Page 36 of Raging Inferno

“We’ll figure it out,” he says. “Gianna is coming home from college, but I won’t see her until the weekend.”

“You don’t have the girls on Thanksgiving?”

“Nah,” he says with a shake of the head. “Lisa always gets them on Thanksgiving. I get them on Christmas Eve and every other Easter,” he explains. Propping up on his elbow, he rests his head on his hand and stares at me. “What about you? What do you do on Thanksgiving?”

Biting my lip, I don’t answer right away. For the last couple of years, Christopher and I have gone to Chris’s moms for Thanksgiving. It was his favorite holiday and Bea thought it would be a great way to honor him. In fact, she still sets a place for him at the table right beside me.

When things started to get serious with Jimmy, I confessed to the woman who would’ve been my mother-in-law that I was seeing someone. To my surprise, she wasn’t all that upset that I was trying to move on. She wished me well and asked me if I would be bringing my new boyfriend to Thanksgiving dinner, making it clear me and Christopher were still expected to share the holiday with her.

“We go to Chris’s parent’s house for Thanksgiving,” I confess. “It’s been a tradition since he passed.”

The expression on his face remains neutral as he nods.

“What did you do before?”

“Well, after we first got engaged, we started having the holiday at our house. Chris loved Thanksgiving. We would get up around two in the morning and go down to watch them blow up the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Once that was over, we would go back home, and watch the parade on television while we cooked.”

“Sounds like a great tradition.”

“It was,” I say sadly. Realizing I’m naked in Jimmy’s bed talking about another man, I lift my eyes to his and frown. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t be talking about this now.”

“Hey,” he calls softly as his hand touches my cheek. “It’s okay to talk about him with me. He was part of your life, Melissa, and he’s your son’s father,” he pauses for a beat. “I think it’s beautiful that you share the holidays with his family. Especially for the sake of your son.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, tugging the sheet further up my body. Desperate to change the subject, I run my fingers through my hair and force a smile. “So, if you don’t have the girls what are your plans?”

“Work.”

I’ve always known our first responders work on the holidays, that they often forfeit time with their family to protect the public courageously. However, the magnitude of the sacrifice didn’t hit me until this very moment. I guess that’s what happens when a first responder isn’t just a faceless stranger.

“Do you always work the holidays?”

“We rotate mostly but I don’t mind working when I don’t have the girls. Back when they were babies, yeah, it sucked. I always tried to at least be off for Christmas but after Lisa and I got divorced, I found myself working more. Now, it’s different. My kids are grown and couldn't care less about turkey. Plus, a lot of the guys in my house are young, just starting their families. If I can help them savor those moments by putting in some time, I’m happy to help.”

If there was any doubt that Jimmy was selfless that statement would change my mind. He’s more than just a hero, he’s the man you hope for and if you’re not careful, he’s the man you’ll fall in love with.

Or at least that’s what Jimmy is to me.

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