A Baby for the Firefighter

by Ann-Katrin Byrde

  10

  Dean

  “Dude, what was that last night?” my cousin grilled me as I walked into the kitchen the morning after our double date. I couldn't really blame him. I'd totally stood him up after getting that call from Griff. I'd excused myself from the table and... never gone back.

  Not exactly stellar behavior.

  “I'm sorry,” I said. “Griff called and I... lost my head.”

  Shane shook his head, but gave me a small smile. “You're so effing hopeless, man,” Shane said, watching his choice of words as he poured a bowl of cereal for Conner.

  “I guess I need to call and apologize to Edward.”

  “Yeah, you should. He was really bummed that you left. But at least that stopped Leonard from trying to come home with me.”

  “You didn't want him to?”

  “With the kids here? Are you kidding?”

  “What about us?” Conner asked.

  “Nothing, buddy, eat your cereal.” Shane placed the bowl in front of his son, and then went on to feed his daughter—who seemed more interested in playing with her food rather than eating it. She threw a fruit loop at me and giggled gleefully when she hit.

  “Ow!” I said, just to amuse her. Then I turned to Shane. “Do you think you're going to see him again?”

  “Who are you seeing?” Conner asked.

  “I'm not seeing anyone,” Shane said, still trying to get some food into Mary's mouth rather than on the floor. “You don't have to worry. I'm not... ready to date again.”

  That seemed to satisfy the boy. I wondered whether he was worried someone could try to replace Ron. As if such a thing was possible.

  “Dean might be seeing someone, though,” Shane said, throwing me under the bus.

  Conner turned to me. “Are you seeing that man who was at the lake with us?”

  The little one was perceptive, I had to give him that. “I might be,” I said. “I don't know yet.” But it was certainly looking good, and so I grinned.

  “At some point you're gonna have to tell me what happened last night,” Shane said.

  “Not much happened, really. But I think we made a step in the right direction. He was totally jealous of my date.”

  “Was he?” Shane laughed. “Told you this date was going to be good for you.”

  “I guess you were right. Just not in ways I expected.”

  He shrugged. “Still counts.”

  “Fine.” I couldn't really be mad. Not while things were going so well. I only hoped that Griff wasn't feeling differently about last night now that he was sober. I had to talk to him soon.

  But first, my cousin wanted to talk to me about a surprising idea he’d had.

  “You know, Conner had his play date with Jake yesterday,” he started after the children had wandered off into the living room to watch cartoons.

  I gave him a smile. “Yeah? How did it go? I mean, did he talk about it?”

  Shane glanced in the direction of the living room. “A little bit. He didn’t say much, but… I think he had fun. It was good to see him like that. You know… smiling. And I’ve been wondering.”

  “About?” I drank the last sip of the coffee that remained in my mug. Now I felt almost ready to face the day. And whatever my cousin was wondering about.

  “He seems to really, really like that dog.”

  I had to laugh. “Fiona?” Griff had told me about his brother’s Labrador. She seemed to be a kind, gentle dog, and if she could put up with Jake’s energy, she was probably good with all kids.

  “Yeah, I think that’s what she was called.”

  “I didn’t think Conner would be into dogs.”

  “Me neither, but I think he should have one.”

  Both of my eyebrows shot up. Shane had never talked about wanting a pet before. In fact, I could remember him having a pet just once. It was a fish, and he’d managed to kill it pretty quickly. “You want to get a dog?” I asked, just to make sure I was getting this right.

  “No need to act so shocked. Do you really think it’s such a terrible idea?”

  I shook my head. “You act all tough, but you’re really just a big old softie, aren’t you?” Matter of the fact was, Shane would do anything to make Conner smile more. That was sweet but… “You know nothing about dogs.”

  He sighed. “Which is why I’m asking you.”

  “Sorry, man.” I shrugged. “I don’t really know anything about dogs either.” My parents had never allowed us kids to have a pet, and as an adult I’d been too busy to take care of one.

  “Yeah, but maybe that omega you’re dating knows something.”

  “I’m not dating him.” Not yet, anyway.

  Shane shot me a dirty grin. “But you’re hoping to.”

  Couldn’t deny that. “Okay, I’m gonna ask him.” Just after we’d talked about all the other things we needed to talk about.

  Was I ever looking forward to that.

  I made it until lunch time and then I couldn’t wait any longer; I called Griff on his cell phone. He answered after a few rings.

  “Hey,” I said, feeling just the slightest bit awkward. That was new for me. I was used to knowing what I wanted and going for it. Now, I certainly knew what I wanted—Griff, just Griff—but I struggled with the going for it part in a way that was wholly uncharacteristic for me. Something about my friend made me nervous. Maybe because there was more at stake. If I messed things up with Griff, I’d lose him as a friend as well as a lover.

  I couldn’t stand that thought.

  “Hey, Dean.” Griff’s voice was lacking its usual infusion of cheer. Something was bothering him. I hoped he wasn’t regretting last night.

  “Do you think we could meet?” Because this was not something to be discussed over the phone. And also because I really, really wanted to see him.

  “Yeah, we could meet.” Griff hesitated for a moment, then he said, “Could you come over here?”

