CHAPTER 17
Rafe woke up early, like he always did. It didn’t matter if he was on shift or off. He was an early riser.
When he rolled over in the bed, he could smell Carmen’s scent on the pillow next to him. The problem was, she wasn’t there.
She’d left sometime before dawn, saying she had to get home to her grandfather, get him breakfast and drop him off at therapy for the day.
He yawned, stretched, got out of bed, put on shorts and a sleeveless shirt and went downstairs. It looked like he was the first one up, so he made himself a cup of coffee and walked outside.
It was cloudy today, which made Rafe happy, because it wasn’t so blisteringly hot that his feet melted to the patio outside. He sat near the pool and sipped his coffee, letting the caffeine do its thing.
He saw some tree limbs from Carmen’s backyard leaning over into their yard. Not a big deal, but he should get a ladder and trim those so Carmen wouldn’t have to do it. And while he was at it, he should trim the other trees in their yard to give them a neater look.
He went inside and peeled potatoes, sliced and put them on to boil, then made some bacon and eggs. By that time, Jackson and Becks came downstairs.
“You should know better than to start cooking bacon this early,” Jackson said, stealing a piece of bacon while he took a drink of his coffee.
“Hey, that’s for breakfast,” Rafe said.
“You can always make more.”
“No, you can make more.”
Becks skirted around Rafe and went to the fridge. “You know six pieces isn’t going to be enough. I’ll do it.”
Becks started the bacon while Rafe drained the water off the potatoes and sliced them, then put them in the pan to fry them up. Kal had come home while he was outside. He washed his hands and sliced mangoes. They got out plates and served up breakfast, then took everything to the table to eat.
After last night with Carmen, Rafe had worked up a hell of an appetite and was starving, but he tried not to shovel the food into his mouth.
“So Carmen decided not to stay for breakfast?” Becks asked.
Rafe lifted his head. “Carmen? Uh, no. Why would she be here?”
“Because I saw her tiptoe down the stairs about four a.m. when I woke up to come downstairs for some water.”
“Oh.”
“Sooo, Carmen spent the night, huh?” Kal asked. “Do tell, brother.”
“Or, don’t,” Jackson said, frowning at Kal. “Because it’s no one’s business.”
“Oops,” Becks said, lifting her shoulders in apology. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was a secret.”
Rafe shrugged. “It’s not. At least not to me. I don’t know how Carmen will feel about everyone knowing.”
“It’s not like we’re gonna put a sign up,” Kal said. “Your private business is your own. Except with us, because we’re family and nosy.”
Rafe laughed. “Don’t I know it.”
After breakfast, they all cleaned the dishes and wiped down the kitchen. Becks had to get ready to go to her tattoo shop, and then she left. Kal ran off to do . . . something, and Jackson said he was going to buy tires for his truck, so that meant Rafe was alone in the house.
He went into the garage to get the trimmers and took those out to the far part of the backyard. He grabbed the ladder, climbed up and started cutting away the long hanging branches that he could reach from his part of the yard. When he’d trimmed all the ones he could, he put the clippings in the recycle bin. He stared up at the tree, deciding it looked good enough for now.
Then he studied Carmen’s yard. He took the ladder and trimmer and went into her yard, figuring she’d never notice he was there.
He was busily trimming the tree when he heard a tap on the ladder. He looked down to see Carmen, glaring up at him with a pissed-off expression on her face.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I started trimming your tree that was hanging over my part of the yard, and noticed it needed it on your part, too. Figured I’d finish the job since I was already hot and sweaty.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Oh, you did. Without even asking me.”
He didn’t see why it was a big deal. “Okay. Hey, Carmen. This tree is in serious need of maintenance. Mind if I handle it?”
“You do realize I’m perfectly capable of handling my business in my own yard.”
He’d finished clipping the last of the fronds, so he climbed down and wiped the sweat from his face with the hem of his shirt. “Where did I say you couldn’t handle it? I just said I thought I’d finish the job I started on my side.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “Fine. And thanks. And next time, discuss it with me first.”
