Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Liam
“You look good, man. You feel ready?” I asked Dylan as we jogged through the park, the early morning sun filtering through the trees.
“Yeah, I’m ready. It’ll be good to be back.”
“How’s Juliette taking it?” Brady asked.
“She says she’s okay, but she’s nervous. I hope after a few uneventful shifts, she’ll be alright.”
“She’s strong, she’ll be okay,” Ryan said from behind us.
“Bring her to visit us during this next shift,” I said. “Let her hang out at the firehouse, get reacquainted with just chilling there, see it as something good.”
“Great idea. I will.”
“I’m full of great ideas,” I said as I shot ahead, picking up into a run.
“Can I ask Juliette to bake cookies again?” Brady asked when he caught up to us.
“She’d love to. She’s become quite the baker.”
We ran hard without talking for a few miles, then slowed down when we got back near our cars.
Brady asked what we were up to later. Even though we spent practically half our lives together at the fire station, we still spent a lot of our free time together too.
These guys plus Ethan and Cole, the other two in our crew, were my brothers, and they were as important to me as my own siblings.
“Sanding my deck,” I answered, leaving out my evening plans. “I want to finish that today, then be ready to stain it on our next days off.”
“Need a hand?” Brady asked.
“No thanks, I only have a little left. I may take you up on that for the staining, though.”
“Sure thing, just tell me when.” Brady looked at Dylan and Ryan. “You?”
“I have a class this afternoon.” Ryan taught women’s self-defense classes at a few local places, usually gyms or schools that brought him in for a series of lessons. We helped him occasionally, especially if it was a bigger group. It was a cool program. Empowering for those women.
“Want to meet up at Nolan’s after?” Brady asked.
Ryan agreed, but Dylan declined, saying he wanted to spend his last few uninterrupted days with Juliette. I got it. If I could have Jenna home with me, I wouldn’t want to leave the house either.
I declined as well, obviously, but I wasn’t ready to tell these busybodies about my date with Jenna. Hopefully, it would be the start of something real, but if it wasn’t, no one needed to know her business. “Next time. I’m just going to lay low tonight.”
Dylan shot me a look. Jenna must’ve told Juliette about our date, which hopefully meant she was as excited as I was.
Warmth spread through my chest. I still couldn’t believe she’d asked me to dinner.
I may have made the first call and offered to drive her to the party, but I wouldn’t have dared jump right to dinner.
Nope, Jenna got all the credit for that.
“Can I have a word before you go?” Dylan bit out.
I narrowed my eyes at his sharp tone. “Of course,” I replied, then turned to Brady and Ryan, who were watching with blatant curiosity.
“See you soon,” I said with a chin lift, letting them know we were cool.
At least, I hoped we were. I wouldn’t let him come between Jenna and me, and I’d be pissed if he tried to.
I waited for them to get in their cars before I finally gave him my attention. “What’s on your mind?” The words came out harsher than I’d intended.
He crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. “You’re taking Jenna out tonight?”
“Yes. You got a problem with that?”
“Shit,” he sighed, dropping his posture. “I don’t mean to offend you. It’s just, Juliette feels protective of her, and I do too.”
“And you think I’d hurt her?” It cut deep that he’d think that, and I didn’t try to hide it. I would never hurt any woman, especially not Jenna.
“No! It’s just...she—” He ran a hand through his hair, searching for the right words.
I’d love to know more about Jenna, but I wanted it from her. “I get it. She’s got demons in her past. Or something. I’ll be careful with her.”
Dylan sighed, his relief visible. “Yeah, man, that’s all I wanted to say. I know you’d never hurt her. You’re the most stand-up guy I know. Just go slow and easy.”
“I will. But I’m also going to be sure she knows I’m interested. I’ve been taking things too slowly for a long time, and I almost lost my chance once already when we all stopped getting together.”
