Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
“Marley? You have a delivery.”
He was at the back of the construction site when he heard his name being called. His face was red with exertion and covered in dust. The house was nearly complete, thank god, because summer was heading toward its peak. Whenever they could, they took a needed break in July and August. Not just because it was hot from dawn until dusk, but because a lot of their crew had kids and Pres liked to give time off during the school vacation.
Marley wiped his face with the back of his hand and walked around the building. He wasn’t expecting any deliveries today. And then he saw a girl looking completely out of place in the mess of the construction site, holding a huge bouquet of red roses.
He blinked. “You okay?” he asked her.
“Are you Marley Hartson?” she frowned.
“Yeah. But I’m not expecting a delivery.”
“These have your name on them. And this is the right address.” She lifted a card from the bunch of flowers.
Marley Hartson. The construction site next to 1223 Warrington Road.
“Here you go,” the girl said, pushing the flowers toward him. “I have a lot of other deliveries to do.”
Before he could say anything else, she was rushing away, right through the wire gate that Pres was holding open, a huge grin on his face as he looked at his twin.
It had been two weeks since his first real date with Kate. A lot longer than that since he’d started falling for her.
Pres was still grinning as he walked over. “How come you get flowers? Nobody’s ever sent me roses before.”
“That’s between you and your wife,” Marley said. He pulled the little envelope open and took the card out.
Thank you for loving me. – Kate xx
Pres leaned over Marley’s shoulder, reading the card before Marley could slide it back into the envelope.
“Fuck. That’s pretty sweet.” Pres tipped his head to the side. “You told her you love her?”
Marley sighed. “Do we have to talk about this? Can’t I just go back to building my wall?”
“Nope. I need all the juicy details. Cassie’s gonna want to know.”
“Cassie doesn’t need to know anything.” Marley slid the envelope into his back pocket, because he was planning on keeping the card, his other hand still holding the bouquet of roses.
“Of course she does. And anyway, that was code for me needing to know but not wanting to show it.” Pres grinned. “So it’s serious between the two of you?”
“For me it is.”
“And for her?”
“It’s more complicated. She has the kids to think about.” Truth was, she planned to talk to the younger two next week. School ended today and tomorrow he and Kate were driving up to Jackson’s Mill to take James to camp. She’d already spoken with him and explained that she and Marley were dating.
Though dating didn’t seem a strong enough word for it in his opinion.
Whatever, words didn’t matter. Their relationship did. And they were progressing. And he’d take it at whatever pace she wanted.
“She loves you though, right?”
She hadn’t actually said the words. He got the feeling they were difficult for her. “She cares, yeah.” And that was all Pres was getting. He didn’t need anymore.
“Good. Because you’re a catch, man.”
“Says the guy who looks just like me.”
Pres laughed. “Just saying it how I see it. And I like Kate. She’s good for you.”
“She is?” Marley’s brows knit. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you seem calmer. Less… I don’t know, busy I guess.”
“I’m not busy because you’re making me talk to you,” Marley muttered.
“You’re happy though?” Pres continued. “At least tell me that.”
Yeah, he was happy. Though again, that word didn’t seem strong enough. He wished he was as well read as Kate. She’d know the right words to use. Ecstatic, maybe. Blissful.
He was in love with her and she cared for him and he’d take that.
“I’m happy.”
“Good. Now go put those flowers in some water before they shrivel up.” Pres grinned.
It was impossible not to smile back. Because the sun was shining, the flowers smelled sweet, and the woman he was stupidly in love with had sent them to him.
Yeah, he was happy. And tomorrow, when they got to spend the night together, they’d be even happier.
Because just like his woman, life was sweet.
“Why can’t Marley babysit us?” Ethan said, frowning as James carried his suitcase downstairs.
“Because you’re stuck with me,” Shana said dryly, ruffling Ethan’s hair. She didn’t look at all upset that she was second choice in Ethan’s mind, which Kate was thankful for. She already felt jittery leaving her younger son and Addy with Shana overnight.
“And you’re going to be good for Aunt Shana, right?” Kate said, lifting an eyebrow at Ethan.
“Yes…” It was drawn out, like he was trying to decide whether to tell the truth or a lie.
“It’s fine. I’ve got this.” Shana winked at her. “I brought my rope with me. If he doesn’t behave I’m gonna tie him to his bed.”
“You can’t do that.” Ethan frowned. “It’s against the law.”
“Watch me, kiddo.”
“I’m gonna carry this outside,” James said, lifting his luggage. Then he glanced at Kate’s overnight bag. “Want me to take that, too?”
“Yes, please.”
She hugged Ethan tight. “I meant what I said about being good,” she whispered in his ear. Then she called for Addy, who ran out of the living room. A high voice was blasting out from the television – one of the many cartoons she was addicted to.
“Bye, sweetie. Have a good night. And do what Aunt Shana tells you.”
“I will.” Addy looked over at James. “Are you going to die when you’re at fire camp?” Her voice was light, like she was asking him if the sun was going to shine while he was away.
For a second, none of them said anything.
“Ah, no, wasn’t planning on it,” James said, his brow dipping.
“Isn’t that what firefighters do?” Addy asked. “They die, right?”
“Hoo boy,” Shana murmured. “This one’s yours, Kate.”
Yeah it was. And she had about a minute before Marley was supposed to pick them up. “Not all firefighters die, honey,” she said to Addy. From the corner of her eye she could see James carrying their bags out of the door.
She couldn’t blame him. Who wanted to hear this discussion?
“But Daddy did.”
“Yes.” Kate hunkered down to look her right in the eye. “But he didn’t die because he was a firefighter. He died because he had a brain injury, remember?”