“You got it.” He pulled her against him and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped, then kissed him back, laying her palms against his chest, making his heart speed up its rhythm.
When he drew back, he said, “First, sorry I got you all sweaty. Second, I had a good time last night.”
She swiped her fingertip across his jaw. “First, I like you sweaty. Second, I did, too. Sorry I had to leave so early.”
“Me, too.” He started cutting through the limbs on the ground. “Oh, and you missed a great breakfast.”
“I did?”
“Yeah. Eggs and bacon and fried potatoes and fruit. Oh, and Becks saw you sneak out of the house early this morning, which she mentioned during breakfast, so now everyone knows you stayed over last night.”
She shrugged. “I’m not ashamed of having sex with you. Are you?”
He thought she’d be freaked, so her response made him feel good. “Hell, no. I like you, Carmen. I’m happy to be with you.”
Her lips curved. “Same.”
“Good. How about we go out somewhere tonight?”
“That sounds fun. What do you have in mind?”
“One of the firefighters from our station has a bar and restaurant, and a lot of the crew go there. I thought you might want to meet some of them.”
“I’d love to.”
She was a constant surprise. She’d fought being with him for so long. Now she was open to meeting the people he worked with—his friends. But if she was down with it, he definitely was, too. “Great. Pick you up at seven?”
“Sounds good. Now get out of my backyard.”
He laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”
She went back inside, and he finished cutting up the limbs and cleaned up his mess, smiling as he left her yard.
He had a date tonight. Which wasn’t new for him, but he really liked this woman. Enough to show her off to his friends.
So maybe he liked her more than he should.
“You look pretty. You got another date with Rafe tonight?” her grandfather asked as Carmen came downstairs that evening.
She’d chosen a colorful, kind of tight-fitting dress. But hell, it looked good on her, and she hadn’t worn it yet, so, why not?
“Yes.”
He grinned. “Good for you. Where you going?”
“Some restaurant owned by one of his fellow firefighters.”
Grandpa turned in his chair to face her. “Which means he’s having you meet his family already.”
“Not his family. His coworkers.”
“With firefighters, his coworkers are part of his family. Same thing, bebita.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s just dinner, Grandpa.”
“I saw he trimmed that giant tree out back today.”
She finished putting on her earrings. “The limbs were infringing on their backyard, so he came over to finish the job on our side. No big deal.”
“Uh-uh. It was a kindness, Carmen. He didn’t have to do our side, but he did. Why are you so resistant to a man being nice to you?”
She straightened, contemplating what he’d said. “I don’t know. Tod, probably.”
Her grandfather nodded. “He made promises he didn’t keep. He hurt you. But Rafe isn’t like that.”
“How do I know that? Tod was a good guy in the beginning, too. Besides, I’m not looking for a relationship. This is just for fun.”
“Fun. Pfft. You should be looking for forever.” Her grandfather got up slowly, grabbed his cane and walked slowly into the living room.
Her stomach tightened at the word forever. She hated disappointing her grandfather. But this was her life.
Her fears.
She just wanted to have some fun. What was wrong with not wanting forever?
The doorbell rang, so she walked over to open it. It was Rafe.
His eyes widened. “Wow. You dressed up. And you’re beautiful.”
She smiled, shoving away her conversation with her grandfather as she warmed under Rafe’s praise. “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself. Come on in.”
He’d dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt with white tennis shoes. Even casual, he looked amazing, his tan skin appearing even darker contrasted against the white of his shirt. He was so handsome, and as he came inside and she followed behind him, his walk was predatory, his ass so fine. He glanced at her over his shoulder and when he lifted his lips and gave her a wink, her legs buckled a little.
She realized everything about Rafe was lethal to her senses.
It was a good thing her grandpa was home or they’d never make it out of the house tonight.
“Hey, Jimmy.” Rafe went over to shake her grandfather’s hand.
“How’s it going, Rafe?”
“Pretty good.”
