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“Whatever you want, man,” Tyler agreed.
“Don’t I have any say in this?” I grumbled.
“Of course, you do.” Rand traced his thumb along my bottom lip, which had turned down in a small pout. “But don’t you agree it’s for the best? It’s just a quick trip to the hospital so a doctor can confirm the smoke didn’t do any lasting damage. And it’s not like you can do anything here. The building won’t be cleared for re-entry anytime soon.”
“I guess you’re right,” I conceded softly, cringing at the thought of what my apartment was going to look like by the time I was allowed back inside.
Rand flashed me a sexy grin before brushing his lips over my forehead. “Good girl.”
I shivered at the compliment and stared at his ass after he said something quietly to Tyler, then picked up his stuff and walked away. I shook my sexy fireman-induced stupor off as Tyler helped me into the ambulance. As it pulled away with me safely tucked inside, the way Rand worded his request for Tyler to take me to the hospital hit me. “How does he know my name?”
I hadn’t expected anyone to answer my whispered question, but Tyler surprised me when he said, “Because he grilled me about you this morning, right before the call about the fire in your building came in.”
“He grilled you about me?” I echoed softly.
“Yeah,” Tyler confirmed with a grin. “And he looked like he was about to blow a gasket when I told him Ewan warned me off you. If I’d had more time, I would’ve yanked his chain over his caveman reaction.”
I grinned at the thought of Rand feeling all alpha over me after seeing me across the softball field. And there might’ve been a bit of a wicked gleam in my eyes as I thought of the chain yanking I was going to do to my new brother-in-law now that I knew he was warning guys off me. Especially if I found out Rand was one of them.
3
Rand
The damage to Jaelyn’s building was mostly from smoke, leaving the structure intact. It would be habitable again in a few weeks. But it didn’t matter since Jaelyn would be living with me by then.
Once we were sure the building was empty and secured against anyone who might try to get in, I rushed back to the firehouse. I stripped out of my gear and tossed it at a rookie. “Get this to the laundry,” I requested over my shoulder as I hurried by.
After peeling off my sweaty, grimy clothes, I hit the private bathroom attached to my room. I showered quickly, then dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweater before booking it to my office. My eyes dropped to my watch, and it made me move even faster. I’d told Tyler to keep Jaelyn at the hospital until I could get there, but he would only be able to stall for so long.
“Mick!” I shouted to one of my lieutenants. He entered my office a minute later, and I beckoned him forward. “I have to get going. I’m off for the next four days, but I’ll still work from home. Send me your report on the fire today, and let me know when they expect to declare the building habitable again as soon as possible.” He nodded, and I gestured for him to take a seat at my desk. Before moving out of his way, I locked my drawers and logged out of the programs on my computer. He had his own passwords to the system, and I always left my office open for my lieutenants to use when I wasn’t there.
“It’s Tyler’s rotation to teach the public safety training this afternoon, but he’ll need someone to cover for him. I have him on a special assignment.”
Confident that Mick had everything under control, I jogged out back to my silver extended cab truck. I’d bought it so I had the ability to haul a lot, especially since I was remodeling a house on the outskirts of town. However, I also made sure it would fit and be safe for car seats.
Until I saw Jaelyn, I’d often wondered what had possessed me to even consider that since I’d barely looked at a woman for longer than I cared to admit. Now, I was patting myself on the back for the decision.
It was a short drive to the hospital, and I pulled into a reserved spot near the entrance to the emergency room. The Ladder Co. 45 sticker would keep my truck from being towed. I hopped out and hit the lock button as I sprinted up across the drive and through the sliding, glass double doors.
Tyler was at the check-in desk, deep in discussion with a young male nurse, but he cut off the conversation abruptly when he saw me enter. “Finally.” I raised my brow, and he nodded, answering my silent question before confirming out loud. “She’s fine. No lasting damage.” Then he shook his head, his expression showing clear exasperation. “But damn, man, we were running out of excuses to keep her here.”
