1. Harper

1

HARPER

H ow did I let this happen?

I cough violently, my eyes watering as I fight to keep them open. The acrid smell of burning sugar and flour fills the air, making it nearly impossible to breathe. I glance over at my kids, their faces streaked with soot, fear in their eyes. My heart races with urgency; we need to get out of this bakery, and fast.

But how?

“Come on, guys! Stay close to me,” I shout over the roar of the flames engulfing our once-beloved haven. The smoke is thick, obscuring my vision, but I’d recognize the shapes of my children anywhere.

As we stumble through the burning chaos, debris falls from the ceiling like a deadly rain shower. A large chunk of plaster crashes down inches away from my youngest, Peter, forcing me to yank him back by his shirt collar. Panic rises in my throat. We’re running out of time.

“Mommy, I’m scared!” my daughter, Olivia, cries, her voice trembling.

“Me too, sweetheart,” I admit, trying to sound as brave as possible. “Just stay close to me, okay? We’ll get out of here together.”

The smoke continues to fill the bakery, painting everything in shades of black and gray. The once-vibrant colors of the cakes and pastries are now hidden beneath layers of ash, the sweet treats transforming into grotesque reminders of the danger surrounding us.

After everything that I’ve worked so hard to achieve… none of that matters now.

“Keep moving, kids!” I urge them forward, my voice barely audible above the crackling fire and crumbling building. I can feel the heat on my skin, sweat trickling down my back as I push my body to its limits. But all that matters is getting my children out safely.

“Mommy, it’s so hot!” Peter whines, his voice cracking with fear.

“Almost there, baby,” I reassure him, trying to swallow my own terror as we inch closer to the exit. The temperature is unbearable.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoes throughout the bakery. I glance up just in time to see a large chunk of debris falling directly above me. There’s no time to react, no time to escape its path.

“Harper, watch out!” I hear someone scream, but it’s too late. The debris slams into me, knocking me off my feet and pinning me to the ground. Pain explodes through my body as my vision blurs, and I can barely make out the muffled cries of my children.

“Mommy!” they scream, their voices filled with desperation and anguish.

“Go…run,” I manage to choke out, my lungs burning from the smoke. I don’t want them to see me like this, vulnerable and powerless. They need to get out safely, even if it means leaving me behind.

“Please help her!” my daughter pleads to someone nearby, her sobs breaking my heart. I wish I could hold her, tell her everything will be okay, but my strength is fading fast.

“Stay strong for me,” I whisper, my voice barely audible through the chaos. “I love you both so much.”

The world around me turns black.

A sharp pain shoots through my skull as I blink open my eyes, struggling to focus on the pearly white ceiling above me. My throat is raw, each breath a rasp of sandpaper against my windpipe, and my mind is a swirling vortex of confusion.

What the heck?

“Where…?” I mumble, trying to piece together my surroundings. The faint scent of disinfectant lingers in the air, mingling with the steady beeping of the machines nearby. Clearly a hospital. But why? “Wha…?”

“Hey, don’t try to talk too much yet,” a deep voice says gently from beside me. I turn my head slowly, wincing at the stiffness in my neck, and come face-to-face with one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen. His chiseled jaw is adorned with a day’s worth of stubble, and his full lips curve into a comforting smile. His thick chestnut hair is tousled, like he’s just run his fingers through it, and his piercing cerulean eyes are filled with genuine concern.

“Who…are you?” I manage to croak out, feeling a strange mix of fear and curiosity.

“Sorry, Harper, I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Hudson Ledger, one of the firefighters who responded to the fire at your bakery,” he explains, his voice low and soothing. He shifts in his seat, the muscles in his broad shoulders flexing beneath his tight-fitting navy blue shirt.

“How do you know my name?” I cock my head to the side. I attempt to sit up, but there’s a searing pain in my head that forces me to lie back down.

“You don’t remember this handsome face?” He smirks. “I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed.”

I look at him hard, and even though he looks familiar, I can’t pinpoint from where. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he reassures me quickly. “I don’t hold it against you. All I care about is that you’re safe now.”

My heart skips a beat at his words, memories of the horrific blaze flooding back in an instant. The smoke, the heat, the desperate cries of my children—all of it threatens to overwhelm me once more. I press my hands against my temples, trying to block out the cacophony in my mind.

“Easy there,” Hudson murmurs, reaching out to steady me with a firm but gentle grip on my arm. His touch is warm and reassuring, a lifeline amidst the storm of my thoughts.

“Thank you,” I whisper, forcing myself to meet his gaze. There’s something about those intense blue eyes that makes me feel…safe. As if it’s a fact that he knows, somehow, everything will be okay in the end.

