Matt looked over at Lauren. After announcing to the entire crowd gathered how good they looked as a couple—and making Lauren’s cheeks glow an even brighter red—Meg had “borrowed” her for some girl talk, and Matt had been left standing alone. He’d stayed that way for about three seconds, until Mason ambled over. He’d tried to look casual but had failed miserably. He smiled. Matt hadn’t expected anything else from his oldest friend. He’d been overwhelmed by the support that his teammates had given him, but it meant most of all coming from Mason. They’d known each over even longer than Matt had known Lauren before he’d disappeared. Matt had only been in town a few short months then, but Mason had welcomed him with open arms and introduced him around. Within weeks, anyone would have sworn that Matt Rivers was a Monroe native, born and bred.

His acceptance from Mason then had been appreciated—a lifeline when Matt had needed it most. He’d drifted across the US for a while, until landing in Monroe just a few months short of being legal. He’d gone from a young man who thought he had absolutely no one in life to having a best friend, and then not so long afterward, a whole company of them. His life had turned around, but he’d always had the secret in the back of his mind. The past he couldn’t tell a soul, the one that gave him nightmares to haunt his sleep. By then, he’d practically become 81’s unofficial second in charge, but he’d had no doubt that respect would be gone the instant anyone knew how that overwhelmed boy of barely eighteen had found his way to Monroe.

Despite Lauren’s firm grip on his hand as he’d talked, Matt had been tense throughout the entire improvised speech. He’d spoken from the heart but had no doubt that when he was done, he would be out of a few friends, and probably also out of a job. Instead, he’d barely closed his mouth and stepped back when Mason had stood and wrapped Matt in his arms, hugging him fiercely. The gesture of acceptance and love had nearly caused Matt tears. The firefighters of Engine 81 were the best guys he knew, but they were guys—slapping each other on the back or short-sheeting your bed when Jeremy thought you weren’t looking was all part of the game. He hadn’t been expecting such an outward showing from anyone, but it meant more to Matt than any of them would likely ever know. It also made what he had to do next even harder.

“I need some time.”

Mason’s head jerked up, his gaze sharp. Matt pretended to look back over to where Lauren and Meg were still chatting. After everything they’d just been through, he didn’t want to see the disappointment that was bound to be reflecting in his best friend’s eyes. “Time for what?” Mason’s voice was casual, but it held a wary tone he wasn’t bothering to disguise.

Matt turned back to Mason. He’d held back the last part out of respect for Lauren and Brayden, but he couldn’t keep it a secret from Mason anymore. Not if he wanted his help. He took in a deep breath and then jumped in. “Brayden,” he said, surprising himself with how thick his voice had become. “Mason, he’s my son.”

Mason’s eyes widened, his eyebrows nearly hitting his hairline. “Seriously? That’s . . . that’s amazing. When did that happen?”

Matt chuckled. “About ten years ago. You know how it works, right?” Despite the seriousness of his situation, he couldn’t resist the dig. Snarking at each other and practical jokes were a huge part of the firehouse culture, and Engine 81 often took it to a whole new level.

He was expecting Mason to make a similarly smart-assed comment back, but instead his friend’s expression turned serious. “Did you know? Back then?”

Matt’s heart surged inside his chest. He didn’t blame Lauren for not telling him before, well, before everything. She’d been seventeen years old and probably scared out of her mind. Her family associations hadn’t been any better than his had been, and telling her parents she was pregnant at seventeen would not have gone down well. She would have told him, and they would have worked things out together, but then less than a month later, Victor had murdered his father and stolen Matt’s future. It was Victor Mancini that Matt blamed for every moment that he and Brayden had spent apart.

He turned to Mason, shaking his head. “It all happened in one crazy week. Before Lauren could say anything, Mancini visited our house one night,” he shrugged. “And, well, you know the rest.” Going through the entire story once had been draining. Despite being among friends, he didn’t want to think on it any more. It was time to start planning his family’s future, and taking some time off was the first step. “We need to get away.” Matt’s fingers wrapped around the edge of the picnic table he was leaning against, a splinter cutting into the palm of his hand. He didn’t care. “Mancini, you don’t know how much of an asshole the guy is.”

Mason’s eyebrows furrowed. “I think I got a pretty good idea from what you told us before.”

Matt shook his head. “He’s worse, Man. More than I could ever tell in some story.” His fingertips pressed into the wood, and Matt allowed himself to feel the pressure, for it to ground him before he did something stupid. The anger and fear were burning through his veins, sizzling away what little control he had. God, if Lauren really had seen one of his men at the fair . . . Matt wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from doing something stupid if he ran into one of them. No, he was sure he wouldn’t. He and Lauren had to get out of town, right then, before the whole shit-storm went any further. “I have to protect them, Mason. I told her she was safe, and that’s a promise I intend to keep.”

Mason nodded, his face calm. “You ran last time. Did it work?”

Matt rolled his eyes. “I’m alive, aren’t I?”

Mason’s hand clamped down on his shoulder. “You needed to back then. I get it.” He nailed Matt with a glare when Matt opened his mouth to interrupt. “No one could blame you for that. But you’re not a scared kid anymore, and you have me and an entire battalion at your back.” Mason tilted his head across to an open patch of grass, where Brayden was playing with Dean’s puppy. “He’s that boy now, and for his sake, this needs to end. Me, Chief, everyone . . . we’re here, Matt, and we’ve got you all.”

That time, tears did form in the corners of Matt’s eyes. He clamped a hand over Mason’s and squeezed it before letting go. Mason turned to join Matt in staring out at the rest of the group. Neither of them said a word. It wasn’t needed. Mason was right. Back then, he’d been a scared kid. Back then, he hadn’t been able to save his father, or save himself. But he could save Brayden. Whatever happened between him and Lauren in the future, he could give his son back his life. That would be his redemption.

For the first time in more than ten years, Matt knew he’d sleep well that night.