Page 75 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
“Surreal. Maybe it’s different for women? They actually gave birth to the kids, and we just raise them,” I muse.
“Yeah, it’s like women come out of the womb knowing how to make cupcakes and play pin the tail on the donkey.” Zachary rolls his eyes. “Speaking of which, Paigedidn’tmake the cupcakes, right?”
“I made the cupcakes,” I promise. “She offered her support after the task was over.”
“I really didn’t need to hear that,” Zachary says, hustling to put some distance between us.
“She washed the dishes. Get your head out of the gutter.”
He gives me a knowing look, one that says he knows exactly what we did once the kitchen was clean. And he isn’t wrong. Paige and I spend almost every day together. I sleep here most nights because it is easier for Noah, even though he has a room at my place.
The yard is filling up quickly with everyone I know and love from Crown Hill. The firefighters were the first to show up, eager to help with setup and hit the open bar. They’re good people, andI’m glad that Levi encouraged me to let my guard down around them.
Paige’s family is here: Levi, her mom, and Mr. Oakley, who might as well be family. He is sitting in the middle of the fray with his puppy on a leash beside him. Paige somehow managed to convince the old man he needed a companion when she wasn’t around.
She had already adopted one of the rescued puppies, claiming it was for Noah. The other, she managed to foist on poor, unsuspecting Mr. Oakley. Despite the way she twisted his arm, he does seem to love the puppy. He seems happier and more active these days with him.
“What are you thinking?” Paige asks, coming up behind me and casually looping her arm through mine.
“I was just thinking about how incredibly lucky we are.”
My eyes mist at the truth in those words. I wasn’t planning on saying them aloud, but it is true. I have everything I need.
“We’re still waiting for a few people before we cut the cake,” Paige says, looking at her watch. “They should be here soon. We’re just a little early—firefighters and their punctuality.”
Her small laugh is interrupted by a much louder laugh coming through the side gate. It takes me a minute to piece it all together: Paige has invited my family to Noah’s party.
My heart swells as my worlds come together.
“Son!” My dad is the first one in the yard, running over to wrap me in one of his famous hugs. “I’m so proud of you. This family. This party. This is what we always wanted for you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I tell him, my voice thick with emotion.
His greeting is followed by a similar one from my mom and my two brothers. My little sister reaches out and takes Noah from Paige’s mom, as if he belongs with her. My sister, an auntie.
Everything about this makes me want to explode.
“Time for cake!” Paige announces. She has been waiting for the whole gang to get here, but Noah is growing antsy. “Everyone put on a party hat for the big moment!”
Everyone reaches for the small cardboard party hats at the place settings. I even grab a blue one with elastic that barely stretches under my chin. I’m worried I’ll pop it and cause Noah to cry, so I resolve not to open my mouth too wide.
Paige’s mom comes out of the house bearing the cake, and the singing commences.
Noah sits in the chair of honor, clapping his hands and cooing with glee at the cake in front of him. We sing the song quickly, and Paige encourages him to blow out the two lit candles on his cake. He tries, only to blow spit bubbles on the fondant.
“Let’s help him out,” Paige tells me. “On three. One. Two. Three.”
We lean in over Noah’s shoulders and blow out the tiny candles. The smoke that curls up from the cake amazes Noah, but not as much as the first colorful cupcake that lands on his plate.
He dives into the blue frosting with gusto, covering his fists and face with the sugar. We all laugh, Paige and I thinking about the bath we will have to give him later. It’s worth it to make a memory like this one, a new photo to add to the scrapbook.
Summer and Zachary eat their cupcakes delicately, no doubt thinking about their own similar experiences with Ella.
Noah finishes his cupcake. Paige wipes off his hands and lifts him out of the chair so he can run with his cousins and friends. She takes this opportunity to sidle up to me. I lean down to kiss the top of her head, but she tilts it back.
My lips land right on hers. It reminds me of the fake kiss I gave her at Zachary and Summer’s wedding not so long ago. Only this time, I don’t have to hide anything about it. Paige belongs to me, and every single person in this backyard knows it.
I lean down and part my lips to welcome her in. She surprises me by pulling me in closer, her fingers tangled in the back of my hair. We kiss until the only air around us is the air we have to share.
