Chapter 17 #3
Lee didn’t comment on the fact that she’d noticed her extra protection.
“Just until we catch Massey. Holloway’s insistence.
” Trixie paused on her way inside when Lee touched her arm.
“I heard Cayden’s little jokes yesterday about how all he did was curl up into a ball like a little girl.
I don’t think he fully grasps the significance of what he gave us.
For the first time, we have solid, indisputable evidence against Massey.
Cayden helped bring down Carver, who’s flipping on Massey to gain protection and a lesser sentence.
None of that would have happened without Cayden.
The fact that he was unarmed in the middle of a gunfight is not something to be ashamed of. I hope you can help him see that.”
Trixie cocked her head at Lee. “Careful, gran hermano, it almost sounds like you’re concerned about him.”
Lee just raised an eyebrow, which Trixie took as an admission and smiled. He followed her inside. Trixie turned on the bay lights. A Corvette sat in the first slot with a Lotus next to it. She let out a sigh of contentment, loving the sight of her job.
Trixie and Lee hung out in her office, just talking, until her employees started to filter in.
Or, rather, she talked to him. Lee nodded, grunted, snorted, and raised his eyebrow.
She did notice that he was wearing his gun and badge around his belt.
He must have grabbed the lockbox from the house the night before when he dropped off her stuff.
Jeff knocked on her door a little after eight. The look on his face said he saw the return of the Spyder out front. His elation rose when he noticed Lee sitting in her office with her.
The two men embraced. Despite his absence as an adult, Lee had grown up at Romero’s as much as she had. Jeff was as much their surrogate uncle as Greg was.
Jeff stood back, gripping Lee by the shoulders. “What are you doing here? And damn, is it good to see you.”
“I’ll explain at your meeting,” was Lee’s response.
Trixie rolled her eyes. Had her brother always been so cryptic? “He’s brought us back the Spyder.” She tossed the keys to Jeff, who caught them easily. “Can you move it around back so we can run diagnostics and get it cleaned up before we put it back on the floor?”
He nodded once. “Sure thing. I’ll be only a few minutes. Most of the employees are in the breakroom already.”
Lee and Trixie journeyed down to the staff room. She made a mental note to ask him if he intended on Paul continuing to spy on her through her security system. She had a feeling the answer would be the same as in regard to the undercover cop car down the road from her house.
Like Cayden, Lee didn’t follow Trixie to the front of the room. Instead, he hung back, his lack of jacket and tucked-in shirt displaying his gun and badge openly.
Trixie rolled her eyes at the image he presented. “Merry Christmas Eve. For those of you who don’t know, this is mi hermano, Detective Lee Romero. He brought us back the Spyder I’m sure all of you saw out front.”
Gary caught her attention. “I knew you had older brothers, but I didn’t know one was a cop.”
Yeah, neither did I, Trixie thought cynically, but didn’t say out loud. “Lee’s going to speak with all of you real quick, and then we’re going to get started with our day. Will, the Spyder’s been added to your ticket list.”
Will nodded once and then faced the back of the room like the other employees.
Lee stood up off the wall. He put his hands on his hips, and Trixie swore she heard a feminine sigh.
Gross. “I am here to speak with you regarding Cayden Russo.” Lee paused to allow the employees their reactions.
It broke Trixie’s heart to see that most of them were negative.
Jeff stepped into the room then, which was good.
She didn’t have to repeat what Lee said to him then.
“Cayden Russo has been working undercover with the police department to bring down the local chapter of the Black Pythons Motorcycle Club, who also had ties to a local drug kingpin. To ensure his cover, Cayden stole the Spyder. His actions were sanctioned by the police department and he will be receiving a commendation from the mayor himself for his actions.” There was a unanimous gasp following that announcement, including Trixie.
She hadn’t known that. She had a feeling Cayden didn’t either.
“He will be free to return to work here as soon as he wishes with Trixie’s full consent.
She was aware of why he left, though she was not aware of the Spyder theft prior.
Please address any questions in regard to this case to me.
I will be around for most of the day. For now, I hope each of you will welcome Cayden back to the Romero family. ”
Lee nodded once and then leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed.
One by one, the employees turned to the front of the room and Trixie. She felt like she’d swallowed a bunch of rocks. Her throat felt dry and her stomach felt heavy.
Finally, she said, “I’m sorry for my deception.
For obvious reasons, no one could know. I apologize again for my behavior following Cayden’s departure.
I’m sure you can understand my attitude better now, though it certainly doesn’t excuse it.
I was a wreck, but none of you deserved to be brought down with me. ”
As a way to ease the tension in the room, she grabbed the large mason jar from behind her and held it out in offering. “Any other news anyone wants to share?”
People were slower to break the silence, but eventually, dollars were raised and the jar was passed around as her employees made their announcements.
Payton, who’d returned to work a month before Cayden’s departure, announced that his baby daughter enjoyed slithering on her belly like a snake.
He even pulled out his phone to show a video.
Everyone laughed and applauded like the infant was there to earn their praise.
