Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4) (3 page)

She walked up on the deck; there was no one around. As she
reached to open the screen door, a burst of laughter came from inside the
house. Megan frowned.
I’m glad someone is having a good time.

She stepped into the kitchen, and her mother spotted her. 
With outstretched hands, she motioned for her. “Megan! What a surprise to see
you.”

“Hi, Mom,” Megan said hugging her mother. At 52-years of
age, Iona Jones maintained a slim figure and looked much younger than her
actual age.  She colored her sandy brown hair but other than that she was an
attractive woman that appeared ageless.  While Connor favored Iona, Megan
favored her father who had the same light brown eyes and the same texture of
hair.

Iona took a step back to examine her daughter. “My
goodness, Megan; you’ve lost more weight.  When are you going to stop letting
that man worry you to death?”

“Mom, please.  You have company, and I don’t want my dirty
laundry exposed to whoever is here.  I saw the grill was going; is there enough
food for me to make a plate?”

Iona smiled. “There is always plenty of food.  Go see who
is in the living room. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, and I’ll make
you a plate.”

Megan groaned.  She wasn’t in the mood for surprises but
since she was crashing her mother’s party it only seemed fitting she’d be the
one to greet the guests.  “Okay, but make me a small portion. Oh, is it okay if
I stay here tonight?”

 “What happened, Megan? Did Ryan kick you out of the
house?  I’ll call your father.”

“No, he did not kick me out of the house, I left.  We’ll
talk after your company is gone.”

Iona snarled. “I can’t stand that man. Sweetheart, this
will always be your home.  You can stay here for as long as you want.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Stalling, Megan caught the smirk on Iona’s face before she
turned around to tend to the food on the stove. She decided to let it go.  Her
mother would undoubtedly give her more unwanted advice about Ryan once the visitors
were gone.  Walking through the short hallway that separated the kitchen from
the rest of the house, Megan entered the living room and stopped dead in her
tracks.  The reason for the underlying smirk on Iona’s face hit home.  A blast
from her past sat comfortably on the couch with wide eyes of surprise. 
Apparently, he was not expecting to see her tonight.

Their eyes had met before any words were spoken. Megan
hadn’t stared into those piercing dark eyes in years.  The last she had seen
Emin Grigorian was the night she broke it off with him.  Emin had fallen in
love and was looking to make her his wife before he left for law school in New
York.  She cared about Emin and enjoyed his company, but she was not in love
him.  Even though they dated, they had never been intimate. She also knew she
would never be accepted by his Armenian parents.  Emin was born in America, but
his parents were deeply rooted in their culture and expected him to marry an
Armenia woman.

Emin argued that his parents adored her and were not
opposed to them getting married, but Megan felt their disappointment in her
whenever she was around them.  Between Emin’s clinginess and Iona pushing her
to be with him, Ryan was the breath of fresh air she needed.  He gave her the
strength to tell Emin it was best they go their separate ways.

On the night Megan decided to break the news to Emin. She
was stunned when he proposed with a ring that had a diamond the size of a
marble and sparkled as bright as the highest star in a night sky. It was breathtaking. 
It hurt her to say no, and his dark eyes expressed a pain that touched her
soul.

Several years later, here she is face to face with him
again, and in the same speechless situation.  She was sure her mother had
filled in the absent years since they’d last seen each other.  She didn’t doubt
Emin knew all about her troubled marriage to Ryan.

She swallowed and hitched her chin up. “Emin, it’s good to
see you?  You look great.”

Emin was always a perfect gentleman.  He opened doors,
held out chairs and helped her with her coat whenever they went out together. 
She didn’t expect any less of him when he got up from the couch and greeted her
with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Megan gave him the once over.  The years had been decent
to him. His thick hair had not thinned, and his smile was just as bright as
ever. He wasn’t a very tall man.  His height put him a few inches over her, and
he had lost the extra weight he carried around his mid-section.  The expensive
black Italian leather shoes, silk shirt, and dark trousers were tailored to fit
his new masculine body.  He wasn’t nearly as muscular as Ryan, but not the
pudgy man he was before either.  The new image he’d made for himself was a vast
improvement.

