Rekindle (26 page)

I hear people talking and I hear the beeping of machines.

“Clear,” the paramedic yells, and the machine shocks her chest, making her back arch off the table.

“Turning it up. Clear,” I hear again as I watch in horror, her back arching once more.

“We have a pulse. Let’s move,
now
!”

I try to roll off of my gurney, but Luke pushes me back down, shaking his head.

“They’ve got her now. She’s in good hands. Let’s get you strong so we can get you to her, okay?”

I nod my head as if I understand, but I really don’t. I need to make sure she’s okay now. I can’t wait, but I have no choice, so I let them fill my lungs with clean air and flush my eyes with saline and I sit, doing nothing but drowning in my own sorrow.

It’s been a week since the horrible fire that almost killed the one thing that’s most precious to me. In that week’s time, I have learned to never take anything for granted. She’s had a few surgeries and was unconscious for a few days when things were touch and go, but she’s no longer in the ICU. They tell me that’s a good thing, but I still worry.

Turns out Shayna was the one causing the fires in our little town. She gave a full confession after she almost killed Emma. She’s still convinced that she and Micah can “get through this” and be together when she gets out of the mental ward or prison, wherever they choose to send her crazy ass. The reason Emma was knocked out was due to the water heater that had exploded. There’s a strong possibility she would have made it out had it not been for that, but as always, M tells me not to dwell on the ‘what-ifs’ and to just be thankful we’re both alive and okay. I agree with her, but it doesn’t stop me from replaying that day over and over in my head. I guess that’s something that’ll take time as well.

“How’s my favorite girl?” I say as I open the door to her room.

“Eh, I’m still sore everywhere, same as when you called thirty minutes ago. Rhett, I’m okay. Please stop worrying yourself to death,” she says on a pained whisper.

“Just to warn you, the boys will be here after their shift tonight, so if you want rest, you’d better get it now.”

“Crawl up in bed with me, McCoy. You could use some rest too.”

“What if I hurt you, M? I can’t do that to you.”

“Rhett McCoy! My body is the least of my concerns right now. I need my big handsome firefighter to cuddle me while I sleep and drool all over his shirt. The cut on my stomach is not that bad, just superficial—you heard the doc—and the burns are on my right side, so there’s no reason you can’t sleep on my left,” she says, giving me the evil eye.

Just then, my phone starts ringing, and I look down at the caller ID and smile. Walking out to the hall, I look back and whisper, “Saved by the bell,” and hear her faint chuckle.

“Hello. Are y’all here yet?” I say impatiently. “She’s begging me to take a nap with her, and a man can only argue with that woman for so long.”

“You do realize that we had to take a flight and about another hundred or so cabs in the last few days, right? We’ll be right up. Emma doesn’t know, does she?”

“Well, she knows you and Meems are coming back today or tomorrow, but she has no clue about the surprise.”

“Good. Keep it that way. Just wait outside for us.”

I smile when I see them walking down the hall and wave at them. Meems quickly pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek.

“Let’s go surprise our girl, Rhett.”

“Yes, ma’am. Let’s do it.”

I open the door and let her parents walk in. I quickly follow, but it’s what’s behind me that makes M’s face light up.

“Linda.”

Emma Grace

I feel as if the world has just twisted on its axis. I never thought I would see the woman that was very much my saving grace. I inhale deeply as I feel the familiar burn in my eyes before the tears start flowing. All the memories of her holding me at night while I cried for my mother. Linda helped me heal, she taught me that it was okay to be afraid and it was okay to cry and mourn my mom. She was my rock, as was Rhett.

She’s instantly at my bed, wrapping her arms around me. Not tightly but just enough for me to know that she’s very real. For a second I just inhale and relax at the warmth of her skin. She’s always had the ability to make me feel safe, even when I felt anything but safe. Wrapping my arms around her, I just hold her as we both cry a billion tears. Tears of love and loss, pain and sorrow. Tears of happiness that we’ve found each other again. Tears that speak much more volumes than any words ever could.

Linda rises up and cradles my face in her hands and then places a kiss on my forehead.

“My darling girl. All these years and here you are. I’ve missed you so much. The day I lost you, I lost a piece of myself. I tried to find you, Emma. I need you to know that I never gave up. It takes so much money to find a lost loved one. So much money that I just didn’t have. Do you forgive me, Emma? I need to know that you do.”

“Linda, there’s nothing to forgive. I never once thought you had abandoned me. I have always loved you, and I still do. I’m just so glad you found me.”

“It wasn’t me, Emma,” she says, glancing at Rhett. “It was him.”

Turning her head to Meems and Pops, she smiles. “And them. They got my address and came to my door just to bring me here today. I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t think I could have taken any bad news, especially after not getting a chance to tell you how much you mean to me.”

“I love you, Linda.”

“I love you too, my sweet girl.”

We spend hours and hours just talking and laughing. Bonding as one single unit. It feels great. Linda tells me all about her kids and her grandkids. She shows me pictures and we just catch up on everything that has happened in our lives over the years. When she has to leave I’m not sad, I feel as if I am about to burst with joy. Happiness like I’ve never felt before. We have each other’s numbers and I know this is just the beginning. I’ll be seeing a lot more of Linda and her sweet family too. I close my eyes and let sleep come to take me away with a huge content smile on my face.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Emma Grace

“Cam! I’m here!” I yell as the door to her studio closes.

