Page 52 of Controlled Burn
“Okay, well, I’m glad you were able to make it to work on time. I have a ton of stuff to get done today, but are we still on for tacos tonight?”
“Sure, at your place?”
“Yep, I’ll see you there at seven.”
I watched him go with a smile on my face. How on earth did I get so lucky to find a Daddy like him?
“Wow, so weeknight dinners, too, huh? You two are really doing this thing.”
“First, yes, we are, and second, when you work a weird schedule like he does, weekends have less meaning.”
“That schedule would take some getting used to.”
“Yeah. Speaking of schedules, are you sure you’re good to work this Saturday for the book sale?”
“Sure am. Can’t let you have all the fun.” I knew he was joking, but I actually thought it was fun to see so many people get so excited about books. Plus, it was a great opportunity to remind people that getting books for cheap at a used book sale wasn’t the only way to read. We had an entire library here that was full of free books they could check out and read.
I spent the rest of the day working on organizing even more books that had been donated for the sale, and when it was time to quit, I was ready for some tacos and maybe some cuddle time.
I went home, changed clothes, and then made the drive across town to Keith’s house. I loved his neighborhood. It was full of older houses from back in the day when not every house in the neighborhood was identical. Each house had character and probably a story about the families that’d made their home in them.
I guess he saw me pull in because before I knocked, he opened the door and pulled me into one of his bear hugs. I sank into the embrace and soaked up the warmth and comfort that I didn’t even know I needed. It hadn’t been that long since we started the whole Daddy/boy charade, and even less since we made it real, but in some weird way, it felt like he’d been greeting me at the door like this forever. Like this was just the way it was meant to be. It was a foolish thought, and I knew it, but knowing it didn’t stop my heart from feeling it.
He brushed a kiss across my temple and loosened his hold on me. “It’s good to see you, Rabbit.”
“You saw me this morning when you brought me breakfast.”
“Yeah, but you were at work, so I didn’t get to do this.” He bent down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on my lips. “Or this.” He pulled me back against him, and then his mouth covered mine in the kind of kiss you didn’t give someone in the library.
Or at least not at the front desk, anyway.
Did I maybe have a secret fantasy about him pushing me up against one of the more out-of-the-way bookshelves and having his wicked way with me? Maybe. Okay, definitely, but seriously, what librarian didn’t?
He ended the kiss and took a step back. “Come on in. I didn’t mean to maul you before you made it in the house. Besides, tacos are ready.”
He took my hand, and together, we made our way to the kitchen, where the man hadn’t just made me some simple tacos. He’d put together an entire taco bar with multiple meats and every topping you could imagine.
“Wow,” I said, suitably impressed. “Is this the way the crew at the firehouse eats every time you’re on shift?”
He shrugged. “I like doing it, and they enjoy it.”
“Well, thank you. It looks amazing.”
We tucked into the food while he told me about his shift. I hated that our being together was making him uncomfortable around my dad, and I just hoped that things would be better and not worse after we told him.
He told me about the call they went out on at the abandoned house, and that was the perfect opportunity for me to tell him how anxious it made me that he put himself in danger like that. Giles was right. I needed to tell him, and it needed to happen before we told my dad. There was absolutely no reason to blow up our lives if he couldn’t understand why it made me so nervous.
“Keith, there’s something I think we need to talk about.”
He put down his fork and looked at me, giving me his full attention. Damn him. Shit like that was what made me so afraid I was going to mess this up because no one had ever made me feel as seen as this man did.
“Sounds serious. What is it, baby boy?”
I took a deep breath and then dove in. “I should have said something before, but I didn’t know how you would react, so I just didn’t, but then I was talking to Giles about it and realized this probably falls under rule number one, and I don’t want to break the rules but then—”
He reached over and placed a finger on my lips. “Breath, Rabbit. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath like he’d said, then exhaled slowly. “It terrifies me that you’re a firefighter. I wish I was stronger and could just have faith that you would be okay, but I’m not, and I don’t. It scares me to death.”