Fully Ignited (Boston Fire #3) (15 page)

Lydia looked beautiful. Her dress was amazing and he wasn’t surprised to see that she’d worn her hair down. It was thick and wavy and didn’t behave very well, so it was usually in a ponytail. But down like it was, the dark curls framed her face perfectly and contrasted the cream-colored dress.

It all paled in comparison to her expression, though. She only had eyes for Aidan and she looked so happy walking toward him, Scott had to clear his throat and blink a couple of times to avoid embarrassing himself. Then she smiled at her almost-husband and Scott almost felt like he was intruding on a private moment by staring, so he let his gaze wander over the crowd.

Jamie’s eyes were on the bride, of course. Everybody’s were, so he let himself look at her for a few seconds. Her expression was soft, almost dreamy, as she watched his sister walk down the aisle, and she looked beautiful. Then there was the dress, of course. The dress made him think all sorts of indecent thoughts that could get him in trouble when he was standing up in front of his friends and family.

When Lydia reached them, Scott turned and watched his dad kiss her hand before handing it over to Aidan. Then he watched his best friend and his sister exchange an excited, love-filled look that sent envy burning through his veins. He wanted a woman to look at him like that.

The justice of the peace started to talk and Scott had to stifle a snort when he saw Aidan shift his weight so he wasn’t locking his knees. He and Ashley handed the rings over when they were called for, and Aidan got through his vows without so much as a hesitation.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

The cheers and applause could have shaken Bobby Orr’s picture right off the wall if the frame wasn’t bolted to the brick. He grinned, clapping his hands as Aidan dipped Lydia so deeply for a kiss that she lifted her leg for balance. Behind them, Scott saw Jeff’s wife look at her camera’s LCD screen and do a small fist pump. She was the best amateur photographer in the community and she’d volunteered to take the photos.

Once he’d set his wife on her feet, Aidan turned to Scott and pulled him in for a hug. Tears burned in Scott’s eyes, but he laughed when Lydia wiggled her way into the embrace. He kissed her cheek. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt.”

FOURTEEN

O
NCE
THE
CEREMONY
was over, Jamie practically made a beeline for the bar. She knew she couldn’t drink enough to blot out the memory of Scott’s face when he embraced his best friend as his brother-in-law for the first time, but maybe she could take the edge off the extreme case of warm and fuzzy it had given her.

And maybe a little indigestion, because she knew someday Scott would have that look on his face for his own bride, and Jamie hated that unknown woman with a burning passion.

The woman behind the bar, who was a friend of Rick’s, gestured to the lineup of glasses when she approached. “We have beer, champagne and soda. There’s a coffee urn over there, with all the fixings, and I can get you water with ice. If you want hard liquor or a cocktail, I can make you one, but Tommy’s a cheap bastard so those you have to pay for.”

Jamie laughed and took a flute of champagne. “I think I’m in the mood for bubbles tonight.”

“Everybody!” Grant stood on a chair and clapped his hands. “Lydia wants Ellen to take some pictures before we eat because some of you eat like toddlers.”

The crowd, including Jamie, laughed. There was a lot of milling around as Ellen directed people in front of the bar. With the brick backdrop, and Bobby Orr, along with the old-style lighting, Jamie had to admit it was a good spot. Perfect, really, considering the emotional attachment both the bride and groom felt for the building.

“Hey.”

Jamie was surprised to find Lydia at her elbow. She gave her a quick hug. “Congratulations and that was so beautiful and aren’t you supposed to be having your picture taken right now?”

“No,
we
are. Come on.”

Jamie balked. “What are you talking about?”

“We’re starting with the big group pictures because everybody’s here. If we start with just me and Aidan, people will get bored and wander off and Ellen will never round them up again. So probably us and the two companies first, like a big old family picture.”

“I’ll just watch. I can make funny faces if Ellen has trouble getting somebody to smile.”

“Shut up. Of course you’re going to be in the picture.”

“It’s not a good idea.” She resisted when Lydia tugged at her hand. “I don’t belong in a family wedding photo.”

“You guys
are
family.”

“They are, but I’m moving on. Every time somebody looks at the pictures, I’d just be that woman who filled in for him while he was on medical leave.”

Because Lydia and her brother were so much alike, and Jamie knew Scott so well, she didn’t have any trouble recognizing the temper rising in the bride. “That’s bullshit, Jamie. You think when you peel the name tape off your locker door, we’re going to forget who you are? That you’ve been a part of this family?”

“Do you want me in the picture because I’m part of Engine Company 59 or because of Scott?” When Lydia hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes, Jamie knew she’d hit on the truth. “I
am
moving on and maybe I’ll always feel a connection with this fire company, but you don’t want to have a family photograph with your brother’s ex-girlfriend in it. Or ex-whatever.”

