Chapter 11

* * *

COLTON

"You're late,"Justin said bluntly, waiting at the front door to the fire station when Colton got out of his truck. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell his new captain to mind his own business, but he wanted the next truck and needed to learn from this man.

"I had an unexpected surprise."

"It better be a good one. This is twice in two weeks."

"Last time I had a flat tire – and well, I apparently have a three-year-old son that suddenly showed up on my front door step with his mother," he said candidly, expecting to get shredded by the other man's sharp tongue.

Justin had a reputation for being short and hostile with people if they didn't fall into line, which whipped the other team into shape. He had been the engineer and left a firefighter who was dallying around taking too long. Yeah, that had been a shocking turn of events – but it never happened again.

To his utter surprise, Justin let the front door shut behind him and looked at him curiously before chuckling.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm a little shocked – but really glad too."

"I bet."

"How come you aren't ripping me a brand new one?"

"Because I'd rather you talk to me, know that you can reach out. I'd prefer you have my back than for you to hate my guts and try to stab me in the back. We both know you were vying for this spot, and I'm really grateful to have you on my team," Justin said openly, looking over his shoulder and nodding.

That wasn't what he anticipated in the slightest.

"They think I'm chewing you out," Justin chuckled – and Colton saw the curious faces watching. "Make this look good, okay?"

"You are not what I expected," Colton clasped his hands in front of him, begging… as he spoke, keeping up the charade. "Why the big show?"

"I need to get our team in shape."

"Agreed. There isn't much of a team to hold together."

"But they look to you, and I'm fully aware of it," Justin nodded – and then shook his finger at him. "Don't smile. Just make this look like I'm chewing you out."

"You're okay in my book, you know that?"

"Have my back – and I'll have yours," the captain promised, "but make sure you aren't late again… all right?"

"You got it."

"Thank you… oh, and tell them I was very strict with you."

"I will," Colton said solemnly and stuck out his hand toward him. Justin clasped his palm, shaking it, and nodded. "And I will have your back anytime."

"I appreciate that – now, let's get inside for a quick briefing before things go crazy. It's supposed to rain later, and we both know people cannot drive when water is falling from the sky."

* * *

Three hours later,Justin's prediction was accurate.

They were on their second car wreck of the day and finishing up when a call came in for a house fire. Chad, their new engineer, was picking up some of Justin's traits because the man was yelling at them to hurry.

"Let's go! Let's go…"

"We're wrapping up, Mini-Me," Justin chuckled and pointed at him. "Fischer, get your boys, and let's get moving."

"Cortes, Beckett…" but thankfully, the other guys were already gathering their equipment and heading back toward the truck, stowing their gear. Yes, their portion was over and the police would take over clearing the scene of the accident now.

Climbing up into his seat, Colton checked his phone and sighed. No text messages from Eris, but it said ‘seen,' so he knew she had received his messages. Maybe he was still coming on too strong or pushy. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he listened as Justin rattled off information, talking openly with his headset over his ears.

"ETA four minutes, structure fire with possible entrapment. One inside, possibly two – not fully engulfed yet. V.E.S. on this one, fellas – vent, enter, search…"

Colton nodded grimly, looking at the other two firefighters. Vent, enter, and search was a tough run. There would be flames everywhere, but there was still a potential search area that was possibly considered safe. They wouldn't necessarily use the front door but rather any opening they could see or find to get in. Window, wall, door, or garage… but most times, they used a window.

He'd climbed in many windows over the years. Once you are inside, the clock is ticking. You close the door quickly to buy yourself a few moments, and search the room you are in as fast as humanly possible before moving on.

The truck pulled up, and they went to work. Colton was out of the rig within seconds, and Lance was going for a plug while Alec was unloading the hoses. Moments later, Chad was hooking up the hoses and Justin was hollering – for them and to document on record.

"V.E.S. on alpha side, first-floor window…"

"Oh, thank goodness," Alec muttered, and Colton chuckled.

The other firefighter had a close call a year ago, and Colton understood the fear. That had been a very bad day. They were checking a roof of a building that was on fire – only to have Alex go straight through. One moment, he was there, and the next, the roof had opened up, swallowing him whole. He thought for sure he was about to hear screaming or his friend burning to death, only to realize that the entire roof was soft because it was rotting. They'd had a good laugh together later, but it sure hadn't been funny at the time.

Colton slapped Lance on the front of the jacket with the back of his hand and looked at him, catching Alec's eye.

"Hey – if I go into that window, you better not hold back with that water."

