Page 76 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
A catcall from some of the guys at the station jolts us back to the present.
Paige pulls back, a bit embarrassed at the loss of self-control in such a public place. Today is supposed to be about Noah, but he’s having a good time with the other kids, regardless of what Paige and I do.
I pull her into my side as she tries to squirm away. “Tell me the truth. Are you happy?”
She looks up at me with wide eyes, surprised by the question. “I thought the answer would have been obvious. I’m happier than I ever thought possible.”
She pulls away from me a little to straighten a bouquet of flowers on the table. I told her those flowers were a waste of money on a kid’s birthday party, but she didn’t listen. She was right, though; they really make the place look classier.
Her voice is so small when she speaks that I don’t think I hear her properly. “I think I might have casually fallen in love with you.”
Then she freezes, waiting for me to respond.
At first, I say nothing because I don’t want to ruin such a perfect moment. But my heart leaps in my chest, and Ihaveto say something.
“Kind of you to notice.” I shrug, as if I get this kind of news every day. “I casually wanted to worship the ground you walk on the moment I saw you stuck on that bed.”
Paige swats at me with a laugh, her skin pink with the memory. But she leans in and kisses me anyway, a tender kiss that holds memories of everything we’ve been through. The unlikely story that brought us together. The threads that continue to bind us.
And I know that no matter how much I could have tried to anticipate this, Paige would have always surprised me.
“Maybe tonight we can reenact an old favorite story?” she murmurs as quietly as she can.
Except we’re in a small yard full of nosy friends and family. Summer and Zachary laugh, already knowing how we met but not quite anticipating that we are intothat. Paige’s mother turns tomato red. Clearly, she isn’t ready to hear more.
Levi, sensing a good joke on the horizon, asks whether we would be the traditional three-act Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Personally, I think the second act is the best one. You could skip the rest if you’re short on time.”
“Nice try, Levi,” I laugh and clap him on the shoulder before I head to the drinks cart. “But we’re definitely not short on anything.”
He nearly spits out the tonic water in his cup, thinking about his sister that way. Maybe that’s why he follows me to the cart for some liquor this time around. One drink won’t kill him during a celebration.
The bartender fills our glasses—mine with Jack and Coke, his a dry martini—and we head back to the party.
“Looks like you have found a place in Crown Hill, after all,” Levi says, turning to face me in a quiet corner. “I hope you’ll be around for a long time.”
“I’ll be around as long as she is.”
Paige stands across the yard, looking stunning in a sundress that she would have thought was two inches too short a few weeks ago. She is finally starting to acknowledge that she has needs as an adult, outside of her son. And right now, she needsme.
I excuse myself from Levi and make my way to her. I pull her into me, she looks up, and I kiss her. Breathless. Countless.
This is a life I could get used to.
The End?
Extended Epilogue
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Preview: Auctioned to the Firefighter
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