Page 39 of My Three Hometown Firefighters (Aspen Springs #2)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Tucker
Ugh. I internally groan watching Sienna unload grocery bags from the back of her car, ready to haul them up to her second-story apartment.
With a sigh, I climb out of my car. She doesn’t realize I’m here until I step up beside her at the bottom of the stairs.
“Oh, geez. Hi.” She goes to cover her heart with her hand, but realizes she has multiple grocery bags in it. “What are you doing here?”
“Bringing you this,” I say, holding up the body pillow I have clutched under my arm. With my free hand, I grab all the bags she’s carrying.
She snatches back one of them before moving quickly up the stairs. Compromises, I guess.
I set everything down on the dining room table before going to grab the last few things from her car.
“Thank you,” she says when I get back upstairs. She looks out the window, making sure her car locks when she hits the button on her fob.
I really wish she didn’t live in this apartment where she has to lug everything up the stairs.
I also don’t love that she lives here alone, but I know that’s just my own fears about what could happen to her or the baby—our little girl.
The moment I saw her on the screen, something inside me shifted. I knew nothing would ever be the same because I would be connected to her and her mom for the rest of my life.
You’d think that would have me running for the hills, but it’s given me a sense of peace I’ve never known.
There are so many unknowns, but I know one thing for sure. I’ve completely fallen for the redhead who’s dancing around her kitchen, putting all her groceries away.
No matter what happens or who the bio father is, the way I feel isn’t going to change.
Sienna has more stubbornness crammed into her small frame than should be humanly possible. She’s bound and determined to do as much of this as she can on her own.
She’s slowly letting us help more, but changing her living arrangement isn’t happening right now.
I shake my head, realizing I’ve been standing here lost in thought for far too long. “You’re welcome,” I say, hoping I didn’t miss anything else she said while I zoned out.
She looks over her shoulder, giving me a small smile. “Thank you for the pillow,” she says. I swear there’s a blush to her cheeks, but maybe it’s still from the cold air outside.
She’s had a hard time sleeping in the last few weeks, so I did some research. I thought this would help her, so I found the most Sienna body pillow I could find. It’s a mix of reds, yellows, and oranges that look like a sunset.
“I hope you can sleep better with it. If you don’t like it, I can get you a different one,” I say on a rush.
She lightly grips my forearm. “Tucker, I love it. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, staring into her eyes.
Fuck. I want to kiss her. And the way she’s staring back at me, I think she might just want to kiss me, too.
We don’t, though, because we’re just friends. As much as I might hate it now, it’s what she wants. Or at least, I think it is.
I don’t think any of us really know anymore. Just when I think the lines drawn in the sand can’t get any murkier, they do.