Where There's Smoke

by B L Morticia

  “Hello.” After I removed my boots, I ambled into the room.

  The minute I made it to the living room, Santiago walked up and pressed a quick kiss on my lips. “Hey, babe. How was work?”

  “Work. It was actually quiet today,” I said to Santiago. “Hello, Myles. How is your mother?”

  “Hi. And she is the same.” As I would’ve expected, his greeting was curt. He didn’t even turn to look at me.

  Macy however did and she held her hands out for me to take her.

  “Oh lookie there! Looks like Macy wants to see Jonas.”

  Myles raised her up and handed her over without a word.

  “Hey there sweetie pie? How ya doin’?” I spoke to her in a calm voice and smiled.

  Macy responded by putting her head to my lips and slapping my cheeks.

  “Well, she seems to like you a lot,” Myles said.

  I cradled her in my arms and pressed a light kiss to her head. “Why wouldn’t she? Every girl loves a fireman,” I joked.

  Santiago joined me in the laugh.

  Myles didn’t and folded his arms instead. “Thanks for being so great with her. I really wish I could take her back, but Sarah hasn’t returned.”

  “Oh? Have you talked with her, Myles?” Santiago asked him.

  “Other than texts from her saying her mother is improving, no. I’m happy her mother is better, but her not being here is a big problem.”

  “No it’s not because we love having her here. She can stay as long as she likes,” I answered.

  Myles looked up at me and exhaled. “Although, I appreciate both of you helping with her, I miss having Macy home. For the last few months she’s been the only good reason to wake up every day.”

  Listening to Myles I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. As Santiago said, he truly had no one to be there to give him any support.

  “Well I suppose I’ll get going.” Myles got up from the chair.

  “Leaving so soon?” I asked. Macy was toying with the small amount of fuzz growing on my chin.

  “I have to. Besides, I’m sure the two of you would like to relax together. I should be getting back to mother anyway.”

  “Myles, are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? I mean, I could try. I hate seeing you face this alone,” Santiago asked Myles.

  “No, Santiago. I’ll be all right. Garrett and Sherri are there. Just stay here and take care of my sweet Macy.” Myles leaned in and kissed her head. “I’ll talk to you soon.” Myles turned on his heel.

  “Bye Myles.”

  Myles shifted back around and eyed me. His lips were drawn into a thin line. “Bye.” He spun again, this time not stopping.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Santiago said aloud. He kissed me quickly, then followed Myles to the door.

  Watching Santiago, a pang of jealousy hit me like a swift kick to my gut. I loved Santiago from the bottom of my heart and I could tell he was still in love with Myles. He’d denied it repeatedly, but the way they talked to one another and the looks they gave, told the story. And for some crazy ass reason, a tiny part of me craved Myles’s gaze to fall on me the same way.

  “Damn. I really wish he would’ve said it was okay for me to come.”

  Santiago coming back inside disturbed my thoughts. Macy bounced in my arms, so of course that meant she wanted to play.

  “Hey, um, I want to talk with you about something later on, okay?”

  “Oh? Why not now? Macy should be ready for a nap.” Santiago pinched her cheeks.

  “No, no, I want to play with her. Perhaps if she stays up, she’ll sleep longer at night.”

  “You’re not tired?”

  “I am, but I don’t want to refuse this little angel,” I said, laughing. “We’re going to play horsey, then we’ll play with the alphabet blocks my dad sent over.”

  Santiago grinned. “Okay. You do that and I’ll go to the store to grab dinner.”

  “Okay.”

  Santiago leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, then brushed them over Macy’s forehead. “I’ll be back soon.” Santiago left back out, taking the car keys with him.

  “All right, little girl. We’re gonna play horsey. Yeehaw!” I held her close to my chest and walked over to the small space we had near the kitchen. In actuality, our place was way too small to do much, but I’d make the best of it to have fun with Macy.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Santiago

  As I made my trip to the store, I couldn’t help but wonder what Jonas wanted to discuss. Had I gone too far bringing up my desire to have us raise Macy in a triad? Maybe pushed too hard? Should I have voiced the idea in the first place?

