Chapter 43
Indiana
“Is Hunter coming soon?!” Noah yells from the swings.
“Yes, Noah. He’ll be here soon,” I tell him. It’s been five minutes since the last time he asked me.
We’re meeting at the park near our place, something Tyler and I agreed on. It’s been two weeks since we told Noah about us dating and so far, things have been going smoothly.
Noah has adjusted pretty well. He doesn’t seem to mind the fact that Tyler has come over most nights he’s off from work.
I’ve noticed the way Noah waits for his arrival on those days, anticipating Ty’s presence.
I never realized how impactful having a male presence would be for Noah until Tyler showed up.
I see Noah’s face split into a grin and I know my husband’s arrived without looking behind me.
“Hunter!” Noah jumps off the swings and begins sprinting over. “Hi, Hunter!” The way he takes off as if it’s been years and not a day since we’ve seen each other last.
“Hey, buddy.” Tyler laughs. It’s heartwarming, watching them interact. I look behind him and notice someone walking close by with a baby in his arms. It’s then I recognize him to be one of his crew members from the station. There’s a woman walking next to them.
Once Tyler gets closer, he bends down to plant a kiss on my lips.
Pulling away, he whispers, “Hey, baby.” He winks, moving his hands through my hair.
“I hope you don’t mind, I brought my friends along.
They wanted to join us. Their daughter can’t play on all the stuff at the park, but they needed to get out of the house a bit. ”
I smile and nod. “Of course. I remember those days.”
The days are long when you’re cooped up at home with a little one. With the weather warming up, getting fresh air is the best thing to do.
“Hi. I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Clay. This is my fiancée Abby”—he points to the woman standing next to him—“and our daughter Gabriella. We call her Ella for short.”
The little girl squeals in his arms, her bright-blue eyes are vibrant with her dark hair and dimples popping out as she looks at me. She’s stunning.
“Hi, precious Ella, I’m Indy.” I wave at her and she returns the gesture, although she proceeds to stuff her pointer finger in her mouth, something I remember Noah doing at that age. “Is she about a year old?”
“She will be very soon,” Abby confirms. “Time is a thief.” She sighs, looking over at her daughter.
Ella starts wiggling out of her father’s hold and Clay starts laughing, bending over to put her down. “Alright, I’ll put you down. I’ll hold your hand and you can try to walk.”
Clay begins to move around the park and it’s comical to see this tall figure crouching down while his little girl attempts to move around, grasping on his fingers.
“I doubt his back will be thanking him later,” Tyler says.
“Oh, it won’t.” Abby chuckles, as she pulls out a blanket. “But he’ll do that for as long as it makes her happy.” She smiles as she watches their retreating forms, her eyes showing nothing but love for them.
“I don’t doubt it,” Tyler says. “Noah, look what I brought.” He holds up a baseball and bat. “Want to practice your swing?”
“You brought it!” Noah jumps up.
“I promised I would, bud.” Tyler grins.
Noah starts running to the open part of the field. It’s hard to contain my own happiness in this moment.
“We’ll be right back.” Ty adjusts his baseball cap and gives me a sexy smirk. Right then, my eyes home in on his backside, Tyler chooses that very second to swing his gaze back to me and catches me staring me.
“Hey, Indy!”
I bring my eyes to meet his.
“My eyes are up here.” He laughs and I narrow my eyes in mock irritation.
I bring my focus back to Abby, who’s getting some items in order on the blanket, while Clay is still walking Ella around the park.
“Do you need any help?” I ask Abby.
“No, but thanks so much.” She smiles up at me. “It’s so nice to formally meet you after all I’ve heard. I remember seeing you briefly at the hospital, but we didn’t get to properly meet that day.”
“Oh? So, you’ve heard about me?” I can’t help the heat creeping up my cheeks.
“Are you kidding? These guys are worse than the tabloids.” She laughs. “Plus, I’m Marissa’s best friend. I saw you at the restaurant that night.” She winks and now I do feel my cheeks flame. The jealousy I was sporting that night wasn’t my finest moment.
“Oh.” I’m mortified. “I had no idea. I was a little off that night.” I try to cover up a bit, but fail.
“Indiana, you don’t have to explain. Marissa is one for a little drama. She will stir it up with the best of them. She knew exactly what she was doing. And it looks like she succeeded.” She gives me a pointed look, then she breaks out in a large grin. I can’t help but laugh.
Changing the subject, I admit, “I’ve interacted the most with Malloy out of everyone in the firehouse.”
She hums, nodding in acknowledgment. “I’m closest with Malloy, actually. We’re in book club together.”
