Through The Flames – By SIMRAN #4
“Believe it or not, I had Millie from a one-night stand too. Except in my case, I never knew who the father was. I tried to find him but didn’t succeed.”
“I’m sorry.”
Giving me a funny look, she lightens the mood by uttering, “Guess, one-night stands aren’t for us.”
“No, they aren’t.” I chuckle. “Why did you move back here?”
“I missed home. Even before I had Millie, I was feeling the urge to return. The thought of raising her in the hustle and bustle of the city without experiencing the close-knit community of small towns sealed the deal for me. I wanted her to have my childhood. So, I quit my boring job, packed up all my stuff, and moved here. I can’t imagine growing old anywhere else. Even after today.”
Her words spread like wildfire in my chest. She doesn’t realize the ray of hope she’s sparking in my soul.
Lisa wants to settle down in Sunny Valley.
Does this mean I have a shot at making her mine? All I need to do is convince her I’m the man for her. One who wants to worship the ground she and Millie walk on. It’s akin to a dying man’s wish coming true.
I take in her standing in my kitchen, wearing my clothes, smiling at me, and vow to myself that I’ll do everything in my power to not let her slip away this time.
I’m going to make you mine, Lisa.
LISA
Maxton got me a job. An assistant gig at one of his firefighter friend’s relative’s accounting firm. It even comes with all the perks and benefits. The best part—I can take Millie to work.
It’s not the only thing he’s done for me.
After an entire week of living with him, Millie and I have been bestowed with sweet little surprises every single day.
He’s become our own Santa, delivering our wish list before sunrise.
True to his word, he pulled out Leo’s old crib from storage and set it up in my room.
The same day, we went to my building and I was one of the lucky ones whose apartment wasn’t entirely damaged.
Save for my room, the rest of the space was tarnished.
I was devastated at losing Millie’s entire wardrobe, toys, and other little things. Even our pictures were gone.
Maxton took me shopping to cheer me up. When I wouldn’t let him spend a penny on her clothes, he splurged on buying her toys. Pretty much everything that struck her fancy. He spoiled Millie like she is his daughter.
It melted my heart into a puddle.
The second day, I found beautiful, framed photos of Millie and me, one with Millie, my mom, and me on my nightstand.
Right then and there, my mission to fight my attraction for him became a big fucking failure.
I can’t blame it on the almost two years of celibacy and having a sudden case of horniness. It’s not just his body I’m lusting after, but everything about him. Especially the way he is with Millie, forming a bond with her.
She’s starting to recognize him too, becoming giddy and waving her little arms at him the minute he comes into view.
Whenever he comes home from his shifts, it’s the kids he greets first.
As confident as he is with them, I notice his shyness while interacting with me. It reminds me of the time we worked together on the project in high school. It took me days until he opened up to me.
Only this time, I was a little shy too, hesitant to invade his personal space more than I already was.
But I decided to push past it by cooking dinner one night.
Maxton said I didn’t have to but I told him cooking is something I enjoy.
It helped that Leo finds it delicious and eats all his veggies without any complaints.
Speaking of Leo, he’s the most calm and well-mannered kid I’ve ever met. He’s a photocopy of his father. I haven’t even seen him throw any tantrums besides when he wants to play with Millie. Every night he asks if she’ll sleep in his bedroom.
Yesterday, I came really close to uttering yes but then I had to remind myself I can’t get myself tangled in Maxton and his son’s life any more than I already have.
This arrangement is temporary. I cannot forget that.
However, every time Maxton and I are in close proximity, the lines keep blurring. Since the first night, we’ve fallen into a ritual. Talking late at night over a cup of tea and a glass of milk for him after our kids go to sleep.
Having his undivided attention is like basking in the sunlight after a cold day.
It’s also a whole lot distracting when he’s shirtless because it sends all the blood straight to my core.
He makes me want to throw all caution to the wind and jump his bones.
I just need one sign to know if the attraction is mutual.
Or perhaps I need to find a new apartment ASAP before I make a fool out of myself. I’m waiting for the insurance money to arrive in my bank and a decent residential building.
As I unlock the front door, I decide to ask Jolene to babysit Millie while I go check out available apartments I found from the ads in the newspaper.
I’ve barely stepped in when Leo comes barreling toward me. “Leesa!”
“Hii, my handsome boy,” I greet with a laugh. The bags of groceries fall from my grip as I brace for his little body slamming into my legs. Hunching down, I hug him and ruffle his hair.
