Page 24 of Cocoa

Ritz wandered over and flopped onto their feet with a sigh. They all stayed there in a cozy knot for the better part of the morning, watching the weather reports, old sitcoms, and sipping cocoa, coffee, and snacking. Lucas dozed off at one point, his head tucked against Ryder’s shoulder, and the slow warmth of comfort glowed into something deeper, stronger.

It felt natural, so deliciously normal, and Ryder wanted it to last forever.

His rumbling belly around one o’clock interrupted the sweetness. He eased away from Lucas and padded into the kitchen to figure out lunch. His phone buzzed as he grabbed a big can of chicken soup. Chief Larabee was too old-school to text. At least that was his excuse.

“Chief,” he said by way of greeting.

“Ryder. Good to hear you’re up and coherent. Eva said you got banged up a bit.”

“I’m alright. Bruised ribs and leg. I’ll be back to work tomorrow.”

“Glad to hear it. Listen, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Those photos your boyfriend sent in?”

Ryder rubbed a hand over his beard, but the word zinged through him and left a smile in its wake. “He’s not. Well, I guess maybe…”

“Well, whatever it is you call him,” Larabee cut in, clearly amused. “That one of you carrying the baby? It’s up on the station’s page now and getting a lot of comments. Someone from the TV news already called to ask if they could use it for a segment. It’s blowing up, kid. You’re the face of local heroism.”

Ryder closed his eyes. “Shit.”

“No need to panic,” Larabee said, chuckling. “We’re framing it as a celebration of all the first responders who worked their asses off yesterday. You just happened to be the one holding a cute baby in a blizzard.”

Ryder leaned against the counter and let the words sink in. “She okay? The baby?”

“Yeah, of course. The mom already asked if they could meet the EMT who helped them when things settle down. You up for that? It’s good press. Might even help out with fundraising.”

He’d never dreamed that PR would be such a big part of an emergency medical career. For their small town, though, they needed good press to get the money they needed to expand services and replace old equipment. “Yeah. Yeah, I can handle that.”

“Good. And Ryder?”

“Yeah?”

Larabee’s tone softened. “You did good work yesterday. Proud of you.”

The call ended a moment later, and Ryder stood there for a second longer, staring out the kitchen window at the snow-covered backyard. The picnic table was half-buried, the old shed frosted like a cake. It felt surreal, knowing people were sharing that photo, talking about him, turning that frozen moment into something bigger. It was the type of thing they all did time and time again. He’d make sure the news reporter understood that, and he’d take the opportunity to plug the fundraising calendar at the same time.

Lucas strolled into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes, Ritz trailing behind him with a hopeful wag of his tail. “Sorry for falling asleep on you. Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Ryder turned to look at him, gaze drifting over his messy hair, soft t-shirt, and slim hips in too-big sweatpants. “Your photo’s already gone viral.”

Lucas blinked. “Seriously?”

“Chief said a news station’s already reached out. Said myboyfriend’spictures are going to help with public perception and fundraising.”

Lucas’s eyes popped wide, and his lips did something complicated, as if he was trying to fight a smile. “Did you tell him we’re not officially dating?”

Ryder took a step forward and slid his arms around Lucas’s waist. “No. Do you have a problem with that?” His voice lowered, but no nerves sparked. He felt as calm and peaceful as he ever did in Lucas’s presence. “Do you want to be?”

Lucas smiled, slow and sure. “Yeah. I really do.”

Ryder leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Then I guess we are.”

Outside, the world was still white and quiet, but inside the kitchen, warmth bloomed like spring was just around the corner.

Chapter 15

Lucas

Lucas almost dropped his mug of steamy cocoa when the call came through. He’d just settled down on the loveseat to post a new fundraising calendar graphic to advertise the upcoming sale. Outside the window, the world was still a washed-out mess of white and gray. The storm’s aftermath piled high on the sidewalks, covered the trees, and kept most people indoors even with the state of emergency lifted.

---