Burning Hearts: A Second Chance Secret Baby Romance

by Vivien Vale

  Margot’s right. It is incredible.

  That damn doe that I was just hunting the other night is only a dozen feet away from Amelia. She’s about 50 feet up on the trail and standing stock still, watching the deer.

  Margot brings the camera to her face and starts to take pictures.

  The deer hesitantly moves even closer to Amelia, who begins to sing in a cooing baby voice.

  Margot’s shutter clicks continually as the deer moves closer and closer to Amelia, who looks like a fairy princess with her shiny blonde hair and small stature.

  Suddenly, Crockett comes bounding from the other side of Amelia where he must’ve been exploring ahead.

  The deer startles and turns, running off and gone in seconds.

  “Woah. Wow, Amelia! She likes you.” Margot shakes her head in wonder.

  Amelia has excitedly turned towards us and is skipping back.

  “She did! She loved me! Did you see that, Mommy?”

  “I sure did. I got a bunch of pictures, too.” Margot crouches down and shades her cameras screen to start flipping back through them.

  Amelia squeals appreciatively at a few and then looks back over at Crockett.

  “Silly Crockett scared her away.”

  Crockett’s come back to within a few feet of us and just tilts his head at an angle like he’s understood her words.

  “You’re like a real Disney princess.” Margot’s words make Amelia’s smile beam.

  I have to agree: it was fucking incredible.

  “You’re not only a Disney princess, Amelia. You’re my princess, too!” I swoop her into a bear hug and swing her around in a circle as she squeals before setting her back down.

  She immediately runs off with Crockett trailing behind.

  Margot, still reviewing photos, watches them leave.

  Everything is so perfect. I’m not sure why I still feel like there’s something I’ve missed.

  It could be that I just haven’t been this happy in so long, and I’m afraid of it being ripped away.

  But we still haven’t found out or seen any more of Amelia’s mysterious bad man.

  So even though my gut is telling me that something isn’t quite right, I’m going to ignore it and make the best of this great adventure I’m starting with Margot.

  Admiring her profile as she snaps some pictures, she swings the camera to me and starts clicking the shutter.

  “Oh, no, no. Enough of that.”

  She just smiles at my words and blows a kiss my way. “Get used to it.”

  Cheeky.

  So this is what living with a photographer will be like.

  Chapter 34

  Margot

  Leaving the bathroom, I walk into the hall and see Boone’s dark silhouette standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

  Tiptoeing quietly, I sneak up to wrap my arms around his middle, clasping them on his stomach. Pressing against his back, I’m just able to peer over his shoulder.

  I must not have been quiet enough because Boone doesn’t even jump when I grab him from behind.

  I see what’s caught his attention, and I remember when Amelia was a baby, I stared at her for hours.

  She’s partly on her stomach and yet curled on her side. She’s already kicked off the blankets, and one leg is hanging out of the covers.

  Crockett is curled up in the crook of her leg behind her knee. They look so cute together.

  We only put her to bed about half an hour ago, but it was a long fun-filled day. I’m not surprised she’s already out. Personally, I’m exhausted, too.

  I drop my forehead on Boone’s shoulder and inhale his rugged scent. He smells like the great outdoors—fresh wind, soft dirt, and pine.

  Stroking his chest and stomach lightly, up and down, I relax into him. I could fall asleep right here on my feet.

  Today has been a blast. It’d been a good half hour walk to get to the river, but it had definitely been worth it. Amelia and Crockett splashed and played on the edge of the water together. Those pictures were gems!

  Following Boone’s lead, Amelia had rolled up her pant legs and waded in to try her hand at trying to catch a fish. She didn’t manage to catch any but was fascinated with the three that Boone pulled out.

  She spent hours tagging along behind him as he patiently showed her everything he did. She even helped him clean the fish.

  I didn’t take pictures of that.

  Instead of heading back for lunch, we ate fresh fish built over a campfire by the stream.

  It was apparent that this wasn’t an unusual occurrence for Boone. The area was well stocked with firewood, and the fire pit was clearly established.

  The whole day was heavenly for me.

  Having time to concentrate on my photography, without worrying about Amelia tumbling down hills, is quite a novelty.

  It’s super clear that Boone doesn’t mind at all. I’ve never seen someone more enthusiastic about spending time with a four-year-old girl.

  I’d say the only downer to the day is knowing that Boone is still worried about Amelia’s mysterious “bad man who watches the house”.

  He had to have walked the actual trail two to three times on the way back because he would shoot off and almost seem to circle me the entire way back.

  It’s obvious he hasn’t let the matter drop. I can see the wheels turning in his head.

  I expect that kind of stuff from Amelia, but holy shit! He has to be exhausted.

  I’m looking forward to looking through all the photos I’ve taken. Some of the things I saw today and the way I was able to catch the light was definitely phenomenal.

  So, between the swimming, hiking, and just the general running around with Crockett, it’s no surprise to me that Amelia is out like a light.

  I wonder how long Boone would stand here and stare at her if I didn’t interrupt him?

