Page 25 of Rhett

A chorus of “Me!” rings out as little hands shoot into the air. Rhett chuckles and stands back up.

“All right, let's start with a tour of the station,” he begins, leading the way inside.

As we walk through, Rhett and the other firefighters show us all the different parts of the station. The kids are fascinated by everything, from the kitchen where the firefighters cook their meals to the big room with all the beds.

“This is where we sleep when we're on duty,” Rhett explains. “We have to be ready to jump up and go at a moment's notice if there's an emergency.”

The kids' eyes go wide at that. “Even in the middle of the night?” one little boy asks.

Rhett nods seriously. “Yep, even in the middle of the night. That's why it's so important for firefighters to get good rest when we can.”

Next, we head to the garage area where all the trucks and equipment are kept. The kids gasp in awe at the big red fire engines.

“Who wants to sit in the driver's seat?” Rhett asks with a grin.

A chorus of “Me! Me!” erupts from the kids as they all jump up and down excitedly.

Rhett laughs. “Okay, we'll take turns. Form a line and you can each sit in the seat for a minute.”

The kids scramble to line up. Rhett helps them one by one climb up into the driver's seat of the big fire engine. Their little faces light up with joy as they pretend to drive.

“Look, Miss Sofia, I'm driving the fire truck!” one little girl calls out to me.

I smile and wave at her. “I see you! You're doing a great job!”

As the kids take their turns, I can't help but watch Rhett. He's so good with them, patient and kind as he lifts each child up and shows them different parts of the engine. Another fireman is showing kids the other truck.

Once everyone has had a turn in the driver's seat, Rhett and Marchy gather the kids around again. “Now, who wants to see how fast we can put on all our gear?”

The kids cheer enthusiastically. Rhett and another firefighter demonstrate how they quickly don their protective equipment: boots, pants, coat, helmet, and air tank. The kids watch in amazement as they transform into fully geared-up firefighters in under a minute.

“Wow, that was so fast!” one little boy exclaims.

“We have to be quick,” Rhett explains. “Every second counts when there's an emergency.”

Next, they bring out some child-sized firefighter jackets and hats for the kids to try on. They have a blast putting on the gear and pretending to be firefighters themselves.

As I watch Rhett interact with the children, I begin to fall further for him. It exhilarates me, but also terrifies me. I keep waiting for him to realize he could do better than me. Nope, I told myself I wasn’t going to do this.

We make eye contact, and I feel my cheeks heat up and give him a small smile. In return he winks at me.

The kids are eating cookies and drinking their juice boxes when Oscar comes trotting over to me. I squat down. “Well hey there, boy. You’re so handsome.” He licks my cheek and I laugh as I stand up.

The man who drives the trucks, Jamie, comes over and says hi before taking Oscar over to the kids. They chatter excitedly as the dog stands in front of the kids, wagging his tail. While the dog gets attention, Rhett comes walking over to me. He surprises me by quickly kissing my lips.

I blink up at him, and once I’m out of my stupor I smile at him. “You were really good. Thank you for making this fun for them.” I grab the manila folder out of my bag. “The kids colored you all some pictures.”

Rhett takes the folder from me and opens it. His smile is genuine as he thumbs through the pictures.

“Introduce me to your guy,” Jodi urges as she comes walking over.

“Rhett, this is my good friend and classroom assistant, Jodi, and Jodi, this is Rhett, my uh… boyfriend?” I look at him, unsure if that was the right thing to say.

Rhett's smile widens as he looks at me. “Boyfriend sounds perfect to me,” he confirms, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his side, kissing my temple.

I feel a rush of warmth at his words and lean into him. Jodi is practically beaming as she shakes Rhett's hand.

“It's so nice to finally meet you!” she gushes. “Sofia has told me so much about you.” Her voice is saccharine sweet as she talks to him.

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