Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

 

 

 

Megan

 

 

 

 

 

I was spraying down a patient bed late Monday afternoon when Russ said my name from the doorway. I turned and looked at him with a small smile.

“Yes?”

“We’re going to go ahead and do Tiffany’s immunizations while they’re here.”

I nodded and finished wiping down the bed before I pulled the paper over it. “I’ll go do that now.”

“Thank you.” He gave me a smile before turning towards his office.

After bringing a patient into my clean room, I went into our clinical area and pulled the patient’s chart up before preparing the syringes I needed. Once they were ready, I ruined a four-year-old’s day by stabbing her in the arm three different times. We had about four more patients before I cleaned the last room and said goodbye to everyone as I left.

I walked out to my car and thought about going by the station house to see Simon but my phone had been quiet all day which usually meant they were busy. I sent a text to Kelly to see if she was home as I sat behind my steering wheel. Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling up in front our favorite pizza place to pick up the order Kelly had called in.

I let out a yawn as I walked in and got in line behind the three people who’d obviously had the same idea we had. It took five minutes for me to get to the counter and I paid before stepping off to the side to wait for my order to be ready. I’d just pulled out my phone to text Simon when I heard my name being called. I turned towards the dining area and both Kendra and Hudson were running toward me at full speed.

I laughed and opened my arms as they both hit my chest at the same time, causing me to stumble back a couple of steps.

“Hi, guys,” I said quietly as I hugged them to me tight. When they finally let go, I crouched down and grinned at them both. “You guys have grown at least a foot since I saw you last.”

“Look,” Hudson said as he opened his mouth and showed me a gap where his canine tooth had been. “It fell out yesterday.”

“Hudson, wow! Does that mean the tooth fairy came last night?”

He gave me a look that said he’d caught onto the whole tooth fairy business but he didn’t get to reply as his sister chimed in.

“Megan, Megan. I have my dance recital Friday. Remember that you said you’d come? You’re coming right?” She bounced on her heels and gave me a hopeful expression that made my chest hurt.

“Hudson, Kendra.” I looked up to see Alex come into view, his hands shoved into his pockets as he looked at the three of us. I squeezed the kids’ hands as I straightened up and offered Alex a small smile.

“Alex. Hi.”

He cleared his throat and forced a smile to his face. “Hey. Sorry about them. They saw you and took off before I could stop them.”

“Oh, please don’t apologize,” I said as I shook my head. “It’s really good to see them.”

“Dad, the Mario Kart game is free. Can I have some more quarters?” Hudson held his hands out expectantly and Alex immediately pulled some change out of his pocket to give to his son. Hudson ran off with Kendra on his heels.

“Share with your sister,” Alex called after them before shaking his head. “Who am I kidding? We’re two minutes from a fight over that change.”

I chuckled slightly and watched the kids retreating figures. “They look good.” I swallowed and locked my gaze with his. “I’m sorry, Alex.”

“Megan,” he said with a sigh as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. “I was pissed, I’ll admit it, but it’s so obvious looking back. And I just… I didn’t appreciate you like I should have. I just wish you’d talked to me, told me you had feelings for my brother.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I swallowed to keep them at bay. “I didn’t realize I did. Apparently everybody did but me.”

“Because you were trying so hard to be everything for me,” Alex said pointedly. “And that wasn’t fair to you. If Simon makes you happy then be with Simon. I had a lot of fun with you and all three of us miss you like crazy but we weren’t in love.”

“No,” I agreed softly. “We weren’t.”

He let out a long sigh and looked over his shoulder at his kids. “Will you come Friday? Kendra, she misses you so much. Hudson, too, but Ken is more vocal about it. Her recital is at seven and if you can make it…”

I interrupted him as I nodded furiously. “I’ll be there. Definitely.”

“Okay, good. Simon has the details since he’s coming, too. We’ll see you both Friday, okay?”

I watched as he took a few steps back and as he turned, I called his name. He twisted his head and raised his brows at me.

“Thank you.”

