Chapter Twenty-One #2
“And? Are you finally going to tell me what that was?” I ask carefully, waiting for him to let me in on this secret.
“Captain, we put some slices on the plate for you,” Maria calls out.
“Come eat it before it gets cold,” Mark adds.
“Or before Mark eats it all,” Billy jokes.
I chuckle, feeling a warmth fill my chest as I look on at them all sitting together like a dysfunctional family.
“It’s this Levi.” Chief nods at the table. “I knew when you started that you’d be the best Captain that this department has ever seen.”
“I don’t think pizza makes me the best,” I joke, but my throat clogs with emotion.
“It’s more than the pizza, Levi,” he says, but doesn’t elaborate.
He doesn’t have to.
I nod, giving him a knowing smile. “Go grab a slice.”
“I planned to.”
I laugh until something dawns on me.
“Wait, weren’t you once the captain?”
Chief lets out a short bark of laughter, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I was,” he says, a shadow crossing his face. “Now I’m trying to be a better Chief.”
“That’s all any of us can aim to do,” I agree, understanding that all we can do is try to be better versions of ourselves every day. “You’re doing alright by my standards, Garrett.”
Hearing me actually use his first name gets his attention, and his features relax, soft with familiarity.
He joins the others at the table, grabbing his slice of pizza and taking a seat, but not before something shifts between us.
It no longer feels like I’m in a room with simply coworkers.
It’s been a long time coming, but it finally hits me that this crew now feels like something more.
Something that feels permanent, like this is exactly where I belong.
Iwake up early, and after sitting around the station waiting for something to happen, I let the crew know I’m going on a coffee run. They all know that’s an excuse, but as long as I’m close by, it doesn’t actually matter. I pick up two breakfast sandwiches and coffee and head home to see my girls.
I’m excited to see them, but after knocking a few times, Tris still doesn’t open the door.
She’s always up early, but since I’ve been keeping her up even later than she’s used to, I’m not surprised to see she’s sleeping in.
I know she said she doesn’t have anything to do until her shift this afternoon, so I pull out my phone and give her a call.
After two rings, it goes straight to voicemail. I try again, and the same thing happens, so I shoot her a text.
Me: Did you seriously send me straight to voicemail?
Thorne in my Side: Do you seriously think I want to speak to anyone this early in the morning?
Me: I’m not just anyone. Now open the door, Rose.
Thorne in my Side: What did I tell you about nicknames?
Me: Just wait until you see what I have you saved under.
I chuckle as I watch the bubbles on my phone screen indicating she’s typing pop up then disappear. The sound of Ellie’s paws trotting across the hardwood floors grows louder as she moves closer to the door.
“You’re lucky I kinda like you,” Tris mutters, opening the front door.
She’s dressed in nothing but my t-shirt, her long legs on full display. Her hair is tousled, and even through the glare she’s giving me, sleep still clouds her eyes.
She looks perfect.
“Oh yeah?” I laugh. “Well, I kinda like you too, but I bought this for the woman I love. Is she here anywhere?”
I hold up the coffees and sandwiches, making a show of looking past her, searching the house.
She fights it but huffs a warm little laugh and steps forward, melting into my arms. She hugs around my waist while my arms are still elevated, holding the bag and coffee. With a satisfied grin, I lower them carefully around her.
“Huh, look at that,” I tease. “There she is.”
She hums and turns her head up for a kiss that I happily give.
“Good morning,” I say softly against her lips.
“Mmm, morning,” she returns with less enthusiasm.
Before I can tease her more about not rising with the sun like she usually does, Ellie jumps up, demanding attention. Tris takes the bag and cup holder with our coffees from my hands, and I kneel to play with Ellie. It’s the kind of moment that hits me hard.
There’s nothing special about it except for the way that it’s everything a man like me could want. This life, this woman, our dog. I smirk as Ellie stretches for me to rub her belly. I can see us building it, shaping it into a life for the two of us for years to come.
That realization should scare me, but instead, all I feel is a sense of peace. The panic that used to wait in the dark places of my mind has vanished. It’s as though I’ve been freed from my demons and given a second chance at a life where being happy isn’t only a far-fetched idea but a reality.
I pat Ellie a couple of times on the belly and stand up while Tris’s brows furrow. Silently, she takes me in, trying to figure out what I’m thinking, but instead of clueing her in, I take this moment for myself and chuckle.
“Come on, let’s have breakfast together before I need to go back to work.” I rest my arm around her shoulders, and we go inside.
