GINA

 

The fire station in Ivory was what you would’ve expected. I’m not talking about the trucks or the equipment or the building. No, the really nice thing about it was the scenery. The real scenery.

The men working at the station were a sight to behold. I guess they had to be in good shape because of the work they did. The station was home to the most eligible bachelors in Ivory.

That’s what I used to think, anyway.

If the firefighters in Ivory were hot, I was with the hottest one there. Nobody came close to Dorian. He wasn’t just in exquisitely delicious shape. He didn’t just have such a gorgeously handsome face. He didn’t just have that sexy ink trailing up and down his arms. Dorian was more than that.

There was someone special inside of him. There was a good man in his heart. A man that was capable of anything but only used his abilities to help those around him. Ever since we were in high school and he didn’t know who I was, I fell for him. Every day that went by made me realize that he was even more than I imagined he would be.

As I waited near the fire station garage, I watched all of the firefighters work. They organized and repaired their equipment. They did maintenance on their trucks. Some music was coming from a radio to the side and everybody seemed to be talking, laughing, and moving to the music. Everybody was having a good time.

Dorian wasn’t an exception. At the moment, he had his attention occupied by a man who was crouched over a small table and leaning toward him. The two of them were arm wrestling.

“You’ve got nothing, Sullivan…” the man grunted. “I’m taking you down…”

“Not… likely…”

The firefighters who weren’t doing anything were crowded around Dorian and the man in front of him. They were cheering and hollering like they probably had something at stake.

“It’s over, Adams,” Dorian grunted.

“No, it isn’t…”

Dorian yelled out as he slammed down the man’s arm. The man let out a groan. He leaned up against the table in defeat. Dorian patted him on the arm to console him.

“Don’t worry, Adams,” he said. “It was a good try.”

“Just give me one month, Sullivan. One month.”

Dorian gathered some of the money that had been thrown on the table. Then he walked over to me while he counted it.

“All in a day’s work,” he said with a smile.

“Is that how you make a living? Winning bets on arm wrestling? You should be ashamed of taking another man’s money.”

“I never take another man’s money. It’s their fault for betting against me. Adams has never beat me in an arm wrestling match. He should’ve known.”

Dorian stuffed his money away and leaned forward to kiss me.

“What’s going on?” I said. “Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yeah, there is, actually. It couldn’t wait. I’m sorry about pulling you away from the bakery.”

“It’s not a problem. Lydia has everything under control. What’s up?”

“Well…”

Dorian walked out of the garage and toward his bike parked over to the side. His attitude was strange. Dorian wasn’t the type to lie to me. He was never sheepish about anything. Now it seemed like he was hiding something.

“Dorian?”

“I’ve been thinking about something. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought and…”

“And what?”

The way he was acting made me laugh. I shook my head and held my hands out.

“What is it?” I said.

He smirked at me. A smirk that let me know that he was hiding something from me.

“I was thinking that… I love you, Gina.”

“I…”

I shook my head and laughed at him.

“I know you do. And I love you, too. Is that what you were thinking about?”

“Yeah, it was.”

“Okay…”

“A lot of shit happened recently… It made me realize just how much I loved you.”

“You didn’t cheat on me, did you?”

Dorian frowned at me. I giggled and slapped him on the arm.

“I’m just kidding,” I said.

“No, it was something else… After all of the stuff that happened with the club lately… And even the business with Logan… I realize that I should be grateful to have someone like you in my life.”

The smirk had left his face. The look in those eyes of his… Those damn gray eyes… I had to stop and think about how fortunate I was to have a man like this in love with me.

“I want you in my life,” he said.

“I’m in your life. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I always want you in my life. And I want you to know that I’ll be here for you, no matter what.”

“Dorian, I—”

He suddenly fell down to one knee. I closed my eyes to make sure that I wasn’t seeing things. But when I opened them again, he was still there looking up at me.

I must be dreaming…

I stood there in disbelief while he reached into his pocket. A small band with a diamond shining on it rested in the center of his palm.

“I was thinking about how to say it,” he said. “But I know that you’re not much for romance. Neither am I, really. It’s all about how we feel. And you know how I feel about you.”

“Dorian… I…”

“It’s my grandmother’s. After my grandfather passed, she gave it to me. Told me to find someone special. I laughed when she did it but I kept it anyway. I never thought I would see the day. I never thought I would see today.”

I couldn’t stop my emotions from getting the best of me. Tears streaked down the corners of my eyes. I clenched my jaw and balled my fists to maintain my composure.

“Gina Newman. Will you marry me?”

I swallowed again and nodded.

“Y-yes… Yes… Oh, fuck yes!”

I held my hand out and watched him put the ring on my finger. Dorian stood up straight and leaned down to kiss me. I enjoyed his kiss only for just a second before we were interrupted.

“Yeah!”

“Go get her, Sullivan!”

I watched as the firefighters in the station all surrounded us in the parking lot. They congratulated the both of us with big smiles.

“I let you win because you’re gonna need that money for the wedding. Shit’s expensive.”

“I know,” Dorian sighed.

“Just make sure you invite me.”

“You got it, Adams.”

Dorian shook the man’s hand. It was only a few moments later before the firefighters all left us together. Dorian got behind me and wrapped his arms around me while I admired the ring on my finger.

“I can’t believe it,” I whispered. “The hottest guy in high school and I bagged him.”

“Ha!”

Dorian burst into laughter and kissed me on the top of my head.

“My only regret is that I hadn’t met you sooner. I wonder if things would be different if we knew each other in high school.”

“It doesn’t matter… I think things worked out for the best.”