Chapter 11
T he doorbell rang. Nick had been home long enough to feed the ferrets and grab a beer from the fridge. He wanted three fingers of whiskey, but he wouldn’t delve into the hard stuff with Ava home. He set his beer on the counter and opened the door.
Michelle stood on the front step, his sleeping daughter in her arms.
His lungs tightened. Ava’s thick lashes fanning across her cheeks. Her little body cradled into Michelle’s chest. The sight sent emotion snaking through his body.
“She fell asleep in the car,” she whispered.
His baby girl was out cold. His focus shifted to the woman holding her. Strong, protective, loving—all radiated from her.
The thump in his chest grew louder. He cleared his throat.
“Here. I’ll take her upstairs.” His arm brushed Mickey’s as they transferred Ava. Awareness shot up his arm. He fought the urge to shake it off.
Nick slipped an arm under his daughter and hoisted her up to his chest, pulling her in close. Tenderness relaxed his limbs.
“I’ll get her bag.” Michelle slipped back out the door.
As he crested the upstairs landing, he heard the car’s locks engage. Nick clicked on the nightlight and pulled back the covers .
Ava slept like a log as he removed her shoes and coat. With a quick kiss to her forehead, he pulled the quilt up to her chin and slipped out of the room. Closing the door to her bedroom, he headed downstairs to find Michelle surveying his house.
Nick took it in from his position on the stairs. The walls were mostly bare, still builder gray. One wall divided the kitchen and living rooms. From his vantage point, he could see the main floor in one sweeping glance from his stainless-steel appliances to the stacked stone fireplace on the opposite wall. His furniture was more middle-class family than single guy. And his favorite feature of the house, the wide-plank hickory floors glowed with a soft shine.
What did she think? He watched her turn in a complete circle before moving to the photos on the fireplace. Honestly, he hadn’t thought to put them up there. His father gave him them as a housewarming present.
Right now, the only thing that drew his eye in the whole place was the woman standing in a green T-shirt and jeans. Her jacket was hanging from her arm. Her curves. Her eyes. Everything about her was bolder, better, than the girl he spent more than a few nights dreaming about. If she’d looked like this, back then, he would have gone AWOL to get to her.
She turned. “Is this you?” She pointed to one of the pictures.
He continued and stopped next to her. The photo she referred to was one taken during his first tour. He was in full camo, face paint and all. The guys in his squad flanked him.
“Yeah.”
“You look like a badass.” She moved on to the other photos, one of Nick and his brother taken the day his older brother had left for college.
“I remember this photo. Where is Nolan these days? ”
“He’s in Washington state. He works for a tech company.” Nick had talked to him less than an hour ago about their father. Nolan was currently out of the country for work.
“Aw, Ava was adorable. How old was she here?”
“Two months.”
She didn’t comment on the next one. Molly holding Ava. He wasn’t sure why he even had it up there. For Ava, mostly. She needed to have photos of her mom around. The one behind it was of his own mom.
Michelle’s eyes moved from one to the other, then she stepped back.
He didn’t know what to say. So, he said nothing.
She moved her coat, and he saw the box in her hand. “Here.”
“Thanks. Irene Swenson’s cookies are the best.” He didn’t look at the box, but at her. She would think to bring him cookies.
“She is already planning to bring your father dinner when he gets out of the hospital. No doubt, she has one prepped and in the freezer for just such an occasion. Mom is always prepared like that. Plus, she always liked your parents.”
He nodded. Cop families stuck together. He was sure his father and Irene shared a lot of experiences as police spouses. Not everyone would understand.
“By the way, there are extra in the box. Enough for Ava to take to the bake sale this weekend.”
“She told you?”
Michelle grinned. “Yeah, and about last year’s attempt at baking.”
One day together and they were already gossiping like besties. It shouldn’t surprise him. Ava was his mini-me in more ways than one, and he and Mickey clicked instantly. He covered his face and groaned. “They were inedible. She will never let me forget it. Thanks for covering for me. I owe you. ”
“No worries. What’s a few more cookies?” She shrugged then rocked back on her heels. “You had something you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Yes,” he said, as he took the cookies to the kitchen. He set them on the counter next to the ones from his father’s office. Both so similar. Festive red and green boxes filled with sweet confections. A symbol of the season designed to bring joy and cheer. Nick almost hated to think otherwise.
