Chapter Thirty-two
L ast night, Sam had noticed Wren was quiet when she got off work, and they swung by the Winters’ to spend Christmas Eve with Jace and Clark. They woke up early this morning and got dressed to spend Christmas Day with Wren’s family. He had no idea when she had had time to go gather up gifts, but as she placed them into the car, he stalled her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked, staring into her dark eyes for any sign of what might be going through her head, but she just smiled brightly.
“Sure, I’m fine. Why?”
“You just seem a little distant today.”
She shrugged, her tone cheery as she said, “No, I just have a lot on my mind, is all.”
“Alright, well, if it’s something that we need to talk about—”
“We don’t,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Let’s just go enjoy Christmas.”
Sam let his concerns go as she took his hand and led him out to the car. The ride over was quiet, and when they arrived at the top of the hill, Lukas came running out the front door, talking a mile a minute about the presents he’d gotten. Sam and Lukas had hit it off the first time they met, and Lukas took both Wren’s and Sam’s hands and led them into the house, telling them all about his new Lego sets and tablet that Santa had brought him.
When they crossed into the house, Luke and Garrett were in the kitchen preparing food while Elizabeth sat in the living room with her feet up, a cup of tea in her hands. Pete set a plate of fruit on the side table next to her, and Wren almost snickered, wondering what in the world was going on. Luke had barely acknowledged how tired his wife was, and now all her brothers were doting on Elizabeth like she was a queen.
Robert was nestled in his chair with a cup of coffee in his hands, smirking when he met her questioning gaze.
“What’s going on here?” Wren asked.
“Your brother offered to make Christmas dinner,” Elizabeth said, beaming proudly at her husband, whose cheeks were flushed.
“And he enlisted my help,” Garrett grumbled.
“Well, that’s awfully nice. Should we be scared about possible food poisoning?” Wren teased.
“Wren, I love you,” Elizabeth said, pointing her finger at her, “but if you ruin this for me, I will bury you in the backyard.”
“I will keep my mouth shut and vomit silently when I get home,” Wren deadpanned.
“Hey!” Luke stopped chopping and brandished his knife, waving it in their direction. “I’ll have you know, I cooked for myself all the time before I met Elizabeth.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t any good,” Pete said.
When Luke swung his way, Garrett leaped back with a yelp before unarming his brother. “Stop waving that thing around, you idiot!”
As the two elder Little siblings bickered in the kitchen, Robert kicked out as Pete passed by. “Leave your brother alone and go say hi to your sister.”
Pete came and gave Wren a big hug, then shook Sam’s hand. Wren made the rounds to her other brothers and then went to hug her dad, whispering in his ear, “Did you say something about taking care of Elizabeth?”
“I did, and I should have done it sooner. When your mother was pregnant, I always took care of her. I’ll do the same for all my daughters-in-law and you, when the time comes.”
Tears pricked Wren’s eyes, and she hugged him again. “You might just make a decent husband out of Pete, yet.”
“Not Garrett?” Robert teased.
“If he can find a woman to look past his hygiene, I’ll be shocked.”
Sam and her father shook hands, while Wren hugged Elizabeth, taking the seat across from her. Once she’d settled in, her sister-in-law leaned forward, eyes bright as she whispered, “I heard about the hostage negotiation at the Den last night.”
“The what?” Sam called across the house.
Wren shook her head rapidly, signaling to her sister-in-law not to say anything, when her brother Luke piped up from the kitchen.
“Are you talking about the holdup at the Den?”
Wren groaned as Pete joined in. “I heard about it on the news. Apparently, some guy went in there with a gun and held a bunch of people hostage and was trying to get money.”
“You were there, right, Wren? You talked him down?” Garrett asked, and Wren silently wondered how three semi-intelligent men could be so obtuse.
“Unarmed from what I heard,” Luke said, frowning. “Which wasn’t the brightest move. Brave, but stupid.”
Wren swallowed as Sam turned to her with a thunderous expression. “I was fine. I had backup.”
“So, you went into an armed situation and didn’t tell me about it?” Sam asked, his tone dangerously calm and in drastic contrast to his blazing blue eyes.
“Technically, I did not,” she said, smiling sheepishly, “because it turned out the guy was using a water gun. It just looked real.”
Robert patted Sam’s shoulder. “I hate to break it to you, son, but if you’re gonna be a police officer’s wife, or I guess in your case, husband, worry comes with the trade.”
Wren jerked at the mention of marriage, but Sam was still watching her intently. “Who was your backup?”
“Barret.”
“Why didn’t you let him go in and de-escalate the situation?”
“Because I was the senior officer with more experience in high-stress situations.”
Sam turned around and took three deep breaths before she heard him counting quietly.
“Hey, you’re giving him the same headache that you give us.” Pete laughed. “You’re part of the family, Sam.”
Wren flipped her brother off, and Sam stood up straight. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” He walked out the front door, and Wren watched out the door as he started kicking at the snow on the ground and cursing loudly and fluently.
“I remember the first time someone took a shot at me,” her dad said, standing over her shoulder. “I didn’t think she was going to let me out of the house again.”
“I better go talk to him,” she murmured.
