Sweet and Sassy Baby Love

by Alicia Street

“We do, Pop,” Tony said.

  Charlie grew up alongside Big Mike and their brother, John, but he bought Apple at twenty-six dollars and the rest was history. Although Big Mike had inherited the family ranch house, selling off lots little by little, Charlie lived in Rancho Santa Fe in a gated development with Bill Gates as a neighbor. John went on to medical school and lived near Charlie in a wealthy enclave of San Diego County.

  Every time the men talked about it, they giggled. “Whodathunk a Saint would be rich?” Charlie was generous to a fault, buying cars for his brothers and supporting a hostile ex-wife. His sons were hardworking, the oldest, Paul, a firefighter at a station farther up north, and his younger son, Oliver, an education major at Cal State.

  Now the men were closer as friends in middle age than they had ever been.

  Tony pulled the Jag into his parents’ garage. “I’ll come inside and say goodnight to Ma.”

  They trudged up the slate steps to the terrace. Roberta sat out by candlelight, drinking a glass of lemonade. Big Mike kissed her and excused himself to get a shower.

  “See you at work tomorrow, son,” he said.

  “I took your young lady home,” Roberta said when Mike had left. “She’s a lovely girl, Tony.”

  “Thanks, Ma. I think so, too. It’s late, but I want to see her before I settle in tonight.” He bent down to kiss his mother.

  “You smell like smoke.”

  “Ha! Ya think?”

  “Look, son, I’d better warn you. Patty was at Wild Pancake.”

  His shoulders slumped over. “No way. What was it like?”

  “Cordial. She wore her tiara, as usual. It’s getting a little tarnished. Then blessedly, the hostess announced that our table was ready. Bridget didn’t say anything about it, but we had such a nice time with Candy and Joey, and Flynn was an angel.”

  “Okay, Ma, I’ll be back.”

  “You’d better text her first.”

  So he got out his phone. On my way over to say goodnight. I won’t stay long.

  Seconds later, he got a reply. Bring pajamas.

  Chapter Five

  The light was on over the front door at Bridget’s apartment. It wasn’t something she had ever done, because she’d never had a nighttime visitor. Flicking it on, she paced, eager to see him, relieved he was safe. From the moment he’d received the alert on his phone, she’d started to worry. It was something she’d discover later, getting to know the women in the Saint family, that worry for their beloved’s safety was a constant companion. For some reason, when she was at the firehouse and part of the action, she felt like she had some control, albeit miniscule, over the outcome of the call. She knew the men were able-bodied and wise. They’d make the right choices and good decisions while they were out in the field.

  Saying goodbye to him after church that day, that was another situation altogether. Closing her eyes, she went through the entire scenario. After they got the alert, Big Mike and Tony discussed which vehicle they’d take and which they’d leave for the women. Women and children. Nowadays, women were injured and lost their lives fighting fires, too. But that Sunday, it was her new boyfriend going out there, leaving her behind. He’d grabbed her upper arm, bent down, and kissed her on the lips. She felt his prickly beard already and he’d just shaved. And then he leaned over and kissed Flynn on the head. It was becoming their goodbye routine.

  Watching him do that was so intense, emotion welled up almost uncontrollably. What if he died out in the field? In Arizona, the Yarnell fire had recently claimed the lives of nineteen young men, a freak accident for sure, but a perfect storm of what could happen to the best-trained hotshots in the land. Fire wasn’t always going to be controlled by man. It made her sick to her stomach.

  Thinking about his safety along with the responsibility of Flynn elevated her to a new level; she was an adult. Headlights swept over the parking lot, and relief at seeing his shiny white truck flowed over her body.

  She opened the door for him, watching him grab a bag out of the back. He took two steps at a time to reach her.

  “I’m covered with soot,” he said, but gave her a peck on the cheek.

  She could smell it on him, smoke and sweat, something else she wasn’t sure of but would later find out that it was common. From the hard work the men did, they’d blow off ketones from their breath, and it was a sign they needed to eat. The realization that she had to take care of him, much the way he took care of her and Flynn, took her breath away.

