Page 121 of Anything But Lonely

When I give him a nod and he turns back to Jenkins, I realize how good it feels to have someone in your corner.

“Why don’t you just wait in the truck?” Mateo claps Jenkins on the shoulder, and the guy instantly tenses up before nodding and heading out the door.

As he walks through the parking lot, I see through the windows—how he turns around, his eyes narrowed in our direction, and I can’t help myself. Lifting my hand, I offer him my biggest smile with a little wave.

“Sorry. The kid’s a jackass,” Mateo says, bringing my attention to him just as Mia walks over to us and Brooke hands the other guy his coffee.

“He is always looking for a problem,” the other volunteer firefighter says before holding his hand out to me. “I’m Emilio, by the way. Emilio Reyes.”

“Emerson.” I shake his hand over the counter.

I watch the way his eyes roam over to Brooke as she makes herself busy behind the counter, so I introduce her, the two of them falling into conversation by the pick-up counter.

“Mateo.” Mia’s eyes widen, and she doesn't even try to hide how she nods towards me. “Don’t you have something to ask Emerson?”

Mateo’s head falls back, and he wipes a hand down his face. “Camila, I swear, mind your own business.”

“Don’t call me that.” She reaches out and punches him in the shoulder, and Mateo instantly grabs his arm with too sincere an “ow” to be dramatic. “You’re the one who already told Talia—who told me and probably Crew—that Emerson was going with you guys.”

Mateo turns to me, a shy smile on his face. “I did stop by to ask you something today,” he says, looking over his shoulder at Mia and shooing her away.

She rolls her eyes, offering me a wave as she heads towards the door.

He turns back to me. “I had this whole plan of surprising you at work and asking if you wanted to come over tonight, so I could officially ask to be your boyfriend, but my sister had to go and ruin it, and I really was planning on asking you to come to Crew’s⁠—”

“Mateo.” I hold up a hand, stopping him before her short-circuits.

He’s so cute when he rambles.

He snaps his mouth closed, his eyes wide like he just registered everything he just said—including the asking to be my boyfriend part.

“Yes.”

He raises a brow. “Yes, to what?”

“Yes, I’ll go to Crew’s orientation.”

His face lights up. “He’ll be so excited.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say yes to the boyfriend part, but it’s like my mouth can’t physically form the words.

So instead, I lean across the counter, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling his lips to mine.

Because kissing him is easy.

It’s everything that comes after that terrifies me.

CHAPTER 41

MATEO

I’d learned pretty quickly that becoming a volunteer firefighter wasn’t as simple as showing up and getting handed a helmet.

There are classes on everything from safety procedures and hose operations to search-and-rescue techniques, and my station also requires emergency medical training on top of all of that.

Even after finishing the initial coursework, I’ll still have months as a probationary firefighter, drilling alongside senior members and proving to them I can handle the job before earning full membership.

I’m only a month into what will most likely be at least six months of just training.