"I'm not squirting anything until you are in and safe. I don't want to douse you or…"

"The heck you are, bro…!" Colton said bluntly, turning to get in Lance's face. "I don't care if there are rats, mice, or any sort of mammal. If I'm in there, I'm going to expect you to have my back – and if you see flames, you better open that nozzle quickly.

"What's the problem?" Justin roared. "We're losing time!"

"I want a line on me when I go through that window…" Colton said bluntly, not backing down looking at Lance, the youngest of them on the team. He understood the reasoning behind the other man's hesitation because they both knew the dangers – but if something happened, he wanted to protect the men standing behind him, too.

"Furniture and mattresses are made of things that put off tons of heat and ignite fast. We don't know what we are walking into – so we are gonna take it carefully. If you don't pull that nozzle for fear of steaming me alive like a Chinese dumpling – yeah, nawww, brother. Absolutely do it! I'm gonna break that window creating a source of oxygen for the fire, feeding it. You better open that hose and take a chance, because if you don't that fire is going to light behind us… right where you are standing," Colton paused, letting his words sink in. "If you don't wet me down, I'm gonna make Poltergeist look like a freakin' Disney movie when I come back and haunt your scrawny butt… got me?"

"He's right," Justin said flatly. "Don't question your team lead. You are a nozzle man – and I want a nozzle on him if he requests it."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, are we done bickering? I'm sure whoever is inside would like you to save their life sometime today."

"Moving…" Colton said bluntly. "Lance, I want water on that roofline and falling on me before I break that window, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

They all got into position. Lance and Alec were holding the hose, kneeling. Chad was at the truck, and Justin was surveying and relaying information while moving people back.

"Let's do it! I'm taking the window," Colton announced and moved quickly despite the massive amounts of water cascading over him from the roofline. He was using his ax to shatter the glass and clear the opening. Climbing inside, he immediately made his way across the room – slamming the door quickly, before beginning his search. That shut door could sometimes buy them a few minutes.

Thick black smoke filled the room and was funneling out the window that looked like a faint gray light in the distance… only to feel something on the floor beside his foot. No way could I am that lucky – or this person, he thought as he heard a hacking cough.

Kneeling, Colton grabbed at the limbs blindly, pulling them toward the window in the distance. Carefully, he handed the limp form through the window and heard Lance's shocked gasp through the respirator. Looking up at the man, he was staring at the woman in shock.

"Blythe?"

"Do you know her, Lance?"

"That's the woman who won the photo shoot for the calendar. That's my girl, Fischer…" The look on the other firefighter's face was startling, like someone had slapped him. He just stood there, holding her in his arms, looking almost unsure what to do with himself.

"Get her to the ambulance. I don't know how much smoke she inhaled," Colton ordered and moved back toward the window, waving Alec forward. Yep, they had a job to do and if Blythe wasn't alone – it was his job to make sure there were no other's trapped inside the building that was on fire.

Moments later, he re-entered the building via the window once more and hadn't made it very far when the alert sounded. Three blasts told him to exit the building now because it was being considered a complete loss – which meant that whatever was on the other side of the door before him was probably much worse… and right now, he just wanted to hear from Eris and Zane.

Seeing that woman lying there helpless had bothered him deeply, which is why he wanted to get back inside. He was terrified that perhaps someone else's little boy was also waiting for help. He knew it was personalizing the moment, but it was hitting him hard that Eris had this happen to her. She'd rescued their son from a fire less than a week ago.

Climbing back out of the window he'd used to enter the building, he looked at Justin.

"Was there anyone else?"

"No."

"Oh, thank heavens…" he muttered, sagging and putting his hands on his knees in emotional exhaustion that was hitting him hard – only to feel a hand pat him on the back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a lot of things hitting me at once."

"Clear your head, Colton. Our fight isn't over."

"Yes, sir," he replied, looking at Justin's face and nodding. The time for the mental breakdowns, the flood of worry, the thoughts of ‘could I have done something different' would all have their moment later… but for now, he needed to focus on the building before them. If it was a complete loss, then they had to manage the fire at this point to make sure it didn't spread to the other homes nearby.

Eventually, the team climbed back into the truck and thankfully there wasn't another call just yet. They were all going to head back to the station, get some food, rest, and take a little time to unwind… if possible. Colton yanked off his helmet, and the sock protecting his head, and immediately finger-combed his hair back down as he looked at the other tired faces in the cab with him.

Exhausted, he unfastened his jacket and reached into his shirt pocket to find his phone. He hoped Eris had responded to his text messages or said something… and felt his heart turn over seeing three messages on the screen.