He finally spoke. “Wow, Megan. How is it possible for you
to be more beautiful than I remember?”

Her cheeks heated as his eyes roamed over her. She smiled
and said, “Stop it, Emin; I look a mess.”

“You could be covered in dirt and still be beautiful to
me.  Iona didn’t mention you would be stopping by tonight. I’m glad I didn’t
cancel when she offered me the dinner invitation last week,” he said as a glint
of light from the lamp sparkled in the corner of his eye.

Megan froze from the shudder running down her spine.  Why
had her mother contacted him?  The urge to confront her mother increased as the
scenarios ran through her head.  It made sense; Iona had run her mouth like she
often does.  He’s an attorney and Iona’s obsession with kicking Ryan out of the
family was evident to everyone.  She wouldn’t hesitate to pull a stunt like
this and justify herself in doing it.

Megan blinked to clear her head. “My mother contacted
you?  I didn’t know you were still in Cleveland. I figured you stayed in New
York after law school.  That was your dream.”

Emin shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants. “After
you broke my heart, I did decide to live in New York. I’m here visiting my
parents before they travel to Armenia for the next six months.”

“That’s great,” she said tucking strands of curls behind
her ear. Even when he was chubby, his go-lucky personality attracted people to
him.  She wondered what his love life was like now that he had dropped the
weight and was quite good-looking.

“I’m not going to pretend with you, Megan.  We’ve known
each other for years, and it’s no secret I wanted more with you.  My dream was
for us to get married, and I would give you anything and everything you could
want.”

Megan lowered her head to look at the floor.  The wood
flooring had never been updated or replaced after years of polishing and deep
cleaning. She could identify what every off-colored stain, scratch, and notches
were that she and Connor made on the floor when they were kids.  Her father was
a stickler to the rule if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. He only replaced or
upgraded fixtures in the house that were unable to be repaired.

“I assume my mother has talked to you about my marriage.”

He nodded slowly. “Yes, she mentioned there are problems
in your marriage.”

Megan turned her back to Emin and sighed loudly. “I wish
she had not done that.  If I wanted people to know about my private life, I
would tell them myself.”

“She’s worried about you, Megan.  She thought I could help
somehow.”

She closed her eyes to count and slow her anger. “I bet
she did.  She hoped by spilling my troubled marriage to my ex-boyfriend, who is
also an attorney, would get me to file for a divorce.  I’m not ready to file
for a divorce just yet.”

“Megan, I’m not offering you any legal advice.  I’m here
to help you through this.  If you decide you want to pursue a divorce, I
promise you’ll get whatever you need from him to get back on your feet.  If you
want the house…you name it, and I’ll get you whatever he has.”

She turned around to face him hoping the anger in her eyes
didn’t reflect how mad she was at the moment. “Thanks but I’m not out to
bankrupt Ryan.  I love him, and there is still hope we can save our marriage.”

“According to Iona, this guy is a total jerk and won’t
even return your phone calls.  Megan, don’t let him drag you to hell because
you don’t want to face a failed marriage.”

Megan rolled her eyes upward. “Oh no, she is not going to
get away with playing you.  Emin, Mom, has never accepted Ryan as my husband. 
She has you here under false pretenses.  She hopes to rekindle some old
feelings between us that will force me to see what I gave up to marry Ryan.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “How is that possible when I
had no idea you were coming tonight?  You’re very stressed, Megan.  I see it in
your eyes.  Look, if you need to get away to relax, I have a place in SoHo that
is available whenever you want to use it.  You can come for a weekend or stay a
week or more. We’ll take in the sights of New York and get reacquainted with
each other.”

“Do you live in this apartment in SoHo?” Megan asked
cutting off Emin before he could finish.

“Yes. I go to the Hamptons when I need to get away from
the grind of work to unwind and relax. You loved it there, remember?”

