While he was still navigating the life of being a father, he was also trying to figure out how to be the man that Franny deserved. He knew what he wanted, but it was getting to that point that had proven difficult. As weeks passed, he’d thrown himself back into the rescue while she threw herself in the fire station. Their jobs were important, but it was the late night texts that gave him something to look forward to whenever she was working. His lack of patience had paid off though and after what felt like a lifetime of overnights, the woman had finally let him know that she had a few days off in a row. He wasn’t sure what that meant for them or their nights together, but he knew that his idea of a date night was long overdue.
Unsure what to do, Atlas had called in a favor at the local drive-in. Apparently the owner owed his father after James had helped rebuild one of the screens after a nasty storm. As luck would have it, the man also had an old copy of Back to the Future in his collection. The food he’d picked up was some of Franny’s favorites and he’d already laid the seats down in the back if she preferred that over the blanket covered ground. “Well,” he hummed, stepping out of the Jeep that was now parked in front of the screen. It was still light out, but the sun would be setting shortly. “You said you wanted a real date. How’s this?” A private viewing of their favorite movie together, not that he’d told her what they were going to watch. “I figured we could maybe grub a little before the show starts.”










