Chapter 1 #2
Jack was the one who told me to try out for football in high school.
He'd played himself, and he knew it could give me something I couldn't find at home.
He was right. I found a team. Brothers. Family.
Years later, when he became a firefighter, he told me to join him and I found the same thing all over again.
The night wore on. More drinks, more stories, that loose, easy feeling you only get with people who've seen you at your worst. By the time we closed out our tab, my shoulders had loosened and the knot in my chest had unwound just enough to let me breathe.
Tomorrow I'd put on the navy suit. Tomorrow I'd smile at Amber's mother and shake hands with Amber's father and pretend I belonged in their world.
Tonight, I had this. The laughter and the smoke-stained ceiling and the man across the table who'd been my brother in every way that mattered since I was seven years old.
It would have to be enough.
The Henderson estate sat at the end of a tree-lined drive in Mount Pleasant.
It was a house that had a name instead of just an address.
Three stories of old Havensworth money, white columns, wraparound porches, and enough chandeliers to light a small airport.
Every window glowed gold against the January night, and the cars lining the circular driveway cost more than I'd make in a decade.
I'd come here tonight to end things with Amber.
That was the plan. Find a quiet moment, pull her aside, say the words I'd been rehearsing for three months. This isn't working. We want different things. You deserve someone who wants what you want.
Simple. Clean. Done.
Instead, I was standing on the second-floor balcony with a glass of wine Amber's mother had pressed into my hand, Amber's arm was looped through mine, listening to a woman named Bitsy describe in excruciating detail how her college roommate had met a man in Positano who turned out to have a wife and three children in Munich.
"Can you imagine?" Bitsy gasped. "Three children. And she had no idea."
"Devastating," Amber said, squeezing my arm. "Right, Sam?"
"Yes, devastating," I agreed.
The conversation shifted to travel. Someone mentioned the Amalfi Coast. Someone else mentioned a villa in Tuscany. Amber turned to her father, who stood at the edge of our circle with a scotch in hand.
"Daddy, can we go to Italy this summer? Emily says the shopping in Milan is incredible."
Richard Henderson smiled at his daughter the way he always did, like she was the center of his universe and he wouldn't have it any other way. "Of course, sweetheart. We'll make it happen."
Amber squealed and tugged my arm. "Isn't that exciting, Sam?"
My wine nearly sloshed onto my suit. "Yeah. Exciting."
"But," Richard added, "with the condition that you attend college like we discussed."
Amber's face fell into a scowl. "Daddy—"
"That's the deal, sweetheart."
I couldn't do this. I couldn't stand here and listen to a grown woman negotiate her future like it was an allowance increase.
"Excuse me," I said, untangling my arm from Amber's. "I need to go to the bathroom."
She barely noticed me leave.
The inside of the house was worse than the balcony. More chandeliers. More gowns. More people saying things like "simply divine" and "we absolutely must" without meaning any of it. I found the bathroom, locked the door, and stood there for a full minute just breathing.
Tonight. I had to do it tonight. Tell Amber the truth. Walk out of this house and never come back.
I splashed water on my face, dried my hands on a towel, and stepped back into the hallway.
Richard Henderson was waiting for me.
"Sam." He smiled, warm and genuine. "I was hoping to catch you alone for a minute."
My stomach tightened. "Sir."
"Walk with me." He gestured down the hall, away from the party. I didn't have a choice that wouldn't cause a scene, so I followed.
We ended up in what looked like a study. Leather chairs. Bookshelves lined with books that had probably never been opened. A mahogany desk the size of my kitchen table.
Richard leaned against the desk and studied me for a moment. "I like you, Sam. I want you to know that."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're a hard worker. You've got integrity. That's rare these days." He swirled his scotch. "Most of the sons of the men I know, they coast. They've never worked a hard day in their lives. They just ride their families' money and call it ambition. You're different."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
"I've been thinking," Richard continued.
"A man like you, with your work ethic, your values.
You could do well in business. Really well.
" He set down his glass. "I'd like to pay for your college, Sam.
Full ride. Business, finance, whatever interests you.
You get a degree, I help you get started somewhere with a real future. "
He paused, then added, "And frankly, I think you'd be a good influence on Amber. You saw how she reacted out there. I've been trying to get her to take college seriously for years. But if you were going..." He shrugged. "Maybe she'd finally see the value in it."
