Page 84 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

“You remember much?” I asked, pretending to focus on the coffee maker.

Nate let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Bits and pieces. Enough to know I screwed up.”

My stomach twisted. “Screwed up how?”

He slumped into one of the chairs at the table, cradling the empty mug in his hands. “I was an ass to Lila. Said some things I shouldn’t have. Hell, I don’t even know if half of it made sense. But I remember the look on her face, and I know I hurt her.”

The tension in my chest ratcheted up another notch. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my expression neutral.

“She’s tough,” I said carefully. “She can handle more than you think.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” he muttered, staring down into his empty cup. “I was out of line. She didn’t deserve that.”

I wanted to tell him he was damn right she didn’t, but I bit my tongue. Nate was already beating himself up, and laying into him wouldn’t help.

But that didn’t stop the surge of anger bubbling beneath the surface. Lila deserved better than the crap he’d given her last night.

“She’s been through a lot,” Nate said after a long silence, his voice quieter now. “I should be looking out for her, not making things harder.”

“You care about her,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“Of course I care about her. She’s my sister.” He looked up at me, his gaze sharp. “That’s why I’m worried about the flirting.”

My heart thudded hard in my chest, but I kept my face blank. “I think you’re being judgmental.”

“I don’t know,” Nate groaned. “I don’t know what’s going on, and it seems weird.”

The truth was, he didn’t know the half of it.

If he had any idea what wasreallygoing on, he’d lose his damn mind.

“Look,” I said, pouring him a cup of coffee and setting it in front of him, “why don’t you talk to her? Apologize. She’ll appreciate it, trust me.”

He nodded slowly, wrapping his hands around the mug like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Before I could say anything else, everything changed.

The blaring sirens of the truck and the chaos of the scene outside the firehouse hit me like a punch to the gut.

I shook off the remnants of my thoughts about Lila, about last night, about the tangled mess of emotions we were all trying to ignore.

We found out that we were being dispatched to a multi-car pileup on the highway, and as soon as the call came through, my body shifted into autopilot.

Firefighting wasn’t just about physical strength or speed; it was a mentality, a readiness that surged through you at the first sign of danger.

You didn’t think. You just moved.

“Let’s go!” Jaxon barked, his voice clipped, focused.

He was already in motion, grabbing his gear as Ryan and I followed suit.

By the time we arrived at the wreck, it was clear it was bad.

Three cars, mangled together in a twisted heap of metal and glass. Smoke still curled from one of the vehicles, and the sound of someone shouting for help cut through the din of the emergency response effort.

The rush of adrenaline hit my bloodstream as we climbed out of the truck.

No time to hesitate. No time for anything other than the job.

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