“Of course,” Hudson replies with a smile, but it’s tinged with sadness. He knows better than anyone what I’ve just been through, and I can see that it weighs on him too.

My mind races as I look at this man, trying to ground myself in the whirlwind of fear and confusion. I force my voice to steady, focusing on the most pressing question. “Where are my kids? Are they okay?”

Hudson’s eyes soften; he understands the urgency behind my words. “Yes, they’re fine. Your children were pulled out before you. They’re safe.”

“Did you save them?” I question.

“I did,” he replies, a hint of pride lacing his tone.

“Thank you.” I smile at him.

“It’s my job.” He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a badge that identifies him as a member of the city’s fire department.

“How long have I been here?” My voice is barely above a whisper, betraying the vulnerability I feel.

“You’ve been unconscious for a couple days,” Hudson explains, his voice like a soothing balm against the raw wounds of uncertainty. “I’ve been visiting you when I can. I didn’t want you to wake up alone. You inhaled a lot of smoke, and some debris fell on you during the fire. The doctors wanted to make sure everything was stable before they brought you out of sedation.”

A shudder runs through me, memories of the burning bakery replaying in my head. “How…how bad was it?”

“Bad enough,” he admits, the haunted look in his eyes indicating he’s seen far too much destruction in his line of work. “I think you’ll have to start over from ground zero.”

I figured as much, but his words make me want to curl up in a ball and cry. It’d taken me years to finally achieve the bakery of my dreams, and one dumb mistake…burned it all down.

“But we managed to get everyone out in time,” Hudson tells me. “That’s what matters.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, my voice laden with the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions.

“Anytime,” he replies with a small smile, his calloused fingers brushing against mine in a fleeting moment of connection. The spark that passes between us is as intense as it is unexpected, leaving me breathless and wanting more.

But this isn’t the time for such thoughts. My kids need me, and there’s a long road ahead before life can even begin to show some semblance of normalcy.

How am I so comfortable with a man I don’t know? For now, I decide not to question it.

“Wait, where are my kids?” I demand suddenly, the urgency of their safety cutting through my foggy thoughts. I know they’re okay, but I don’t have a clue where they are.

Hudson’s face softens with a reassuring smile. “They’re okay, Harper. They’re with your mother while you’ve been here.”

A mixture of relief and concern washes over me. If my mom is taking care of them, that means they must not have been hurt by the fire, but I can only imagine the fear for me that must be gripping their young hearts. The thought tightens a knot in my chest.

Even worse is imagining my mother’s reaction to all this.

“Thank you,” I whisper, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I blink away the memories. “Thank you for saving us.”

“Hey, it’s what we do,” Hudson replies gently, his gaze never leaving mine. “You don’t have to thank me.”

But I do. The gratitude I feel toward this man—this stranger who risked his own life to pull us from the inferno—is overwhelming, and words alone can’t begin to convey the depth of my emotions. For now, though, that’s all I have.

“Really, thank you. I owe you so much,” I say, my voice choked with emotion. His strong hand reaches out to cover mine, offering silent comfort and support.

“Let’s focus on getting you better, alright?” he suggests, his eyes conveying a tenderness that makes my heart race.

“Okay,” I agree, nodding shakily.

“So, do you remember anything about how the fire started?” he asks, staring at me curiously.

I let out a breath. “I think it had something to do with the oven.”

It’s the strangest thing, really. I’m always so careful to turn the oven off when I’m done, and for some reason, I can’t even remember what I’d been baking, but that’s the only plausible thing I can think of.

“Okay.” He nods, although it’s almost as if he has more questions, or he doesn’t believe me.

What reason would I have to lie about something like that?

“Why do you ask?”

He shrugs. “It was just…you know what, never mind.”

“Bu—”

“Harper, would you mind if I stopped by to check on you once in a while?” Hudson asks, cleverly changing the subject, his tone sincere and hopeful. Luckily for him, I don’t have enough energy to ask more questions. “I just…I want to make sure everything’s okay with you. You didn’t exactly have a say when you were in that coma.”

His words catch me off guard, and my first instinct is to put up walls, to keep him at a safe distance. But as I look into his deep blue eyes, filled with genuine concern, I find it increasingly difficult to maintain that resistance.

“Alright,” I finally concede, exhaling a shaky breath. “I think that would be nice.”

As he squeezes my hand reassuringly, I can’t help but feel a strange mix of excitement and trepidation at the prospect of opening up to this enigmatic, sexy firefighter.

He grins. “I promise it will be. I have to go, but take it easy, okay? The doctors really have been worried about you. Don’t stress too much.”

“I’ll try not to.” But, that’s a lot easier said than done.