Page 24 of Rhett

I roll us until I’m on top of her and proceed to show her how much I appreciate her.

Marchy opens his front door as I come up the sidewalk. “What’s up, brother?” he asks.

“Hey, man.” We share the typical half-hug half-handshake. “Thanks for having me over.” I follow him inside. I expect to be greeted by Haley and Roman, but the house is unusually quiet. “Where’s the family?”

“She’s hanging with her cousin today. I told her to leave Roman, but he loves playing with her cousin’s kids. I hate the quiet, and I miss that little guy. When I’m home in the morning we snuggle and watch Bluey.” Marchy has always been a family-oriented guy and none of us were surprised he slipped right into it with his girl and baby boy.

“Sounds like you've really embraced fatherhood,” I note with a smile as we head into the kitchen.

Marchy grabs a couple beers from the fridge and hands me one. “Man, I never knew I could love someone as much as I love that little boy. And Haley...she's everything to me.”

I take a swig of my beer, thinking about how my own outlook has shifted lately. “I get it. Sofia's got me feeling things I never thought I would. You know me, I’ve always been about easy breezy.”

Marchy raises an eyebrow. “Things are getting serious with you two, aren’t they?”

I nod, unable to keep the smile off my face. “Yeah, I think they are. She's...different, you know? Special.”

“I'm happy for you, brother,” Marchy says, clapping me on the shoulder. “You deserve to find someone who makes you happy.”

“Thanks, brother,” I tell him as we take our beers outside. “What smells good?” Of course, I’m trying to steer the conversation to something else, other than me and Sofia.

He opens the lid to the grill. “I’m making ribs. They’re fucking amazing. I’ve been spraying them with apple juice and Haley made the barbecue sauce.”

“I can’t wait.”

Marchy sits next to me and we enjoy our beers, then in a bit we’ll enjoy some ribs.

14

Sofia

“One, two, three. Eyes on me,” I sing to my kids. From the carpet on the floor, they all turn to me. “Today is the start of an exciting week. We’re going to learn about firemen and what they do, and on Friday we’re going to visit one of our local fire stations.”

The kids all start clapping and cheering. Their excited chatter makes me smile. They’ll get to ride a school bus, which is exciting for them. I sent permission slips home last week and they were all returned. A couple of moms have volunteered to go with us.

I read them a story about firemen and what they do. The kids listen with rapt attention. I finish the story and then have Jodi and Daniel set pictures at everyone’s seats. “Okay, everyone, take your seats.” They all hop up and hustle toward their seats. “I thought we could color pictures to take to the fire station.”

They get busy coloring. I move toward the back of the room. “Am I finally going to meet Rhett?” Jodi asks.

I blush but nod. “Yeah, I checked with him, and he said he’d be working.” They have a bunch of fun stuff they do with the kids.

She claps, hops up and down, and squeals. “Ooh, I can't wait to see this hottie in person,” Jodi teases, nudging my shoulder.

I roll my eyes but can't hide my smile. “Just don't embarrass me, okay?”

“Me? Never,” Jodi replies with an exaggerated wink.

I shake my head fondly and turn my attention back to the kids. They're all so focused on their coloring, little tongues poking out in concentration. It's adorable.

The rest of the week flies by as we continue learning about firefighters. Speaking of firefighters, I haven’t seen much of mine this week, which has sucked, but luckily his next forty-eight hours off are both Saturday and Sunday. Focusing back on the kids, they are so excited, asking a million questions. By Friday morning, they're practically vibrating with energy.

“Okay, class, remember to stay with your buddy and listen to the firefighters,” I remind them as we line up to board the bus.

The ride to the fire station is filled with excited chatter. The bus pulls up to Fire Station 47 and the kids start cheering. I smile, their excitement is contagious. As we file off the bus, I see Rhett and some of the other firefighters waiting to greet us. My heart skips a beat when I see him in his uniform.

“Welcome, everyone!” Rhett calls out with a big smile. His eyes meet mine briefly and I feel a flutter in my stomach.

The kids gather around, staring up at the firefighters in awe. Rhett kneels down to their level. “Who's excited to learn about being a firefighter today?”

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