Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Xavier

Breathing out slowly for the fifth time since putting on my dress pants and pressed button up, I checked my pocket one last time to keep myself from fidgeting. The party was in full swing, Gage’s coworkers meandering around the fire station while classic holiday music blasted from a small boom box over by the refreshments table.

The place was tastefully decorated with both Christmas and New Years in mind. Normally, the mismatching green and red against the gold would come across as tacky, but they’d somehow pulled it off to create a seamless look.

There were two couples dancing in the middle of the station to the music, looking like they were having the time of their lives as they laughed and spun around to pass their partners back and forth. My gaze tracked Dexter, who was deeply engrossed in a game of cards with Gage’s captain, one of the paramedics—a feminine-looking young man that kept popping M Ellie, if I remembered correctly. She nodded at the untouched drink in my hand. “Don’t tell me it’s flat. I swear, I had them throw in two entire bottles of soda.”

Cracking a smile, I said, “No, it’s great. This whole thing is.”

“Really? I’m glad. I was worried it was going to be a total disaster.”

“Not at all. Couldn’t even tell you guys pushed it back. Thanks for doing that, by the way. Gage was really excited that he didn’t miss anything.”

She laughed. “I don’t know about that. I think he was more excited that he got to bring you along.”

I actually didn’t know what to say to that. Obviously, Gage had told me his feelings about wanting me to come and the disappointment that followed after I’d turned him down. But hearing it from someone else that he’d wanted to introduce me to everyone here, had me feeling almost honored in a way.

We were obviously serious—at least, I hoped we fucking were or else I was going to be embarrassing the fuck out of myself here in a little bit—and still, having someone else realize it, too, was almost like a confirmation that our relationship was real to not just us, but everyone else as well.

I’d spent a lot of my life denying my true self. Twenty years ago, I never would’ve imagined that I’d be here, standing in a fire station and talking to a woman—a stranger— about the man I was in a relationship with. That I was in love with. All the while I had a hole burning in my pocket.

It was funny how things could change so much in such a short amount of time.

For the better.

“Everything okay over here?”

Both of us looked back to see Gage smiling at us with a slightly wary expression on his face. His preternatural instincts were off the chart sometimes. Especially, when it came to me. He’d been trying to suss me out all day and, thankfully, hadn’t done anything that had gotten me to crack.

I’d come close, but hadn’t folded completely.

Yet.

“All good,” I said, looping an arm around his waist as soon as he got close enough. “Surprised you guys haven’t gotten any calls tonight.”

Both of them groaned at me.

“Don’t jinx us!” Gage huffed.

“Too late. He already said the words.” Ellie frowned.

Oops .

Someone clinking a glass with a metal utensil brought all of our attention to the opposite side of the station where two men, Jase and Quinn, from what I remembered of Gage introducing them to me, were grinning with a bunch of streamers and large plastic glasses in the shape of the New Year’s date in their hands.

“Mayor just called and said that the fireworks are a go in five.”

Captain Clarke shoved himself up from the card table to clap his hands together loudly, gathering everyone’s attention quickly. “All right, everyone. Out front on the driveway will be the best spot. Let’s get a move on.”

My heart began to pound in my chest. I barely felt Gage squeeze me before he parted from me to grab us both a couple of streamers and two plastic glasses to put on. We waited until the boys were heading for the door with their own sets, following closely behind them as we all exited the firehouse and stood out on the triple-wide driveway.

A bunch of people were already waiting on the sidewalk facing the eastern night sky. Some of them were already setting off sparklers and waving them around in the air, while others were lounging in folding chairs.

“Are the fireworks big this time of year?” Dexter asked while taking a pair of glasses from Asher.

“Oh, the mayor pays for a crazy display,” Gage said, sliding his own glasses over his face. “It’s going to blow your mind.”

Snorting, I settled mine on top of my head, needing the unobstructed view of my surroundings while I got my bearings in gear.

Jesus, I was so fucking nervous it was a wonder I wasn’t sweating through this damn button up. Or that Gage hadn’t noticed and called me out on how antsy I was. He’d been giving me looks all night but had kept his mouth shut, thankfully.

I really wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if he actually called me out and demanded for me to spill the beans on what the fuck was wrong with me. There was no way I would’ve kept this secret long enough to lie to him.

I’d barely kept it together on the damn plane.

Dexter waved one of the streamers in the air in front of him, glancing over at me with a knowing look. He’d obviously guessed by now and was doing his best to keep the heat off of me with the twins—something I was eternally grateful for.

“One minute!” someone called out.

Oh, fuck.

“Hey,” Gage’s arm looped around mine. “You okay? You’re sweating.”

“Swamp weather, babe,” I muttered at him, hoping he’d buy the excuse.

He seemed about to argue with me, but was quickly distracted by someone shouting out a countdown, thankfully. He squeezed my arm in his and lifted his streamer into the air and waved it a few times.

Okay, I could do this.

The worst he’d say was ‘no’.

Actually, the worst he could say was hell no.

Fuck, now I was getting in my head.

This was such an impulsive decision. Three days ago at the hospital it’d felt right. This morning had, too.

Now, I was fucking panicking.

“Five! Four!” People began to chant the countdown.

I’d jumped out of planes, for god’s sake. I’d been through active combat .

I’d gotten sober.

How the hell could proposing to my boyfriend terrify me more than any of those things combined?

“Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!”

