Page 64 of Built of Flames

The rest of the day followed the same pattern. Every firefighter she knew walked through the door. None stayed long. Everyone brought a single flower until she had dozens of them.

Carnations. Roses. Daisies. Ones she didn’t know the names of.

Blue, red, yellow, white, orange.

Mitch had found a couple of large vases, and she was living in a rainbow.

Any of the crew who had been on the team when she’d left had apologized. A few had blinked away tears.

And they’d all thanked her. Even though it was Mitch and Christo who had figured it out and stopped Kent from killing her.

They all shook Mitch’s hand and slapped him on the back as well.

Christo had run in during his lunch break, as had others who were on shift. It was a small town, and they figured they were due for a break after two fires in one day and taking down an arsonist.

Kent Speers. Not just a creep, but an arsonist.

It was after lunch when Duncan returned to remove the IV and check her over. “Dr. Iminez will be by soon. I think you’ll be good to go. Your numbers are all good, and as long as you follow instructions, you should be back to normal in a week or so. Aside from the cast. You get to keep that for another month.”

She wanted to be home. At Midnight Lodge. With Mitch.

As Duncan was leaving, her father walked in. He nodded at Mitch and then approached her bed. “How are you feeling today, Isabella?”

He’d used her name a few times now. At the firehall she’d always been Martinez, Martinez Three, or simply Three. She’d felt like an employee, not a daughter.

Now she did.

“Hi Dad. I’m good. Just itching to get out of here.”

“You listen to the doctors. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”

His voice cracked, and Bella blinked against her own emotion. They still had a way to go before they had a normal relationship, but they were moving in the right direction.

Mitch smiled gently and left the room quietly.

Her father handed her a picture frame. In it was a copy of the picture he had in his foyer. The four of them were in the park, with her dad holding her on the swing.

“Oh, Dad. Thank you. This is perfect.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her in for a hug. She tried to blink back the tears, but it proved impossible. The emotions were too big.

She felt his big body shudder as he spoke into her hair. “Your mom would be so damn proud of you. For so many things. You’ve built a good life and a good career. You’re smart and strong. And brave. You kept Kent occupied and gave us time to get there.”

He leaned back and smiled at her. “The ass told us everything. How you tried to get free, how you fought back, how you grabbed his shirt and hauled him down when he tried to throw you in the fire.”

He swallowed hard. “I’m proud of you, Isabella. I love you. Always have, although I didn’t quite know how to show you or say it. When your mom died, I fell apart. The only way I could keep going was to focus on the job. I was so scared of losing you or Christo, I tried to pretend you were just part of the team, not part of the family. The only thing that did was push the two of you away. I know you’re going back to Midnight Lake, but I don’t want to lose touch. I want to be part of your life, if you’ll let me.”

Bella wasn’t sure she’d ever heard her dad say such a long speech unless he was at work. But every word helped heal her heart a little bit more.

“I’d really like that, Dad. I love you, too.”

Then he hugged her again, careful of her injuries, but firmly enough that she could feel his heart beating.

They talked for a few minutes, more easily than since she’d been a kid. When he stood to go, she grabbed his hand again. “Thanks, Dad. For everything.”

He squeezed her hand and turned to go just as the door opened and Mitch walked back in with Mac. Even though Mitch and her father were big man, Mac made them both look ordinary.

Mitch smiled at her. “I’m going to have a word with your dad before he goes. See you in a few minutes.”