Chapter 13
BLYTHE
Blythe was makingher coffee and chatting with customers in the waiting room, when her boss walked past her.
“Your guy is sitting in your office giving me the stink-eye,” Jack grinned. “Can you shoo him off and take your next customer?”
“Lance is here?”
“Is that his name? Sheesh. It’s more like Godzilla or He-Man. Are you bringing him to dinner at the end of the month as your plus one? Cause I’m betting your buff beefcake can eat enough for three people. Maybe Mark won’t bring his wife, and we can afford the meal.”
“Oh, funny, Jack. Ha ha ha. You are just hysterical,” she said dryly, rolling her eyes and she saw Jack wink at her. “I’ll get my next customer in just a few moments.”
“I’m timing you, Killer…”
“Go on now,” she shooed him off and poured another cup of coffee for Lance, quickly returning to her office. Sure enough, his blond head was bent over her desk, writing something. “Hey you…” she began and set down the coffee, only to see her business cards scattered everywhere as he looked up.
“Hi,” he said simply, smiling at her. “I missed you and thought I would come by for a few minutes if I’m not bothering you.”
Blythe was missing him, too.
They had spent hours sitting together on the couch last night as he played idly on the guitar, and they talked. It was so nice, so easygoing, and so laid back to see this side of him. In fact, the two of them had slept curled against each other on the couch like it was nothing, and it meant the world to her.
“No, you aren’t bothering me at all and… oh my gosh,” Blythe laughed as she saw what Lance was doing, hearing him chuckle, as he crossed out ‘Monroe’ on her business card and wrote ‘Cortes’ on there. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to see what it would look like.”
“You are a sweetheart, you know that?”
“I’m a nitwit, but you are so infatuated with me that you just can’t see it.”
“That might be true – but I can order new business cards when the time comes.”
“What if the time comes three days from now?”
“What?”
Lance sat there smiling at her, watching and waiting as she stared at him in shock. They were barely engaged, neither had wedding bands or rings and honestly, she was still living on the high that came with finding that special someone. She had no idea just how perfectly they would mesh and get along together when he had appeared in her office, in that same seat, nearly eighteen months ago.
“Do you…” he drawled playfully. His beautiful lips were turned upward in a small smirk as he held her gaze, waiting. His beautiful dark eyes were full of emotion, something that she wanted to label as Love but was afraid to hope. They had both been very careful not to say what it was because it was just a simple word, not the end-all, be-all of everything. “Want to… marry me… when I get off my shift?”
“I suppose I could be ready,” she said evasively and picked up one of the newly decorated business cards. “Blythe Cortes does look pretty good there, doesn’t it?”
“I’m kinda partial to it…”
“No more nervousness?” she asked pointedly and saw him hesitate.
“Can I be honest?”
“I wish you would always be with me – I can handle it.”
“I wasn’t going to ask you to marry me… yet,” he finished quickly as her mouth dropped open in shock.
“Wait… what?”
“I bought the frame and put our picture in it because I thought it was sweet…”
“And the blue satin robe?” she questioned. “It says ‘bride’ on the back.”
“It does?”
“Wait a second,” she hesitated, rubbing her temples and feeling a headache coming on. “You weren’t going to ask me to marry you – but you did? Why are we having this discussion or talking about marriage, then? Is this why you were so nervous, because you felt like I was pressuring you?”
“I was nervous because I don’t bring a lot to the table and feel like you deserve better – and that hasn’t changed,” he began and reached across her desk for her hand. “But everything I did around the house, getting things ready, is because I want to be with you… a part of your life. You are right, it’s just a word, but actions speak so much more. I want us to have a future together, to wake up and have coffee together, to watch television in our pajamas or sing songs together, but I have a condition that I need to discuss with you, and it’s kind of important.”
“A condition? What condition?”
“You’re going to think I’m stupid…”
“I do,” Jack interjected, leaning into the office and handing her a deal jacket before tapping on his watch. Lance didn’t look up, acknowledge, or even comment. He sat there stonily with a very terse look on his face.
“I hate that man…” he muttered. “And you are told not to hate when you attend church. You can dislike someone, but ‘hate’ is frowned upon, or at least that is what Sister Mary Hazel used to tell me.”
“He grows on you.”
