Always and Forever || Evan Buckley || 9-1-1 (Book 3)

T-H-I-R-T-Y S-I-X

    Maia adores both José and Maria so much that she calls them her grandparents and loves spending time with them whenever they can.

    Maia sighed in contentment, turning back to face the television. "I wish I could've met her. Auntie Maddie is always busy, Auntie Marjan is far away, and Auntie Zee is crazy."

    I paused, my laugh caught in my throat. "Maia, don't call her that. Aunt Daisy is just energetic, but she loves you so much."

    "I'm just saying what daddy calls her." She shrugged, raising her hands in defense before she continued watching the show with no care in the world.

    I shook my head, chuckling silently. Maia was definitely going to cause Evan and me a headache the older she got.

    After an hour of watching TV with Maia, we heard the garage door open and closed, followed by the noise of keys hitting the kitchen counter.

    Maia squealed in excitement as she jumped off the sofa running towards Evan as he came into view in our new living room.

After all the nightmares we experienced at the other house, we decided to buy a new place where we could make new memories and make Maia feel safe again. Many therapy sessions later and sleepless nights, Maia finally slept alone and was no longer scared of being left alone.

    "Daddy!" I watched as she raised her arms for Evan to pick her up, which he obliged after dropping his work duffle bag on the ground. "I missed you." She whisper-shouted, her little hands cupping her father's face.

    The girl would literally die without her father. Every time he was on the day shift at the firehouse, she would want to call him every hour to tell him she missed him. If he doesn't answer the call, she starts crying.

    "I missed you more." He said with the same enthusiasm, covering her face with kisses.

    "Nuh-uh," Maia giggled.

    "I missed you too, Mrs. Buckley." Evan said, all cheerful as he set Maia down on the floor, leaning over me on the sofa to kiss my lips.

    "Hey," I smiled, reaching over to kiss him again. My body relaxed, knowing that he had made it home to us safely from another shift.

    Now that we were married, we barely got shifts together, and when we did, I was strictly assigned as a paramedic. I found the whole thing stupid since neither he nor I were in a leadership role, but who was I to question the rules?

    "You okay? You seem a little pale." Buck pressed the back of his hand against my forehead, feeling my temperature. I dismissively moved a hand, trying to reassure his panicked self that it wasn't serious.

I rested my head against the tower of pillows I had created earlier when I threw myself on the couch. Today I had no desire to do anything. Even the thought of getting out of my pajamas seemed too much for my exhausted brain.

"I'm not feeling so great, but it's because my energy is drained. You know I haven't been sleeping due to everything hurting. Then your daughter gave me a hard time this morning." I explained, taking the hand he had pressed against my forehead in mine and squeezing it.

Evan gave Maia a scolding look. In return, she smiled innocently.

"Mommy is sick. I told her to drink nước cam as Ba said, but she is not drinking it." she said, ignoring the part of what I said and her father's stare.