I take a deep breath as I look out over the preserve. It feels like its been forever, even though its been about six months.

I miss Aaron already. I know he’s safe and sound back home with Alice, but still. I need to find some way to thank Alice for how much she’s helped lately. She retired as soon as Aaron was born and let Lucas take over her flower shop. Now that he owns the two biggest shops in town, money isn’t really an issue anymore.

So I don’t technically need to work at all, but I miss the preserve. I couldn’t help but come back. I’m only working part time, just a few hours a week, but it feels so good to be back outdoors. The cool, crisp air smells amazing as I walk happily down the path.

So much has changed for us since Aaron was born. Lucas’s shop began to really take off just as Alice decided to step down and retire. Of course, Lucas takes care of her, and most of the profits from her shop still go into her bank account, but she doesn’t actually know that. She’s been helping so much with Noah and Aaron that we’re still making out better on this deal for sure.

I never expected life to be like this. Now that Lucas is doing well, I don’t have to watch my father all day and night. He’s been doing about average lately, but I think having nurses helping him day and night is actually a huge benefit to him. They know what they’re doing better than I ever could.

We all moved into a big house on the edge of town about a month after Aaron was born. It’s close to where Alice lives, which makes it easy for her to come watch Aaron and Noah. Lucas even didn’t complain when I had my father move in with us, which I was so thankful for.

We’re one big happy family. And I have Lucas to thank for that. He pulled me out of my rut and gave me the world, and for that, I’m endlessly grateful.

As I get further along my path, I suddenly smell something a little surprising. It’s acrid, a big black. It takes me a second to realize that I’m smelling smoke.

I’m pulled out of my reverie instantly. There’s been a slightly drought lately, and the weather service released a wild fire warning just a few days ago. Anna made sure to remind me of that as I was leaving on my walk this morning. I didn’t make anything of it at the time, but suddenly it all comes rushing to me.

I can’t help myself. I hurry up the path toward the smoke, unable to stop. I know I should run back to the offices and tell someone about this, but I can’t help myself.

I love the preserve too much. Ever since leaving, I’ve been dreaming about walking these paths again. Laura hired new people to help out while I was on maternity leave, and the preserve has been doing pretty well lately, all things considered. We haven’t so much as heard a peep from the Carters, and I’m pretty sure they’re pursuing ventures outside of the town, which is fine with me.

I hurry up the path and my heart beats faster. I’m getting closer to my favorite part of the park, and fear settles into my gut. The stench of burning grass and wood gets stronger as I get closer and closer to the meadow.

I spot the fire as soon as I reach the top of the rise. The meadow itself is maybe twenty feet away, and a large swathe of it is churning away under an ugly orange blaze.

“Shit!” I yell and run toward the fire. But I have ot stop as the wind picks up, blowing smoke right into my face. I hack and cough as I back away from the blaze.

Horror runs through me. The meadow is on fire, my favorite part of the park. Without thinking, I turn and pull my phone from my pocket.

I don’t know why I call Lucas, but I do. As I hurry back toward the offices, he answers on the second ring.

“Hey girl,” he says.

“Lucas! There’s a fire!”

He pauses. “I know. I’m always hot.”

“Seriously,” I say, desperate. “The meadow, Lucas. It’s on fire. Please, I need help!”

He quickly understand the seriousness of the situation. “Are you safe right now?” he asks.

“I’m safe,” I say. “I’m running back to the offices.”

“Good. Hang up the phone and call the fire department.”

“But it’s burning, Lucas! The meadow! Our spot!”

“I know,” he says calmly. “Hang up and call the fire department.”

I bite back a curse. I don’t know why I didn’t do that in the first place. In my panic, I called the first person I thought of, and of course it was Lucas.

I hang up the phone and dial 9-1-1. The operator answers immediately.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello, I’m at the Highland Nature Preserve. There’s a wild fire there. We need the fire department.”

“Okay miss. What’s your name?”

“Mia.”

“Are you in danger.”

“No,” I say, getting desperate. I spot the offices up ahead. “I’m safe, but please, hurry!”

“Okay Mia,” the operator says, a soothing female voice. “I’ve alerted the fire department. They’re on their way.”

“Thanks!” I say.

“Please stay—“

I hang up the phone, not caring what else she has to say. I burst into the office, a little winded and out of breath.

“Laura!” I yell. “Fire!”

She comes around the corner, eyes wide. “What?”

“In the meadow, it’s a fire!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure! I’ve seen fire before! We have to do something.”

“I’ll call the fire department,” she says.

“I already did that.” I run up to her and grab her arms. “We have to do something. We can’t just stay here!”

“It’s too dangerous,” she says. “People die in wild fires.”

I stare at her for a second then shake my head. “I can’t wait.” I run over to the janitorial closet and grab the biggest bucket I can find.

“What the hell are you doing?” Laura asks as I run toward the door.

“Helping!” I say.

“Mia, stop!” she shouts as I shove through the door. “You can’t do that. It’s too dangerous!”

But I’m not listening. I run back toward the path holding the empty bucket and I sprint as fast as I can back toward the smell of smoke.

The smell is stronger now. I don’t know how this fire started, but it’s obviously gotten stronger in the last ten minutes. It must be an insane coincident that I found it when I did. If I hadn’t come back to work today, or if I decided not to go through with my old work routine, I might not have noticed the fire when I did, and it could have gotten even worse before it was discovered.

No time to think about that, now, though. I stop at the stream and dunk the bucket in, filling it about half way, before hauling it up the rest of the hill.

The fire is hot and the smoke thick as I stumble toward it. I come as close as I can and toss the water. It hits the fire and sizzles, and briefly the fire is beaten back.

But as soon as I turn, the wind picks up again, and the fire blazes forward.

