Burning Up: Firefighter Contemporary Romance Series Box Set Read online

  “So does this mean you’ll let me part of the baby’s life?” he asked. His eyes were now serious and dark. He truly wanted to be a father to this child. How could I refuse him?

  “Of course,” I said softly. My head was spinning with everything that had just happened and the emotions I was feeling, but I knew it was the right thing to do. “We’ll figure something out.”

  “Good,” he said, pulling up his pants. “I should let you get back to your party.”

  My party. Yeah, right. It wasn’t for me, and I no longer wanted to attend. I didn’t want to keep pretending to be happily engaged to Derek. I wanted to take back control of my life.

  And I wanted Jax to be part of that life. Even if the two of us didn’t work out, he would be part of my child’s life - our child’s life. It was time I did the right thing.

  With my head held high, I walked toward the bathroom door. Before I opened it, Jax took my face into his large, calloused hands and pulled it close to him. He kissed me one more time, and my insides fluttered wildly. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, nor did I believe it was possible to fall for someone so quickly. But I felt something for him, and from the way he looked at me, he felt it too.

  “You go out first,” he said. “That way we don’t look suspicious. I’ll find Finn and head out of here, let you do your thing.”

  I took his hand in mine, gripping it tightly.

  “No, I think you should stay,” I said.

  His eyes grew wide. “Dressed like this? Don’t you think I’ll stick out?”

  I shrugged. “So what? People are going to find out you’re the father eventually, and they’ll dig through your past, find out what you do for a living. Why make it more difficult for them?”

  He cracked a smile, and for a second, he seriously considered it. But eventually, he shook his head, giving my hand a quick squeeze.

  “Nah, I don’t want to complicate things for you, Maddy. Do your thing. We’ll catch up later. Just don’t ignore me this time. I will be a father to my child,” he said.

  “I won’t shut you out again,” I said.

  “I’m going to trust you on that,” he said, bringing my hand to his lips and laying a kiss upon the knuckles.

  I knew it probably took a lot for him to trust me, after everything I’d done. It meant a lot to me, and there was no way I was going to let him down again.

  I’d come clean, I’d do the right thing, no matter the cost.

  ooo000ooo

  “Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you,” I said, pulling them aside from the crowd.

  Mom sighed. “Can’t it wait, dear? Priscilla Jacobs just walked in, and I need to say hello.”

  “No, it can’t wait,” I said. “Because I’m calling everything off. Tonight. No more lies.”

  I expected Dad to lay into me, but it was my mother who got in the first shots.

  “You can’t do this. Not know, not with the press here,” she said.

  “That’s exactly why I need to do it now,” I said. I took a deep breath and turned to my father. “And if you’d like me to resign from the company, I’ll do that. I can’t, in good conscious, continue lying about the father of my child, Dad. I would hope you’d understand.”

  “He’s here isn’t he?” dad said.

  “Who?” Mom asked, looking around the restaurant.

  “The father of her baby,” he said, his voice taking an extra harsh tone.

  “He was here, yes. But he’s gone now,” I said. I remembered his words, and about how he hadn’t wanted to complicate my life. For so long, everyone in my life thought about themselves first and foremost. Their images. Their reputation. My actions were scrutinized constantly, and it was always about how it affected them, not the other way around.

  Maybe that’s why I was drawn to Jax originally. He was a breath of fresh air. He was the freedom I’d needed from the stifling life I lead, and now that I’d had a taste of it, I didn’t want to go back to the way things were. I didn’t expect my parents to understand, but I had to do it.

  I had to do it for myself.

  “I’m not going to allow this,” mom said, pursing her lips. “We’ve worked so hard to give you the best life possible, Madeline, and you’re going to throw it away for what, a rebound?”

  “He’s not a rebound,” I said. “He’s an actual human being, and if you’d actually take the time to get to know him, you’d see he’s a good person too. He’s a lot better than Derek, that’s for sure.”

