Epilogue #3
"Stop that," Tracy was glaring at Jack. It wasn't anger that Noelle read. "You're part of the team and you know how much West loves all of you." Tracy's expression lightened. "Like a dad or a big brother."
Jack laughed. "Daddy West." She rolled her eyes and then Noelle saw Jack look in her direction. "You and Duval aren't like that, right?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Daddy? Or... maybe a little fun with cuffs?"
Noelle felt her face flame.
They hadn't done any of that, but McCrae was a hard man on the job and definitely in bed. Oh, he could be gentle at times, but when he was worked up, when they were safely alone? Goodness... the man could-
"All right," McCrae walked up and Noelle smiled when he took her hand. "Whatever Jack's saying to you... don't listen to her."
* * *
DUVAL
Jack gave him a half-hidden middle finger, and he raised a brow at that. “Don’t give me shit, Jack. You know you’re teasing ‘Elle.”
“’Elle,” Jack sighed and batted her eyelashes, “he’s soooo romantic.”
He flipped her off, careful to keep the gesture low and tight to his leg so the public wouldn’t see it. “Don’t mess with my woman.”
Jack leaned forward, cupping a hand around her mouth. “CAVEMAN.”
Beside him, Noelle laughed softly.
“Yes,” she turned her head to look at him, “but he’s my caveman.”
He had his hand around hers and walked her away from Jack and Tracy, only partly because he thought Jack could be a pain in the ass.
The rest of it was because he needed to get his arms around her.
He leaned in and whispered to her. “I love that my friends did this, but damn, I wish we were home.”
Noelle laughed softly. “Does this have to do with the baby?”
He stopped short and whirled her around so her back was to his front.
They were facing the play area and watching Ciela run around with the S.W.A.T. team and other kids in the park.
He put his palms flat against her belly and felt her shiver all through her body. “It’s a little about the baby, but it’s all about you, baby. About us. Damn,” he leaned in and nuzzled against her ear, “I’m a lucky man.”
“We,” she sighed and leaned back against him, “are a lucky family.”
Duval couldn’t agree with her more.
His mother called him almost daily to make sure he wasn’t messing things up. She knew, almost more than he did, that Noelle was everything he’d never deserved.
Every time his mother called, he heard what he already knew. “You better not mess this up, McCrae.”
‘I know, Ma… I know.’
Leaning in closer, he whispered into her ear. “When do you want the big shindig wedding?”
He swore he could feel her rolling her eyes.
“I don’t need it.”
“You don’t, but I want everyone to know how fucking lucky I am.”
She turned in his arms, narrowing her gaze to look up into his eyes. “Do you want a big wedding?”
* * *
NOELLE
She knew the look crossing his face.
He was pretty closed lipped about many aspects of his life.
There were a handful of people in her life who she studied to understand their expressions beyond the bone underpinnings.
McCrae was one of those people, now.
She knew that he was holding back.
“You want a big party?” The bridge of her nose wrinkled a little. “I’d think that was the last thing you want. Knowing your mom, she’d go all out.”
He shrugged and smiled, but there seemed to be quite a bit of weight on his shoulders. “It would make her happy to plan the party, if you didn’t want to.”
“And you?” She reached out her hands and trailed her fingers down from his elbows to his wrists and finally, she held his hands. “Do you want a party?”
“I have you and CeeCee,” he smiled at her. “But I want a party, too. I want every asshole out there to know that you’re mine.”
That sounded more like McCrae.
“And twirling you around in one of those pretty white dresses sounds pretty good, too.”
Her eyes widened at that. “I never thought I’d wear one again.”
McCrae planted his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. “You don’t have to wear white. You can wear whatever you want. I just want to do a little two-steppin’ and slow dancing and then… when we’re alone… I want to strip you out of that damn dress and love you until you can’t walk for days.”
She grimaced at that. “I don’t know how I feel about that. Who’s going to make meals and get Ciela to pre-school?”
McCrae gave her a quick, hard kiss. “I’ll make food. I’ll feed you in bed. It might even be food,” he winked. “I just want to give you everything, ‘Elle. All the bells and whistles.”
She stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and pressing her cheek against his chest. “You give me… us,” she clarified, “so much. I want you to have all the bells and whistles, too. I want you to dance with me, and I know Ciela would have a great time as a flower girl.”
Noelle nodded, excited about the idea.
“All right,” she rubbed her palm over his belly, feeling the hard planes of his muscles, “let’s do this. We’ll go the whole nine yards.”
He hugged her tight. “I’m going to treat you so damn good.”
She hugged him back. “You already do.”
Noelle couldn’t believe how things had changed for her since the day she’d met him at the museum.
They’d gone through hell and back, but there was one thing she could trust going forward. They’d always be protected by Duval.