“Outside voice.” Her eyes smiled as she waited for him to respond.
Right. He grabbed a second beer from the fridge and offered it to her. Her eyes cut to his a second before she reached for it. Her long fingers circled the bottle, narrowly missing his.
Picking up his, he took a swig. The cold brew tingled his tongue on the way down. “I talked to my father for a few minutes before his sedative kicked in.”
“How is he?” Concern flashed across her face.
“The doctor said he would be okay, but they’re keeping him for a day or two.”
“That’s a relief.”
It was. Now Nick needed to address the real issue. “I will find someone else to play Santa at the festival, but this is all just too much of a coincidence. The sleigh and now Dad’s accident.”
She stared into her bottle. “Agreed. Especially since the minivan was a victim of a hit-and-run.”
“I went to his store after I left the hospital. He mentioned a children’s ward appearance, but it wasn’t on his calendar.”
Michelle cocked her head. “Could it have been last minute?”
“Definitely. But the odd thing was, Dad wanted me to bring him cookies.”
“Russ loves Christmas cookies. ”
“Not just any cookies. The ones he had on his desk.” He pointed to the other box.
She leaned in and examined the box without touching it. “Did he say why?”
“Only that they were delicious. But I don’t see a card or note saying who they’re from.”
Her green eyes shot to his. “Are you thinking they may have been made with more than sugar and holiday cheer?”
“I’m thinking they are like the brownies we ate at Bethany Skoglund’s party our senior year.”
Those beautiful eyes lit with understanding a second before a grin flashed across her face. Yeah, he remembered that night in high definition.
“Oh. That would explain the cannabis in your father’s system.” She took out her keys and lifted the lid with the edge. “I’m guessing they packed an even dozen. Looks like four are missing.”
From the crumbs and odd placement, yeah, she was probably right.
He leaned in. Her hair brushed his neck. Nick inhaled. The scent of vanilla filled the air. Damn, it wasn’t the cookies. Nope, it was Mickey. She smelled good enough to eat, and his mouth watered for her.
Her lashes dipped as she surveyed the box. “I’ll take this in and have the lab guy run them.”
“How long will that take?” He knew the police were understaffed, and with the holidays, they were probably backed up. He had his doubts it would be done by the festival, much less tomorrow. And he needed the results now.
“If I cash in a favor, three or four business days.”
“Fuck. That’s too long.”
“Well, unless you have a test kit in your pocket, I don’t think we have a choice. Civilian labs take even longer. ”
“We could try them.” He eyed the cookies. A couple of cookies wouldn’t impair him much. That’s assuming they were baked with that special ingredient.
Her eyes widened. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Maybe not, but I need an answer and I can’t wait that long. Someone is trying to ruin the festival at all costs.” His father was in the hospital already. What if the person tried to hurt someone else?
Michelle worried her lip between those straight teeth.
Damn, he wanted to nibble that rosy flesh. He eased back, leaned on the counter, and crossed his arms. “Not the whole box, just a couple each. See if we feel any effects. You can take the rest to the lab and have them analyzed. That way, you can still log the evidence.”
She blew out a breath. “Fine, but only two each.”
He pulled out two forks and lifted a cookie out, careful not to disturb any prints or evidence. When he had four out, he closed the lid with the fork and they slid the box into a bag.
He picked up a snowman shaped cookie and handed one to Michelle. As she lifted the Santa cookie to her lips, he smiled and shoved a whole cookie into his mouth.
She chuckled then did the same.
He grabbed his beer. It was halfway to his mouth when she held up her hand.
“Wait. Beer would taint the experiment.”
“Don’t you drink?”
She snorted.
“Then one beer won’t affect it. You should be able to tell if you feel different than when you have a drink.”
“Good point.” She took a swig and picked up the next cookie.
A minute later and two cookies down, she asked, “Do you think it’s working? ”
He raised the beer and washed down his second cookie. “I don’t know. It could take a few minutes.”
“I might as well have another cookie if we are waiting.” At his raised brow, she added, “Not those, Mom’s.”
He opened the box she had just brought, and she picked out a reindeer with a Red Hot for the nose. He grabbed two and set the box aside.
She bit into Rudolph’s antlers. “Mmm.”
He watched her, his cookie hovering inches from his mouth. She was enjoying that cookie so much that he had to shift.
