Yours Completely (Reign 2)

“Which makes them give me more shit. That’s how we work. And because I’ve never brought a girl over. ”

“That’s not true,” I mumbled, thinking of what Rhett had said about it not being uncommon for Cal to have ladies come and go from his room.

“What did you say?”

I just shook my head. Now wasn’t the time, and it didn’t matter anyway. He could do what he wanted. I had slept with his best friend, for goodness sakes, so I really couldn’t be jealous. Yet, part of me wondered what Cal’s routine with women was.

“Alright then, let’s head over.”

He grabbed the chips, kissed me quick, then took my hand in his free one and led me across the street. Weaving through the station’s living quarters, we rounded the corner to another hallway, and there was a large open kitchen. A long island was in the middle and had a ton of food set out on it. A circular table that could easily fit twelve people was the focal point of the room. Able and Rhett were grilling something on the stove, while Mark and Dave set the table.

“Wow,” I said. They moved like a unit. A family.

“Yeah, dinnertime is sort of our thing. We all sit down together and try to be civil for an hour.” Cal winked at me, then said, “I think you’ve caught a glimpse of this area, but over here is where we hang out.”

A few more steps down the hall, and there was the living room with two large couches, along with four recliners that made a semi-circle around the massive big screen TV hanging on the wall. It was all open and made for guys. One thing I hadn’t noticed before was the pole in the corner.

“I didn’t know firehouses still came with a pole, even if it’s a single story.”

“They don’t. This came from when this place was older, we remodeled a while back and kept the pole. It still serves a purpose.” His tone was playful, and his hand slid to my ass.

“I bet it does.”

“Any time you feel the need to express yourself, say, spinning around, feel free to use the pole, Kitten.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He gave me a little smack on the butt and kissed me quick. “That about completes the grand tour, since you’ve seen where the trucks are and my room.”

I nodded and we headed back to the kitchen. Cal put the chips and dip on the counter next to the other food that was brought.

“Hey, man,” Able said, wearing the same Golden Fire T-shirt. They were all dressed the same. All on duty. There were two other women there, which I wasn’t prepared for, but happy I wasn’t the only one.

“Hey,” Cal said to his buddy. “You remember, Lana.”

“Of course, we’ve been hearing lots about you,” he said. He pointed the large tongs at Cal. “This guy over here talks in his sleep, and I swear to God, if he calls out your name one more time—”

“Shut up,” Cal said, and flicked a piece of salad at Able.

“No, it’s Cal here won’t shut up about you,” Able continued. Cal just gave him a “piss off” look, and Able chuckled and motioned for one of the women to come over. A tall blond approached. “This is my wife, Stephanie.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said to the woman.

“You too. Do you want some cider?” she offered.

“That would be great, thanks.” I walked with her to the table where a plethora of drinks were laid out. The guys couldn’t drink alcohol, obviously, but they had everything from Gatorade to sparkling blueberry fiber water. There were also a couple juice boxes.

I glanced at Cal and laughed at the spread. It was adorable. He just shrugged, and then continued chatting with Able. Every so often, he glanced over his shoulder and tossed me a wink.

“So, when is the big day?” Stephanie asked, pouring two fresh cups of cider.

Confusion hit me. “Big day for what?”

She looked at me, surprised, then at my left hand, then back at me. “Oh, are you and Cal not engaged?”

Shock took over confusion real quick and a nervous laugh escaped. I felt horrible. Not because the idea of being married to guy like Cal wasn’t a good one, it was just not even close to where we were in our relationship.

“No, we’re just dating,” I said hesitantly. Partly because the word sounded both too presumptuous and too tame at the same time. What we did, how I felt, went way beyond “dating,” yet the complications that came with our situation made it seem like a pushy step forward.