“No, thank you. Are you hungry?”
My stomach growled aggressively, and I snorted out a laugh. “Mmm, apparently I could eat.”
She led me into the kitchen where she pulled out bread to toast and the ingredients for an omelet stuffed full of peppers, mushrooms, and bacon. I squeezed the juice—the only thing she’d let me help with—then watched her work from the other side of the counter.
“Still tired?” Carina asked when I yawned again. “You shouldn’t have driven home when you were so tired. We could have come and picked you up.”
“I’m okay, darlin’. Still waking up, and y’all don’t need to worry. I was fine.”
She pursed her lips and pointed to the television that was hanging dark on the wall. “I watched the news. Were you at the campgrounds?”
“I was.” I nodded and she swallowed hard. “We got it under control pretty quickly.”
“It looked bad.”
“Eh, it wasn’t anything we haven’t dealt with before. Campers didn’t douse their campfires properly, and embers jumped into the leaf litter on the ground. We put it out after a few hours.”
“Still, it’s dangerous.”
“It is, but I’m trained, and we have specialist equipment to keep us safe.” I stood up and made my way around the countertop to take her into my arms. “I’m sorry you were scared.”
“How do Jacques and Linc deal with it? I’ve been pacing and freaking out during every one of your shifts. I keep the news on, waiting to hear the worst.”
“Oh, darlin’.” I tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead. I breathed her in and held her tighter when she burrowed into me. “They don’t watch the news.”
“That’s it?” She pulled back and shook her head, her brows furrowed and her umber eyes troubled.
“They also trust me to come home to them. I won’t let you down, Carina. I’ll come home after every shift.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“I can’t guarantee I’ll be safe crossing the street either. But I take care of myself and my team, and we all come home.”
She nodded, and I checked the pan. The omelet needed flipping. I shuffled us closer to the stove and flipped the egg mix while Carina was still wrapped around me.
The front door opened just as she was plating it up for me. Jacques and Hux walked through the door a moment later. They were laughing at something, but Jacques’s smile grew and his face lit up when he saw me.
“You’re back,” he greeted. He squeezed my shoulder, his touch lingering a moment longer than a casual touch warranted, before he went to Carina to kiss her hello.
“You know, you’re in your own home,” Hux said, his gaze ping-ponging between us from where he was leaning against the counter near me.
“And?” I asked, confusion coloring my voice.
“You don’t have to hide your relationship from me.”
I opened my mouth then snapped it shut again. How did he know? We were careful. We’d had years of practice keeping our relationship under wraps.
“Jacques, you came out to me when I needed someone on my side. You were there.” Hux shrugged, but I could see how much it meant to him to have Jacques’s friendship. He looked down, playing with an imaginary piece of lint on his shorts.
“I’ll always be there for you,” Jacques said carefully.
“Exactly. You’re helping me fill in my time to get me out of my head and fixing my reputation at the same time.”
When he looked up at Jacques, then at me, I could see the oath shining in his gaze.
“You know I won’t break a promise I’ve made, but I didn’t think I actually needed to spell out that I wouldn’t say anything. But this is me, promising to never share that you’re in a relationship.” He gestured between us. “Unless I’m reading things completely wrong, and the four of you aren’t fucking. In which case, ignore me.”
Jacques huffed out a laugh and clapped his hand on Hux’s shoulder before drawing him into a back-slapping hug. “I appreciate that.”