  “She looks so different when she’s asleep, huh?” Lifting on my tiptoes so I can whisper right in his ear, I curl my arms from his stomach to the top of his shoulders for leverage.

  He leans into me, causing our bodies to come into even more direct contact. “Yeah. She looks even more like you.”

  I kiss his neck, which is as far up as I can reach.

  His hands slide up my forearms to my hands on his shoulders. I sink into him.

  Now, this is perfect.

  He feels so good, and everything about him is hard.

  His stomach. His arms. And of course, his perfect cock.

  Not only is he one of the most wonderful men—or the most wonderful man—that I’ve ever met, but I know he is going to be an absolutely fabulous dad.

  If I could give him back all the years we were separated from him, I would do it in an instant. I know it’s going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

  Thankfully, he’s one of the most forgiving and loving people that I’ve ever met, too. I’m not sure I could be the same if the roles were reversed.

  Turning in my arms, Boone puts the doorjamb behind his back, and I immediately cuddle into him, chest to chest.

  Stroking my back, he rests his head against mine, still gazing at our daughter.

  His hands are circling my back. They move down to my lower back, slowly circling until he’s grasping my butt in his hands.

  As he kneads my rear, he starts slowly circling what is very clearly his now rock-hard cock against me.

  It feels wonderful. I’m melting.

  I want him.

  As I tilt my head back to look up at him, he knows what I want instantly.

  Bending down, he brushes his lips over my cheeks, my chin, and then down to my throat. My sigh of contentment is more of a moan.

  He catches the last of the sound with a searing kiss, thrusting his tongue between my parted lips.

  I can’t help but moan more, opening to him and encouraging our tongues to tangle.

  I melt again as his hands travel under my shirt and dip below the waistline of my pants.

  Stroking the low arch of
my back, his fingers tenderly skim, sending shivers up my spine.

  His kiss deepens as he pulls me towards him, and I feel the hard outline of his cock on my cunt.

  We break our kiss, panting heavily, while he still maintains our slow erotic grinding against each other.

  “You feel so good. I could come like this.” My honest words seem to only inspire him to ratchet it up a notch. “Wait. Maybe we should go to the pantry?”

  He laughs softly and rolls us from the edge of the doorjamb and into the hall. “That’s definitely a great idea.”

  I start giggling, which turns into snorts as we try to keep it down.

  The last thing we need to do now is wake up Amelia or even Crockett. I’m sure if he woke up, it would probably wake Amelia up, too.

  Reaching around him, I slowly start to shut the bedroom door.

  A flickering light out the window behind the bed catches my eye.

  Hesitating, Boone catches my arm and stares at where I’m looking. He’s trying to see what I’m seeing.

  “What is that?” My voice is definitely more than a whisper.

  It’s beginning to dawn on me what I’m looking at.

  “That’s a goddamn fire.” His voice booms in the room as adrenaline makes him forget everything else.

  Amelia begins to stir on the bed.

  Grabbing me quickly, Boone kisses me with a hard-punishing attack.

  When he squeezes me hard, I returned the hug desperately.

  I’m petrified.

  As the seriousness of the situation sinks in, I just want to tell him to just make a phone call to 911.

  But the road is blocked…

  And there’s no way he’d listen to me, anyway.

  Boone can’t change what he is. He’s always been the White Knight in shining armor.

  “Follow me down and lock up behind me.” He rushes from the room, and I follow him into the hall.

  “Mommy!” Amelia’s groggy voice sounds worried.

  “It’s okay, honey. I’ll be right back.”

  I hear her start to whimper and then seriously cry as I get further away. She’s totally awake now.

  I’ll have to deal with that in a few minutes.

  Boone is making a loud racket on the main floor as I come into the kitchen. He’s already dug out a couple of very large fire extinguishers and set them by the door.

  He snags my face as I walk up, planting another hot, frantic kiss to my lips.

  “I’m serious.” His eyes bore into mine from inches away. “Lock the door and go upstairs with Amelia. I have a key to the deadbolt, so no one should be knocking. Just stay out of sight.”

  He’s making me more nervous than the damn fire!

  I smile as calmly as I can. “Just be careful and come back quick. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Margot.” He’s already grabbing both canisters and is through the door with his parting words.

  I see him glancing back and watching me shut the door as he heads off running towards the area we saw the fire.

  I throw the deadbolt, and wonder if I’ll be able to see him going to the fire from upstairs. It’s pretty dark.

  Probably not.

  I can hear Amelia still has herself pretty worked up.

  Well, first things first. Let me go get her settled down. She will keep my mind occupied because I’m already imagining the worst.

  I don’t think I could ever live without him.

  Chapter 35

  Boone

  Leaving Margot and Amelia sits heavily in the back of my mind.

  But what could I do? No one can get out here to help. The landslide took care of that, and I haven’t heard the excavation team working on our end.

  The sheriff would have stopped by to let me know and check up on me. He knows I’m extremely self-sufficient, like most folks out here, but I expect to see him in the next day or so.

  I can’t just let it keep burning.

  It has to be controlled, or it could easily take out a few hundred acres before hitting water.