  “I love you, Tony,” she said with urgency.

  “I love you, too. Do you want to get in the shower with me?”

  “Yes,” she answered, without hesitation.

  By Monday morning, the few firefighters left on the scene to mop up were confident that it was out completely. Once the tender left, they grabbed their pickaxes and shovels and in single file hiked down the hillside to the waiting truck. Its driver was Tony Saint.

  As soon as they’d gotten to work that morning, he’d kissed Bridget goodbye and left to help the remaining stragglers clean up and get back to the station. If it had been any other time, he’d have been exhausted after working the day before and ostensibly playing all night. But it was worth it. Brother Mike hopped in next to Tony. They’d wait for the rest of the men to climb on.

  “Whatch you grinnin’ about?” Mike asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tony said, putting the stick shift in reverse when everyone was on board.

  “I talked to Ma, and she said you didn’t come home Saturday night.”

  “She’s got a big mouth,” Tony said, but he smiled. “I didn’t come home last night, either. You’d better hurry. I might make it to the altar before you and Aisling.”

  “Aisling won’t even discuss marriage yet. I don’t want to listen to the bitching from Ma and Pop either if I move in with her.”

  “Yeah, we need to cut the apron strings.”

  “I don’t want to piss Pop off,” Mike said. “I gotta work with the guy every day.”

  Laughing, they high-fived. Big Mike could be intimidating.

  Tony knew he would have to find a way to navigate working with Bridget, but since he’d figured out how to do it with his brothers and dad, he was confident he’d manage it. She was easy to get along with and wasn’t jealous, at least not yet. He’d do what he had to, to make her feel secure.

  Working with Katherine was going to be tricky because she was still steaming about their brief relationship. He’d make the effort not to rub her face in the new romance. But it would be difficult because he couldn’t wait to show Bridget how much he cared. He wanted to do it in all the hokey ways men did—sending flowers to their job, planning special outings for the two of them—and it was all under the watchful eye of his uncle, father and brothers.

  One of the things he’d discovered about Bridget that he appreciated was that she was no-nonsense. After the first night together when they’d finally decided they needed to get some sleep, she got into her sleep attire, sweatpants and a T-shirt. The minute her head hit the pillow, she was out cold and didn’t budge. He woke up around six, and she was already up and showered, feeding baby Flynn while she packed his diaper bag.

  After he showered and dressed, he joined her in the kitchen. “I want to go in together today.”

  “You do? Why?”

  “I want people to see us coming in to work in the same car.”

  “Tony, why? What people?”

  “Well, Katherine, for one.”

  “Ha! I think it’s for Katherine only. I don’t want to rub salt in her wounds.”

  “It’s better this way, like pulling a Band-Aid off with one swipe.”

  “Ouch. Okay, whatever you want. After last night, I’m putty in your hands.”

  He put his coffee cup down and encircled Bridget and her baby in his arms. “I’m so content; I could fall asleep standing up.”

  “You’re a riot. Well, you’d better wake up. We need to leave early to drop Mr.
Flynn off at his grandparents’ house. They’ll see the truck and freak out, but it has to be dealt with sooner than later.”

  “Ugh, are you sure?”

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  “I’m ready.”

  They loaded up, bringing coffee in travel mugs. She handed his over. “I bought two mugs a while ago just in case I’d have a travel companion someday.”

  “I’m honored.”

  He took Flynn from her and kissed her cheek while he locked up, and he strapped the baby in his seat.

  “I can’t help it,” she confessed. “I’ve got the nervous shakes.”

  “’Cause of your folks?”

  “Yes, that and work, and sitting next to you after last night. Wow.”

  “Wow is right,” he replied, taking her hand and kissing it. “Don’t be nervous about that. It was wonderful.”

  “Was it for you? I’m afraid I conked out.”

  “You’ll have to catch up on your sleep tonight. With any luck I won’t be out fighting a fire some jackass started by throwing his cigarette out the window.”

