Chapter 5

5

Silas

Harrison’s is a honky-tonk bar that is all party downstairs and very chill upstairs. Not many people even know upstairs exists, but I became friends with Josh, the bouncer, after I became a firefighter; one night, when I was having a rough time dealing with the day, he took me up there. Turned out, it was exactly what I needed. Then, the party atmosphere became a little too much, and I was drowning in all of it. Thankfully, he recognized something was off and took control before I lost it completely.

Ever since, if I get in that mindfuck space and choir practice doesn’t cut it, I come here.

When I texted, asking if I could bring a date up there, he agreed immediately, and so here I am, waiting at the door for my beautiful angel to show up.

When my eyes meet hers from afar, I can’t help the huge grin that grows across my face. All day, I kept thinking about how beautiful she was, and I almost started to wonder if I was making it up in my mind, but nope. She’s everything I remembered and then some.

I tap Josh on the shoulder to get his attention, then point her way.

He slyly holds his hand out to me, giving me dabs on my choice of date as she appears.

I walk up to her. “Hi. Thanks for coming.”

I lean in to give her a hug, which she reciprocates.

“Thanks for inviting me,” she says with a smile that just about does me in.

I place my hand on the small of her back as Josh opens the barrier for us to walk through.

“Thanks, man,” I say as we slap hands again.

“Have fun,” he says too playfully, making Kara and me both grin.

I guide her up the stairs to the room that’s lined with private high-back booths and has a few tall tables spread throughout. It’s still early, so we easily find a place in a booth, and a waitress comes to take our order.

“What can I get you two?”

I point to Kara, having her go first.

“I’ll take a glass of red wine—whichever you think is best.”

“And for you?” she asks me.

“I’ll take whatever you have on tap tonight.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be right back.”

I give all of my attention to Kara. “So, how are you?”

She looks like she’s trying to hold back a laugh as she says, “I’m good. How about you?”

I nod. “Good. Had the day off, so I just worked on stuff around my house, then went to visit a friend.”

“What kind of stuff around the house?”

“Boring stuff. I mowed the lawn and fixed a door that had been giving me trouble every time I tried to close it.”

“Ah. I call that adulting. Not fun,” she says as the waitress brings our drinks. “Sometimes I wish I could go back to the carefree days of being a child.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t bother me. I like doing those kinds of things. Keeps my mind busy, especially on my days off.”

“So, you’re a project kind of guy?”

I inhale and nod my head. “That I am. It can be hard for me to sit and relax.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I shrug. “Just depends on how you look at it.”

Our waitress brings our drinks, and after nodding my thanks to her, I hold my beer up to her wineglass to cheers. I watch as she brings her wineglass to her lips, mesmerized by the way they press together when she takes a sip.

“Then, tell me about the friend you went to visit,” she asks.

I sit back, not even trying to hide the smile on my face. “Sis …”

My reaction makes her chuckle. “You went to visit your sister?”

“No. She’s not my sister. She’s Skye’s little sister. She cracks me up. The most sarcastic, smart-witted girl you’ll ever meet, and she has no problem calling bullshit on any one of us.”

“Who’s Skye?”

“Skye is Hawk’s girl.” I stop and shrug. “When I say we’re all family, I mean it in every aspect. They got together a few months ago, and her little sister just slid right into all of our hearts.”

“How much younger is she? You keep saying little .”

I take a drink of my beer, trying to get rid of the dirty thoughts running through my head as I watch her take a sip while we talk about Sis, which is so not okay.

“Fourteen, I think.”

“She’s only fourteen, and you went to hang out with her?” she asks with a slight chuckle.

“She was in a pretty bad accident. We all were on duty when it happened.” I stop talking, trying to hide the emotions it causes every time I think about that night.

Kara covers her mouth in shock. “Is she okay?”

I nod, taking another sip. “Thankfully, yes. But she has a long road to full recovery. I like to go hang out with her sometimes just to give her company.”

She smiles, and the way it brightens up her face is something truly special. I want to keep that smile there for as long as I can.

“Tell me about the kids you nanny.”

That does it. Her face grows in an even prettier smile. “They are amazing little girls—Lana and Katy. They are so much fun to hang out with. It’s probably the best job I’ve ever had.”