  “Derek is a good man,” Mom said.

  “No, he’s not. He’s a lying, cheating piece of shit, and I’m not going to pretend to be marrying him just because you think I should.”

  The room grew silent around us. I hadn’t realized how loud my voice was until that very moment. Faces stared back at me with wide eyes and gaping mouths. All of them judging me. My mother grabbed hold of my arm, yanking me toward the front door of the restaurant. I managed to break free, stopping in the doorway.

  “Madeline, you need to stop this,” she said.

  Derek came up from behind me, taking my hand. It wasn’t a sweet gesture, not like with Jax. No, this was more of a controlling move, to keep me at his side. I yanked my hand free from his, and when he reached for it again, I stepped away.

  “Madeline, please calm down,” he said. He smiled at me, and that’s when I realized what a blank, empty shell he was. His eyes were dead and cold. Years ago, I saw something in him, but maybe that something wasn’t really him. It was an act. He’d had us all fooled by it too.

  “I am calm,” I said. My voice shook as I answered him. No, I wasn’t calm, not at all, but I could hold it together. “I’m done, Derek. I’m officially done.”

  Derek’s smile turned to a full-on smirk. He laughed, a dry, harsh sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Let me guess, this has something to do with your little hookup in the bathroom.”

  My jaw dropped. Everyone around us was silent still, listening to every little word.

  “Oh yeah, did you think you were discreet? Because you weren’t, not at all,” he said. “But we should talk about this in private instead of making a spectacle of ourselves.”

  “You’re the only one making a spectacle,” I said. Pulling myself together, I added, “You know what, I’m out of here. I don’t have to take this.”

  He grabbed my arm as I pushed past him, and this time, there was no pulling free. Instead of fighting it, I used my free hand to do what I’d wanted to do for so long.

  I smacked him across the cheek. The sound seemed to echo through the room, and everyone stared, slack-jawed. Like driving past an accident, they couldn’t look away from the horrors before them.

  Derek let go of my arm, and I used that opportunity to make a break for the door. I heard my father’s voice call out to me before I left.

  “Madeline don’t do this,” he said.

  I didn’t turn around or stop. No, I kept going. If he wanted to choose Derek over me, his own daughter, so be it. That was his choice to make. I’d made my choice already.

  I was going to be free. Not just for me, but my baby as well.

  I exited the restaurant, finding myself in the middle of a busy street. Photographers snapped pictures as I pushed my way past them, heading toward the back of the restaurant where my limo would be waiting. I was so focused on getting the hell out of there, I didn’t pay any attention to them. Paparazzi called out my name, but I ignored them, hustling toward the back parking lot. If anything, I was grateful for the crowds, as they kept my parents or Derek from trying to drag me back into the restaurant.

  I walked down the alleyway, when someone called out my name. Their voice grew louder and louder, and finally, they caught up to me. The man was familiar.

  “I’m Todd, from Haute New York,” he said, “Would you be willing to answer a few questions?”

  “No,” I said, quickening my pace. Even in heels, I could move pretty fast when I wanted to, and right then, I wanted nothing more than to ge
t the hell away from everyone.

  When I got to the parking lot, my driver was leaning against the limo. He saw me, and then saw the paparazzi behind me, which made him act fast. He had the door open for me, and I slid right in, breathing a sigh of relief as I settled into the safety of the back seat. I looked out the window and saw others from the media had followed Todd and me, and had I not made it to the limo when I did, I would have been swarmed.

  “Thank you,” I said to my driver, relaxing into the backseat and closing my eyes. Exhaustion hit me hard. It had been one hell of a day. No, scratch that, it had been hell the last few weeks. But after the stunt I’d pulled, I figured I’d be cut loose from my family. As much as it pained me to lose them, I knew it had to be done. It wasn’t just my life that I had to consider these days.

