Page 91 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters

“Yes!” he exclaims and bolts back into the kitchen.

I notice the empty pitcher still on the table and call out to him. “You forgot the—” I stop myself as he rushes back to grab it with a cool smile, then casually disappears with it.

We hear the ice cubes falling out of the tray. The gentle chopping on the wooden cutting board. At his young age, Luke has already mastered the fruit knife, his dexterity even surprising Leo on more than one occasion.

I can’t help but giggle as I look at Carlos and Chloe. “I keep telling Leo that Luke’s going to become either a successful tech entrepreneur or a super-famous pastry chef.”

“He’s that handy in the kitchen, eh?” Chloe chuckles. “Good to know!”

“Chloe is notoriously bad at cooking,” I whisper to Carlos. That makes him laugh.

“Hey! I may be bad at cooking, but I am really good at baking.”

“That’s true,” I concede. “Don’t expect her to put together a chicken pot pie, but her meringues are to die for.”

Carlos gives her a soft smile. “Meringues. My favorite.”

The front door opens, and in come my three men, my knights in shining armor.

“The cavalry has arrived,” Beck says, jingling the pickup truck keys. “Ready to take whatever you need to Goodwill, Chloe.”

They each pop by the sofa to kiss me before they notice the unopened boxes. I don’t know which of them is more disappointed.

Leo goes first. “Hold up. Weren’t you supposed to be unpacked already? It’s almost noon.”

“The delivery truck was late,” Chloe explains with a sheepish smile. “We just brought the last box in.”

“Cool. Let’s get to unpacking and sorting then,” Dax says.

“Are we in a rush? I thought it was your day off,” I say.

“It is, but I booked a table at Le Fleur for the four of us.”

“And I agreed to keep an eye on Luke while you’re out,” Carlos chimes in.

“In that case, you can both hang out here and help me put my stuff where it’s supposed to go,” Chloe tells him. “It’ll keep the kiddo busy for sure.”

Leo laughs lightly. “He’s in the kitchen, right?”

“Yes. You can help him load the box for Goodwill,” Chloe says.

In less than two hours, all of my best friend’s belongings have been unboxed. We now have six boxes worth of her grandmother’s things to deliver to Goodwill. It would’ve taken a lot longer had Carlos not been able to persuade Chloe not to keep anything we all knew she’d never use.

“Your grandma lives on through you,” he gently tells her.

Beck has finished loading the pickup truck, a bright smile lingering across his handsome face. “Once a year, Mrs. Jackson would ask us to help her with precisely this kind of stuff, Chloe. Consider it a continuation of a much-cherished Jackson tradition.”

“Well, look at that,” Chloe giggles, glancing my way. “Barely moved in, and we’ve already got traditions aplenty going.”

“It’s a good sign,” I tell her.

“It is,” she agrees.

Carlos comes to stand beside her as we watch Beck and Dax get in the pickup truck. The two of them will handle the Goodwill haul while Leo and Luke will help get as much stuff set up before I go off on my date with my marvelous men.

Just like that, life settles beautifully all around us.

In familiar faces. In soft colors. In the taste of sweet kisses and deliciously peachy iced tea. In the company of friends and family, with the future eager to unravel at our feet.