Page 14 of Let it Sizzle (Playing with Fire #3)

Serena

I never thought my life could look like this—standing under a perfect stretch of summer sky, the air thick with the smell of grilled burgers and the smoke drifting lazily from the firehouse BBQ pits.

Kids squeal in the distance, the slam of cornhole bags against wooden boards punctuating bursts of laughter, and I stand off to the side, clutching a lemonade in my hand, blinking against the emotion swelling in my chest. It’s not just another firehouse party.

It’s more than that. It’s the life I never thought I’d have—the one I didn’t even dare to dream about.

The guys are setting up picnic tables, kids are running around with water guns, and Maddox is trying (and failing) to light the grill without singeing his eyebrows off.

I’m standing off to the side, watching it all, a smile tugging at my mouth that feels too big to contain. My fingers are still smudged with ink from signing copies of The Bear Who Stayed this morning—a book that somehow caught fire online, resonating with more readers than I ever dreamed possible.

The book wasn’t just a story. It was a love letter. A thank you. A healing.

And it healed more than just me.

Across the lawn, I spot Levi, his broad shoulders impossible to miss even in the crowd. He’s laughing, that deep, rough sound that still makes my knees go weak, still makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.

Byron stands next to him, relaxed now, no tension in his stance, no distrust in his eyes. It took time, forgiveness, hard conversations, and stubborn love, but he finally sees it. Sees how Levi loves me. How Levi chooses me every day. And how I finally choose myself too.

Levi’s head lifts, and even across the crowd, I feel it—the pull, the invisible string that tethers me to him.

He grins that slow, cocky smile that turns my insides into syrup and starts walking toward me, each step confident, deliberate, sure.

When he reaches me, he doesn't say anything at first. He just cups the back of my neck, dips his head low, and kisses me like he’s never getting enough, like he’ll spend the rest of his life memorizing the shape of my mouth.

I’m still catching my breath when Byron strolls up beside us, his arms crossed over his chest, watching the two of us with a suspiciously neutral expression.

Levi doesn’t move away from me, doesn’t hide what I am to him, and that tiny defiant tilt of his chin makes my heart squeeze so tight it aches.

Byron lifts a brow. "You know if you hurt her, I still get to set you on fire, right?"

Levi smirks, pure unbothered cockiness, and slips his arm fully around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. “As well you should. It’d be the only fitting punishment for someone crazy enough to leave this girl.”

Byron grunts, a half-laugh escaping him, and shakes his head. "Good. Because I’m finally getting used to this smiley version of her." His gaze softens when he looks at me, and I blink fast to keep the stupid tears from spilling. "Took you long enough to come home, little sister."

"I’m not going anywhere," I promise, my voice thick with all the things I can’t quite say out loud yet.

“Good, because…” Levi’s hand tightens on mine—and without missing a beat, he drops down on one knee right there in the middle of the chaos.

The world stops.

Completely and beautifully stops.

My breath catches in my throat as he pulls out a small velvet box and flips it open to reveal a ring so perfectly simple it feels like it was made just for me—like he knew I never needed grand gestures, just something real, something lasting.

"For the girl who taught me how to stay," he says, his voice low and thick with emotion, "for the woman who made me believe in forever. Say yes, Serena. Marry me."

Tears flood my eyes, spilling over in a hot rush, and I nod so hard I almost fall over. "Yes," I choke out, my voice breaking with happiness. "Yes, Levi. Always, yes."

He stands and sweeps me into his arms just as the entire firehouse erupts into cheers, whoops, and Maddox shouting something wildly inappropriate about how I should have "taken him for a test drive first." Levi laughs against my hair, clutching me tight, while Byron—my stubborn, protective brother—wraps his arm around both of us in a rough, awkward hug that means everything.

"Welcome to the family officially, jackass," Byron mutters, and for once, there’s no heat behind the words. Only pride.

And somewhere between all the noise and the chaos and the sheer impossible joy of it all, I realize—I’m not the girl who had to be rescued anymore.

I’m the woman someone stayed for. The woman someone loved, completely, exactly as she is. And for the first time in my life, I feel more than enough.

I feel unstoppable.