Page 3 of Falling for Red
“Thank you, Aaron,” she says, hanging up. “She’s at Tot Academy.”
Aaron nods. “Should I bring her here, or?—?”
“How long until I can leave?” Claire asks, turning back to me with a pointed look.
“That’s up to the paramedics.”
She exhales sharply, muttering something under her breath that I don’t catch.
“My key is under the planter next to my driveway,” she says to Aaron. He nods, then turns and heads off.
As he disappears down the street, I continue to assess Claire. She’s still sitting on the bumper, and the blanket hangs off one shoulder, forgotten. I should probably say something reassuring. Something that makes this easier.
Instead, I cross my arms. “You always this stubborn?”
She shoots me a sidelong look. “You always this annoying?”
I fight back a smirk. “Only when people put out a fire like it’s no big deal.”
Her lips twitch, like she’s holding back a smile, and all I know is that I shouldn’t be thinking about how much I want to see the full thing.
3
Annoyed, stressed, and aching—those are just a few words to describe how I feel. I’m in a daze as the paramedic asks me question after question, each one making my head throb more. I can barely focus. All I want to do is go home and cuddle with my little girl.
Moving to Wisconsin was supposed to be the fresh start Gabby and I both needed, but this moment reminds me how impossible it is to do everything on your own. You can’t be everywhere at once. You can’t do it all. Guilt creeps in as I think about Aaron rearranging his day for me while I’m stuck here, not with Gabby where I should be.
“All clear,” the paramedic finally says, and I toss off the blanket. My sole focus is getting the hell out of here.
“You sure you want to drive?” the tall firefighter with too blue of eyes asks, his deep voice cutting through the fog of my thoughts.
I glance up at him. He’s got that military rigidity about him, the way he stands with his back too straight. With his fire helmet off, I notice his shaggy blond hair. He is too tall and too buff. He’s hot. That’s just another annoyance right now. I don’t have time for hot. I don’t have time for any of this.
“They said all clear,” I snap, already moving past him as fast as my legs will take me toward my car.
“You just put out a fire,” his voice follows, steady and infuriating. “How about I drive you?”
“No,” I bark, my fingers already gripping the door handle.I need to get home to Gabby.
Before I can open the door, he’s right there, and with a firm push, he shuts it. The door slams closed, and my heart spikes—with anger and something else. His hand is too close to mine. His height and presence are imposing. I’m frozen, taken aback by him asserting himself.
“What the fuck?!” I stare up at him, eyes narrowing as I glare. He’s standing too close now, his tall frame making me feel small, which only pisses me off more.
“Let me drive you.” There’s something almost gentle in his tone, but I can’t focus on that. “I wouldn’t feel right if you got behind the wheel.”
“How would you drive in that?” I snap, looking at his fire suit, trying to break the moment, to break whatever weird tension is building between us.
“Don’t worry about me.” A soft smile grows as he steps closer. “Let’s get you home.”
The exhaustion hits me. Part of me wants to give in, to let him drive me home. But no. I’ve done everything on my own for so long, and I can’t—won’t—start letting someone else take over now. Especially not someone like him, someone so sure of himself.
“No,” I say again, though the edge in my voice is softer this time. I reach for the door handle, but his hand doesn’t move.
“It seems like you’re used to handling things on your own,” he says, moving his hand back to his side. “But let me help you. You’ve been through enough today.”
I pause. Even if he’s right, I shake it off.
“I’ll be fine.”I have to be fine.I don’t have any other option.
