“That’s not what I heard. I heard you weren’t happy that she didn’t want to keep dating you. Maybe you’re one of those firefighters who has become a little too obsessed with fire.”
Anger flared in Rance’s eyes as he shot me a scowl. “She wanted to date this asshole, so I backed off. I was trying to be her friend, but obviously, even that isn’t worth it.” He turned his focus back to Lawson. “You want to talk to me? Call my union rep.” Then he stalked off.
“Seriously, Law?” I snapped.
His jaw worked back and forth. “I needed to see his reaction in the moment.”
“And now you won’t be able to talk to him at all,” Caden grumbled.
Lawson glared at him. “If you would’ve told us what was going on, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
“Just stop!” I yelled. “Please, just stop.”
“All right,” Holt said, his voice going soft. “Let’s get you somewhere safe for the night so you can rest. You can come stay with Wren and me.”
But I didn’t want to stay with any of my brothers. Not when they were in this heightened state and pissed the hell off at me and everyone else. I’d never hear the end of it.
Caden’s voice cut through the night. “She’s going to stay with me.”
20
GRAE
My heart lurched.Stay with Caden? At his house? Where I’d be drowning in his scent and a million other reminders of all the things I couldn’t have?
My brothers scowled at him.
“She should stay with one of us,” Nash snapped.
“Or at Mom and Dad’s,” Lawson added.
“How aboutIdecide where I stay because I’m an adult with a mind of my own?”
Caden squeezed my arm. “Where do you want to go?”
My gaze lifted to his, and I lost myself in the gold flecks of his hazel eyes. I was still fully living that dumb-girl life. “With you. Can I stay with you?”
He dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “Of course.”
My brothers didn’t say a word.
I looked up at the still-smoking house. “They probably won’t let me get anything from inside, huh?”
Lawson shook his head. “They’ll have to assess the structure first.”
My shoulders slumped.
“I’ve got stuff at my place you can borrow for now,” Caden said.
“I can get some clothes from Mads and drop them off tomorrow morning,” Nash offered. “See if they can grab her insulin from the fridge.”
Maddie was at least a couple of inches taller than me, but the items would hold me over until I could buy some new things. And I could always get some more insulin at the pharmacy tomorrow.
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
“Come on,” Caden said. “Let’s get you home.”
Home. I wasn’t sure I had that anymore. Between someone lurking outside, the break-in, and now the fire, my house didn’t feel so much like a home.
