The Monroe Sisters

by Aliyah Burke

“Work, work, work, that’s all you ever do, Shai. Come out with us, please,” Connie said, reaching out and holding her hand. “Let me take you out for a night on the town. All drinks are on me.”

  She arched her brows and held Connie’s gaze. “You’re going to buy my drinks?”

  “If that’s what it takes to get you out there with us tonight. Are you coming too, Detective?”

  He held her gaze and the heat in his eyes burned her. “I’m in if Shai is.”

  She recognized it for what it was. A challenge. She would look like an ass if she said she wasn’t going because he was. And if she backed out she wasn’t a good friend for leaving Connie.

  “Shai?”

  Tearing her view from the handsome detective back to her friend, she nodded. “Fine. But I can’t be out too late. I do have a presentation due tomorrow.”

  Connie squealed and clapped before she shoveled more food in her mouth. The fourth person, Ricky, who’d sat down, did the same. That left her and Derek alone to talk if they were so inclined.

  She wasn’t.

  Apparently he was.

  “This is really good,” he commented gesturing at her with his fork.

  She gave him a noncommittal grunt and pushed the food around on her plate, no longer hungry.

  “Where are we going?” he asked, making sure to look at all three of them before lingering with his stare on her.

  “We usually go to Raggle Taggle. Have you been? It’s a great place for drinks and karaoke.” Connie shared the information with a smile.

  “Never been but I’m looking forward to it. Do you all do the karaoke?”

  Shai kicked Connie as she nodded. Her friend jumped and frowned at her. “What? We do. And you said we weren’t mad at him. So I’m allowed to be nice now.”

  Derek’s firm lips kicked up in a smile and she wished she could find his shins as well. As it was, she got mesmerized by the way he pulled food off the fork.

  God, I have it bad.

  They ate and cleaned up and all made plans to meet at the bar. As she got into her car, she pulled out her phone and called her sisters just to say hi and that she was going to get drinks.

  “With him? Do you want me to have his LT pull him for a job of some sort? Because you know I’ll find a way.” Tara didn’t hesitate with her offer.

  “No, Tara. Thank you. I have to learn how to be around him. I have another six weeks of class with him.”

  “I think you should just fuck him and then realize you’re not going to want anyone other than him.”

  She pulled back from the ferocity in Eva’s tone. “I’m sorry?”

  “Please,” Eva scoffed. “Like we’re not both thinking it, all three of us most likely. It’s like you two told me with Grant. I am in love with him so get over it and get him back in my life.” She cleared her throat. “Look, we all know you’re in love with this man because you have never been so happy as you were with him in your life on a daily basis. Now you’re back to being moody.”

  “I was happy before him,” she protested.

  “But you’re miserable without him. Shai, now isn’t the time to be proud or any of that, this is dealing with the man you are in love with. I’ll drop this right now if you can honestly tell me that you don’t envision him holding one of your adorable babies, and I know you two will have adorable babies, in his arms as he watches you with nothing but pure love in his eyes.”

  “I hate you, Eva,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  “You always say that when you know I’m right. Tara? Care to weigh in, Counselor?”

  “I co-sign everything Eva just said. We want you happy like we are and all three of us know it is this man who makes you happy like this. So he was a douche and ran while you were in the shower before leaving a message on your voicemail. We’ve all done shitty things. Point is, if you look past the way he did it, he had a valid point of his behavior.”

  “What?” she screamed, not sure she wanted to get the answer that was coming her way.

  “Don’t yell, it’s unprofessional. All I’m saying is, he was having a conflict with his feelings about you and his work. So he left you to be able to do everything he had to in order to make sure he had his focus where it needed to be. When I heard about what he did, I was pissed but the more I thought about it, the more I approved of his actions.”

  She leaned back and shut her eyes, allowing her hand to drop and putting her siblings on speakerphone. “Why?”

  Tara continued, “Because he put your safety above his own happiness and that right there tells me all I need to know about him. And it should tell you the same thing.”

  “I have nothing to add to this. Go get your man,” Eva ordered. She disconnected the call.

  “Shai?”

  “Yes, Tara?”

  “You know we love you and we’re behind you all the way. He is a good man and he loves you, which is why we haven’t killed him.”

  “I know you do and I hear you. Get my head out of my ass and get him back.”

  “Precisely.”

  Tara was gone in the next moment. She sat there in the dark for a bit as she ran over the short conversation she’d just completed with her siblings. She trusted them more than anything and believed they did have her best interest at heart.

  Okay, so perhaps I should listen to them.

  Later. Right now, she had to get to the bar and meet her friends.

  And Sav.

  Knowledge that didn’t calm her insides down any. It didn’t take her too long to get into the parking lot for Raggle Taggle. She parked and took another moment before climbing out.

  The moment she closed the door behind her and locked it, she realized she wasn’t alone anymore. “Something you needed, Detective?”

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming. Everyone else has been in there for a while now.”

  She turned and watched him close the distance between them, his inherent swagger just like unfair to the rest of the men in the world. His hair gleamed in the lights from the parking lot as he neared. Shai allowed her gaze to move leisurely over him as he approached.

