The Fireman's Baby: A BWWM Pregnancy Romance (7 page)

Laura nodded. “They know she didn't come from thin air,” she laughed. “I told people that her father was away for work, but nothing more. If you decide to be part of Annie's life, then I'm sure you'll meet them all in time.”

“My mother is going to have a heart attack,” Daniel laughed. “She's been asking about grandchildren since I was out of college. It'll come as a shock to her, but she's going to go crazy for this little one.”

“You're going to tell them about her?” Laura asked with emotion tightening her throat.

Daniel looked up at her with earnest eyes. “Of course, Laura. She's my daughter.”

After all these months of holding it together, Laura couldn't help but shed a tear or two of relief now. For so long she had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and being mother and father to this child. She had begun to think of her night with Daniel as some distant, far away thing that had started to become less and less real until it felt like she had imagined it. To have him here with her now, real and solid and sorry to have been gone felt like some small miracle.

The captain returned to his seat beside her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“It's going to be all right, Laura,” he said softly.

A hundred different people had told her that; Sophie, her mother, Marie. But hearing it from Daniel made her truly believe it and she leaned her head against his chest to sob a little from relief. He hugged her tightly and then asked if he could hold his daughter.

Laura lifted her from her stroller and Annie squirmed a little as she did when she was disturbed, letting out a little gurgle of protest, but falling quiet as soon as she was in her daddy's arms. For someone who made a living out of carrying people from burning buildings, Daniel had no idea how to hold a baby and Laura laughed at his uncertain pose. She repositioned Annie in his arms so that one arm was resting underneath the baby and the other was holding her back, so that she was cradled against his chest. She must have been comfortable there, as she almost immediately fell asleep.

Daniel became emotional once more and Laura could even make out the beginnings of tears suspended in his eyes.

“She must like me,” he grinned. “I've never been good with babies. She must know that I'm her daddy.”

Laura reached out and stroked her baby's head softly. Watching Daniel hold her with fatherly love made her own heart swell. Even though the future was still uncertain and scary, she was glad for this one moment when the world came to a still and she could live in a snapshot of perfection with Mommy, Daddy, and baby all together.

“I'm going to look after you two,” Daniel vowed. “It was a rough start, but I'm going to take care of you from now on.”

The fireman held his daughter against his chest for a long time as though he wanted to make up for all the cuddles he had missed, but eventually as it began to grow late and the wind cooled, he had to at last lay her back down in her stroller.

“When can I see you again?” he asked Laura hopefully.

“Any time,” Laura said. “Do you remember where I live?”

The smile that jumped to Daniel's lips at the question was the same smile that came to her face whenever she remembered that night and he nodded.

“I remember.”

“Well, I usually get home from work around six. You can come around any time after.”

“I'll be there tomorrow,” he promised. “I'll bring some of the guys with me and we'll baby-proof the house.”

Laura smiled. “That sounds good.”

As soon as she got home that night and  put Annie to bed, she rushed to call Sophie and tell her what had happened.

“So he accepted responsibility, just like that?” Sophie asked incredulously. “There must be some catch.”

“I don't think there is, Soph,” Laura said. “He said that what happened that night was out of character for him, too. I don't know what it was. We just both sensed something in each other. It was an attraction that got out of control, but I think we're both responsible people, really. You should have seen him with Annie. He loves her already.”

“Well that I can believe,” Sophie replied. “My goddaughter is an angel.” Laura's friend sighed. “I worry about you, Laura,” she told her. “Just tread carefully with him, all right? I know how infatuated you were with him that night, and I know that you want a father for Annie, but just remember that he was a one-night  stand and that you don't really know him or what his intentions are. I'm really happy for you that it seems that he's stepping up to take responsibility, but just don't open yourself up to get hurt, okay?”

“I won't, Sophie,” Laura promised.

