Hearts Ablaze (Courageous Hearts Series Book 2) Read online

My anguish tore through my chest. My lungs burned as they begged for air, but I couldn’t fill them. My breaking sobs turned ragged as I considered what could easily happen to everyone inside the building. I watched the front door, waiting for Ethan and Garrett to come back outside—to tell me that everyone was okay. Without Derrick, there was nothing left in my life to live for. The fact didn’t escape me that once again my son and the man I loved were trapped inside a blazing building.

  And once again, it was increasingly likely that one or both of them wouldn’t come back outside. “I gave them wet rags when the smoke started seeping into the basement,” Suzan added. “They should still have their rags.”

  “What are rags going to do inside that?” I gestured to the burning house before us. “Did you leave something on the stove? What did you do?”

  She shook her head vigorously but didn’t respond. She was a great lady, and I knew the fire was likely at no fault to her. In fact, she had been nothing but the perfect daycare provider from the beginning. How could this have happened? How could she have let two children run back into the fire without going back inside herself? As I continued to watch the fire, I grew more hopeless with each passing second.

  The top of the house collapsed with a crash, sending debris through the yard and causing the fire to expand to the sky. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing escaped my lips. Seconds later, Garrett rushed through the front door with a little girl in his arms. His smoke mask was secured over her lips as her long brunette hair cascaded over his smoke darkened suit. She held onto what I assumed to be the doll for which she risked her life.

  I wanted to be angry at her ignorance, but she couldn’t have been older that Derrick, and she was much tinier. I understood immediately why he thought he’d stand a better chance than her. He had been taught, after all, to protect and help women at all costs.

  I hadn’t noticed the ambulance pulling up, but Garrett brought the girl to the paramedics, who spread her on a gurney immediately, checking her vitals and ensuring that she was healthy. Her mother rushed to her and hugged her tightly. It felt like a dream as a few dozen vehicles and people surrounded the area—people who I hadn’t noticed. A half a dozen police officers stood around their cars, and the parents to the children held them with all the ferocity that I wanted to hug my son.

  Garrett, instead of helping Nehemiah and Benji hose down the house, tried to rush back inside. One of the paramedics stopped him and examined his arm for what I assumed to be a burn. I ran toward him as he argued with the woman who kept him from reentering the home. “…right behind me before it collapsed.”

  “Where are they?” I asked, grabbing ahold of what I assumed to be Garrett’s uninjured arm.

  He looked at the house. “They were right behind me, but it collapsed. I had to get the girl out, Elena. Ethan had Derrick, and he’ll find a way to get him out.”

  “They’re trapped?” I asked. I felt entirely helpless as I stared at the house. Cinders flew from the flames in unpredictable swirls. The water was taming only small segments of the fire while the rest grew wilder. It was doing little good in containing it, so Benji went from hosing the burning house to wetting the surrounding ones, ensuring that the fire wouldn’t spread.

  Garrett finally conceded and sat on the medic’s table. “Not trapped. This exit is blocked, but there were two others. Ethan hasn’t gone into many fires recently, but he knows what to do.”

  The fire was doomed to take down the entire structure before my very eyes. The two people I most cared for were fighting their way out, and I could do nothing to help. Derrick’s life was in the hands of Ethan. The last words we spoke to one another were hateful and angry. I intended to make him hate himself for what he said, but now I wondered if I’d ever see him again.

  And it was my fault Derrick was still at the daycare. Because I said things that should have never been said, I left Derrick at the daycare for an extra hour. Had I picked him up when I usually did, he would have never been in this situation. Everything leading up to this point was my fault, and I couldn’t lose my son for it. I couldn’t lose Ethan.

  I sat on the curb and watched as the flames within the house further ravaged every ounce of the exposed surface. Crashes from within grew more frequent, and I flinched with each loud pop. Benji, noticing that Ethan was nowhere in sight, flew toward Garrett. “Where’s your brother?”

