Page 19 of She's Got that Fire

"Listen," he says, squeezing my waist as he helps me out of the truck. "If there's anything you want to change, we can. Think of this as a first draft."

"As long as it's a bit bigger than my last setup, I'm incredibly grateful already."

"Okay." A thick arm slips around me and his hand covers my eyes while he walks me to the back yard.

The yard is gigantic, and I feel we're walking down toward the end. When we stop, I can see just enough around the edges of his fingers to realize we're at least two hundred feet from the house, and a hundred feet from the tree line.

"Well… Here it is." His hand drops.

My mouth falls open.

It's…spectacular.

Slowly walking all around it, I cannot believe how huge this is.

My slightly paranoid firefighter has created a pyromaniac's dream setup for me. A large square-ish pit has been dug down what looks to be well over a foot and lined with gravel. There's a platform of cinderblocks. On top are flat surfaces that rise up several feet to create various backdrops.

Silver stainless steel. Black wrought iron. Glossy white porcelain, possibly from…an old bathtub? Concrete. The end of a sheet of dark green marble. And, of course, four strategically placed white buckets that will catch rainwater, plus a fire extinguisher.

I had sketched a dark and light firepit. My responsible man turned around and created something so over the top that I'll never even think about shooting anywhere else. Which was probably his point. Clever.

"The marble is from a demolition job my friend is working on," he chuckles. "It was a bit dark for a bathroom. But I figure maybe if you blur it out or whatever it would kind of look like a forest or something?"

His last two words are muffled as I tackle him with a hug, bouncing up and down. "This is amazing! Mind-blowing!"

Stretching up to kiss him, he chuckles at the way I can't stop smiling. "Is it big enough?"

"Are youkidding? It's enormous! Probably twice the size I need."

He clutches my hand, holding it against his heart. "That’s because you produce twice the love I need."

My heart melts as I stare up into his deep, smoldering eyes. Feeling so wanted by this incredible man fills me with an almostundeniable heat. But that's going to have to wait another few minutes.

After another quick kiss, I turned back to the huge platform. There's even a small metal bench that I can move around into different positions while I'm shooting. Stepping closer, I examine each surface, then my eyes are drawn back to the white porcelain. There's something small and light in the center with… I squeal. "You didn't!"

"Of course I did. My gorgeous girl deserves some kind of gift for moving in with me so soon."

He reaches out to hand me the box containing a pair of round fire opal earrings. "You're not supposed to give someone a wallet with no money in it. So I can't give you a firepit without any fire in it." His eyebrows lift. "Incrediblysafefire, that is."

Laughing, my gaze is drawn back and forth between the earrings, Liam's warm eyes, and the huge structure. "This…okay, I’m going to call it a fire studio…is the most incredible and thoughtful gift you could ever give me." I shake my head as I look around. "It does take up a huge part of your yard, though."

He shrugs. "What do I use the yard for? I mow it now and then and yank out the worst of the weeds."

Fireworks of color explode in the center of the beautiful earrings in the tiny box. Magic, contained in a small space. Which makes me think…

"You know, I will never ever set a fire if our kids can possibly see it," I blurt. "Good example, and all that. Well, at least not until they're sixteen." Looking up to meet his eyes, I murmur, "Assuming you want kids?"

"With you? Hell yes."

He takes the box from me, gently pulling out my tiny silver studs and replacing them with the fire opals. Then he stands back, looking me up and down.

"What?" I twirl in a circle. "Do they go with this fabulously crappy old sweater and leggings?"

He grins. "No. They’d go much better with just your bare skin. Let’s fix that."

I shriek with laughter as he bends down, flinging me around his shoulders before straightening up. He holds my legs and one arm while striding into the house. "It's a Fireman's Carry, baby. Better get used to it."

Mmm…I know I will.

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