Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
DYLAN
Uneasy and glancing at the time again, I strummed my fingers on my desk.
“You’re driving me insane.”
I snapped my attention to Suzie, who sent a pointed look to my hand.
“Sorry.”
Rolling her eyes, Suzie stood and headed to the coffee machine. “You could have said no to him.”
Immediately, I shook my head. “How the hell could I have said no?”
“Because Mikey’s your kid.”
“Our kid,” I reminded her.
“So it’s really working out, then?”
For the first time all morning, my shoulders lost some of their tension when I thought about Cassius and just how amazing life was with him.
“And from your goofy expression, I’m going to go with yes.”
Not bothering to hold back my grin, I stood and grabbed my empty coffee cup from my desk. “It’s fucking awesome.” I did a quick double check of our surroundings to make sure nobody had sneaked into our back office. Still alone, I leaned against the coffee station. “He’s so incredible with Mikey.”
“But he always has been, right?”
“Yeah.” He seriously had. “But it’s more than that. He’s stepped up with parenting and is so amazing at it. He was born to be a dad.”
Just thinking about that heart-stopping moment when he’d called last week about Mikey made my pulse kick up, but Cass, even with his fear, had reassured me and had kept me from racing to the store despite knowing Mikey was safe.
And that was the thing—I’d always trusted Cassius implicitly. Trusted him with every part of myself, and that included being a dad to Mikey.
“And you’re giving this marriage a real go?” Suzie side-eyed me. “Like, this is more than just a friends-with-benes arrangement and more than because of your asshole parents?”
“Yeah.” An almost giddy chuckle escaped me. The past few weeks had been amazing. Our routine had already been awesome and had been working so well. But now, since the playoffs, life was the sweetest it had ever been.
Every time I thought about the man, let alone got my hands or mouth on him, my whole chest filled with so much sunshine and joy, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d burst one day.
“Everything is perfect and so goddamn easy.”
“Easy… hmmm.”
“What?” I asked as she stepped out of the way and I focused on making my own coffee. “What does hmm mean?”
“Easy doesn’t exactly sound sexy or great for a marriage foundation.” While there was no bite in her tone, the pointed look she shot my way let me know she was concerned.
She didn’t need to be. Not about this. Me and Cass.
“Easy as in….” I struggled to find the words to explain myself. “I don’t know. Effortless. Right. Because it is, so fucking right. We just fit.”
I ignored her quirked brow and the twitch of her lips. Yes, I was gushing, but so what? Feeling this way, my heart full to overflowing, shouldn’t have to be contained.
Plus, he was my soul mate, which was something I wouldn’t ever be sharing with anyone. But all the times we’d smiled and teased each other about that term, now… I felt it deeper. Had never been more certain about anything before.
“And it wasn’t easy easy. Admitting what was going on. Hell, realizing what was going on between us took a shitload of work.” And courage. It had been terrifying, in fact, admitting I wanted more. Even more so, taking it.
The gurgle of the machine finished.
“I’m happy for you. I seriously am. He’s got some time left before the season starts, right?”
My heart pinched at the thought.
Missing Cassius for the past ten years had been the norm. With our new relationship, I suspected it would make it feel ten times worse. But we’d handle it.
“Preseason training starts in a couple of months. We’re still considering buying a new place a little out of town to help with his commute.”
Bobbing her head since she already knew this, Suzie blew on her coffee as she returned to her desk. “Makes sense.”
It did, but there were very few places available between us and the city. Land was a possibility. We could build a house.
“And what if he gets traded?”
My stomach flipped even at the thought. While the Eagles hadn’t had the best season, they’d not been bad. And Cass had been on form. Plus, he’d reassured me he had a “no trade” clause in the contract he signed last year.
“He’s safe with his contract. Signed for five years.”
It had been a relief to discover that, too, especially as I was aware a League team could only have two maximum contracts on their roster. Ollie was the other player to score one. Though his was coming to an end at the end of the next season.
“That’s good.”
It was.
The phone rang, and I picked it up on the second ring. “Zumbrota Police Department, Sergeant Turner speaking.”
“Hey, Sarge, it’s Mary over at Chill Haven.”
