Somehow, a very shitty situation had turned into my perfect life.
Sweet, indeed.
Chapter 48
Preston
“Hey, Walker!” I greeted as I walked into Station Sixteen, Nolan by my side.
“Are you guys looking for Merrick? He should be done with his shift soon,” Walker said from where he was checking the equipment in the back of one of the trucks.
I nodded. “We are all going to check out some offices for rent in town now that Nolan is thinking about opening his own practice down here.”
“It’ll be good to have a lawyer for a friend.” Walker laughed, holding out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Thank you for keeping this dumbass safe,” Nolan said, jerking his head in my direction.
“It wasn’t too hard. How’s Hailey?”
“Complaining a lot, but I would be as well if I were in her position.” Nolan grimaced.
“Sunny nearly lost her mind in the final months, and she had experienced it all before, so you guys are in for a treat,” Walker explained.
I hated that Hailey wasn’t feeling great, but I was going to do whatever I could to help. When we had left, she had been working away in her little sewing room, happily humming toherself. Now the nursery was built, she was feeling a lot more settled. While I appreciated that she’d waited for me to do those things, I hated that it made her feel unprepared. She was only a month or two away from giving birth, so we were on a mission to ensure that everything was just right.
From up the stairs, Merrick appeared. “Hey guys, I’m just going to grab a quick shower, then I’ll be ready to go. Wilder with Hails?”
“He was her sewing helper, which meant he’s sitting on the floor of the sewing room and repeatedly telling Hailey how pretty and perfect she is. I'm sure they'll move on to their movie marathon soon enough.”
The snort that left my throat wasn’t dignified, but Wilder was utterly besotted with Hailey, and not afraid to act like a dope to keep her happy.
“Have you thought much about what you plan to do after Hailey gives birth? Are you thinking about going back to work?” Walker asked me as we walked through to the kitchen.
Rune was standing in the kitchen, stirring a large pot of something that smelled delicious. “Hey! Looking better without the prison garb.” He spoke in that thick Cajun accent.
“I feel so much better without it,” I said, spreading my arms to show off my casual jeans and T-shirt combination. I never thought I would miss jeans as much as I had, but I was loving having them back.
“You hungry?” he asked. “I’ve made enough gumbo to feed the whole firehouse three times over.”
“There’s no way you’ll ever find me saying no to gumbo,” I said, and Nolan hummed in agreement next to me.
“Sit, we can chat while you wait for Merrick,” Walker said, taking a seat at the large table that fit twelve. The sheer size of the table made sense, considering the firehouse had so many members.
Plopping my ass onto the bench, I thanked Rune as he passed me the bowl of gumbo. I didn't even hesitate digging in as soon as the bowl was in my hands.
“This is phenomenal.” I moaned around a mouthful of food.
“We are lucky that he cooks for us. We would be living on microwave meals without him.” Walker chuckled.
“If you want, I can put some in a takeout container for Hailey.”
“Please. She wants to eat anything and everything she lays her eyes on at the minute. For three weeks straight, she had an unhealthy obsession with pickles, but now they are giving her the ick, apparently.”
“Ahh, I remember those days.” Rune laughed, turning to Walker. “Do you remember all the packets of sour candy we had left?”
Walker shuddered before explaining. “Sunny had a real thing for sour candy during her pregnancy, so we thought we would do the smart thing and bulk buy loads of it. Well, two days after a load of candy was delivered, and I do mean a load, she decided she didn't like it anymore.”
“So, no matter how obsessed she is with the food, don't buy too much of it,” Rune warned.