  Her nipples tightened behind her bra and her clit begged for his touch there.

  “I was on the phone with my sisters.”

  He didn’t stop until he’d blocked her in between him and the car behind her. “Is that all that kept you so long?”

  She gulped. “What else could it have been? I don’t run and I said I would be here. The question should be why are you out here?”

  “Because I’m waiting for you.” He bent his elbows and moved closer until his lips were a scant distance from hers. “And I will continue to do so.”

  “Why?”

  “Why will I continue to wait for you?” She nodded. He took two fingers and twirled some of her hair around them. “I will do this because I love you, Shai. I don’t know what I have to do to get you to forgive me for my stupid asinine behavior, but I will work on it until you do. Until you are willing to give me, give us another chance to be a couple.”

  There hadn’t been any hesitation in his admission and he didn’t drop his gaze from hers.

  “I love you. I want to marry you. I want to be able to call your parents Mom and Dad. I want to take you home to my family and watch them fall in love with you as I did.”

  “Derek,” she mumbled, tears pricking her eyes.

  “I know we have much to work through but I’m here, Shai. Ready to do that. Whatever it takes to prove to you I’m wanting this for the long haul. I want to be able to pull up to the driveway where you live and know that is my woman in there. The woman who, God willing, will one day be my wife and the mother of my children. The woman who owns my heart and soul.”

  He cupped her cheeks and skimmed his thumbs along her skin. “I need you in my life, Shai. I won’t say goodbye to you. I will continue to fight for another chance with you.”

  She shook her head and he closed his eyes.

  “Look at me,
Sav.” He listened. “No more fighting. I have what I want and need as well. You.” She pushed up on her toes and melded their lips. “I love you too,” she muttered, sliding her tongue into the warmth of his mouth.

  Epilogue

  The house was full and loud with music and childish laughter. Christmas decorations made the scene perfect when you combined it with the snow that continued to fall outside.

  “How are you doing in here?”

  Shai tipped her face up to meet her husband’s kiss as he planted it on her. She moaned into him and allowed him to support her for the moment.

  “Hey now, none of that. You’re supposed to be cooking in here. Of the food variety, not this kind of nonsense.”

  Wrapping one arm around his neck, she flipped off Eva with her other hand. To her disappointment, Sav broke the kiss and touched her on the tip of her nose. “I have to stop, baby, or this is going to be a lot more graphic for people than we want.” He stepped away from her and moved around the island. With a brief kiss for Eva, he continued on out to meet the others in the living room.

  Eva hugged her and she returned it with vigor. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Eva. How are things in Arizona?”

  Her sister pushed up her sleeves and laughed. “I haven’t had anything new happen to me since I spoke to you yesterday.”

  She rested her head on Eva’s shoulder. “I know. It’s just hard. I’m the only one in town now, other than Mom and Dad. You’re in Arizona and Tara is overseas.”

  “No I’m not, I’m right here.”

  Shai squealed as she and Eva rushed to hug the middle sibling. Four years since all of them had been in this house together for Christmas. They’d met in Switzerland and in Arizona but it had been far too long since they’d been in their childhood home.

  She brushed the tears away from her eyes and squeezed their hands. No words were shared as they looked at one another, content to once again be in each other’s company. It didn’t last long for then the husbands and children poured in and she was distracted by greeting everyone else.

  Her parents were getting on in years and she’d delegated herself to do the cooking. After dinner, everyone was in the living room before the fire and she had just shut off the light in the kitchen when Eva and Tara walked up beside her and each slid an arm around her waist.

  “We did good, didn’t we?”

  “Damn good,” Eva said.

  “Fuck yeah,” Tara muttered.

  As she stared over the gathered group, her eyes continued to drift to where her husband sat with their two-month-old daughter, Nichole Lynne, in his arms. She was sound asleep in her father’s embrace even as he carried on a conversation with Andrew.

  Their other children all played games and snacked on caramel corn, hot cocoa and more. She got everyone settled for the night—the kids were all crashed in her old room. She and Sav were staying in the guest room with the baby so if she woke up, she wouldn’t disturb anyone else.

  Standing before the large window in the living room, she stared out over the sleeping city, her hands curved around the warm mug of tea.

  “I thought you’d be crashed by now.”

  Derek moved up behind her and pulled her back against him, nuzzling her neck.

  “Just enjoying the moment. What are you doing up?”

  “I just got called in.”

  She tipped her head back to stare at him. “Come back soon?”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I don’t plan on missing her first Christmas.” He kissed her and she closed her eyes. “I love you, Shai.”

  “And I love you, Detective. Now go do your job.”

  “I need you to get some sleep. She’s down now but she won’t stay that way forever.”

  “I’ll go as soon as I finish my tea.” She smiled. “I promise.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

  She cupped his jaw. “I know but they need you.”

  “And you?”

  “I’ll always need you, Derek. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  After another kiss, he headed out and she watched him back out after cleaning off the snow from his vehicle.

  “Everything okay?”

