Linc snuggled into Trav’s back, the big spoon to his little one, and he massaged Trav’s neck and shoulders, rubbing them until he was practically purring.
Jacques laid down next to me and kept a hand on Trav. Jacques had spent the last however long in a perpetual squat, and his muscles were trembling under my touch. We were all breathing hard, and I could feel Trav’s and Jacques’s hearts racing where they were pressed against me.
Words escaped me. Even my memories from Vegas paled compared to this. It was right. It was perfect. I wanted the four of us to be together like this.
It scared the shit out of me. I wasn’t supposed to fall for them, but I was. Even Linc. How was I going to walk away from them at the end of the year?
I looked up, swallowing down my emotions. The sky above us was a blanket of bright diamonds. The flashing lights of an airplane passed overhead. It wasn’t a shooting star, but it was close enough. I sent up a wish into the universe to find some way for me to stay, for the agreement we’d signed to disappear, and for this—the four of us—to become permanent. Even if I didn’t know exactly who I was or what I wanted with the rest of my life, one thing was certain. I wanted these men in it.
twenty-two
Travis
Ithadbeenacrazy day already, and I was still only halfway through my shift. Despite that, I hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off my face.
We’d started with an education session at the local elementary school but had been called away to a fire at an abandoned warehouse. It had taken most of the day to put it out, and given the asbestos-laden walls and toxic chemicals formerly manufactured on the site, it was critical that it be contained quickly. Wind was on our side and no one was injured so, overall, it was a success.
But now I was starving. My stomach was rumbling as if it were going to eat itself. I went in search of the pizza menus so we could order delivery. Usually we took turns cooking, but it was my turn, and I was beat.
“Yo, Travis,” the chief called. “You have a visitor.”
I groaned. If it was Billy again, I was going to have to have words to him. I didn’t want it to be here, but I absolutely wasn’t going to ask him to meet up somewhere with me. I had a feeling the man would only hear what he wanted to, and I wasn’t risking him getting the wrong idea.
I took the menu with me and headed into the reception area.
Then I stopped in my tracks.
It definitely wasn’t Billy.
My chest went fluttery and warm, and my belly flip-flopped. I couldn’t stop my smile even if I’d tried. It was embarrassing, really, how big it was. My cheeks heated, too, and I laughed self-consciously. I was a grown man, and yet, seeing the three people who meant the most to me in the world was like the rush I got riding on a rollercoaster.
“Best surprise ever. What are y’all doing here?” I asked.
Carina turned around and sent me a dazzling smile. It took everything in me not to throw my arms around her and kiss her stupid, but I resisted.
Barely.
Jacques and Rusty shot me secretive smiles before leaning in for fist bumps.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a wince, ringing her hands. “I turned the morning news on so I could check the weather, and they were talking about a factory fire. Then Jacques said it was in your area, and I freaked out, knowing you could get hurt. I started cooking and didn’t stop until they announced the fire was out and there were no injuries.”
I chuckled and gave up resisting the urge to hug her. I wrapped her in my arms and held her tight, breathing in her floral scent. This woman. She was wonderful and had a heart of gold.
“That was literally all day. You must be exhausted.”
“What about you?” she cried, patting my chest and arms as if she was checking me over. “Are you okay?”
“Absolutely. Tired, but good.”
“We couldn’t fit all the food in the refrigerator,” Rusty gestured to the coolers sitting on the floor and smirked. “Hope you’re hungry.”
“Are you guys hungry? Have you eaten?” Carina asked. She didn’t wait for a response before adding, “If you have, I can put it in the fridge here for later. It’ll keep for a few days.”
“We haven’t eaten,” I replied showing her the pizza menu. “This was going to be supper.”
“No, absolutely not,” she chastised with a frown. “After a full day’s hard work, you arenoteating pizza. Give me five minutes to get set up, and then call everyone in. Where am I heading?” She was all business, brooking no argument. Not that she would have any. Everyone in the firehouse would jump at the opportunity for a homemade meal over pizza.
I chuckled and shook my head before gesturing to my guys. “Jacques and Rusty know the way. They’ve been here before.”
