Ford
The phone rings before I even have a chance to really wake up.
It’s loud, shrill, trying to rip me from the warm comfort of sleep, and damn, does it succeed.
I blink my eyes open, my body groggy from too much heat and too little sleep.
Beck stirs beside me, his hand reaching for his phone. He picks it up, the words barely leaving his mouth, before his whole demeanor changes. His jaw clenches, eyes narrowing as he listens, and I know it’s serious. It always is with those damn calls.
“Beck?” I ask, barely more than a groggy grunt as I sit up.
His head shakes before he answers. “Town’s a mess. Storm damage everywhere. I need to get out there. To help.”
I don’t need to be told twice. Beck’s always been a man of duty, of responsibility, but I can see stress in his eyes.
“Shit. Yeah, okay.”
Beck is already moving, already in beast mode. Without even looking at me, he’s up and on his feet, ruffling his hair, pulling his clothes back on, and grabbing his keys.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
There’s no time for anything else. He’s already out the door, heading to the truck.
The silence after he’s gone feels heavy.
I glance over to the bed where Hayes and Lo are still sleeping, drowning in the remnants of last night. The craziest night of my life…
But the best, too.
I smile to myself, the memory of everything overcoming me. That was insane… and not just because of the heat, because of Lo.
Truth be told, after our disastrous date, which ended in her running off, I thought we were done. I didn’t expect to see her again, and I certainly didn’t expect this. What happened last night?
Fuck, just the memory of it makes my cock twitch for more.
Hayes shifts, muttering something under his breath, before finally blinking his eyes open. His gaze sweeps over the room before landing on me.
“Beck gone?” he asks, rough with sleep.
I nod. “Yeah. He’s out helping with the damage.”
Hayes grunts, pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes. “Well, we should get to Lo’s place. Clean up the mess, right? Now that we can.”
I glance toward Lo, still curled up under the covers, her hair a wild halo around her face. She looks peaceful now, her breathing soft and even. She’s escaped from the world’s chaos for a little while.
But I know that peace is fleeting.
Hayes gives me a knowing look, and without another word, we both stand and move toward the kitchen to get things ready. The house is still, the quiet too perfect, too delicate. Like the world is holding its breath.
Waiting for all of this perfection to erupt into damage that not even Beck can clean.
Lo stirs as I grab the coffee pot, the soft scent of her tangling in the air with the smell of wet earth and the coffee brewing. Her body shifts under the blankets, stretching lazily.
I don’t look at Hayes, but I feel him beside me, already moving to get the rest of the things we need. He’s got that steady energy, the kind that never seems to rush. But then, neither do I. We’re just here, doing what we can.
“Lo?” I call softly. I don’t want to startle her. She’s been through too much already.
She blinks, her eyes flickering open slowly. The confusion from last night is still there, a haze clouding her gaze for a split second before recognition sets in. When her eyes meet mine, it’s like she remembers everything in an instant.