She walked around him to sit down in a chair.  She got a
nose full of his expensive cologne.  Emin was extremely wealthy, and that’s
what Iona wanted her to marry—a wealthy man. He didn’t have to be a good man,
just rich and connected in the community. “I remember the house in the
Hamptons. The cherry blossoms trees were gorgeous.  Are they still there?”

“Yes.  I know the house isn’t being used by anyone in the
family at the moment.  How soon can you clear your schedule for a quick
getaway?”

“Megan makes her own schedule for now, don’t you
sweetheart?”  Iona interrupted the two-way conversation as she entered the room
carrying a tray with food and placing it in front of Megan.

Megan cringed. If she did want to get away from Cleveland
for a short while, it wouldn’t be with Emin. “Mom, have you forgotten that I’m
a married woman?”

“That disaster of a marriage is as good as over, Megan.
Emin is offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity and New York is beautiful
in the summer. The city is full of excitement and adventure.  I’m sure he’ll be
the perfect host to show you a good time and take your mind off your problems. 
You should think about it before snubbing your nose at the idea.”

Iona was dictating again how she should run her life. 
Instinctively, she wanted to rebel.  Megan released a frustrated breath. 
Emin’s gaze was as immovable and inflexible as Iona’s. They were teaming her,
but she did have choices other than to sit and take it.  She could go home—only
Ryan was there.  They would be alone together for the whole night. She loved
when early in the marriage they would curl on the couch and watch a movie or
just talk. It could be that way again if she would concede and be the happy
wife she was before the fire department came into Ryan’s life.

Megan looked at the plate of food on the table and her
stomach knotted.  She’d rather sit with Ryan in total silence than to sit with
Iona and Emin and listen to them berate her husband or belittle her for
marrying him. “I have to go.” She raced from the house and was in her car not
looking over her shoulder to see if Iona or Emin had followed her.  The tires of
the gray Chevy Impala squealed as she pulled away from the curb and tore down
the street.

Chapter Four

Ryan stuck his head out of the shower door and listened…it
was the telephone ringing. Turning off the water, he grabbed a towel and
wrapped it around his waist. He picked up the extension in the bedroom.
“Hello?”

“Ryan?”

“Yeah. Who is this?” he asked, wiping away the water that
had dripped in his eyes from his wet hair.

“It’s me, Gabby. Is Megan with you?”

He cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he
removed the towel to dry himself off. “No, she left over an hour ago to meet
you and Pam. She isn’t there yet?”

“No, and she isn’t answering her cell phone. We’ve been
waiting for her to show up. Was she planning on making any other stops?”

Ryan let the towel fall to the floor and fought to keep
his voice from showing concern. “Gabby, she doesn’t tell me what she’s doing
anymore.”

“Okay, I’ll keep trying to reach her.”

Ryan hung up the telephone and panic quickened his
heartbeat as he hurried to dress. It was apparent that Megan was upset when she
left. He should’ve stopped her from leaving even if it would have meant holding
her against her will.  He tied the laces of his tennis shoes and took his
wallet and keys off the dresser.

As he reached for the doorknob, the door swung open almost
smacking him in the face. Their eyes met, and his heartbeat slowed. She
appeared shaken, but there were no visible injuries on her. “Thank God you’re
okay.” He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her close and feel her soft
body against his once more. Just thinking about her that way made him grow
hard. He knew this wasn’t the time for that, but being near her always caused
him to get a raging erection. The months without her had been hell on him
emotionally and sexually. They were good together as partners and lovers. The
first time he made love to her, he knew there would never be another woman for
him.

Megan stepped inside the house and closed the door. “Yeah,
I’m fine. Why?”

“Gabby called. She’s wondering where you are and why you
aren’t picking up your phone.”

Megan licked her lips, those luscious full lips, and his
manhood reacted by throbbing painfully against the front of his pants.

“Oh, I decided not to go out tonight.”

“Why didn’t you tell them that instead of letting them
worry about you? You should call Gabby and let her know you’re home.”

She slipped off her shoes and sat on the couch, folding
her legs beneath her. “I will. I need a minute to calm down.”

“So something did happen to you? What happened tonight,
Megan?”

