25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
LOGAN
I smiled as I heard the front door open and the girls ran that way.
“Guess what, Izzy?” Alice asked excitedly.
“What?”
“Mom's coming to soccer practice.”
“That's awesome. I bet she can't wait to watch you guys.”
I sighed, thinking about my conversation with Maggie on the phone a little bit ago. She apologized and explained what she had said to Izzy. I didn't blame her. It was one of the things being together would mean. Maggie would need to find her own nanny, and that meant Izzy would lose half the hours. She took this job because she needed the money, so I understood that might be an issue for her.
Of course, my first reaction was to fix the situation. But there really wasn’t anything I could do to fix this. I’m no idiot. I knew offering to move her in here or pay her bills would not go over well. Izzy was too independent to even consider that. And while I hoped that was where our relationship would eventually lead, I knew it was too soon to start thinking that way. At the moment, the best I could offer was we'll figure it out .
The minute she appeared with a smile directed at me, my body relaxed. She didn't seem upset or unsure. Just Izzy. Bright and full of life. It was amazing how her presence could make me feel instantly calm. Ironic, given how a few weeks ago I found her very existence frustrating as hell.
“Alright, girls.” I kept my eyes trained on Izzy. “Grab your waters and go get buckled up.”
Alice and Nikki snatched their bottles off the kitchen island and headed to the side door that led out to the driveway.
The door shut behind them and I took three steps, stopping in front of Izzy. I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “You good?”
She angled her head and studied me.
“Still want to go with us?” I clarified.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I bit back a smirk. Damn, she was cute. It was that same glare she sent me when I told her to go home that night I'd changed her tire.
“I already told you I want to.”
I nodded and opened my mouth to respond, but she spoke again before I could.
“I rarely change my mind when I decide I want something.” Her eyebrows rose slightly before she added, “Or want to do something.”
I gathered she wasn't only talking about going to soccer practice. I couldn't stop the smile that lifted my lips.
“Alright. Let's go then, sweetheart.”
I followed her out the door, trying and failing to not stare at her ass in another pair of tiny cutoffs. The ride to the field was torture. I wanted to reach over and hold her hand, or rest my hand on her thigh. I settled for resting my arm on the center console so my pinkie could brush along her arm.
Soccer practice went smoothly. The girls did well, and Maggie and Izzy spent most of it chatting. It was nice that they got along. Most people who got divorced rarely got along, let alone with their exes’ significant others.
What sucked was when we got back to the house and I had to gather my stuff and head to work. I hugged both of my girls and waited until they disappeared into the great room before I nodded toward the front foyer.
Izzy followed behind me, and I turned to her once we were alone in the small space at the front of the house. She let out a giggle as I pulled her into a hug and buried my nose in her hair. Strawberries were quickly becoming my favorite scent.
“I'll text you later.”
She nodded and tilted back to look up at me. “Okay.”
I pressed my lips to her forehead and then forced myself to turn and walk out the door.
* * *
Almost immediately when I arrived at the house and settled in, the alarms went off. A car accident and a report of a possible gas leak right after finishing up with the wreck had us busy for three hours.
Once back at the house, Terri, one of our EMTs, and Kyle got pulled back out on a cardiac arrest call while the rest of us gathered in the common area. I filled them in about what Dylan had told me earlier.
“A kid?” Jay asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Not a fucking kid. He’s old enough to know better.”
“Chill.” He glared back. “I just meant it’s a young guy. Not even fucking old enough to drink yet. He’s around my sister’s age.”
I wasn’t about to point out she wasn’t a kid either. That would open another can of worms I wanted to avoid.
“I definitely remember him,” Adam jumped in, always the peacekeeper. “Like from the fire seven years ago. He kept refusing to listen to me, intent on going to help his parents.”
I nodded, remembering how defiant and stubborn he had been. And while I understood how traumatic the whole thing must have been, it didn’t give him a pass from intentionally setting fires. I hoped they found something that would lead to an arrest soon. Or at the very least scare him into stopping.
We chatted some more about the situation before everyone dispersed for the night. Adam and Jay started a game of rummy, while Seth and Zack went to the bunk room to try to sleep for a bit before another call came in.
I relaxed back in the recliner and pulled up my text thread with Izzy. I couldn't believe how much I missed her. I bit back a chuckle at the difference from a few weeks ago to now. I’d gone from avoiding her like the fucking plague to missing her presence when I wasn't with her.
Me: Girls asleep?
Izzy: Yeah. You guys have been busy. Heard the alarms go off like twice now since you left.
Me: Yeah. It's probably going to be one of those nights.
Me: What are you doing?
Izzy: Watching Yellowjackets.
Me: Wish I was there.
Izzy: Me too...cuddle while we watch TV.
Me: You probably wear tiny-ass sleep shorts, don't you?
Izzy: *Picture of her legs with just a hint of pink satin shorts*
A groan bubbled up, and I swallowed it back down. Didn't need or want to draw attention to myself.
Me: Ugh. I'd probably do a shit job of keeping my hands to myself.
Izzy: If you were here I wouldn't want you to keep your hands to yourself.
Me: I’d pull you onto my lap like in the truck last night. Watching you move against me has been on repeat in my head.
Izzy:
I could feel eyes burning a hole through me, and I set my phone down before glancing over to the kitchen area. Adam and Jay were shooting daggers my way. More so Jay than Adam. My guess for different reasons. Adam, because I didn't take his advice yet. But Jay made it clear he didn't want me dating his sister. I understood why. That didn't mean I was going to listen. Izzy needed to make her own decision.
Regardless, it didn't make any sense to have that conversation with him yet. Not until I was sure where things were going with her. I wanted to be confident that she wanted the same things I did, but it was hard to wrap my head around being a young twenty-one-year-old and wanting to date someone who not only worked weird hours but was also a single parent.
I needed to shut my brain down and try to get a few hours of sleep. I had a feeling tonight was going to be a long one. The trick to not being exhausted by the end of a night shift was to try to sleep as much as possible between calls.
I typed out one last message to Izzy.
Me: Goodnight sweetheart.
Izzy: Goodnight Logan.