“Thanks for trimming that tree out back today. I’d get it myself, but I think my ladder days are behind me.”
Rafe grinned. “I was happy to take care of it for you. I had some trimming to do out back at our house anyway. Anytime you need something like that done, just call me.”
Her grandpa shot her a look, then smiled at Rafe. “Much appreciated, thanks.”
“Are you ready to go?” Carmen asked, deciding not to reopen that conversation.
Rafe nodded, then looked over at her grandfather. “Yeah. You all set here, Jimmy?”
“I am. Got my TV going. Then I’ll take myself to bed when I get tired.”
“Are you sure you can handle that by yourself, Grandpa?”
“Kal’s home tonight, Jimmy,” Rafe said. “If you need some assistance getting in bed I know he’d be happy to help you out. Want me to text him?”
Her grandfather shook his head. “Pretty sure I’ve got this. But I’ll let Kal know if I need him. Thanks.”
Carmen leaned over and kissed her grandfather’s cheek. “You call or text me if you need anything.”
He patted her cheek. “And you can stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“Love you, too. Go have some fun. Drink. Dance. Have some sex in the car.”
“Grandpa!”
Rafe laughed. “Night, Jimmy.”
Her grandfather had already returned to watching TV, so he waved them off.
They got into the truck, and Rafe took off.
“I’m really sorry about him. He’s . . . I don’t know what’s going on with him. I think he wants me to get knocked up. He desperately wants grandkids.”
Rafe made a turn onto the highway. “I mean, I’d be happy to do my part in practicing making babies, but I don’t think I’m ready to actually have any today. Sorry.”
She quirked a smile. “The practice part suits me just fine, too. I’m not ready yet, either.”
“Then we’re in sync.”
She was happy he hadn’t flipped out over her grandpa’s “making babies” suggestion. “We are definitely in sync.”
He reached over and slid his hand along her thigh. “Then maybe we’ll try out having sex in the truck later.”
“Only if you keep the motor running and the air-conditioning on.”
He laughed. “You’re making my dick hard just thinking about it.”
“Good. Keep that thought going.”
He took the exit and stopped at the light. “You know, we don’t have to go to the bar tonight. I know a nice secluded spot.”
“Not a chance. I’m hungry, bud, so feeding me is a priority.”
The light turned green, and he made the left turn. “Dammit.”
Her lips quirked.
“So, whose restaurant is it?” she asked.
“Tommy Rodriguez. His family has owned it for two generations. Great fish house.”
“Awesome.”
They pulled into the full parking lot. Tommy’s Fish House was lit up with a nice, welcoming sign. The building was a large one-story with an A-frame roof. It was painted bright white with blue accents. And even standing outside, she could hear the raucous sounds of people laughing.
A good sign, in Carmen’s opinion. A crowded, loud restaurant meant good food.
Rafe held the door open for her, and she walked inside. A blast of icy cold air hit her, refreshing her instantly.
A pretty blond hostess stood right inside.
“Can I help—oh, hi, Rafe.”
“Hey, Soleil. Tommy knows we’re coming. He said he’d have a table in the back for the group.”
Soleil nodded. “We’re just clearing out a large party. It’ll be about twenty minutes if that’s okay?”
“Sure. We’ll be at the bar.”
“I’ll let Tommy know you’re here.”
“Thanks.”
He put his hand at the small of Carmen’s back, leading her off toward the left where the bar was located. They managed to find a small table in the back.
“I’ll get us something to drink. What would you like?”
“How about a pinot grigio?”
“Okay. Be right back.”
He walked to the bar and she took the time to appreciate the ambience of the place. It was comfortable, the kind of restaurant you could bring your kids to, but also modern and fun and raucous, so easily a date-night restaurant as well.
A couple approached Rafe at the bar and he shook hands with both of them. She recognized Miguel and Adrienne as EMTs who frequented the ER. Then another guy joined them.
Rafe brought them over to their table.
“Carmen, this is Miguel Acosta and Adrienne Smith. They’re both EMTs at Station 6. And this is Mitchell Hendricks, a firefighter at Station 6.”