People began to cheer around me. The first flash from a firework lighting up the night’s sky shimmered as it broke over the line of buildings in front of us, raining down over the inky blackness with beautiful flakes of white and gold embers.

One by one, fireworks were shot off from somewhere deeper in the city. From golds, blues, purples, and pinks, they were all mesmerizing to watch explode, illuminating the sky for a brief moment before fading like they were never there to begin with.

I couldn’t help but glance over at Gage, enraptured by the way his jaw was slack with awe as he stared at the display. His eyes lit up each time a new one was shot off, the reflection of it mirroring back at me.

“Wow,” he breathed out with a soft smile turning up the corners of his lips.

He always found the joy in the little things. I loved that quality about him.

Hell, I loved everything about him.

I’d never get enough, no matter how much time passed and how long we spent with each other.

I’d never get tired of any of it.

Before long, fireworks were being shot off in rapid succession, clouding the sky with white smoke as they exploded in unison with each other. People on the sidewalks cheered while the station blew their truck horns and waved their streamers, in anticipation for the final firework.

Unlooping my arm from Gage’s caught his attention, causing him to be ripped away from the festivities in order to look over at me.

“Xavier?”

I didn’t answer him, and quickly shoved my hand into my pocket to grab at the small box nestled in there. He didn’t fight me when I took half a step back from him, his face pinching into one of confusion.

I dropped down to my knee.

The strangled noise spilling out of Gage’s mouth was barely audible over the plume of the final firework shooting off into the sky.

I popped the box open, the silver band, hopefully, visible in the dark.

The firework crested high in the sky, the colors of it catching in Gage’s eyes when they widened down at me, along with a light shimmering over the ring that he was now staring at incredulously.

“Marry me,” I said, just as the explosion from the firework punched through the air and drowned out everything else around us.

The embers rained down in the sky like a gigantic weeping willow, glistening the same way that stars did in the distant galaxy and keeping both of us illuminated just long enough.

“Holy shit,” he choked out, pulling in a sharp breath. His hand shot out toward me, splaying his fingers at me. I saw him, rather than heard him, mouth the word ‘yes’ while the crowd around us cheered loudly at the finale.

His hand was shaking as I took it in mine, popping the band out of the case and carefully sliding it on his finger—a damn perfect fit.

I had to catch him as he fell into me, collapsing with a soft sob. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, burying his face in my shoulder.

With a laugh, I lifted us both back onto our feet, planting my weight back to keep him from toppling us both over.

The lights overhead on the fire station flickered on, announcing the end of the night’s festivities and the official beginning of the New Year.

Gage pulled away from me in order to gaze down at the band encircling his finger. He lifted it up to the light to get a better look at it, sniffling. “It’s so pretty.”

I lifted his hand by the wrist and brought it to my cheek, turning my face to press my lips into his palm. “It has our initials engraved on the inside.”

He melted into more tears. “You fucking sap.”

That had me laughing and pulling him into a tight hug. Honestly, pot and kettle on that one, but tonight, I’d let him have it.

“Oh, did you do it?” Dexter asked, craning his neck to get a peek at Gage’s hand.

Lifting it up into the light again, nodding with a Cheshire grin on my lips, I showed off the shiny new band, earning a broad smile from my kid, along with two sets of bewildered looks from the twins.

Gage’s voice cracked when he turned to look at Dexter. “You knew about this?”

Dexter rubbed the back of his neck. “It was... kind of obvious.”

Gage shoved his face against my chest once more, heaving another watery exhale. He was so goddamn cute it was hard not to sweep him up into my arms and carry him back into the damn firehouse where I could find us an empty room.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Greyson’s gaze darted between Dexter and I.

“My dad proposed.” Dexter held out a hand to him, curling his fingers twice. “That means you owe me.”

What...

“Shit,” Asher muttered, taking out his phone. “You do CashApp?”

The alarm inside of the fire station had us all jumping apart. Flashing lights, along with the piercing sound shattering the quiet of the street, had everyone around us bouncing into action. Two of Gage’s coworkers grabbed at the garage door and lifted it open, the rest jogging inside to grab their gear.

“All right, you know the drill!” Captain Clarke called out, following them in. “Let’s get a move on, night crew!”

Gage quickly wiped his face, his expression steeling instantly.

Pride bloomed in my chest. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

His face faltered for a split second, a small smile tugging at his lips before he schooled it back down. He gave us all a tight nod before spinning on his heel and jogging back into the station.

Asher, Greyson, Dexter, and I kept toward the back with the rest of the plus ones that attended the party. It took the station no time at all to gear up and roll out, the skeleton crew being the only thing left behind after it was all said and done.

Once the door to the garage was pulled closed again, everyone let out a small breath.

While it was no surprise that the station was getting calls from people setting their shit on fire with homemade fireworks displays, I was a little disappointed to have Gage ripped away from me so soon after proposing to him.

A pair of arms wrapped around me from the side, causing me to look down to see Dexter hugging me.

“Congratulations.”

Smiling, I brushed a hand over his head. “Thank you. You think he liked it?” I teased.

“I think you’re probably in for another bit of waterworks when he comes home.”

Oh, I have no doubt about that.

He pulled away from me with a small smile that turned rather devious when he turned back to the twins. “CashApp you said, right?”

“Shit, he totally remembered,” Greyson said, nudging his brother.

Asher nodded. “I was really hoping the fire truck stuff would distract him.”

“Nice try,” Dexter drawled.

I shook my head at them. “All right, you three brats, get in the car. You can sort out your betting pool when we get home.”