“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask suddenly and he blinks like I slapped him. “And also, I can’t take your kidney. You need it to save people and crap. I can’t.”
“You have a really weird way of treating people who have the ability to save your life,” Jake says and walks past me toward the counter. He walks behind the bar and puts the mop in the bucket. “And also, I can still be a firefighter with one kidney. I Googled it and double checked with my captain. I will have to take some vacation days. Likely all of them. But it’s not like I use them anyway. It’s fine.”
“No. It’s not,” I am shaking my head so hard my neck actually starts to hurt. “I can’t let you do this.”
“You can’tnotlet me Terra,” Jake says and that grin is slipping. Finally. He leans on the counter on his elbows, looking right at me. “The transplant list could take years. Why suffer that long when you don’t have to?”
“I can’t ask you to do this,” I say in a voice so strangled it sounds like someone else. I run a hand through my hair which I’m sure messes it up. I mean, not that it matters. He walks back out from behind the bar and comes to stand directly in front of me.
“You didn’t ask, but I wish you had,” Jake replies and I see a flash of pain in his smoldering eyes. “Look, I spend all my time saving people who aren’t my family, so you bet your ass I’m going to save the people who are.”
Tears suddenly start pouring out of my eyeballs so fast that it actually scares me. And Jake now looks terrified too. “Jesus Terra, don’t. It kills me when you cry.”
I take a step away from him and frantically wipe at my eyes. “Sorry. I can’t help it. I don’t mean to. I just… I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Yeah. Me either,” he says and the smile slowly creeps back onto his face. And this time, his smile makes me smile too. “We’ll tell your parents tomorrow?”
I nod and he swings open the door and leaves calling “Lock this behind me!” as he goes. But I don’t lock it. I stare at it for almost a minute and then run out into the parking lot after him. He’s already in his car, motor running but he jumps out as soon as he sees me.
“Tink! You can’t afford to catch a cold. Get back inside!” He hollers as the rain pounds down around us and I throw myself into him. Wrapping him in a hug. He holds me against him, dipping his head down and I swear I feel his lips on my neck, warm and soft, for a heartbeat before I lean back to look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I don’t like you or appreciate you,” I blurt out, just about screaming it because the rain is so loud. “I do. I just…”
And then … I kiss him. I press my mouth against his and kiss him with every single ounce of energy and passion and hope and relief in my body. I don’t think, I just kiss. My lips parting, my tongue barging its way into his mouth and my hands holding the sides of his head because I’m terrified he’ll reject me like he did in high school. But he doesn’t. In fact … I think he’s kissing me back until…
“What the hell are you two doing?” Finn’s voice bellows from behind me and I turn and see him running towards me, holding an open umbrella.
We jump apart and Jake gets into his Jeep and drives away without a word.
“Jake! What the fuck? Terra did he just kiss you? Were you two kissing?” Finn says it like it’s the grossest thing he can think of.
“No he didn’t kiss me. I kissed him,” I reply as Finn holds the umbrella over me with one hand and uses his other to tug me back to the restaurant. I stumble along, my feet not acting like they remember how to walk.
“Why the hell are you trying to make-out with my best friend?” Finn asks inside the restaurant as I watch Jake’s car turn and head out of the parking lot. “Is rash, spontaneous and completely stupid decisions some kind of dialysis side effect? You’re going to catch a death cold out there too.”
“You can’t catch a cold virus from rain water,” I inform him and press a palm to the glass as the last of Jake’s tail lights disappear from view.
“Yeah okay, but you know what I mean,” Finn barks. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“He’s giving me his kidney.”
“What?”
I turn slowly from the window and look at my brother, who is behind the counter looking for a tea towel or something to give me to dry off with. “Jake did the test. He’s a match. He wants to give me his kidney.”
Finn’s blue eyes widen and his mouth drops. “Are you serious?”
I nod and feel the tears pressing at the back of my eyes again. I blink and then give in and cover my face with my hands as I cry. Suddenly Finn has me in a hug, pressing my face into his wide chest as his arms hold me close. “That crazy son of a bitch. I can’t believe it.”
“I can,” I whisper into Finn’s flannel shirt.
I always knew Jake Maverick was something special … I just never thought he thought I was someone special. Someone worth saving. But he does. He may not have kissed me when I was locked in a closet with him at fourteen, but I’ll take a kidney over a first kiss any day.
10
Jake
I hopoff the truck and scan the crowd that has already started to form. Logan is parking his ambulance a few feet away. Captain climbs down from the front of the rig and claps me on the back. “Big night.”