“In the kitchen!” she hollers back at me.

Cam has been staying at her studio since the fire destroyed our condo. It’s been almost a month since the fire, and adjusting to life is still difficult sometimes. Not only was our home destroyed, but our friendship with Shayna was too. When they told me what happened, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that she was capable of something like that—starting all of those fires and injuring people, all for the sake of getting a guy to pay attention to her. She was arrested for the crimes and put through a psych evaluation. She was diagnosed with a personality disorder that made it hard for her to differentiate fantasy from reality. The thing is, I find myself feeling sorry for her more than anything else—even after everything she put us through.

“What’s up, slut muffin?” Cam asks as I round the corner into her kitchen.

I shake away my thoughts of Shayna and focus on Cam. “Not much. How’s the project coming?”

Cam was commissioned to make pieces for a gallery in Atlanta two weeks ago. She has been on cloud nine since then.

“Great, if I could figure out exactly what I want to do. I keep starting projects and then stopping them because they just look ridiculous.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“So, how’s life with your hunka-hunka burnin’ love?” she asks, wagging her eyebrows.

“Different, but good different. We’re starting to settle into the groove of things.” When I left the hospital after my week-and-a-half stay, Rhett declared that I was moving in with him. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have argued with him anyway.

“Is he still doing the cookout tomorrow?” she asks, pulling cupcakes out of the oven.

“Yeah, he wants to have one last hoorah before Meems, Pops, and Linda leave. Those cupcakes smell amazing.”

“Oh, these aren’t just cupcakes. These are cookie, Reese’s Cup, brownie thing-a-ma-bobs.”

“Impressive name, but a bit of a tongue twister. Toss me one.”

She pulls one from the pan and hands it to me with a plastic fork, then takes one for herself. “I haven’t decided on a name for them yet. I saw them on Pinterest, but made a few little adjustments.”

We both take a bite of piping-hot chocolate, cookie, brownie things and moan in delight. “Heaven. You should call them heaven,” I tell her around the mouthful of goodness.

“Mmmm,” she mumbles in agreement, taking another bite.

We sit and talk for a few hours, just catching up on life in general. It’s amazing how much you miss when you don’t live with someone anymore. I wouldn’t trade living with Rhett for anything in the world, but it feels so good to spend some uninterrupted time with my best friend.

“I’m so full I feel like I could pop,” I admit, leaning back in my chair.

“Me too,” she agrees and glances back at the counter. “Considering we polished off five of those things between the two of us, I can see why.”

“God, we are such pigs.” Cam snorts like a pig at my remark and we both erupt in laughter.

My phone starts ringing and I look down to see Rhett calling. I snatch up my phone, still laughing, and answer.

“Sounds like you’re having fun. How much trouble are y’all starting?” Rhett greets me with a smile in his voice.

“What kind of question is that? We never start trouble!” I admonish him.

“Yeah, right. I just got off and the guys and I are hitting the gym, so I’ll be home in a few hours. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“Babe, I’m fine. I’ll probably hang out with Cam for a little while longer before heading home.”

“I like that,” he says in a soft voice.

“Like what?”

“You, calling our house ‘home.’”

I’m taken aback by his response. “Well, it is, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, M&M, it is. It just feels good hearing you say it, knowing you belong there with me.”

My heart melts at his words. “Forever.”

“And ever, baby,” he responds immediately. “See you tonight.”

I hang up the phone and look at Cam, a smile on my face.

“Oh, gag me! Spare me the sappy details. You two are too mushy for your own good.” She rolls her eyes and nudges my shoulder.

I smirk and throw my napkin at her. “You good with hanging out for a while? Rhett’s heading to the gym with the guys, and I haven’t had my fill of girl time yet.”

Her phone pings with a text and she looks down at it, replies, and looks back up to me. “Yeah, that’s cool. Want to hit up the mall? Let’s go get super-sexy new outfits!”

I have done so much shopping since the fire—you never realize how much you have until it’s all been destroyed. Shopping has become a bit of a burden as of late, but it’s never dull when Cam is around, so I grab my purse and we head out to the mall.

It’s dark by the time we’re pulling back into Cam’s driveway with several bags of new clothes. I may have gone a teensy bit overboard with my shopping, but I couldn’t help it. I stumbled upon a dress that I just had to have. The royal blue color was perfect, and it fit me like a glove. Once I found the dress, Cam convinced me that I needed shoes. And jewelry. And while we were at it, we stopped by a salon and treated ourselves to haircuts. We both decided it was time to treat ourselves. We deserve it.

Cam’s phone pings with a text again, and a broad smile lights her face. She taps out a quick reply and glances over at me. “Let’s run in and get you in your new dress before you head home to your man. He will blow a gasket when he sees you in it!”

“You are so right! Let’s do it.” I snatch up my bags from the back seat and we head inside. It doesn’t take long before I’m changed and ready to head home and see my man.

“You look incredible.” Cam smiles at me.

“Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I’m going to head home and surprise him. See you tomorrow?”