  Guilt weighed on my shoulders like a two hundred pound boulder. Jonas had been so understanding, patient, and loving. Other than him decking Myles, he’d been more of a man than I deserved. With so much good going on, why had I tested him with this fantasy? Somehow, I had to make this right and I’d do it, starting right now.

  After grabbing his favorite dinner, I rushed home to our place. It had been an hour, so hopefully, Macy was either close to sleeping or already asleep so I could apologize. I loved Macy, but as Jonas said, we could have our own child.

  Besides, Myles and Pamela were right. The tension and jealousy wouldn’t be good for her and she’d probably grow up resenting all of us for it. No matter what I desired the most important thing was giving her a family who loved her and each other. Jonas and Myles were like oil and water, probably unfit to even be friends, let alone lovers. Why was I trying to mix two things that clearly didn’t belong together?

  Once I lifted all the bags, I locked the car, and sprinted to the door. When I made my way in, I stopped short, eyeing Jonas and Macy sleeping together in the recliner.

  “Oh, my God.” I smiled to myself and tiptoed so I wouldn’t wake them. As much as I wanted to stop and kiss them both, I decided against it and kept on to the kitchen instead.

  I laid all the bags on the counter and removed items I didn’t need. I’d picked up extra formula, pampers, and even a toy for Macy that I couldn’t pass up. Tomorrow, I’d take her shopping at a place with some cute clothing I’d seen online. They had so many nice outfits, there was no doubt I’d be buying just about everything I could find in her size.

  “Santi?”

  Hearing Jonas call me, I looked up. “Hey. Where’s the baby?”

  “In her bassinet. She’s gonna need a crib soon, babe. I thought about going to buy her one tomorrow.”

  I smiled at that as I fired up the stove. “All right. I got some steak, potatoes, and veggies to cook for dinner. Your favorite.”

  Jonas nodded appreciatively. “That’s great. You can take your time though. I’m not all that hungry.”

  Listening to Jonas’s apprehension, I stopped moving. “Jonas? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I wanna talk.” Jonas grabbed the stool by the counter and sat.

  “All right.” I nibbled on my bottom lip as butterflies wreaked havoc on my insides.

  Oh God.

  What could he possibly want to say right now?

  Jonas exhaled and flashed me a smile. “You know I love you, right?”

  “Yes.” I turned off the stove then walked over to him. Before I could say anything, my eyes inadvertently drifted down to his neck, noticing my memento from my grandmother wasn’t there. “Jonas, where is your necklace?”

  “I took it off. I thought it best so we can make sure we’re on the same page for what we want.”

  That statement knocked me back a little, but I understood. “Just because I voiced that idea, doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you.”

  “I know,” Jonas said with a wry smile. “I took it off before then and put it in my drawer.”

  “All right. Well, I’m letting you know now I won’t bring it up again. I’m sorry for doing it in the first place. Please forgive me?” I let out a sob and reached out, bringing him in for a tight hug, hoping he’d accept my apology.

  Jonas ch
uckled and returned it. His strong hands caressed my back. “What are you saying sorry for?”

  I moved back so I could face Jonas. “For the idea of us raising Macy together. I’ll talk with Myles about her coming over on the regular, but I won’t mention it again. Just please, don’t leave me… please.”

  “What? Are you crazy? Babe, I’m not leaving you.” Jonas eyed me.

  Completely confused, I blinked. “You’re not? I thought you were upset about the idea?”

  “I…I was, but I’m not anymore. In fact, I want to be more of a friend to Myles.”

  Completely shocked, my mouth gaped open. “You… you do?”

  “Yeah. I figured since it’s too hard for you to travel to Chicago, I would go in your place. Are you okay with that?”

  I shook my head in utter disbelief, smiling with tears in my eyes. “You are the most amazing, sexiest man in this world!” I crashed into Jonas, nearly knocking him off the stool.

  “Of course I am. And does the sexiest, most amazing man get some extra loving?”