“Like spores grow on rotting animal flesh… or poop?”
“Oh gosh,” Blythe chuckled, surprised, and leaned toward Lance, whispering like they were telling each other a secret. “You’re right about the spores thing.”
“Of course I am,” he chuckled… and then his smile faded.
“What condition did you have?” she repeated softly, trying to urge him to hurry so she could get the next customer taken care of. “What’s on your mind?”
“If we have squishies…”
“Excuse me?”
“Children,” Lance said. “Little human squishies that are all wobbly, helpless, with big, beautiful, little bellies and rolls of fat on their tiny legs…”
“Squishies?” she smiled in disbelief, staring at him and feeling so much love for this wild man that could side-track her like no other. Her boss could have walked in and announced the building was on fire – and she wouldn’t leave this room until the man of her dreams finished his request.
Squishies? She thought wildly, trying to keep from laughing at the sweet term he was using to describe a newborn child. Could this beautiful man be any more adorable?
“If we have squishies together someday, I want to take a ton of photos and videos for them… in case anything ever happens,” he said hoarsely looking away from her – and her eyes stung with comprehension and understanding. “Memories fade, Blythe. I have a dangerous job, accidents happen, but somehow life goes on – and I need to know that if we have a beautiful squishy with soft black curls like her Mama, or a thick skull like his Papa, our children will never wonder or forget that they came from a true miracle, you know?”
“You think this… is a miracle?” she asked tearfully, her voice hoarse with emotion, and saw him look at her tenderly.
There was a sort of broken awareness and vulnerability in his eyes. Yes, he wanted all of this – her, a family, a home, everything. He might be scared, nervous, or not sure how to go about it, but he wasn’t giving up. He was going to fight for this, to lay down his shields and beg if he had to – and she comprehended what he couldn’t put into so many words.
Oh, she understood completely with a level within her soul that was beyond anything she knew was even there. Lance was asking and testing the waters, because this meant everything to him, and he was letting her see the real boy, frightened and hiding deep down inside of the man before her.
Lance grew up in a home, an orphanage, and wanted a family of his own. He was also terrified to have a child miss out on the same things that he’d lost along the way. He needed to make sure his child never yearned for those faded memories of a family; a close-knit family that deeply loved each other. He wanted those memories of his family, and they were gone, but the fact that he wanted to make sure they had something for their children, if something ever happened to destroy what they were slowly building?
‘Love’ was a combination of four simple letters that paled in comparison to what she was feeling right now for this man before her… and his request. She would do anything he asked, give up vital organs for this man, and defend their precious world with her very life - simply because he cared enough for her and their ‘someday family’ to make sure they never suffered or felt loss like he had.
This feeling, this miracle was love, felt with every single fiber of her being.
Blythe loved Lance.
“I do…” he whispered and cleared his throat, giving her a shy smile that made her heart nearly burst into uncontrollable emotion. She let out a tearful laugh, stood up from her chair, and hugged him tightly in the middle of her glass office. He sighed so hard his frame trembled, but she was here for it – and would always be here for him.
“We’ll say that together in three days, Hero – and we are most certainly someday having squishies together.”
Twenty-four hours later,Blythe was walking into the house and smiled. Yes, he might be working at the fire station for the next three days, but he was still ‘here’ in a way, looking out for her. She could smell something fragrant from the kitchen and saw that Lance had set a crockpot on the countertop. This was his silent way of making sure she had something for dinner ever since she admitted to being a ‘frozen dinner queen.’ He was certainly the chef in the relationship – and it showed.
Lifting the lid, she saw the small pot roast in there that was practically falling apart. Tiny potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms were lying in the gravy surrounding the cut of meat, and it was enough for leftovers. As she was putting the lid back on and turning off the heat, her phone beeped in her pocket.
Let me know when you get home. We’re on the truck and headed to a car accident, so I might not respond for a bit.
I just walked in, and thank you for dinner!
Gotta take care of my girl.
My Jeep was towed in today – and I’m going to have two keys made.
Do you have someone on the side?
Well, my husband will probably want a key.
You’re married?!
It’s you, silly!
I know. I just like playing with you.
And I like playing along with your games.
Must be one of those weird four-letter word things, huh?
It might be.
brB… we’re here!