I run back to the stream, fill the bucket as much as I can, and I haul it back up. I throw it on the fire, coughing up smoke, eyes stinging with the stuff. I can barley think and my chest is burning from the effort. My arms feel like stones, but I’m not stopping. I throw the water again and again, as fast as I possibly can.

On the fifth trip, I hit a rock with my right foot and stumble forward. I slam into the ground and the water spills uselessly onto the ground.

I scream with frustration. For a second, I think I might stay there, but I’m not that kind of person. I struggle to my feet, get the bucket, fill it up, and push my way back up the hill.

I throw the water and it hits the fire with a sizzle. I go to turn away, but the window shifts and the fire is suddenly to my left. My heart starts pounding and my head feels light as I stumble away to the right.

My route back to the stream is cut off by the flames. I have to move, I have to get away from it, but it seems like it’s everywhere. Something crashes nearby and I stumble again, gasping for air. The smoke is thick now, too thick, and I can’t think anymore.

Stark, serious fear slices through me. I realize how stupid I’m being, trying to put out this fire on my own. Of course I couldn’t do it with just one bucket. I’m a mother now, I can’t be risking my life like this.

But it’s too late, I realize with horror. I think I might be trapped by the fire. It’s everywhere I look, or at least the smoke is beginning to billow and blind me. I stumble away, trying to run, but I trip again and slam into the ground. My hands are cut up from roots and rocks and both of my knees are skinned. I feel like a child, like an idiot.

But finally I get a gasp of real air. The smoke is moving upward, and I realize that I can crawl down underneath it. I take a second to get myself together before moving forward on my hands and knees.

The fire is behind and to my left now. I start moving to the right, trying to get away from it. My heart is hammering and I’m so afraid I’m going to die out here and leave my two baby sons all alone.

“Mia!”

I hear my name like a gunshot on the horizon. “I’m here!” I scream as loudly as I can, but it comes out a broken croak.

“Mia!” the voice calls out again, and I realize that it’s Lucas. But that can’t be right. He’s at work right now. I feel sluggish and tired. “Mia! Where are you?”

“Here!” I yell. “Lucas! I’m here, down here!”

Suddenly he crashes through some bushes, hacking and coughing, a bandana over his face. “Mia!” he yells, spotting me, and grabs my arms.

He drags me to my feet. He practically carries me away from the fire. We stumble down the hill together, toward the stream. When we reach its banks, I collapse onto the ground, coughing my lungs out.

“Fucking hell Mia,” he says, coughing next to me. “What were you thinking?”

“The meadow,” I say stupidly.

“Shit.” He crouches down next to me. “You’re lucky Laura told me where you were. The fire department is on their way, but I guess I got here first.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say to him.

He grabs me and pulls me close. “It’s okay,” he says. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. It odl you I’d never let you get hurt.” He kisses my hair and holds me tight.

The fire department shows up not long after and we’re rushed back to the parking lot. An ambulance takes me to the hospital where they keep me overnight. I’m lucky, I have some smoke inhalation and some very minor cuts and bruises, but no burns.

Lucas doesn’t leave my side, not for a single hour. He keeps the babies with him as long as he can, and then they go home with Alice. For some reason, nobody complains when Lucas sleep in the chair next to my bed. He seems totally immune to the concept of visiting hours.

I’m released three days later, and it feels so good to get out of that hospital. But instead of heading home, we take a detour over toward the preserve.

“I have something I want to show you,” he says to me.

“Really?” I ask him. “I’m sorry. I’m really tired.”

“It’ll take a second. I promise.”

I frown at him but don’t argue. We pull into the preserve’s parking lot and then we head up toward the meadow.

The fire was pretty bad. It burned down a few acres. Blackened trees ring what’s left of the meadow, everything a blackened mess.

I frown at the devastation. I don’t know what to say. “Why would you bring me here?” I ask him.

“I know, it looks bad,” he agrees.

“Do we know what started the fire?”

“No,” he says. “Could have been a million things.” He shrugs and takes my hand. “Come on. It’s just ahead.”

We walk through the burnt and broken forest until the trees give way to the meadow.

“Here,” Lucas says. “Look.”

At first, I don’t see it. All I see is devastation, burnt and broken devastation. It hurts my heart just looking at what’s left of what was once the most beautiful place I’d ever seen.

But then I start to notice them. He grins at me as he points. Little green shoots, just tiny little tendrils, are beginning to poke up from underneath the black ash.

“What are they?” I ask him.

“Laura says it’s just what happens. The forest burns down and then it regrows.” He takes my hand and holds it tightly. “She says that in a year or two, this place will all be new growth.”

“Really?” I ask him, smiling slightly.

“Really. Things burn and then they grow again. Nothing disappears forever. It’s going to be okay, Mia.” He pulls me against him.

I kiss him deeply, feeling so grateful I can barely speak. We kiss like that for a while, overtop of the burnt and broken land, with the new life just beginning to grow up through it again.

Slowly I break it off. “Thanks for bringing me out here,” I say. “I feel better already.”

“Good. Just promise me you won’t risk your life like that again. Aaron and Noah need you.” He pauses and frowns. “And I need you too.”

“I need you all too.” I touch his handsome face. “I promise.”

“Good.” He kisses me again. “Come on. Let’s go see the babies.”

“Okay.” I smile as he leads the way back down the forest and toward the parking lot.

This is my life, and I don’t want to leave it. I need my babies, my husband, my world. Maybe things burn down, but new growth always comes. One day, the meadow will be back, more beautiful than ever. I’ll show Aaron and Noah the place their mom nearly died for no reason, and we’ll laugh about all of this in the beautiful sunlight.

And I know I’ll always be safe. Because Lucas will be there to protect me.

I smile again and can’t wait to get home.