Love Is Thicker Than Water

Chapter 2-2

Ryan sat in the back of the rig as they wove their way through the streets of Bereton. He was hot and sweaty and dirty, but he felt good. Damn good. He smiled at Matt, another one of the volunteer firefighters he worked with, and the goofy a*s look on his face.

“What’s so funny?” Matt asked.

“You. What the hell’s wrong with you?”

Matt flipped him off. “I’ve been up twenty-four hours. I’m f*****g exhausted.”

“New baby giving you hell?” Ryan asked.

Matt nodded. “Natalia is a saint, but this one is taking a toll on her. I think she might finally be done.”

“She doesn’t want to go for five?” Ryan asked.

Matt shook his head. “f**k, I hope not. I can barely keep up with three. Now with four, we’re going to be lucky if we survive. I don’t know how I can keep doing it all.”

Ryan’s brows drew together. “Are you giving this up?”

Matt shrugged. “I don’t want to, but money’s always tight and I don’t have time for a third job.”

“But you love this,” Ryan said, baffled at what his friend was saying. Matt was one of the first friends Ryan made when he decided to join the Bereton Volunteer Fire Company. Matt used to be a firefighter in New York City, but Natalia wanted to raise their family in a small town, so they sold everything they had and moved to Bereton. At the time, they were just talking about having kids, but four kids later, Ryan could understand the struggle.

“I do,” Matt said. “I want to keep doing this, but we just have to see. You’ll understand when you settle down. If you ever settle down.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. It was a running joke between them that Matt was the old man and Ryan was the young stud who couldn’t be saddled. Matt was younger than Ryan’s older brother, Henry, but he and Natalia started having kids in their early twenties. By the time he was Ryan’s age, Matt had two kids with a third on the way.

“I like things the way they are.”

Matt grinned. “Yeah, yeah. Hey, how did everything go the other day? I haven’t seen you since.”

For a second, Ryan thought Matt was asking about the mysterious Bella. Then it clicked that he was talking about the party for his dad and the pain came back in a flash.

“Not easy. My family wants to celebrate, but I keep thinking he died without ever finding proof that Perry stole from our family. My dad swore it, but Perry insists he never did anything. I just wish I could bring him some peace.”

“Something tells me he isn’t the only one who needs that peace,” Matt said. “What’s to stop you from digging into it again?”

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t even know where I’d look. If he has something, I wouldn’t think it’d be out in the vineyard. He’d have it hidden. And I have no way of getting onto his property and searching. Not to mention it isn’t legal.”

Matt shook his head. “Don’t get arrested. But what about going through your dad’s stuff. Maybe you can find something there. Something he missed. You’re a fresh set of eyes.”

They paused their conversation as they helped unload the gear from the rig. Once everything was stored and cleaned and ready for the next emergency, Matt turned to Ryan again.

“You need this. And I think your family might, too. Perry did what he could to make your father look like he was crazy. He told anyone who would listen that your father was trying to set him up. I don’t blame you for still being pissed and wanting justice. You should get it.”

Ryan nodded. He knew Perry tried to ruin his dad, but Victor was well respected in the community. It didn’t stop Perry from trying. Then the asshole had the nerve to show up at Victor’s funeral. Henry almost didn’t make it through his eulogy when he saw the man there, again, making himself look good in front of the community when Ryan’s family had no choice but to stand by and let it happen.

“I need to talk to my brother and my mom. If I’m going to do anything, they need to know about it. I don’t like people thinking my father was the one who lied all these years,” Ryan said.

“If you need anything, let me know,” Matt said.

Ryan chuckled. “When do you think you can help? You already said you don’t sleep.”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, well, I’d figure something out if you needed me.”

Ryan grinned. “Thanks. For now, go home and get some sleep. Morning will come far too early.”

Matt looked tired just thinking about the morning. He turned and headed out. Ryan checked in with their supervisor for the shift and confirmed he wasn’t needed either, then headed up to the bunk room. If he got called in for a fire, or if he was on call, he usually spent the night at the station. Most of his fellow volunteers went home, but Ryan preferred the quiet of the fire station to the quiet of his home, especially when he wasn’t sure his home would be all that quiet.

He settled onto one of the cots and turned onto his stomach. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself when darkness was all he saw. He was almost asleep when the alarm went off again.

It was going to be a long night.