Dallas's truck is already in the lot when I pull in, along with Hudson's SUV and Griffin's sensible sedan. The bay doors are open, and I can see Asher and Rowan inside, apparently having beaten me here despite both of them being notorious for sleeping in on their days off.
They know something's up. Of course they do. We don't do Monday morning meetings unless something serious is going down.
I kill the engine and sit for a moment, gripping the steering wheel. Yesterday with Sierra and Ruby was perfect, showing them the waterfall trail, getting ice cream, watching Ruby's face light up every time she called me Dad. We had dinner at a little Italian place on Main Street, and for those few hours, we felt like a real family.
Then I took them back to the Blackwater Inn, kissed Ruby goodnight, and stood in the hallway with Sierra trying to figure out how to say goodbye when neither of us wanted to.
"I'll call the old fire chief tomorrow," I'd told her. "See if there's any chance of a position opening up."
"And I'll start looking into what we'd need to do to enroll Ruby in school mid-year, just in case you can move before September." Her hand had been in mine, our fingers intertwined like we were afraid to let go.
"This is really happening," I'd said, more to myself than to her.
"This is really happening," she'd agreed, and then she'd pulled me down for a kiss that made me want to forget about propriety and follow her into that hotel room.
But Ruby was on the other side of that door, and we had time now. All the time in the world to figure this out.
Now I just have to tell my crew that I'm leaving them.
I force myself out of the truck and into the station. The guys are gathered in the common room, coffee in hand, looking varying degrees of curious and concerned. Dallas is leaning against the counter, his captain's face on, the one that says he's already guessed what this is about and is preparing himself.
"Morning," I say, grabbing my own mug and filling it from the pot. My hands are steadier than I expected.
"Morning," they chorus back, and then silence falls.
Nobody's making jokes. Nobody's ribbing me about spending the weekend with my surprise daughter and ex-girlfriend. The usual banter is noticeably absent, replaced by a tension that makes my stomach churn.
"So," Rowan says finally, unable to stand the quiet. "You going to tell us what this is about, or are we playing twenty questions?"
I take a sip of coffee, buying myself a few more seconds. Then I set the mug down and look at the five men who've been my brothers for eight years.
"I'm leaving," I say simply. "Moving back to my old town. Back to where Sierra and Ruby live."
The silence that follows is deafening. Asher's jaw drops. Griffin's eyebrows shoot up. Hudson just nods slowly, like he saw this coming. Rowan looks between me and Dallas like he's waiting for someone to say it's a joke.
Dallas doesn't look surprised at all.
"When?" he asks quietly.
"As soon as I can arrange it." I lean back against the counter, crossing my arms. "I'm going to call my old chief today, see if there's an opening. If there is, I'll give you proper notice. Two weeks, four if you need it. Time to find and train my replacement. I'm not going to leave you in the lurch."
"Fuck proper notice," Asher bursts out. "You're leaving? Just like that? After eight years?"
"Not just like that," I say firmly. "Nothing about this is 'just like that,' Ash."
"But you're choosing her," he continues, his voice rising. "Choosing them over us. Over the crew."
"That's not fair," Hudson cuts in before I can respond. "He's choosing his daughter. His family. That's not the same as choosing against us."
"Isn't it though?" Asher looks genuinely hurt, and that makes this so much harder. "We've been his family. We've been there for him when—"
"When I was a mess," I finish for him. "When I showed up here eight years ago running from my past. I know. And I'm grateful, more than I can ever express. You guys saved my life. All of you." I look at each of them in turn. "But that little girl, she's my daughter. And Sierra—" My throat tightens. "She's the woman I should never have left in the first place."
"So, you're going back to the place that almost destroyed you," Griffin says, already working through the logistics.
"Yeah." I don't flinch from it. "I am."
"That's either the bravest thing you've ever done or the stupidest," Rowan observes. "I'm not sure which."
