Chapter 27 #2
“But, just to be clear,” she points out, “I’d have benched your ass too.”
“I know.”
I smile at Magnus, whose little hands wave around a bit clumsily, tangling in my ponytail. I’m rewarded with a little gummy smile.
“Did you see that?”
I flash a glance at Savvy, who is grinning. “Yeah, he just started doing that. But don’t tell Nate, he hasn’t had one yet and he’s been trying to get Magnus to smile so hard.”
“What are you doing here?” Hugo asks, walking up behind Savvy and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Magnus and I are checking in, seeing how things are going here.”
“Things are fine, as I reported to you last night,” Hugo reminds her pointedly.
Savvy, her back turned to him, rolls her eyes at me.
“Who said I was checking in with you? As you can see, I’m touching base with Tessa. And maybe I’ll do the rounds in the bullpen after,” she adds saucily.
Hugo grins, the years’ long friendship between the sheriff and her right-hand man obvious in the easy, playful interaction.
So different from the office I left behind in Spokane, where tension was always high, and backstabbers had me constantly check over my shoulder. I thank my lucky stars I landed here, with a great team of people around me.
Heck, even being relegated to desk duty here is preferable to being back at my former job, challenging as it might have been.
Life is too short, and I choose simplicity over a stressful and politically tainted climb up the career ladder any day of the week.
“What about you?” Hugo directs at me. “Didn’t you say you were supposed to pick Clem up from the hospital?”
“I was, but apparently my boys took it upon themselves to collect him instead. They should be home by now.”
Hugo checks his watch. “It’s almost five, why don’t you get out of here, make sure everything is okay at home, and I’ll see you back in the morning. I’m gonna need you on your regular shift, Althof is swamped.”
I try not to grin too wide. I got off pretty easy with only one disciplinary day behind the front desk.
“Look at him,” Savvy indicates, admiring her son, who is still in my arms and looking at me with his cherub face smiling back big. “Give him to me, before he wastes all his good ones on you.”
I snicker, kiss the little boy’s downy head, and hand him back to his mother.
“I’m gonna pop in and see Brenda,” Savvy announces as she gets to her feet. “She’ll be pissed if I don’t.”
“Could you tell her I’m heading out?”
She nods, and as she starts down the hall with her son, I head to my locker to grab my coat and my bag.
I’m suddenly in a hurry to get home. My boys aren’t nearly as cute, or smell as good as Magnus, but I love them fiercely. Even more so after getting that text from Clem about my guys. What can I say? Those are a couple of good kids I have, and I’m a proud momma.
Plus, I now have an extra reason to look forward to going home. Two, if you count the dog.
Mouse is waiting by the door when I walk in, her tail wagging and that big goofy grin on her face.
I immediately go down on my haunches to give her some loving.
I don’t know why I never ended up with a dog—I love dogs—but I guess it never fit our lives before.
Now it does, and I love this dog, but I have to remember she’s not mine, she belongs to Clem.
“I told the boys to drop me at home, but they insisted you’d want me here,” the man says from where he’s sitting on my couch, his feet on my table.
I don’t mind in the least.
“The boys were right,” I insist as I get to my feet and walk over.
Leaning down, I drop a careful kiss to his lips, which he responds to by hooking me behind the neck with his hand, and pulling me in for a much, much better version. One that has my blood rushing and my nipples tighten.
“Where are they?” I ask breathlessly when he finally lets me up for air. “The boys.”
“Remi went up to his room, and Linc had a football practice, but he said he’d be back for dinner,” he reports.
“Yeah, I was wondering where his Jeep was.”
“Actually,” Clem starts, pulling me down beside him on the couch where he tucks his arm around me. “We dropped the Wrangler off at my shop, in need of at least one new wheel bearing. I grabbed a bag, and we picked up my truck, which Linc is using for the time being.”
“Oh no, how did that happen?”
“Could be wear and tear, or he hit a pothole or caught a curb at some point. Don’t worry though, I’ll get it fixed for him.”
I place a hand on his stomach and tilt my head so I can kiss the stubble on his jaw.
“You’re a good man. To me, to my boys. We’re lucky.”
Small lines fan out from his warm, gray eyes as he looks at me.
“I could argue the lucky one is me and win, but I won’t bother. I’m just glad whatever is growing here is good for us all. And if you don’t mind dropping Mouse and me off at the firehouse tomorrow morning on your way to work, I won’t need the truck.”
I pull my feet under me and settle in against his side.
“Of course I will.”
Then I ask him what the doctor said, and he wants to know about my day, before we fall silent, sitting quietly for a bit, comfortable just enjoying each other’s company.
It’s nice, coming home at the end of the day, unwinding together as you share your days.
I never had that before. My ex and I worked in the same office, often on the same cases, so his day was my day, and listening was one of the many things he failed at.
I’d always been afraid to hope I’d find a relationship like that, so rather than be disappointed, I’d opted to avoid relationships altogether. It seemed easier.
I drop my cheek to his shoulder and feel him tilt his head, resting it on top of mine.
Clem broke through by showing me every day it is possible and I am worth it, so I’ll keep reminding him he’s a good man, because he needs to know how unique and special he is.
Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.
My heart full, I’m about to give voice to my feelings, when Remi’s voice sounds from the top of the stairs.
“Ma? What’s for dinner?”
Clem’s chest rumbles with his chuckle as I groan.
Back to reality.