Protect Me (4 page)

I wake up at three o’clock in the afternoon to the steady beep of my pager. I snatch the device off of my nightstand and make a grab for my clothes. I always
keep a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt on the chair by my bed. It’s more convenient than rummaging around in the dead of night through my drawers and looking for clothes.
 

I slip on the jeans and shirt, socks and work boots on autopilot. I’ve done this so many times before, it’s second nature. I grab my keys and cell phone off of my dresser and head towards the Mustang.
 

I live in a decent sized three-bedroom older home in the heart of Rivers Edge. I bought it a couple of years back and have every intention of fixing it up and selling it for a profit. I’ve already redone the kitchen, complete with new cabinets, countertops, and flooring. The appliances are state of the art and the plumbing all new. It took me awhile to complete the project which is why I started with the most time-consuming part of the house. When you work twenty-four hours on/forty-eight off in a town thirty minutes away, plus volunteer for the local fire department, the time I can truly devote to the house comes in small increments.
 

I turn on the blue flashing light, throw the Mustang into reverse, and pull out of the driveway quickly. I head towards the small, local fire station with enough speed to get me there quickly, but not enough to put myself or anyone around me in danger.
 

I pull into the small parking lot adjacent to the building just as the doors are thrown open and my fellow firefighters climb onto the first of two rigs. I’m
on the second one. It’s the large ladder truck that is used for most fire calls in Rivers Edge.
 

“What have we got?” I ask Dave, a lieutenant, who is climbing into his gear next to the ladder truck.
 

“Barn fire outside of town. The old Frazier farm. It’s going up quickly,” Dave reports.
 

I slide on my turnout gear and climb up into the truck. John is our designated driver. I station myself in the passenger seat next to him while four men sit anxiously in the back seats of the large truck. Moments later, we are pulling out of the bay and heading towards the Frazier farm.
 

I’ve been a volunteer fireman since I was eighteen and a senior in high school. It was always what I wanted to do. As soon as I graduated high school, I enrolled in the fire academy. Fighting fire is my first love. Okay, fine. My family is my first love, but fire fighting is a very close second. Women come right after that.  
 

I have no desire to marry. Not because I don’t want to but because I don’t want to make her a widow before she should be. There are no guarantees in this job and the thought of kissing someone good-bye only to have her told that I’m never coming home makes me sick to my stomach. I’ve even considered having kids, but the thought of them waking up one day without a father doesn’t sit right either. That’s why I love my niece and nephews so fiercely. They replace the children I’ll
probably never have.  
 

Casual dating is my style. I enjoy treating a woman to a nice evening and seducing the hell out of her throughout the night. Touching. Eating. Smoldering glances. It’s all part of the art of seduction. I’ve had girlfriends. Plenty of girlfriends. I just make sure they know that the relationship won’t go further than casual dating. I’ve had a few try to change it. They get it in their heads that they’re the one to make me change my ways. They believe that they will come before firefighting. I have yet to meet a woman who actually makes me want to change the order though.
 

We roll up in front of the Frazier barn, which pulls me out of my trance. The small truck is already in place and ready to go. Ladders are extended, hoses are unraveled, and men approach my truck to receive their orders.
 

I go through the plan as quickly as possible and confirm that everyone knows their duties. When everyone acknowledges their understanding, we all set out to take down this fire.
 

It’s a long, grueling afternoon. It’s unbelievably hot under the intense August sun in full gear, fighting a blazing inferno, but when you do this day in and day out, you learn to cope with the heat and discomfort as long as you stay hydrated. The barn was pretty old; built by the original Fraziers who purchased the land in the early nineteen-twenties. All four horses were safely
removed from the barn before it was completely engulfed, resulting in a total loss.
 

Though the loss of the building sucks, the fact that none of my men were injured, no animals were lost, and no further property damage was sustained is a plus in my book. As early evening starts to set in, we finish packing up our gear and equipment and get ready to head back to the station in Rivers Edge.
 