“Hey, Mary, all okay?” I placed my coffee down and picked up my keys. That the manager of the small ice cream shop called was odd. That her voice was tight raised my hackles, and I indicated for Suzie to get ready to move.
Alert in an instant, she jumped up and started for the exit.
“I think you need to get down here, Sarge.” A crackle and a muffled “I swear if I have to…” followed, but I couldn’t make out the rest as the phone seemed to be pulled farther away from her mouth.
“Mary? You there?”
Janice on the front desk nodded at me on the way out, but by the time I reached the cruiser, the call had cut off.
“What’s going on?” Suzie asked, pulling out and switching on the sirens.
“Not sure yet, but nothing good from the sounds of it.” My focus took in the streets and the sidewalks as we traveled the 82 and passed East Twelfth Street. The store was on East Eighth Street.
Nothing out of the ordinary caught my eye, mainly locals’ cars on the road, a couple of trucks passing through. When we pulled onto Eighth Street, my stomach bottomed out.
“The fuck!”
“Shit. Sarge, maybe you need to let me take this.”
That was not happening.
My jaw cracked as a pulse of anger slammed into me when I spotted the small group outside the store, but it was the man and woman front and center who had me seeing red.
My gaze jumped to Cassius as I stepped out of the cruiser.
A quick check over him and Mikey, who was in his arms, and I was able to draw in a breath.
But fuck if fire wasn’t going to explode from my exhale when I saw Cass’s tense jaw, livid expression, and the daggers he shot at my parents.
I ate up the pavement in a few fast strides, coming in from the side. The small gathering of locals that I spotted bobbed their heads at me and stepped clearly out of my way. A couple of people from the group of eight surrounding my parents peered over and fidgeted.
A glance at Cassius and we made eye contact. His shoulders indicated a deep breath, but his expression remained fierce and all levels of pissed off. I reached him side-on, Suzie moving from my six, keeping an eye on the now-muttering mob.
“You good?” I shifted into his space, my voice low.
“Just peachy.”
His smart-ass response helped to silence some of my concern.
“Mikey?”
At the sound of my voice, Mikey pulled his head off Cass’s chest and looked at me.
Rage, with an intensity that whitened my vision, barreled into me when I took him in.
Puffy red eyes and a trembling lip, Mikey looked terrified.
A hand landed on my arm, and I flinched before realizing it was Cassius’s.
“He’s okay. I’ve got him. He’s upset but will be okay.” He pressed a kiss to Mikey’s head, and our boy snuggled back to Cass’s broad chest, facing me this time, his sad eyes hurting my heart. “Nothing that cuddles won’t fix tonight, and maybe an ice cream.”
When Mikey didn’t immediately grin at the magic promise of ice cream, I knew something fucking bad had happened here.
I spun on my heel, staring hard at the pinched-lipped faces of my parents.
It had been years since I’d seen them, and I got a sliver of satisfaction knowing time had not been kind to them. But that’s what misery and spite looked like: deep wrinkles to encase vindictive words and hollow eyes that were windows to empty hearts.
“What did you do?” I grated.
Dad glanced away, gaze on the sidewalk like the coward he always was. Mom, arms folded, shook her head at me, disgust in her features that simply made me wonder how my sister and I had escaped intact.
“We have rights, as that boy’s grandparents, to see him.
The state of Minnesota says so.” With her head held high, she looked around at the group, receiving nods.
The reactions buoyed her, and she stood even taller.
“It’s criminal, what you’re doing. Allowing this poor child to be living in a house of sin. We’re here t—”
“You’re here causing a scene and being a nuisance.
” Suzie’s voice was hard. She squared her shoulders and took a step so she remained before me—an impenetrable wall between me and my parents.
Though I expected she was saving me from myself and doing something that could cost me my badge.
“I need to ask, ma’am, did you touch that child or attempt to take the child? ”
“What? No, I was just trying to pick him up so I c—”
“I’ll ask again, ma’am, did you at any time attempt to touch or take the child away from his father?”
“That man’s not his father. That man—”
“That man is his legal guardian,” Suzie interrupted. “Any attempt to take a child without permission could result in kidnapping charges. Were you aware of that, ma’am?”