Alex just nodded and headed back towards his children. I watched them all for a moment until someone called my name and handed me the vegetarian pizza Kelly had ordered for us. I walked back out to my car and smiled after I was in my seat. I hadn’t realized how much guilt I’d been harboring until that moment. Knowing that Alex and kids were okay and that he was giving me permission to see them, to maybe stay in their lives, made the rest of my Monday amazing.

Simon had caught up with his brother Tuesday morning when his shift ended and, luckily, didn’t have a second black eye to match the first. The two of them had instead made plans to have lunch together Wednesday. I was really anxious to hear how it had gone but work had been too busy for me to even glance at my phone.

When the patients were gone and the office was clean, I changed into a pair of shorts and my NHFD shirt before waving to Katrina and Russ as I walked out the door. I was meeting Simon at the baseball field for the last game that would determine if the New Hope Fire Department played the police department or not. I made it to the field about twenty minutes early and parked in the spot next to Simon’s truck. I checked my hair and make-up before putting Simon’s hat on my head and pushing my door open.

Even though it was early September, it was still hot outside. The temperature settled in the mid-nineties every day and I was thankful that the line of trees behind the bleachers helped shade them a bit. A few people had already showed up to claim their seats as they watched the players warm up. I walked towards the chain link between home plate and first base and leaned against a fence post as I watched them interact.

Simon was laughing at something Tori had said as he tossed a ball to someone I didn’t recognize. I watched as he chased a wild throw across the field and tripped over his feet when he made a long reach for it. His co-workers laughed as he sat in the grass shaking his head and I chuckled at the good natured bow he gave when he stood back up. I was still grinning when he caught sight of me and he threw the ball to Tori before jogging over to where I was.

“Hey, beautiful. How long have you been here?” Simon asked as he passed through the opening in the fence. His arm immediately wrapped around my waist as he pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

I smiled as we pulled back. “Long enough to watch you fall.”

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes and reached up to touch the brim of the hat I was wearing. “I believe this is mine.”

I shrugged and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Finders keepers. How was lunch with your brother?”

“Really good, actually. I think he might be bringing the kids tonight.”

“Am I still invited to the recital on Friday?” I asked with a smile and Simon rolled his eyes.

“Of course. Now kiss me so I can get back to warming up.” He captured my lips and gave me a short, but promising, kiss before taking two steps back. “I love you, Megs.”

I wiggled my fingers in a small wave. “I love you, too, Si. Kick ass out there.”

He turned to run back to where his co-workers were and I headed over to the stands to grab a seat. I chatted with a few people I recognized from the other games, most of them girlfriends or wives of other fireman, and the game was just about to start when I heard Kendra call my name.

The kids were wearing their NHFD shirts and excited grins as they ran over to where I was sitting. I slid down the bench so there was room for them and their father and Kendra immediately dove into a story about the hamster her class had just received as a pet. I nodded and reacted properly before looking over her head at Hudson and Alex.

“Hey, guys.”

Hudson beamed and held up his baseball glove. “Dad just bought me a new one. It’s a little stiff but it fits perfect!”

“Does it fit like a glove?” I asked as I winked at him but Hudson just gave me a confused look.

“It is a glove, Megan.”

Alex burst out laughing and hugged his son to his side as he grinned at me. “It’s safe to safe the irony was lost.”

I chuckled and nodded my head in agreement as I turned to look at the field. Everyone was heading in to their dugouts and Simon was watching me interact with his brother, an unreadable expression on his face.

I raised my eyebrows as his eyes met mine. When his expression didn’t change, I tilted my head to the side and mouthed ‘I love you.’ A smile slowly spread across his lips and he nodded as he returned the sentiment.

We watched the guys play and, for a moment, déjà vu took over. Kendra spent a majority of the time in my lap, either telling me another new story or screaming as she cheered for something going on in the game. Hudson wormed his way into the dugout and didn’t do so much watching as he did exchanging baseball facts and statistics.

It was different, though. Instead of leaning into Alex and trying not to obviously watch Simon, Alex and I kept a respectful distance from each other and I unashamedly watched Simon constantly. When he’d turn and catch me staring, he’d just smile like nothing could go wrong in the world. That smile was worth all of the headaches and stress from the previous months.