She could understand her friend's concern. After all, as soon as she saw Daniel again, all those feelings which had first attracted her to him that long year ago, were stirred again. She remembered how she had felt the first time those deep, dark eyes  looked at her and how she felt wrapped up in his arms. Of course, she was looking at him differently now. Daniel was no longer just the stranger she had sex with a year ago, but the father of her child.

The way that he  held Annie today and vowed to look after them had comforted Laura in a way that nobody else had been able to in all this time. She trusted Daniel instinctively and maybe that was her naivete,  which Sophie warned her about so often. Even so, when Annie was tucked up in her crib and Laura was alone with her thoughts, she couldn't help but think of him and wonder.

Chapter8

The following evening, Daniel arrived just as he promised he would, with two friends in tow. One was tall, dark, and lean and the other one was tall, fair, and even leaner. Laura supposed that athleticism came with the job. Physical qualities aside, the two other men seemed kind enough. The dark-haired one was named Sam and the fair-haired one was named Michael. Daniel introduced them to her in turn and then looked around eagerly for his daughter.

“Is she sleeping?” he asked.

Laura nodded. “She's tucked in now, but she'll be hungry soon. You can hold her again then.”

“You have to see this baby, boys,” Daniel said proudly. “She's gorgeous.”

Sam laughed and nodded.

“We couldn't believe it when he told us,” he said to Laura. “The last we heard of him he was off to Colorado and then he reappears again as a father. Hats off to you for doing it on your own for so long.”

“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “Dan hasn't been able to stop telling us how guilty he feels about the whole thing, so we thought we'd come by and help you out a little bit to make up for it. Daniel really wants to make it right.”

Daniel laughed humbly as his friends spoke about him and bashfully told them to be quiet. If Laura had worried about how Daniel would perceive her fully clothed and as a mother, she had to wonder again at how this shy, sensitive man was the same creature who had ripped her clothes off of her that night.

“Shall we get started?” he suggested.

The men got to work putting clips on the drawers and cupboards and they installed a little gate by the kitchen.

“She'll be crawling before you know it,” Sam warned. “My wife and I have twins. One day they couldn't walk, and the next they were both marathon runners. You can't take your eye off them for a second, but it eases your mind a little to know that they can't get into the cupboards.”

“I appreciate your help,” Laura told them sincerely. “My Dad's getting to be a little too old for all this kind of work now, although I know he'd do his best. You should have seen Sophie and me trying to put together the crib! It was a nightmare.”

Daniel's face creased in guilt and he turned from where he was screwing a gatepost into place to look at her with concern. “You did all that by yourself, too?” he asked incredulously.

“Oh, we managed,” Laura said modestly. “It took us a few attempts. Sophie screwed the headboard onto the bottom and I lost some of the screws, but it all came together in the end and the thing hasn't collapsed yet. The stroller on the other hand...”

“I'm going to pay you back for everything you've had to buy,” Daniel promised her. “The crib, the stroller... everything. You shouldn't have had to deal with all that on your own.”

“It's all right,” Laura assured him. “You're here now. A lot of the stuff was gifts from family and friends, anyway. Everyone really came together when Annie was on her way.”

“How did you choose the name?” Michael asked her with interest.

“After my grandmother,” Laura told him.

“Hey Dan, isn't that your mom's name?” Sam asked him.

Daniel nodded and shot Laura a warm smile. “Yes, it is. I don't think I ever told you that. That's a nice coincidence.”

“Ah yes, we were led to believe it was something of a whirlwind romance,” Sam said with raised eyebrows. Dan nudged him in the ribs with an annoyed glance and Sam chuckled. “I'm not judging,” he said.

Laura didn't take offense. She’d learned to grow less bashful since she'd been pregnant with her daughter. The question of Daniel's absence had been raised so many times that she'd gotten used to confessing her infidelities and now looked back on the event without batting an eyelid.

She'd always been so responsible and level-headed, that everybody had supported her when Annie was on her way. Most had been shocked to hear that she had that kind of an encounter with a man, but nobody had thought any less of her.

