Page 46 of My Three Hometown Firefighters (Aspen Springs #2)
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Tucker
I stand still, letting the hot spray soothe the ache in my back. More times than not, I find myself sleeping in the living room here at Warren’s house instead of going back to my apartment.
It doesn’t even feel like my home anymore. She isn’t there.
So, even though my back doesn’t love sleeping on the couch night after night, I make that choice time and time again, just to be a little closer to her.
Not wanting to waste all the hot water, I begrudgingly step out of the shower. I grab a towel from the rack, drying myself off.
Crap. I forgot my duffle bag downstairs.
I tie the towel around my waist and step into the hallway. I don’t make it two steps before bumping into Sienna.
I grip her forearms to keep her from tumbling to the floor. Her big green eyes look up at me. I could stare at her forever.
“Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” she says.
I lighten my grip on her arms but keep them where they are. “It was my fault, too.”
“Oh… Oh,” she says, taking in my nearly naked appearance. Her eyes trail over my abs, chest, and finally my face.
“You okay there?” I ask, smirking.
“Peachy,” she mutters breathlessly. A pink hue spreads over her skin.
I let my hands trail down her arms until they fall at my sides. I move to walk past her toward the stairs.
I lean in next to her ear, whispering, “If you say so, Sunshine.”
With that, I walk downstairs to retrieve my bag from the sectional.
Grayson’s lounging on the opposite side. “You’re going to send her into premature labor with your strip tease.” He laughs.
I spin around. “Are you serious?”
His smile falls. “No, I’m just fucking with you.”
“Don’t scare me like that, you dick.”
A different kind of smile crosses his face. He looks over his shoulder in the direction of the stairs. “And then there were three.”
“Three what?” I ask, whispering now, even though I wasn’t there for the earlier part of this conversation.
“Three of us who are completely in love with her.”
I nod because what the fuck else am I going to do. Is it true? Hell yes. Is there really anything I can do about it right now? No. Is it slowly driving me insane?
Fuck yes.
We stare at each other for a heavy beat. The silence is laden with our shared feelings for her.
“We need to try,” I whisper.
He doesn’t say anything, just nods.
All our feelings for her are too strong to not try, at least. But how?
Warren steps into the garage, Grayson right behind him.
“What's going on?” Warren asks, looking between me and Grayson.
“We all need to talk,” I say.
Sienna went to bed an hour ago. Her soft snores could be heard from the hallway, so I figured this was as good of a time as any.
Warren’s face goes ice cold. “Are you leaving?”
My face screws up in confusion. “Isn’t it fucking obvious? I’m completely gone for that girl.
Warren shrugs, like that doesn’t change whether I might leave or not.
“Fuck… no. I’m not going anywhere. That’s why this needs to happen,” I say, motioning my finger between the three of us.
The wariness is still etched across Warren’s face, but his shoulders relax slightly.
“We’re all in love with her. Right?” Grayson says.
Warren and I both nod.
“Then what are we going to do?” Grayson asks.
Warren points to the closed door that leads to the rest of the house. “This is what she wants right now.”
“But is it?” I ask. I’ve seen a shift since she moved in here. She’s shattered some of her walls, letting us in a little more.
I think she’s fighting with herself more than she is against us.
Warren opens his mouth but ends up shutting it when he has nothing to say.
“I’m pretty sure she’s falling for us, too,” Grayson says. “Or at least I like to think so.” His hurt is apparent in his self-deprecating tone.
“I think she is, but she’s scared of how this will actually work,” Warren says. “She’s protecting herself and her daughter.”
“Honestly, I’m scared, too. This all scares the shit out of me, but I love her more. It’s worth a shot,” I say.
Grayson throws his arms out. “I’m pretty sure the last few weeks have shown that it can work if we all want it to.”
“How are we going to convince her of that?” Warren asks.
I smirk. “Well, I have a plan.”
“Great,” Grayson groans.
I scowl at him. “Hey, my last plan led to all of this,” I say, waving my hand all around us. “And led to you being closer to the woman I’m pretty sure you’ve been in love with for years.”
He scowls right back before his features soften. “You’re right,” he mumbles. “What’s your plan?”
“What was that again?” I ask, tilting my head inquisitively.
“What’s your plan?” he grates out.
“No, the other part,” I say, trying to contain my smile.
His glare cuts through me. “Shut the fuck up, Tucker, and just tell us your damn plan.”
“And here I thought you were thankful for being in this place with her, with the hope for more,” I say.
Grayson sighs, pulling his arms tighter across his chest. “I am. Believe me. I am. You just have an uncanny ability to get under my skin like no one else.”
We all start laughing, and I tell them my idea. It’s genius if I do say so myself, and it might just be what we need to get Sienna to really be our girl.
Hopefully…