Once the equipment and all of our gear is back at the station, cleaned, put away, and ready to go for its next use, everyone sets out towards their respective homes. It’s Thursday evening and I could use a little unwinding after the long, tiresome afternoon. I slide into the Mustang, grab my phone and call Jake.
 

“Hello?” he answers after two rings.
 

“Hey, whatcha doing?”
 

“Getting ready to head over to the man cave. Maddox is finalizing the bachelor party for next weekend, and I think he clearly needs supervision,” he responds with a chuckle.
 

Maddox bought Avery her dream house which came with Maddox’s dream man cave. I frequently find myself dropping by and enjoying a cold beer with my brother-in-law in the comfort of his domain.
 

The bachelor party has been in the works for several months. Jake had planned a big, elaborate party for Maddox a year and a half ago, complete with a no-show stripper, and I think Jake is a little worried about
what Maddox has planned in return. But, it wouldn’t be a true bachelor party without some naked ass dancing around, right?
 

“Are you in town? Wanna stop by for a beer?” Jake asks.
 

“Yeah, I’ll stop by. I just left the firehouse,” I say into the portable Bluetooth I stuck in my ear.
 

“Heard about the Frazier barn. Glad they got the horses out before it went down,” Jake adds.
 

“Me too. I’m nearing Ave’s now. I’ll see you there shortly,” I say.
 

“Yep,” Jake starts to say but then I hear Erin’s voice in the background. Jake’s conversation quickly steers away from me and focuses on his fiancée. I hear what sounds like kissing into the phone.
 

“Seriously, man? Don’t screw your almost-wife while you’re on the phone with me,” I tell him in mock horror.
 

Jake starts laughing. Bastard. “Sorry, but when the most beautiful woman in the world walks up and starts to rub against you like a cat, you tend to get a little distracted.”
 

“Gross. I really don’t want to picture Erin rubbing up against you next time I see her so keep that shit to yourself,” I respond as I turn into Avery’s driveway.
 

Jake throws a deep laugh my way as he says, “Suit yourself, brother. I’m heading your way in a few
moments.” But the way his attention returns to Erin and the noises I hear coming through the phone receiver, something tells me that he will be a little late to Avery and Maddox’s place.
 

I don’t even answer as I click off the phone. I’m pretty sure Jake doesn’t even care about our lack of goodbyes right now anyway.
 

I step out into the early August evening and head towards their front door. Maddox may already be out in the man cave, but I’ll be damned if I don’t stop in and see my niece and nephew first.
 

I throw a quick knock on the front door and give it a push open. The house is cool with air conditioning and filled with the warm and welcoming noise of laughter. I hear my niece, Bean, laughing hysterically and my nephew, Ryder, giggling as only a five month old can.
 

When I step around the corner and into the living room, I see Maddox crouching on the floor, tickling Bean in the stomach. Her laughter fills the entire room, bouncing off the walls like sweet music. Ryder is sitting next to them on the floor laughing and throwing his arms up and down as he watches his dad tickle his sister.
 

“Stop it, Daddy! I’m gonna pee!” Bean exclaims in between tickle fits.
 

“Don’t pee on me,” Maddox laughs and jumps off of her.
 

Maddox notices me for the first time and
produces a big, full-watt smile. He reaches down and picks up Ryder who has his arms extended upward towards him.
 

“Hey. I didn’t hear you come in,” Maddox says as he settles his son on his hip.
 

“Uncle Nate!” Brooklyn exclaims as she climbs up off the floor and runs towards me.
 

I catch her mid-leap and smile as I snuggle my only niece against me. I feel this ping of emotion deep within my chest which causes me to hold her extra tight.
 

“Hey, Bean. How’s my favorite niece?” I ask following a big kiss on her cheek.
 

“Good. I got to play in the sprinkler today with Grant at Grandma’s house,” she informs me.
 

