The door chimed.
Hadley gasped so loudly the entire café flinched, then she unleashed a squeal sharp enough to make two customers at a nearby table physically jolt in their seats. One dropped a stir stick. The other clutched his chest like he had briefly reevaluated his life choices.
"My husband is here," she announced in a stage whisper. "Everyone act natural."
Cole and Ethan stepped inside together, exactly the way they always did after morning rig checks in they weren't out on call.
Both wore navy Mistwood Fire Department shirts that stretched across strong shoulders. Their paramedic cargo pants were worn from long shifts, tactical boots heavy on the tile. They carried that quiet, steady alertness that marked trained first responders.
Cole, Hadley's long suffering husband, led the way.
Tall. Broad-shouldered.
Blond hair tousled like he'd styled it with one hand and a moving fire engine, surfer boy chic.
Warm brown eyes sweeping the room in habitual vigilance.
"Well, well, well," Hadley declared, grinning like she was about to host an award show. "Look what the fire department dragged in. My personal calendar model. And husband, in case anyone wasn't aware."
Cole stopped mid-step. Customers snickered.
Maya immediately ducked behind the muffins, shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter.
Gabe saluted Cole with a towel like they were on a ship instead of behind a coffee bar.
Cole sighed, long-suffering. "Hadley."
"What?" she asked sweetly. "I am simply appreciating the scenic view. Legally allowed. He married me. Public domain."
He leaned down and kissed her temple.
She melted dramatically, knees softening.
Cole rolled his eyes in the way only a man who deeply loved chaos could.
Ethan came in behind him.
Tall but not towering.
Muscular in the solid, dependable way born from hauling hoses and lifting people who couldn't lift themselves.
Dark hair slightly rumpled, brown eyes warm with big-brother softness.
He pulled Hadley into a side hug. "Causing trouble, Hads?"
"Always," she chirped.
Aislinn smiled at the familiar banter—
Then the memory hit with the speed and force of a blow.
The night Matt died.
A frantic knock slamming against her front door.
Liam's infant scream slicing the air behind her.
Her trembling fingers trying to find the lock while her whole body shook.
Cole stood there when she opened it.
Soot streaked through his blond hair.
Eyes red and raw.
Turnout gear hanging heavy on him, drenched in smoke and tragedy.
The acrid scent clung to him, thick enough to taste.
Ethan stood behind him.
His muscular shoulders trembled like he was barely upright.
Dark hair disheveled.
Eyes swollen from crying.
Ash smeared across his cheek.
His breath unsteady.
Cole opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His jaw locked. His throat strained.
It was Ethan who forced the words out.
"Ais…"
His voice scraped through him, ragged.
"There was a collapse."
Her stomach crashed downward.
Ethan's jaw tightened. He swallowed hard.
"Matt…"
His eyes closed briefly, pained.
"…Matt didn't make it."
The world tilted sideways.
Smoke filled her senses.
Liam's wail pierced her ears.
Her legs buckled.
A scream tore out of her, raw and terrified.
Everything went black.
The sound of Cole saying her name again snapped her back to reality
Cole stepped forward, tone careful, eyes softening. "Ais? You okay?"
She nodded too quickly, chin jerking. "I'm fine." Her voice was too thin.
Cole's brow creased. He did not buy it for a second.
Ethan took one look at her and read the truth in the tightness around her eyes. His expression gentled.
"Hey," he said softly. "We've got you. Always."
He pulled her into a hug.
Warm. Solid.
Steady in a way that reminded her why he had been Matt's best friend.
Steady in a way that wrapped around all her jagged edges and held them together for a moment.
Aislinn inhaled shakily against his shoulder. The comfort hit deep.
Hadley sniffed dramatically behind them. "Beautiful. Truly. My emotional soul has risen from the ashes."
Aislinn elbowed her.
Before Aislinn could respond, the patio door swung open.
She felt him before she saw him.
Some combination of air pressure, instinct, and That One Energy certain men carried like a bad cologne.
Creepy Patio Guy stepped inside.
Aislinn really should learn his actual name…"Creepy Patio Guy" probably wouldn't fly on a restraining order. Judges were anal like that.
He looked the same as always… and somehow worse up close.
Late twenties or thirties.
Dark hair still shoved under a beanie despite it being spring.
A neatly trimmed beard that suggested he cared about appearances, just not enough to care in the right ways.
Clothes rumpled like he put them on in the dark.
Shoulders slightly hunched.
Eyes too sharp, lingering too long, scanning her in a way that made every nerve tighten.
