Page 41 of Nanny for the Firefighters
Repositioning, I crack it further, able to wedge a gap wide enough that I can crawl inside. Little light filters through the opening, and my palms are met with splintered wood and dust, but as my eyes adjust, I can focus on the huddled form in the corner, her whimpers turning into more earnest sobs.
"Hey. Hey, honey. Are you Sarah?" I hold up my hands to show her I mean her no harm, but she cowers. "No need for that. I'm a firefighter. My name's Theo. I'm here to take you back to your mom. She lost you at the grocery store, right? When the fisherman took you?"
Sarah shifts, peeking over her elbow at me. Dirt dusts her face, showing clear tear tracks down her cheeks. I tap my uniform, showing her the patch for my firehouse.
"Come on. Let's get you to your mom." I hold out my hands, asking her to come to me, or at least not fight when I pick her up under her armpits. She doesn't shriek or kick when I lift her in my arms. Instead, her small hands cling to my jacket, and she shakes from her tears.
I scoop her up carefully, standing slow and stable, and unlock the deadbolt from inside so that we don't have to crawl out together. The door swings open with a creak and blinds me for a few blinks before Will's form clarifies.
"The police are waiting at the park with Sarah's mom." His usually dark and brooding eyes soften when he sees the girl shaking and cowering in my grip.
"Good. Let's have a happy reunion."
Marcus and Ethan already have the perp on his feet. He only mildly struggles. He's no match for those two.
The three of them smile with a blend of joy and lingering worry over Sarah. I nod and march off toward the park, easily following the flashing red and blue lights of the emergency vehicles. Parents and their children have been corralled off to the side in groups where officers are asking questions.
It's not hard to spot Sarah's mom. She nearly collapses when she sees us, her knees buckling so that the chief beside her has to keep her from falling. She looks like Sarah fast-forwarded twenty-five years. And that sweet sensation of a job well done—the one where everyone comes out safe—swells in my chest.
I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and the way mother and daughter cling to each other is the best moment of my day.
Until Ella appears, Lily still fast asleep in the stroller. The pride and joy in Ella's face trumps it all.. I grin back at her. This is all because of her.
It takes us another hour or so to talk with the officers after they take the guy into custody. We promise Ella that we'll meet her at home for dinner once our shift ends, but we don't leave until Marcus has a quick snuggle with Lily, who's woke up and looks like a sleep-mussed angel. It's obvious that he needs the contact to reassure himself that she's alright.
This one hit way too close to home.
The paperwork takes the rest of our shift because we keep getting distracted. How can a child abduction happen in our small town?
Dinner is going to be the reprieve we need tonight, and with all of us back in Marcus's manor, the possibility of the night getting even better swims in the back of my thoughts. Shit, who am I kidding? I haven't been able to stop thinking about the night a few days ago with Ella. I never imagined being able to share a woman with three other men, but Ella makes it easy.
She's the flame that burns for us all night. I can't wait to feel her heat again.
We make it out to the manor as Ella is swaying Lily and humming her a lullaby. She greets us with a happy smile as she rubs Lily's back.
"We make it in time to tuck her in?" Marcus asks, dropping his gear by the front door. I do the same, following him into the playroom as Cap lifts his daughter from Ella's arms. She doesn't stop rubbing the baby's back, the humming transforming into words that I don't recognize.
Lily nuzzles Marcus's chest, her tiny hands grabbing his shirt the same way Sarah had mine, and I find myself thankful for how the day turned out again.
"I'll make her bottle if you haven't given it to her yet," I offer.
Ella shakes her head. "I haven't."
It only takes a few minutes to heat up the water and mix in the formula. We march up the stairs to her room silently, and the process of putting her to bed is made easier when all of us are here. She's snoozing in less than five minutes.
Dinner is already waiting in the oven when we return downstairs, and the scents of turmeric, garam masala, cumin, red pepper, and ginger mingle with tomato, butter, and cream. My stomach rumbles.
"Butter chicken?" I ask hopefully. I haven't had it homemade in so, so long.
"With naan and cilantro rice. Plenty for everyone to have their fill. My mom used to make it when either my sister or I had a bad day. Even though today turned out to be a good one, it still felt right."
"Smells good, whatever it is. I don't venture out of what I can find via takeout unless our man Theo cooks for us." Ethan is rubbing his stomach and taking in big inhales of the savory scent.
Will pulls the corks on a few bottles of wine and sets them on the counter to breathe as Ella dishes out five bowls. When we sit, we all eat happily, then we toast Ella for her bravery.
"She's got guts, and she's got brains. And she's got the beauty to top it all off with. To Ella and her quick thinking." Ethan lifts his wine glass, and we all cheer with the clinks of glass on glass.
Ella's face lights up with laughter, and it's my new goal to see more of that, to ensure it's a regular occurrence.