Chapter 26 #2
My stomach turned. That was new information to me.
It also explained why Wyatt, who had to be one of the easiest going people I knew, beat the shit out of Bishop last summer in front of a crowd of people in Karma.
Unfortunately, Bishop left before I got there.
I didn’t buy Wyatt’s lie that he’d gotten into a fight with Cammie’s ex because he was trying to get her back, but I didn’t press.
I felt a twinge of guilt that I should have.
At least there was something I could do now that would help Cammie and possibly the campus investigation.
“Would you like to file for an order of protection against him? If you have medical records of prior assaults and he has no ties to the town other than you, the judge would likely sign off. I’d need his full name and any known address, so I can search for priors in the system that might help your case.
” And mine. In other words, give us a reason to investigate him.
“Absolutely,” she said, her eyes bright. “I’m guessing we’d have a better chance getting a standard order than an emergency one. I’ll come in Monday morning to file.”
“You sure?” I asked. After hearing he broke her hand, I felt confident Judge Lenbock would sign off on an emergency order.
“I am,” she said, looking over at Wyatt and giving him a smile that eased some of the tension in his shoulders.
“My shift starts at 7AM,” I said.
“I’ll be there. Thank you, Levi.”
I walked her to Wyatt, who quickly pulled her to his side. “Everything good?” he asked me.
I nodded as Aiden walked up to the booth.
“Levi,” Aiden said. “Here.”
He thrust an envelope into my hand with my name printed in fancy calligraphy.
“That’s his version of an apology,” Lauren said, nudging Aiden’s shoulder.
I flipped the envelope over and broke the wax seal holding it closed. Inside was an invitation to his and Lauren’s wedding next month. “Thanks,” I said, studying him carefully.
“Figured Evie would bring you as her plus one, and I wanted you to know you’d be welcome,” he said, like the words pained him. “As long as you don’t arrest anyone else I care about for no good reason.” His eyes darted to Cam and back to me.
“That won’t be a problem,” I said, tucking the invitation into the envelope. “And I’ll be happy to join you, as long as Everly’s OK with it.”
“Why wouldn’t she be?” Aiden asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Because she likes him and doesn’t want your crazy family scaring him off,” Cammie said with a laugh.
“I’m sure Levi can handle them,” Lauren said. “But it’d be polite to ask Everly first.”
“Fair enough,” Aiden said.
As if she’d heard her name, Everly joined us. “Hey y’all.” She immediately placed her hand on my chest and gave Aiden a hard look. “What’s going on?”
“Relax, Evie,” Aiden said. “I was giving him a wedding invite, not a hard time.”
“Well, maybe both,” Lauren muttered.
“Oh,” Everly said, her eyes widening. “That’s—”
“Something we can discuss later,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to wrap this thing up and head home.”
She smiled at me, and my heart skipped a beat.
I was so in love with this woman. It should scare me to death, but Everly was the one.
Maybe a part of me had always known. The sheer force of my feelings for her would render any man speechless.
I’d given Wyatt so much crap for how fast he moved with Cammie, and here I was, one month into a relationship, imagining the rest of my life with Everly.
“Great job today, Evie,” Aiden said, hugging her. He offered me his hand, and I shook it. There wasn’t an ounce of aggression in his grip. By the time we said goodbye to everyone and finished packing up, the sun was slipping behind the mountains.
“Leftovers were a good idea,” Everly said as we walked toward my Jeep.
“Want to stop off and get your clothes first, or do you need food ASAP?”
“Believe it or not, I’m not a hangry person. Don’t get me wrong, I love food, especially yours, but it won’t kill me to delay dinner fifteen minutes.”
It might kill me not to touch her that long.
As soon as we were in the Jeep, I reached across the center console and took her hand.
If I started kissing her now like I wanted, we’d never get home.
Not to mention the number of people probably watching us.
I followed Everly’s directions to the apartment complex where she lived with her sister.
“I’ll just be a minute,” she said sliding out of her seat.
“I can help carry your bag,” I said, turning off the engine.
“No,” she said so fast my eyes widened. “I don’t live like a slob,” she added quickly. “I just don’t really live here.”