“Nothing, Ryan. I went over to my mom’s instead of the
club. You know how she can be.”

He raised his brow. “Right. I’m sure I was the topic of
your conversation.”

Megan nodded her head slowly. “Yes, you were as usual. As
usual, I got mad at her and stormed out. I’m tired of this. I’m tired of
feeling like a slug carrying the burdens of a hundred people. I need relief and
fast.”

Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. “What does that
mean, Megan? Do you want to give our marriage a shot or make your mother
happy?”

“I want our marriage to work, but your job will be the
angst to keep the tension high, Ryan. We’ll never agree, and I can’t learn to
accept that you put your life in danger.  This is killing me inside.”

He took a deep breath and forced himself to sit next to
her on the couch. He put his arm around her, pulling her head to his shoulder
although she wasn’t crying. She felt good, so right in his arms as he breathed
in her alluring scent. A warm sigh left his mouth, making the tendrils of her
hair flutter. If he could make all their troubles go away, banish them like
they never existed, he would. “We can work this out, Megan. I’m ready to try
counseling if you still want to do that.”

Megan pulled away from him. Her face was composed, and her
expression lifted. “What made you change your mind?”

Ryan wanted to keep hold of her as she pulled herself
completely away from his arms. “I had a talk with Jon. He said I shouldn’t be
against getting professional help.”

She snorted. “When I suggested we go to counseling you
were against it, but Jon suggests it and all of a sudden it’s a great idea.
Wow, I can’t believe you.”

He sat up and rubbed his forehead. “What is the problem?
I’m willing to do it; isn’t that what matters?”

Megan got off the couch, and her eyes clashed with his in
a disgusted stare. Ryan’s breath caught silently, and his heart began to race
again. Every time he opened his mouth he seemed to stick his foot in it. Maybe
he shouldn’t have said Jon had any bearing on his decision. He watched her
face; it had that look. She was going to tell him to go screw himself. It
wouldn’t be the first time she’d said it.

“It matters to me, Ryan. Our marriage is all but over and
instead of us making decisions based on our needs; you consult with your
firefighter friends. How many of them are married, Ryan? Out of those married,
are they happy and in secure marriages?”

He hadn’t been at Station 30 long enough to know the
personal lives of every firefighter, only those he associated with. “What does
that have to do with us? But since you asked, Jon, Orlando, Nick, and I am sure
there are others that are in happy marriages.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Are you certain about
that?  Orlando and Nick have both been divorced and working on their second
marriages.  Jon and you are the only firefighters in first-time marriages.
You’re getting second-hand advice from men that couldn’t hold onto their first
wives. Dammit, Ryan, do you remember the drama when you first joined the fire
department? You were part of the search party looking for Nick’s pregnant wife.
The man she was running from was a firefighter.”

Her anger smothered his memories of them together early in
the marriage. He didn’t get angry often, but there were times when Megan’s
behavior put him on the verge of wanting to scold her like a child. “That was
different, Megan. Anthony Jenkins had an emotional breakdown. He has recovered
and apologized for what he did. I’m not going to condemn the man for going
through some shit. He owned up to it and is living his life right.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they will rally around and
support you when the time comes.”

His blood pressure shot up as he raised his voice. “Who
will rally around you? Your mother who is filling your head with nonsense about
me? I’m a good man and have been a good husband to you.  That is until she
started whispering in your ear. Baby, I’m done tiptoeing around you. I refuse
to stand here and let you dump on me because you’re insecure and acting like a
fucking spoiled brat. If I weren't a firefighter, it would be something else
I’d be doing that would have you yapping. So stop the bitching and make your
next move because I don’t have a magic potion to fix this shit. Quitting my job
is not an option.”

The words were flying from his mouth, and he couldn’t stop
them. Megan’s eyes spilled over with tears, and her face flushed with hurt.
Word after word was a personal slap in her face. This was the woman he had
vowed to love forever that he was slinging foul language at and accusing of
being childish. He had no doubt now that she would walk out on their four-year
marriage. He would have to accept it and adjust because he felt that he’d used
everything in him to try and get through to her with no avail.