  “So what is this we have going on?” Bridget asked, switching her finger between the two of them.

  “You don’t know?” He acted shocked, teasing her.

  “Well, I guess because I’ve had my share of one-night stands, or one-week stands more accurately, I’m hoping it’s not that.”

  “Never,” he said, taking her hand to his lips to kiss. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Flynn.”

  “Wow. Now that’s intense.”

  They laughed together. “The new keyword is wow.”

  To avoid an early morning confrontation with the parents after all, she had Tony pull his truck up around a little bend in the road. He helped her get the baby out of his seat and strapped into his fancy new stroller. Someday it would be clear to the grandparents, he hoped, that Flynn was cherished and would have only the best of everything from his hand.

  Conversation was kept to a minimum on the way to the station, both getting into work mode. He pulled into his usual spot. They were a little later than usual, about five to seven, and no one else was around.

  “I want a kiss before anyone else shows up.”

  “They’re probably already inside,” she said, laughing.

  He pulled her over, smoothing his hands over her body. “I love you, Bridget.”

  “You do?”

  With her arms around his shoulders, she ran her fingers through his hair, kissing him. She shivered a little bit.

  “I do. I’ll do the best I can to slow down if that scares you.”

  “Ha! I think it’s too late for that, Tony. Let’s just take it one day at a time for now, okay?”

  “One day at a time it is.”

  They separated and grabbed their bags.

  “Yikes, how am I going to get home now?” she asked, looking around like it had just occurred to her that she didn’t have her car.

  “You’ll take the truck. No problem. I’m not going to need it.”

  “Getting through the next three days without you is not going to be easy,” she said.

  “Tell me about it. At least we’ll see each other here. And we can have breaks together if it’s quiet.”

  He went inside to get the flag, and they did that ritual together. They walked to the station with his arm slung around her shoulder like it was always meant to be there. The staff took note. Tony and Bridget were a couple.

  It didn’t register right away, but Katherine, with a polishing rag in her hand, stopped working after a minute and watched them, letting the scene before her sink in. Tony was with the new EMT and not with his old girlfriend, whom he’d gone back to after breaking Katherine’s heart. They were perfect together, too. Tony, big and muscular, olive complexion, black curly hair like a Greek God, and Bridget, tall, model thin but curvy, ivory skin, huge blue eyes and shiny, straight black hair pulled back into a classic bun.

  Perfect together and obviously happy and, unbelievably because it had only been a week, in love! She could see it from across the garage; their body language was that of lovers.

  Heat pulsed through her body, ridiculous though it seemed. She knew when she went out with him that it was temporary. The way it happened was an embarrassment. The annual summer party at the firehouse was the scene of the crime. After coming off her three-day stint, she was ready to party. Everyone drank too much. It was no excuse. She knew he was upset about Patty cheating on him, and she’d taken advantage of it.

  “Dance with me,” she whispered in Tony’s ear.

  He stumbled out to the dance floor with her, and they rocked together, her arms around his neck, and she kissed him in front of everyone, a passionate kiss with her tongue in between his lips. Kissing her back, he was in a fog triggered by too much beer and too many emotions. When the music stopped, he took her arms from around him and excused himself, walking to the restrooms.

  “Don’t do it,” Rick Jackson had warned when she came back to her chair. “I see what you’re up to. He’s never going to survive being away from her. I’m willing to bet they’re back together within a week.”

  “He’s never been with someone like me before,” she said. “I’ll make him forget all about that dimwit Patty.”

  When Tony returned, he came right to her. “I called an Uber. You want to come along?”

  “Yes,” she said, grabbing her bag and winking at Rick.

  It was little more than a one-night stand. Tony couldn’t get it up, and in order to save face, he made up for it the next morning by a slam-bang-thank-you-ma’am, quickly pulling his clothes on afterward and hitchhiking home. A friend took her to the station to get her car, and while she was there, she saw Mike Saint drop Tony off at his truck. Debating whether she should run to him or not, she decided to have some pride and just let him go.

