Fire

PRAISE FOR ABBY BROOKS “Abby Brooks is a wizard with Beyond Us—entertaining and pure enjoyment!” ADRIANA LOCKE—USA TODAY AND WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLING AUTHOR “A masterful blend of joy and angst. PRAISE FOR ABBY BROOKS “As a voracious reader it is not unusual for me to read 5-7 books per week. What is unusual is for me to be thinking about the writing and characters long after I've finished the book. With just the perfect amount of angst and remarkable character development, Abby Brooks has crafted a masterpiece…” PRAISE FOR BEYOND WORDS "Once again Abby Brooks creates a world filled with beautifully written characters that you cannot help but fall in love with.” PRAISE FOR BEYOND LOVE "A lovely story of growing beyond your past, taking control of your life, and allowing yourself to be loved for the person you are." MELANIE MORELAND—NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, IN PRAISE OF WOUNDED “Abby Brooks writes books that draw readers right into the story. When you read about her characters, you want them to be your friends.” PRAISE FOR ABBY BROOKS FIRE A HUTTON FAMILY ROMANCE ABBY BROOKS Copyright © 2022 by Abby Brooks All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Cover image copyright © 2022 by WANDER AGUIAR PHOTOGRAPHY LLC Cover design by Abby Brooks THE HUTTON FAMILY SECOND GENERATION Fate Fire WILDROSE LANDING Fearless Shameless Reckless THE HUTTON FAMILY Beyond Words Beyond Love Beyond Now Beyond Us Beyond Dreams It’s Definitely Not You The Hutton Family Series - Part 1 The Hutton Family Series - Part 2 A BROOKSIDE ROMANCE Wounded Inevitably You This Is Why Along Comes Trouble Come Home To Me A Brookside Romance - the Complete Series WILDE BOYS WITH WILL WRIGHT Taking What Is Mine Claiming What Is Mine Protecting What Is Mine Defending What Is Mine Wilde THE MOORE FAMILY Finding Bliss Faking Bliss Instant Bliss Enemies-to-Bliss THE LONDON SISTERS Love Is Crazy (Dakota & Dominic) Love Is Beautiful (Chelsea & Max) Love Is Everything (Maya & Hudson) The London Sisters - the Complete Series IMMORTAL MEMORIES Immortal Memories Part 1 Immortal Memories Part 2 AS WREN WILLIAMS Bad, Bad Prince Woodsman CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Epilogue Micah’s Parents Family Tree Emotional Abuse - Domestic Abuse Hotline Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Abby Brooks CHAPTER ONE Micah Flames burst from a single window on the side of the house, lashing for the stars amidst a tower of writhing smoke. A woman—pale legs, pale hair, flimsy nightshirt—dashes toward the house. Toward the fire. Lights from my firetruck and the ambulance parked on the road flash red and blue, chaos dancing as palm trees bend in the wind. Carson stops the truck, brakes hissing and squealing. I leap out, yanking my helmet in place as I race for the woman, catching her around the waist a heartbeat before she reaches the front door. She shrieks. Gasps for air. Turns to me, the whites of her eyes vivid against a soot-covered face. “My grandma’s still inside!” She doesn’t recognize me. Not in my gear. Not through her fear. But this frail, terrified creature is Ivy Cole. The woman I thought was the love of my life. She’s been gone for years and— “You can’t go in there,” I bellow, as smoke belches through the door and Carson pulls up beside me, Probie trailing behind. “Let the EMTs check you out. Take care of yourself and let us take care of your grandma.” Tears well in Ivy’s eyes and she nods. A child coughs in the distance. “Mommy!” Ivy turns toward the sound, long blonde hair whipping around her shoulders, and I enter the house with my crew. A hitch of fear draws me up short. The last time we entered a burning building, Tucker came out on a stretcher, broken, charred… The nightmares still— No time for that. I scan the scene. Acrid smoke hangs heavy and black in a small living room. I turn down a hallway. Three doors. All open. Smoke and flickering light pours out of one. I point Carson in that direction. He and Probie dash for the smoking door with the hose while I pass the bathroom. No signs of flame. No signs of Grandma. I find her in the last room, on the ground, coughing, clutching her chest. I sweep her into my arms and carry her outside while Carson and Probie address the flames. Ivy’s little girl is in the ambulance, sucking oxygen through a mask that engulfs her face, while Ivy strokes her golden hair. She looks up as I arrive, blinking through tears. Through shock. She’s every bit as beautiful as I remember. I place her grandma on a stretcher, relinquishing her to Lucy—the EMT who saved Tucker’s life—then rejoin Carson and Probie in the house. * * * “You got salvage and overhaul?” I ask Carson, after the flames have been extinguished. “I want to check on the residents.” Ivy. Fucking Ivy Cole and the daughter that should have been mine. He huffs a laugh as he scans the charred remains of a little girl’s bedroom. “I’ll make Probie do it. That’s what your probationary year is for, right? Doing shit work while us senior officers collect the glory?” Normally I’d be the last to leave