One could only hope. She’s overstayed.
I look up at Cassie. She shrugs with a sheepish smile on her face, and I know she messaged them while we finished shopping.
“Thought you could use a girls’ night?” she offers.
ME
Sure, as long as one of the pizzas you bring has extra pepperoni on it.
CHAPTER 45
Asher
Ilift my hard hat and wipe the sweat, grit, and soot from my hot, filthy forehead. The last two weeks have been nothing I’ve ever seen before. The Franklinville fires were just like a blowtorch on a mission to ignite and destroy the thing next to it. What wasn’t on fire was soon to be on fire. One hundred and eighty volunteers are here from all across the country, and the sheer devastation is shocking; the number of homes burned, the way the fire came down the mountainside and impacted these communities and their life stories is fucking gut-wrenching. We’ve been working seven days a week with one day off before the next shift, which we spent in a spike camp in the next town over. We had one day to shower, eat, and try to sleep before we were bused back into town to start the whole process all over again. Three fires are still burning, although they’re contained enough that our work is mostly done. The fire department in the county, along with wildland firefighters in the forest and the mountain, will continue to fight this for another week or so, I’m sure. Rain is expected today, which will be instrumental in putting an end to what I can only call afucking nightmare.
I offered to stay because I’m naturally a fixer and that is my only mindset out here. My life, my health, my mental health—all of it is an afterthought when I’m on the line. In this job, you have to give a lot to save a lot. So even when you have a fire that officials call unstoppable, even when you have officials screaming to be properly funded so you can help the communities around the blaze? All you want to do is prove the experts wrong and save everything you can.
But after fifteen days on the scene, my emotions have never been more torn. This is the first time I’ve fought fire andwantedto leave. Probably because I’ve never had anything to go home to before. It’s been the hardest fight of my life to stay away from Olivia and the baby. I’ve thought of nothing but them since I got here; so I’ve kept my head down, ignoring the pleading messages that still stream in from my uncle, knowing my boys at home have Olivia watched and safe. I’ve barely had the chance to talk to her but, when I do, Olivia doesn’t push me about how bad it is here. She knows not to ask me questions I can’t answer.
Instead, she sends what Ineed.Photos of herself, clothing she’s bought for the baby, bunnies in my yard, her food. Anything that could bring a touch of light in these dark days.
A pang of longing floods my veins. I fucking miss her so goddamn much, I feel as if my heart has ripped in two. It’s all such a new experience for me, but Olivia, and fifteen days in hell, will do that to a man.
My helmet comes off as I climb into the truck with my ride-or-die for the last two weeks: Walker Black. He’s on the phone—just as exhausted as me—but hangs up as I shut the truck door.
“Everything okay on the home front?” I ask, taking a chug of electrolytes as sweat pours out of me. I’m wearing almost seventy pounds of equipment and it’s ninety-six degrees already out here.
“Kinda. Beau is going a little crazy,” he says honestly. “Dad’s going through a rough patch againandthe girls don’t sit still.” The smoke is still thick outside his window as he gazes out of it. “They’re so fucking cute but they can also be little buggers, and they’ve got him wrapped around their finger. Fucking miss the hell out of them all though.”
He shows me a photo on his phone of the two dark-haired cuties smiling at the camera with ice cream– covered faces. “That was yesterday.”
I think about my own baby on the way. “I can’t believe he’s raising them both on his own now.”
“It’s tough, man.” Walker shrugs. “But they’ve got all of us. My mama’s got them outside barefoot in the grass every day; best up brining there is.”
He takes off his helmet to reveal dark hair matted to his forehead with sweat and grime. “I’m gonna jump from one inferno to the next when I get home. Fall calving coming up. We’ll be going nonstop.”
I chuckle. “At least you’ll be able to shower and eat something other than camp food.”
“True fuckin’ story.” Knocking my bottle of Bio Steel with his own, Walker grins. “I’ll fucking drink to that.”
“Thanks for stepping in, brother,” I say honestly. “We needed you out here.”
“Any time.” He smiles wide as my phone lights up. “I live for this shit.”
NASH
All the girls are at the big house tonight. Just thought you may want to know.
HADEN
Yeah, I saw Liv when I dropped Cassie off. She looks good, relaxed.
ME
Thanks, boys. I appreciate you checking in on her for me.
These guys are the closest thing I’ve ever had to friends. Because they know me well enough to know I don’t ask for help with anything or even open up. But the funny thing is, I didn’t have to. They’ve all just been keeping watch on Olivia, as if they knew I’d want to know she was all right while I was gone, and I’m damn grateful. I would’ve gone insane out here otherwise.
