Ransom grins. “You got it.”
He’ll be a welcome addition, and with everything I have, I hope Nick can get his shit together. I want to see him just as happy as the man in front of me is.
Whitney
“Mom, these seats are even better than last year’s!” Stella squeals as we take a selfie together on the fifty-yard-line.
“I know, I splurged. I did some really expensive parties for New Year’s and made a lot more than I was expecting to. What good is money if you can’t spend it?” I take my seat next to her as we wait for the game to start.
We’ve gotten here early, much earlier than we anticipated, but traffic wasn’t heavy and the parking passes we got from Ryan’s friend were very good. He’s given me parking passes for the past twenty-eight years. I don’t know what I’ll do when he can’t get them for us anymore. Glancing over at my daughter, I grin.
“Happiness looks good on you, Belle.”
She smiles brightly. “It does, doesn’t it? I’m glad I don’t have to sneak around anymore. Glad that the bullet didn’t take him away from me before we could show you all our happiness, and most of all I’m just happy I can hold his hand in public now.”
“Life is short, I’m excited for the two of you, excited about where it’s going to go in the future.”
“Me too, Mom, because I can’t see myself with anyone besides him. It’s weird, I wasn’t looking the day that guy came into the clinic with the gun. It wasn’t even on my radar, but Ransom came in ready to save me.”
I think of Ryan, and he’s always saved me. “He ran to danger, not away from it.”
“Exactly,” she agrees. “And I realized right then that it’s what I’ve always wanted. I never wanted the guy who did things because they were easy, because they were guaranteed. I want the guy who’ll show me passion, who’ll tell me he loves me. The one who call me at midnight because he misses me and wants me to come hang out with him and his dog.”
I don’t say it, but she wants her dad. That’s exactly everything Ryan was to me, when we started, but without the dog.
“I’m glad you found him.” I hug her tightly.
As the opening kickoff is about happen, I hear her answer.
“I am too, Mom, I am too.”
Chapter 33
Ransom
“Thanks for picking me up,” I tell Cutter as I get into his truck weeks later. It’s been a lot of the same old, same old between Stelle and I. She’s attending school during the day, taking care of me at night, while I’m rehabbing my shoulder and preparing to go back on duty. I’m still not cleared to drive, so today Cutter’s offered to pick me up and take me to what I hope is my last doctor’s appointment.
“Not a problem, everyone else has had their turn. Now it’s time for mine.”
“You know if I could drive myself, I would.” I flick at his arm.
He pulls from within my reach and then hands me a coffee. “This is for you, although if you’re gonna be a dick, you’re not getting it.”
“I’m always a dick to you, we’re brothers,” I joke with him. “And we’ve got a couple hours ride ahead of us, so we might as well get the picking on each other out of the way right now.”
“You know this has kind of always been a dream of mine. You always took care of me as a kid, this time I get to take care of you,” he says as we get onto the interstate, heading toward Birmingham.
“I didn’t do too good of a job the last year, huh?” I speak about the elephant in the room between us. Cutter had a full ride to the University of Alabama on a football scholarship. He lost the scholarship over some stupid shit he did, and since he came back, I’ve pulled away from him. Partly because I’m disappointed, partly because I don’t know how to help.
“No, I get it.” He rubs the beard he’s grown on his jaw. “The only people who really wanted to be around me were Mom and Dad, and I’m half convinced it’s because they felt like they had to. I fucked everything up myself, and I have to take responsibility for that.”
“Do you want to tell me what exactly happened?” Because I still don’t know. I got all my info second hand and from a few articles on the internet.
“I’m not proud of it.” He checks his blind spot as we switch lanes. “And it’s not something I care to relive all the time, I’m still not prepared to talk about it. When I say I fucked up, bro, I fucked up. In ways that have made me ashamed of myself, but I’m working hard to fix shit. I’m going back to school.” His voice is quiet as he says the last few words.
“What?” I’m surprised because after he’d lost his scholarship, he hadn’t wanted school to even be mentioned in his presence.
“Not a traditional university.” He takes a drink from his coffee cup. “I wanna be an EMT and join LSERT. I think we can all agree I’m not cut out to be a cop, I’m not the same type of guy as you and Dad are, but I want to do my part. I’ve done a few ride-alongs with Caleb’s friend, Morgan, and I like what I’ve seen. I’m never gonna know until I try, but what I do know is I’m not cut out for The Café long term. It’s not my dream, not where I wanna spend my time.”
“Me neither, brother. Poor mom.” I laugh as we give each other a look.
“Her and Dad will figure it out.” He sounds surer than I am. “Especially after he fully retires from the force. They’re best friends, I mean they’ll love all that togetherness shit. I can’t imagine sleeping with the same woman every night for the rest of my life right now.”