The jar was passed back to Trixie. She leaned her bottom against the table, gripping the jar around its base to her front. She opened her mouth to thank her employees when the door to the breakroom opened. Trixie blinked in surprise.
Cayden stood in the doorway. He was once more in his slacks, boots, and button-down shirt.
He must have taken scissors to his hair because the green tips were gone and it was marginally shorter.
While she had wished he had slept longer, she was glad he was here.
He was back where he belonged. Here. With her.
As he stepped into the room, she saw Peggy, Greg, and Geordi follow him in.
Trixie cocked her head in confusion. What were they doing here?
Had they run into Cayden downstairs or had they all come together?
The latter didn’t make any sense, but the former didn’t explain why Greg, Peggy, and Geordi were at Romero’s at eight-thirty in the morning.
Cayden reached into his front pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Silence fell over the employees as he made his way forward to her. “I have the happiest of Christmas dollars. I fell in love with the most amazing, smart, and beautiful girl, and by some miracle, she says she loves me back.”
Trixie’s breath caught as he stopped to drop the money into the jar. But he didn’t stop there. He continued down until he knelt on one knee in front of her.
Tears filled her vision as her entire body started to shake. She wasn’t sure who, probably Jeff, but someone stepped forward to take the jar from her grasp. Which was good, because she doubted she would have been able to keep a grip on it.
Cayden opened a small metal box. Inside on a bed of red velvet sat a silver banded ring with a diamond embedded on top of it.
An embarrassing squeak escaped her as her hand flew to her mouth. Oh God. Well, she had promised him just a small freak out.
“Beatriz Roberta Romero, I love you with everything I am and everything I have. I made the mistake of thinking I had to leave your side to become a better man, but I was wrong. You make me the best man I could possibly be. You are wonderful and generous, and you took a chance on a biker when no one else would have. I love you and I’m just selfish enough to want to keep you all to myself.
” Cayden pulled the ring from its bed of red velvet.
Her chin started trembling as he took her left hand into his.
He held the band just before her ring finger.
His mismatched eyes searched hers. “I want to fix engines together, raise kids together, and grow old together. I want to wake up every day knowing you are mine. Will you marry me?”
Trixie tried with all her might to answer. She really did. Between the clog in her throat and the tears streaming down her cheeks, she was an utter mess. But he was waiting for an answer—hell, everyone in the room was.
“Yes,” she finally managed to croak out. She nodded her head emphatically, wanting to make sure her answer was understood even if her word had not been.
The room exploded in an uproar as Cayden slipped the ring onto her finger. He stood, gathered her up in his arms, and dipped her down in a theatrical kiss.
As everyone converged on them to extend their congratulations, Trixie made sure to keep a strong grip on Cayden’s hand.
She was not allowing him to get pulled away from her.
Hugs and kisses were offered to her while Cayden received hugs and handshakes.
Geordi grabbed Cayden up in a giant bear hug and announced to the room that he was going to be the best best man ever.
Trixie laughed and then reminded Geordi that Cayden needed to breathe if he was going to make it to his wedding day.
Greg and Peggy gripped her tightly. They quickly explained that Cayden had shown up at their door that morning and told them everything. Then he asked Greg’s blessing for Trixie’s hand. She gave her man an approving look. He was so sweet. Blood or no, Greg was her oldest family member.
Trixie quickly looked around the room and saw Lee was still leaning against the wall in the back. She dragged Cayden forward and, thankfully, her employees parted when they saw where she was headed.
Lee opened his arms to her as she approached. “Felicitación, abeja.”
She gripped him tightly. “No more secrets,” she told him. “We need to stick together, you and me. Please don’t disappear on me again.”
There was obvious hesitation in his voice, but he still promised and her brother was nothing if not a man of his word.
Smiling, Trixie watched as Cayden and Lee shook hands. It was hard to believe she was this happy, but she was. Lee was back in her life, Cayden was back at her side, and her bay was full of exotic cars.
Life was good.
“Oh!” Cayden said loud enough to catch everyone’s attention. “Seeing as all of you are Petrol-heads, I figured you would get a kick out of this too.” To Trixie, he said, “Look at your ring.”
She did. It was chrome with a single diamond sitting raised on the top. She tipped her hand side to side to try to see what he wanted her to. Her jaw dropped when she saw it.
That cocky, sexy smile that she loved so fucking much was back. “That ring is made out of the same titanium alloy as the Ferrari F1 engine,” Cayden announced to the room.
“What…? How…?” She was so shocked she couldn’t form the questions.
“Let’s just say I called in a couple of favors. All completely legal, of course,” he added, holding his fingers up in a Scout’s salute as he’d done the day they’d met six months ago.
Trixie grabbed his face and kissed him. “Thank you. It’s incredible.”
“Nothing less for my girl.” He pressed his lips to hers again. “Merry Christmas, baby. Thank you for taking a chance on me.”
Trixie didn’t think she’d ever been this happy in her entire life. “Thank you for being my Christmas miracle.”
Cayden took the ring from her hand and placed it on her left ring finger. Happy tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she stared at the man she loved. It looked like it was going to be a chrome Christmas after all.