At the reference to his and Juliette’s break up, Dylan’s brows drew down for a moment before he smiled again. “Well, Juliette and her friends aren’t going anywhere, so now it’s on you. Don’t fuck it up. You wouldn’t want Juliette to ask me to kick your ass.”
I laughed. Dylan was strong, but he was no match for me.
I had a good five inches on him, and my physique was broad compared to his leaner build.
Not to mention, I may not have been in the Army for that long, but I’d learned more than enough to take him down.
“Wouldn’t want that. You can assure Juliette I’ll take good care of her. ”
“I know you will.” He hesitated for a moment. “We’re good?”
“Yeah, brother. I’m glad she has friends looking out for her.”
“Have fun tonight.”
“I will. Enjoy your night with Juliette too.”
A few hours later, I was sanding the deck and still thinking about Jenna.
I didn’t mind Dylan’s worry, nor was I surprised by it.
She made every protective nerve in my body zing, and I’m sure he felt a little of it too.
Jenna was so kind and friendly, yet she simultaneously seemed scared of people most of the time.
Warm, but wary. When I first met her, I got the impression she was nice because she was scared.
Like she was overcompensating for her distrust by being overly nice.
But as I got to know her better, I realized her goodness was an unshakable part of who she was.
She truly was that sweet and caring, and she was strong enough to stay that way despite what some asshole did to make her so afraid.
It made me want to kill the fucker. I didn’t know who or what, but I had no doubt someone had left her with deep scars.
It also made me want to stand between her and anyone or anything that could hurt her.
It would be my honor and pleasure to protect her so she could keep shining her light on everyone she came into contact with.
But not just to protect her. I wanted to share in that brightness with her.
I saw it from the first day I met her, the same day Dylan met Juliette.
I still remember her reaction when her group of girls joined up with us at Nolan’s.
We’re all big dudes, both in height and/or muscle, depending on who you’re looking at, and I’m the biggest in the group.
Her eyes widened almost cartoonishly as she took us in, but there was nothing funny about the way she took a small step away from me.
But then she straightened to her full height of five foot three, leaned back in, extended her tiny hand, and greeted me with a gorgeous smile.
She was beautiful, with her brownish blond hair and greenish-blue eyes—green on the inside, blue on the outside—the color of a deep tropical ocean. And wasn’t that fitting for her?
Beautiful.
Powerful.
Terror lurking under the surface.
I kept a respectful distance as her body language demanded, but I watched her all night.
She was friendly with everyone, but vigilant.
She played pool with a playful competitiveness that made me smile at first, until I started picking up cues that made my blood boil.
She was a decent player when the wall was behind her, leaning over the table to line up her shots when needed, which was often given how short she was, but she avoided the other side, and I’m pretty sure it was to avoid getting close to the men at the neighboring table.
It made me want to beat the shit out of every guy standing there, even though none of them had done a thing to warrant her reaction or mine.
We’d spent a good amount of time together since that first night.
Before Dylan’s injury, most of the guys met up about once a week, sometimes a little more or less.
Not all the guys went every time, but I did anytime I knew Dylan and Juliette were.
Jenna didn’t always go, but she did often enough that I went with hopes of seeing her.
The more time we spent together, the more I learned, and the more protective I felt.
She played it off well enough to fool most people, but I was trained to pick up on the subtlest cues.
She preferred to sit with her back to the wall, which I did as well, so we often ended up sitting next to each other.
Because of my military background, I liked being able to see the whole room and ensure no one could sneak up on me.
I hated thinking about what Jenna’s reason might be.
She rarely went to the bathroom when we were out, and if she did, it was never alone.
She wouldn’t let any of the other girls go alone, either.
She always ordered a drink but never drank it.
She was kind and friendly, but from a distance.
Physically and emotionally. It was in the way she scanned her surroundings, the way she nervously smiled at someone as she shied away when they got too close, and in the way her muscles tensed when someone touched her.
She was quick to smile, but it only felt real some of the time.
Other times that smile hid her nervousness.
