“I think I’ll be fine after a little bit of sleep, provided that the next shift isn’t as brutal as this one.” I nodded and rubbed my eyes. “I’m just glad we have a chance to rest up.”
“Right now, all I can think about is a bed.” He exhaled sharply. “I’ll probably be up before the sun if I go to bed this early though.”
“I really don’t give a fuck.” I leaned forward and pushed up from the chair. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’m going to watch the news for a while or something. I’ll probably pass out in the chair for a little bit.” He chuckled and waved as I headed towards the bedroom.
Rand and I were firefighters during the week, but when we had a free weekend, we made some extra money buying abandoned storage lockers. Like most of the people we met at the auctions, we were inspired by television shows like Storage Wars. We had never won a locker that was full of buried treasure, but we usually made enough money to justify the time we spent pillaging the forgotten memories people left behind. We usually tried to track down the people who owned the lockers or members of their family if we found old photographs or something that was obviously a family heirloom. We had met some interesting people that way, and they were usually thankful that we reached out.
Once I brushed my teeth and got into bed, all I could think about was Brylee. It had been a while since I had dated anyone—even longer since I had truly been in love. I still had plenty of time to get there at twenty-eight, but I never imagined I would be closing in on thirty and still living with my twin brother. It started as a way to save money since apartments were fairly expensive in the good parts of Atlanta. We just got along so great that we never had any real motivation to change the living arrangement. Rand was in the same boat I was when it came to matters of the heart. He dated, sometimes more than I did, but he never seemed to find the spark that took things to the next level. Truthfully, we both knew why it was so hard for us to fall in love, even if neither of us was willing to admit that we still carried scars from our first love.
When we were teenagers, we both fell for the same girl. She was a gorgeous blonde named Hannah that lived next door. It started as a competition, but she had no idea how to choose which one of us she liked most. One night, when her parents were out of town, something incredible happened. She told us that she wanted us—not just one of us either—she wanted us both at the same time. We were nervous, clumsy, and in over our heads, but that didn’t stop us from turning fantasy into reality. We shared her. It was a glorious experience that made us closer than brothers if that was even possible. We didn’t really question where it was going, and that was our fault because we let her run away with our hearts without considering what the future would bring. When high school ended and it was time for her to leave for college, she ended things. That hurt more than either of us wanted to admit because she was our first real taste of love.
The next day
“Damn, did you even go to bed?” I was surprised to find Rand sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper when I walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah, I got a little sleep. I made coffee if you want some.” He pointed toward the counter.
“I definitely do.” I staggered towards the coffee pot and poured a cup.
“I think I might go see Mom later today. Do you want to go with me?” Rand looked up from the newspaper when I sat down across from him.
“Yeah, definitely.” I sipped my coffee and nodded. “We’ve got a few things we can drop off too.”
“She never complains about getting free stuff from the storage lockers.” I smiled and chuckled under my breath. “Even if she never uses half of it.”
Rand and I usually visited our Mom at least once a week. She lived in a suburb near Atlanta, so the drive wasn’t bad, especially after rush hour was over. We had always been close to her. She raised the two of us on her own after our father split. When we were kids, we always thought firefighters were heroes, but after chasing that dream and finally suiting up, we realized that our mother was the real hero. She was the one who supported us, took care of us, and gave us a moral compass that guided us down the right path. That didn’t mean we weren’t rough around the edges, but our hearts were always in the right place because of the foundation she provided when we were young. She was a saint as far as we were concerned.
Mom never asked for anything, but we tried to give her a few things to make life more comfortable. She worked her ass off to keep food on the table and we were eternally grateful for everything she did. We didn’t even realize we went without most of the time because she made the sacrifices while we were well taken care of. The work ethic she instilled in us was why we weren’t satisfied with our firefighter salary and ran our storage locker business on the side. It was also why we were fairly frugal, even when we didn’t have to be. She worried about us because we were risking our lives every time we got on the truck, but she was still proud of the men we had become. Seeing the pride on her face was enough to make every sacrifice worthwhile, even when the job was hard and we came home exhausted.
“Now that you’ve had a night to think about it, are you going to ask Brylee out?” Rand tilted his head to the side and smirked. “Because if you’re not, I am.”
“I really should.” I nodded slowly and sipped my coffee. “What do I have to lose?”
“Who knows, maybe she’s the kind of girl that likes twins.” Rand winked and chuckled under his breath.
“I’m scared to even think about that after what happened with Hannah.” I sighed and leaned back in my chair.
“I know.” He grimaced and stared at the table.
I guess I’m not the only one that still thinks about it.
Chapter Three
Brylee
I stepped out of my apartment with my purse balanced on one hand and my coffee cup balanced on the other. Somehow I managed to get my keys in the lock and back in my purse without dropping anything. I counted my blessings once I got everything balanced again. When I turned around to dash towards the elevator, I saw the door down the hall open and one of the gorgeous men I had met before stepped out into the hallway. I wasn’t sure if it was Jett or Rand, but I decided not to rush by him without saying hello. As I got closer, I saw the tattoo on his left arm and confirmed that it was Jett. He didn’t look my way at first, but when he finally did turn around, a huge smile spread across his face.
“Good morning.” I smiled and gave him a nod as I approached.
“Hey, good to see you again neighbor.” He chuckled and gave me a quick nod of his head. “It looks like we’re taking the elevator together.”
“Oh? Are you headed to work?” I sipped my coffee and tilted my head.
“No, I’m just heading out to get some breakfast. Rand and I are firefighters. We are off for the next couple of days.” He motioned towards the elevator and we started walking almost side-by-side.
Be still my heart. Not only are they hot-as-sin, but they’re also literally modern day heroes.