Page 132 of Ink and Ashes
“I love you, Red, but I don’t have a single artistic bone in my body. This was all Cass.” He presses a kiss to my forehead as he leans down to whisper in my ear. “I have other plans for how I’llwelcome you home.”
I grin, my mind going all sorts of dirty places.
“Later, though.” He removes his arms and jerks his chin in the direction of the crew. Cass makes her way over with a huge smile on her face, and her arms are around me a moment later.
“Thank you for this,” I mutter into her hair as I stare up at the banner.
She places her hands on my shoulders as she pulls back and says, “Of course, Hol. This is your home now. And it’s where you were always meant to be.”
I swallow the tears down again as I nod, hugging her once more. “Yes. It is.”
I say hello and thank you to the rest of the crew, then we all make our way inside the station. Caleb cooked a massive feast for everyone, so we take our seats at the dining table, everyone chatting as if everything’s gone right back to normal.
As if their own fire chief didn’t die just yesterday.
As ifIdidn’t nearly die yesterday.
The past twenty-four hours have been so chaotic, I haven’t really let it sink in that I was almost killed. I’d given up on fighting, unable to keep myself alive for as long as it took for Colson to save me.
Only, I did. Somehow, I managed to stay alive until he got to me. I still have no idea how I made it out with such minimal injuries while Wellanddied, but I’ve been counting my blessings ever since. Someone was looking out for me in that basement, because there’s no other reasonable explanation for why I made it out and he didn’t.
Except for the man sitting next to me.
Colson is the reason I made it out of there. Even when I’d given up, he never did. He found me, and he brought me back. And knowing that only makes me love him that much more.
There’s a danger in falling in love with a man like Colson Caldwell. He’s rugged and guarded, his walls built tall to keep himself safe. But it’s a fight I’d face all over again to keep being loved by him too. Because when he lets it in, his love runs deeperthan any I’ve ever known, and there’s no doubt in my mind that right here with him is where I’m meant to be.
I’ve longed my whole life for a love like the one I’ve found in Ember Grove—the kind of love Colson has shown me. It’s the kind you see in movies, that makes you want to shout from rooftops and dance in the pouring rain. Until I met him, I wasn’t sure a love like this actually existed.
Now, I’m positive it does.
And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
I lace my fingers through his on the table and he smiles at me. Hours pass in the firehouse dining room, everyone enjoying each other’s company and appreciating what it means to be alive. When we finish eating, Ethan and Hayden are put in charge of clean-up duty while others start to make their way out. We say our goodbyes until the only people left with Colson and me are Dom, Beau, Liv, Cass, and Sam.
I yawn and Colson looks to me, his hand wrapped around mine.
“I think it’s time I get you home too, don’t you think?”
I smile, devious thoughts running through my mind. I may be exhausted, but I have a feeling I’m going to get a second wind. “Please.”
He nods with a grin, then we say our goodbyes. Colson leads me downstairs, the two of us silently walking hand-in-hand through the bay. His hand flexes in mine as we make our way past the fire engine, and the moment it does, I stop.
As if he can read my mind, he gently pushes me back against it and slams his lips to mine. Memories of our first real kiss in this exact spot come rushing back to the forefront of my mind and I relax into him, giving him full control.
It’s only been a day since the last time we kissed like this, but I need him more now than I ever have before. Nearly dying has me seeing things in a new light; appreciating being in the moment.
And in this moment, all I want is Colson.
“I don’t want to wait ‘till we get home,” I whisper between kisses, my fingers clawing at his shirt.
Colson groans, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth before shaking his head. “Baby, not here. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You could never hurt me.”
“We need to take things slow. You just got out of the hospital.”
“And I’m okay. I’m stillhere.” I grasp his shirt tighter. “Be here with me, Colson.”