“That about wraps it up.”
I finish giving the other crew a pass down so they can take over the next shift, and so that I can get out of here. Yesterday was another busy day, and all I want now is to go home and relax with my girls for the next three days until I have to come back here and do it all over again.
“Captain!” Billy calls my name from across the bay as I’m nearly steps away from freedom.
“No!” I groan, not wanting to turn around despite my steps slowing to a stop. “What is it?”
He grins like he knows he’s wearing me down. “The boys and I are going to sing karaoke at The Boozy Bear tonight and wanted to invite you.”
“Karaoke?” I ask, more bewildered that they do karaoke willingly than by the fact that he’s inviting me.
“I know,” he chuckles, taking in the confusion on my face. “I didn’t think I’d like it either. The owner, Remy, she hosts karaoke every Monday and Wednesday.”
“Right,” I say slowly, brows still furrowed and jaw set.
“It’s fun, I swear. Mark, Blake, Caiden, and Tom are all going too.”
“Tom is going?” I ask, somehow finding myself actually considering this.
“Yeah.” He slaps my shoulder. “And you should too.”
He walks away, and I spin my keys in my hand. Am I really considering this?
He’s halfway to his truck when a thought crosses my mind.
“Billy,” I call out, waiting until he turns around to continue. “Do you know someone named Fred?”
An expression I can’t read passes too quickly over his face before he smirks. “Absolutely. Everyone knows Fred. I’m surprised you haven’t had the pleasure yet,” he laughs, climbing into his truck.
I’m still staring in his direction when he rolls the window down and pops his head out.
“Come out tonight, and I’ll introduce you. He’ll be there.”
Hearing Tris bring up Fred the night of her birthday left me curious, but I haven’t thought about it since. Now I may go out tonight just to see what the fuss is about.
“We’ll see,” I mutter before getting into my own truck and heading home.
I reach for my phone and hit Tom’s contact. He picks up on the third ring.
“Well, good morning, Uncle Bigfoot,” he jokes through the phone, making my lips tilt up. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“We, huh?” My smile grows. “Are you on daddy duty this morning? How’s my favorite little girl doing?”
“You’d be proud. Not only is she crawling around non-stop, causing trouble, but I’m pretty sure her morning diapers can be considered a bio-hazard.”
A soft laugh shakes my shoulders, and I can hear Sunny in the background saying “dada.”
“Bio-hazard or not, Dada. I know you love this.”
The line is silent, but I can see the smile that Tom is wearing right now in my mind.
“Of course, man. There’s nothing better than this.”
I know he means it. I drink in the scenery of Turtle Bay, how this small town transforms for every season and somehow always looks as incredible as the last. The trees are full of color now, and the breeze is just crisp enough to remind me that soon winter will be here.
It’s a beautiful place to live, but one of the best things about my moving out here is being able to watch my best friend be a dad.
Spending time with him, Callie, and Sunny isn’t something I would have been able to do living so far away.
Getting to watch Sunny grow and be her uncle is a gift, and it makes me excited for the day that I have a family of my own.
“Why don’t you stop by?” he asks. “I told Callie to sleep in today, but she’ll probably be up by ten. If you want, bring Tris, we can all have breakfast.”
This time, I laugh out loud. “Are you sure Callie is ready to see Tris first thing in the morning?”
Callie doesn’t hold as much hostility for Tris as she used to. In fact, most of our friends don’t, but first thing in the morning might be pushing it.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I say after giving it some thought. “Billy invited me out to karaoke tonight.”
“And you’re considering it?” Tom laughs. “You feeling okay?”
“I’m curious about Fred,” I admit.
“Fred?”
“Yeah,” I grumble. “Billy says I can meet him tonight.”
“Ah, yeah, he’s usually hanging around,” Tom replies, his tone turning amused before something crashes in the background.
“Ah, no, Sunny, don’t throw that,” he says further from the phone before returning. “Come out later man, I gotta go.”
I’m still shaking my head with a grin on my face imagining the kind of trouble Sunny is causing this morning when the line clicks.
I pull up the drive and smile when I see Tris in her usual spot on the porch, sipping her coffee. She’s a morning person, which I will never personally understand, but she’s certainly the best part of mine.
“Good morning, handsome.” She smiles at me from behind her coffee cup as I walk up the steps.
“Good morning.” I press a soft kiss to her lips, deepening it when she hums into the touch.