprised as well. But Malloy is sort of a cool dude. I can’t even pretend not to like him more than Rios. He is just easy to hang out with, and when he’s here, he fits right in with us.

We both shrug.

“Don’t get me wrong. I mean, I’ll be the first to say that I completely misjudged you. But my brother here was going to rip your head off when he saw you with his girl. So, what was that about?” River continues.

“You mean Rios didn’t talk to you?” Malloy asks. “I thought that’s why you were cool with me. I thought he came clean.”

“Came clean about what?” That makes me pause. What is he talking about?

Malloy rubs his beard, and I can see he’s uncomfortable. “Dude, I do not want to get in the middle of this. Abby knows what’s going on, but I asked her to stay out of it. I thought Rios would have done the right thing and spoken to you.”

“What are you talking about?” I put my tools down and stand tall. “Why don’t you clear the air now?”

River stands between us. The tension in the room is palpable, and I can see the discomfort in Malloy’s posture.

“Fuck man, I swear I thought Rios would have talked to you by now.” I swear Malloy better explain himself.

“About what? What does Rios need to tell me?” I ask again.

“Dude, it’s best you talk to him,” he says.

“Why don’t you tell me what you know.” I gesture for him to move it along.

“Abby’s friend Marissa called Rios. I guess she has his number. She was trying to play matchmaker to get you two back together. She was trying to get you jealous, and when she called him, he said he had someone in mind to set Abby up with for a date. From Marissa’s standpoint, that’s all she knew. Marissa was in the dark from there. She had no idea it was another firefighter.

“He then came to me and asked me to take Abby out. He knew I was sort of into his sister, and it was a dig to prove a point. So I went for it, not because I had something for Abby, but because I wanted Rios not to be pissed at me. I came clean to Abby early in the date. Rios is the one who set it all up, having me show up at the bar that night. I thought you already knew. Abby didn’t tell you because she knew about Baylee, and she was just respecting that whole thing with Rios, so she wanted you and Rios to sort of talk it out. I bet she hoped he would have spoken to you about it or didn’t want to stir the pot further.”

What the fuck was Rios doing? And why didn’t Abby say anything? Most of all, why the fuck did she purposely go there knowing I would already be there?

My head is spinning. I’m trying hard not to be pissed at Abby, but she knew I’d be at that bar. Then again, she came running to me to clear the air that night. Although, talking was minimal because we were ripping each other’s clothes off. Tensions were high.

That doesn’t explain Rios’s actions. I get he’s pissed that Malloy might have a thing for his sister, but is he blinded by so much rage that he’d fuck up a relationship with someone at his own firehouse? This violates so many unspoken codes between brothers. How can I trust him if he’d do this to me so easily?

My brother comes in my line of sight, knowing all too well I’m pissed. “Clay, don’t rush to judgment. Don’t fuck things up without thinking things through.” He lays his hand on my chest, trying to calm me down.

My jaw ticks, feeling anything but calm, and I swear it’s taking everything in me to keep from storming out of this nursery and finding Rios. I deserve answers. What the fuck was he thinking, messing with my relationship with Abby? He barely knows what went down between us.

I get if Rios wanted to see Abby and me back together. But getting another firefighter mixed in all this is below the belt. Why do this? Why get me fired up like this?

Marissa is a whole different story. I know her. She is a hopeless romantic. After Abby left me, she kept reaching out, trying to convince me to run after her, to try and work things out. I was the one who said Abby needed to work her shit out. I honestly thought Abby would come running back days later. I bet she thought this was her last hope to get us back together before one of us moved on with someone else for good.

I run my hand through my hair, my mind going a mile a minute. It’s then I hear the front door open and laughter pour through. Fuck, Abby’s home with Kennedy and Samara. Ashton couldn’t join us because he stayed back with the twins to keep them on a schedule. Something about nap time being valuable for them at this age.

“Clay, you won’t believe this onesie set I found for the baby,” Abby yells from the other room, delight evident in her tone.

I swallow the bile that’s creeping up. I’m trying not to be pissed right now. Why didn’t she at least say something more about Rios? Why didn’t she give me a hint that he was a prick because I’ve spent months acting like the guy was my fucking brother at the station? Top that with the fact I was going on runs with him, acting like we had this deeper connection, and I felt bad he was upset his friendship with Malloy wasn’t on solid ground. I had no clue he had something to do with that night at the bar.

She walks down the hall, and the minute she’s visible in the doorway, she freezes. The tension is palpable the moment she sees me. Malloy’s discomfort is radiating off him, and I’ve never seen someone flee from a scene quicker.

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