Page 46 of Striking the Match (Redwood Bay Fire #3)

I cut him off with a kiss to his lips, hard and full of life, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I love you,” I blurt out, not wanting to waste a single second more without saying what’s in my heart. “I love you so much, Cassius.”

He grips either side of my face, looking earnestly into my eyes. “I love you, too, baby. You and Kiki are my whole world. I don’t care about the house, only that you’re both okay.”

“Jesus, Probie!” Lochlan’s voice rings out, making me look around. “Way to scare the shit outta us.”

“That cat has a serious death wish,” Dray says as my team converge, throwing their arms around us in a slightly claustrophobic group hug.

“So don’t squish her!” I cry out with a laugh from under several pairs of arms. “She’s used up enough of her nine lives already.”

“Okay, ease up,” Valentine says. The One-Thirteen step back enough for Cassius and I to breathe.

But they’re all reaching out and touching my back and arms still, Cassius’s as well.

It gives us enough space to unzip the duffle bag just a little so we can see Kiki curled up inside, safe and sound.

The captain squeezes my shoulder, pulling my attention back to him.

“You showed good instincts in there, kid. Hell of a job.”

Lili ruffles my hair. “Not really a kid anymore, is he?”

“I suppose not,” Cap says with a relieved grin.

“Well done, Foster,” Lieutenant Flores says sincerely.

But I shake my head. “Thank you for getting Cassius out.” I turn to my boyfriend, not quite believing we’re all standing here in one piece. Mostly. “How’s your ankle?”

“Hurting like a bitch,” he says cheerfully. “But there are about a hundred EMTs around here, so I’ll get one of them to patch me up, don’t worry.”

I kiss his smiling lips, my heart finally starting to slow down. “And Lili! Thank you for pulling my ass out. I can’t believe the second watch let you go up instead of them.”

She grins wickedly. “Oh, they tried to stop me.”

“The emphasis being on tried,” Sawyer adds, making everyone laugh.

“Gee, I can’t wait to write up this report,” the captain gripes.

I suddenly realize that even though there’s still several inches of water around our ankles, the rain has stopped.

The flood is draining, leaving the crooked, broken house just about standing.

I dread to think what the inside will look like when it’s dried out or whether anything is salvageable, but that’s definitely a problem to deal with in the morning.

Maybe next week.

“Did everyone else get out all right?” I ask. “Mrs. Bloom?”

“She and Miss Margot are keeping Cassius’s parents company right over there,” Yara assures me, pointing them out.

“No casualties as far as we can tell,” Flores assures me. “Just some minor injuries and a lot of people in shock. Captain Padilla is already organizing transportation out of here for those that don’t need to go to hospital.”

“And Bryan?” Cassius asks urgently. “Did anyone see where— oomf.”

The small cannonball comes out of nowhere, smashing into Cassius’s side in a fierce hug.

“I was waiting for the firefighters to be done with you,” Bryan’s muffled voice comes from where his face is buried against Cassius’s chest. “Stop fucking giving me heart attacks, okay? I’m far too young and pretty to let your early death kill me, too.”

Cassius laughs and strokes his hair. “I’m fine, I promise. Just think of it this way. You’ll either get to decorate this house all over again, or another one from scratch.”

Bryan blinks and sniffs, pulling away from Cassius’s torso. “Good observation.” He turns sharply and promptly engulfs me in a hug of my own, careful of Kiki in the bag at my hip. “Thank you,” he says stiffly. “For everything.”

Once I’m over the initial shock, I laugh and pat his back. “Of course. I’m sorry the weather sabotaged the party. Not exactly the narrative we were hoping for, huh?”

That yanks Bryan out of whatever pesky emotions he might have been feeling. He jerks back and grins at me, a little glitter still lingering around his eyes behind his smudged glasses.

“Are you kidding?” he says, sounding slightly manic.

“You can’t buy publicity like this. Let Dez Starr try and tell people now that you’re with the big man here for his money.

There are already about twenty videos blowing up online showing you and your buddies saving the day.

” He looks around at the One-Thirteen. “And the award for the Best Supporting Cast goes to…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Flores says, waving him off with a tired laugh. “I’d settle for a hot shower over a trophy right now. Can we get cleared to go home already?”

I look sadly at Cassius’s ruined house. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” I murmur to him.

But he surprises me by grinning before kissing me sweetly. “I have a feeling we’ll work something out, baby. You, me, and this very brave kitty cat. I’ve got my whole world right here in my arms. Everything else will fall into place.”

Ignoring all the hustle and bustle around us, I lean in and hug him tightly, cradling Kiki against us. “My world,” I repeat.

I’ve spent my whole life feeling like I wasn’t important to anyone. Yet somehow, I’ve managed to find friends who fling themselves into helicopters and collapsing buildings for me, and a boyfriend who looks at me like nothing else matters to him.

I still find it hard to believe this isn’t fiction. But I guess even in real life, people do sometimes get their happily ever afters if they’re lucky enough.

Despite all these disasters that have been plaguing us, I think I might be the luckiest man of all.