Chapter 30
Spence looks wrung out when he gets home from work.
Not that I can blame the poor bastard. I mean, I know he works hard, and he loves being there.
It’s not like any of his bosses are strict, and even though we told him it was a terrible idea, he told them at the start that he really wanted a job in teaching.
They still hired him. He did say that Kelly looked kind of exasperated when he mentioned it, but she understands.
She later told me that nobody else was going to hire him if he kept telling people that he really wants a different kind of job.
But we also both know he won’t leave them in the lurch, even if he gets hired as a teacher.
He said he’d be happy even if he only got to work weekends at the gym.
Seriously, I love the big dork, but he’ll do everything in his power to avoid inconveniencing anyone.
Which is how I know, when he comes through the door looking like a kicked puppy, that something has gone horribly wrong with the day.
He rode his bicycle to work today since the weather was warmer—I’ve lived here all my life, and I’m still not sure what weather’s doing from day to day.
I have my cruiser, even while stuck in the office, because Abe didn’t want to do the paperwork on it.
Plus, he told me I’m “on call” which I didn’t think that was something that police officers did, but when your precinct is as small as ours, you have to be ready to do whatever to cover emergencies.
They also know that if something serious comes up, I won’t bail on them, especially not with Josh possibly being in danger.
That being said, the biggest scandal we’ve had here was Xan shooting that motherfucker with my gun.
Which is why I’m spending my day assembling IKEA bookcases for Al, so he can have his library.
We’ll need to make a trip to the recycling center soon.
The recycling truck that normally does our cardboard already seems to hate us for all the boxes we put out.
Spence is super conscientious about flattening them, but since we recently moved in, it’s going to take some time to get everything unpacked and situated.
Not to mention having to get some new furniture and update a couple of appliances.
Now, the boxes these shelves came in, well, it’ll just be easier to rent a U-Haul or borrow Josh’s truck to take it all away at once.
I groan, my knees popping as I stand up.
Spence passed the room I’m working in, and I heard him close the door to his bedroom, but he hasn’t come back out.
That in itself is unusual, since he normally wants to tell me how his day went and how everyone is doing at work.
I don’t mind. They aren’t my friends like he is.
But they are important to him so it’s important to me.
Spence has been part of my family since we were kids, and while everyone else thought I was insane when I found my scent match at twenty-five, he believed me. He was also there to help me when she rejected me because she didn’t “want or need an alpha.”
Elaine is a beta, who’s sweet, and smart, and I stopped to help her change a flat just outside of town when I first started working as a police officer.
She was trying to work up the courage to get the jack under her car when I saw her.
My parents drilled into Josh and me about the serve and protect part of being an officer, so it seemed natural to pull over and help the lady who was having car trouble.
Isee the car pulled over on the side of the road, and I’m glad it’s still there when I manage to make it back.
There aren’t a lot of good places to turn around on this road, and I’d hate to have to call for a tow truck if I get my cruiser stuck so soon after getting hired.
It would embarrass both my parents, and since they’re the whole reason I joined the force in the first place, I’d like to avoid that if at all possible.
It’s hard to make out a lot of the interior with the sun so bright today, but it doesn’t appear as if there’s anybody else in the front seat with the woman who’s driving.
The closer I get to the car, the stronger the pull becomes.
The woman looks near frantic at my approach, and between that and the pressure in my chest, the need to help is overwhelming.
I’d want to help, regardless. That’s the other reason I joined up.
I enjoy being useful and assisting people who need it.
My knuckles tap lightly on the glass as big, blue eyes meet mine.
I don’t blame her for not rolling it down earlier.
It’s too damned hot in August to sit here without the AC on.
And the sight of two car seats in the back makes it doubly so.
The problem was obvious as I pulled up—a flat tire on the rear passenger side that I didn’t see when I first drove by, but it’s not like I can help without talking to this lady first.
Her scent hits me as soon as she starts cranking down the window, and isn’t that a kick in the teeth.
