“We’ll be fine. I have all of the emergency contact numbers if anything goes wrong.” She winces. “Not that I think anythingwillgo wrong. But just in case, you know?”
I chuckle. “I trust you. Call or text me for any reason. Might take a bit to answer if I’m on a callout, so don’t panic.”
I cradle Aiden’s head and pull him in for a quick hug and a kiss against his ginger curls. “Have a good day at school, buddy. Be good for Ruby, ok? I’ll be home tomorrow.”
Ruby stands and hugs me around the waist. I’ll never get used to having her in my arms like this, even if it’s a friendly embrace.
“Stop worrying, Grumpy. I’ll check in with you later.” She looks up at me through thick lashes, her expression morphing to one of concern. “Be safe.”
“Always.” Unable to resist the pull, I kiss her head, too, wishing I could kiss her lips instead. This is pure fucking torture. “See you tomorrow.”
Friday, April 23rd, 8AM
Liam: Drop off go ok?
Ruby: We decided to play hookie. Took him for his first beer.
Liam: Not funny, Goldie.
Ruby: Everything went fine, Dad.
Friday, April 23rd, 12PM
Liam: Don’t forget to eat lunch. I know how you are when you’re writing.
Ruby: Selfie with a sandwich.
Liam: Good girl.
Friday, April 23rd, 2PM
Liam: The pickup line gets kind of crazy. Might want to get there early.
Ruby: Don’t you have a job to do?
Liam: Selfie in firefighter uniform holding an orange cat in front of a tree.
Ruby: Good boy.
The first shift is tame. We’re called out to Mrs. Winslow’s place to save her cat, Cheese Wiz, from a tree for what has to be the fourth time this month, then we rescue two guests trapped in a hotel elevator. Judging by the way they jumpedapart when the doors opened, we got there a little sooner than they would’ve liked.
Later, we’re called to investigate a suspicious smell at an apartment in midtown that turned out to be something dead rotting under the house. Luckily, my buddy, Dom, is the one to enter the crawlspace for the call. Poor fucker.
It’s early Saturday morning when I return home. Aiden and Ruby are passed out on the couch with a blanket wrapped around them, a discarded pizza box on the coffee table, and an acoustic guitar nearby. I pad into the room, and her eyes slowly blink open.
“You two have a party without me?” I whisper.
She smiles and gazes down at my son. He hasn’t moved a muscle. His head is resting on a pillow draped across her lap with Rex clutched tightly to his chest, and he is as peaceful as I’ve ever seen.
“Guess I wore him out.” She strokes a hand through his curls, and my heart melts a little at the sight. “How was your first shift?”
I sink onto the sofa near Aiden’s feet and rest my head back against the cushion. “Long. Boring. What did you two get up to?”
“Well, first we picked up donuts after school. Then I worked on a new song while Aiden played in his room. Let’s see… ordered a pizza, briefly planned a bunny funeral, realized Jerry wasn’tactuallydead, then we watched some TV, and passed out.”
“I should’ve warned you about Jerry. He’s a bit… dramatic.”
There’s a smile in her voice when she says, “So I’ve gathered.”