“You’ll be surprised when your mind is changed,” I warn him, stretching my legs out in front of me.
“You’re talking about Stella, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine going through all of this without her. Can’t even fathom what it would be like to sleep by myself anymore. Rambo loves her, I love her. It’s more than I ever imagined it could be, and it wasn’t like this big plan in life I really had. I liked her from far away and thought about her all the time, but I never thought she’d look at me the same way. It felt like it took forever, but I wouldn’t change a damn thing about it.”
We’re quiet for a few minutes, before Cutter surprises me. “You gonna marry her?”
At one point in my life someone asking me that question would have freaked me the hell out. I’ve never been the type of guy who has my whole life planned out. All I’ve ever really cared about is making the PD, making my family proud, and having a good time while I’m at it. Stelle turned my entire life around. A smile spreads across my face as I think about her wearing my ring, taking my last name, living in my home permanently, becoming the mother to my children.
“Yeah, I’m gonna marry her one day. Probably not anytime soon because she’s got dreams, and I don’t want her to ever think I don’t value her dreams. But when the time is right? I’m gonna do it all with her, Cutter. Every fucking thing there is to think of.”
And I know without a doubt, those words are the truest I’ve ever spoken.
I’m nervous as I wait for the doctor to come back with the results of the X-rays they took. I’m not used to being laid up and not helping my guys on the force. The past few weeks have been a test of not only my patience, but everyone around me as well.
Cutter sits next to me, both of us bouncing our feet on the ground.
“Thank God Mom’s not here.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “She’d be all, ‘Would you stop bouncing that damn leg of yours? Both of you take after your dad, there’s nothing to be nervous about.’”
I laugh as his voice goes high-pitched imitating our mother perfectly. We’ve both heard it so much in our lives, it’s not hard fall back on making fun of her when we’re nervous. We look at each other, both laughing until we hear a knock at the door.
“Everything good in here?” The door opens and in walks the woman who fixed my arm.
“Great, Dr. Simmons, I hope you’re going to give me even better news?” I give her my best smile, crossing my fingers.
She has a seat across from us.
“I am, I’m going to give you the news you hope I’ll give you. It looks like everything has healed up nicely. You’ll need to do a couple rounds of PT, but nothing that’s going to keep you from going back to work. You’re cleared to resume all normal activities, including working out. I want you to listen to your body though. If it hurts, stop. Some things will feel uncomfortable.”
“Got it.” I’m already up and out of my chair. “I’m so ready to get back to work and back to my life, you have no idea.”
“I think I have some,” she says dryly as she watches Cutter and I high-five. “So you can take off that sling, and if you stop at the main desk, they’ll give you a release for work. If you have any questions, you’re more than welcome to call the office, but I don’t think you’re going to have any issues. You’re young and you know your limitations. Try to stay safe out there on the street.” She shakes my hand, giving me a pat on the back.
“That I definitely will, Dr. Simmons. Thank you for all your help.”
As we leave I’m more excited about going back to work than I ever thought I would be.
Chapter 34
Stella
“Rambo, stop it!” I laugh as he grabs at his tug toy. I’m not trying to play with him, I’m trying to clean up the living room.
Since I started school full-time things have been a little on the crazy side. Unofficially I’ve moved in with Ransom, and Kelsea’s okay with that. We still see each other at work. She’s spending more time doing things independently and I have a feeling it’s driving Nick crazy, but he hasn’t said anything to me yet. I’m waiting, I’m not sure how long I’ll be waiting for, but I know at some point my brother’s going to get his head out of his ass.
Because Ransom’s been hurt and hasn’t really been able to clean much, and I’ve been doing homework more than I care to admit, this house has become a mess. Today I had two classes, no homework, and I wasn’t scheduled for the clinic. Pretty quickly I decided I was going to clean this place up. Only Rambo is making it hard as hell.
“Dude.” I give him a stern look. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better and that you’ve been cleared to return to work, but I need you to not be in my way. We want to clean up for your dad.” If there’s one word Rambo constantly responds to, it’s Dad, and I pull it out whenever I need to.
Immediately he runs to the chair that Ransom typically sits in, hops up, and has a seat himself. “Yeah, you stay there, and then when I’m done, we can go to the dog park. Sound good?”
He barks his approval, and since I have him preoccupied, I get to work.
A couple hours later, Ransom has texted me to say he’s on his way back to Laurel Springs right as Rambo and I pull into the dog park.
S: I hope things went well.
R: We’ll talk about it when I get home.
S: Sounds good! I’ve got Rambo at the dog park. We’re gonna spend some time here and then head home. We should beat you unless Cutter drives like a bat out of hell.
R: See you later, babe. Love you.