  She didn’t hear from him for two days. Never able to figure out why he called her again, perhaps out of a sense of propriety, he invited her to dinner, and they had a real date. But when it was over, he took her straight home and refused an offer to come inside.

  “Look, Katherine, you’re a nice girl.” It wasn’t true, but she had to hand it to him, he was doing the right thing. “I apologize for this; it was ill-timed. I need to recover from the breakup, and I shouldn’t have used you like I did.”

  “Get over yourself, Saint. It wasn’t all that.” With that, she slammed the door in his face.

  Working with him was painful, and when he got back together with Patty soon after, Katherine knew true hatred, plotting in her head how she could inflict some pain. But slowly the anger dissipated. She even gave Rick a whirl, but he was too much like dating a relative. Surprisingly, and difficult to accept, he mentioned it first.

  “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but there’s no chemistry between us. Zilch. Are you sure we’re not related?”

  He was grimacing with his nostrils flared, and Katherine laughed even though it was humiliating. “Maybe we’ve worked together too long.”

  “Maybe. So, friends?” He held his hand out to her.

  “Of course. If nothing else, we’ll be friends.”

  She wondered if that was why she’d had trouble with Tony in bed, that they’d just worked together too long, but as angry as she’d gotten, she wasn’t that cruel to bring it up again.

  Watching Tony moving around the garage that day, she could picture him in bed with Bridget, and it made her a little sick. Patty was a jerk. He must have broken up with her right away so he could see Bridget. He was a good guy in that respect, definitely not a two-timer.

  Without giving it too much thought, when he was within hearing distance, Katherine apologized to him. “I’m sorry I’ve given you a hard time. I’ll stop.”

  The confession took him by surprise. “Thank you,” he replied, walking over to her. “Thank you, Katherine. I appreciate it.”

  “You and Bridget look good together. I can see why you’d be attracted to her. She�
�s beautiful and nice. And smart, too. You’re a lucky guy and she’s lucky to have you.”

  “Thank you, Katherine,” he said again.

  She nodded and walked away. It wasn’t for a few seconds that he realized he was holding his breath. Relieved, he hated bad feelings between people, especially those he worked with. He got out his phone and sent Bridget a message.

  Katherine apologized for giving me a hard time. She said you and I make a nice couple.

  In seconds, he got a reply.

  Ugh, watch your back.

  “Get back to work, nephew,” Charlie Saint teased. “You’re making the rounds of the women this morning, I see.”

  “I didn’t get to Connie yet,” Tony answered. “Is she still around?”

  “She’s upstairs.” He sidled up to Tony and whispered, “So, is it a match?”

  “I think so. If it were up to me, it is.”

  “Hold on to her, buddy. She’s a catch.”

  So the Saints approved of the Irish girl with the baby. In late August as summer came to a close, Big Mike, Roberta and Charlie rented a spacious place on the beach in Del Mar, with enough bedrooms for everyone.

  “Do you want to go to the beach for the weekend?” Tony asked Bridget. “I just happen to have a long weekend coming up.”

  “I’d love to. I don’t have any vacation time coming and have to work over Labor Day this year, but Saturday and Sunday sounds fun.”

  She didn’t admit to Tony that she still felt shy around his family when they were all together, and she tended to latch on to Joey’s girlfriend, Candy, or Mike’s girlfriend, Aisling. The three Irish girls, Big Mike called them.

  Watching the Saint men play beach volleyball was an activity made for

  . Even Big Mike, who didn’t play, wore board shorts and made an imposing figure on the beach. But it was the personage of the brothers that made other beachgoers stop to watch. There was no getting around it, they were all gorgeous.

  At the beach, Bridget discovered too late that she was a big hit among the men in her bathing suit, so she took to wearing a T-shirt over it most of the time, unlike Aisling, who wore a thong bikini, her perfectly round rear end a pleasure for even the women to look upon, and Candy, who was plus size and let it all hang out. And Bridget never nursed, even with a Hooter Hider, unless she was hidden away in the bedroom.