“An aunty,” Addy said, nodding.
“Aneurism,” Kate said softly.
“Does James have an aneurism?” Addy asked. She was playing with Kate’s hair now.
“No, honey. None of us do.”
“So none of you will die, right?”
Kate glanced up, her eyes meeting Shana’s.
“Everybody dies eventually, honey. But none of us are planning to do it anytime soon.”
Addy nodded solemnly. “Okay. Can I go watch my cartoons now?”
“Sure.” Kate hugged her one last time, before Addy ran back into the living room, closely followed by Ethan. It was less than a second later that she heard the television change over, and Addy let out a howl.
“Oh God,” Kate squeezed her eyes shut. “You can pull out of this if you want to. I wouldn’t blame you.”
“And miss out on this domestic bliss?” Shana asked her, grinning. “No way. Now get out of here. Have a good time. And I want all the gory details when you get back.”
James was sitting on the front step when Kate walked out, pulling the door closed behind her. She sat down next to him, marveling again at how tall he was. He’d gone up a size this year in clothes, and he was still growing. She felt tiny sitting next to him.
“Did you remember your toothbrush?” she asked him.
He rolled his eyes. “Of course. Did you remember yours?”
She bumped his arm with her shoulder. “Yes.”
“I’m okay about you and Marley, you know?”
She let out a long breath. She’d talked to him a few nights ago, when she’d told him that she and Marley would be driving him to camp, before asking him not to tell Addy and Ethan until she thought they were ready.
He’d nodded and she’d asked if he had any questions and he’d just shook his head.
“You know it doesn’t change anything, right?” she said to him. “You and Ethan will always be my number one guys.”
A smile pulled at his lips. “I’m kinda glad, to be honest. If I do go to college it’ll be easier to leave knowing you’ll have somebody to take care of you.”
His words made her heart do a little twist. “I can take care of myself,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, I know that. But it’s better if you don’t need to. Just like me. I know I’m growing up and leaving home, but it’s always easier knowing you’re here.” His eyes met hers. “I’m so glad you’re my mom.”
Now she was going to cry. “It’s the biggest privilege of my life,” she told him. “I’m so proud of you.”
She pulled him close, hugging his oversize body to hers. Her head fit perfectly in his shoulder.
“Uh, Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Marley’s here. We need to go.”
She looked up, and sure enough his truck was pulling into the driveway. James pulled out of her grasp and she wiped away the stray tear that had spilled over with the tip of her finger.
“Your dad would be proud of you, too,” she told him.
James nodded, his gaze catching hers. “He’d be proud of you, too, Mom,” he said softly. “For everything that you are.”
And wasn’t that just a way to start her crying all over again?
“Hey, Hartson, I didn’t know you were teaching this year.”
Marley turned to see one of the firefighters he knew from DC walking toward him. Craig was in full gear, his helmet in his hands. They’d arrived on campus twenty minutes ago, and he’d dropped Kate and James off at the induction center before parking his truck. He’d been walking over to join them when he’d heard his name being called.
“I’m not.” He shook Craig’s hand. “Paul’s kid is here. I drove him up with his mom.” He inclined his head toward the registration desk where James and Kate were filling out some forms. James was lifting a lanyard around his neck and taking the yellow camp t-shirt that every junior firefighter was given to wear during their stay.
It had taken them just over two hours to get here. Kate had been pretty quiet, and he could feel the tension radiating from her as he pulled into the tree-lined campus at West Virginia University, heading toward the large extension campus where the WV Fire Academy was based.
“That’s Paul’s kid?” Craig said, lifting his brow. “Jesus, he looks like his dad.” Then somebody called out his name and Craig gave Marley a nod. “You picking him up, too?”
“Next weekend, yeah.”
“Nice to see you’re looking after him,” Craig said, giving him a nod. “You’re good people. I’ll see you next weekend, bro.”
Kate was trying to hug James, but he wasn’t having any of it. Marley bit down a smile as her son lowered his head to kiss his mom’s cheek, then stepped away, into the mass of fourteen to seventeen-year-olds waiting to be taken to their dorms.
She turned to look for Marley, her eyes finally catching his. He gave her a smile and walked over to her, because he knew how much she hated this.
He could remember his own mom crying every time she dropped him and Pres off at camp when they were kids. And then at college, too. Their dad, on the other hand, would just press a twenty-dollar bill in each of their hands and gruffly tell them to be good.
“You ready to head out?” he asked her, sliding his arm around her shoulders.
“Nowhere close.” She let out a long breath. “Tell me they’ll look after him.”
His expression softened. “They will. Like he’s their own. He’s gonna have a blast, I promise you. Now let’s go before he sees you cry.”
She let him take her hand and lead her to his truck. And she looked back only five times. “You know what you need?” he asked her after they’d both climbed into the cab.
“What?” She tipped her head to the side, a smile finally playing at her lips.
And fuck, he’d do anything to keep that smile there. It made everything inside him feel alive.
“Ice cream.”
“I really thought you were gonna say sex.” Her smile widened. And now he was grinning too.
“I was,” he admitted. “But it felt like it was too soon.”
“Too soon for sex, or too soon to talk about it?” she asked him.
“Is it ever too soon for sex?” he asked, his brows lifting.
Her eyes dipped to his mouth and back up again. And he felt that pull in his stomach. The one he always got when she was close.
“No, I don’t think it is,” she told him. “But now I want ice cream.”
“Ice cream then sex. Got it.”
“And possibly ice cream after as well.” She pulled her lip between her teeth. “Just in case I need cheering up again.”
“You won’t need cheering up after I’m finished with you,” he told her gruffly.
“We’ll see,” she teased. “Now, are you gonna get me that ice cream or what?”