Page 42 of Firefighter Midlife Wolf

“Oh, that sounds so good!” Paige enthused.

“S’mores?” Verna asked with a smile. “My goodness. I didn’t even realize children still liked to do such things, with all their cell phones and computers in front of their faces all the time. My Girl Scout troop used to make s’mores all the time.”

Paige turned to Verna, whom she’d come to know quite well over the last couple of months. “They had Girl Scouts that long ago?”

Verna laughed. “They sure did, kiddo, and I was in it for a long time. I guess at least some things haven’t changed, although my grandmother would’ve given me a severe whipping for running around in shorts like you’re wearing.”

The teen looked down at her shorts. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Not a single thing, if you ask me. I think you look lovely, but we had to wear long skirts all the time. We also had to wear long socks under them to make sure not a single inch of skin might show.”

“I guess you didn’t have cell phones, huh?” Ellie asked.

“Couldn’t even dream of them, child. If I wanted to entertain myself, I used the scraps in my mother’s sewing box to make little dolls. Or sometimes we’d go outside and make them with leaves and flowers.”

Jessica turned toward the house. “I’ll go get the stuff.”

“I’ll help you.” Hayden jogged up behind her and into the house.

“Do you think I’m so weak that I can’t carry a few crackers, marshmallows, and some chocolate?” she teased.

He grabbed her around the waist. “If I get the chance, I’ll make you weak later.”

Jessica laughed, playfully batting his hands away. “We’ll have to get everyone fed and entertained first. Where do you keep the marshmallows?”

“Should be some right there in the pantry.”

Jessica opened the cabinet and hunted for the items they needed. She’d been nervous when she’d woken up that morning, knowing that she and Paige would be permanently changing their home. Now, though, doing something as simple as grabbing a few ingredients let her know this really was their new home. They’d be comfortable and happy there, and it would only get better with time.

When she shut the pantry, she saw Hayden standing in front of the kitchen sink, looking intently out the window.

“What is it?” she asked, putting her arm around him and leaning into his shoulder.

“Look out there,” he said. “It’s incredible.”

Jessica looked. Rick and Pierce were resting in lawn chairs. Verna was with the girls, showing them how to weave flowers into their hair. Jack put more logs on the fire but turned and bent down so Ellie and Paige could put flowers in his hair, too.

Hayden put his arm around Jessica and held her tightly. “I love that I have such a wonderful family, and that I get to enjoy it with my mate at my side.”

She lifted her head and kissed his jaw, the stubble rough against her lips. “Me, too.”

THE END

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