I was eager to slap the cuffs on her right now. It was only Cassius’s warm palm on my back that stopped me diving into the fray.
“It’s not kidnapping if I’m saving a child from—”
“Ma’am.” Suzie’s hand went to her cuffs, and her voice turned to steel. “I need you to step back right now.” She took a long, slow look at the crew of who I expected were people my parents attended church with. “The rest of you, I suggest you go get into your cars and get out of our town—”
“Look here, you can’t order us to leave town. This is a free country,” a balding man with a saggy gut warbled.
“That may be so.” Suzie glanced to the small group of locals, her gaze settling on Kelsey, who stood by the ice cream store’s front with her daughter in her arms. “Mrs. Dellinger, you mind stepping over here so I can just clarify something?”
I winced inside when Kelsey blanched, but she moved forward regardless.
“Yes, Officer?”
“Were you in the vicinity when Mr. Britton was approached by Mr. and Mrs. Turner here, and the group they’re with?”
Kelsey nodded and offered a shaky “Yes, ma’am. I was.”
“And did you witness Mrs. Turner or any of the individuals in her party touch Mikey Turner?”
For the first time, I felt sick that Mikey and I shared the last name of the people before me.
“I didn’t see her touch him. She reached for him and tried to, but Cassius managed to pick him up first.”
Not ideal, as if she’d laid one finger on Mikey, I’d have no issue with charging her. But I was hella relieved she hadn’t touched my boy.
“Thanks, Mrs. Dellinger.” Kelsey nodded and stepped away, making eye contact with me. I sent her a small smile, grateful she was here.
“Uhm, actually,” Kelsey said, her eyes widening as though surprising herself, “I don’t know if it’s important or not, but I did hear Mrs. Turner tell Mikey she was taking him away.” With a shuddery breath, she stepped farther away, and fuck how my stomach twisted in gratitude.
She absolutely did not deserve the likes of Nolan. I swore then and there, if she wanted to get out, I’d help her any way I could.
“That’s super helpful, thank you, Mrs. Dellinger.” Suzie glanced at me before refocusing on the group. I followed her gaze, noticing at least five were looking increasingly uncomfortable, shuffling from foot to foot. And a couple shot nervous glances at my mom.
That’s right, assholes. Mess with my boys and you’re going to get your asses handed to you.
“Sergeant, I believe the maximum penalty for attempted kidnapping is seven years.”
Suzie was on the money. Like me, she’d also know those charges wouldn’t stick, but fuck if how my mom’s head snapping in my direction, her lips parting as the color drained from her face, didn’t make me want to try my hand.
As quickly as she paled, her face turned fire-engine red.
“I think we should leave.”
I startled at hearing my dad’s voice.
“What? No, they can’t—”
“Rita, it’s time.” He reached out and took hold of Mom’s arm.
“But, no, they can’t—”
“The restraining order will be filed by this afternoon,” I said, my voice deathly calm. That I now had enough evidence with this vitriolic whatever it was meant at least something positive resulted from Mikey’s upset.
And fuck it, because I absolutely wanted to spit in my mom’s eye, I angled to look at Cassius, taking in his handsome features and the fierceness in his gaze.
I didn’t have to say a thing as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, sweeping over them for a couple of beats before we pulled away.
It was tempting to flip my parents off, but since I still wore my badge, I figured I needed to at least attempt to remain professional. But damn, it was hard.
Turning to me, Suzie offered me a nod before her gaze raked over Mikey and Cass. “I’m going to grab some names so I can file a report. Why don’t you take fifteen and go get Mikey an ice cream?”
Thankful, I bobbed my head before ushering Cassius and Mikey off the sidewalk, receiving a few pats on my arm along the way and a “We wouldn’t have let anything happen to your lovely son or that handsome husband of yours” from Mrs. Jacobs.
Her words pulled a chuckle out of me, right along with a fresh wave of gratitude.
What an unbelievable shit show.
And as Mikey finally licked at his dripping ice cream and I shared a whispered conversation with Cass, my words from a few weeks back came to mind.
Yeah, maybe living in my small hometown wasn’t so bad after all.