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When I open my eyes, Pierce is getting into his truck, and I immediately notice that he took all the warmth with him, leaving me shivering in the cold.
He’s barely pulled out of the driveway, and I’m already missing the warmth he emits. The problem is…that warmth leads to fire, and fire leads to nothing but destruction.
CHAPTER TEN
PIERCE
“Here you go.” I hand the last meal we’re giving out to the gentleman. “Have a good Thanksgiving.”
He smiles warmly and lifts the bag in appreciation. “Thank you. This means the world to my family.”
I watch him leave and stay standing outside, hoping to see a certain auburn-haired beauty and her mini walking this way, but the streets are pretty much dead. It’s three o’clock, and since most of the businesses are closed for the holiday, there’s no reason for anyone to be out. People are home with their loved ones, enjoying the holiday.
“Hoping to spot a certain green-eyed woman?” my mom asks, sliding her arm around my back and hugging me from the side.
“Yeah.” I sigh. “I don’t know what it is about her, Mom, but I can’t get her off my mind.”
“Oh, you know what it is.” She smirks up at me. “For one, she’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, she is,” I agree, picturing how she twirls her curly auburn hair when she’s nervous or how her emerald eyes shine when she smiles at me. Most of the time, she’s sporting a neutral expression, like she’s almost afraid to smile. So when she does, it makes it that much more special, like I did something to earn it, and I want to figure out how to keep getting her to do it.
“She’s had a rough go at it. She lost Jordan’s dad in a fire.” I don’t want to put her business out there, but my mom and I are close, and I know she’d never repeat anything I tell her.
“Oh, dear. I can’t even imagine. What about her family? It seems like they’re all alone.”
“I don’t know where their family’s at, but yeah, it doesn’t look like she has any support at all.” I turn to face her. “She’s such a good mom, though. Would do anything for her daughter…including run herself into the ground to support her.”
Mom nods in understanding.
“When I was with Tanya, she’d beg for materialistic shit. Nothing I bought her was ever enough. But yesterday, when I took Kelsie and Jordan to buy a Christmas tree, they acted as if I bought them a damn mansion. There were actual tears in Kelsie’s eyes. I want them to be mine. I know I’ve only known them for a short time, but I want to give them the world, despite how crazy that sounds.”
“It doesn’t sound crazy,” Mom says. “When you know, you know. Your dad and I knew we were going to spend our lives together after the first date.”
“Yeah, well, unfortunately, Kelsie isn’t on the same page as me.”
“Are you sure?” Mom asks. “I saw the way she looked at you at dinner, and it wasn’t the look of someone who wasn’t interested.”
“Oh, she’s totally interested.” I chuckle humorlessly. “Only she’s gotten it into her head that because she lost someone in a fire, she can’t date a firefighter.” I shake my head. “I mean, I get it. I don’t know all the details, and I’ve never lost someone close to me, so I won’t try to fully understand where she’s coming from, but I understand her fear. It’s just…”
I blow out a harsh breath. “It sucks that the woman I’m interested in is against dating a firefighter. If I had any other career, she’d give me a chance. But she can’t risk letting me in and losing me in a fire as well, so instead, she keeps me at arm’s length. Maybe I need to face the fact that we’ll never be anything more than friends.”
“Well, I wouldn’t throw in the towel yet,” Mom says, nodding over my shoulder.
I turn around and blink several times to make sure I’m not seeing shit, but every time my eyes open, I still see them: Kelsie and Jordan, walking our way.
“Is the invitation still open?” Kelsie asks when they reach us.
She’s donning an adorable black beanie on her head with her auburn curls hanging in loose pigtails. Her cheeks are slightly flushed from the cold, and her heart-shaped lips are pink and plump and so fucking kissable. Jesus, I wish I could kiss her…
A throat clears, snapping me from my thoughts, and I realize I never answered her question.
“Of course,” I choke out, stunned that they’re here.
“We made brownies.” Kelsie smiles softly and hands me the container she’s holding.
“They’re so yummy,” Jordan adds. “Mommy let me lick the batter. Is Tilly here?” she asks, changing the subject quickly.
“She is,” Mom says, taking the container from me. “Probably sliding down the pole for the millionth time. Why don’t we go find her?”
