Page 63 of Falling for the Firefighter
"Different kind of partner."
We continue upward, the tunnel gradually widening until I can see daylight—actual daylight—filtering through what appears to be a grated opening ahead. The equipment shed. My father's route was accurate down to the last detail.
"Danny, look." I point toward the light. "We made it."
"We're really out?" His face transforms, fear melting into pure relief.
"We're really out."
Scout reaches the equipment shed first, her nose pressed to the grate as she confirms what her senses have been telling her. We found our way to safety. The moment I lift the grate, she bounds out into daylight, shaking rock dust from her coat before turning back to ensure Danny and I follow.
Her joy is infectious, tail wagging as she breathes deeply of clean mountain air.
The shed's interior is dim after hours underground, but the air tastes sweet with pine and freedom. Through grimy windows, the emergency staging area my father marked is visible—a cleared space where vehicles can access the backcountry. Mac's SUV sits in the clearing, and I spot two figures pacing anxiously beside it.
Danny's parents.
The moment we step into daylight, Danny releases my hand and sprints toward them.
"Mom! Dad!"
They crash together in a tangle of arms and tears, his mother dropping to her knees to clutch him against her chest while his father's shoulders shake with relief.
Scout bounds alongside Danny toward his parents, her presence adding to the chaos of the joyful reunion. Danny's mother looks up through her tears to see the German Shepherd who helped bring her son to safety, and she reaches out to pat Scout's head with trembling fingers.
"Thank you, too, girl," she whispers, and Scout accepts the praise before returning to my side.
"Danny! Oh, baby, we were so scared—" His mother's voice breaks as she runs her hands over him, checking for injuries.
"I'm okay. It was amazing!" Danny's voice bubbles with excitement despite his parents' tears. "Miss Jo knows all the secret tunnels, and we saw where the old miners worked, and she taught me how to read the mountain's breathing."
"When the tunnel collapsed, we thought—" His father ruffles Danny's hair, voice thick with emotion.
"Miss Jo took care of me. She's the bravest person in the whole world." Danny’s exuberance can’t be contained. "She promised she'd get me out, and she did."
Mac stands apart from the reunion, radio in one hand, but his eyes are locked on me. The professional mask he wears for everyone else dissolves the moment our gazes meet, replaced by something raw and intense.
He crosses the distance between us in three long strides.
Scout immediately moves to Mac's side as he approaches, her tail wagging in recognition of the man who's become important to both of us. She seems to sense the emotional intensity between us, positioning herself nearby but giving us space for whatever reunion is about to unfold. Even she understands the gravity of what we've just survived.
"You're okay." His hands frame my face, thumbs brushing over my cheekbones as if confirming I'm real. "You got him out."
"We got each other out." I lean into his touch, allowing myself this moment of weakness. "The route was stable. My father knew what he was doing."
"So do you." His arms circle me, pulling me against his chest. "I knew you'd find a way." His voice carries an edge I recognize, relief mixed with something darker, hungrier.
I feel it then, the hard length of him pressing against my hip as he holds me close. Heat floods my core despite everything around us.
"I was too worried, too focused on getting everyone else out. But now—" His grip tightens, pressing me more firmly against him. "Now that you're safe, now that you're in my arms again, I can't think about anything except getting inside you."
My breath catches at his raw admission.
"I need you, Josephine. Need to remind myself you're mine." His mouth finds the sensitive spot below my ear. "The second we're alone, I'm going to take you apart piece by piece until the only thing you remember is how it feels to belong to me."
Danny’s mother walks over to us, tears still tracking down her soot-streaked face, and extends her hand. "I don't know how to thank you."
"Take care of him." I glance down at Danny, who beams up at me. "He's got the makings of a real mountaineer."