“Where do you live?” I asked. I couldn’t leave Sherly alone overnight, so any sleepovers with Everly had to be at my house. I’d never questioned why I hadn’t seen her place before, but the panic in her voice had me on edge.
“I just mean I don’t spend a lot of time at home. I keep my stuff here, and I sleep here, and Maddie and I eat a lot of frozen dinners and takeout here, but we both know it’s temporary, so we haven’t really bothered with decorating. Or furniture.”
“So you’re saying you and your sister live like frat bros?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
“No,” she said before biting her lip. “Maybe a little. Just stay here, OK.”
She sprinted toward the outdoor staircase that led to the second and third levels.
Was I curious what her apartment looked like?
Absolutely. I imagined everything from a folding table and chairs in the living room to a mattresses on the floor.
None of it mattered. If anything, a crappy apartment meant Everly would want to spend more nights at my place.
I looked around, getting a sense for the area.
The complex was a little dated, but the parking lot and stairwells were well lit, and it was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday.
It wasn’t a frequent address for call-outs either.
All in all, it seemed pretty safe. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Everly to reemerge from the apartment she’d disappeared into.
Another point for her place. It was a lot tougher to break into a third-floor unit than one on a bottom level.
It would make it more difficult to escape in a fire though.
Everly shot out the door with a small duffle bag and headed down the stairs. I hopped out and opened the passenger door for her.
“I can put that in the backseat,” I said, pointing at her bag.
“It’s fine,” she said, climbing in. “I’ll just put it at my feet with my purse.”
I ran back to the driver’s side and started the engine, eager to get home.
“Do you have one of those fire escape ladders?” I asked, turning out of the parking lot.
Everly laughed. “Oh my word, you sound like Aiden. Yes. He made sure of it when he moved us in. And before you ask, he wouldn’t let us sign the lease until he looked up the crime rate for the neighborhood.
Since then, he’s suggested the complex to about three of his guys.
I’ve never once scraped my windshield or dug out my parking spot since we moved in. ”
“That’s—”
“Overprotective Aiden. It’s simultaneously his greatest strength and biggest flaw,” she said and smiled softly. “Lauren helps balance him a little.”
“Speaking of,” I said, resisting the urge to drum my fingers on the steering wheel. Whether she wanted me at a family event was a clear indicator of where she was in the relationship. “Would you like me to go with you to the wedding?”
She squirmed in her seat, and my stomach dropped. “Do you want to?”
I want you to want me to. I want to spend every weekend with you from now on, whether we’re at a wedding or taking Sherly for walks. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t OK with going.”
“My family is a lot,” she said, her voice filled with tension. “I love them to pieces, but—”
“And,” I said, interrupting her.
“What?”
I pulled to the side of the road, needing to see her face and wanting her to see the sincerity in mine. “You love them to pieces,” I said, cupping her face. “And that means they need to be OK with me.”
She placed her hand over mine and smiled. “They will be. I’m more worried they’ll scare you away. They’ll ask a million questions, some of them inappropriate, and won’t give you a moment of peace the entire time you’re there.”
I could have told her I don’t scare easily.
I’d been shot, for fuck’s sake, and went right back to work as soon as the doctor cleared me.
The truth was, I was terrified I wouldn’t pass some measure with her family, and it would add another point against our relationship.
I had a feeling her family’s opinion mattered more than her bosses’.
“They’re a huge part of your life,” I said. “And I want to be as well.”
It was the closet I’d gotten to telling her how I felt. Confessing I was in love with her this early in the relationship would, and probably should, scare her off.
“OK,” she said, turning her face to kiss my palm before smirking at me. “Just know you’ve been warned. Now let’s go. I’m starving.”
“We can’t have that,” I said.
She held my hand the rest of the drive as we talked about the event.
“Max said five families found housing,” Everly said, the joy clear in her voice. “And at least ten people left with interviews scheduled.”
The number of people we’d helped may not have been staggering, but the impact could multiply. Stable housing and income were key to reducing recidivism rates and decreasing the chances of the next generation becoming involved in criminal activity.
“He seemed really pleased,” I said, pulling to a stop in front of my house.
She tilted her head and looked at me. “How about you? I know Chief Fitzwilliam pushed you into helping. After meeting some families today, do you still feel the same about the work the organization does?”