Fear, even. I hated it, but I was also strangely proud that she didn’t let it hold back her obvious friendly nature.
We were friends even though we’d only spent time together with the group.
I knew Jenna liked me. Trusted me, at least a little, which meant everything to me.
She was more relaxed with me than with any of the other guys—or maybe it was more accurate to say she was less wary, since she still wasn’t relaxed.
We’d gently flirted with each other a bit, but her response of interest mixed with fear had me moving at a snail’s pace.
I hadn’t minded, though. From the very beginning, I’d had a deep, inexplicable feeling that she was worth it.
And I naively thought I’d have as much time as needed to break through her barriers.
But then when Dylan and Juliette broke up, I was devastated that I’d blown my chance.
If we were closer, maybe we could have withstood their breakup, but we didn’t have enough foundation yet to build upon.
When they got back together, I vowed to stop pussyfooting around, but it took a long time for everyone to start hanging out again. First, Dylan was recovering from his initial injuries, and then he’d needed surgery for his shoulder once he’d rehabbed enough to handle it.
When we’d all gone out again, I was so excited to see Jenna.
I’d missed her so much, and I hoped she’d felt the same.
I was ready to lay it all on the line. But when she saw me walk in, her eyes got all big and scared, and she’d practically dragged Nicky to the bathroom.
When they finally came back and I approached her, I saw a flash of excitement that was quickly overshadowed by nerves.
She was friendly, of course, but her smile was fake and there was a wary look in her eyes.
I hated seeing her like that, especially toward me.
Nothing had changed until yesterday. I’d thought the offer to drive her would give us an opportunity to talk alone.
I could drop some hints on the way there, and if the night went well, on the way home I’d tell her how I felt.
It was a shock when she asked me to dinner.
I was so proud of her for being the one to initiate it.
And hopeful, really fucking hopeful, that I could finally make her mine.
My phone rang and hope flared in my chest, like maybe my thoughts of Jenna had conjured her up. I set aside the sanding block and stretched my shoulders before turning over the phone. It was my mom, not Jenna. I swiped across to answer.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey, how was your day?”
“Good, went for a jog this morning and now I’m sanding the back deck.”
“How is it going?”
“Coming along well. I’ll finish sanding and staining it this week, then I’ll do some landscaping. Should be ready for barbecues before the summer.” One year in my house, with the inside finished and the backyard almost there, I couldn’t wait to enjoy it with my friends and family. And Jenna.
“Tell us when you’re ready and we’ll make the trip up for your first barbecue.”
“Thanks, Mom. How are you and Dad?”
“Great! We discovered a cute little town just a short drive away, so we had lunch and walked around, and we realized they don’t have an ice cream shop. Every good beach town needs an ice cream shop, don’t you think?”
“Sure they do. That’s a great idea for someone who didn’t move to the coast to retire and relax.”
“Of course. I’m just saying it’s a good idea.”
I laughed. “Sure, Mom. I’m calling Chris and Emma later to place bets on how long it’ll be until we start creating the flavor of the month.”
She laughed too because she knew I was right. My parents loved the restaurant business too much to retire.
“Go finish sanding so you can relax the rest of the day. You work too hard.”
“Nah, I like being busy. I am going to go finish, though. Talk to you tomorrow. Tell Dad I say hi.”
We hung up and I thought about making a joke in the family text about Pop’s Ice Cream Shoppe, just to make my dad feel old, but once my brother and sister started, my phone would be buzzing nonstop. I’d save it for after my dinner with Jenna.
Hours later, after I’d finished sanding, showering, and relaxing for a bit—my mom would be happy to hear that part—I got ready to head out to meet Jenna.
I trusted my instincts. They’d saved my life innumerable times.
And they were telling me Jenna was worth fighting for.
I’d never felt this way about any other woman.
I’d never had to, nor wanted to, work this hard before.
If I could earn Jenna’s trust, she would be the best thing to ever happen to me. And I could be the same for her.