Page 90 of Fire and Rain
“Yes, a new big-boy bed. You won’t be sleeping in a crib anymore.”
The thought hit her with an unexpected pang. Her baby was growing up too fast. He’d be two next month.
Sean stood in the hallway, a big grin on his face. “Okay, Maverick. There’s your new big-boy bed.”
Maverick’s little face lit up the moment he saw it. “Fietwuck!”
Eden set him on the floor, swallowing the lump in her throat as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him to the bed. The foot of the bed was the front of the truck, with a built-in wooden shelf for books, toys, and stuffed animals. Wooden guardrails painted to look like ladders would keep Maverick from falling out.
“What do you think, Maverick?” Sean asked.
Maverick gave Sean an elated smile. “Fietwuck bed for me.”
“That’s right, buddy. I put your helmet and uniform right there. See?”
Maverick hurried over, put the helmet on his head.
“Can you thank Sean?” Eden had told Sean that she could afford it, but he’d insisted on buying it as an early birthday present.
“Tank you!” Maverick crawled into bed, helmet and all, and pretended to sleep, the smile on his face giving him away.
“You even got him a red comforter.” Eden wrapped an arm around Sean’s waist. “Thanks. This is perfect—all of it.”
Sean’s gaze was on Maverick, who was now pretending to drive the firetruck. “I love seeing him happy. What do you want me to do with the crib?”
The question hit Eden hard, put tears in her eyes. “I’m … I’m not sure.”
She turned and hurried from the room, not wanting to spoil the moment for Sean or Maverick, but Sean followed.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She walked to the kitchen, grabbed a tissue, dabbed her eyes. “I’m fine.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No, you’re not. What’s wrong?”
“I was five months pregnant when Justin and I bought this crib.”
“I remember. I helped him put it together.”
“Right.” Eden had forgotten that. “At the time, he and I talked about having two or three kids. If Justin hadn’t died in that explosion, I’d probably be pregnant now. But those dreams died with him. It’s hard to think of giving the crib away.”
“Then don’t give it away.” Sean drew her into his embrace. “You should keep it. You’re only twenty-eight. You’ve got time.”
She sank against him, but his words left her feeling worse. He hadn’t yet told her he loved her, and now it seemed he didn’t think of their relationship as permanent. He hadn’t saidwe have time. No, he’d saidyouhave time. As if he knew he wouldn’t be part of that future.
You knew he didn’t want kids when this started.
Yes, she had, and she wouldn’t shift the goal posts on him. Instead, she would be grateful for the time they had together.
She drew back. “If you could put the crib in the garage for now, that would be great. Thanks. I’ll make us some lunch. How does clam chowder sound? I still have some frozen from this past spring.”
“Sounds delicious.”
While they ate, they talked over plans for the holiday. Sean had a duty shift on July 3, so Eden would spend the evening at Maria’s with her sisters and all of the kids. Chris, Maria’s husband, was a volunteer firefighter and put on a fireworks show for them every year. Then they would watch the city’s fireworks, which started at midnight on July 4, from Maria’s front yard.
“I’m sorry I’ll miss it. It sounds fun.” Sean finished his chowder. “That was delicious, by the way. Thanks.”
“I thought I’d gas up the boat the next morning. After you’ve caught up on sleep, the three of us could go out fishing and grill something tasty for supper. We could even spend the night out on the water, maybe off Puffin Island.”
