Page 46 of Dear Mr. Firefighter
At least tonight isn’t about romance—well, not the passionate part of romance at least. I guess this is as important as that. If Abby hated her, it would make our relationship very complicated.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how well Abby and Chloe got along. I was also entertained by their reactions to the movie more than the movie itself. Abby kept getting Chloe’s attention and making sure she was watching every time a good part came up. By the end of the movie, they were both laughing and very happy with the ending. I knew what was coming next—Abby was going to ask for a dog and Bridget was going to have to tell her no.
“Mom, I want a puppy!” Abby looked at Bridget and practically pleaded with her eyes—the best expression of puppy-dog eyes she could pull off. “Chloe, tell her we should get a puppy.”
“I’m willing to support you on your position about dessert, but a puppy requires alotof work.” Chloe gave Abby was a warm smile and a slight grimace. “Trust me, they’re not always as cute as they are on TV. Plus, they need lots of room to run around—like a big backyard or something.”
“Okay.” Abby nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
Hold on. Did Chloe just totally shut down the puppy discussion without a single argument from Abby?
I couldn’t hide my shocked expression and when I looked at Bridget, she had the same one etched on her face too.
“Alright young lady. You’re up way past your bedtime.” Bridget leaned forward and put the remote down.
“I still get a story, right?” Abby looked at Chloe. “Will you read me one?”
“I’ll read you one.” I waved off Abby’s request. “Chloe is our guest.”
“I don’t mind.” Chloe stood and motioned for me to stay seated.
“Brush your teeth…” I watched as Abby led Chloe down the hallway.
“Okay—did that just happen? Abby didn’t throw a fit about the puppyandshe’s going to bed on the weekend without asking to stay up late playing Minecraft?” Bridget looked at me in shock.
“I’m impressed.” I nodded in agreement.
“If you don’t marry this girl, I might switch teams and put a ring on her finger myself.” Bridget grinned and shook her head in disbelief. “I even hear the water running—and she’s brushing her teeth without us having to make her get up and do it because she forgot!”
Chloe got Abby in bed without incident and read her a story. Ten minutes later, she was back in the living room listening to Bridget gush about how good she was with her daughter. We talked for a little while longer before Bridget decided to head to her room for the evening. It was definitely out of the ordinary for her not to stay in the living room until she was ready for bed, so I assumed she was just trying to give us a little bit of time alone. I thanked her with a smile and a nod before she was gone.
“This was fun.” Chloe reached over and took my hand. “Thank you for inviting me over.”
“I’m glad you came.” I squeezed her hand. “You amaze me every day—this one is no different. You wouldn’t believe how many tantrums I’ve sat through when we told her she couldn’t have a puppy.”
“Maybe she was just trying to be on her best behavior—she’s trying to make me her aunt after all.” Chloe giggled. “I’d even be her favorite—wait, you don’t have any brothers, do you?”
“No.” I chuckled under my breath. “You’d be heronlyaunt.”
“She’s clever—I like that.” Chloe slid closer until she was in my arms. “I needed this. I haven’t been able to get out of my own head since the interview blew up in my face.”
“I know.” I squeezed her in a hug and let her snuggle against my chest. “But things like that take time and there’s nothing wrong with being bummed out over it.”
“It’s more than that.” She exhaled sharply. “That’s the only place that has even offered me an interview and I couldn’t even make the most of it.”
“I’m sure you’ll have more interviews.” I ran my fingers along the edge of her brow and brushed away a stray hair.
“Will you take me in if I’m homeless? I could sleep on the floor in Abby’s room.” Chloe looked up at me with a comically sad expression on her face and pouted.
“If you lived here, you wouldn’t be sleeping on the floor—trust me.” I pulled her closer.
“Maybe you should show me where I’d get to sleep.” She lifted up slightly until her lips were against my ear. “Show me where you take all those pictures that you send me.”
“I’m not sure the two of us should be alone in my bedroom…” I exhaled sharply. “Fuck it.”
Resisting temptation would be hard, but at least Bridget and Abby were in the house. That would keep me from chasing my desires further than Chloe’s lips—but my hands would probably explore more than I dared to in the cab of my truck. I led her to my bedroom and closed the door. I had avoided devouring her lips as long as possible, even though I had been thinking about it all night, so I quickly pulled her into an embrace, followed by a kiss.
“This probablywasa bad idea.” She gasped when my lips were finally pulled away.