“Awesome,” I reply. “Who’s your favorite uncle, anyway?” I ask with a big smile.
 

“You, of course,” she informs me with another giggle and scrunches up of her cute little nose.
 

“That’s what I thought. Your smelly Uncle Jake is on his way over. Don’t tell him that I’m your favorite or you’ll make him cry,” I inform the girl in my arms.
 

Bean throws her head back in laughter, enjoying the attention each of her uncles give her as we vie for the title of Favorite Uncle. We’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.
 

“It’ll be our secret,” she informs me with a kiss on my scruffy cheek.
 

Maddox and Ryder walk up and I happily kiss
my nephew’s forehead while he’s in his father’s arms. “Hi, buddy. Is Uncle Nate your favorite, too?” I ask the drooling child. He doesn’t answer, of course, but the way he throws his arms up and down in excitement, I’m pretty sure that’s answer enough for my question.
 

“Jake on his way?” Maddox asks as we head towards the kitchen. We walk into the warm, inviting, spacious kitchen that smells of cooked meat and warm sugar.
 

“Yeah, though he may be a few minutes late. I think Erin was distracting him as he was walking out the door,” I say with a wink.
 

Maddox laughs as he walks up behind my sister and kisses her passionately on the mouth, which after nearly two years, still makes me uncomfortable. I don’t imagine I’ll ever get used to a man – even her husband – groping my sister. Ryder giggles and grabs a hold of Avery’s hair which dangles down by his face.
 

“Hey, little man,” she says as she pulls her long blond locks out of his grip. “Hey, Nate. Hungry?”
 

“Always,” I remind her.
 

She pulls the Italian sausage links out of the oven and places them next to all the condiments spread out on the island counter. Maddox buckles Ryder into his highchair, and I go about placing Bean in her designated spot at the table.
 

“Help yourself. I figured we’d have extra mouths to feed when Maddox mentioned that the guys were
meeting in the back to discuss Jake’s bachelor party.”
 

“Thank you, little sis,” I say as I lean down and place a kiss on her cheek. Avery smiles back at me as she fixes plates for both kids.
 

Maddox and I each dig into the delicious array of food spread out. Avery has grown into a decent cook over the past year. Back before she hooked up with Maddox, Avery’s idea of cooking was mac and cheese or pancakes. Now, she’s a regular Suzy Homemaker, and I’m pretty sure Maddox has put on about ten pounds since they’ve been together. Lucky bastard.
 

“Hello?” I hear called out from the front entry. Travis, my youngest brother, walks into the room carrying his toddler, Grant.
 

“Hey,” we all holler at them as they make their way into the heart of the kitchen. I take one look at my little man and a huge smile spreads across my face. Grant sees me and reaches out, shimmying to get out of his father’s grip and get to me. See, favorite uncle.
 

I abandon my plate and stalk straight over to my happy little nephew. “Hey, little man,” I say as I take him from his dad and into my arms.
 

“Where’s Joss?” Avery asks as she places food in front of Bean and Ryder.
 

“She went over to Erin’s to help her with the final plans for the gala next month,” Travis says.
 

Erin is holding a fundraiser gala for the library at the beginning of September, over Labor Day weekend.
The library is in desperate need of an updated children’s area so she decided to organize a large fundraiser to help cover the costs of the renovation. The gala is just two short weeks after her wedding to Jake so she’s trying to finalize all of the plans before then. Josselyn has been helping her out with the entire process.
 

“Food is on the counter, Trav,” Avery says as she goes about making her own plate.
 

“Thanks,” Travis says as he dives into the food.
 

I sit down on my chair with Grant securely on my lap. He digs into my potato chips and steals a bite of my potato salad. I don’t care. I’d give this kid - hell, any of my niece and nephews - whatever in the hell they want.
 

“Why does he always go to you so quickly?” Maddox asks as he sits down at the table.