She poured juice for the laboring men and when she handed a glass to Daniel, she felt herself blush as he looked up at her from where he knelt on the floor. The memory of a droplet rolling down a soot-covered arm came to mind, and she remembered with a giddy feeling, how she had fallen for his looks that day. He was no less handsome now.

Soon the men had baby-proofed her house and every drawer, cupboard, outlet, and doorway was locked down. Her house looked like some kind of plastic obstacle course, but Laura was glad that she wouldn't have to worry about Annie's safety when she began to crawl.

Sam and Michael said their goodbyes and wished her well when the baby-proofing was done and left her and Daniel alone for a while.

“They seem like nice guys,” Laura said as way of starting the conversation.

“We've been good friends since training,” he told her. “I knew they'd do anything to help me. We all helped Sam when Helen got pregnant with the twins and then again when Michael's son was born. It's what friends do.”

“Sophie is the same,” Laura smiled. “I don't know how I'd have done this without her.”

“I'm grateful for her, too,” Daniel told her. “I owe that girl a huge thank you for looking out for you while I was gone.”

A faint cry from upstairs caused Laura to rush to her bedroom to take Annie from her crib. That familiar look of wonder settled over Daniel's face when he first saw his baby girl appear around the corner once more.

“I can't get over how beautiful she is,” he said.

“Do you want to try feeding her?” Laura asked.

Daniel brightened and grinned. “I'd love that!”

Laura handed Annie to him once more and had to show him how to hold her in a cradle position now that he was feeding her. She prepared the bottle for him and handed it to him so that he could feed her. The expression on his face as he held the bottle for his daughter was of a man completely mesmerized. No matter what Sophie said about this man and his intentions, there was no way that he could fake that look of wonder.

“Was it ever part of your plan to have kids?” Laura asked him softly.

He looked up at her and smiled warmly. “Someday, definitely,” he told her. “I always thought of myself having a little boy to play sports with. I pictured him wearing my helmet around the house and playing with a little toy fire engine, wanting to grow up to be a fireman, just like his dad.” Laura smiled as he spoke and Daniel smiled back. “But I think I'm going to love having a daughter,” he said sentimentally. “Do you think she'd play with a fire engine?”

Laura laughed. “I think we could get her interested in one of those,” she said. “We can raise her to be a little feminist who wants to fight fires. Although I picture her as a doctor.”

“I wouldn't mind if she became a doctor,” he agreed. “I bet she's going to be smart. Don't you think?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Daniel finished feeding Annie and when she was soundly sleeping once more he followed Laura to the bedroom and laid the baby down on her blankets.

“Wow, she has a lot of stuffed animals, doesn't she?” he said, his eyes widening at the vast array of teddy bears arranged at Annie's feet.

“That would be Sophie,” Laura said.

Daniel told her to wait a moment and he ran to his car. He returned with several bags full of things for the baby and from one of them he pulled a little soft pink rabbit with floppy ears.

“I wanted her to have something from me,” he told Laura. “Although she has a lot of animals to choose from...”

“This will be her favorite one,” Laura predicted, taking the little pink rabbit from him and laying it down next to Annie. “It's her first gift from Daddy.”

“It sounds so strange when you say it,” Daniel laughed. “ ‘Daddy.’ I thought it would be a while before anyone called me that.”

“Yes, she took me by surprise too,” Laura laughed. “Being a mother was a long way off in the plan.”

“I screwed up your plan?” Daniel said guiltily.

Laura shook her head. “No,” she said sincerely. “This little angel is my world. She's the new plan.”

“I bought some things for her,” Daniel said, gesturing to all the bags he'd brought in from the car. “I wanted to make sure she had everything. There's formula and diapers and some clothes for when she grows. Sam got her these tiny little shoes. They are so cute. We'll have to set up a play date with his twins. I want to make sure my girl has friends looking out for her.”

