Page 64 of His Greatest Treasure

She nods, chin bouncing against my shoulder. “Yep!”

I tighten my hold on her even more before hooking my second leg around the pole and sliding down. The drop is slower than normal, and my bicep strains with use as I control how fast we go. Nova giggles and cheers the entire way down, and I can’t help but smile at her excitement.

“Mom! Mom! Look at me!” she shouts before my feet hit the ground. “Did you see?”

Avery grins, eyes soft and warm. “I did,älskling. You looked like a real firefighter.”

“It’s your turn now!” Nova says as I lower her to her feet. She shoots toward her mom and grabs her hands, tugging her toward me. “Oliver said he’ll keep you safe.”

“Did he now?”

Our eyes meet, and my smile is natural. “I did.”

“Then I guess I have no choice but to listen.”

“Best plan I’ve heard in a while.”

“Hurry, hurry!” Nova says, giving Avery a push from behind.

Avery tugs at one of Nova’s braids and watches me expectantly. “Lead the way, Lieutenant.”

“Stay close to the pole, Nova, okay?” I reach for Avery’s hand but, at the last second, drop mine back to my side.

I’m not about to do anything in front of Nova that I don’t know if Avery wants her to see. As much as I’d love to take her hand and hold her close, we’re not dating. To Nova, I’m just her mom’s friend and their neighbour.

I shove my hand into my pocket and lead Avery down the same path I took Nova. She trails behind me, and once the door to the engine bay closes and we’re alone in the stairway, I’m fighting every instinct that tells me to keep her in here with me for as long as possible.

“Thank you for doing this for her, Oliver,” she murmurs, her voice caressing my back.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. You’ve made her day. Helped bring some light back in her eyes after what happened this morning. It means a lot to me.”

“When I said I was here for both of you, I meant it. I’m not the guy to give out false promises. It’s not worth the effort.”

She snags my hand the moment I pull it from my pocket. “I know.”

Frozen in my tracks, I glance back at her, mouth going dry. Alone in the stairway, it takes everything in me not to pull herinto my arms. This intense need to be as close to her as possible is alarming, but I don’t focus on that right now.

“I . . .” She bites down on her lip, hesitating. “Everything is so much more complicated with a child. I have things I want to say to you, but I don’t know how to get them out properly yet.”

“You don’t have to say anything right now,” I reassure her.

“I want to, though. I’m frustrated because in a different life, I’d have taken this opportunity to tell you to kiss me.”

A shiver climbs up my spine, pressure building in my groin as I lean against the wall, fingers twitching. We’re only three steps apart, but it feels like miles.

“Avery,” I warn. “I’m hanging on by a thread here. Don’t tell me that.”

She inhales, holding it in for a long moment before letting it out. “Things need to move slow. For Nova’s sake.”

“For Nova,” I agree, dropping a step closer.

Another step disappears between us when she moves. “I don’t know what you want in the future. What you see your life like in ten years.”

“I haven’t spent a lot of time planning that far ahead.”

“Why not?”

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