find Bull leaning up against the wall by the front door, and I realize I just got played. “Oh, look. You’re ready to go,” he beams, proud of himself for making me get my ass into gear.
“You’re a dick,” I tell him.
He grins, knowing it just as well as I do. “It worked, though.”
I shake my head and drop my shoes to the ground before stepping into them and walking toward the door. Bull opens it for me like the gentleman he pretends to be, and not a second later, he helps me up into his truck, and we get on our way to the fundraiser.
Just as I thought, people are running around everywhere, setting up tables and chairs. There are women throwing decorations all over as a team works to build a stage before my very eyes. Something tells me that this fundraiser is going to be bigger than I had originally thought, though why wouldn’t it be? They’ve invited all the wealthiest people in Avalon Lake.
Bull instantly jumps into action, and I follow suit. I go and help with decorations and table settings, making sure I keep to light duties as the last thing I want is for Bull to be worrying about me.
Two hours pass, and as a group, we get this fundraiser underway. The place looks incredible and I have no doubt that Fire Rescue One is going to get all the donations they need for the two new fire trucks, their upgraded equipment, and to take on a few extra staff members.
We’re out by Avalon Lake, right in the heart of our town. Easy listening music flows from the giant speakers they've set up as the first of the guests arrive—hopefully with their checkbooks ready. I fill a few glasses of champagne and take them around like some kind of hostess. Even though we have hired waitstaff, I offer them to everyone I pass anyway.
I walk around to all the wives in their designer outfits and do my job to get them happy on champagne. I listen to them brag about their over-the-top, lavish lifestyles with a polite smile. After all, a happy wife means that hubby is going to be more willing to leave a generous donation to a good cause.
The fundraiser gets started, and everybody mingles happily, as I feel the heat of Bull’s eyes on me. It’s been months that we’ve been doing this little dance, and I still haven’t gotten used to it. I have to pinch myself to remind me that this is really happening, though the little baby inside my guts who bounces off my bladder all day long does a pretty good job of it.
Unable to help myself, I give Bull a cheesy grin before he holds up his glass and raises a brow, asking if I need a refill. I shake my head, wondering how it’s possible that I was able to find such an incredible guy. Even during one of the most important events he’ll ever attend, he’s able to find a second to look out for me.
I’ve had to be strong over the past couple of years being on my own, so having a guy constantly checking on my well-being seemed like something I’d hate, but it’s really not. Every day I find another reason why I love it so much, and for the first time since my dad passed, I finally feel content with who I am and where I’m going. Bull supports me in ways I’ve never imagined and goes above and beyond to make sure that I feel secure in our relationship. He’s simply one of the best things to ever happen to me.
All the boys and the rest of the team make their way around the guests, talking themselves up and being sure to detail all the lives they’ve saved over the years. I hear the story of how both the community hall and library were saved last Christmas at least a hundred times before the guys launch into their personal favorite rescues, and to be honest, some of them are downright terrifying. These guys are the heroes of our community. They put their lives at risk every time they go to work, and they’ll go to extraordinary lengths to save someone’s life.
The afternoon is a huge hit, but it’s far from over. By the time the guests are being ushered to their seats, all the wives are tipsy on champagne and have spent the past hour huddled in a group,