  The limo pulled out of the alley and onto the road. Soon, I’d be home. And no, I didn’t mean Allison’s apartment either - I was going back to my penthouse. I’d change the locks and put Derek’s shit in the hall if I had to. It was my place, not his. I was going to take it back, just like I was going to do for everything in my life.

  The limo swerved suddenly, throwing me across the seat.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “We’re being followed,” he said. “I’m trying to lose them.”

  I looked back and saw a car tailing us. I could see the driver’s face through his windshield, and I groaned. It was Todd again. Apparently, he couldn’t take a hint.

  “Buckle up, Miss Byers,” he said.

  Those are the last words I remembered before the tires screeched and the limo spun out of control. The sound of crunching metal silenced my cries, and before I knew what hit me, the world went completely and utterly dark.

  Jax

  “Well that went well, don’t you think? Totally had everyone fooled,” Finn said. He was still laughing over our little stunt at the restaurant. It had been all his idea, and for that, I was grateful. He was a good friend, and because of him, I’d managed to talk to Maddy.

  I still didn’t tell Finn the truth about the baby, though. Finn was still joking about the ruse we’d pulled when a call came over the scanner in his car. We were off work, but I still liked to know what was going on. I missed most of it but heard that there was an accident nearby.

  “What did they say?” Finn asked.

  “Pretty bad wreck up ahead,” I said. “Maybe we should stop and see if they need help.”

  “Already on it,” Finn said.

  One good thing about having the training we did, even off the clock, we could still save lives. By chance, we were closer than any other EMTs, we’d get to the scene first. Those precious first few minutes could be the difference between life or death.

  We approached the scene of the accident - a black limo and about ten cars, all piled up. Finn and I hopped from his car and raced to the scene. As expected, no other EMTs were there yet.

  While Finn was sizing up the scene, determining what we could do safely without equipment, I rushed over to the limo. It was in the middle of the mess, and while there were plenty of limos in New York City, I just had to be sure it wasn’t Maddy’s. She should have been at the restaurant still, so I remained fairly calm until I approached the vehicle. My training had kicked in, so I focused on what needed to be done.

  The limo taken the brunt of the impacts, looking like it had been struck numerous times. I noticed the back driver’s side door was in good shape, so I pulled it open, and my worst fears became reality.

  Maddy was in the back seat, crumpled and unconscious. She was like a rag doll, and it was clear she hadn’t been wearing her seat belt. She’d been thrown around the back seat, broken and bloody. Crimson flowed down her soft, delicate face from a nasty gash on her forehead. My heart raced and suddenly all my training went right out the window. I called out her name, climbing inside the vehicle with her.

  “Maddy, Maddy, wake up,” I said.

  No answer.

  The passenger side of the limo was crunched in, having been hit by a large SUV. The backseat was mangled and cramped, but I climbed in as close to her as possible. The first thing I did was check for a pulse. Her heartbeat was weak, but still there. She was still alive. I had to keep it that way. I needed to save both her and our baby.

  Finn’s voice called out for me, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. It didn’t matter. I had to save the mother of my child. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

  I knew I couldn’t move her, just in case she had a broken neck or back. I needed a collar, backboard, and a stretcher to safely get her from the limo. I checked her breathing again, her chest rose and fell, but barely. I wiped the blood from her face and spoke to her with tears in my eyes.

  “You’re going to be alright. I’m going to get you out of here,” I said.

  I doubted she could hear me, but it made me feel better to talk to her. I could make her comfortable and keep her alive until the ambulances got there.

  Sirens rang out in the distance, signaling that they were on their way. Just a few more minutes. God, just a few more minutes, that’s all we needed.

  Finn called out again, this time I heard the words, “Get out, now.”

  I called out to my friend, “I’m in the limo.”

  I heard footsteps as he Finn rushed over to the door, he peeked in, a panicked look on his face. All he said was, “Gas lines” and I knew we were in trouble. That many cars piled up, with a potential gas leak, was a recipe for an explosion. We needed to get out of there, and fast.