  “Now?”

  He lifted me off him gently. “She’s asleep. Parents gotta get it in whenever they can.”

  I laughed, still crying. I shifted on my heel and ambled in the other direction. “Oh my God, you are so silly. You’re right, but let me put the food away.”

  Jonas agreed. “Yes, go on and do that. You can save the food for tomorrow. We’ll order take out.”

  I snickered, walking back over to him, arms outstretched. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”

  Jonas pulled me into him and kissed my lips. “Many times, but I wanna hear it more.”

  I chuckled and wrapped both arms around his neck. “Yes, you will, love. I’ll say every hour if I have to.”

  Jonas shrugged, fiddling with his jeans. “Nah. Every other hour will suffice. That means twelve times a day, which as you know is our lucky number.”

  “Yes it is… babe,” I said as he wiggled out of his trousers. “Yes it is.”

  * * * *

  Jonas

  Before I knew it, night turned into morning and Macy woke us up with her cries. Our girl was hungry, so I got up first to warm a bottle for her. When I came back with it, Santiago already had her in his arms, holding her close. I smiled to myself and walked over to them, handing him her breakfast.

  “Thanks, and good morning, babe.” Santiago took it and kissed me when I leaned down closer to him.

  “Mornin’, love. And good morning to you, sweetie.” After returning the kiss to Santiago, I spoke to Macy, and she held her arm out so I could touch it.

  While Santiago got her in position, I gently caressed her little fist and watched in amazement as she tried to hold the bottle on her own. She kicked her feet, nearly bouncing because I supposed she was excited about being fed.

  “Aw, look at her. She’s trying to grow up too fast.” Santiago laughed and softly kissed her head.

  “Yeah she is. She needs to stay a baby a lot longer.” I toyed with her fingers again while she slurped on her bottle. “Yes, you do, little angel. You’re so precious.”

  When Macy’s cheeks lifted a bit, I couldn’t resist smiling. She was such a joy to have around, to be in our lives that I didn’t want to let go.

  After discussing plans with Santiago about getting a new crib and toys, I got dressed and headed into town to talk with the chief about taking a little time off. I had the three days in August already set, so I didn’t think moving them up to next week would be a big deal.

  When I arrived, the guys at the station mentioned how much better I looked as opposed to the last few days. They asked lots of questions, but I wouldn’t offer a damn thing because it was none of their business.

  As I reached the chief’s office, I softly knocked on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Chief Willerby’s gruff voice came through loud and clear. I opened the door and waltzed through. “Hey Chief, thanks for talking to me on such short notice.”

  “No problem, Twinkle. What can I do for ya? And have a seat.” He gestured to the chair opposite his desk.

  Nervous, I quickly took it and made myself as comfortable as possible. “Thanks. So, um, that time I wanted to take off in August. I wanted to move it up.

  Chief looked up from his papers. “Sure. They are yours. When were you thinking?”

  “Next week.”

  Chief cocked an eyebrow at me. “Next week, Twinkle? Don’cha think that’s too short of a notice?”

  “It is, but it’s for a friend of mine. His mom isn’t doing well, and I wanted to offer my support.”

  “Oh… well, I’m real sorry about that. I reckon he isn’t here in Cobalt.”

  “No sir, Chicago. It ain’t a long way, but, I’m thinking he’s not gonna leave the hospital or anything until, well, the unfortunate happens.”

  “Yeah. Damn. I mean, I get it, believe me I do, but I dunno how I’m gonna cover your shifts.”

  “Can’t you get one of the volunteer firemen to take my place? I’m hoping to be back within like five days.”

  “I guess I could, but you’re one of my best. I hate to lose you, man. But, since this man means a lot to you…”

  “Yes, he does. He’s really close with my boyfriend and me. We’ve known him for a while.”

  “All right. I’ll talk with Massey and see if he can be on call if we need him. Is your man going too?”

  “No, sir. Remember, we’re taking care of a friend’s baby right now.”

  “Oh, yes, right. How’s she doing, anyway? She sure is a doll.” The chief smiled at me.

