"Called it!" Rowan crows. "I knew that's why Dallas offered to take the kid. He was giving you time to—ow!" He rubs his arm where Hudson just punched him.
"Show some maturity," Hudson says.
"I'm plenty mature. I'm just also observant." Rowan grins at me. "So? How was it? Eight years of buildup, that must have been—"
"Rowan." Dallas's voice carries a warning. "Maybe let's not interrogate Cade about his sex life."
"I'm just saying, eight years—"
"We're happy for you," Griffin interrupts loudly, shooting Rowan a look. "For both of you. And for Ruby, who gets to have her dad in her life."
"Thank you." I look around at all of them. "I mean it. Thank you for understanding. For not making this harder than it already is."
"Oh, we're definitely going to make it hard," Asher says, but he's smiling now. "You think we're just going to let you leave without a proper send-off? We're throwing you the mother of all goodbye parties."
"That's really not necessary—"
"It absolutely is," Rowan insists. "Eight years, man. Eight years of you being part of this crew. We're celebrating that, and we're celebrating you finally getting your shit together and going after what you want."
"Even if what I want is three hours away," I say.
"Even then." Dallas claps a hand on my shoulder. "You've earned this, Cade. Earned the right to be happy, to have a family, to stop punishing yourself for things that weren't your fault. We're going to miss you like hell, but we're also proud of you for finally choosing to live instead of just survive."
The words hit harder than I expected, and I have to blink back the sudden sting of tears. These men, this crew, they've seen me at my worst, have pulled me out of dark places more times than I can count, and they're letting me go without guilt or resentment.
"I'm going to miss you guys too," I manage, my voice rough. "More than you know."
"We'll visit," Hudson promises. "Make sure your new crew is treating you right."
"And that you're not spiraling," Griffin adds. "Because we all know you're going to have hard days."
"Lots of them," I agree. "But I think… I think I'm finally ready to face them. With help, with support, with a reason beyond just making it through another day."
"Ruby," Dallas says with understanding.
"Ruby," I confirm. "And Sierra. And the life we're going to build together. The one we should have had eight years ago."
"Better late than never," Rowan offers. "And hey, at least now you know you can survive anything. Even three hours away from us."
"Barely," I say, but I'm smiling.
We talk for another hour, about logistics, about timelines, about how I'm going to approach my old chief and what I'll say to the crew I abandoned eight years ago. They offer advice, support,and the kind of merciless ribbing that comes from genuine affection.
By the time we're done, I feel lighter than I have in years. Leaving is going to hurt. It already does, but it's the right kind of hurt. The kind that comes from choosing growth over comfort, from choosing love over fear.
My phone buzzes with a text from Sierra.
**Sierra: Ruby wants to know if you can video chat later. She has something important to tell you about the fire trucks.**
**Cade: Tell her absolutely. 7pm?**
**Sierra: Perfect. Miss you already.**
**Cade: Miss you too. Both of you.**
I pocket my phone and look up to find five pairs of eyes watching me with varying expressions of amusement.
"That's the face of a man who's completely whipped," Asher observes.
