Extinguisher (A Sequel to Firefighter)

Chapter 98

Chapter 98 Extinguisher

Alexa's POV

"Hey, babe, how was work?"

"Ugh...It was exhausting but Esteem was amazing. Madison is...She's making real improvement and to be part of that is just so rewarding. It makes me so happy."

Tucker smiled at me as I collapsed onto the couch. He had an apron hanging around his neck and Coby pushed past his leg to hop up into my lap. I grunted but smiled through the pain as he embraced me in a hug. Coby was really growing and since I'd been living with the two of them, we'd all gotten so close. Tucker had finally convinced me to give him and chance and we'd been going strong for the past few months. I loved him but I'd be lying if I said he was the first man I thought of when I woke in the mornings. Sometimes, I got consumed in thoughts of a tall, lanky boy. It had been too long though and I knew that Noah had more than likely moved on. Lily mentioned Noah looking for an apartment with Meg and Luke so I knew he must've moved on long ago. I wasn't bitter about it. Tucker made me happy and Coby made everything so much better than it had been.

"How was your day, Coby?"

"Good! Trina made cookies!"

"Wow! Did you help her?"

Coby nodded and I squeezed his small body tightly, letting my eyes flick up to see my handsome boyfriend. Tucker and I had our moments when we clashed but it was nothing out of the ordinary. A month ago, Tucker started talking about marriage and children and for a while, that freaked me out. A couple weeks after that, we'd sat down and he'd agreed to take it down a notch. He knew I wasn't completely over what had happened with Noah. In my defense, I told him I might never be. I warned him before we started getting serious but he wanted to try us out and who was I to say that I couldn't date ever again? Tucker was funny and sometimes we'd lie in bed and just make each other laugh for hours. It was fun and I enjoyed his time. That didn't stop me from missing my first love. I thought of Noah every day, wondering if he was with Meg or someone else. I knew that girls wouldn't let a guy like that stay single for long.

So I said yes to Tucker and for now, we were trying out this new relationship. We went to the movies together, took Coby to the arcade, and even went grocery shopping together. Aero was staying with me now and I cried the moment I saw him after getting out of the clinic. I knew it was all in my head but sometimes I thought I could smell Noah's cologne on his fur.

I was comfortable living in Tucker's apartment but in a few weeks, I was due to move into a place of my own, an apartment a few blocks from Tucker. It wasn't that I didn't like living with him, but I wanted to be on my own. I wanted independence. I craved it because I had never been worthy of having independence until now. I needed to know that I could be fine on my own. I knew I would be. Aero was all I really needed to keep me company. Coby was sad that I would be moving out but I promised him that I would visit often. Even if Tucker and I ended up not working out, I would always want to see them, to be a part of their lives.

"Lex..."

"Yeah?" I smiled, looking over to Tucker who was now seated beside me on the couch.

I snuggled closer, pressing a kiss to the warm skin at his neck. My hands latched onto the apron around his neck and I pulled him in for a light peck on the lips. He was smiling and it felt good to be close to him. He made me comfortable. There wasn't crazy passion but there was still a lot of love. I'd learned my lesson. I had to love the people I had and love them well. I had to be there for the people that were always there for me. Noah was a part of my past and I loved him deeply...purely, but that was over now. I could never get that back no matter how much I knew I wanted it.