Lydia sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, fine. But I want a picture with you and me and Ashley because moving on or not, you won’t be my ex-friend.”

“Absolutely.”

Ellen was starting to get annoyed, judging by the pitch of her voice and the way she was waving her hand, so Lydia gave her a final
I mean it
look and walked away. They started lining up, but when Scott sent a questioning look in Jamie’s direction, she shook her head.

Then she sighed when Scott pulled his sister off to one side. She watched him and Lydia talking, their conversation obviously intense, while she sipped her drink. He looked mad, and his sister was obviously trying to calm him down. If Jamie had to guess, she’d say Scott thought Lydia had made a decision to exclude Jamie from the photograph.

She’d just decided to go over and tell him what was going on—or just be in the damn picture if that’s what it took—when the fight went out of Scott. She didn’t know what Lydia said but, after a quick look in Jamie’s direction, he shrugged and got in line where he was told.

Once the bride and the photographer were content with the shots they had, Grant put on some dance music and the party started. They ate, drank and made merry as hell, and Jamie moved from group to group. There were stories and laughter, and the more drinks that were served, the more people danced.

And maybe because Aidan and Lydia had limited the guest list to friends and family who mostly all knew each other, there was no drama and everybody was having a good time.

She might have had a better time if she wasn’t trying to stay one step ahead of Scott, Jamie thought. Or, more accurately, many steps away from him. He wasn’t drinking tonight because he’d volunteered to make sure everybody who left the reception had a designated driver or a cab waiting, but he was enjoying himself and she wouldn’t put it past him to forget himself if he got within arm’s reach of her.

Rick Gullotti stepped over to her, so close their elbows were almost touching. “Hey, Jamie.”

“Hey, Rick. You having a good time?”

“Yeah. How about you?”

She nodded, looking around the room. “I am.”

“You are, or you could be?”

She frowned, turning slightly to face him. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure how to say this without overstepping, but this is...a safe place. Everybody in this bar right now has your back. We have Scotty’s back. Dance with the man. Hold his hand. Enjoy your night.”

And again she was put in a position of not wanting to either deny or confirm. She sipped her drink and looked at Scott across the room, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.

“It’s not something you can hide, you know,” he continued. “It’s the small things. Glances. The way you talk to each other. You’re both more relaxed when you’re together. Couple shit, you know?”

“Couple shit?” She laughed. “So tell me, if everybody thinks Scott and I are involved, why were Grant and Gavin trying to hook him up with a date for the wedding?”

“Yeah, those two aren’t exactly relationship experts. I don’t think either of them knew back then. But Gavin came to me a few days ago with some rumors he heard while taking a shift for a guy in another ladder company. Nothing too bad, but bored guys will talk about anything.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him you both show up for every tour and do your jobs, and unless it affects the companies, it’s not really our business. Of course, when you don’t deny something outright, people usually take it as a confirmation. But Gavin told me that his response when asked if it was true Tommy’s son was messing around with his lieutenant was basically that you’re a great firefighter and he couldn’t give a shit less who you sleep with.”

She looked him in the eye because he was a man she had a lot of respect for professionally, besides liking him personally. “What’s your opinion of the situation?”

“If I thought you and Scotty being involved would cloud your judgment and put a single firefighter at risk, you’d be gone already. And if I thought it would cause friction in the house, we would already have had a discussion.” He didn’t even blink as he spoke, and she knew he meant every word. “But it hasn’t been a problem. Trust me, I had to deal with the fallout when Scotty found out Aidan had been seeing Lydia behind his back, so I can tell you whatever you two are doing isn’t even a blip on my potential problem radar.”

“And I’ll be leaving soon, so it would be a temporary situation anyway,” she said, and no matter how many times she verbalized the inevitable, she felt the sharp pang of sadness.

“You’ll be transferring to another station. But you’ll still be in Boston, so you’re not really leaving us.” He sighed. “You know, if the situation was different and it wasn’t Danny Walsh’s chair you’ve been sitting in, I would push Cobb to keep you here. I really hate seeing you go and I want you to know that no matter where you end up, you have my respect and support. Danny’s, too. And Cobb’s. Hell, everybody’s.”

Tears burned Jamie’s eyes. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”

“Jesus, go dance with Scotty before he thinks I made you cry and tries to kick my ass.”

She laughed and saw Scott’s head turn until he located her and their gazes locked across the room. “I think I will.”