Silence fell over the living room. The clock ticking on
the wall was the only noise until Megan spoke. Her voice was barely louder than
the ticking clock. “I’ll contact a lawyer tomorrow to get the divorce started.
Is it okay with you if I stay here tonight? I don’t think I can drive right
now,” she said nervously, wringing her hands together.

“I’m not throwing you on the street; I would never do
that.” He felt lower than a monster. Megan was young and very emotional. When
Iona wasn’t coddling her, he was. She never had to stand up for herself because
someone else did it for her. He didn’t have that growing up. His father took
his anger out on everyone in the house.

“Thank you. I’m going to bed,” she said, walking by him
and into the kitchen.

Ryan dropped his head in his hands. His father’s image
came into view. When Elliot Tisdale got angry, his line of fire hit everyone in
the room. His mother, God, rest her soul, never stood a chance at a happy life.
He constantly berated her until she drank herself to an early grave. His older
brother Eddie left home soon after the funeral, and his younger sister Kara
tried to care for their father, but he thought he could hit her like he did
their mother. Kara married the first man to show her any kindness and left town.
Ryan hasn’t seen or spoken to her in years. He talks to Eddie once or twice a
month. They aren’t as close as siblings should be, and he should reach out to
them, but with his marriage falling apart, that won’t be happening anytime
soon.

As a child, Ryan spent summers with his paternal
grandparents. His grandfather was a carpenter, and he learned to work with his
hands; his grandmother was a baker. She taught all three kids the basics of
cooking and means of surviving on their own. Grandpa and Grandma Tisdale
weren’t blind and saw what an awful parent their son was but never intervened
to take the children away.

Ryan stayed single for that reason. He strayed from
relationships because he wasn’t instilled with the values of what it was like
to be in a loving family. His father was the king of all bastards. Loud,
obnoxious, overbearing, and plain evil. He had numerous affairs and expected he
had produced several children with these women. Ryan wasn’t sure how many
stepbrothers and sisters he had floating around Cleveland.

Losing his temper with Megan just now showed that he had
inherited Elliot’s genes. It was as if Elliot’s ghost had taken over his body.
Ryan leaned his head back on the couch. Throbbing tension spread from temple to
temple only to meet in the center of his forehead. The stress was killing him.
Four years ago, he had bit the bullet and married Megan against his better
judgment. He loved her but felt she was too young for him. He often wondered
why a beautiful, young woman such as herself, would want with him. He wasn’t a
flashy dresser, nor did he drive a fancy car. He was an average man that
boarded on being a loner.

He dated and satisfied his sexual appetite that way, but
once a woman suggested getting closer or said that forbidden word, he found a
reason to break it off. For whatever reason, when he met Megan that had all
changed. He had fallen head over heels in love with her in two months. He
couldn’t get enough of her despite their race and age differences. He was
surprised when he had finally met her parents.  He never suspected Megan was
bi-racial. Her light brown eyes and smooth light caramel skin color had him
thinking she was pure African-American, and he had no problem with that.

Once they were married, he found what true happiness was.
He later learned that Jonathon DiMinico’s father and Carol Tisdale were brother
and sister, and Jon was his first cousin. This came about while cleaning out
the family home after Elliot committed suicide by hanging himself. They found a
box of his mother’s personal belongings stashed in the basement. Inside it were
family photographs, documents and letters she had written to them. Ryan took it
upon himself to reach out to Jon who was the only relative that lived in
Cleveland. Once they made contact, they fast became friends, and it was Jon
that suggested he take the test for the fire department.  As much as Megan
claims she was unaware of his decision to do this, he knew she knew. They were
at Jon’s house for a cookout. Jon introduced them to fellow firefighter Orlando
Torres and his wife Regan. He remembers Megan cooing over their young son. At
one point, he thought he saw her tear up when she handed the child back to
Regan.

The sound of the shower running cut his thoughts. He got
up from the couch and turned off the light.  In the morning, he would apologize
to Megan for his rude outburst.