“I fed Mil today,” he mumbles after pulling back.
I pick up the bags and stand. “Oh, did you?”
“Yep!” He lifts his chin proudly.
“That’s amazing.”
Jolene is in the living room watching TV when I enter. Leo runs toward his train set on the floor. I don’t see Millie anywhere. Jolene notices and answers, “Millie’s upstairs with Maxton.”
“He came early?” My heart gallops.
“Mhmm,” she hums with a mysterious smirk.
Intrigued, I put the groceries in the kitchen before climbing upstairs. I hear loud giggles before I nudge open my bedroom door. The sight tugs at my heartstrings.
Millie lies in the middle of the bed. Her legs kicking and moving like she’s cycling while one hand is wrapped around Maxton’s pinkie. He’s leaning up on his elbow, gazing down at her adoringly and holding her unicorn squishy in the air.
“Your mommy’s going to be home soon,” Maxton murmurs to her. “Do you know you’re pretty just like her? Yes, you are.”
He thinks I’m pretty? Butterflies dance in my stomach.
“Do you think she’ll like the surprise?”
I still.
“I’m nervous.”
Millie coos unintelligible words but my gaze catches on something shiny in the corner. I gasp out loud, alerting them to my presence.
“Lisa?”
I cannot look away from the tall and brown bookshelf fitted against the wall. The shelves filled with all my books that got destroyed in the fire. It’s like I never lost them. Tears sting my eyes.
A memory trickles into my brain and I gape at Maxton. “Was this you were building in the garage this week?”
Every morning, I’d hear the drilling noise coming from the garage. Never in a million years, I could’ve predicted he was building a bookshelf for me.
I walk toward it to ensure I’m not imagining it.
“I remember you loved to read from high school and I didn’t miss your crestfallen face when your book collection burned down in the fire.
” There’s a tinge of nervousness in his deep voice.
“I thought you might like this. I went to your Instagram profile and searched through the posts to find the picture of your bookshelf. I needed the titles of the books to buy for you.”
My hand pauses touching the spines of the brand-new copies of my books. The fresh scent of paper brings a homey feeling.
I whip around to face him.
He rubs the back of his neck and continues, “I, uh… hope you don’t find it creepy. I can rem?—”
Before he can finish his sentence, I run toward him and launch myself into his arms. He stumbles backward from the unexpected move but picks me up with ease at the last second.
“Thank you, Maxton. This is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” A shudder leaves him as I kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear, “I love, love, love it.”
“Really?” His fast heartbeats thud against my chest.
I pull back. “After the day Millie came into my world, this entire week has been the best of my life.”
“I’m glad.” His hands flex on my waist as he continues to hold me flush against him. I feel every hard ridge of his torso, wanting to stay pressed like this forever.
Millie makes a noise and he sets me on my feet.
Twisting around, I pick Millie and kiss her chubby cheeks until she grins at me. Facing Maxton, I casually say, “I’ll have to find a perfect place for the bookshelf in my apartment.”
“What?”
I jerk my gaze to him at his sharp voice. His brows are knitted together in utter confusion and, dare I say, fear. Maybe he misheard me. “I’m just saying, when Millie and I move out…”
“Why? Do you not like it here? Is there something missing?”
“Everything is perfect. But eventually, you’ll want me and Millie out of your hair, right? I need to start looking for a new place.”
He bites the inside of his cheek, like he’s crafting his next words.
Can it be possible he wants us to stay here longer? There can only be one single reason for that. The attraction isn’t one-sided.
Or am I hopelessly wishing for something that isn’t there?
Except, the desperate look in his eyes tells me otherwise. “Eventually doesn’t need to be anytime soon, okay?”
I want to ask why but something holds me back. “Okay.”
The tension around his shoulders evaporates and his chest moves with his rough exhale. He turns around to leave but I stop him.
“Can you move Millie’s crib to Leo’s bedroom?” His gaze turns warm at my request. It’s my way of telling him that I don’t want to move out either. “They can be roomies.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll do it right now while you go tell Leo.” Nodding, I move past him. He captures my elbow and whispers, “I like living with you and Millie, Lisa. Don’t look for new apartments unless it’s the opposite for you.”
“It’s not, Max.”
His pupils darken at my nickname. His head dips like he’s finally about to kiss me. Millie chooses that moment to bop my nose, breaking the moment.