Light up the Night (Firehouse Three #2)(49)

As his hand closed on the bundle of leashes he’d come for, he shook his head. Everly had bought a toothbrush specifically for his apartment. He’d left a couple of pairs of shorts at her place. Her hairbrush was on his bathroom counter. His razor perched on the shelf in her medicine cabinet. He’d bought her favorite kind of coffee. She’d started wearing an apple-scented body mist because he’d said it was his favorite. And now, here they were, on a long weekend trip away together. They’d only been here since yesterday, and already they’d had sex in about half the rooms in the big vacation home.

In a million tiny ways, they’d declared themselves over and over.

So why was it so hard for him to just come out and say, “I love you, Everly”?

“Drake? Did you find them?”

“Yeah,” he said, shaking off his reverie and walking back to the patio doors where she was waiting with all three pooches. It was probably that movie that was making him so damn mushy. He was secure enough in his masculinity to admit he liked a good rom-com, but he needed to stop analyzing this and just do something about it.

He knew what he felt, and he didn’t want to hide it from her any longer. Everly was what he wanted out of life. She’d made him happier than anyone had a right to be. And she deserved to know exactly how much she meant to him.

As he rounded the corner, she smiled as she caught sight of him. When she looked at him like that, he felt like Superman. Ready to take the world on, come what may.

Together they leashed up the pups, and then Everly pulled open the door.

Drake closed his eyes and breathed deep. The rain had cooled the air, the scent of damp earth a heavy tang in his nostrils. Clouds still hung low, but they’d cleared off in the west, and the daylight was burning orange as the sun sank lower in the sky.

“We can follow the waterfront,” Everly said, looping Arrow’s leash around her free wrist. Jacques’s was already secured in her other hand. “The sunset is always gorgeous over the water.”

“Sounds good to us,” Drake said as he adjusted Gossamer’s harness. She gave a snort of excitement as she waddled over to Everly.

Once the house was locked, the two humans and three dogs ambled the short distance from the stone patio to the water’s edge. There was a narrow strip of beach, the calm lake waters lapping gently at the dark sand.

Gossamer and Jacques sniffed at everything they could. Arrow, seemingly above it all, walked calmly by Everly’s side. Drake laced his fingers through Everly’s, and they walked in silence for a few minutes.

The sun sank lower, and Drake watched as the fiery orange fingers reached toward them in the reflection on the water. It was really beautiful here. He knew it had taken a lot for Everly to invite him and he was so grateful he’d taken Abby’s advice.

He’d stayed right there with her. Not pushing her, just being near her. Being open to her. And that had made all the difference. They’d found a common ground that neither of them had expected. He hadn’t thought he’d fall this hard, this soon. But he had. And now he wanted to let her know.

“Everly,” he said, pulling gently on her hand so she’d turn to face him. She did, eyebrows lifted in question. “I need to tell you something.”

Her eyes went wide as if she knew this was something big, and was uncertain about it. Her fingers trembled slightly in his grip, and he tightened it to steady her.

“Relax,” he said, stepping closer to her. “It’s nothing bad.”

“Okay,” she said, tilting her chin upward to look him in the eye. “You just looked so serious for a minute there.”

“Sorry,” he said, smiling ruefully. He would be lying if he’d said he wasn’t nervous. He was. This mattered. She mattered. And telling her how he felt could backfire.

She could run. She might feel pressured into making this something that she wasn’t ready for. But he would be there, and he would wait for her in the deep end. And eventually, she’d realize that there was nothing to be afraid of. And everything to dive in for.

He took a deep breath. This was it.

“I—”

Before he could get the words out, a shrill ringtone began an insistent klaxon from his right hip pocket.

Shit. It was the firehouse. The one call he couldn’t let dump to voicemail.

“Sorry,” he said as he jerked the cell free of his pocket and swiped the answer button. “This is Drake.”

“Hammerfell, we need you. It’s all hands on deck. Explosion downtown, multiple buildings on fire. We’re closing in on three hours on site and it’s still not contained.” The chief’s voice was grave as a crypt. “When can you get here?”

“I’m out of town, but I can be back within two hours.”

“Do it.”

The call ended, and Drake’s stomach twisted.

Everly’s hand, still held in his left one, had gone cold. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, but they need me.” Adrenaline was already pumping through his veins, his body readying to do what it had to do. “There’s been an explosion downtown and they can’t get the fires under control. They’re calling everyone in. I’ll have to take Gossamer by—”

“She can stay with me,” Everly said, dropping his grip and reaching for the leash. “Go.”