Page 66 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
“Mission accomplished.”
“The problem is that she doesn’t seem to understand that itwillhurt them if she doesn’t take a chance. Their lives will never be so full or so rich if she spurns everyone who loves and cares about her.”
For the first time tonight, I chance a look at Levi. His gaze is deep in his now-empty shot glass, his shoulders hunched over the bar. From the looks of it, he’s run an exasperated hand through his hair one too many times.
“I thought you were always on her side,” I say gently.
“I thought that I would be, but I’m also starting to think that my sister is incapable of seeing clearly. And you’re right—I’m her brother.” He takes a deep breath. “When our dad died, I took responsibility for our family. I’m still doing it even now. And I have to do what’s best for her.”
I say nothing, my heart thrumming like a plucked guitar string.
Could he possibly mean that he’s on my side in all of this? That he thinksIcould be that missing piece that would make her happy?
“When we met,” he continues, “I didn’t want to give you her phone number. But she looked so damn happy at the wedding. Then, she let you take her home. I didn’t know—don’t want to know—what it meant.”
“Nothing,” I say, sparing him the mental image. “At least, not that night.”
He throws me a dirty look. “Any mention of my sister in bed is off-limits.”
“I’m just saying that we didn’t go straight home and hop in bed together. Not that night. No need to question your sister’s judgment. Or my motivations.”
“You said you wouldn’t add to Paige’s complicated life. But here we are, drinking together and hoping for a new outcome.” He signals to the bartender to bring another round. He downs his tequila while I sip my bourbon.
“I want your sister in my life,” I finally say, voicing the deepest desire in my heart. The one that’s echoed in my mind since my family showed up in Crown Hill unexpectedly.
My mom was adamant that I needed to work things out with Paige. Based on what, I have no idea. She said she could tell that Paige had changed me for the better. Said she could tell from the way Paige looked at me in that bed that she was smitten with me.
Ma had said it was only a matter of time before we admitted that we were in love with each other. She didn’t care that Paige had a son. She didn’t care that my bringing a girlfriend into the family would alter our dynamics. We were loud and loving; what was one more person in the mix?
“What I want to know is what you’re doing here in the bar,” Levi says, interrupting the moving picture in my mind of Paige with my mom and dad. My brothers and sister.
“You know,” I say, sliding off the barstool. “She asked me to let her think. To give her space. But I think I’ve done just about enough of that.”
Levi lets a small smile surface, before wiping it away, and looks me in the eye. “Paige is, and will always be, my sister first. She deserves happiness more than anyone I know. Deliver it.”
Then he swivels on his barstool and lets his attention rest on whatever game is on the television screen behind the counter. He zones out, signals to the bartender to close out his tab, and waits for it to process.
He came just for me. To deliver a message.
And now, I need to make good on my promise.
Paige has had plenty of time to process what is going on between us. This tug-of-war with my heart isn’t healthy for either of us—and definitely not for Noah.
I have the performance of my life tomorrow, and I need my beauty sleep.
* * *
Paige
“Noah,” I call from the kitchen, hoping that he will choose this moment to be at least a little independent.
Of all the things I could have taken a day off work for, this is the last one I actually want to attend. I would rather work a triple shift on the emergency unit than go to this.
But Noah deserves the same experiences as his friends and classmates. Being a single mom is difficult, but not in the way most people think. Yes, it means that all responsibility falls on me: housekeeping, daycare costs, and disciplining.
It also means that I have to play the part of both mother and father at times, making him feel like he isn’t missing anything by having only one parent. He is doubly loved, doubly cared for, all by one person with her own crumbling life.
And today, I have to play this out for him and his teacher.