  “Inside still. Go find him,” Garrett pleaded. Could they still be alive, or would I have to deal with the loss of both? I shook violently, though the heat surrounding the area was nearly too much to bear. The sun began setting in the distance, but the light of the fire kept the entire street lit. Benji secured his mask to his face and rushed toward the ruined house.

  He stopped halfway between un and the house.

  Limping toward us was Ethan. Over his shoulders in a fireman’s hold was Derrick, conscious and breathing through Ethan’s air filtration tube.

  I jumped from the curb and watched as they approached the medic. As they grew closer, I saw through the black grime that covered Derrick’s skin. Tear streaks ran down his cheeks as Ethan bent and sat him on his feet carefully. Derrick clutched his right arm. “Derrick,” I whispered, dropping to my knees and pulling him into my arms. I squeezed him and buried my chin into his slim shoulder.

  “He’s okay. A little shaken, and a small burn. He inhaled some smoke before I got there, but I don’t think it was enough to be life threatening,” Ethan said.

  I looked up at him and a shaky smile pulled to my lips. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for this.”

  He shook his head and removed his mask. “I don’t need a repayment.”

  He leaned against the ambulance and removed his entire helmet and mask. His breathing was unsteady and rapid. He bent over his knees and stood in place, staring at the ground. It took me a moment to realize the situation was likely the most overstimulating one he’d been in for years. He not only faced a fire, but he entered it and never once hesitated. The paramedic grabbed my son and sat him on a gurney, listing off his vitals.

  My attention split between Ethan and Derrick as the same paramedic paid Ethan equal attention seconds later. His face paled as he mumbled answers to all the paramedic’s questions. The moment the paramedic turned to grab her blood pressure cuff, Ethan fell forward and I dove.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Once at the hospital, the doctor concluded that my wild save likely saved Ethan from a concussion. Fortunately, everyone ended up being fine, aside from my scraped elbows and Derrick’s forearm burn. Due to his sudden loss of consciousness, Ethan was admitted as a patient while I sat beside my son, who nursed his burn with pride. “Will Faith want to kiss me since I saved her from a fire?” Derrick asked spontaneously.

  I leaned back my head and belly laughed. “It takes more than saving a girl from a fire to kiss her,” I told him.

  “I’ll let you know when I figure out what else you need to do, kid,” a voice from behind spoke. I jumped in my seat and turned to the door. Ethan stood in his hospital gown. It covered nearly his entire scar from the front, excluding a patch of burns on the upper part of his legs.

  Derrick noticed immediately, and he didn’t bother holding his tongue.

  “What’s wrong with your leg?”

  “Honey, that’s not polite to ask about his leg,” I told Derrick, but he looked confused.

  He shook his head and pointed. “No, mommy. It’s okay. I have one, too.” My precious little boy raised his arm and pointed at the bandage. “Will mine look like that?”

  Ethan looked entirely unfazed by the question as he leaned over Derrick’s bed, his arm gently brushing my shoulder. “Yours won’t be this big,” Ethan said. “But you have a battle scar now, so you can show all your friends at school in the fall.”

  Derrick looked down at his bandage. “That’s cool. We match.” Derrick reached for Ethan’s leg and ran his finger up the scar. Ethan’s face tightened at the touch, but he didn’t pull away
. “Am I a superhero now, too?”

  I gaped at his perception of the scars. He didn’t care that they blemished the skin, and he didn’t seem to find them ugly in the slightest. Derrick was convinced, likely due to his own experiences, that the scars gave him superhero status. I never wanted him to let go of that. “You want to be a superhero?” Ethan asked.

  “Like Iron Man,” Derrick elaborated. “He went through a lot of fire.”

  “Well, so did you,” I told him, kissing the top of his hand. “And so did Ethan. That makes him pretty cool, right?”

  Derrick’s face dropped as he scowled at Ethan’s leg. “But I want mine to be as big as yours. You’re a superhero more.”

  Ethan’s face softened. “Mine is way too big. You don’t want one like mine.”

