Page 55 of Only Ever You
“Ah, here’s the man of honor,” Hudson said.
Parker, another firefighter on the hotshot crew I’d taken a position with recently, paused beside us, looking bemused. “You don’t need to overdo it,” he teased. This event was to honor Parker and his fiancée, Luna.
“Dude, you have a love story for the ages,” Beck Steele commented as he stopped beside our group.
I’d quickly discovered Beck, a firefighter on another crew in town, was deeply in love with his wife and totally into everyone else being in love.
“For the ages?” I prompted.
Beck nodded, his gaze sobering. “Totally, man. They met one day when they were both in high school, walked on the beach and kissed. And, here we are now. How much later?” He paused, glancing toward Parker.
Parker’s lips curled in a bemused smile before adding, “It’s been a little over a decade.”
“And, you didn’t even know her name back then,” Beck added.
Parker chuckled. “I do now.”
“It was fate,” Beck said, his voice full of teasing conviction. He swung his attention to me. “What about you, Kincaid?”
“What about me?” I countered.
“I know you’re new to the area and from Minnesota, so you can totally handle winter here. But what’s your status? Girlfriend? Wife? Boyfriend? Husband?”
A laugh slipped out. “Uh, none of the above.”
“What brought you here?” Beck asked.
“On my mom’s bucket list to live here again.”
“Really?” Hudson chimed in.
“Yep. She was in the Coast Guard when she was younger and stationed nearby. She always wanted to come back. So here we are.”
“You are a good son.” Beck’s normally teasing gaze was somber.
“Well, I try,” I offered with a light shrug.
“How’s your mom doing?” he asked.
“Uh…” I paused, because that was a loaded question. She was okay, but she had lupus and was dealing with a cluster of medical complications as a result. But that was a conversation for another day. “She’s good,” I said simply. She was in spirit, and that was really all that mattered.
“Excellent. Well, when you meet, I don’t know, the man or woman of your dreams, let me know. I’ll give you all the advice you need,” Beck said.
Parker rolled his eyes, hard. “You know, Beck, you’re not the only guy here who’s a family man and happy about it.”
“Beck’s the office gossip, always in everybody’s business,” Hudson interjected dryly.
Luna approached, and Parker immediately curled his arm around her shoulders, snugging her against his side. He leaned close to give her a lingering kiss. The love between them practically shimmered in the air around them.
I wasn’t prone to being a corny, romantic guy, but in this moment, there was no doubt these two were happy together.
Conversation floated around us with congratulations to Parker and Luna punctuating many comments. The event in question had been thrown by the fire station, the crews all pitching in together with a big assist from Fireweed Winery because they were having their grand opening and thought it would be perfect to celebrate a couple’s engagement.
I loved Willow Brook and Alaska so far. I was even more pleased to be on the crew. When you’re a hotshot firefighter, you learn there’s a certain mindset required. It takes a lot of nerve and a lot of confidence, and sometimes that could translate into arrogance, which wasn’t healthy for the work. The tone set here didn’t brook that kind of attitude. Everyone had each other’s backs, and I liked it.
I still wondered if my mother’s hopes for our move to Alaska would ever come to fruition. But that was also a topic for anotherday, or rather, a question. One that had feathered in the back of my thoughts for most of my life.
“Hi guys,” a voice said, and I glanced over, my gaze locking with a stunning pair of hazel eyes set off by glossy dark bangs framing the waitress’s pretty face.
