Page 10 of My Boyfriend's Firefighter Daddy

“How long until you kick his lazy ass out of here, Doc?” Darnell asks.

“Oh, I’m not a doctor. I’m just a nursing student,” she tells him. “But I did hear the doctors say Lieutenant Weston was making significant progress and that if all goes well, he could be out of here in the next day or so.”

“I’m sure you’ll be glad to get this freeloader out of your hair,” Darnell says.

“He hasn’t been so bad,” Harlow says with a mischievous grin.

“You say that because you obviously don’t know him very well,” Ordonez cracks.

Her cerulean eyes linger on mine. “I’ll check back with you in a little while.”

“I’ll be here,” I say.

Harlow turns and gives the fellas a nod before leaving the room. When the door closes behind her, Ordonez, Mack, and Daniels start oohing and aahing with each other while making suggestive remarks about Harlow.

“Hey LT, she give you a sponge bath yet?” Daniels asks.

“I’d happily let her give me one,” Mack says. “With her tongue.”

Mack’s remark touches off a fit of laughter and even filthier comments among them all that set a dark rage bubbling in the pit of my belly. My pulse is pounding so hard in my ears I can’t hear the rest of what they’re saying. I don’t need to hear it to know it’s sexist and degrading. Not that I haven’t made some of the same kind of jokes myself when I’m out with the guys, so I know I’m being hypocritical as shit, but hearing them talk that way about Harlow hits differently.

“Okay, knock it off,” I growl. “Have a little fucking respect.”

Mack turns to me, still grinning. “Come on, LT?—”

“I said shut the fuck up. I’ve known that girl for years, and I’m not going to sit here and let you all disrespect her like that, so shut the fuck up.”

A chill descends over the room, making the smiles and laughter dry up faster than a puddle in the Mojave. The guys all exchange awkward glances.

“Sorry, LT,” Mack mutters. “I didn’t mean anything.”

“Come on, fellas, let’s get out of here,” Darnell says. “The old man’s getting cranky and obviously needs a nap.”

“Get better quick, LT,” Ordonez says then grins as he gestures to Darnell. “Truck ain’t the same with this prick running the show.”

“Be back before you guys know it,” I say.

The guys say their goodbyes and shuffle out of the room, the good vibes from earlier seemingly restored. Darnell hangs back and gives me a strange look.

“What?” I ask.

He pointedly looks to the door and then back at me, a faux thoughtful look on his face.

“The nurse… Harlow,” he says. “It only just hit me. That wouldn’t be the same Harlow that was dating Micah a while back now, would it?”

“One and the same.”

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting about it? She’s my nurse.”

“It’s just interesting the way you jumped to her defense,” he says. “Not to mention the way you were looking at her when she was in here. She’s also literally half your age.”

“You’re seeing things.”

“Am I?”

A wry laugh spills from my mouth. “Shut the fuck up and get out of here.”

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