Wren stepped outside onto the porch, coming up behind Sam and wrapping her arms around him. She pressed her cheek against his back and whispered, “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry.”
“How am I going to be okay with you putting yourself in dangerous situations, especially if we have children?” he asked, his voice gravelly. “Mistletoe is quiet, but the quietest communities can be shaken by violence every single day.” His hands came up to cover hers, and he squeezed them. “I don’t want to get a call that something happened to you.”
Wren pressed a kiss into his back. “I can’t promise you won’t get that call.”
Sam turned in her arms and held her tight against him, his body trembling. “I’m going to worry every single time you walk out that door, but my biggest issue is that you didn’t tell me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing her hands over his back soothingly. “I won’t lie again, even by omission.”
“Thank you,” he said, cupping her face and kissing her softly, briefly. “I know you can handle yourself. I’m not saying you can’t, but I don’t want to be kept in the dark because you are afraid that I don’t want you to be a police officer.”
“So, you’re not going to ask me to quit?”
Sam shook his head. “I am proud of you. You found something that you love, and I will support you in everything that you do.” His hands slid back and cradled her head, his blue eyes boring into hers. “But you cannot treat me like some weak man that you have to coddle and protect his ego.”
“I’m not treating you like that!”
“Good, because I’m not a guy who would be insecure about his wife’s profession. I think it is sick as hell that you kick ass and you have a bullet wound to show for it.” Sam kissed her forehead. “I have the baddest woman as my girlfriend. But yeah, if we are going to do this, then I want to be your equal, talking things through and sharing our fears and insecurities.” He released the back of her head, sliding his hands along her body to her waist. “I want to be there for you, and I want you to be there for me, and I don’t want anything between us but love and trust.”
Wren swallowed, trying to push down the emotional lump in her throat, but it wouldn’t budge. Snuggling into him and wrapping her arms around his waist, she mumbled against his chest, “I promise to always be honest with you no matter how scary the truth might be. I will always treat you like my partner, but more than that, you’re my best friend, Sam.” She pressed her lips to his chest. “My most special, cherished friend.”
“Thank you.” Sam squeezed her to him before kissing the top of her head and then holding her at arm’s length. “Now, if you will, please go back inside and give me a moment to collect myself, because I am still processing you walking unarmed into a bar with a man you suspected had a gun.”
Wren kissed him before doing what he asked.
Sam took another deep breath after Wren went inside, thinking that she was going to be the death of him, when he heard the door open. He turned around, thinking it was Wren again, but it turned out to be Robert. Wren’s father walked down the steps to stand next to Sam, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Merry Christmas,” he said.
“Merry Christmas, sir.”
Robert stopped alongside him, arms crossed over his barrel chest. “Are you gonna make her quit?”
Sam’s jaw dropped for a split second before he protested, “No, I’m not gonna make her quit.”
Robert nodded, still watching him intently. “What about marriage?”
“If she wanted to marry me,” Sam said, acknowledging that this was Robert’s version of the what-are-your-intentions speech, “I would marry her in a heartbeat, but she doesn’t seem to want to go that route.”
“It’s my fault, really.” Robert sighed, sounding defeated. “I was angry when her mother left, and I probably didn’t set a good example of how to handle divorce. I should’ve dated. I should’ve moved on, but I was busy. I was working, I had the kids, and I didn’t stop to think about it until all of my kids were gone and I was alone. And by that time, I was set in my ways. If a woman came in and tried to change things, how was I gonna feel?”
Now Sam was lost and had no idea where Robert was going with this. “Is there a point you’re trying to make, because if you’re asking for dating advice, I don’t know that I’m the right person to come to.”
“No, I’m not coming to you for dating advice, you idiot,” Robert snapped, giving Sam’s shoulder a nudge. “I am saying that Wren’s views on marriage are my fault, and I’ve tried to fix it, but I think the only way she is going to change her mind will be because of you.”
Robert reached into his pocket and held out a box to him. “Open it.”
Sam did and found a beautiful princess cut diamond ring inside. His heart pounded at the magnitude of what Robert was offering with the ring, not just something that would be special to Wren but also his blessing. Sam wanted to say something heartfelt, but he knew the big man wouldn’t handle sentimentality well coming from Sam.
Instead, what came out was, “It’s gorgeous, sir, but I’m in love with your daughter.”
“I know that, smart-ass. It’s for her.” Robert pulled the ring out of the holder and turned it so the sunshine caught the diamond, making it sparkle. “It was my mother’s ring. I was saving it to give to Wren when she found somebody she wanted to be with, and I think that person is you. I am giving it to you so that you can change my daughter’s mind and make her happy.” Robert’s face suddenly turned thunderous, and he growled, “Because if you don’t make her happy, I’ve got a spot between two pine trees in my backyard just long enough for you.”
Sam stared at Robert for several seconds and finally beamed at him.
“Thank you, sir, for giving me your blessing.”
“Oh, for the love of God, it’s a damn ring,” the older man grumbled. “That ain’t my blessing.”
“I think we should hug this out,” Sam said, holding his arms wide and taking a step toward Robert, who backed away.
“Get the fuck away from me.”
“Another time, then, but someday you’re gonna love me.”
Robert just grunted. It wasn’t a no.