Epilogue Damien
Istirred the pot of chili as I listened to the noise in the other room.
The firehouse could get loud sometimes. There were usually at least twelve firefighters here when we weren’t out on a call, most of them men, and those long twenty-four-hour shifts could cause restlessness.
Music blared in the gym, men talked shit in the kitchen, and Ryan snored so loud that it rattled the damn windows.
I had no idea how Leanne put up with it.
Today, it was louder than usual because of the kids visiting. I knew there were supposed to be ten of them coming, and it sounded like they were all chattering away as they were given a tour of the firehouse.
“Okay, kids. Settle down!”
I smiled at the sound of that voice, raised above all the rest. Kelsie was here, even though she didn’t usually go out on trips like this with the kids anymore since she was promoted nine months ago.
After we got back from Sirona Isle, she decided to pass on the job in Minneapolis, but my girl was smart, and she was able to leverage that offer into a promotion here in Chicago.
She was now a program director and damn good at her new job.
But she decided to get a little field experience today, for old time’s sake.
The kids filed into the kitchen then, some of them looking around curiously while others looked bored.
Ryan was leading the tour, and he gestured for everyone to gather around the kitchen table, which was more than big enough to fit them all.
“Kids, allow me to introduce you to my fellow firefighter and friend, Damien Hawkins. He’s making his famous firehouse chili. ”
One of the kids, a boy with blue-tipped hair, rolled his eyes. “Chili in a firehouse? Really? Isn’t that a little cliché?”
Kelsie frowned, and I could tell she was about to reprimand the boy, but I just chuckled. “It’s a cliché for a reason. Chili’s a good, cheap way to feed a lot of hungry firefighters.”
“I want to try it,” a girl said, batting her eyelashes at me. She couldn’t be older than sixteen. My stomach turned, and I snapped my eyes to Kelsie, who looked like she was trying not to laugh at my panic.
“Everyone take a seat,” Kelsie said, directing the girl to a chair at the head of the table, furthest away from me. I appreciated that. I didn’t need some kid flirting with me.
I dished up the chili into bowls while Ryan passed out cornbread. It was simple food but good, the kind that sticks to your ribs.
While the kids dug in, Kelsie made her way over to where I was standing with a smirk on her face. “You know, making chili for everyone seems like you’re trying to impress someone. Wonder who that could be?”
I chuckled. “Well, I hear the woman that runs this program is hot. Thought I’d see if I could win her favor with some delicious food.”
“Oh, I don’t know if you want to go there. I hear she’s engaged.”
Kelsie played with the ring on her left hand as she spoke, a habit that she’d gotten into since I gave it to her a week ago.
I’d taken her on a hike to a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and popped the question with a princess-cut diamond ring and a sappy speech that made her cry just like she did on that beach a year ago.
Happy tears. Only happy tears.
“He’s one lucky guy,” I said, putting an arm around her waist to pull her in for a sideways hug. Kelsie’s eyes darted to the kids, but they were all too preoccupied with the food and talking to notice what we were doing.
But I released her and stepped up to the table. All eyes shifted to me.
“So, who’s the toughest person here?” I asked, not at all surprised when half the boys puffed out their chests. I smirked. “Because we have an obstacle course out behind the building for you all to try to prove it.”
“Just an obstacle course?” one of the boys asked with a defiant jutting of his chin.
“Oh no,” Ryan chimed in. “You’ll be wearing full bunker gear.”
Kelsie chuckled at that. Bunker gear was specialized clothing to protect us from the heat of flames, and it was heavy as hell. The coat alone weighed about forty-five pounds.
“This is going to be fun,” I said, and a couple of the boys who looked so eager a moment ago seemed uncertain. But I had a feeling none of them would back down.
“Okay, finish eating, kids,” Kelsie said. “We’ll get a chance to try out the fireman’s pole before the obstacle course.”
They were all pretty much done anyway, so they started to file out of the kitchen soon after that. Kelsie lingered for just a moment, allowing Ryan to wrangle the kids.
As soon as we were alone, she pressed a quick kiss to my lips. As always, I wanted more, but I knew she wouldn’t want to linger in here making out with me while she was supposed to be supervising the kids.
But I’d take my time with her later tonight. Kelsie moved in with me six months ago, and I’d woken up with her in my arms every day that I wasn’t here at the firehouse. I was pretty sure that I’d more than made up for that disastrous morning at the resort a year ago.
“Movie night tonight?” she asked.
“I’ll bring the candy.”
“And I’ll be wearing a new nightie.”
With that, she pranced out of the room, knowing that she left me with an erection and that I’d be counting down the minutes until I could go home to her.
It was sweet torture, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kelsie was still my best friend, my lover, and the woman who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
I was just glad that my time on Sirona Isle helped me realize that before it was too late.