One was a photo of Zane at the store, picking out some clunky-looking, brightly colored plastic cars… and he was glad. She was taking him to get some toys just like he'd asked. The idea of lying on the floor and playing cars with his son, was not something he'd ever thought he would be doing – and now couldn't wait to do so!

But the other two texts really hit him.

Maybe when you get home Tuesday morning, we can have coffee and breakfast together?

Be safe out there, okay?

He quickly replied, hoping that no one noticed just how freaking happy he was right now. It was taking everything in him not to shout or grin like an idiot at the screen as he quickly replied.

It's a date.

I promise to be careful – especially knowing that I've got an incredible date coming up… and I get to play cars with my boy afterward.

Only to see three dots appearing immediately. She was texting him back so quickly, so maybe his original thoughts that she was ignoring him was slightly paranoid… okay, maybe ‘a lot paranoid'… and this actually wasn't the case.

What time will you be here Tuesday?

Probably around 7:30 a.m.

Sounds good.

If you want to sleep in, it's okay.

No, but Zane will be asleep a little longer.

Just you and me, then?

Yes. I'll have something waiting.

Colton swallowed, feeling something wash over him at the thought of Eris and his son at home with him. It would be so nice to have someone to come home to, someone waiting to see him, and he hoped with everything in his heart and soul that they could work this out between them – because he wanted this. He wanted a relationship with her and his son with every fiber of his being.

I can't wait to see you.

That simple reply was as obvious and open as he could let himself be right now because they still had so much ground to cover between them. There were bound to be discussions and hurt feelings on both sides, and he was surprised that there wasn't a bitterness within him worse than what was there. He'd missed three years of his son's life; but he would fight tooth-and-nail to get a chance to experience it all again with her, someday if they were blessed with another child.

Colton swallowed and looked out the window of the truck, trying to blink back the tears stinging his eyes. The idea of having it all seemed so overwhelming and yet so close now he could practically taste it. Life was no longer about getting through the next shift but had taken shape before him, coming into focus sharply.

He had a family.

"What's your deal?" Alec grinned, looking at him. "Got a little something sweet on the side sending you dirty pictures?"

"I wanna see!" Lance immediately chimed in, looking stunned and excited at the same time. "Don't hold out on us, bro. Flip your cell phone around!"

Colton grinned.

"Actually, things have kinda changed at home," he began and paused. "Well, they've changed a lot. My ex-girlfriend is back in my life, and well… ah… we got married."

"WHAT?!" both men yelped in shock, staring at him.

"I married her," he repeated simply, treasuring how good that single statement felt and remembering this morning's events. It felt so good to hold her close, to kiss her, and that small miracle that came with having a family around him. He'd been alone for much too long now and was more than ready to share his life with someone.

"Dude, you two just stopped talking," Alec retorted. "She ghosted you, remember? Has she got a good reason for doing something like that? I mean, you were devastated – or did you forget that?"

Colton opened up the phone and clicked on the photo of Zane, turning it around to show his friends, and he saw both chins drop, right before they closed their mouth.

"That's not cool," Alec said grimly.

"Is that your kid?" Lance chimed in, stunned.

"We've got a lot to talk about – yes – but I married her to tie her to me. I'm not losing contact again," Colton explained bluntly. "That's my son, and he's going to have my name."

"Oh, I get it," the other firefighter retorted. "I'd have done the same – because if she ghosts you again, I'd want to file an Amber Alert or something. That's seriously messed up that she had your child and never said a word. Bro, she stole those moments from…"

"Alec," Colton interrupted, realizing the man was saying the same things he'd already thought. "Please? Please, listen. I know – and you are right – but to have a chance to know my son, includes mending some fences with his mother. I don't like what she did, but we've already talked about it some. I'm sure we'll talk more now that we have a chance to do so. Sometimes you have to be the bigger person in order to move forward – and I'm choosing to do that."

"I'm not sure I could."

Alec sounded so bitter, and Lance was surprisingly quiet, just staring at him in shock. Colton understood. It was a shock to the system, and he had once felt the same as the other man – until he looked into his own eyes on the face of a child. In that very moment, all those old hurt feelings didn't matter because he wanted to know that little being, and that fascination, admiration, and love for Zane was overwhelming in a way that no one would ever know or understand.

That was his son.

Sure, Eris had run from Colton. She'd hidden her pregnancy. There were some rough spots to heal from between the two of them; but the chance was there to build something greater – and he recognized it.

