Page 21 of Christmas with the Firefighter
I reach over and steal his mug, taking a sip of cocoa that's actually perfect, rich and sweet and exactly the right temperature. "How was your day? Any exciting rescues?"
"Cat got stuck in a tree again. Whiskers has made this a monthly tradition, I swear."
"Whiskers knows a good thing when he sees it. Gets to spend an afternoon being rescued by Hope Peak's finest."
"Either that, or he's plotting to get me injured so he can take over my territory." Corey grins and reclaims his mug. "Speaking of territory, I have news."
"Good news or the kind of news that requires more cocoa?"
"Good news. Great news, actually." He shifts to face me more fully, and I can see excitement dancing in his green eyes. "Remember that application I submitted to the state fire academy? For the instructor position?"
My heart does a little skip. "The one you said was a long shot?"
"That's the one. They called today. I got it, Miranda. They want me to teach advanced rescue techniques to new recruits."
I nearly spill cocoa in my excitement, setting the mug down quickly before launching myself at him. He catches me easily, laughing as I wrap my arms around his neck and press kisses all over his face.
"Corey, that's incredible! I'm so proud of you!"
"It means traveling to Billings two weeks out of every month," he says, his arms tightening around me. "Teaching classes, working with their training scenarios. But it's exactly what I've been wanting, a chance to do more than just respond to emergencies."
"You'll be amazing at it. Those recruits have no idea how lucky they are."
"You don't mind? The travel, I mean. I know we've gotten used to both of us being home most nights."
I pull back to look at him properly, taking in the mix of excitement and concern in his expression. Even now, even after all this time and all the ways we've proven to each other that we're not going anywhere, he still worries about disrupting what we've built.
"Are you kidding? I mind that it took them this long to realize they needed you."
His smile is bright enough to rival the Christmas lights that are probably already twinkling all over downtown Hope Peak. "I love you."
"I love you too. When do you start?"
"January. Which gives us a perfect, uninterrupted Christmas together."
"Perfect," I agree, settling back against his side. "Just you, me, and whatever chaos we can manage to create in our own home."
"Hey, I resent that implication. We're getting much better at avoiding domestic disasters."
"Says the man who set off the smoke detector making toast last week."
"Our toaster settings are confusing, and you know it."
We sit in comfortable quiet for a while, watching the snow fall and listening to the fire crackle in the grate.
"Can I tell you something?" I say eventually.
"Always."
"Three years ago, if someone had told me I'd be sitting in my own living room with a man I'm crazy about, watching snow fall and drinking cocoa that didn't come from a packet, I would have laughed at them."
"Would you?"
"I would have told them they had me confused with someone else. Someone who stayed in one place long enough to build a life with another person. Someone who believed in forever."
Corey's hand stills on my arm. "And now?"
"Now I can't imagine being anywhere else. Can't imagine being with anyone else." I tilt my head to look at him. "You changed everything for me, you know that?"
