Page 91 of Embers in the Dark

“No problem,” he says as he hops out. “Glad I could help.”

We start walking in and Clay catches up to us as he yawns. “Morning. Ella was up all night teething. I might need an I.V. of coffee,” he says on another yawn.

“Maybe our captain could make his famous coffee today for ya,” Riv tells him.

“I’ll need it on rotation,” Clay says. “It’s brutal. I never knew it could be this bad.”

“Sorry, man.” I clap him on the shoulder.

“It’s fine. Abby has a huge deadline today for a design. Hopefully Ella gives her a few hours this morning because we’re both dragging.”

We make our way in, greeting some of the guys from the last shift.

Once we put our things inside, we make our way back to get updates from the last shift. It was busy for the guys so we go about getting our supplies checked. I start going through the checklists and moving along the truck. River and Clay, along with the others, are doing the same. The banter is the same as always, the familiarity of it all feels like exactly what I need, as I recognize that my family here is truly formed with these guys. They’re the brothers I gained without even realizing.

It’s only then I notice we’re a man short. I look over my shoulder, taking note that I don’t see Rios anywhere. I walkaround the truck and count the number of guys and see we are truly missing him in rotation. I walk into the station and don’t see him anywhere.

“Hey, Cap, did Rios report in today? Or did he call out for today’s shift?” I ask.

At first he looks at me confused. He grabs his clipboard and checks, shaking his head. “No, he should be here. You sure he’s not out there?”

“I didn’t see him. Maybe I missed him. I’ll go check again,” I tell him.

“I’ll try his phone just in case,” my captain says.

I make my way out, concern coursing through me. As much as Rios and I aren’t on speaking terms, we still have a history. He’s been my best friend more than not for most my life. And now, if anything, he’s my family, so I can’t help but worry that he hasn’t called to check in. That’s unlike him.

I do another check of the station without any sign of him anywhere. I ask the guys and now I have a few others looking for him. His car isn’t in the lot, nor have any of them heard from him. I’m in the kitchen, while some others are looking for him in the locker room. I’m standing talking to River and Clay. Hunter is looking down at his phone, wondering what we should do, when we hear some commotion from the front of the station.

“Where is he?!”

I know immediately it’s Rios; at least I know he’s alright. The guys look around in confusion at Rios’s tone.

I pocket my phone and prepare myself for what’s coming. The moment the door swings open, I see the fury on his face.

“You fucking married my sister?!”

CHAPTER 28

Tucker

Okay,so maybe we didn’t think this through entirely.

Let me rephrase. I do not, in any way shape or form, regret my decision to marry Baylee. But what we didn’t think about was the ripple effect of Rios and how he might react. Because in the moment everything happened, we were thinking about ourselves and the people around us. That was our main objective, that was our purpose.

The night my mom suffered her cardiac arrest, my heart shattered. Baylee saw the ground beneath me was crumbling. When my mom was in that bed, intubated and everyone was talking to her, telling her to get better, the only thing I could think about saying to her was how much I wanted her to come out of it to watch my life move forward. I had finally found my forever and my mom wouldn’t get to see that start for me. The threat of her loss was crippling.

So Baylee offered me a gift. And it wasn’t a small one. She called her parents to the hospital. Then she pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to marry her with my mother present, because she wanted that too. It wasn’t about the romance and flowers like they do in the movies. Baylee and I knew we wanted to be together; that we wanted forever. She gave me agift with my mom present. Was it legal? No. But it was a chance to do it in front of my brother, and most importantly, have my mother by my side. It wasn’t picture perfect, of course. It wasn’t the traditional wedding I’d always imagined, but life doesn’t make plans within our control.

We called the chaplain the hospital had, and we did just that. It was about giving our hearts a little bit of love while they were also breaking. There were tears, while also tenderness. In that moment, I threw up a wish to whomever was above that if my mom came out of this, I would ask Baylee to marry me properly, with a ring, and have whatever wedding she wanted.

Since then, Baylee has called me her husband, knowing full well what we did isn’t considered legal in the state of Massachusetts. But to her, she says her dreams became a reality—being tied to me in that way. She said her heart is mine, and mine hers. Going and getting that paper, with my mom awake and present in a different way—she’d do it for that purpose. But in her eyes we’re married, the paper would just be a formality.

That night, I fell more in love with that woman, if that’s even possible. I owe her for showing me how selfless she can be to ensure I'm cared for. She knew I would feel immeasurable pain had my mom not made it that night.

Her parents didn’t ask any questions. They showed up and it was as if they understood what it meant to us to go through with our nuptials.

It wasn’t until later that her mother confessed she always knew the love her daughter felt for me. She always knew Baylee would live her life at her own speed and she’s a force to be reckoned with. Stopping her would never work and she knows I would never try to keep her from fulfilling her dreams.

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