“If it helps one person like Theo or Mona, it’s worth it,” I said.
“So no,” she said with a frown. “Even I can admit that Theo and Mona are outliers.” She pulled her hand from mine and started collecting her things from the floorboard.
I looked away, hating the disappointment on her face.
“I think we helped people, but statistically speaking, some of them will fall back into old habits. To answer your question, I believe there’s value in the organization.
I guess I’m still a pessimist overall. There’s a reason,” I said quietly.
“I want to tell you how I found out about the drug ring in my last department.”
Tristan may have been the first person in Peace Falls I told about Hayden, but I hadn’t told him everything. He knew my last partner ODed, but as expected, he’d accepted that I wasn’t ready to say more. Perhaps a part of me knew I wanted to tell Everly first.
“OK,” she said, taking my hand again. The way she looked at me had my throat tightening before I even began.
“My partner in Richmond was part of it,” I said, pushing the words past the lump in my throat. “He ODed when we were off duty. I keep NARCAN in my Jeep, but we’d walked to the bar that night. He didn’t make it.”
She sucked in a startled breath, but I kept going before she could say anything. I wanted her to know everything. All the reasons I’d become the jaded asshole I was today.
“I didn’t even realize he was using,” I said, my voice catching.
“The pills I found on him were in a bag marked as evidence. I had so many questions. How long had he been taking from the drugs we confiscated? What cases had he potentially compromised? Why had I failed to see what was right in front of me? So, I started investigating, and that’s when I uncovered how big the operation was and how long I’d been blind to it.
The saddest part: I still have no idea when Hayden started using or the chances I missed to save him. ”
“Levi,” she said, squeezing my hand.
The way she said my name felt like an embrace. I couldn’t look at her. If I did, she’d see too much — not just the broken pieces of me, but how much I loved her.
I cleared my throat and gave her hand a squeeze before dropping it. “I better let Sherly out and get dinner started.”
She followed me to the house, and as I put the key in the lock, I heard her sniff. I turned and pulled her into my arms. She buried her face against my shirt, and I held her tight while she cried. Fuck. What had I done?
“I’m sorry,” she said between sniffs as she looked up at me.
Mascara streaked down her face, and the end of her nose had turned red.
She sucked in a breath and got herself under control.
Her eyes still shone, but her voice was steady when she said, “Even not knowing everything, I should have taken what you’d already told me into account.
It makes sense that you’d be pessimistic. ”
“And it makes sense you’d be optimistic,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I love—that about you.” Talk about a sentence save. “Let’s get inside,” I said. Before I could toss around the l word anymore like confetti.
Sherly let out a desperate squeal, and I hurried to let her out while Everly ducked into the downstairs powder room. By the time I came back inside with Sherly, Everly had started reheating the leftovers from breakfast.
I threw together a couple omelets, and before long we were sitting at the kitchen table while Sherly chowed down on her pig pellets.
My house had become my favorite place to be, and Everly made it feel even more like home.
Maybe it was telling her about Hayden, or maybe it was just being with her, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so peaceful. It didn’t last.
She let out a moan that made my dick harden. “I don’t know how you make food this good.”
I loved watching her eat, though the way she wrapped her lips around her fork was making me painfully hard. I was so turned on I’d lost my appetite for anything except her.
“No one has ever looked at me the way you do,” she said, putting her fork on her plate.
“How do I look at you?” Like a man who wants to devour you? Or like a man desperately in love?
She blushed. “I don’t know, but I like it.”
She picked up her fork and started eating. I forced my body to cool down and eventually went back to my dinner. Sherly might be OK with us kissing now, but I wasn’t about to test her by fucking Everly on the table, and that’s exactly what I wanted.
When we finished eating, we carried our plates to the sink. She reached for the faucet, and I covered her hand with mine. “Those can wait.”
“It’s so much easier to clean them before the food dries on.”
It was. I also didn’t care. If it was too soon to tell her how I felt, at least I could show her.
I stepped behind her and placed my hands on her hips before lowering my mouth to her ear.
“Those can wait,” I said again before placing a kiss on her neck.
Her breathing sped up, and she melted against me.