  With a thirty-pound fire extinguisher under each arm, I’m thankful that I have my helmet with the large full spectrum flashlight.

  Even though I know these woods like the back of my hand, carrying these large extinguishers in the dark is far from ideal.

  There’s been so many times that I’ve played with the idea of burning all of it.

  The helmet, clothing and all—it’s paraphernalia that just taunts me and reminds me of everything I’ve lost.

  Burning it in a respectful pyre to my friends sounds like a great idea.

  But how could that possibly help?

  Life goes on, and I know they would expect me not to be a self-absorbed asshole and deal with it. We all knew every time we went out on a call that the potential of not coming back was there.

  But I can’t help but think—just like families with suicidal members—it’s the survivors who pay. And pay and pay.

  Tripping over a root, one fire extinguisher almost jerks totally out of my arms.

  “Fuck!” Concentrate, you stupid fucker.

  My arms burn, and my hands turn numb, right along with my legs. I’m exhausted.

  I can smell the fire long before I’m close.

  I estimate it to be a little less than a mile away. It’s been a slow trip in the dark.

  As I drop the extinguishers, I glance at my watch. Just over twenty minutes.

  Not too bad.

  I know exactly where it is.

  Like I said, I know most of these woods like the back of my hand. Especially within a mile perimeter of my place.

  As I come into the clearing where the fire is, I’m relieved to see that it hasn’t begun to spread much farther.

  It’s about thirty feet in diameter, but this meadow is a good hundred by fifty.

  I need to keep it right here and away from the big trees.

  It really couldn’t have started in a better place to be able to contain it.

  Pulling the pin and engaging the fire extinguisher, my training kicks in.

  Taking into account the wind and size, I start creating a fire line with the suppressant foam. When I encounter areas that have already burned, I incorporate them into the fire line to save on my extinguisher. It takes time, but it’s definitely working—the fire is burning itself out.

  It’s a good thing there wasn’t more wind, or it would have been far gone by the time I reached it. Anything I would have done would have been useless.

  It probably only takes about an hour to put out, but I still keep circling, stamping out hotspots.

  My heavy firefighter boots are perfect for this, although they made the trek through the woods torture—and I’m not looking forward to the walk back.

  It’s been a long time since I’ve worn them.

  All I want is to go back.

  I wonder how Margot and Amelia are doing.

  I’m sure Margot has been keeping an eye on the fire out the window. I don’t want her to worry about me any longer than she has to.

  I feel kinda bad about waking Amelia up, but I haven’t ever had to worry about a little kid before. I don’t even have younger brothers and sisters.

  I know a lot of people who seem to have built-in quiet mannerisms, and that’s always been totally missing for me.

  Sweating and filthy, I’m still cursing as I locate the area it obviously started.

  It’s clear that the fire started on the north edge of the burn. It also looks like it’s in a bit of a depression.

  My training and senses have fully kicked in at this point.

  Slowing down in the area, I shine my light and picked my way through in a grid pattern.

  I’m almost afraid to look, but it would be pointless to be out here for so long and not bother.

  There it is!

  Wait…I can’t fucking believe it.

  No fucking way.

  This means something entirely different is going on.

  There is a very
clear pattern for a pyrotechnic fuse.

  A delay fuse like that, also known as a rocket or hobby fuse, can be purchased easily.

  It looks like they planned to give themselves a ten-minute head start to get out of the area.

  This is a little bit more elaborate than something kids could’ve pulled off.

  So, if it wasn’t a natural fire or kids, what does that leave me with?

  Of course, it leaves me with Amelia’s “bad man in the woods” as the culprit. The bad man who is watching our cabin.

  Goddammit.

  This was all a distraction.

  I have to get back!

  I’ve been gone way too long already.

  Running back there, I have fifteen million terrible things running through my head with a whole lot of horrible suspicions mixed in.

  My feet scream in my boots. They don’t give at all. It’s your feet that give.

  They will be a mess by the time I get back. But all I can think about is Margot and Amelia. It spurs me into a faster run.

  This person obviously has some kind of weird fascination with fire.

  Could he possibly be the same person who set the fire in Margot’s dorm all those years ago? If so, could it potentially be a sick college stalker? Or is there something more menacing going on?

  There are so many other options that I don’t even want to consider at this moment.

  I know it’s immature.

  Having tunnel vision is limiting and stupid.

  How ironic that the series of events—starting with the fire in Margot’s dorm—have influenced my life choices to such a great degree.

  If it wasn’t for Margot’s fire when I was in university with her, I may have never seriously pursued firefighting as a career.

  The sense of purpose, and the fact that you feel like you’re truly making a difference in life, are what drew me away from Wall Street and into firefighting full-time.

  Who really cares what the biggest businesses in the world are making and losing on a daily basis? I know I don’t.

  What’s more important than lives you can potentially save? To feel like you are truly influencing and saving someone is hard to describe. It’s uplifting and inspiring.

  My lungs burn, and I cough. Pausing, I spit up the black phlegm from my lungs. Just another lovely side effect of putting out a fire without a respirator. But I need to hurry.