Alice laughed and slipped the phone into her pocket. “And miss this reaction? Worth it. Besides, I think it’s kinda nice the men that saved you are now going to basically be your guardian angels. Maybe it’ll do you some good to be surrounded by all that hot, male testosterone.”
There it was. The real reason she’d gone along with all this. She was trying to play matchmaker. “Again, you have no idea what they look like.”
I barely remembered them as kids. Bits and pieces of my memory had come back once I’d had time to mull it over. I remembered Darren was the oldest who was always going off alone with Kaden. Alden was a troublemaker who constantly got berated by his dad when he was up to no good. And Porter had been the nicest to me. When Kaden had run into me and knocked my popsicle out of my hand, he gave me his and proceeded to wrestle Kaden to the ground until he apologized. All the memories of them were blurred and their faces escaped me, but some parts had gotten through.
And none gave me any idea what to expect out of the three of them now after all these years.
Alice helped me dress in some loose fitting clothes of hers that she let me borrow. We were pretty close to the same size and they were thankfully comfortable. She then helped me brush and braid my hair, which was dying for a real scrubbing. The shampoo caps and rag washings were not nearly as great as a long hot bath would be. That was the first thing I’d be attempting after leaving here. Granted I’d have to dangle my legs out of the tub, but it’d be worth it.
When my ten minutes were up, right on the dot, another nurse rolled in a wheelchair and assisted Alice in picking me up and putting me in it.
It was still strange to be on the receiving end of treatment here. I felt relieved that it was over and the next time I’d be here I’d just be back at work. Not working after years of doing it nonstop felt unnatural to me. But I knew I had to get better so I could be my best for the people that would remain here after I was gone.
When we reached the ground floor and the elevators opened, a large, hulking figure stood with his arms crossed against the opposite wall. He lifted his head and smiled when he saw us come out, showing off his perfect teeth and dimples in each of his cheeks. His skin was deeply tanned and his black hair cut short. He was easily over six feet tall and had more muscles than I could probably count. Was counting muscles a thing? Hmm. I wouldn’t mind making it a thing on him.
“Well hey there, Sophia. Long time no see,” the guy I assumed must be Porter greeted, extending his left hand for me to shake.
It was inherently impossible not to keep staring at him as I reached out and politely shook his hand. He was just that damn good looking. I didn’t even know humans were made this hot anymore.
This was going to be interesting.
“I guess so,” I muttered in reply and averted my eyes.Come on, Sophia! Get your shit together.
“Well, this is where we pass you off into someverycapable hands,” Alice interjected coyly, stepping out from behind my chair to give me one last quick hug. “You’re welcome,” she whispered into my ear with a soft giggle.
I cleared my throat “Thank you for everything, Alice. I’ll keep in touch, okay?”
“You better. I’m gonna wanna hear all about your um…recovery.” She sent me a wink before backing up into the elevator with a wave.
I waved back then set my sights back onto Porter, doing my best to avoid looking anywhere but his face. Trust me, it was hard not using my eyes to trace the body hiding beneath the tight navy blue shirt and jeans that fit him oh so nicely.
“So, ready to get out of here?” Porter asked, coming to stand behind the wheel chair.
“Sure,” I replied meekly, already feeling a sense of awkwardness. I decided it was best to just keep quiet as Porter rolled me out of the hospital toward a large truck parked right outside the drop off area. I was usually the type to start rambling when I felt nervous or awkward, but for once my brain was actually allowing me silence.
Or it had just short circuited.
“I’m going to have to lift you into the seat. Do I have your permission to do that?” he questioned politely as we stopped by the passenger door. I was a bit stunned by his question, but nodded in response.
Surprisingly, even with his size that could easily crush me if he wanted to, he was very gentle. He instructed me to wrap my arms around his neck before putting his arms beneath my thighs and back, avoiding the burns on my calves easily. With little to no effort, he had me in the front seat and buckled in without once accidentally banging my legs against the dashboard or touching me anywhere other than where he’d lifted me. It was sort of flawless.
While he folded my chair and set it in the bed of the truck, I surveyed the inside, noting how clean and fresh it was. Not at all like I was used to seeing anytime I was in a man’s vehicle. Maybe I’d just dated a bunch of slobs. Either way, the leather seats were comfortable and the passenger one had been moved to just the right position to give me plenty of leg space so nothing was touching them.
So far this wasn’t too bad.
Porter hopped into the driver’s seat and gave me another wide smile. “Here we go.” He cranked the engine and began to smoothly drive away. “I know this is probably really weird for you, but I promise we’re good guys. Kaden was our best friend, and even after all this time apart, we’d do anything for him. And for you. We really just want to help a fellow firefighter family.”
I wasn’t sure if he’d read my face or what, but he pretty much nailed exactly what I was feeling and questioning. Which just made me feel bad for choosing to stay silent.
“I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful. This is very kind of you three. I just feel out of my depth lately, I guess.”
Porter nodded his head. “I could see how you’d feel that way. But trust me, this is new for us too. We don’t usually take in the people we save, but your dad was one of the best. And maybe you don’t remember me, Darren, or Alden, but we remember you. So trust us to help you?”
The sincerity in his words and the pleading look in his dark, chocolate eyes seemed to settle a bit of the nerves that fluttered inside me. So I relaxed into my seat and gave him an appreciative smile.
“I can do that,” I told him. “How about we start over like we’ve never met?” I held my hand out to him. “Hi, I’m Sophia. Thank you for saving my life and helping me through this difficult time. I’m about sixty percent sure you three might regret taking me in, but I appreciate it greatly.”
A rumbling laugh came out of him and he reached over to shake my hand. “It’s my pleasure, Sophia. I’m Porter. Always eighty percent a nice guy, twenty percent hungry, and one hundred percent Mexican.”
