Chapter 1
Gael
“Hey, little brother, come help in the kitchen,” Marisol yelled. “You don’t need to clean up.”
I stared at the pile of my things around the sleeper sofa I’d been using for the past four days. Every instinct said to tidy it, fix the chaos, make their place look presentable before guests arrived. Even banged up and stuck on leave, I couldn’t shake the itch to manage the situation, to make things easier for everyone else.
Liv bustled in with a bowl of veggies for the table. “Just stuff it all in my room and close the door. Cash and Aiden won’t mind.”
“Maybe next time, you should have Cash and Aiden host. Your kitchen table isn’t even big enough for five.”
The doorbell rang, and Marisol rushed by, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. “They’re here!”
Liv shot me a look as she started chopping cilantro. “Be nice. Cash is one of my best friends at the FRMC. They’re practically family.”
“When am I not nice?” I flashed her my most charming smile—the one that usually got me extra dessert at the firehouse.
She pointed her knife at me. “Oh! And you should know, Cash doesn’t talk unless he’s really comfortable around someone, so just be chill with him. His boyfriend Aiden does the talking.”
“Got it.”
“And no lifting random stuff with that shoulder,” Liv called.
“What would I even have to lift?”
“Yesterday I caught you flipping the sofa over! You have a gunshot wound, baby brother.”
I opened my mouth to argue. The sofa had been sagging, and someone had to fix it. Besides, my physical therapist wanted me to stay active.
Before I could defend myself, Marisol returned with two guys in tow. The first was slim, pale-skinned, with honey-brown hair and a smile that lit up his entire face. Behind him loomed a taller man with brown skin, covered in tattoos and looking like he’d rather be anywhere else—yet holding the other man’s hand like it was a lifeline.
“Gael, this is Aiden and Cash.” Marisol gestured to each of them in turn.
Aiden grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. “Oh my god, you look exactly like Liv but with muscles!”
“Is that a compliment?” I asked.
“No idea. But it’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many stories.”
I laughed, instantly warming to his energy. “All good, I hope.”
“Only the embarrassing ones,” Liv called from the kitchen.
“Mostly they called you a workaholic,” Aiden whispered.
Cash hung back, nodding at me with a slight upturn of his lips that might have been a smile. He carried a six-pack of beer in one hand and two large containers in the other.
“Cash made dessert,” Aiden announced, taking the containers and heading to the kitchen. “He won’t admit it, but his latest thing is stress-baking. Apple empanadas tonight. And I brought my carnitas as requested.”
I raised an eyebrow. The hulking, tattooed guy with gauge earrings and a permanent scowl was into baking?
“Don’t look so surprised,” Liv said, taking the container from Aiden. “Cash is full of hidden talents.”
Cash’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture relaxed slightly as he handed the beer to Marisol.
“Food’s ready,” Marisol announced, herding us toward the tiny dining table that was already overflowing with food. “Sit, sit!”
We crammed around the table, elbows bumping as we passed tortillas and filled our plates. I ended up wedged between Liv and Aiden, with Cash across from me and Marisol at the head of the table like the taco dictator she was.