“So, what have you been up to for the last twenty years?” Michelle leaned back on the counter stool.
Nick debated if he should tell her about Molly and his brief marriage. He couldn’t tell her about most of his missions.
“Sorry, too personal.” Her eyes dropped to the counter.
“I can sum it up in five words. Army. Travel. Marriage. Ava. Divorce.”
“Was your wife in the Army, too?”
He scoffed. “No. Molly didn’t like military life… among other things. She stayed stateside with Ava while I was overseas.”
“That must have been hard on Ava. She’s a good kid, by the way.”
“Thanks. We video chatted every week, and I would see her in Ohio when I was on leave.”
“Ohio?”
“Yeah. That’s where Molly was from. We met when I was stationed in Georgia. She was working in Atlanta back then.” He shoved the last of his cookie in his mouth and chewed. The lid was off. He might as will let the last of the crap spill out. “We both knew our marriage was a mistake right away, but she got pregnant three months in, so we tried to make it work. After a couple years, we divorced. I came to see Ava as much as I could. Then last year, Molly was in an accident.”
A soft hand covered his. “I’m sorry.”
“We had been divorced for five years at that point.” He shook his head. “Ava had a really hard time. I took her to a counselor at first. Then I decided to move back to Ashwood so she could be by her grandpa.”
“What about her other grandparents?”
“Molly’s dad passed before we got married, and her mom is in a retirement community in Florida. I promised to take Ava down to see her once a year.” He flipped his hand over and stroked the soft skin of her palm. It felt nice—right—to have her close.
Michelle’s gaze dropped to their hands. Long lashes blinked. “I think the cookies are working.”
“Are you feeling different?”
“Not yet, but the fact you are talking about your ex and feeling up my hand, I’d say you are.”
He scoffed but didn’t remove his hand, just kept stroking. Slow, lazy circles.
“You always were a lightweight.” She smirked.
“Nope. That’s all you. You do that to me, Mickey.” She always had. He gave her hand a tug. She leaned closer. “I’m going to kiss you and it has nothing to do with the cookies.”
He moved at a sloth’s pace, giving her plenty of opportunity to pull from his grasp.
She didn’t. Her blinks grew longer and that sexy tongue made an appearance to wet her lips.
Fuck. He moved in. A soft touch of lips. Her breath, sweet from cookies, mixed with his, and he was gone. The next thing he knew, she was on the counter, and he was standing in the V of her legs .
Nick’s fingers walked the curve of her hips and locked on her jean’s pockets. They dug into the denim-covered flesh. Mmm. He’d always loved her ass.
The tug of her hands on his back spurred him into deepening the kiss. When she opened for him and his tongue touched hers, memories lit up his brain.
Kissing Mickey was like riding a bike… down a steep hill… in a driving rain. Yeah, she amped up every nerve in his body, especially the ones below the waist.
She broke the kiss, panting. “Shit, I’d almost forgot what it was like to kiss you.”
His lips crept up in a half smile. As if moving on their own, his hands slid up her back, one vertebra at a time. Her green eyes darkened to a midnight forest. “I hadn’t forgotten.”
Those gorgeous eyes closed. She shook her head then opened them. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
He knew it wasn’t, but that didn’t stop him from pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
“Nick. You have Ava.”
Who was asleep upstairs. Shit. She was right. He pulled back an inch. Dropping his forehead to hers, he watched her for any sign to continue. Not a one. “You’re right. But only because I think we need to eat another cookie.”
“I do have the munchies.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like they are working.”
“Well, the fact I let you kiss me, points to yes.”
He raised a brow. “I’d say you were right there with me.”
She slipped from the counter and maneuvered around him. “That was the cookies. I better be going. I’ll see you tomorrow. ”
She scooped up the bagged box and her coat, and slipped out the door before Nick could wrap his head around the fact she was gone.
He’d kissed her. And she’d kissed him back. It was as if twenty years had just melted away.
He rubbed at the discomfort in his chest. Only Mickey could have him literally aching for her. It had always been her. When he was injured in Afghanistan, he hadn’t thought of Molly. No. A green-eyed redhead with a fiery temper was the one who came to mind.
He locked the door behind her and headed up the stairs to check on Ava, but his mind was full of Mickey.
Things were more complicated now, but after kissing her, he didn’t know if he could walk away. It almost killed him the first time.