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Leo held out his hand out for the dog to sniff. Big Ricky eyed him for a hot second before licking the back of his hand with an accepting snort.
“He’s the biggest wiener dog I’ve ever seen.” He chuckled, reaching up to pet the soft fluff on the long-haired dog’s ears. “What the hell were they feeding him?”
Jazz winced. “Hot dogs. A lot of them. He has some digestion issues.”
“Don’t worry, bud,” Leo told the dachshund. “We’ll get you feeling better soon.”
“What do you think?”
“When your dad called and hinted that we might be adding to our little family I—”
“Ohmygodtheydidn’t,” she gasped, closing her eyes. She’d mentioned her plans for Big Ricky to her parents this morning, but she’d never thought they’d call him.
“Just after I got home,” he chuckled with a nod. Leo held out his arms for Jazz to pass Big Ricky over. “They called to check in.”
The image of her strong-armed firefighter holding onto such a pudgy dog with a loving look in his eyes made her heart flutter at what the future may hold.
“So, is this the new family member or will we be visiting a doctor soon?”
“I’m not pregnant,” Jazz reassured him. “It was just a little panic attack.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed. “Reggie mentioned something about that as well. Let’s take Big Ricky here inside. We need to talk.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” she mumbled. Leaving the rest of the bags for later, she followed him into the house.
“It’s nothing bad. At least, I hope it isn’t.” He pulled her down into the oversized chair and into his lap after sitting Ricky down on the floor to go exploring. “We need to talk about my job, sugar.”
“I can handle it,” she promised, sinking into his hold with a sigh of contentment.
“You sure?” he asked, tilting her face up to his own. His eyes were full of worry as they stared down into her own
“I am.” She smiled, thinking of Winter’s part in coming to terms with loving a firefighter. “It helps having a best friend going through the same struggle.”
Leo leaned down and gave her a soft kiss.
“I’m glad you have a friend like her—especially when she’s on my side.”
Jazz shook her head and laughed.
“Now that we know you’re good with dating a firefighter, how do you feel about being married to one?” When her mouth fell open in shock, he gently closed it with a nudge. “It may not be tomorrow or even this year, but I’m going to marry you, sugar. I love you. I loved you when I was a boy and saw you as a sad princess who needed a friend, and I love you as the man I am today. You’re my everything, but I need to know that you’re going to be okay when I answer a call.”
“You’re my everything too,” she told him with a sniff. She’d thought she’d run out of tears, but her eyes were proving her wrong. “I never thought I’d fall for a firefighter, but I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone but you. I know it’s going to be hard, but I got this.”
“We’ve got each other.” Leo stroked the tears off her cheeks, his own eyes getting moist. “And that sounds about perfect to me.”
“It’s more than perfect,” she corrected with a grin. “It’s us.”
“And Big Ricky,” he laughed when the dog walked back into the living room with one of his socks dragging behind him. “Were there toys for him in those bags you had in the back seat?”
“A few,” she told him with a twinkle in her eye.
“A few?” He frowned in confusion “Your car looked packed. What else did you get?”
“Come with me and see.” She slid off his lap and walked out to her car with a suspicious Leo following close behind.
Handing him four bags and taking the rest for herself, she tried not to laugh at the look on his face when he finally saw what she’d bought.
“Morepillows? How many of these fuckers did you buy, Jazz?” He started to count them out loud as she giggled.