The offer hung in the air between us. He wasn't just investing in me. He was hoping I'd drag his daughter along with me.
"I appreciate that, sir," I said carefully. "I really do. But I like being a firefighter. I can't really see myself doing anything else."
Richard nodded slowly, like he'd expected this answer. "I understand. It's a noble profession. Dangerous, but noble." He picked up his glass again. "Just think about it. That's all I'm asking. The offer stands whenever you're ready."
Before I could respond, a voice called from the doorway.
"Richard! There you are. I've been looking all over."
Deputy Chief Graff stepped into the study, hand extended. Richard shook it warmly.
"Henry. Glad you could make it."
"Wouldn't miss it." Graff's eyes landed on me and his face shifted into recognition. "Sam Reeves. Good to see you outside the station."
"Chief."
"Richard, you know this young man is one of the best new firefighters we've got. Station 33's lucky to have him."
Richard chuckled. "You wouldn't mind if I steal my future son-in-law from the department, would you? Work ethic like his, he'd do well in business. I'm sure of it."
Future son-in-law. The words landed like stones in my chest.
Graff laughed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't poach any of my boys, Richard. But if that's what Sam wants..." He turned to me. "I'd be happy to write you a recommendation letter myself. Just say the word."
"I appreciate that, sir," I said. "But I'm happy where I am."
Graff clapped my shoulder. "Good man. We need more like you."
The two of them drifted into conversation about something else. Golf, maybe. City council. I wasn't listening. I was thinking about the phrase "future son-in-law" and how I needed to end this before I got pulled any deeper.
I excused myself and went to find Amber.
She was by the bar now, champagne glass in hand, talking to someone I couldn't quite see from this angle. I started toward her, rehearsing the words in my head. Amber, we need to talk. This isn't working. We want different things.
Then I saw who she was talking to. I stopped mid-stride.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. A disarming smile that made everyone around him feel like they were basking in something golden. He looked older than the last time I'd seen him, but not too different. Some people carried their high school selves with them forever.
Bryce Montgomery.
Amber spotted me and waved. "Sam! There you are!"
I forced my feet to move.
"Sam Reeves!" Bryce's face broke into a genuine grin.
Amber looked between us. "Wait, you know each other?"
"We played football together in high school," Bryce said. "I was a senior, Sam was a junior. He played well. Really well." He grinned at me. "I always wondered what happened to you."
"Firefighter," I said. "Station 33."
"That's great, man. Really great." Bryce clapped my shoulder. "I can't believe you're dating my cousin."
Cousin.
Of course. Of course Bryce Montgomery was Amber Henderson's cousin. Of course this family, this world, this trap I'd walked into included the one person in Havensworth I couldn't stand to be around.
Jamie's face flashed through my mind. The way she'd looked when she left Havensworth. The way she never came back for more than a few days at a time.
Amber was saying something about how funny it was that we all knew each other. Bryce was laughing. I was standing there with my hands at my sides, thinking about how this family now included the man who had destroyed the girl I'd loved since I was a teenager.
I had to end this. Tonight. Now.
"Amber, can we talk for a minute?"
Before she could answer, my phone rang.
I pulled it out, ready to ignore it, and saw a number I didn’t recognize. Normally I'd let it go to voicemail. But something made me answer.
"Sam Reeves?"
"Speaking."
"This is Havensworth General Hospital. We have you listed as an emergency contact for Jack Donovan."
Everything stopped. The party. The music. Amber's hand on my arm. Bryce's voice somewhere in the background.
"What happened?"
"Mr. Donovan was brought in earlier this evening. Smoke inhalation from a structure fire. He's stable, but the doctors would like you to come in."
Jack was in the hospital. Jack, who was covering my shift. Jack, who was only there because I'd asked him to be.
"I'm on my way."
I hung up. Amber was staring at me.
"Sam? What's wrong?"
"I have to go." I was already moving. "Jack's in the hospital."
"Wait, Sam—"
I didn't wait. I pushed through the crowd. I heard Amber calling after me but I didn't stop.
The breakup would have to wait.
Everything would have to wait.
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and anxiety. I found Jack's room on the third floor.