“For her? I’d do anything.” I reach up, grabbing hold of her fingers with mine. “I’m sorry for how we went about it. We were wrong.”
“We were,” she echoes.
Chief smiles at both of us. “We can overcome this. There’s no reason for you two to keep sneaking around.”
“You’re right, so consider this us telling you right now.” Hayden steps back, forming a united front with me.
“I thank you for telling me, but I do ask that you go home.” He nods to her. “We’re on-shift and you shouldn’t be here.”
“I know, but how do you expect me to get home?” She looks around. “I didn’t drive myself.”
“Thank God for that,” he sighs. “I assume your sister is drunk too?”
“She was still eating and drinking when I left.”
“Jesus,” he sighs. “Rookie, go back to bed. C’mon Hayden, I’ll take you home.”
“Mind if we have a minute?” I ask quietly.
“A minute and not a second more.”
Chief leaves. Reaching out, I grab hold of her hand. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”
“Please do, I’ll be wondering if I dreamed this or not.”
Reaching in, I tilt her chin toward mine. “I’ll see you later?”
“Count on it.”
Chief comes back in. “Go get in the car, Hayden. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“See ya later.” She throws a look over her shoulder, giving me a wink. “Rookie.”
When she leaves, Chief comes back in. My stomach is in knots. The stern look on his face says we’re about to have a talk.
“Sit down,” he gestures to the seat I just got out of. While he takes a spot sitting on the edge of his desk.
Carefully, I drop down into it. It goes against the person I am, but I wait. For long minutes I wait as he seems to gather his thoughts.
“Look, I have rules about dating my daughters because I know how firefighters think. The men who take these positions are in lots of ways adrenaline junkies, who care more about their towns than they do their bodies. I realize how dangerous the job is. Every time we get called out, there’s a chance we aren’t coming back. I never wanted my girls to have to worry about that. They already do with me, so I wanted to save them the heartache if I could.”
“Understood, Sir,” I dig my fingers into my thighs. It’s coming, his request I let her go, and I’m not going to be able to do it.
He rubs at his chin. “But what I’ve learned about Hayden is…she has her own mind. She knows herself unlike anyone else I’ve ever seen. Because of the divorce with her mom and I, she absolutely does not let people in. If she’s let you in – she cares about you. I love her enough to respect her choices. She’s a grown woman, and although it’s hard for me to admit she’s not my little girl anymore, it’s a necessary evil.”
My heart is beating in my throat as I listen, my body wound tight as it waits to hear his words.
“You’re a good man, Rook. I know the issues you’ve had with your family, because I work close with City Hall. I’ve been asked by the Mayor more times than I care to count if I think you have what it takes to do this job.”
Grinding my teeth together is the only thing that stops the outburst building up inside me.
“Each time, I’ve told him there’s nobody better. You’ve got instincts I haven’t seen in a long time, you do whatever’s asked of you without questioning why, and you’ve proven to have a cool head in tough situations. I’m proud to have you on this team, and proud my daughter picked you. While I wish you and Hayden had come to me first, I understand. But let me say this – I wouldn’t give my blessing to just anybody – so listen to me when I say this to you. Nod so that you understand.”
I do, licking my suddenly dry lips.
“I do a lot of work with the forest service. Just me and nature, out where GPS doesn’t get signal. I know those areas like the back of my hand. Danny, you hurt my daughter? I’ll hide your ashes and they’ll never find you?”
“Yes, Sir,” I push out against my tight throat.
Clapping his hands on his thighs, he stands up. “Good talk. Let me get her home.”
As he leaves, I inhale deeply and cross my chest. Maybe going to church on Wednesday night for a little extra intervention won’t be a bad idea at all.