  Derrick looked confused. “I want one that’s on my whole body. Then I’d be the best superhero in the world.”

  I wished everyone could see themselves through the eyes of a five-year-old. Ethan leaned forward conspiratorially as he glanced at me. “Burns might make you a superhero, but you want to know who the best superhero in all the world is?” Derrick nodded vigorously. “Your mommy.”

  Derrick laughed. “No, she’s not. She’s a girl.”

  “She’s like the Black Widow. You know her, right?” Ethan asked. Derrick nodded. “That’s because she’s a secret spy. Nobody knows that she’s a superhero, but she’s better than Iron Man.”

  I smiled as Derrick looked at me with surprised eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly, like the secrets of the universe were traveling by his voice.

  Ethan only smiled as a nurse came into the room, and Derrick proudly informed him that both me and Ethan were superheroes. Derrick insisted on being a big boy and talking to the nurse alone, which was the opposite of what he had wanted since being admitted. I knew the tough act was to impress Ethan, but I stood anyways. On the way out the nurse smiled. “We’re just redressing his bandages and checking for infection. If we need you, we’ll come out and get you.”

  I nodded and followed Ethan into the hallway. I looked back at Derrick, but he was chatting up the nurse like a professional. I smiled and followed Ethan. It was the first moment we had been entirely alone, and I didn’t know what to say. “You know, he got that burn because he covered the little girl with his body,” Ethan said immediately.

  It came as no surprise that he was injured trying to protect someone else. How did a five-year-old make such a selfless decision? I leaned against the wall beside his door. “That doesn’t surprise me.” We were both silent for a second before I pushed myself to speak. “I’m sorry for what I said.”

  He cut me off. “I’m the one who should be sorry. You were right. Everything you said was right, and I need to work on it.”

  I shook my head and stepped toward him, grabbing his hand and clutching it between mine. “No, you are working on it in your own time. Today made me realize that letting you go again—over something so ridiculous—is not an option. You ran into that fire without hesitating.”

  He furrowed his brows. “I would never hesitate to rush into a fire for your son.”

  “That’s the point. I don’t know why I ever tried to convince myself that loving you was a bad decision. I’m done pretending. I love you, even with everything that you need to work on. I’ve loved you for years, and that’s why I had to stay away. But I’m done running from it.” My voice was hoarse. I opened my mouth to continue rambling when a mass filled the entirety of the hallway behind Ethan. “What the heck,” I whispered, looking over his shoulder.

  Standing behind Ethan stood Garrett and Scott carrying dozens of helium infused balloons in our direction. As the balloons parted, Nehemiah and Benji stood behind, carrying a few stuffed cars and miniature car toys. Once they reached us, they stopped. “The nurse is in with him. He’ll be fine,” I told the small crowd.

  “Sorry we’re not here sooner,” Garrett said. “We had to finish putting out the fire.”

  Behind me, the nurse exited the room and looked first at me, then at the five men surrounding me with balloons and toys. He smiled and made eye contact with me once again. “His burns are enflamed a bit more than expected, and because they cover so much of his arm, we’re going to need to keep him here and monitored for a few days. With kids this age, we want to make sure the smoke inhalation won’t cause any issues, either.”

  The firefighters all rushed into the room, and Garrett winked before entering. I heard a squeal from Derrick as they entered, followed by an excited “tall man” greeting.

  “Whatever you need to do,” I told him. Ethan’s hand rested on my lower back, and relief surged through me as I realized that everything was finally okay.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Garrett and Sylvia had no issue staying with Derrick while Ethan and I made a run to my house to grab fresh clothes, toothbrushes, and Derrick’s favorite stuffed car. Ethan and I split tasks to make it quicker, so he gathered everything for Ethan while I packed a bag for me. I included two pillows and a fuzzy travel blanket. I was still in the process of stuffing my clothes into the bag when Ethan came into my room. “Derrick’s packed,” he told me, setting the small bag, pillow, and blanket on my desk.