Laura smiled. Daniel's talk of play dates and fire engines made a feeling of incredible happiness swell up inside her. This was the future she'd dreamed of for herself and her daughter. Even though Laura had had her moments of letting her thoughts wander to Daniel and craving a man's presence, she didn't realize how alone she'd felt as a single parent until the father of her child had suddenly appeared again.

“I'm glad you're back,” she said meaningfully.

“I won't leave you again,” Daniel promised.

He meant it, too. Thoughts were churning in the fireman's mind as he got in his car to drive to his parent's house. This last twenty-four hours had been something of a whirlwind and he still felt like the earth was spinning a little too quickly. The only thing that had been able to bring it to a standstill was looking at his perfect little girl. She was beautiful. Even the thought of her brought a smile to his face. It didn't matter that he hadn't expected to be a father and that Annie wasn't planned, because when she took hold of his finger with her tiny little hands, something in him made him instinctively want to protect her and love her forever.

Then there was Laura. Wow, Laura. He had never expected to ever see her again, let alone find out that he had fathered a child with her. He'd thought of their one night of passion a million times over the last year and every time she came to mind he had felt a heated and strange feeling of longing for her. Nobody had ever made him feel as alive as she had and he'd been seeking that feeling of electricity and complete connection ever since.

The thought made him feel guilty once more, and not because he'd left Laura alone, but because he felt a spark with her that was lacking with his current girlfriend. He and Stacy and been on and off now for several years. There had been times when Daniel had thought he'd loved her and times when the feeling was much closer to contempt.

Stacy was a beautiful woman, but mean-spirited and demanding. When he'd first met her, Daniel had been attracted to her confidence and ability to command a room, but the attraction had soon faded when he realized that what seemed like confidence on first impression was actually a control freak under the veneer of self-assurance.

Daniel wasn't sure what had kept him coming back to her over the years. Part of it was habit, he knew, and another part was the feeling of duty he had towards her because they'd been together for so long. Not that it had been a smooth ride. Stacy was possessive of him and she was definitely high maintenance.

There had been a time when he was younger, when he'd found her jealousy flattering and he had enjoyed the way he could command her attention, but as time passed, and the arguments had become more frequent and had needed less and less fuel to ignite, he began to realize that she was simply insane. Every time he so much as looked in the direction of another woman she would be on his back; weeping and crying about how he didn't love her.

The fact was that the only reason he was still with her, despite all the arguing and suspicion, was because he was too soft-hearted to break up with her. Every time he tried she would scream and cry and he would lose his resolve. Of course, there were moments when he saw flickers of a girl he had used to admire in Stacy, when she was in a good mood or when she did something romantic off the cuff. Then he told himself that he still loved her, even though the times when her voice gave him a headache far outweighed the times he found comfort in her arms.

Then of course there was his mother, too. She was desperate for him to find a nice girl and settle down because a man of his age should have a wife and a family... In fact, it was his mother that he wanted to see first. She had told him a thousand times that she wanted grandchildren, but Daniel didn't know how she would feel that Stacy would not be the mother of her grandchildren, and that her son had gotten a stranger pregnant.

He pulled up at his parent's house, walked up the driveway and knocked on the door. His mother answered, with her grey hair in rollers and her feet in worn-out slippers, but her face broke into a huge, loving smile when she saw him at the door.

“Daniel!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here, son?”

“Can I come in, Mom?” he asked her. “I have some news.”

“Of course!” his mother said, stepping back to let her son in and shuffling away in her slippers towards the kitchen to make some tea. “Your father's in the living room watching some awful history program. He's become obsessed with that digging science, with the bones and the coins and the... What's it called? Archaeology. That's the one.

Now I can't think of anything more dull myself. Heaven knows why he's so interested in it all of a sudden. Maybe because he's a fossil himself!” The old woman hooted with laughter at her own joke and continued her monologue as she heated water for her tea. Daniel had learned that it was always best to let his mother run out of steam first if he wanted to get a word in edgeways.