Page 34 of A Very Grumpy Firefighter

“Say it again,” I order, and she smiles, her pretty eyes welling with tears.

“I love you, Milo. I’ve had a crush on you for so long, but I never thought that you would see me that way.”

“It’s the only way I’ve ever seen you. You’re gorgeous, Lilou. So smart, and sweet, and funny.”

She blinks, and a tear spills onto her cheek. I can’t stand to see her cry, so I pull her into my lap.

“I love you. I always will.”

“I love you too.”

Our lips find each other, and I kiss her softly, pouring my heart into the embrace. I want to take things further, but I know that she’s had a long, taxing day, so I pull back and rest my forehead against hers.

“Eat. Then we can go to bed,” I tell her, and she nods.

I keep her on my lap as we each grab a taco and start to eat in silence. After a few minutes, she turns to me with a soft smile.

“I know that you said we would wait until I was ready, but I’m ready,” she says and I know instantly that she’s talking about marrying me.

“Are you sure?” I ask her, and she nods.

“What do you think about getting married in Santa Barbara, so that my grandpa can watch?”

“Lilou, it’s like I keep telling you. I’ll do anything for you. Now, tell me what you want for our wedding,” I say, and I sit back and smile as we plan out our future together.

ELEVEN

Lilou

Five Years Later…

“Happy anniversary,”Milo says as he pulls me back into his chest.

His arms tighten around my waist, and I smirk as I look over my shoulder at him.

“Happy anniversary. You’re up early.”

“I had to get my surprise ready,” he says as he starts to trail kisses up my neck.

“Is it abigsurprise,” I ask seductively, rubbing my ass against his hardening cock.

“You know it, Lilou, but that’s not the surprise,” he says as he rolls me over so I’m facing him.

“Do you want to give it to me now?” I ask, and he nods.

“Yeah, before our kid gets up.”

I nod, and he kisses me before he climbs out of bed. I crawl to the side of our king-size bed and then follow him downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Surprise! I wasn’t sure which room you would want them in or what has the right light, so I put them here. Plus, I figured you would want to fuss over them,” Milo says with a grin as he stands next to the kitchen island that is covered in plants.

“Milo! This is too much!”

“No, it’s not. You deserve it and more. Which is why I also bought you a greenhouse.”

“What?!” I ask excitedly.

“They’re going to start building it on Monday,” he tells me, and I squeal as I jump into his arms.

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