  “She’s good. She misses her poppa. A lot. Anyway, um, great, so I’ll let you know when I’m coming back.”

  “Okay. Wish your friend well for me and come back ready to fight fires again, man. We’ll miss ya around here.”

  I backed towards the door, bowing my head. “I’ll miss you guys too. I’ll be back.”

  Hopefully with good news for me, Santiago, and Macy.

  Chapter Twenty

  Santiago

  Unfortunately, the trip to the store was a bummer. Instead of buying the pretty clothes I’d seen, I ended up storming out, ready to call a boycott. That lady was a true bigot making snide statements about Macy being dark and Pamela and I being a couple. Obviously, this shopkeeper had no respect for her customers and for that she wouldn’t get a dime.

  The minute I stepped outside, I placed the covering back over Macy’s head. Right then, I noticed my man getting out of his Impala across the street.

  “Hey, babe. We’re over here.” I tried talking as loud as I could without yelling.

  Jonas met my gaze and a big smile crossed his lips. He looked both ways and ran across to us.

  “Hey. Are you guys just getting here?” Jonas kissed me.

  “Uh, no. We left.”

  “Yeah, the owner was a bigot,” Pamela offered.

  “Oh? What did he or she say?” Jonas asked.

  “It’s not worth getting all upset about. Let’s get out of the sun. Maybe grab a bite to eat and go to Target. They may not have cuter clothes than this place, but at least we’re unlikely to hear stupid comments.”

  “Ah, Santi, I really wish you’d tell me.” Jonas clicked his teeth. “All right, let’s go. You wanna ride with Pam or me, unless you wanna take off, Pamela.”

  “No, I’d love to hang around you guys. I definitely don’t wanna go home.”

  “That’s fine. Pamela, do you mind riding with us?”

  “No problem. We shouldn’t be gone too long right? I’ll put some more money in the meter.”

  “Okay.”

  Jonas leaned in to kiss me, then we looked both ways to get across the street to his vehicle. He opened the door then placed the infant seat in the car.

  “Ah, got it on the first try.” Jonas beamed at me.

  Pamela snickered.

  “Yep, good practice, huh?” I grinned at Jonas, unhooked the carrier from around my waist, then placed Ma
cy inside.

  “Pamela, why don’t you sit in front so I can stay back here with Macy?”

  “Aw, look at you two acting like daddies,” she chuckled as she got in. Jonas closed the door for her.

  “Yep, we are,” I said with a laugh.

  After Jonas closed his door, he eyed me through the rearview. “So you’re still not gonna tell me what happened?”

  “No, because it isn’t important.” I turned to look at Macy and smiled at my bouncing girl who was moving her lips like she wanted a bottle.

  “Oh, she might be hungry.” I fished through the bag and grabbed out the smaller cooling bag to get the bottle, then another case for the portable bottle warmer.

  Myles hadn’t packed one so I’d bought this online and had it shipped. It was so much of a pain to stop somewhere to run the bottle under water. With this we could warm it while driving.

  “Pam, could you plug that in?” I handed her the warmer and the bottle along with the adapter. “Are you hungry, Princess? Or are you just checking your lips? Daddy’s gonna check, okay?”

  Jonas laughed a little. “Ah, Santi, you’re so cute when you’re motherly.”

  Pamela laughed too.

  “That’s because I am a mother. Anyway, did you talk to chief about the time off?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what did he say?”

  “He gave me the go ahead,” Jonas said as he drove.

  “Awesome.”

  “Ooh, can I be nosy and ask why you’re taking time off work?”

  “Sure, it’s no secret. I’m going to see Myles.”

  “What?” Pamela asked, sounding confused.

  “I’m going to see Myles and be a friend. Santiago wanted to go, but I thought it better for me to do it instead.”

  “Um…” Pamela eyed me through the rearview.

  Listening to my man, I smiled, knowing he’d really shocked Pamela with his suggestion. “Pam, you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m just… wow. Jonas, why are you doing this?”