Page 21 of Into the Fire
He crouched beside her chair, nottouching her, but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him. Close enough that she caught the faint smell of him mixed with smoke and barbecue still clinging to his shirt.
“I don’t give a damn what anyone in town says,” he added. “They don’t know you. They don’t know anything about what goes on in this house—or how much easier it’s been with you here.”
That caught her attention. She looked at him again.
“I mean it,” he said simply. “You make this lighter.”
Something in her chest unknotted just a little.
He offered a small, teasing smile. “Besides, if they think you're sleeping with me to get ahead, they’re dumb as hell. They don't know my baggage, it wouldn't get you very far... and besides, you're not sleeping with me.”
Emery chuckled softly, the tension easing from her shoulders. “I'm not scared of your baggage, but yeah, you’re right. Minor details, I guess.”
He leaned in slightly, his rough voice now softer. “Let me add that your presence here isn't just helpful—it's the highlight of my day.”
She smiled, a genuine one this time. “You're not so bad yourself.”
He grinned. “Careful, sunshine. Keep that up, and I might start thinking you're getting sweet on me.”
She laughed, the sound light and free. “Maybe I am.”
He reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Then we're both in trouble.”
But before she could reply, the screen door creaked open. June poked her head out, with a tiara crooked on her head and a teacup in her hand.
“Daddy, can Emery come to the tea party too?”
Levi stood and looked down at Emery, one brow raised. “You up for royal duties,sunshine?”
???
The house was still, the kind of quiet that only settled in after a child was finally tucked away under covers and asleep.
Levi stepped out to join Emery, who was sitting cross-legged on the porch swing. A soft breeze played with the stray wisps of hair that had fallen loose from her clip.
He leaned against the porch rail, arms crossed. “You did good in there. June’s convinced that imaginary tea was the real deal.”
Emery smiled, but it was tired, still weighed down.
A few seconds passed before she quietly said, “I know I probably overreacted earlier.” She picked at a thread on her sleeve. “It’s not just what they said… It’s how they said it, like I don’t belong here. Like I’m some girl who's just waiting for the right man to latch onto.”
She glanced up at him. “I’ve worked my ass off for everything I’ve had. School. My career. Even now, trying to start over… I’m not just... looking for an easy out.”
He saw it then. Not just hurt. But frustration. The kind that builds from years of having to prove yourself. The kind that comes from knowing people would rather assume the worst than ask the truth.
“I know,” he said softly.
“But they don’t,” she replied, her voice shaking slightly. “And that’s what gets me. Because I don’t want anyone else thinking I’m just... sleeping my way into a new life. Or that I’m some placeholder until you find someone more qualified.”
Levi's brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
She looked away, forcing out a breath. “They said you’ve turned down better women than me, and that I was just the flavor of the week.”
That got his attention. He pushed off the rail and moved toward her, stopping right in front of the swing she was sitting on.
“I haven’t let anyone in this house since June’s mom walked out that door,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Not because there weren’t offers… but because none of them mattered. None of them felt right.”
His eyes met hers.
