I couldn't omit a snippet from the Rescue for Hire reunion book. I've wanted to write a story that included all the original guys. They are very special to me. I laughed and cried my eyes out as I typed the words. I gave it my everything. As always, new characters appear and future stories are walking on the horizon. Enjoy A Rescue for Hire Independence Day Reunion (A Holiday Story)
Cade Miller and Bret James
cordially invite you to our home
for an Independence Day picnic on the 4th of July.
The celebration starts at 2 pm with supper at 5:30 pm.
There will be a fireworks extravaganza at sunset.
This is a family affair. Partners, children, and pets are welcome.
Bret James studied the paper he’d pulled from the printer. He decided the invite needed a few bursts of silver-colored fireworks, a picnic basket in the corner, and a bunch of red, white, and blue flags across the top.
A whisper of noise had him glancing up to find Cade standing in the office doorway. Bret noted his bear’s intense stare and wondered which latest catastrophe one of the children had tried to hide from him. You’d think the big, tough leader of a team of ex-military men, who risked their lives saving people from natural and manmade disasters, would intimidate foster, special needs, and adopted kids. Not their children. They ran to Cade to confess their transgressions in hopes that he would talk to Bret before they came clean on their misbehaviors. Never in a million years would Bret understand that development.
“Do you need something, bear?”
Cade moved into the room and made his way to the over-sized chair sitting behind Cade’s specially made, massive office desk. Bret frowned at the exaggerated limp and heavy way the man leaned on his cane. If he hadn’t already discovered an insurance co-payment receipt for an appointment with one of the doctors at the new orthopedic sports institute, Bret would have made his opinion known to the big man. Being in pain and worsening the damage by putting off treatment was unacceptable.
Bret would never forget the terror and shock of learning that Cade had been injured during a rescue gone wrong. The scare of losing Cade had threatened to send Bret into a black hole of misery. He’d sat by his bear’s bedside and prayed. Only the determination to help Cade in every way possible kept the deep ache in his heart at bay. Since that time, Bret had vowed to always be there for his big bear of a man, whether Cade liked it or not.
Cade sank into the chair and sighed. Bret pressed his lips together to keep from commenting.
“Come sit with me for a moment.” Cade held out his hand. “I want to talk to you about something.”
Bret walked over and let Cade lift him onto the desk. Cade might have a bum knee, but his strength hadn’t lessened one iota in the years they’d been together. Bret’s mind wandered to all the times he sat perched on the edge of the desk and slid his legs forward over the chair’s arms, so Cade could shove his cock deep into Bret’s ass. From the firmness of Cade’s jaw, a little sexy fun wasn’t on the menu at the moment.
“The first draft of the picnic invitation is finished.” Bret held the paper up and let his bear see the sample. “I’m thinking of adding a few more colorful graphics.”
Cade took the sheet and studied the invitation. “It looks good, baby.”
“I love the idea of everyone from Rescue for Hire getting together for a day of fun.” Bret tried to concentrate on the conversation despite Cade running his large hands over his thighs. Every tiny hair on Bret’s body stood up to tingling attention. “We’ve all been so busy lately doing our own thing. What’s better than lots of food, great conversation, and fireworks?”
Cade’s restless fingers messaged Bret’s upper leg muscles into goo. Bret spotted the small tic throbbing next to Cade’s eye. Some of Bret’s excitement dimmed. His man was stressing about something.
Bret grabbed Cade’s hands and stopped their movement. “Bear? What’s going on?”
“I think adding a wedding would be better,” Cade answered.
Bret tipped his head to the side and tried to figure out in what direction Cade was taking the conversation. Cade’s schooled blank expression gave nothing away of the man’s thoughts, except it kind of did. Very few times, in their relationship, had Cade ever held anything back. Their vow of complete honesty stayed true through thick and thin. That Cade was hiding his feelings told Bret whatever was on the man’s mind was serious and huge.
“Who would be getting married?” Bret’s brain zipped to Damian working more magic and convincing Treble to marry him. The company’s pilot had his hands full with their weapons expert.
“Would you marry me, baby?”
Bret heard the words. No problem there. He understood the sentence. Still no problem. And yet, he couldn’t comprehend where Cade was going with that out-of-the-blue question.
“Why would you ask me that?”
Cade sat back, and the chair creaked in protest. The man’s dark blue eyes grew stormy, and his thick eyebrows lowered into a deep frown.
“Are you saying that you won’t marry me?”
Shit. Bret couldn’t believe it. Cade was asking him to marry him. Really, really, marry him. Wow, just wow!
Bret’s back connected with the top of the desk. Cade’s face flushed and thunderclouds of tension darkened his eyes. Bret spread his legs wider to accommodate the looming, angry man.
