Page 17 of Curvy Girl and the Ex-Military Firefighter

No turnout gear in sight. No smell of smoke. No urgency in their movements.

The entire crew bursts out laughing.

"There is no fire, genius." Ashton pushes me toward the door. "We just needed to get you here somehow."

"You faked an emergency call?" I stop dead in my tracks, turning to face them.

"Sadie's idea," Kane grins at his girlfriend, who takes a dramatic bow.

"Had to get creative," she shrugs, twirling her dispatch headset. "Now go get your girl."

"But make it romantic!" Ashton calls after me. "None of that 'hey, wanna be my girlfriend' crap."

"And don't screw it up!" Shane adds. "This one's keeper material."

"Buy flowers!" Sadie yells, her voice echoing off the station walls.

"And a ring!" That's definitely Damon, the romantic fool.

"It's a girlfriend proposal, not a marriage proposal," I shout back, but my mind's already racing ahead.

A ring doesn't sound so crazy anymore.

"Why not both?" Kane wiggles his eyebrows.

"One step at a time," Chief Luke intervenes, always the voice of reason. "Though maybe start thinking about benefits paperwork. Family health insurance isn't a bad idea right about now."

I'm already halfway to my truck when his voice booms across the parking lot again. "Thompson!"

I turn.

"Congratulations, son."

The word 'son' hits differently today. Maybe because soon, I'll be someone's father. Maybe because Luke's been more of a father to me than anyone else ever was.

"Thanks, Chief." My voice comes out rougher than intended.

"Now get out of here," he waves me off. "And don't come back until you've done this right."

"And send us pictures!" Sadie calls out.

"Of the proposal, not the making up part!" Shane clarifies.

"Though if you want to share those too—" Ashton starts, but gets cut off by what sounds like Danny smacking him upside the head.

I climb into my truck, my crew's cheers and laughter still echoing in my ears. They're right. I need to do this properly. Emma deserves more than assumed relationships and unspoken agreements.

Time to go get my girl. For real this time.

My truck roars down Pine Valley's streets, probably breaking a few speed limits. But for once, I don't care. My mind's fixed on one thing: Emma. My Emma, who's carrying my child, who's waiting in my house, who I somehow forgot to actually ask to be mine.

Flowers can wait. Rings can wait. Right now, I just need her.

I screech into my driveway, barely remembering to put the truck in park before I'm out and running to my front door. My hands shake as I fumble with the keys – why are there so many damn keys? – until I finally get the right one.

The door swings open, and there she is. Emma's curled up on my couch, her blonde curls spilling over one of my throw pillows, her hand resting on her still-flat stomach. She looks up, startled.

"Max? What about the fire?"

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