“We’re okay,” Ten said. “My ribs hurt, but that’s it.”
“What about you, little miss?” Ronan asked Everly. The left side of her face was red and he had a feeling there would be a bruise.
“I’m okay, Daddy.” Everly started to cry.
Ronan scooped her into his arms. “You’re safe, honey. I’ve got you.”
“It’s all my fault,” Everly wept.
“Nothing is your fault. You warned everyone.” Ronan could see the anguish in his daughter’s eyes.
Everly shook her head. “I was excited for fried dough. I wasn’t paying attention to my gift.”
Ronan understood what Everly was trying to tell him. She thought that if she’d been more in tune with her gift that she could have somehow prevented the explosion and the fire. “You did pay attention. You saved everyone. Look.” Ronan pulled back from his daughter and pointed to the decimated food truck. The firemen had doused the flames. The medics were loading the chef into the back of the ambulance and Ronan could see his arms moving, which was a good sign. “Thanks you, Spencer and I were able to get you, Daddy, and the chef away from the burning truck.”
“Okay,” Everly wrapped her arms around Ronan and cried harder.
“Are you okay?” Ronan asked Spencer, who was bent double and looked as if he were struggling to breathe.
Spencer shook his head.
“Medics!” Ronan shouted, waving a hand in the air.
Two burly paramedics ran toward Ronan, who pointed to Spencer. “He went into the burning truck to save the chef. There was a lot of smoke.” Feeling as if he were in the middle of a nightmare, Ronan watched while the men assessed Spencer. Several firefighters looked Tennyson over and tried to do the same with Everly, who had Ronan in a death grip.
It took a few minutes of gentle coaxing, but Ronan finally managed to separate Everly from him. He stood back while thefiremen looked over his daughter. He saw Fitzgibbon and Jude running toward them.
“What the hell happened?” Jude asked.
“I don’t know. Ten and Everly were in line for fried dough and the truck exploded,” Ronan answered. His mind’s eye replayed Everly’s scream and the explosion. Once again, he saw the people he loved most flying through the air like they were in a movie scene. Only this was all too real. He felt his entire body starting to shake. He tried to take a step toward Jude and felt his legs go out from beneath him.
Fitzgibbon and Jude caught him and dragged Ronan to another picnic bench. “Okay, right here.” Fitzgibbon helped ease Ronan onto the bench. He waved to the medics who’d just finished with Tennyson.
“I’m fine,” Ronan gasped. “It’s just that I saw them fly.” Tears streaked down Ronan’s face. When he tried to speak only sobs came out.
The medics knelt in front of Ronan. One attached a blood pressure cuff, while a second asked him a million questions. From over their bulky shoulders, Ronan could see Tennyson holding both of their kids. He gave his husband a thumbs up, which Ronan knew meant everyone was okay. Spencer was being helped onto a stretcher. His face was blackened by the soot from the fire. An oxygen mask sat over his mouth and nose. The medics loaded him into the ambulance and drove away with lights flashing, no sirens, which Ronan knew meant there was no immediate need to get to the hospital. Spencer was going to be all right too.
There was nothing more important to Ronan than the people he loved. They’d all had a close call today, but his husband and kids were okay. They were all safe.
Family was everything.
EPILOGUE
Tennyson
One week later…
Tennyson stood at the kitchen sink doing the dinner dishes. Ronan had taken the kids into the living room where they were watchingFinding Nemofor what felt like the hundredth time in the last week. Ten was sure they hadn’t watched the movie that much. He’d taken the kids out to play a time or two, surely. Maybe not.
Things had been crazy busy since the fire at the fundraiser. Not only had Tennyson been back and forth to visit Spencer, who spent two days in the hospital being treated for smoke inhalation, but he’d also taken Everly to the pediatrician to make sure everything with her face was okay. Her cheek was bruised from where she’d hit the ground and she’d woken up the next morning with a black eye. Ronan joked that Everly looked like she’d gone ten rounds with Rocky Balboa, which led to Ronan showing herRocky III and Rocky IV. Ten hadn’t been thrilled with the idea, especially when Apollo died, but his daughter had been sullen since the accident and watching movies with Ronan lifted her spirits.
Ten had also insisted that Ronan see his doctor as well. Spencer had been inside the burning food truck for much longer than Ronan, but he wanted to be sure there weren’t any lasting effectsfrom the smoke. Ronan got a clean bill of health and then insisted Ten get checked too.
The only lasting effects from that day seemed to be the nightmares both Ezra and Everly were having. After the second night in a row of his babies screaming in the middle of the night, Ten had insisted they sleep with him and Ronan. There hadn’t been any terrors the night before and Ten was hoping they’d be able to go back to their own beds in a few days.
He felt like he’d aged ten years over the last week, but aside from Everly’s shiner and a few sleepless nights, his family was safe.
“Tennyson?” a familiar voice asked from behind him.