He wanted his son to grow up knowing him and having a relationship with him, and that feeling was more powerful than anything. A blind, unconditional love that a parent had for his child made him capable of forgiving everything and stepping forward to put the past behind them in a way he never imagined.

"I don't expect you to understand," he said quietly, as they pulled up to the station, meeting their eyes. "But if Zane and Eris ever come to the station, please be kind… for me. That's my boy, my wife, and they are my choices."

"No worries, Fischer," Justin said from behind him. "That's something we are working on – all of us becoming a family, and y'all are in for a treat. Chad?"

Chad, the engineer, turned in his seat, grinning.

"My wife made a big pan of lasagna, a loaf of fresh bread, and brought it to the station… we're eating good today, fellas!"

"And Mrs. Justin, my sweet Faith, made a German chocolate cake," Justin volunteered – bumping knuckles with Chad before smiling back at them. "Heads up, she used double the coconut and no pecans in case Andy gets a hold of it. Not sure how it's gonna taste, but she found a recipe for it and was all excited, so I volunteered you guys as guinea pigs."

"Aww, man," Alec retorted. "You mean it might be nasty?"

"How exactly do you screw up cake?" Lance blurted out.

"By leaving out the pecans and substituting stuff…"

"I had no idea Mrs. Justin would dabble in the black arts like that. To sacrifice perfectly good cake, mixing all sorts of stuff together. Does that make her Voldemort?"

"Dude! Right? Evil genius and…"

"Hey!" Justin snapped. "You two knuckleheads can't have any cake then! My wife… my precious wife… baked it for you to try, but if you are going to be ungrateful little turds about it or hurt her feelings? Then you cannot have any cake!"

"I'm grateful and can't wait to try it," Colton grinned, seeing two sets of eyes swing toward him and Chad's easy laugh. "Mrs. Justin is amazing."

"Hey…"

"What gives, bro…"

"Seriously?"

"Cake is cake," Colton chuckled at the duo talking over each other in protest, putting his hand up toward the cab of the truck and bumping knuckles with Chad, then Justin, in solidarity. "And Mrs. Justin is family to our team. I would eat sawdust to make any member of our family happy."

"Smart man…" Justin laughed. "You're gonna make it as a dad and husband, brother."

"I'm learning."

Alec and Lance were glaring daggers at the three men who were chuckling and laughing easily together.

"C'mon, and let's head in to where Maya and Faith are waiting," Chad offered, grinning. "I, for one, want to kiss my bride and rub that big baby belly…"

"Are you two done pouting over there?" Justin said bluntly.

"I'll be good, Daddy," Alec retorted glumly.

"I'll eat the cake and sing its praises," Lance volunteered and then looked at Alec. "You feeling okay, Justin?"

"Yeah, why?"

"When a girl calls you ‘Daddy' – you're supposed to moan…"

The entire cab of the fire truck was filled with laughter as Alec launched himself at the other man, wrestling and chuckling at the playful jab given so easily between friends. It certainly broke up the tense atmosphere, Colton realized, narrowly avoiding a boot to the stomach as they continued goofing off.

"Come on, Daddy," Justin prompted Chad, so they would all exit the truck – and then it happened.

"Mmmm yeaaaah…!"

Chad let out a big, fake moan that rivaled any dirty film star, causing a moment of silence before they all started laughing uproariously. The unexpected sound of it coming from a very sedate, quiet, polite-looking man had them all giggling like children and laughing once more together.

The engineer's face was beet red as Justin wrapped an arm around his neck, rubbing his hair playfully. Lance and Alec were giving suggestions on how to get his moan to sound more appropriate – suggesting a slap on the rump to follow up such a moment, while Colton just shook his head, chuckling as they filed into the fire station as a team, finally.

They were all growing together, finding their footing, and Colton saw the fire chief standing in the distance watching them walk in. Reese had been right to bring on Justin because somehow this man knew how to bring them all together as a unit, and he realized that he could learn a lot from his new captain – and the fire chief.

Faith and Maya were sitting at the table, talking together, patiently waiting for the truck to arrive and realized that this was indeed what being a team, a family meant. The two women were bonding, just like the men in the truck. Justin's quiet strength was finding a way to bring them all together, and he couldn't wait to introduce Eris and Zane someday. He watched enviously as both men greeted their wives happily, grateful for the break in routine.

Only to see a car pull into the parking lot in the distance, and he felt a bubble of joy surge within him.

"I'll be right back," he blurted out, halfway out the front door and jogging across the parking lot.

