My Fireman's Secret Baby

I just nod my head. I still feel shy and nervous around him. I have to resist looking into those gorgeous blue eyes of his.

“Cool, let’s go,” he says.

Together we walk out of the bathroom. In the living room, we pass the box of sleeping puppies. Kyst opens the door for me. Once outside, he shuts the door.

I look around. This is my first glimpse of his property. It's enormous. I see where the car is parked and the long driveway that winds between the trees. The woods are pushed back from the house by the lawn that surrounds the entire area. I never figured a fireman would have a place this nice.

It is a gorgeous morning. The sunlight is sparkling beautifully. Kyst gives me a friendly smile as we walk together. The silence is enjoyable. Which is good. I am glad he understands that I’m not that great at conversation.

He stretches his arms, making his broad shoulders roll. “I love it out here. It’s so beautiful and free being out here in nature,” Kyst says.

“Yes. It's gorgeous,” I answer. After that, I revert back to silence, not knowing what else to say. I’ve never been around a man this attractive. It feels like a dream I will wake up from.

As we walk, the sun climbs higher in the sky. It grows a little warmer out. We can hear birds chirping.

My phone rings loudly in my pocket. The sound disturbs the peace and silence. I hurry to answer it, nearly dropping it in the process. Kyst moves away a little to give me some privacy. I have barely said “hello” when Grayson starts yelling at me on the phone.

“I just heard about the fire. What the hell happened!” he yells. His anger is abundantly clear. I feel myself flinch at his tone.

“I honestly don’t know, Grayson. I haven’t figured it out. It was an emergency, and I was concerned about the safety of the animals, so I was only concentrating on getting them out of there—” I try to explain.

My ex cuts me off with more yelling. “Damn it, Mylah. You should have been worried about your own safety. Not those stupid animals. You need to be more careful!” I give a small sigh, but Grayson ignores me and keeps talking. “Seeing as how this fire has destroyed everything, now you have no choice but to come and stay with me.”

I stop walking. “No, I don’t,” I answer.

“Mylah, stop being ridiculous. You have nowhere else to go except with me,” Grayson snaps.

“I assure you I’m fine. I can do this on my own. One of the firemen who helped me during the fire was kind enough to offer me a place to stay. I don’t need you,” I explain with determination.

“What the fuck do you mean? You can’t just stay with some random firefighter!”

Grayson starts yelling uncontrollably. I can’t even get a word in, so I do the only thing I can think of, I hang up on him. Putting the phone back in my pocket, I try to put that behind me. I need to regain the sense of calm I felt before, but it’s not going to be easy. I’m actually afraid of what Grayson is going to do because of that. However, I can’t let my fear show.

Kyst stands beside me. I can tell by his expression that he knows something is up. “Who was that?” he asks.

I don’t want to get into this right now. I want to enjoy the rest of the walk. “No one,” I answer. I look at Kyst. He stares at me for a few seconds, like he wants to push the issue further. To my relief, he doesn’t. He turns, and we continue our hike. We walk around the tree line that surrounds the edge of the property.

It's warmer now as we walk back to the cabin. Kyst opens the door, so we can get back inside. “Thank you for a nice walk. Your property is stunning,” I say.

“No trouble,” Kyst answers with a friendly smile. “Why don’t you go ahead and move the puppies into the room with you? So, you can keep a better eye on them.”

“Okay. That’s a great idea. Thanks.”

Kyst walks into the kitchen. I carry the box of puppies to the guest room and set them on the floor by the bed. They are still asleep, looking so peaceful. The mother dog follows, and I pet her on the head. “It’s probably time to give you a name, huh?” I ask. She whines softly. “How about Bella?” The feminine name seems to suit the sweet mother. She licks my hand, so I think she accepts that.

I close the door, feeling a little grimy and sweaty after the fire and our hike. Taking a moment to clean myself with a wet washcloth, I make myself more presentable. After a quick wash in the bathroom, I walk back into the bedroom.