THE SUN HAD long since set by the time I pulled up to the fire station. I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the engine in an open bay, meaning they weren't out on a call. By the time I pulled into my spot and cut the engine, Quinn and the guy I remembered as Carpenter - I couldn't think of his first name - were coming out to see who'd just driven up.
"Lilly?" Quinn's voice carried with a threat of surprise. "What are you doing here?"
I opened the back door to give him a good look. When I'd told Mom about the guys at the station not getting to have a proper Thanksgiving meal, she and my aunt had been all over helping me pack up the leftovers. And there had been a lot. There was enough food to feed twenty lining my parents' table, and the six of us hadn't even come close to making a dent in it. Needless to say, the guys at the station were going to be eating very well.
"I figured since you guys were missing out on Thanksgiving, I'd bring a bit of it to you."
"Oh, hell yeah!" Carpenter hooted and threw his fist in the air. "Please tell me you've got sweet potato pie."
I giggled at the excitement on the grown man's face. "Two, actually. We made three and couldn't finish the rest off."
Carpenter scooped me up in a bear hug, lifting my feet off the ground and spinning me in a circle. "If I wasn't afraid of getting my teeth knocked in, I'd kiss you," he declared once he put me back down.
"Smart man," Quinn stated with a scowl on his face. "Now do you mind removing your hands from her before I have to break your fingers?"
Carpenter threw his hands up and took a big step back, causing me to burst into laughter. "I'll just … take some of this inside."
He grabbed as many containers as he could carry - which wasn't even half - and booked it back into the station. I was still laughing when I suddenly felt Quinn's fingers brush across my cheek. I opened my eyes to find him standing right there, less than two inches separating us. "Thank you, baby," he said in a low, melodic voice.
I beamed up at him and his gaze traveled down my face to my dimple. "No problem. There was no way we were eating this all. Seemed wasteful to toss all this perfectly good food."
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me flush against him. "As long as you didn't have a hand in cooking any of it, I'm sure it's delicious."
I managed to get one swift punch to his gut in before he leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips while we both laughed. "Let's get the rest of this stuff inside and get you boys fed," I breathed once he pulled back, his kiss leaving my legs wobbly.
The smile he gave me then came so close to meeting his eyes that I considered it a win.
As we loaded our arms with containers and headed into the station I couldn't help but think: One day I was going to get a real smile from this beautiful man.
Lilly
"OKAY, GUYS," I called out, as my heels clicked along the wooden floor back stage. "We've been preparing for this for months. You know your steps forward and back. You're going to do great. So let's knock 'em dead, yeah?"
My students all let out cheers of excitement. Some looked more anxious than others, but I had complete faith that each and every one of them was going to do amazing.
The Winter Showcase was a big deal in Pembrooke. It was a community event, not just the parents of the students enrolled at the school. Almost the whole town came out to watch the kids put on a show, and as I peeked through the curtain that led to the front of the auditorium, my belly fluttered with nervous butterflies. We had a full house.
I lived for moments like this; moments when my kids were front and center, the spotlight shining on them. For me, dancing wasn't about showing off my talent; it was about teaching an art to others so they could pass along that gift.
"Seven minutes," Kyle announced, as he and Samantha scurried around, helping kids fix costumes, hair, makeup, or the like. He planted a quick kiss on my cheek as he passed by, and Samantha reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Miss Lilly! Miss Lilly!" I looked down just as Sophia rushed me, wrapping her arms around my legs. I bent with a laugh and scooped her up. "Hey there, Little Miss. You ready for your number?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Does my bun look okay?"
I set her down and examined her hair. Over the past few months, Quinn's skill at putting his daughter's hair in a bun had really grown.
"It's perfect, sweetheart. And you're beautiful. Is your daddy in the audience?"