“We’re rolling,” Jake informs me.
I grin at him, smoothing down the front of my frilly romper. Tossing my ponytail over my shoulder, I flounce over to my date—technically speaking, of course—and his adorable son.
Evan assured me yesterday that Leo would be prepped and ready to go to be an absolute sweetheart on camera. Which will be easy for him, because I have a feeling the little cutie is asweetheart all the time. How could he not be when his dad is also so sweet?
He looks stupidly handsome today, too. I mean, he’s wearing jeans and an FDNY tee, but the material hugs his lean frame and the dark navy looks fantastic against his golden skin.
“Hi!” Leo chirps when he sees me, smiling down from his perch atop his dad’s shoulders.
“Hey, Leo! What are you up to?”
I’m aware of the camera crew hovering a few feet behind us, but for now I keep it casual.
Evan gestures at the collection of booths hosting classic carnival games, pointing specifically to the ring toss. “Leo wants to win a teddy bear.”
“Well, that sounds fun,” I say to Leo. “I bet you’re really good at it.”
“If I’m bad at it, then Daddy can just win it for me,” Leo replies very matter-of-factly.
“Oh, absolutely. I think that’s a great strategy.”
Evan chuckles. Leo starts squirming on his shoulders, so he maneuvers him carefully down onto the ground. I expect the kid to run off immediately, since that’s exactly how I first met him,but he stays obediently by his dad’s side. He felt safe enough in the fire station to explore, but it seems like he knows better than to dart into a hectic crowd.
And even though I know that having a well-behaved kid often comes down to pure luck, I also know Evan is definitely a fantastic father.
Honestly, he’s a total DILF.
Which is ridiculous of me to think, but I swear it’s only because I have my PR expert hat on right now. The people love DILFs. Hot single dads are the bread and butter of popular internet content.
Evan glances over at the camera crew. Where Hale had been apathetic about their presence, he looks nervous.
I place an encouraging hand on his arm, then turn to face the lens Jake is aiming at me to give a proper introduction.
“Hi! This is Lila, back with another episode of Save A Hero. Today I’m here with paramedic Evan Reyes and his son Leo, and we’re going to explore Station 47’s annual Family Safety Fun Fair, where the community comes together to have fun, educate themselves, and enjoy a perfectly grilled hot dog or two.”
“I like hot dogs in spaghetti,” Leo reminds me from Evan’s other side.
“He has a very sophisticated palate,” Evan jokes, then glances at the camera. “I swear he eats his vegetables, though.”
But Leo wrinkles his nose at that. “I hate vegetables, Daddy. You know that.”
I snort. It’s adorable comedic gold.
We make our way over to the ring toss station, currently manned by one of the guys on the EMS staff with Evan. I think his name is Nick or Mick or something like that, and he’s so young that I wonder if he’s even in his twenties yet. He must have joined the crew almost as soon as he graduated high school, which I’ve learned is fairly common.
Despite his nerves, Evan surprises me by being an absolute natural in front of the camera. He waves his hand between the crew and his underling, as if introducing two people at a party.
“This is Mick, our newest rookie,” he tells the camera. “He could have studied biochemistry and pre-med at Columbia, but he decided to come work for the FDNY. We’re lucky to have him.”
“Wow!” I chime in, smiling at Mick. “Is that true?”
The younger guy shrugs, glancing bashfully at the crew. “I wanted hands-on experience, so I enrolled in a summer training program. But I loved it so much that I never left.”
I open my mouth to make a segue into Evan’s own professional backstory, but he shoots me another wink and smoothly transitions into it all on his own, all while helping Leo line himself up to start the ring toss.
“The same thing happened to me,” Evan explains. “I thought I wanted to do the whole med school thing, become a doctor, and open up my own practice someday. I even finished my bachelor’s and took the MCAT, but I’d been volunteering for the fire department the whole time and I realized I would feel much more fulfilled if I became a paramedic full-time.”
God, this is so much easier than trying to pry information out of Hale.