  The sires grew louder, and I had to make a decision. Sit there, wait it out and hope nothing exploded around us, or get Maddy out of there and risk further injury to her neck or back. It was the hardest choice of my life.

  Maddy’s mouth opened, and a soft murmur came out. Her eyes flickered open and shut.

  “Maddy?” I said.

  “Jax?” she murmured. “How did--”

  She didn’t finish her sentence before a loud sound caught my attention. A small explosion, not too far away from us. Finn took off, leaving me to make my choice.

  “Can you move?” I asked her.

  She nodded. “I think so.”

  She moved her arms first and let out a cry of pain. Her right arm was bent in a precarious position. It was clearly broken, but a broken arm we could deal with. A broken back or neck, not so much.

  Another loud bang caused Maddy to jump, her eyes opening even wider. She looked around at the mangled limo, panic setting in as she remembered where she was.

  “We have to get you out of here, and fast,” I said. “But we have to be very careful too. Got it?”

  Her eyes were wild, and her breathing ragged. She was starting to freak out.

  I took her hand in mind, “I got you, okay? I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  The sirens came closer and stopped. Others rang out in the distance. More help was coming. I heard voices around me, calling out. Familiar voices of the guys I worked with.

  My team was there, we were in good hands. I just needed to get Maddy out of there, and they could take care of the rest. I had one mission, and I couldn’t fail. Not like I’d done my mom years before, and not like every other person we’d lost over the year. Maddy would not be a casualty.

  Even with a broken arm, she took both my hands and helped push herself toward the door. Her face scrunched up in a look of agony, and it killed me to see her in so much pain, but she was a fighter. She pushed forward, never once giving up, and I pulled her free from the limo. I lifted her in my arms, carrying her like a child, and ran. I didn’t look back. Explosions and smoke surrounded us, but so did the sound of the fire hoses and the men working to control the situation. It was chaos, but one I trusted my fellow firefighters to control.

  I rushed toward an ambulance parked down the street, far enough away from the wreck to be safe if all hell broke loose. Maddy was now silent, her eyes closed. The pain had probably been too much for her. I prayed it was
nothing worse than that. Without knowing the full extent of her injuries, I couldn’t be sure.

  “Stay with me, Maddy,” I begged. “Stay with me, baby.”

  I reached the ambulance, and two EMTs rushed to our side, helping secure her onto a stretcher. They pushed me out of the way, taking over. Instead of being one of them, I was now a civilian. This was my loved one lying before me, and I needed to let them handle it. I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way.

  I stood back and answered their questions. One of them pulled me back even further, and asked me, “Sir, who are you? Are you family?”

  I wasn’t really sure what I was.

  “She’s pregnant,” I said, not exactly answering their question. “I’m the father of her child.”

  “Any other explanation seemed too complicated. The EMT nodded and went back to work. They loaded her into the ambulance and asked me if I’d like to ride along.

  I looked back at the accident. Finn was working with the others, helping to contain the fire that had broken out amongst the cars. It was one of the worst accidents I’d ever seen on the job, and there’d certainly be casualties. Maddy was as safe as she would be, I should do my job. I should work to save lives. Otherwise, what was the point of doing what I did? If people died, what was the point?

  “Sir?” the man asked me again. “We need to get her to the hospital.”

  I saw Maddy there, on the stretcher. She needed me, and I knew it. With a knot in my throat, I nodded.

  “Yes, I’m coming along.”

  ooo000ooo

  I’m not sure who called them, but Maddy’s family – along with Derek- arrived at the hospital just as we did. Her mother rushed toward her daughter, tears streaming down her face, while her father and her ex remained stoic and distant. I was, of course, at her side.

  “Who are you?” her mother asked me.

  “I’m Jax,” I said. I wasn’t sure how else to explain to her who I was, at least in terms of her daughter. Saying I was the father of her child was rather personal, and not knowing what Maddy had told them meant I should play it safe.