She stood and shook everyone’s hand. “I know Miguel and Adrienne. They often bring patients into the ER. Nice to meet you, Mitchell.”
“Hey, Carmen,” Adrienne said.
“Good to see you, Carmen,” Miguel said. “Outside the hospital for a change.”
Carmen laughed as Rafe set her glass of wine on the table.
“Go ahead and take a seat, Adrienne,” Rafe said. “There are no other tables here. The guys and I will go linger by the bar.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Carmen sat, and so did Adrienne.
“It’s always in and out for us,” Adrienne said to her. “We never get a chance to chat.”
“I know. I’m constantly busy.”
“Same.”
“How long have you been with Station 6, Adrienne?” Carmen asked.
“Five years. Since right out of EMT school.”
“You must really like it.”
“I do. I love all the people I work with.”
“It helps to have a friendly work environment, doesn’t it?”
Adrienne nodded. “Sure does.”
They chatted for a while, and Carmen enjoyed getting to know Adrienne.
“So, how long have you and Rafe been dating?” Adrienne asked. “Rafe didn’t clue us in on the two of you. He’s very secretive.”
She laughed, not at all offended. “It’s new. We’re not really dating, just having fun together. We live next door to each other.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that, either. That’s convenient, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I’ve known Rafe and his brothers for several years now. They’re all amazing.”
“Yes, they are. It’s annoying how perfect they are.”
She arched a brow. “Perfect? I don’t know about that. No one’s perfect.”
“Spoken like a woman who’s dating a guy. That’s when you truly learn how imperfect they really are, am I right?”
Adrienne had a point. “You might be right about that. How else do we learn that they leave underwear on the bathroom floor, or the cap off the toothpaste, or the toilet seat up?”
The guys came back, and Rafe put his arm around Carmen. “For the record, I never leave the toilet seat up. My mother would have slapped the back of my head for doing that.”
“Same,” Miguel said.
Mitchell nodded. “Without a doubt.”
A man in his late thirties came over and shook hands with Miguel, Rafe and Adrienne.
“Hey, you made it, Rafe.”
“Tommy Rodriguez, this is my friend Carmen Lewis,” Rafe said. “Carmen, this is Tommy, who owns this place.”
“Buena noches, Tommy. Estoy tan feliz de estar aquí.”
Tommy grinned. “¿Tu hablas español?”
She nodded. “Sí.”
“¿Y estás saliendo con este chico? Puedes hacerlo mejor.”
Carmen laughed.
Rafe shook his head and looked at Tommy. “Estella dijo que se había casado contigo porque sabía que eras tan fea que nadie más lo haría.”
Tommy laughed. “That’s probably true. My wife, Estella, has a big heart for ugly men like me.”
Carmen looked over at Rafe and realized she’d never heard him speak Spanish before. Of course he was Hispanic; she knew that. But somehow, hearing him speak their native language sounded so . . . sexy coming from him.
“You speak Spanish,” she said to Rafe.
“Of course.”
“I’ve never heard it.”
“Spanish?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ve heard the language. Just not from you.”
He shrugged. “I don’t use it much. My adoptive parents aren’t Hispanic, so I kind of lost touch with the language for a while.”
“And then he met us,” Miguel said. “Tommy and I forced it on him. He caught back up pretty fast.”
Carmen smiled at him. “Bueno.”
Tommy put his arm around her and led the group to the table. Carmen and Tommy engaged in a flurry of talk in Spanish, which suited Carmen just fine.
Mom and Abuela had immersed her in the language since birth. But her grandfather wasn’t Hispanic and only spoke a handful of words and phrases.
She’d missed having someone to talk with in Spanish. There were a few Spanish-speaking nurses at work, but it wasn’t the same as family, as someone you could converse with every day.
Tommy sat them at a large table in the back of the room. They were set apart from everyone else, which meant they could be as loud as they wanted to be.
“I’ll bring margaritas and beer,” Tommy said, as if that was expected and no one needed to order.
