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“I’m sure she will,dad,” Taylor teased.
Derek gave him a heavy scowl as they went out the front door.
I considered that while waiting to get the text. Was that why Derek was so hesitant to show any attraction toward me—because there was an age difference? Derek was thirty-seven, which was older, but it wasn’told. He only had a few silvery strands in his otherwise pitch-black hair. And aside from being kind of a grump, he was as energetic and fit as his two younger counterparts.
I was definitely attracted to him. Physically, he wasfine. Not fine as in “just okay,” but fine as in, “damn, that man isfine.” In addition to a powerful body and ruggedly-sexy face, he had the added benefit of experience. He walked around like a leader, and had confidence in his eyes. That was attractive in a man.
Not to mention the way he handled Baby Anthony. All of his paternal tendencies were just icing on an already gorgeous cake.
I got the “all clear” text from Jordan around nine-thirty. By then I had the new car seat put together and ready to go. It had an arch handle, and could function as a baby carrier even when it wasn’t in a vehicle. Baby Anthony scrunched his little face in consternation as I strapped him in, but then accepted his new receptacle without a fuss.
I still drove extra slow and careful on the way to the firehouse. Now I understood why people put thosebaby on boardstickers on their cars.
I parked behind the station so we could unload the car and baby without anyone seeing from the main road. Jordan was waiting with outstretched arms.
“Long time, no see!”
But instead of hugging me, he took the car seat out of my hand and began gushing over the baby, tickling his tummy and giving him a healthy dose of baby-talk. Taylor came over and began making faces at the baby, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes.
“Good to see you guys, too,” I said with a wry smile.
“Shh!” Jordan told me. “We’re talking to the baby!”
I drove down the block and parked my car on the street, just so nobody would get suspicious. As I walked back to the station, I felt really good about everything. We were doing a good thing by taking care of Anthony and ensuring he went to a good home. For the first time in my life, my maternal instinct had kicked in and was running at full-throttle in my brain. I had only been around him for a week, but I would doanythingto protect that little guy.
Maybe Taylor was right: Icouldmake a career as a nanny.
More importantly, I knew the guys all felt the same way. All of us were on the same page regarding the baby.
Except for the Giants onesie, of course. I was going to “accidentally” throw that away the first chance I got.
I frowned as I neared the firehouse. There was a lime-green Mustang parked out front. That wasn’t there five minutes ago when I dropped everything off…
My stomach sank when I saw the license plate: FIRMAN. I remembered the car now.
Oh no.
I rushed inside, but by then I knew what I would find. My three firemen were standing in the living room, facing afourthman who was wearing street clothes. Derek was holding Baby Anthony protectively in his arms.
The man turned to face me. Billy Manning gave me the same sleazy smile he did the first time I met him.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “What do we have here?”
22
Jordan
Billy Manning was a sneaky, piece of shit, asshole, ruthless, slimy fucker. He wasscum.
Sorry. That’s just my honest opinion of the guy.
He left with the other guys from second-shift around nine. He waited for me, Derek, and Taylor to get settled into our own shift. Clara returned to the station with the baby and our other baby-related supplies.
Then, andonlythen, did Billy return to the station and pretend like he had forgotten something.
“Sorry boys, I’ll be out of your hair in a bit,” he said while hurrying into the station. “Forgot my wallet, I’m so clumsy, and I…”
And that’s when he caught the three of us standing around Anthony’s brand new baby carrier.