“He mentioned something about a book club when he stopped by my office.”
“Really?” She scrunches her nose. “That’s random.”
“It seems that way, but he noticed a collection of books on my shelf. I happen to work with one of the authors he likes. He said you and someone named Kennedy were in book club with him,” I tell her.
“Yeah, we are. We take it very seriously. Baylee, his wife, is in it too. But school takes up a lot of her time, so she can’t be as dedicated as we are. Who was the author he saw on your shelf?”
“Ana Clevesky.” I smile.
“Are you serious? You know Ana Clevesky?” Abby gasps, dropping some of Ella’s toys.
I chuckle. “Yes, I do. She’s actually really down-to-Earth.”
“No way,” Abby says, “I can’t believe that. I follow her on my socials. I can’t believe you’ve met her. Hell, we loved her first book and I couldn’t stop reading the rest.”
“I’ll let her know. She’s a sweetheart. That will mean a lot to her.” I look over to see Noah hitting the ball. My eyes stay on Tyler as he patiently throws the ball to my son.
“Hunter’s a good guy. I don’t know him well, but he’s really become a part of our little family and I’m glad you’re with him,” Abby says. My smile grows and I swing my gaze back to her.
“I appreciate you saying that. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m glad we are together again,” I tell her. “I feel like it took years to get here.”
“I know what you mean.” She looks at her daughter and Clay.
“She’s beautiful,” I tell her.
“Thank you. She’s my little miracle.” I feel like there’s a story behind her words, but Clay makes his way back over before I can ask for more on that.
“I think someone is going to be taking a break,” he says, not sure if he’s referring to himself or his daughter as he winces when he fully stands.
“Why don’t you two grab a snack?” Abby chuckles.
“I think I’m going to check on Hunter to see if he needs help,” Clay says. “You good here?” He bends down and brings his pointer-finger under Abby’s chin to lightly kiss her lips.
She smiles and shakes her head. “I’m good. Thanks, though.”
I feel like I’m interrupting something by just watching these two interact. He ruffles his daughter’s hair then jogs over to meet the boys.
“How long have you been together?” I ask Abby.
“It’s sort of a long story, but off and on since college. We sort of got back together when I was pregnant with this one.” She taps her daughter’s nose, enticing a giggle from Ella.
I smile, realizing there’s no perfect road for any of us. We all have a special route to reach what is right for us.
Noah is at the movies with his friend Harley and her family.
They invited him over shortly after we arrived home from the park.
I thought he’d be too tired, but he begged me, and I couldn’t resist his sweet little face.
Plus, a little bit of time uninterrupted with Tyler sounded pretty good after I watched him being so sweet with Noah.
“So, how long do you think we’re on our own?” Ty wraps his arms around me.
We came back to his place after we dropped Noah off at Harley’s house.
“Probably a solid four hours. Harley’s mom said she’s taking them out for pizza afterwards. I don’t know how she’s got that much energy.” I can’t help the goosebumps that are erupting as Tyler nibbles my ear.
“I’ve got an idea. You want to go out on a ride on my bike?” He breathes me in and I get a flurry of butterflies as I think about getting on his bike.
I hesitate for a moment. “You nervous to get on there with me again?” He pulls away, taking in my expression.
“No.” I bite my lower lip.
He bites my shoulder, and I swear my underwear is a little wetter.
He smacks my ass as he grabs my hand, pulling me toward his garage. Once inside, he grabs the extra helmet and puts it over my head.
Once he straps it around my chin, he groans.
“What?” I say, sounding a bit muffled.
“If I stare too long at you, I might bend you over my bike and fuck you again. So, we better get going.”
“Really? Because of the helmet?” I can’t help the perplexed look I give him through the face shield.
He grabs the chin guard and pulls me closer. “I swear, you’ve got me fucking hard right now and you’re fully clothed.”
I think my temperature just spiked a few degrees with his words. Is he sure a ride on the bike is what he wants to do? As if reading my mind, he says, “Yes, I want to do this. It will be our version of foreplay.” He leans in and kisses my nose, then closes the visor.
Opening the garage, he saddles up on the bike, putting his own helmet in place. Once he’s in position, he tells me to sit behind him. The moment I wrap my hands around him, I feel his warmth beneath me. That thrumming of his heart underneath my fingertips is fucking enthralling.
He yells, “You ready?!”
I nod and he starts the bike. The moment we start to move, I understand how he might find this soothing for his soul. Feeling the wind hitting me as we move along the streets calms me, and this is only my second ride on this bike.