Psst – go check the bedroom!
What did you do?
Laughing, Blythe smiled at her phone and saw the last comment was unread. He was off the truck and on the scene working now – and it was sweet that he was checking on her. Kicking off her shoes, she padded barefoot toward the bedroom and saw the door was closed. Slowly, she opened it and smiled.
He”d made the bed that she slept in alone last night – and made a heart with rose petals on the comforter. The flowers from the hospital had been wilting something awful, and she had tried to throw them away last night, only for him to stop her.
“I’ll take it with the trash in the morning. Don’t worry about it…” he’d said – and now she knew why. The wilted petals had been plucked with care, and despite the curled edges, it was terribly sweet and romantic, which made her want to do the same for him.
She was going shopping – as soon as she ate dinner.
Three hours later,it was nearly nine o’clock at night, and she couldn’t be happier than she was right now. Everything went perfectly, and she found a few things that she hadn’t expected to pick up, but happened to be perfect for the two of them.
Pulling into the fire station parking lot, she saw a woman with wavy blonde hair walking out of the building and Lance. She felt something dangerous boiling over within her, only to see another firefighter jog out toward the woman and kiss her. Letting out her breath, she turned off the car and saw Lance’s face turn toward her in an instant as he started forward, looking slightly alarmed.
It was showtime.
Blythe had just opened the car door when he was there a moment later.
“Boop, is everything okay? What are you doing here?” The alarm in his voice made her feel good, almost special, and she couldn’t resist getting a small jab in because she’d seen that woman.
“Oh, you know, I was just in time to see my fiancée saying ‘bye’ to some other woman…”
“Her?” Lance blurted out, his eyes widening in shock before he got this look on his face that was almost pleased and laden with ego. “My sweet Boop, you weren’t jealous or thinking I would screw this up with some other girl, were you? I never imagined my sexy girl would be insecure. I mean, we’re getting married and discussing squishies - it’s serious for me, and I thought you knew that.”
“Hush,” she muttered, cursing her runaway tongue… and felt him reach out and pull her close. The scent of sweat, smoke, and other things tickled her nose, but there was something so incredibly heady about it, too. He was strong, built, and confident and yeah, it was terribly intoxicating to her. She never considered herself a damsel in distress, but he definitely made her weak at the knees.
“I missed you,” he whispered huskily before kissing her tenderly – and she responded. The feeling of his lips, the way he cradled her against him, it was all creating a web around her, one she wanted to be in forever. His lips parted as he tugged her closer, murmuring once more to her. “Need this…”
And she melted.
Her hands somehow cupped his face, blindly memorizing and recognizing the feel of his angular jaw and holding him close. The intensity between them had never been an issue. It was more of a surprising awareness that she hadn’t expected. She always thought he was handsome from the first moment she laid eyes on him, but now – after getting to know him – she couldn’t see a world without Lance in it.
It wasn’t a slow, deliberate build. It was more of a ‘Hey, I had no idea part of me was just sitting out there waiting to be found.’ They enjoyed being around each other and shared so many favorites, and the more she reached for him in her life, the more she treasured his very presence. Breaking the kiss, she stood within the enclosure of his arms and gently rubbed her nose against his. If she could climb inside just to be closer, she would.
“I got you something…” she murmured against his lips.
“If it’s any hotter than that kiss was, I’m not sure I’m going to be fit to talk for about an hour,” he chuckled huskily. “Have I mentioned how gorgeous I think you are?”
“Why no,” she laughed softly. “Actually, you haven’t…”
“I’m a horrible boyfriend,” he smiled tenderly before pressing his forehead against hers. “But I’m going to be an amazing husband.”
“Yeah, well, I’m trying to up my game as ‘wife’ too, you know…”
“Boop, your ‘game’ is spot on, and I’m trying to catch up.”
“Maybe I should just keep your surprise to myself then,” she taunted intimately, dragging a finger to his lips and shivering as he nipped at her fingertip.
“Gimme everything you’ve got, and I promise I’ll catch up.”
“Well, I brought your team something sweet…” she admitted, stepping out of his arms and leaning into the car, grabbing the grocery bag from the passenger seat – and the other bag. “And brought you a little something else.”
“You did?”