  She smiled at Eva’s reflection in the window. “He just got called into work. What are you doing up?”

  “Please,” Tara said, making her own appearance. “It’s Christmas Eve. It’s what we always did. Wake up and spend the night together, hoping we’d get to see Santa.”

  Facing her siblings, she waggled her eyebrows. “I’m sure if you were in bed you could get something from your very own Santa.”

  Tara grinned. “Who’s to say I didn’t?”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” she groused playfully. “Who’s hungry?”

  “I’m always hungry when you’re cooking,” Eva said.

  Not much later they all were sitting around the breakfast table with bowls of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. They talked, laughed and caught up before Nichole woke up and she headed off to tend to her daughter while her sisters went back to bed.

  In the guest room, she rocked her as she fed, and hummed a song from Les Misérables, “Bring Him Home.”

  “If you ever get tired of teaching, I really think you have a career in singing.”

  She looked up to see Derek walk in through the bedroom door. Snow dotted his coat as he pushed the door shut behind him.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Fine. How about you. Did you get some sleep before she woke up?”

  Lowering her gaze to her daughter’s small hand that rested upon her breast as she fed, she shook her head. “No. I caught up with my sisters.”

  He crouched in front of her, his shirt gone and pants changed out to sweats. “Shai, you need sleep.”

  “And I will get some. She’s almost asleep again and you’re home. I’ll be out in no time.”

  He stroked Nichole’s tiny fingers. “I have to say, Mama, you look so beautiful sitting here with our daughter in your arms. I never get tired of watching you hold our child but there’s something magical about this, watching you like this. It never stops being so amazing that you made something so perfect.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t make her alone. You helped.”

  “Yeah, but she’s fucking perfect, which she got from you.”

  “You’re not getting me pregnant again for a while so no need to butter me up,” she teased him.

  “Would I just keep this image right here. You’re so beautiful, you make my heart hurt, Shai Savvas.”

  “Put your daughter to bed, Detective. She’s fallen asleep.”

  As he listened to her, she fixed her gown and wrapped her arms around her as she ambled over to watch him lay her in the crib. He whispered to her in Greek and she shook her head. He’d been like that with the boys, Trace and Blaine, as well. The boys who they’d adopted at the ages of three and six. Now at seven and ten they were the eldest in the group and took their job seriously of keeping their cousins safe.

  Derek covered her with a blanket and turned to pull Shai into his arms. “Your turn, my love.” He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed and tucked her in.

  “What about you?” she asked as he backed up.

  “I’ll be right there. Promise.”

  She heard him go brush his teeth and she closed her eyes again. She woke later, wrapped in his strong embrace, his hand curved possessively around her midsection as they lay there. Opening her eyes, she watched as her mother snuck out of the room with Nichole. No reason for her to get up for a bit and she burrowed back against her husband once more.

  It was Christmas and this would be a wonderful day. She had everything she could ever want. Family and love.

  Want to see more from this author? Here’s a taster for you to enjoy!

  A Little Bit Cupid:

  This Ain’t No Love Story

  Aliyah Burke

  Excerpt

  “It’s so good to s
ee you, Josh. How long are you here for?”

  “Easy there, Auntie Bea, you’re too strong for me like this. Going to crack my ribs.” Even as he teased, he hugged his only living relative. The woman who had raised him.

  She tsked and stepped back to look at him. “A bit thin, but some of my cooking will fix that right up. Now, how long are you staying?” She propped her hands on her hips.

  Josh “Helter Skelter” Jones thought about his answer before allowing it to leave his mouth. This was his hometown. Not that he knew everyone, but he was damn sure that his aunt did. Known on his team for being a man-whore, he had no intentions of dipping anything of his into a woman here because it would only lead to headache for him because of his Auntie Bea. So, giving some time for her here would work. That would leave time for him to be another anonymous face in a large city to get some pussy before he needed to go back. He had no problems splitting his time half and half, he’d not seen her in a while.

  “Two weeks,” he said, wrapping an arm back around her and resting his cheek on the top of her head. Even now, she still smelled like fresh baked goods, as she’d done when he had been growing up.

  “Valentine’s Day? They don’t give you enough time off. That’s hardly any time for us to catch up. Or for you to meet this lovely little woman I think would be perfect for you, and why are you shaking your head at me?”

  “Not here to find a woman, Auntie Bea. I’m here to visit you.”

  Once again, she stepped away from him and turned to look up in his direction. “Are you into men? I mean, that’s fine, I still love you, but there are some nice ones of those around as well.”

  “I’m not gay, but I am glad you would still love me. I just don’t have time for any relationship right now, not with work keeping me as busy as they do.”

  She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes but didn’t speak for a few moments. “Need to get married and have some babies, if you want my opinion.”

  Can’t say that I do. “I’ll think about it, but please, I’m here to see you, not have you play matchmaker.”

  She held up her hands and adopted a look he didn’t buy for a minute. Shaking his head, he reached for his bags and followed her into the two-story Colonial-style house. This was where he’d grown up, had his skinned knees, broken bones, had fights, hell, even stolen his first kiss.