“I know that feeling.” I hold up my beer to cheers her.

Though being a firefighter has its challenges, I absolutely love what I do.

“Tell me more about you. What do you do in your free time?” I ask.

“Work on my music, I guess.”

“Do you write your own songs?”

“I’m trying to—at least, that’s the goal eventually.”

“Did you play any Kara Parsons’s originals last night? I’m trying to remember if there was a song I didn’t recognize.”

“Were you paying that close of attention to my set?”

“Yes, I was paying that close of attention. I told you, I enjoyed it.”

“Well, thank you. And, no, I didn’t do any originals. I wanted the crowd to stay engaged with songs they could sing along with. It’s amazing how fast you can change the mood in the room by playing a song no one knows. Once you lose your audience, it’s hard to get them back.”

I nod in thought. “I can actually see that happening. But then how do you ever put your own music out there?”

She places her hand on the table, showing her frustration with it all. “That right there is the big question. Once I figure that out, I’ll let you know.”

I laugh out loud. “Maybe we can figure it out together. I’d like to help, if you’ll let me.”

I mean every word I just said. There is something about this girl that has me captivated. I want to see her succeed in her dreams, especially now that I’m living mine. All I ever wanted to be was a firefighter, and I want everyone else to reach their lifelong goals too.

When she responds with, “I’d like that,” I’m totally done for.

It is now my mission in life to help this girl reach her full potential. I know nothing about performing, music, or the industry, but I’m about to dive right in, and I can’t fucking wait to see her surpass all of her wildest dreams!

We spend the next few hours talking about her life, mine, and everything in between. She talks about those little girls like they are her family, which makes me smile. Not many people understand the family bond we have at the station, but I get the feeling she would.

Before we know it, it’s past midnight, and we haven’t had a quiet moment once.

“I really am having a great time, but unfortunately, I did not plan on staying out this late, and I have some things I need to do tomorrow before I pick up the girls,” she says when she realizes what time it is.

“Yeah, no worries.” I motion for the check, hand the waitress my card without looking at the total, and take the last few sips of my beer.

Once the bill is squared away, we both stand, and I wait for her to go first to lead the way back downstairs.

We make our way out of the exit, where I say goodbye to Josh, then turn to her. “Where are you parked? I don’t want you walking out here alone.”

She motions down the street toward a parking lot, and I follow.

“I really enjoyed our night together,” I say.

I love the small smile she gives me.

“Me too.”

“Can I see you again?”

“I thought you were going to help me with my music?” she teases.

“Hell yeah, I am. You watch; I’m going to make something happen for you.”

She stops and turns to face me. “This is me.”

I step a little closer, making her tilt her head up to me because of how much taller I am than her. My heart pounds like I’m in high school again, no matter how much I try to stop it.

“I mean it. I want to help you,” I whisper, staring into her eyes.

“I’d like that.” She matches my tone.

I lean in just a little bit closer, reaching up and tucking a piece of her brown hair behind her ear. “I’d like to kiss you, if that’s okay with you.”

“Please do,” she says breathlessly.

“Fuck yeah,” I respond, absolutely blown away by not only her giving me permission, but showing me just how bad she wants me, too, with just two little words.

I wrap my hands around the nape of her neck and bring her lips to mine, only having to bend slightly to do so. Electricity flies through me, and when our tongues brush together, I know I’m in trouble. A first kiss has never felt like this with anyone. This girl is different. I knew from the first time I saw her that she had this hold on me, but now that I’ve tasted her, I know I need more.

I take one more kiss, then pull back just enough to place my forehead on hers. “Oh, yeah, this is going to be good,” I whisper, making her laugh.

I kiss her forehead, then turn and open the car door for her. She slides in, and before I close the door, I lean down.

“Thanks for an amazing night. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She gives me the cutest grin, which makes me smile so big that my cheeks hurt.

“Okay,” is all she says before I close the door and make my way to my car.

I’ve never really thought about what my life would be like if I had a girl by my side. I’ve dated here and there, but nothing that made me want to even think about my future. But this girl has me wondering what could be. In my line of work though, I know all too well what could happen, and I don’t know if I’m ready for this. The only thing I do know is, I didn’t want the night to end, which makes me so fucking happy and terrified as shit at the same time.