“Sounds great, Tommy,” Rafe said with a smile. “Thanks.”
Rafe leaned over and whispered in her ear. “La próxima vez que esté dentro de ti, te susurraré en español.”
Her entire body flamed hot at the visual of him whispering to her in Spanish as he moved inside of her. She responded with, “Quiero eso,” to let him know she wanted what he was offering.
He gave her a promising smile, and then the drinks arrived. She opted for a margarita, and Rafe had beer. Then they perused menus, and wow, Tommy’s restaurant had quite the diverse selection. Everything from seafood to pasta to burgers to burritos and anything in between.
She decided on grilled chicken. Then salsa and chips and queso arrived, and she got to know everyone as they drank and talked.
She learned that Miguel and Adrienne were moving in together. They’d been secretly dating for almost a year, though according to what Rafe whispered to her, everyone at Station 6 had already known the two of them were together. It was only when things got serious that they had to go to their captain to admit they were a couple, and changes had to be made to their shifts.
“We put it off as long as we could,” Miguel said. “We’re a good team, and we hate splitting up.”
Adrienne nodded. “I’m going to hate having a new partner, but we have to abide by the rules.”
“Rules suck,” Miguel said. “I mean, as far as us not working together.”
“Hey, we’re all going to miss having you on our shift,” Mitchell said. “But we understand that the two of you had to be out in the open with your relationship.”
“Yeah,” said Tommy, who’d taken a break to come sit with them. “But we got tired of the two of you sneaking off to the supply closet.”
Adrienne let out a shocked laugh. “We never once did that.”
“Okay, maybe once,” Miguel said.
“Miguel,” Adrienne said, her cheeks turning pink.
“It happens all the time in the hospital,” Carmen said.
Adrienne’s brows rose. “Seriously? I thought that kind of thing only happened on TV shows.”
Carmen shook her head. “Oh no. Trust me, it’s not just on TV. Doctors and nurses getting it on in a private room, or two residents who are dating and working ridiculously long hours exercising a little stress relief together. Trust me, it happens more than you think.”
“I am shocked,” Rafe said.
Carmen laughed. “No, you’re not.”
“Well, I am,” Adrienne said. “I don’t know how anyone gets any work done. Or who avoids getting caught. It was difficult enough for Miguel and me to try and steal a kiss, let alone do . . . anything else. Especially with all the Snoopy Sammies of Station 6 following our every move.”
Mitchell laughed as he poured more beer for everyone. “That’s because we knew what you two were up to, so we gave you a hard time.”
“Thanks, Mitchell,” Miguel said.
Mitchell winked. “Anytime, buddy.”
“Okay, I won’t miss you,” Miguel said.
“Yes, you will. Who will laugh at your lame jokes?”
“The crew on second shift.”
Carmen could see that these people got along very well. It reminded her of her team at the hospital. Having people you trusted and liked was so important when you had to work so closely together.
Dinner arrived, and it was delicious. The grilled chicken was bursting with flavor, and if she hadn’t eaten so many chips with salsa, she probably would have cleaned her plate. But between the chips and the margaritas, she was only able to eat half.
Fortunately, Rafe seemed to have a hole in his stomach, because he ate all his food, then the rest of her plate, too.
“Hungry?” she asked.
He smiled. “Always.”
She switched over to water after dinner, and she noticed Rafe did as well, which made her happy. Not that she was monitoring how much he was drinking, but since he was driving, she liked knowing he’d only had two beers and he’d spread those out over a few hours.
Tommy seemed to be in no hurry to get rid of them, even though they were monopolizing a pretty great space. In fact, a few other people arrived, and he made room for them as well. Kal showed up late with his date, a beautiful brunette named Yvette, and Jackson and Becks came in, too, as well as firefighter Ginger Davidson and her husband, Kyle.
“Did my grandpa text you earlier?” Carmen asked Kal when he arrived.
Kal shook his head. “No, but I called to check on him. He said he was going to bed and he didn’t need anything.”
