“Honey, relax, I’m not going to hit on your boyfriend. I’m a happily kept man. My partner, George, is great; you should meet him sometime.” I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment and suddenly I feel like I’m back in middle school again.
“Daddy,please.”
“I would love to meet him one day. And Hanna’s mom. I’ve only heard good things about all her parents,” Miles responds easily. He reaches for my hand again and squeezes it three times, smirking at me. I squeeze his back the same number of times. Dad glances at our hands then back at the two of us.
“Well, we love our honey bee more than anything. We’re so happy she’s found someone who cares about her so much,” Dad says.
“I don’t know if you know this, sir, but I’m completely in love with your daughter.” My heart flips as he says it so casually. Not just to my dad but also in front of the men he works with.
Dad bumps my shoulder and gives me a comforting smile. “Yeah, she’s mentioned that. She’s a good one to be in love with.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he replies, looking at me. My head tips back as I look up at him knowing full well my face is telling everyone around me that I’m screaming on the inside.
“Well, we will be going. We don’t want to keep you from any of your work,” Dad says after a pause. He leans around where Miles and I are standing and waves at theother men. “Thank you for everything you do for our city. We’re very grateful for all of your hard work.”
“I’ll see you Monday?” Miles asks me under his breath.
“I hope so,” I reply with a nod.
“I promise you will,” he says, and I know he means every word.
“It was lovely meeting you, Miles. Sorry again for the intrusion. When I realized how close we were, I truly couldn’t help myself,” Dad gushes.
“It’s no intrusion at all,” Miles says in my direction before turning to look at Dad. “I always have time for Hanna and anyone she calls family.”
“Good man.” Dad nods and takes his hand again to shake. When he drops Miles’s hand, he takes a few steps down the drive and lets us say our goodbyes.
“Be safe, fireman.”
“I will be. I have a beautiful woman to come home to now,” he says, smiling down at me. Then, he pulls me into a kiss, right there in front of God and the small crowd that’s gathered outside the firehouse. A few men whistle and someone claps as he dips me back, kissing me harder. My cheeks hurt from how hard I’m smiling when he finally pulls away. I give his hand another squeeze and wait for him to reciprocate before dropping it. Looking over my shoulder, he winks at me as he watches me join my dad and continue on with our walk.
“Well isn’t he a cutie,” Dad says, pulling me back into him as we head in the opposite direction of the firehouse.
“I amsogoing to kill you,” I sneer, pinching his arm. He erupts in a fit of joyful laughter as we walk back towards my place to finish out our walk. I want to be mad at him for embarrassing me but I can’t. The feeling of having Miles love me so publicly is too strong to let any other feeling ruin it.
38
MILES
After Hanna and her dad left from their surprise visit, everyone who was outside to witness it didn’t let me live it down the rest of the day. A couple of the guys ragged on me like brothers do, while Billie came up to me later and told me she thought it was sweet how I didn’t seem to care that other people saw us. I feel the opposite of not caring; Iwantpeople to see Hanna and I together. I want them to see the kind of woman I somehow managed to get the honor to call mine. I’m proud of her and everything she is and I want other people to see that.
Once they left, the rest of the day seemed to drag on forever. Thankfully, it’s a slow day and not too many calls come in, leaving ample time for me to try and get Carter on his own. Any time I try though, he somehow manages to rope someone into our conversation or claim he has something else he needs to do. I can see something weighing on him almost physically. Normally he’s the kind of guy who carries the sun in his back pocket but recently, it’s like he has nothing but a dark cloud hanging over his head. Dark circles encase his eyes like he hasn’t beensleeping and he stands with his shoulders slumped over like he’s carrying two heavy buckets of water with him at all times. Whatever he’s holding onto is starting to eat him alive and I feel like a helpless witness since he won’t let me in.
Day turns to night and after choosing to cook dinner for the firehouse as a means of distraction from missing Hanna but also the nagging feeling of something going on with Carter, I’m finally getting a moment to sit down and relax. Saturday nights at the firehouse are always entertaining because someone normally picks a movie to watch in the rec room and anyone who wants to watch can come join. Some people opt to workout or catch some rest in case we get a middle of the night call but most of us choose to hangout together and shoot the shit.
“My turn to pick!” Billie calls out, tossing herself over the couch and landing on it with ease. She clicks on the TV and opens up Netflix.
“Wasn’t it your turn to pick last week?” Trevor asks, setting himself down next to her.
“Last week and the week before that,” Brooks chirps, taking a seat in one of the oversized lounge chairs opposite the couch. I say nothing and smirk to myself as I take a seat on the floor. My eyes scan the room to look for Carter but he’s nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, have you seen Carter?” I lean over and ask Trevor.
“Last I saw he was in the gym working out. Looked kinda pissed if you ask me,” he replies with a look. My eyebrows meet in the center of my face trying to pinpoint what has him so worked up. Deciding it’s better to give him his space, I settle into my spot on the floor and lean againstthe couch.
“Oh, yes,” Billie exclaims, hitting play on her movie pick.
“Nooo, notThe Notebookagain,” Trevor groans, dropping his head behind him.