The sun hadn't set yet and was low on the horizon, the breeze light, and he could smell someone smoking brisket off in the distance; that heavy, rich, scent that there was no mistaking. He hoped it covered his own – because he was covered in sweat and planned on getting a shower before lying down to take a nap while he could.

Eris opened the driver's door and looked almost startled at being caught in the act of coming by the station – and heard Zane's holler of excitement.

"Dadddeeee! I right ‘ere!"

"Hey," Colton said simply, trying to be evasive and aloof, not sure if something was wrong or if he was making this out to be more than it was. "Is everything okay?"

"Um," Eris began, looking distinctly nervous and looking away as she moved to open the passenger side door to get Zane out of his booster seat – and Colton stepped forward.

"I'm really glad to see you," he whispered softly, looking at her. "It's okay, you know, if you maybe wanted to see me too."

They stood there, looking at each other, and he didn't even care in the slightest that he was filthy. No, there were so many emotions within him at just the sight of them— his unexpected and precious family. Her eyes were searching his, and it nearly broke his heart to see the fear, trepidation, and gentle hope in those depths he longed to look at him differently.

There had been so many hurt feelings, so much time had passed; but heaven help him – he still loved her.

"And if you are scared to admit it," he smiled tenderly. "It's okay – because I want you to know that this visit means a lot to me."

"Daddeeee… Pick me up!" Zane ordered from the car, where he was scrambling to pull at his arm and jump down. He scooped up his son and put him on his shoulders playfully.

"Do you want to come in and meet everyone?"

"You're not embarrassed about us?" she whispered.

"Embarrassed?" he said, stunned, and looked at her in surprise – before leaning forward to kiss her softly on the cheek, his eyes holding hers. "I haven't stopped talking about the both of you yet today. C'mon…"

"Colton?" her voice stopped him, and he turned back to her.

"Yeah?"

"I thought maybe we could give this a try, like you suggested," Eris said nervously, looking at him. "You brought it up and… and I'm in," she breathed tightly. "I'm nervous, afraid, but I'm in."

"I'm so glad," he breathed, feeling anxiety, relief, and fear wash from him in that instant. It was almost enough to bring tears to his eyes as he smiled at her. "Step by step… together."

She nodded once, her eyes still sharp and watching him.

"You know what this means?"

"What?"

"We're a family," he grinned, leaning down to brush a kiss against her lips softly – only to feel her respond tentatively. He didn't care. She was actually reaching for him, too, and that was all that mattered. The rest would come with time, and time was on their side.

"I wanna kiss too, Daddy! Kiss me," Zane interrupted – and he laughed, feeling joy surge in his soul. He pulled his son down, wrestling with him for a moment, before kissing his cheek and blowing raspberries on his neck.

"Kiss you? Kiss you? I'm gonna gobble you up, buddy!" – and Colton met her eyes and saw her smile. "Come meet everyone… and if we are lucky, I'll have a little time to sit down for a bit. Zane, you wanna look at the big fire truck?"

"Ohhh yesshh!"

"Well then, come on, buddy…"

Colton reached out and took Eris's hand in his.

"Hold him," she ordered firmly.

"I'm not going to drop him," he promised. "But I do want to hold my wife's hand for a moment," and tugged her to join him as they walked into the station.

All the conversation drew to a stop for a moment – only to see Justin give a look to his wife, and they both stood up.

"Hey! Is this your son and bride?" Justin began, extending his hand politely to Eris – only to have the woman pull her away, hugging her closely before releasing her.

"I'm Faith – but most of these twerps call me Mrs. Justin," the woman said openly, smiling warmly at Eris. Colton looked at Justin only to see him give a silent thumbs-up in acknowledgement. His wife was going to draw Eris out of her shell, and she was going to be taken under her wing, and Colton was truly grateful.

"Now, wait a second," another woman said, getting to her feet. "What am I, chopped liver? Hellloooo? And who's this young ‘probie'? Where's your hat, little man? My name is Maya, but my niece Grace calls me ‘Ammie-aya' because she couldn't say ‘Auntie Maya'…"

"I'm Zane, Ammie-aya…"

"Are you hungry, pumpkin?"

"I wanna see da' cruck…"

"Truck. Truuuck."

"Fire engine."

"You can call her ‘Big Red,' Zane…"

"Just like any other man," Maya grinned and winked at the two of them. "Chad Papa Bear – you are up! I expect to hear that siren, young man."

"Siren?"

"We'll be right back," Colton chuckled. Chad was already on his feet, digging out his keys as Maya grasped Eris by both hands, pulling her forward to join them all at the table.

