I think about Hudson Turner’s children. “Have you ever thought about how many children you’d want in the future?” I ask Ace. Do guys even think about such things?
Ace doesn’t answer immediately. When he does, his voice sounds sad. “I used to think about kids once. Before I left for Afghanistan and before Stacy and I broke up.”
The name rings a bell. I remember then. “Wasn’t she the woman who was at Park and Rachel’s the day we went for a barbecue?” I ask Ace.
“Yeah, she’s the one. Rachel was very apologetic later. She hadn’t expected that I would have a date.”
Jealousy spears through me. “Were you high school sweethearts?” I ask.
“Yes,” Ace says. “We had dreams to get married and have a family. She wanted two and I wanted four.”
I swallow hard. My chest feels like it’s burning. “Why did you break up?”
He takes so long to answer that for a moment I don’t think he’ll answer. We’re close to home now. The darkness in the car offers some sort of safety net. Or maybe it’s the kind of day we’ve had where we’ve been forced to confront our deepest fears. Whatever the reason, we talk about things we never have before. It helps that the traffic is heavy and we’re just crawling along.
“I caught her and Declan in a compromising situation,” Ace says.
A gasp escapes my lips. “Declan?”
“Yes,” Ace says, his voice oddly unaffected. “The whole thing was one big misunderstanding, but I didn’t know it at the time.”
But Declan and Ace are so close. It does make sense. I knew at the time of looking for Ace, he and Declan were not on friendly terms and Declan had no way of reaching him.
“Turned out that Declan and Park had seen Stacy in a club misbehaving with a guy. Then she’d gone home with him.”
I’m confused. “I don’t get it.”
Ace turns to me and grins. “Yeah, it’s twisted. Declan decided to show me that my fiancée was slutty. He made out with her so that I could see for myself.”
“Wasn’t it easier to just tell you?” I can’t imagine making out with Miles to prove to Vanessa that her guy is a cheat.
Ace laughs. “A normal person would. Declan has his own weird way of doing stuff. But we ironed that out.”
A coldness hits my core. I haven’t told Ace yet that Declan was the one who came to my rescue when I got pregnant with Luna. The story about Stacy complicates things. I push it to the back of my mind. I’ll tell him when the moment is right.
“Anyway, we were talking about kids,” Ace says. “Having Luna has reignited my wish to have a lot of kids. But it depends on what you want.”
All air leaves my lungs. He wants to have more kids with me!
“I’d be open to any number. What matters is that we’re able to take care of them.”
A bubble of happiness wraps around me. Despite the emotionally draining day, I feel happy and excited about the future. I wasn’t sure where our relationship was headed. It’s nice to know that it’s long term for Ace as it is for me. I rest my hand on his thigh, just to touch a part of him.
He covers my hand with his.
Chapter 30
Ace
Two weeks later and we return to a semblance of normalcy at the station. Sort of. It’s seven in the morning and the kitchen is crowded as the earlier shift is leaving and we’re beginning our shift. There’s a friendly banter going on and I smile as I sip my coffee. This reminds me of my Afghanistan years. Despite the difficulty of the job, the brotherhood made it worth it. Same as firefighting.
As the other guys leave one by one, I notice that Lucas is a little subdued. He looks like he has not had a good night’s rest. The Chief comes in and as we chat, I see him glance at Lucas every so often.
It’s not long before we are called on a job. An automobile accident. Though serious, there are no fatalities and that’s always a good thing. We return to the station after but it’s not long before the station alarm goes off again.
This time it’s a rally outside a Planned Parenthood clinic and the crowd is becoming rowdy. We park the truck by the side of the road and join other firefighters and policemen. We stand a little distance away from the protesters.
It is peaceful for the first forty minutes. The protesters chant loudly and suddenly a stone is thrown by someone in the group, aimed at the police. Then another and in a matter of minutes, the scene turns chaotic.
The police throw teargas canisters. They pop with loud ear-shattering noises that sound like gunshots. We scramble out of there to an alley. We fight with water, not bullets.