Scott watched her approach, his gaze sweeping down her body and back up before locking with hers. As she passed a table bearing a tray, she set her empty glass on it and kept walking. His eyebrow arched and she guessed her intent must have shown on her face.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said when she walked up close enough to him to leave no doubt.

“I was told I should dance with you and hold your hand.”

“Really?” He scanned the crowd, then looked back at her. “I saw you talking to Rick.”

“Yeah. And Rick suggested that everybody in this bar has our backs and we should just enjoy this night.”

He laced the fingers of one hand through hers while twisting to set his glass down. “I always did like Rick.”

His other hand wrapped around her waist before coming to rest at the small of her back, and she lifted her arms to cup the back of his neck in her hands. Then they were swaying to the music. Maybe they were in time or maybe they weren’t. Jamie barely even noticed the song.

She was finally in Scott’s arms, and nobody around them cared.

* * *

S
COTT
TURNED
THE
lock on the front door and collapsed against it with a sigh. “I thought they’d never leave.”

Jamie laughed and then looked around at the debris from what had been one hell of a good party. As wedding receptions went, it had definitely been one of her favorites. “In all of the details they sent you by text, did your sisters happen to tell you how much of this you have to clean up before you go home?”

“We’ve got this,” Karen called from behind the bar. “I actually have some friends arriving in about half an hour who Tommy is going to pay a crap ton of money to play cleaning fairies. A few hours from now, it’ll be like it never happened.”

“That’s my kind of magic,” Scott said. “I’m beat.”

“But it was fun,” Jamie said. She’d definitely never believe this night had never happened. And it had already been magical, as far as she was concerned.

“How many drinks did you have?” he asked, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

“Not enough so I’m drunk, but definitely enough so I’m not sober. But I took a cab here, so I wouldn’t be driving anyway.”

“I’ll bring you home.”

“You just said you were beat.” She put up the token protest because he did look tired.

“Not
that
beat.” He grinned. “Besides, making sure everybody had a designated driver was one of the duties assigned to me, remember?”

“Great. I just need to find my shoes. I think they got kicked under the pool table earlier.”

“I’ll grab them.”

She made herself useful while she waited, dumping plastic glasses into a huge lined garbage can on wheels that somebody from the kitchen had brought out. It hadn’t escaped her notice that, after the reception had begun and the formalities and photographs were taken care of, all of the glassware had been swapped out for plastic stemware and cups. Nice ones, but still disposable.

“Okay, I found your shoes.” Scott dangled her heels from one hand. But then he held up the other hand, from which a pair of cream pumps hung. “I don’t know whose these are, but somebody left here barefoot.”

Karen laughed. “This wouldn’t be the first wedding venue to have a lost and found. I’ll put them here behind the bar and stick a note on the register for Ashley.”

“I can’t believe she has to work tomorrow,” Jamie said. “I know she didn’t drink because of the baby, but being in a bridal party is exhausting even if you’re not pregnant.”

“Yeah, but I worked tonight and won’t be leaving for several more hours.” Karen shrugged. “And we all thought it would be nice to give Lydia the day off. Now go on, you two. Let us get to work.”

“Are you giving me a ride home?” Jamie asked, taking her shoes from him and then groaning as she stepped into them. No wonder one of the other guests chose to leave with bare feet.

“I’m sure as hell not letting you walk. And, no, you’re not taking a cab, either, so let’s go.”

He was parked out in the back lot, so they said good-night to Karen and then stopped in the kitchen to say thank-you and good-night to the staff who’d remained to help. They’d stay until Karen’s cleaning fairies showed up because no employees were ever left totally alone at Kincaid’s, especially the women.

Then they went out into the brisk night, the chill setting in immediately. Screw the hoodie, she should have ruined the dressy look with a parka. But he’d hit the remote start at some point because the engine was running and the parking lights were on.

He opened her door first, and then laughed when she looked from the ground to the running board and up to the seat. “Here, let me help you up.”

His hands slid under her armpits and he lifted just enough so she could get her foot onto the running board without tearing her dress or flashing any surveillance cameras monitoring the parking lot. Then she turned and sank onto the warm leather seat.

She sighed, closing her eyes, and heard him chuckle. “Guess you’re glad I’m spoiled right about now.”

“I take it all back. Also, I’m buying a truck.”

He was laughing as he closed her door, and a moment later, he climbed into the driver’s seat and inserted the key. “You can get heated seats in a car, you know.”

She opened her eyes and turned her head in his direction, suddenly very tired. “Yeah, I know. I hate spending a lot of money on vehicles, though. I just need to get from point A to point B.”

“Yeah, but I’m taking you to point B with a nice, warm backside.”

It didn’t take long for them to get to that point B, but parking was a bit of an issue. “You can just drive by and push me out if you want.”