“I think you’d better start talking, baby,” Cade stated. “I’ve never asked anyone to marry me before, and so far, I haven’t received the answer I expected.”
“Of course, I would marry you,” Bret sputtered. “I just…”
The rest of Bret’s words were stifled by Cade mouth. The kiss demanded Bret’s submission, and he opened his lips to accept Cade’s seeking tongue. As always, Cade’s kiss rocked Bret’s world. He dove into the taste of his bear and gloried in the sensations of desire the man’s expert touch always ignited.
Soon Bret had his legs wrapped around Cade’s waist and sought relief by rubbing his hard prick against his bear’s taut belly. Bret decided they were wearing too many clothes.
Cade broke the kiss and sat back into his chair, bringing Bret with him. Their gazes met and held. Silence reigned, and Bret’s nerves stretched to the point of breaking. The big man had far too much patience for Bret’s comfort, and he always had an urge to wave a white flag in surrender.
Needing to break the standoff, Bret picked up Cade’s left hand and traced the tattoo circling his ring finger. His own wide band of gold and the tattoo underneath seemed to burn from the weight of the moment.
“Years ago, you made your views clear to me,” Bret explained. “I was yours and you are mine. You gave me the gold ring, and we had rings tattooed on our fingers.” Bret looked up and met Cade’s gaze. “I’ve never doubted your love or commitment. When Jack and Pip were married, along with Rock and Brad, I was happy for them, but it never occurred to me that I would ever marry.”
Jack was Cade’s best friend and the first paramedic of Rescue for Hire. When he and Pip got together, Pip became Bret’s best friend. Cade hired Rock to replace Alex, when the first tracker of the team had a career-ending hip injury. Rock fell in love with Brad, Pip’s brother. They had all married in individual ceremonies one Christmas night, along with Pip and Brad’s other brother, Tyler, sister, Stephanie, and their father, Glen Hayward, in a grand wedding.
“Why wouldn’t you ever marry?” Cade asked. An edge entered the man’s tone. “Do you have a problem with marriage to another man?”
Bret tried to push away from Cade and stand. Sometimes the man could piss him off and frustrate the hell out of him in one big swoop of stupid. Of course, his bear was having nothing to do with his idea of a grand exit. Under Cade’s strength, Bret stayed where was, on Cade’s lap.
A crazy mixture of sadness, frustration, and a million other feelings swirled through Bret. “You don’t get it. After our first couple of years together and you never mentioned marriage, I thought it wasn’t important to you. I pushed aside that tiny hope and came to realize that our souls are already one. Our love had united us.” Bret tried to breathe through the heavy weight of emotions pressing against his chest. “I don’t understand why you are bringing up marriage now.”
Cade’s face paled and his lips separated. The tiny lines bracketing his mouth deepened.
“Fuck this leg,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, honey. If I could, I’d carry you to our bedroom and keep you there for days to make up for my stupidity. I want to kneel before you right now and beg for forgiveness. I’d ask you to be my husband in the proper manner if I would be able to stand again. Damn it, I’m a bastard.”
Temper sparked and mixed with Bret’s confusion. No one was allowed to call his bear names, not even the bear himself. Well, maybe Bret had a time or two when Cade needed a few home truths pointed out. But that’s where it ended.
Bret cupped Cade’s cheeks and sought the answers to why Cade kept apologizing.
“What are you talking about? Why would I need to forgive you?”
“I thought I had it all.” Cade took Bret’s hands from his face and folded them over his heart. “I had you and the children that came into our life. I told myself I was helping the world by building teams of experts to save people in life-threatening danger.” Deep lines formed across Cade’s forehead as the man swallowed hard and looked everywhere but at Bret. After a moment, Cade gazed at Bret with eyes glistening with moisture. “Through the years, it never occurred to me that you wanted more. I was too busy living our already wonderful life together. Damn, even now, I asked you to marry me to protect you. I’m so sorry.”
Bret tugged on his hands until Cade freed them. He wrapped his arms around his clueless, wonderful lover, and hugged him tight.
“Silly man,” Bret whispered in Cade’s ear. “Every day you show me how deep your love is and have given me more than I could hope for in a relationship. Actions speak louder than words. That’s why I couldn’t understand your proposal. We already have the everlasting, strong union of our hearts.”
“Surgery on my knee is my only option,” Cade whispered back. “If something would happen on the operating table, I wanted you to be protected in every legal way possible. Now, I realize how important and how much I need to exchange sacred vows of commitment with you in front of the world. I love you.” Cade held Bret far enough away so they could look at each other. “Will you marry me?”
Joy bloomed and overwhelmed. Bret nodded. His love for the big man couldn’t be contained, and tears spilled down his cheeks.
“I will,” he choked out.
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