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“Do you need help buckling up?”
“Huh?” I turned toward him as he pulled his seat belt on and realized I hadn’t put mine on yet. Yanking on it, I shook my head. “Nope, I have it.”
“I’m a good driver, and my truck is one of the safest on the road”—he squeezed my thigh before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot—“but no way in hell would I ever do anything that puts you at risk.”
Up until Kaia met Ewan, I’d thought guys like him—strong alphas with a heart of gold—were a thing of the past. But I was starting to think that maybe I’d stumbled onto one of my own—quite literally—considering how he’d saved me from falling down the stairs. It was a meet cute straight out of a romantic comedy on the big screen.
When Rand turned onto the highway, I pointed toward the back of the truck. “You took the wrong entrance. I live that way.”
“I know.” He reached out to thread his fingers through mine. “But you can’t go back to your place yet.”
My brow wrinkled in confusion. “But I could swear you said you were taking me home?”
“To my home, baby. Your building hasn’t been cleared for residents to go back in yet,” he explained.
I slumped in my seat, holding his hand as though it was a lifeline. Between being poked and prodded and getting frustrated by how long it had taken to be discharged from the hospital, I hadn’t stopped to think about how bad the damage to my apartment might have been. “You guys got there so fast, I was hoping I’d just need to open my windows and get some special fans or something to take care of the water used to put out the fire and to help with the smoke smell.”
He gave my hand a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry to be the one to break the news, but it’s not going to be that simple. The structure’s intact, but the smoke damage is extensive enough that your landlord is going to need to hire a restoration company to handle the bulk of the clean-up efforts.”
“Crap,” I muttered, turning to look out the passenger window when I felt tears well in my eyes. “I better call my sister.”
“You can call from my place,” Rand offered. “We’re almost there.”
I wasn’t looking forward to how that conversation would go. Kaia was going to be pissed that I didn’t tell her about the fire right away. Ewan wouldn’t be happy, either. He took his role as my brother-in-law pretty seriously, which made me remember what Tyler had said in the ambulance. “We almost met a couple of days ago when you pitched a softball game against Ewan Kelley’s team. He just got married to my sister last month.”
“Yeah, I know. Ever since I spotted you in the stands with your sister, I’ve been kicking my ass for not switching up the schedule, so I could’ve made the wedding,” he admitted. “I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed seeing you all dressed up.”
“If it wasn’t destroyed, maybe you’ll get the chance to see me in what I wore. Since I was the only person in her bridal party, Kaia let me pick out what I wanted so it’s not your typical bridesmaid dress. I actually looked pretty good in it.” My tears were forgotten as my lips curved up in a small grin.
“I’m sure you looked fan-fucking-tastic.” His thumb brushed back and forth across my palm. “No matter what you were wearing.”
Shifting in my seat, I turned in his direction again. “This is probably going to sound crazy, but Ewan didn’t warn you off me or anything like that, did he?”
“Damn straight he did,” Rand chuckled as he exited the highway. “You disappeared after the game, and the bastard wouldn’t tell me a damn thing about you except that you’re too young for me, and I needed to forget all about you.”
“Too young?” I snorted, shaking my head. “It’s not like I’m fresh out of high school or anything. I’m a twenty-two-year-old college grad. And Ewan is one to talk when he’s eight years older than my sister.”
Rand shrugged his broad shoulders. “I don’t think he cared what excuses he threw my way as long as they worked.”
“And did they?” Tilting my head, I peeked up at him. “Work, that is?”
“Not a chance in hell.” He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “Your sister dropped enough hints for me to figure out who you were, and Tyler told me your name this morning before the call came in for the fire at your building. If I hadn’t already found you, I would’ve gone looking after my shift was over today.”
“Well, okay then. I guess the fire wasn’t entirely the disaster I thought it was if it brought you straight to my door.” I sighed, thinking about all the stuff I was going to need to deal with in the near future. “And at least I have renter’s insurance. It’ll cover anything I need to replace, and I think the relocation coverage even includes hotel stays so at least I won’t be forced to stay with Kaia and Ewan.”