  “I’m almost done. Did you let out Derrick Junior?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I fed him and gave him some water for the night, too.”

  I grabbed a pair of socks and shoved them into my duffel. “Do you want to grab my hygiene stuff from the bathroom? Deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste?”

  “Any makeup or anything?” he asked. I shook my head, and he grabbed the essentials.

  We met by the door, but he paused. “Did you forget something?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “You told me that you loved me.”

  I thought back to when we were interrupted, and how he never had the opportunity to respond. I assumed that he wasn’t sure about his feelings yet. “I did.”

  He strutted toward me and removed the bag from my hands, setting it on the floor beside us. He grabbed ahold of my hips and backed me until I sat on the bed and he stood over me. “Lena Brookes, I’ve never stopped being in love with you.” My mouth fell agape as the words left his mouth. “From the moment you left to go to New York, I never stopped having feelings for you. When you got married, I pushed them away and tried to move on, but you’ve always been the one who I want to spend my life with.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so words fell from my mouth clumsily. “You never said… I thought you agreed that I should go to New York. I thought…” What did I think? I knew he had feelings for me, and it was part of the reason I knew I had to leave. The other part of the reason, though, was my own feelings for him.

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that we do it differently this time.” He dropped to his knees before me and held my hands in his. “I’m not letting you go this time.”

  My heart flooded with so many emotions that I flew at him, nearly knocking him backward. He stood with me in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist as I kissed him deeply. Hy core filled with heat as his lips ravaged mine and he tightened his solid arms around me. I questioned if it was the right time for what I intended to do with him, but waiting was the reason we didn’t work the first time around, so I laced my fingers through his hair and deepened the kiss.

  My tongue brushed his lip and he parted them, allowing me full access to explore every centimeter of his mouth as fully as possible. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip and drug it further into his mouth. Our eyes met in that moment, and the brilliant brown I had always loved was a darker shade, mirroring dark chocolate rather than the dark milky brown I had grown accustomed.

  His smirk was the only indication that he planned to move us, so I held onto his hair and tightened my lags around his hips as he threw us to the bed, hovering atop me with partially restrained movements. “We’re taking it slow this time,” he whispered. He bent forward and left a small path of kisses from my earlobe to
the bottom of my jaw. I lifted my chin to grant him further access as he continued taunting me with his kisses.

  I trailed my hands across the nape of his neck and attempted to guide the kisses back toward my lips, but he pulled back and smiled down at me. The smile did something to my insides. His bright eyes and up tilted lips sent butterflies through my stomach. I further warmed, and the need for him grew. “I don’t know about slow,” I admitted.

  His smile widened as he reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. He looked down at my breasts. Covered by only my baby blue bra, he kissed around them. He gazed at me through his lashes as he used one long finger to pull the fabric downward and trail his lips across a much more sensitive area. I gasped and arched my back as his teeth grazed the same place as his lips worked seconds before.

  The sensation of his mouth trailing my body in soft kisses and sensational nips sent my heart and core into overdrive. I was ready for him to make his move—to let the moment grow more intimate. But he instead insisted on giving attention to every inch of my body. “Are you about done?” I asked impatiently.

  “Almost.” He followed his hands with kisses, so as he pulled at my shorts and followed them down my hips, I bit my lip in anticipation. The shorts fell to the floor and he worked his way back up to where they rested, nipping at the inside of my thighs. His fingers trailed my panties before he lowered those too, following the same ritual as before. Only this time, there was nothing blocking him from caressing the skin where the panties rested. His mouth didn’t pause as he caressed everywhere, and then his finger followed.

  He looked at me through his lashes as I panted in anticipation. His finger traced the insides of my thighs, and then moved upward and onto my point of sensitivity. With the lightest caress, I arched my back and gasped. My breathing quickened and he explored the area with his finger and mouth. For precious minutes I held my tongue as he worked to give me all the pleasure he could.