I meet my scent match and her two kids broken down on the side of the highway in a beat-to-shit Ford Escort with a flat tire.
I can feel the obsession burning in my chest as she stares up at me, and I’m dumbstruck enough that she could pull my own gun out and shoot me dead and I would probably just smile at her. There’s no help for it though.
The longer I stare, the more uncomfortable she becomes, glancing back to check on her kids while trying to keep looking at me and avoid eye contact.
She looks to be a couple years older than me, but that don’t mean anything; she’s still beautiful with long blonde hair, and eyes the color of the clear summer sky above.
If it weren’t for the strain in those eyes, I’d be tempted to fall down on my knees and compose a sonnet to her angelic beauty right now—instead, I need to figure out how to fix whatever’s upsettin’ her.
“Hello, officer…um…Can I help you?” Her voice shakes despite her attempts, and I take a quick glance at the kids in the backseat again before turning my attention back to her.
She has her hands up on the wheel and my chest tightens painfully when I notice a wedding band on her finger.
Now isn’t the time anyway; I need to help her out.
It’s no good for her and these little ones to be stuck on the side of the road, especially in this heat.
“Well, ma’am. I was wonderin’ if I could help you out. You seem to have a flat tire. Did you need me to radio for a tow truck?” Her face scrunches tighter.
“Um…no, no I…That’s alright. I…I’m trying to work myself up to get out and change it.
I was hoping I could get in touch with my husband and have him help me, since I’m supposed to be resting from that one.
” She nods towards the back, a rear-facing car seat.
She holds up her cell phone, looking extra frustrated.
“But no luck so far. His supervisor doesn’t always pass messages along in a timely manner…
or he could be having trouble finding a ride… ” Her voice trails off.
“No, ma’am. Don’t you worry. If you can pop the trunk, I’ll get this done and have you on your way quick as can be.
” She smiles at me hopefully. I’m just an officer doing his best to serve and protect, not like the reality of primal satisfaction that fills me at actually being able to do something for my mate.
It just takes me a moment to pull out her jack and get the lug nuts loosened up and the car raised.
The littles in the backseat start fussing, and she coos softly at them before getting out and coming around to talk to me while I work.
She vents about the tire, and the frozen groceries she’s worried about melting in the trunk, all while thanking me again for my help. Then she talks about her husband. They were high-school sweethearts, like Josh and Billy.
The smaller of the two kids starts crying harder, and she tries singing for a few moments before throwing me an apologetic look and mumbling something about it being hungry.
It took me longer than it should have to understand what was wrong until she unstraps the little guy and sits in the passenger seat, adjusting her top.
I know she said she was recovering, but I didn’t realize it was from giving birth, or that the kid was still young enough to be breastfeeding.
I knew it was tiny and androgynous…but what do I know about kids?
Apparently, she’s only a few weeks post-partum, and shouldn’t have been attempting to change the tire regardless.
She’s finishing up and burping him when I finally get done with the tire.
This wasn’t something I could drag out; tires aren’t that hard to change, and I delayed for as long as possible considering she has a toddler and an infant in the car.
Hardly anybody travels this road during the day, but it’ll be getting busy as soon as the glass factory lets out from first shift.
It’s not safe to be stuck on the side of the road.
Her smile is bright as she thanks me again for all my help, but I’m fuming that her husband—the apparent love of her life—wasn’t here to help her.
She pats me on the chest when I start grumbling about it.
Apparently, she was on her way to pick him up when the tire happened.
Thankfully, that means she hadn’t been here very long when I arrived.
Still, I give her my cell number and ask her to call me, for anything, before sending her on her way.
It’s not like I can proposition her on the side of the highway.
I’m sure it would scare the bejesus out of her, plus, how do you go about asking some random married couple to pack up with you?
I’ll need to talk to my parents about this, because I’m already lost to this woman in the twenty minutes I’ve known her.