  “Of course. You want me to bring you some muffins? I made a fresh batch.” After all, I’d needed to do something to keep the nerves at bay. What a fine alpha I was.

  That got a laugh out of him. Such a clear, beautiful sound. I could listen to it all day. “You know the answer to that,” he said.

  “I’m going to take that as a yes. And I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Griff said before hanging up, but he still sounded nervous.

  Well, at least that made two of us.

  11

  Griffin

  Oh God, Dean was on his way over. To talk. I swallowed, even though my mouth was completely dry. Eli had left a few minutes ago, wishing me good luck, and now I was pacing through the house, trying and failing not to completely freak out.

  Normal people didn’t feel like this when their crush was coming over, or did they?

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when the doorbell rang, heart pounding in my throat.

  Breathe, Griff. You’re going to be fine. Think of what Eli said. If he really likes you, he won’t mind waiting a bit.

  But what if he didn’t like me enough?

  Pulling my lower lip between my teeth, I walked to the front door and opened it.

  Dean looked nearly as gorgeous as he had the night before, even though he wasn’t wearing those tight pants now. But he was wearing a smile and carrying a box with muffins, and if there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I’d take muffins over tight pants any day. This man really knew the way to my heart was paved with sugar.

  “Hey,” I greeted him, and somehow, a smile found its way on my lips as well. It was nearly impossible to look at him and not light up—no matter that I had difficult things to explain. “Come in. And let me take those muffins out of your hands.”

  “Oh yeah, they were really getting too heavy to carry.” Dean handed the muffins over gracefully. They smell of freshly baked sweets was heavenly—almost as intoxicating as the scent Dean was giving off. Almost.

  I led Dean into
the living room, where I’d sat with my brother just half an hour ago, watching silly cartoons to relax. I kind of wanted to go back to that, but I didn’t think Dean would be open to the suggestion of watching cartoons just then.

  Putting the muffins on the coffee table, I sat on the couch and patted the free space next to me. “Sit with me?”

  “Sure.” He left a few inches between us, unsurprisingly. He’d never been pushy. Even the night before, he hadn’t tried to kiss me again after that one time.

  What was I so scared of?

  “So uh… about last night,” Dean started.

  “Yeah?” I prompted.

  “You should know I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

  “Really?” How could that be true? Had we both been secretly pining for each other? “For how long?”

  He gave me a pained smile. “Too long, really.” Stroking a hand through his hair, he continued. “It kind of started shortly before I moved away. You were the first omega I’ve ever had a crush on. But then, you know… You were my friend, and you didn’t seem like you would be interested in making out. I didn’t want to say anything and lose you. And then I left town.” He shrugged helplessly. “I thought I was over my crush when I came back here to help Shane, but then I saw you and it all came back. You’re even more handsome now than you were when I left here.”

  Heat spread across my cheeks. I couldn’t believe Dean really felt that way about me. I was nothing special. Just a small-town omega who refused to act like an adult. “I had no idea you liked me that way.”

  Dean only shook his head. “How could I not? You’re sweet and funny and… always there when anybody needs help.”

  I laughed, because I was so embarrassed by all his kind words. “So are you, Mr. Firefighter.”

  “We make a good couple then,” he said, making me pause. Were we a couple now? Was it that easy? “I’m sorry,” Dean said when he noticed my confusion. “I’m moving too fast, aren’t I?”

  “I don’t know if you’re too fast or I’m too slow,” I said honestly.

  “I guess we’ll have to meet in the middle. I can slow down. It’s no big deal,” he promised.

  I took a deep breath. “How slow can you go? Because uh… I might need you to slow way down.” I tried not to wince as I said that, and I barely managed to meet his gaze. The only reason I could do it at all was because his eyes were kind and gentle.

  “Whatever you need,” he said, and there was so much honesty in his voice he almost convinced me. “I know you’re serious,” he added, “because you haven’t even tried the muffins yet.”

  I had to laugh at that, tense as I was. “You really know me, don’t you?”

  “I do!” He handed me a muffin. “Eat. You’ll feel better.”

  “Thank you.” I took the sugary treat from him and our fingers brushed as I did so. The contact made my skin tingle, and I wondered if he felt that too. Probably yes, judging by the way he looked at me. He wanted more contact just as much as I did, only without the fear I associated with that idea.

  I bit into the muffin to distract myself. Dean really needed to know what he was getting into with me—that was only fair. And he’d said I could have whatever I needed, so… I swallowed the piece of muffin, barely noticing the taste, and spoke again. “When I say slow I mean… uh… no… bedroom activities for a while.”

  I really wished I could have said that without my cheeks glowing, but that wasn’t possible. Dear Lord, I wasn’t twelve anymore, but I sure acted like it.

  “Were you scared I was going to drag you into bed right now?”

  “Don’t you want to?”

  Dean scoffed. “Of course I want to. But I also want to eat a whole batch of muffins and cake for breakfast, and I want to buy a ridiculously expensive car and never work another day in my life. But just because I want to doesn’t mean I’m going to do any of those things. I can control myself. I just want to know what’s bothering you, so I don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

  “The thought of sex makes me uncomfortable,” I admitted. “That’s why I didn’t tell you that I like you.”