That’s what she liked so much about the Donovans. They were always so thoughtful. “Thanks for doing that, Kal.”
“No problem.”
Then it got loud, and everyone was talking over one another. Adrienne and Miguel left, and Mitchell took off not long after. She and Rafe moved over to where Jackson and Becks and Kal and Yvette were sitting. Ginger was deep in conversation with Yvette, and Kyle and Kal were talking about something having to do with some video game that was way over Carmen’s head.
“Did you all eat dinner?” Carmen asked Becks.
Becks nodded. “Jackson and I grabbed a bite near the beach after I got off work. But we’ve eaten here before. Tommy and Estella make great food. What did you think of it?”
“It was amazing. If I hadn’t stuffed myself full of chips and salsa and queso, I’d have probably licked the plate clean.”
Becks laughed. “I know what you mean. It’s both an awesome and terrible place to eat.”
Carmen nodded. “I can see the pitfalls.”
This was the most she had talked with Becks since they had their run-in during her grandfather’s fall so long ago. The guys had all come over to help, and Becks had come as well. Carmen had been stressed to the max about Grandpa and had acted like a total bitch to Becks for no reason whatsoever. She’d apologized but still felt like it hadn’t been enough. And since then, she’d been so embarrassed about how she’d acted that she’d been avoiding Becks.
“Listen, since we’re here, I want to say again how sorry I am.”
Becks frowned. “About what?”
“About how I acted that night when everyone came over to help take care of my grandfather.”
“Oh, I never even think about that, Carmen. Don’t worry. I’ve let it go. You should, too.”
Becks was much more forgiving than Carmen would be. She held grudges. Which she knew was wrong, but she couldn’t help it.
“Thanks. You’re nicer than I am.”
Becks laughed. “I doubt that. You apologized. I knew you were upset. It’s no big deal.”
“Well, thanks. I feel marginally better now.”
“Good. We should be friends, since we live next door to each other. And we’re dating brothers.”
“That’s true.” Though she still wasn’t sure about the whole dating thing. She intended to take that one step at a time.
“Rafe is a great guy,” Becks said. “I’ve known him since I was a kid.”
She’d almost forgotten that Becks was part of their homeless group.
“What was he like back then?”
Becks shifted to face her. “Just a typical kid. I remember him being quiet at first, until he got to know all of us. We arrived about the same time. He and I bonded as the new kids, hung out together a lot. We both liked to read, so he’d chill in my tent, and we’d read anything we could get our hands on. Newspapers, comics, any books that we could find.”
Carmen’s heart tugged at the education that was denied to them for so long. So many children took for granted what these kids didn’t have available to them. “I’m sure it was hard.”
“It was, but we managed. And then after he got comfortable, he was always active, running around, kicking soccer balls and playing football. It was like he had all this energy that he didn’t know what to do with.”
Carmen smiled. “I can see that, even now.”
Becks nodded. “He does like to stay busy, doesn’t he? Between his job at the firehouse and going to the gym and working with kids at the community center, I don’t know when the guy finds time to sleep.”
“Wait.” Carmen frowned. “The community center?”
“Yeah. The one for at-risk youth. He volunteers his time there just to hang out with the kids. Talks to them about his upbringing. Where he started versus where he’s at now. He wants them to know it doesn’t matter where you begin. That it’s important to have a goal, to see a future for yourself. I’ve gone there with him a few times to hang out and talk to them as well. But I really like listening to him tell his story to these kids. He’s incredibly inspiring.”
Huh. She had no idea.
She looked over at him, at the way he laughed and had a deep camaraderie with the people he worked with. It appeared that he had close ties with these people, that he considered them friends, maybe even family.
She understood that, considering his background. Being a firefighter, having that bond of brotherhood meant something deeper to him. Beyond the family he’d made with the Donovans, these were all his brothers and sisters.
She admired that. And appreciated that he thought enough of her to include her in this special circle of friends and family.
Obviously, she had a lot more to learn about Rafe Donovan.