Not ugly.
Not threatening by build.
Just wrong in the quiet, persistent way that made her skin crawl.
His mouth curled into that same slow, off-smile.
"Hello again, gorgeous," he said, voice soft and syrupy in the wrong places.
Aislinn froze.
It wasn't fear exactly, but a cold prickling awareness under her skin.
Cole didn't freeze.
He moved like someone who had practiced stepping between danger and civilians for years.
Fire captain solid.
Broad shoulders filling her entire line of sight.
His tone calm, even, dangerously controlled. Protective in ways that bordered on territorial.
"She's on break," Cole said. "Step back."
Creepy Guy blinked, irritation flashing in his eyes before he smoothed it over. "I was just being friendly."
"Be friendly from over there," Cole replied, voice still steady but carrying the unspoken weight of someone who expected obedience.
A moment later, Ethan shifted forward too.
Not loud.
Not showy.
Just… present.
Tall, muscled, steady brown-eyed presence. Matt's best friend. Loyal to a fault.
"Time to leave," Ethan said, tone low enough to vibrate.
The man hesitated, a flick of his gaze toward Aislinn, a twitch of his jaw, a hint of something calculating but then stepped back, hands lifting in reluctant surrender.
He retreated toward the door, eyes sliding to her once more before he stepped outside.
When the door shut, Aislinn let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Hadley put both hands on her hips. "Ais, if you collect one more stalker, I am putting up a sign that says: Closed Due to Weird Male Attention."
Aislinn groaned softly. "Please don't."
Cole turned to her, concern tightening his features. "If he comes near you again, call me."
Ethan nodded. "Or me."
His voice held a depth she didn't always know what to do with, steady, gentle, achingly reminiscent of Matt in the ways that still managed to blindside her.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Hadley clapped her hands together loudly, startling two customers at the nearest table. "Break over, gremlins. Back to work before I start throwing pastries at people."
Cole checked the door again, jaw tight with leftover adrenaline. His fire department T-shirt stretched across his shoulders as he exhaled a deep breath that did nothing to ease the tension in his posture. He dragged a hand through his blond hair, fingers slow and distracted.
"You are sure you are alright?" Cole asked Aislinn quietly. His calm captain voice slipped for a moment revealing the worry beneath it.
Aislinn nodded. "I am okay. Really."
He still looked unconvinced.
Ethan stepped forward a little, hands in his pockets, steady brown eyes soft with concern. "Text us when you are leaving so we know you are good and that guy isn't hanging around here still."
Aislinn smiled. "Go before Hadley ropes you into fixing something."
This should have earned a laugh.
It didn't.
Cole turned toward the door and started walking. Ethan followed, offering Aislinn a warm squeeze on her shoulder before catching up to him.
Hadley blinked.
Then gasped, hand to her chest. "Excuse me, Captain Handsome. You are leaving without kissing your incredibly devoted and spectacularly patient wife?"
Cole stopped mid-step.
Ethan froze beside him.
The entire cafe turned, sensing marital drama flavored with Hadley's theatrics.
Cole pivoted slowly, eyes wide with the horror of a man who knew he had committed a grave domestic crime. "Hadley, I am sorry. I am distracted."
Hadley lifted her latte like a dramatic Victorian heroine holding smelling salts. "Distracted. He says distracted. I could drop dead from emotional betrayal right here on this tile."
Gabe snorted behind the bar.
Maya clapped a hand over her mouth to hold in a laugh.
Cole crossed the room in three long strides, cupped Hadley's face gently, and kissed her forehead with sincere apology.
When he pulled back, Hadley narrowed her eyes. "You missed," she said.
Cole huffed a soft laugh, finally looking like himself again, and kissed her properly.
Hadley melted against him like warm butter on toast. "That is right. Go to work fueled by love and also fear of my wrath."
Ethan shook his head. "You are chaos."
Hadley pointed at him. "And you love me."
He grinned. "Unfortunately for my sanity, yes."
They headed for the door again.
Before stepping out, Cole paused just long enough for Aislinn to notice the tension settle back over his shoulders. Ethan nudged him gently and murmured something under his breath.
Then the two men walked off toward the station across the street, tactical boots thudding against the sidewalk until they disappeared around the corner.
Hadley watched them go, hands on her hips. "Honestly, how does he forget to kiss me. I am unforgettable."
Aislinn laughed, the tension in her chest loosening just a fraction.
Hadley flicked her hair back. "Tragic. I deserve hazard pay."