Page 14 of Her Older Fireman

The boxes of books. The delivery guy blocked the back door when he dropped them off, and Sam never went outside to deal with it.

“Help!” I shriek into the empty alley behind the coffee shop. My voice echoes against all the old bricks and cracked cement back here. I don’t see anyone. “HELP!”

I keep shouting, even as I start to cry. I don’t dare look behind me—I’m worried that if I do, I’ll see just how close I am to death, and just give up. I have a life and I have love, and I know that no matter what, I need to keep screaming.

A big brown-coated blur hurtles past my vision and into the stacked cartons of books. It’s a fireman.

Gabe.

He frantically flings the boxes aside. They hit the ground and split open, books scattering everywhere onto the dirty ground and into stray puddles. With a hard shove, he wrenches the door open and I fall out into his arms.

“I have you,” he says. His voice cracks with emotion, and I look up into his eyes and see tears. “I’m here.”

“Don’t let me go,” I say.

He pulls me tighter. “Never.”

“Gabe,” I whisper. He leans in closer, brushing his lips against my forehead as he carries me away from the burning building.

“What is it, sweetheart?” he says.

“I’m gonna pass out,” I mumble. And everything goes dark.

???

“It looks like one of the big espresso machines shorted out,” Gabe says. “Old wiring or a bad machine, I don’t know, but the whole place is made of dry wood. You’re lucky we caught it before it got too far.”

We’re headed to Gabe’s firehouse in an Uber after a trip to the emergency room. I agreed to go in and get checked after I woke up in Gabe’s arms from a dead faint. Lily, my boss, insisted on it even though she had to stay and keep an eye on things at the coffee shop.

The doctor cut me loose after a breathing treatment, assuring me that the fainting was just a consequence of a huge jolt of adrenaline. Gabe stayed with me the whole time. I even had to kick him out of the bathroom when he tried to follow me in.

We haven’t talked about it yet, but I’m pretty sure that we’re still very much on.

“Here we are,” Gabe says. Before I can make a move, he’s out of the car on his side and has my door open, his hand extended to help me up. My tired body appreciates it. He wraps an arm around me and leads me through the door, into the bay where a row of gleaming trucks sit, ready for action.

“I’ve never seen one of these up close before,” I comment.

“Today’s your lucky day,” Gabe says, and leads me up to one of the trucks. “This one is off rotation for some repairs, so you can explore it all you want right now.”

I walk along the side of the huge truck, running my fingers along the shiny finish, peering at all of the gadgets and controls dotting the sides. When I get to the step between the bed and the cab, I turn and sit down, gazing up at Gabe.

“Can we talk?” I say softly.

“Of course,” he says. He sits down next to me on the hard metal and takes my hand. “If you’re ready.”

I gaze at our joined hands. “Why didn’t you tell me about the promotion?”

He takes a deep breath. “It was really fast. They asked me if I wanted it and offered it almost immediately. I didn’t have much time to talk to you about it, and I thought that if I got it, I could show you that I’m going places in my career.”

I twist my head and look at him, unsure what to say.

“And I know the house thing looked...odd,” he admits. “The new job comes with a pay bump, and I decided to look for a bigger place across town, closer to the new firehouse. Space for us.”

My eyes widen. “Us?”

He nods. “I want you to come with me. I don’t give a shit that we’re moving fast. You’re it for me.”

“To live with you?” I can barely breathe. “And be...together?”

“Yeah, together.” Gabe rests his forehead against mine. “You’re brilliant and beautiful, and I want to share my life with you.”

He brushes a gentle kiss against my cheek.

“I want you to heal,” he whispers. “You deserve so much more than you believe you do.”

His lips brush the corner of my mouth, and my heart stutters in my chest as I think about what he’s offering. Himself. A life. The time and space to grow and learn, with a partner who supports my choices.

“Yes,” I say. “I’m in.”

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