I noticed that Alex was texting a lot and he had a small smile on his lips as he did. When we moved into the seventh inning with NHFD down by four runs, I finally asked Alex about it. He looked up at me with a sheepish smile.

“I’ve been seeing this woman.” He cleared his throat and broke our eye contact. “She’s a nurse at Clark County Memorial.”

I grinned and raised my eyebrows. “Another nurse? Do you have a type, Alex?”

“It might seem so,” he replied with a small laugh. “It’s been a little over a month and I think I’m falling for her. It just feels quick, you know?”

“When it happens, it happens. Don’t fight it. You deserve to be happy.”

Alex nodded and reached over to quickly squeeze my hand. “Thanks for that, Megan. I’m trying to learn from everything I did wrong with you to be better with her. I’ve completely cut out drinking, too.”

“Good for you, Alex.” I smiled at him before cringing when Kendra let out an ear-piercing squeal. I turned my eyes back to the game and watched as the opposing team made it to first base. The next person who went up to bat hit the ball but Simon caught it on the fly and cut it over to first for a double play. The three of us moved to our feet and cheered as Simon ran back in to the bench. He accepted the high five from his nephew before grinning out to the three of us.

I put Kendra on the bench and walked down to the opening near the dugout. Simon met me there immediately and he reached up to straighten my hat as I came to a stop in front of him.

“Nice play, handsome.”

He grinned and folded his arms across his chest. “I was just trying to impress this hot girl in the stands.”

“Oh, which one?” I asked as I turned to look at behind us but Simon’s fingers gently gripped my chin so he could bring my gaze back to him.

“Such a smart ass.” He let his thumb graze my jaw before his hand dropped. “I want to kiss you so badly but I feel like it’s still a bit much in front of my brother. So, fair warning: I’m going to shove you up against my truck and kiss that smart mouth after the game.”

“Promises, promise,” I said with a small grin. I stepped forward so my lips were at his ear. “Just so you know, if you win tonight, you’re going to have mind-blowing sex.”

Simon sucked in a sharp breath. “And if we lose?”

I lowered my voice even more. “You’re still going to have mind-blowing sex tonight.”

“Fuck, Megan. I’m walking away right now so I’m not batting completely turned on.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I love you.”

I watched as he walked away and Hudson came over to stand next to me.

“Are you Uncle Simon’s girlfriend now instead of Dad’s?”

I looked down at him, surprised at his question, and I didn’t know how to respond. Before I could say anything, Hudson kept going.

“Dad says that you guys are just good friends now.”

“He’s right,” I said with a nod as I put my arm around him and led him back to the stands. “But even though your dad and I are just friends, I want you and Kendra to know that I love you both very much.”

“Dad said that, too.”

I ruffled Hudson’s hair and smiled at him. “Your dad is a smart man.”

We sat back on the bench and watched as Simon’s team bat. When Simon walked up to the plate, Nick was on second and they were still down by four. He did a practice swing before nodding to the pitcher that he was ready. The first pitch he swung at but missed and everyone groaned. The second and third were wide and he didn’t swing.

I stood up and cupped my hands around my mouth. “Let’s go, Owens.”

Simon shook his head slightly but I could tell he was smiling and he hit the next pitch that came hard. I cheered as he ran for first and then second, while Nick crossed over the home plate. Simon stopped at second and shook his head as he smiled at me. I just shrugged and tried to force my smile to lessen but it wouldn’t.

The next batter ended up bringing Simon home and two innings later, they had won by one run. I hung back with his family as the team celebrated their win. Simon finally came over and hugged his niece and nephew tight, promising to see them on Friday, before clapping his brother on the back. After they’d walked away, Simon took my hand in his and we walked to where we were both parked.

“I know you have an early shift but you’re still coming over, right?” I asked as we got to our vehicles.

Simon responded by quickly pushing me against the passenger door of his truck. His mouth covered mine immediately and he pinned our conjoined hands above my head. His tongue assaulted my own and I moaned as I arched my body against his. He ran his lips down my jaw until they were at my neck and I let my head fall back against the window behind me.

“Of course I’m coming over.” He pulled back so he could look at me and a cocky smile hit his lips. “Besides, you promised me mind-blowing sex. Let’s go.”