  “Really? That’s why?” Both of Dean’s eyebrows went up. “I was never just going to jump you like a wild animal, you know. We can… work up to it. If you want to, I mean.”

  I exhaled, and bit into the muffin again. It had a bit more taste now that Dean was being so relaxed about all this. “I do want to. I’m just… I’ve never been with anyone like that.” Embarrassing to admit, at my age. Being a virgin was considered a good trait in an omega—but only to a point.

  “That’s okay.” Slowly, Dean laid an arm around my shoulders, as if waiting for me to object. I didn’t, though. I leaned in to his touch, in fact, glad he was taking all this so well. I’d never thought I’d find an alpha like him, someone not scared off by my issues with intimacy. Maybe I could trust him. Of course I could trust him. My fears just needed time to catch up with what my heart already knew.

  “How do you feel about kissing?” Dean asked. “Is that out too? Did I step over the line last night? Because I need to know where the line is.”

  “I’m not sure. I think kissing is okay? Just a little bit?” I could probably handle it if I knew things weren’t going to go further than that. Just a little mouth-to-mouth contact. Just a little thrill. I wanted that.

  “Can I kiss you? Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since last night.”

  I gave him a smile, and kissed him. Because why should the alpha always be the one to take the initiative? I liked this man, he liked me, so I could kiss him, right?

  And actually, being the one to start things off felt really good. There was no pressure, no expectation of submission, or anything. Just the feeling of my lips touching Deans and that small jolt of electricity that went through me at the contact.

  Dean seemed to have no problem letting me run the show either. He was perfect, opening his mouth when I nudged his lips with my tongue, and then letting me explore without trying to gain dominance over the kiss. So I was free to enjoy the way he tasted, the way he smelled even, all masculine and alpha. But that wasn’t scaring me now. For this one blissful moment, all I felt was affection—and a deep, deep longing for time to just freeze us this way, resting our foreheads together. Picture perfect.

  But as a photographer, I knew that time always ticked on and the conditions for a perfect shot were fickle, and so even this moment came to an end. Still, when I parted from Dean, I saw the brightest smile on his lips and a look of awe on his face—and that memory would stay with me forever.

  “Was that what you were thinking about?” I asked, grinning at him and grabbing another muffin.

  He laughed, and there was so much joy in his voice. I really hadn’t scared him off with my confessions at all. “Not exactly,” he admitted, “but we’ll have to do that again.”

  I smiled at him. “Wouldn’t mind that.”

  He simply smiled back at me. “Actually, I have a favor to ask. Sort of.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, reaching for a muffin. “It’s nothing sexual. It’s for my cousin, really.”

  “Good thing then that it’s nothing sexual, because I wasn’t going to kiss your cousin.” I bit into my muffin. Now that the tension had fallen off me, I noticed a hint of vanilla in the flavor. So good. The twelve-year-old part of me wanted to marry this man for his baking skills alone.

  “No, nothing like that. I wouldn’t want you to kiss him either.”

  “Oh, are you possessive?”

  “Maybe a little bit,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  “Good to know!” I punched his arm. “Now I know not to let you see me get my muffins from the café.”

  He put on a shocked face. “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “I don’t know,” I teased, feeling brave in the aftermath of our talk. “They’re not as good as yours, but you know, a man has needs.”
/>   “Are you saying I can’t fulfill your needs?”

  “I’m saying you’ll have to spend a lot more time baking if you want to keep me from trying another man’s treats.”

  Dean only shook his head. “Once you’ve gotten used to the taste of my treats no other man’s will be able to satisfy you anyway.”

  “Oh yeah? We’ll see about that.” I tried to look aloof, but couldn’t keep up the pretense and ended up laughing instead. It was good to know that Dean and I could still joke around like friends, even if we were also kissing now. “What kind of favor were you going to ask me?”

  “Nothing big, really. Shane is thinking about getting a dog.”

  “A dog?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Where did he get that idea? And what’s it got to do with me?” I wasn’t the one studying to become a veterinarian. That was my brother.

  “He just thought… because Conner seems to really like Fiona.”

  “Oh. Did he get to meet her? Everyone loves Fiona.” She was a good dog. I missed her a little, to be honest. The house felt awfully empty without her. I’d thought once or twice that maybe I should get a dog too, but hadn’t jumped at the opportunity yet.

  “Yeah, apparently he was over at your brother’s on Saturday.”

  “That’s great.” I chewed on my muffin. “Maybe getting a dog is not such a bad idea. Animal company can be soothing.”

  “You think so? I was thinking you could help because we know nothing about dogs.”

  I chuckled. “You’ll be fine. We can go to the shelter where Eli worked, pick out a good dog that’ll get along with Conner and the little one. I can help you get the dog settled. And if you get an older one—”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dean cut me off.

  “What?”

  “Getting an older dog. I don’t… I don’t think the kids should be dealing with death again anytime soon.”

  “Oh, good point.” I rubbed my chin. “Hadn’t thought about that. But still, I’m sure we can find a dog that suits your needs. We can go tomorrow if you want.”