“Well…”
Well, she’s not wrong, and I know I’m going to hear about it from him later with the way I ran off, my first instinct to get to my kid, no matter what. I already know Grizz isn’t like that. He’s a man who assesses. A man who is methodical—who doesn’t let emotions rule over actions. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nice to have someone so levelheaded to balance out my walking storm of motherly instinct and lack of self-preservation.
Protecting myself has never been the goal, because when your heart is walking around outside your body in the form of a small person, if I don’t get to her in time… I might as well go down too.
What I’ve never had is someone who cares enough to step in and get there first, because he knows that by protecting Jovie, he’s protecting me too.
“It’s out!” a deep voice calls from in the loading bay, the crackling of the fire gone, leaving the only sound to be the heavy breathing and sighs of relief from the people standing around outside.
They start to move toward the building, trudging back inside, ready to assess the damage.
Grizz is one of the last, the tension falling away from his shoulders as he scrubs a hand over his face, failing to wipe away the exhaustion in his eyes. He slips his club cut back on over his shoulders, bits of snow and drips of water falling from the hem.
He takes a long, deep breath before moving, but he doesn’t head for the bar.
He holds my gaze as he comes for Jovie and I.
And with it, something passes between us.
Something raw and wordless.
Relief.
Fear.
Something that feels dangerously close to need.
Maybe if my body would have allowed, I would have leaped up into his arms. Not caring about the streaks of soot that decorated his face, or the smell of smoke I have no doubt is settled into his clothes and hair. I would’ve thrown myself at him just to feel that solid weight of proof that he’s okay.
We’re all okay.
But I can’t move.
My body is trembling and my arms are locked around Jovie as if my life depends on it.
Grizz crouches down in front of us, his forearms resting on his knees. Silently, he scans Jovie’s face and body before moving to mine, his eyes touching almost every inch of me before he’s satisfied.
Then he lets out a sigh.
“You two okay?” he asks, his voice low and scratchy. I nod in response. “Good, cos we’re gonna have words later about running into burning buildings.”
Jovie chuckles lightly and nudges me. “You’re in big trouble.”
Grizz’s mouth twitches at the corner. “Yeah, she is.”
The sound that escapes me isn’t quite a laugh, though I think I manage to disguise the soft sob with a cough and a shake of my head—blinking fast to expel the tears. Grizz doesn’t call me on it, doesn’t tease or try to soften the moment. He just stays there, like a protective wall between us and the destruction behind him. It all fades into the background, and then and there, it’s just the three of us.
“Next time,” he says quietly, holding out his hand for me. “You let me run into the fire first, okay?”
I place my hand in his, slowly nodding, but he doesn’t move until he hears the words out loud.
“Deal?” he says sternly.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Deal.”
And that’s the thing, he means it. It’s not an order, or a lecture—though I’m sure there is one to come. But for him, it’s a promise for the future, because Grizz is the kind of man who will always step into the fire first, just so the people he cares about don’t have to feel the flames.
He helps me to my feet, his arm circling my waist and lifting me those last few inches because, as I now remember, this all started with him demanding to know how I hurt myself earlier today.
