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She turned and battled between punching him or hugging him and never letting him go.
The tears she’d fought to hide fell down her cheeks.
Chet’s face fell. “Hey, hey. What’s going on?”
Meg shook her head. “I can’t do this, Chet. I can’t.” She took a step back from him.
“Wait. Meg. Do what?” He reached out a hand but she tilted her body away from it. “I know we didn’t leave things on a solid note last night, but I thought…”
“Why didn’t you call me? No text. No nothing.” Her voice cracked. More tears fell. Meg hated how fragile she sounded, but that’s how she felt and she wanted him to know.
His shoulders slumped. “Oh, Meg. I am so sorry. I left my phone at home, and we were at the hospital all night until…”
“The hospital? Why were you at the hospital? Were you hurt, too?”
His face fell even more. “No. I was there to check on the guy who was—and he’s fine. Meg, please. I’m so sorry. My phone…”
He stepped toward her with his arms open.
Something in her snapped. She moved into his embrace, but rather than wrap her arms around him, she pounded his chest with her fists. “How could you? Why can’t you do something as simple as keep a phone on you? How hard is it to send a text?”
Instead of backing away, Chet wrapped his arms around her and let her wail on him. He took it. Every word. Every blow. The strength of his hold wiped the fight out of her. She sobbed against his chest, her hands gripping his shirt, drenching it with her tears.
“I’m so sorry, Meg.” He whispered over and over.
She settled enough to find words again. “I can’t do this, Chet. I can’t lose someone else. I can’t lose you.” She hiccupped against him. “It’s why I never date firemen.”
Still holding her tight, he laid his head against the top of hers. She could feel his smile as he kissed her above the ear.
“I wasn’t aware you had that rule.”
She pulled away and looked up at him. “I did. And I had good reason.”
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, his other arm still wrapped tightly around her. “I can’t guarantee that something in this life won’t take me away, even my job. I can only guarantee that I love you and will do everything in my power to be here for you.”
Her heart skipped.
He loved her?
He held her face with both hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you, Meg. No matter where I go or what I do, I will always be working my way back to you.”
Her breath hitched as she calmed from crying.
“I can’t apologize enough for not letting you know I was okay. I want so much to be all you deserve, but I’m gonna screw up, Meg. I was focused on the job, and then I got back to the station twenty minutes ago. I knew it would be faster to shower and findyou here than go all the way home to get my phone. I know it’s not an excuse. I should have known how hard this would be for you.” He tilted her face up to his. “Please tell me how to fix this.”
He loved her. Meg’s heart melted. All the ire toward him that had built up overnight dissolved. Everything Chet said, he meant. It wasn’t fair for her to expect him to be perfect or to read her mind or try to be something he wasn’t. She knew better than anyone how much focus his work required, and also how exhausting it could be.
“I really, really want to fix this.” His eyes searched hers for answers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. And not a slow and steady kiss either, but one that rivaled their kiss of the night before. As scrambled as kissing Chet could make Meg’s brain, what was loud and clear was she loved him back.
Needing air, she pulled away and smiled up at him.
“You want to know how to fix this? Learn how to use your phone, Chester.” She leaned up to kiss him again. “Because I love you, too, and I like loving you more than I like being mad at you.”
He brought his head down to kiss her again. “You got it, Malone.”
When they came up for air again, she said, “How exhausted are you, Fireman Chet? Because I bet I can run more miles than you today.”
“Oh really? Well, I say we race to the diner. Loser pays for breakfast.”
“You’re on!”
Meg took off running, Chet close behind. The sound of their laughter mixed with their footfalls, her heart healing with every step.
The End