Lance smiled, looking a little surprised as she started to hand him the grocery bag. She handed him the paper bag in her other hand instead - and winked at him. He chuckled easily, gave her a confused yet wary look, and then hesitated.
“Should I open it?”
“Only if you want to.”
“Should I be nervous?”
“It’s just a little something special. Do you like apple pie?”
“I love any kind of dessert,” he chuckled, pulling out the paper and froze. His eyes shot to hers and widened as his mouth worked for a moment. “That’s… uh, that’s not pie.”
“But this is,” she whispered, gesturing to the other bag in her hand. “And you are right – that’s not pie, nor is it for anyone else’s eyes.”
“Blythe,” he said hoarsely, looking in the bag again and meeting her eyes. “Oh man, where did you… is that…”
“That’s for my husband,” she murmured, meeting his eyes that were indescribable. If volcanoes had eyes, she was staring into them. His pupils were huge, his breath was catching, and desire blazed from his eyes as he kept peering into the bag before looking at her again.
“I get to see this… on you?”
“You promised me squishies, remember?” she said huskily, winking at him.
“Oh man, oh mercy… Blythe?!” he practically yelped, his hands shaking as he laughed in nervous delight – and then hugged her wildly with abandon.
She accidentally dropped the other bag that held the pie and exclaimed – only to have him attempt to kiss her in celebration. The first kiss nearly missed her mouth as his lips landed on her cheek. He was so moved, so taken aback, and it was beautiful to behold… especially as he kept staring into the bag that contained a little negligee. They were both laughing as he scooped up the bag that held a very mangled pie in a bent tin, setting it on the roof of the car.
“This is for our wedding night?”
“Well, it’s certainly not for them,” she chuckled, pointing at the group of men in the distance. “I’ll be taking that bag home, too, because no one else needs to know our business. You can see it when you get off of work and we change my last name, Hero.”
Lance looked at her, glanced over his shoulder at his coworkers, and then turned protectively, putting himself between them. He reached into the bag, and she saw his trembling hand touch the lace and satin as his eyes closed in sheer heaven, before he handed her the bag.
“Yup, nobody sees that but me.”
“Exactly.”
“The next few days are going to drag by.”
“I’m sorry about the broken pie.”
“They’ll live… and we need to be ready to go to the clerk’s office first thing. I think they open at nine. We’re gonna be married before lunch, Mrs. Cortes.”
“I’ll be ready to go. You just take care of yourself and don’t stand me up, Hero,” she whispered, not looking away from his eyes. He nodded slowly, completely aware that something devastating would have to happen for either of them to fail to meet up at the courthouse.
“Nothing will keep me from you,” he promised, reaching out to touch her cheek and looked like he was about to say something else, only to hear a commotion nearby.
“Hey! Lance! We’ve got a call…”
“Hi, Mrs. Cortes – congratulations!”
“Congrats, you two – now let”s go!”
“I’ve gotta go,” Lance smiled ruefully and kissed her quickly. “Take that home,” he ordered, pointing at the bag. “I like that – a lot.”
“I figured you would,” she chuckled, waving at him. “You should be careful.”
“I’m always careful, Boop!” he hollered wildly, running inside, pausing to yank off a shoe at the doorway and hopping on one foot for a brief moment before yanking off the other one. “Guys? Wait up!”
“You forgot… your pie?” she hollered behind him.
Laughing for a few moments, she watched the flurry of activity within the building as the lights came on the truck, signaling that they were on the move. The massive red fire engine started to lumber forward as a siren began to wail. The keening sound growing in intensity just as it faded and resurged once again, and she saw that precious wave from one of the side windows.
Lance.
Smiling proudly, she waved back empathically and blew him a kiss – only to see several other arms suddenly appear, all of them blowing kisses at her mockingly. As the siren faded, she heard laughter loud enough for her to hear from a distance, right before the roar of the siren combined with the truck drowned it out again as they pulled onto the street.
Being a firefighter was a part of Lance, just like her romantic guitar player, her chef, her sweet homemaker, and the incredible man that wanted to make squishies, so they had a family to raise together. That was the being she never expected to find that day she met him in her office. She never saw any of that hidden personality the day of the photo shoot and couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have met him.
“I love you,” she whispered after the truck.