As the firehouse comes into view, I realize that whatever decision Iris makes about Pittsburgh or becoming a partner or starting anew here with me... well, it’ll either forge us together or fracture us apart, even if I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep us together.
Maybe she doesn’t want me to uproot my life for her, maybe this time together was the true end of the dream.
The thought clenches around my throat like smoke, thick and suffocating, and as much as it hurts thinking about possibly losing her again after just finding her...
Damn it all if I don’t want her choosing whatever makes her happiest, even if that happiness might not include me.
Chapter 14Angel
Isit across from Lucas in the silence of the fire station, the smell of coffee heavy in the air on this dreary morning. The night went by uneventful. I should’ve called off and spent every minute with Iris that I can. My brother leans back in his chair, a thoughtful crease forming between his brows as he watches me.
“Been seeing a lot of Iris around,” Lucas says, breaking the quiet. “Everything good with you two?”
I sigh and scrub a hand down my face, feeling the weight of the question like a physical burden on my shoulders. “Yeah, but not sure how much longer that'll be the case.”
Lucas straightens up, concern flickering across his features. “What's going on?”
“Her boss called and gave her an offer she can’t really afford to pass up.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. “A partnership at her firm.”
Lucas nods slowly, absorbing my words. “But you're thinking about asking her to stay.”
“It's crossed my mind,” I admit, staring into the depths of my coffee cup as if it holds some kind of answer. “I didn’t ask her to consider me the last time she had a decision like this to make, and I’ve regretted it ever since. But is it fair to ask that of her? To give up everything she's worked for? For me?”
“You can't just let her walk out of your life again,” Lucas counters softly.
I shake my head, a bitter laugh escaping me. “I'm not sure I have much choice in the matter.”
Lucas stands and walks over to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder with a firm grip. “We'd all miss you like hell, but you've got to do what's going to make you happy. If she won’t stay here, maybe you should consider going with her. I know these mountains are in your blood, but is it worth it to keep close if you’re miserable for the rest of your life without her?”
He's right. The very thought of leaving this place feels like abandoning a part of myself, but the idea of leaving with her fills a void in my chest that I’ve only started to heal since she’s been back.
“You think hard before you let her go again,” Lucas says with a stern edge to his voice. “Shit, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it if Sylvia had said she wanted to live somewhere else. I love y’all, God knows I do, but there isn’t a thing in this goddamn world I wouldn’t do for that woman, and I think you feel the exactly the same way about Iris.”
I nod slowly, feeling resolve settle into my bones. I won't let Iris leave this time without knowing how I feel about her, without laying all my cards on the table.
“I’ll support whatever she decides, but she’s not doing it alone either way. I'm gonna tell her tonight.”
Lucas raises an eyebrow. “Tonight?”
“Yeah. She has to make her decision soon and I don’t want her to do it without knowing how I feel,” I confirm, standing up and feeling every inch of my six-foot-two frame fill with purpose. “I'm gonna clean up after work and go tell her I'll follow her if that's what she wants.”
A knowing smile plays at Lucas' lips as he claps me on the back, a silent message of support and brotherly love that doesn't need words to be understood.
“You better tell Mom,” he says.
“Help a brother out, man,” I say with a grin.
“Not if my life depended on it,” he says. “She’s gonna cry, and then Dad is gonna get that death glare on his face.”
“Yeah,” I say, knowing he’s right.
The rest of the shift drags on like time has decided to crawl just to test my patience. Every bit of training we do to pass time, every piece of equipment I check over, my mind is elsewhere, with Iris and the crossroads we've come upon.
Finally, the shift ends, and I head home. My house feels too quiet as I step inside. I take a long shower, letting the hot water cascade over me as if it can wash away all my doubts and fears.
Afterward, standing in front of the mirror with water droplets tracing paths down my skin, I confront myself, the man who loves a woman enough to consider leaving everything he’s ever known behind.
“You gotta do this,” I say to the man in the mirror. “You can’t lose her this time.”
The steady drum of rain against the roof fills the silence of my home as I button up my shirt, each snap a deliberate step closer to Iris. My hands are steady, my resolve ironclad. I'm not the type to be swayed by weather, but as the downpour intensifies and the wind whips through the trees, the rational part of me whispers that maybe it's a sign to wait until tomorrow.
I shake off the thought as I slip into my boots. The rain's just water, after all, and I've walked through fire for less. My heart's racing, and it’s now or never. Waiting till tomorrow is like admitting defeat before even stepping onto the battlefield.
I grab my jacket off the hook, feeling its weight settle over my shoulders like armor. The leather's worn in all the right places, molded to my frame from years of use. It's seen its fair share of storms, and it'll see one more tonight.
I reach for the door, hesitating only for a moment as another gust of wind howls against the windows, rattling it in its frame.
As I open the door and step off the porch, rain assaults me immediately, soaking through my hair and running down my face in rivulets. The world outside is a blur of wet darkness with little dots of light from my family’s homes in the distance. My Jeep sits in the driveway, beads of water streaming down its sides as if urging me to hurry.
I'm about to run to the driver’s side of my Jeep when I freeze. There's a figure racing up the driveway, a silhouette barely visible through the curtain of rain. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and realize that there’s a care behind mine and it's Iris rushing toward me. She's drenched from head to toe, her clothes clinging to her curves in a way that leaves little to the imagination.
I can't move or speak. It's as if the storm has stolen my voice and pinned me in place with its ferocity. Iris' dark hair is plastered around her face, and even from here I can see her shivering. But her eyes... they're fierce, determined... Mirrors of my own resolve.
Chapter 15Iris
Iclutch my phone, the weight of the future pressing down on me as my boss' voice still echoes in my head, his offer a siren song of success and stability. But it's not just about the job, is it? It's about Angel, about what could have been... what might still be.
Eighteen again, that's how I feel. Young, torn between the allure of dreams and the pull of my heart. Last time, I chose wrong. I chose silence when words could have changed everything. There was room in New York for the both of us, and I never even asked him to go. Never tried to figure out if he felt the same way about me as I did him. I won't make the mistake of being quiet again.
