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Beside me, Levi catches his breath and wipes the grime from his forehead before turning to meet my gaze. “I’d rather be anywhere than here,” he grumbles.
“So would I.” I finally allow the image of Rae to break into my thoughts. Her beautiful, fiery locks as they flow softly down her naked back, stopping at the top of her deliciously curvy ass. Her skin is always so soft to the touch that I’m afraid of bruising her skin with my work roughened hands.
“You thinking about women? I am.” Levi nudges my shoulder with his.
I shake my head, and confess, “Only one woman. My woman.”
Levi pauses mid-drink and stares at me with shock. “You’re dating?”
“I am.” I’m not admitting to my marriage status until I’ve had chance to talk to my family. My mom is going to flip when she finds out so I think it’s going to be best coming directly from me rather than grapevine gossip. “She’s gorgeous.” I smile. “I love her, and I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure that she stays mine for the rest of my life.”
“Fuck me!” Levi shakes his head and laughs. “I never thought you’d fall. You big sap.”
“I didn’t think I’d fall, but I fell heavily the minute I met her. There was only her.”
“Then why don’t you look too happy about that?”
I rest my hands on my thighs, and turn my head to meet his frown. “My mom hasn’t given her a chance, but as much as I love my family, she’s my family now and I’ll do anything for her.” I grimace. “She’s older than me, which I think is my mom’s problem. Nothing more.”
“Then show your mom how much you love each other, and I’m sure it will all work out. Your mom is usually a pretty fair lady, and at the end of the day all she’ll want is for you to be happy.”
I watch in amazement and then laugh when he blushes. “What made you so wise?”
He rolls his eyes and stands, shaking out his aching legs.
“I have a Mom who wants that for me,” he winces, “so much so that whenever I’m home she always makes sure that there are single women around. Drives me nuts, but at the end of the day I know she only wants me happy, instead of alone.”
I keep my eyes on him as he shrugs, wondering what’s going on inside that head of his.
“Thanks for that,” I say.
I track his gaze into the forest that we’re heading into once we pick up full tanks. The smoke gets thicker the further in we go and visibility is so bad that without proper equipment we could get turned around with tricks played on our senses.
I’ve been turned around in a fire once or twice before back in New York and it isn’t a pleasant experience.
“You two ready?” Rich asks, clipping his harness holding his air tank around his chest.
“Yeah, I’m good to go,” I answer, standing.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Levi grumbles.
We trudge through the fire line and a sense of foreboding settles around me. I’m not the only one sensing something either as I exchange worried glances with my two friends.
Levi, I’ve known since school and Rich since I’ve been home. They’ve both shown me what real friendship is and I know that in the thick of it that I can count on them, just like they can me. I guess that’s why we carry on moving toward the area that has been flagged as the next to be hit by the flames.
RAE
Whistling to myself while I potter around my house doing some light cleaning now that I’ve finished making room in the bedroom closet for Diego’s clothes, I feel lighter. Happier. It’s helping to keep me occupied while I wait for him to return home. There’s a nervous flutter in my belly when I really think about us being married but it’s Diego and when I’m with him I can be myself, knowing that he loves me regardless of my flaws, even though I’m sure that I’m the only one who ever sees them.
Placing some fresh daisies in the middle of my small kitchen table, I jump when my cell starts singing and buzzing around the countertop.
I make a grab for it after only a quick glance at the screen. “Hi, Aiden,” I answer.
“Rae,” he replies in a way that makes my belly drop to my toes.
“What’s happened?” I whisper, my hand covering my heart while I pray it isn’t Diego.
“He’s going to be okay,” Aiden starts as I drop into a chair hearing those words, “but he’s been taken to the hospital in town. Smoke inhalation and concussion. The docs have stitched the gash in his head and when he wakes he’ll probably have one hell of a headache, but Rae, he’s going to be okay.”
