I waved a hand, like I could brush the memory away. “I’m good. Really. Just a little jittery, I guess. But once I’m there and back into the swing of things, I’ll be fine.”
The words sounded practiced even to my own ears. But I hoped if I said it enough the uneasiness would begin to diminish.
They didn’t say anything right away. Instead, Izzy glanced at Nicole, Nicole looked at Mia, and Mia looked back at me. It was subtle, but I caught it—the shared look, the unspoken doubt.
“Okay,” Nicole said carefully. “If you say so.”
“Just… don’t push yourself,” Mia added.
I smiled, hoping it looked convincing. “I won’t.”
The quiet concern lingered between us until Izzy not so subtly changed the topic to her wedding planning. I tuned in to her discussion of centerpieces as I tried to quell the nervous feeling that kept trying to bubble up, convincing myself it was all going to be okay.
Chapter Thirty-Two
ADAM
Three night shiftsin a row and I was looking forward to holding Lyla in my arms again. Inhaling her sweet scent and caressing her soft skin as I slowly moved in and out of her. Holding her and weaving my fingers through her hair as she fell asleep against me. I just needed to get through a few more hours, then we would have twenty-four hours together before her first day back.
I smiled thinking of the last few days together. We’d spent them sitting by the fire outside, playingMagic, taking her to her physical therapy appointments, and getting lost in each other every chance we got.
“Dude.” Zack’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I glanced over at him as we made our way to the front door ofthe house we were called to, waiting for Jay to gain entry from the back and let us in. This house was a frequent call and Jay volunteered for the task of getting inside this time. Zack narrowed his eyes on me.
“What?” Did I tune out something he was saying?
“We were woken up to a call for another lift assist and you’re smiling.”
I cocked a brow. “Would you prefer we be walking into a fire right now?”
His lips slowly lifted into a smirk. “Yeah, kinda.”
I shook my head. Somehow, that reply didn’t surprise me. Zack wasn’t good with idle time or tasks. He lived for the adrenaline high. Always had.
All of us did to an extent. I just never minded the more mundane, simple tasks that came with the job. It was probably why I enjoyed EMT shifts just as much. Helping people was what I lived for. Saving lives, and even the small things that I knew in some way made a difference. I didn't always need to run into burning buildings or rappel down cliffs to get a surge of adrenaline. Risking my life came with the job, but it wasn't the part I loved about it.
His forehead wrinkled as he studied me. I wished I could admit the real reason I was smiling. But I told Lyla I wouldn’t tell the guys yet, and there was no way I would betray her trust. I had already told Zack last week that we were easing into things and taking it slow, and even though I trusted him to not say anything, I still didn’t want to break my promise.
“How’s things going with Lyla?”
Dammit. I searched for what to say. “Good.”
Luckily the door swung open, and we followed Jay through the house, putting that entire conversation on hold. Hopefully for another few days, although I’d be lucky and grateful for a few more hours.
After helping the elderly man up off the floor andconfirming he wasn’t injured, we headed back to the truck. Jay climbed up front while Zack and I got into the back.
“How much longer do you two plan to stay at the lodge?” Zack asked.
I sighed. I’d thought about this issue several times in the last couple of days. The last thing I wanted to do was stress Lyla out right before her first shift back, but I knew I needed to bring up moving back to my apartment. She seemed perfectly content at the lodge, but it couldn’t be a permanent thing. Eventually we would have to get back to normal life.
What could be a permanent thing, though, was her with me in my apartment.
“We haven’t talked about it yet.”
“Probably need to figure that out soon. With both of you back on regular shifts, she’s going to need her car. And you probably don’t want to be thirty minutes away forever.”
“Yeah, I know.” I let out a breath as a call came through the radio. Active fire. I sent Zack a glare. “Happy now?”