"Guys – behave with my wife," he warned bluntly and saw their knowing looks. Firefighters had a reputation, and the ‘flirt's battalion' was no different. Most were single or getting married; one or two who worked for the station had been quite promiscuous around town, and where there was some, there was usually fire.

Rumors spread, especially after one of the firefighters had cheated with Chase Mark's wife at the time. They divorced soon afterward. In a small town, everyone knew everything. While Captain Mark's ex-wife was still living in town, the other firefighter had quit not long afterward and moved away. Colton wasn't willing to risk a second chance with Eris.

No, in fact, the thought of Alec or Lance flirting with her almost made him stay put instead of taking Zane to see the truck, but he had to trust her – and she needed to know that. If things were going to work, there had to be trust and respect, and though he'd never had a reason to doubt her… their relationship had ended abruptly once before.

"I'll be back," he said quietly, looking at her.

Zane's amazement at the truck made him remember the first time he'd seen a fire truck as a young boy. His dad had been a firefighter, and he'd gotten to do a ride-along as a boy. That was all it took for him to want to be a fireman. That thought had never wavered – not even after his father had died, a casualty of a fire. No, while it had hurt so much, seeing the ‘family' at the station come together for him had been everything. They took care of each other, and watched out for one another… and that was how it was supposed to be. The last two years, his ‘family unit' had been falling apart but there was definitely a different aura to them all now.

"Oh Daddy, wook at dis big ‘ol cruck!" Zane was rambling as he scrambled to climb up into the cab. "Oh wowww… this hat? And this? Wook at this, Daddy!"

His son was so excited that his enunciation was slipping, sounding more like baby gibberish to him, making the two men chuckle easily as they shared a look. Chad was a really good guy and so excited about their first child being on the way. Maya was barely five months pregnant, and he was on cloud nine.

"Put on the hat, buddy…"

"Yep, climb up here, and we can honk the siren together," Chad offered, grinning. "Get up in the captain's seat…"

Colton hesitated only for a second – and then shook his head.

"I'm not ready yet."

And felt a hand on his shoulder.

Glancing back, he saw his captain standing there, nodding at him.

"We'll learn together," the other man said quietly, his voice barely audible as the two talked. "No one is ever ready, but we pay attention, bounce ideas, and work together. That's why I told you to have my back, and I will have yours. Don't you think I recognize the next captain waiting on my team? There's nothing wrong with that either. I want a team full of strong men who can work together – and I'm not threatened in the slightest by that. If I'm ever not here, I will be looking to you to fill in, so you might as well see how that seat feels."

"What about Chad?" Colton asked in a hushed voice. "Isn't the engineer next up?"

"If the engineer is ready or wants it. Chad doesn't want it – yet, but I have a born leader who functioned as our engineer for quite a while before Chad arrived. I know why you are still on the line and can appreciate it. Go," he urged softly and then grinned. "Just don't move my seat or screw with my mirrors."

"Yes, Captain," Colton grinned.

* * *

It wasn'ttwenty minutes later that they got another call. Colton was shoveling in his last bite of lasagna and tearing his piece of French bread in half so Zane could have some more since they'd finished the loaf off only to hear the alert.

Structure fire reported

A chorus of groans rose as they all shot to their feet, Lance and Alec quickly shoveling in their last bites with zero manners. Justin was already heading for the truck, and Chad quickly kissed his wife on the lips before racing out the door behind him.

"Zane stay here with your mama," Colton ordered, getting to his feet – only to see Eris do the same. Her eyes held his for only a second as she nodded.

"I did want to see you – be safe, okay?"

"What are you doing Tuesday night, Gorgeous?"

And heard her chuckle shyly. They both knew he got off work Tuesday morning and would be home spending time with them. Yeah, he was going to make sure his girl fell for him once again.

"Perhaps you have a hot date with a sexy firefighter?"

"We'll see," she smiled.

"I won't take no for an answer," he grinned – before leaning forward to kiss her cheek again – and seeing the lights flashing already. He was gonna get left behind if he dawdled much longer. Yanking off his shoes, he pivoted on the balls of his socked feet, hollering over his shoulder. "Zane, take care of your mama for me. See you soon, buddy."

"See ya, Daddy!"

Climbing onto the truck not a moment later, still yanking on his gear and suiting up, he rolled down the window of the cab and stuck out his arm, waving as Zane's face illuminated, and he saw Eris blow him a kiss.

Yeah, he wasn't going to mess things up this time.