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Instead of punching him, Meg melted against him, tilting her head to allow the kiss to go even deeper as her arms came around him, pulling him even closer.
In that moment, he knew without a doubt that he loved her. And he would use every minute of his time on earth proving it to her.
The radio crackled again, breaking the spell.
He pulled back and looked down at her. “I have to go.”
Her head moved in an almost imperceptible nod.
He closed his eyes tight and kissed her forehead. Without another glance back, he turned and ran off into the crowd.
Chapter Twenty-One
Meg wrapped herarms around herself, wishing he hadn’t had to leave. That had been so much more than a kiss; it was a conversation. One neither of them had been brave enough to have. Until now.
Her body trembled. She’d gone from being upset with him one minute to heated up the next. She made her way around the dance floor toward her booth. All she wanted was to close up, grab her purse, and head home.
The sound of sirens made her stop. She couldn’t see the fire trucks from the park, but the lights swirled in the dark a few blocks over, before disappearing, the blare of the sirens fading with them.
Meg wasn’t the only one who’d heard. The music drowned out the noise for the dancers, but those mingling near the booths were aware, their smiles replaced with looks of concern.
A hand touched her arm and she jumped.
“You okay?” Baylee asked.
Meg guessed Baylee had found out that she’d overheard Eva talking about the “running plan.”
“Let’s sit down for a minute.” Baylee took Meg’s arm and led them to a picnic table away from the activity.
They sat down side by side, their backs against the table as they faced the park.
“Baylee,” Meg said, “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
Meg thought about how fast things had ricocheted. She’d gone from wanting to be in Chet’s arms forever, to confusion after hearing Eva, to being kissed senseless. And before she could process it further with Chet, he’d raced off into the night to fight a fire.
“Chet’s a good man,” Baylee offered.
“I know.” That fact had never been disputed in Meg’s mind. Her not wanting to date a fireman had to do with her past, with all she’d lost, and all she was afraid she could lose in the future. It had nothing to do with Chet.
And yet Chet made her toss all those reasons out the window. He opened her heart and made her see that she wanted to be close to someone again, to love and be loved. When she’d overheard Eva, her instinct was to think that things between her and Chet had been contrived.
But Chet’s explanation made sense. She understood his side. There wasn’t a single reason not to believe him, and she hated to think that she’d overreacted. She hated even more that he’d had to jump through hoops just to get to know her.
“I can feel you overthinking.” Baylee nudged Meg’s knee with her own.
Meg leaned her elbows on her legs and rubbed her temples. “I know. I know.”
“Talk to me.”
Meg leaned back again. “It’s just so much to process.”
“Is it?” Baylee shrugged. “So you found out that Chet needed a little help getting to know you. It wasn’t hard to see he was interested in you. Some women might be flattered.”
“It’s not just that.”
“So how is this new information causing anything to be wrong?”