Every time he says those words to me, a warmth I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel expands in my stomach and I know exactly how lucky I am to have this man’s love.
S: Love you too!
“C’mon, Rambo. You ready?”
He barks his approval as I let him loose in the park, throwing his ball with a launcher. We do the same routine two, and then three times before I hear a vehicle door shut. Turning to see who’s joined us, I wave at my brother, who walks over to where we are.
He’s dressed in uniform today, but his face looks tired. As he approaches, he holds his hand out for the launcher. When Rambo runs the ball back to him, he puts it in the launcher, grunting as he throws it hard.
“You okay?” I ask him carefully. Nick’s never really been one to offer information when something is bothering him, but anyone looking at him can tell he’s bothered.
“Things are fucked up, Belle.”
“Aren’t they always?”
His voice is wrecked. “Not like this. She’s never gonna speak to me again.” He reaches down to touch Rambo’s head.
Rambo has always been able to tell when people need a little extra love, and I think he knows Nick does, because he drops the ball, but then he extends on his hind legs, almost wrapping his legs around Nick. When Nick bends, Rambo licks his neck and face, whining and wagging his tail. “Thanks, bub.” He ruffles Rambo’s head before launching the ball again.
“I assume she is Kels?”
“Yeah.”
“Tell me, whatever it is, it can’t be as bad as you think.”
He’s quiet for a long time. “Like how many times does she have to offer herself to me? How many times does she have to tell me I set the pace, and that she won’t pressure me for anything, until she gets sick of it? At what point am I the problem?”
“I don’t mean this in a bad way,” I start slowly, “but when it comes to you and Kels, you’re always the problem.”
“Fuck Stelle, seriously?”
“I’m not here to make you feel better. If you needed that, then you shoulda gone to Mom. What I’m here to do is make you better, period, Nick. She will have enough, at some point she will. You can’t keep stringing her on like this.”
His feelings are heavy, I can feel them between us. “And if I let her go, will she come back?”
“That’s not fair, Nick. I love you, you’re my brother, and she’s my best friend. I’ll tell her the same thing. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. When you love someone you love all parts of them, even the scary ones.”
Nick’s tortured gaze meets mine. “Ransom’s scary is nowhere near mine.”
“You don’t have the monopoly on scary things. I’ve never had to watch you in a hospital bed, wounded from someone who doesn’t give a shit. That’s scary in its own way. You want Kels? You go for her. If you can’t see past the shit you’re doing to her? Leave her alone, Nick. You make up your mind a year from now you want her, that you don’t care about putting your heart on the line? Then you woo the fuck outta her. Until then, leave her alone.”
“I’m not good enough for her,” he argues.
“You’re not good enough for you, and that’s the problem.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
R: About forty-five minutes out. Can’t wait to see you!
“While I’d love to sit here and tell you more shit you aren’t going to believe, my boyfriend is on his way home.”
I yell to Rambo, getting his attention, and get him packed up to head home. Nick, no matter how upset he is, or how mad I am, is always the gentleman, always the protector. He waits while I get all my stuff settled and opens the driver’s side door.
“Be safe, Belle.”
There are a lot of things I want to say to him, but I keep most of them to myself, instead I tell him what I think he needs to hear. “Be kind to yourself, Nick. You deserve it.”
I kiss his cheek before I get into Ransom’s truck and drive away. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I do know nothing good will happen to him until he can let go of his past.
My past? It’s my future, because the man I love is on his way home to me. Hopefully healed, and hopefully ready for a hot night with the woman in his life. That’s me. Totally me, I snicker at my thoughts.
Glancing in the rearview, I see my reflection for what almost feels like the first time. No matter how tired I am, how crazy life is, I have a smile on my face.
“Love looks good on you, Stella,” I tell that reflection, not ever wanting to forget this moment.
Chapter 35
Ransom
My truck is in the driveway as Cutter pulls in to drop me off. “Do you need help getting inside?” He gives me a smartass grin.
“Fuck no. See you later. Don’t bother texting, don’t come over. I’m busy, I got plans,” I tell him as I hop out of his truck.
“Plans for work? Since you know, that’s what you were cleared for,” he tease
s me.
“Thanks for the ride.” I slam the door harder than I need to. He’s still talking, but I’m pretending like I can’t hear him.
Entering my house, I listen to see if I can tell where Stelle is. Rambo is laying on the couch, snoozing away, probably from when she took him to the dog park. As I step on a spot in the floor that creaks, he does raise his head, but I put my finger in front of my lips, shushing him.
Walking back to the bedroom, I hear the shower shut off. “Whatever you do, Stelle, don’t you dare put clothes on.”
She comes out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel. “You were cleared?” Her smile is huge, her eyes bright.
“I was cleared, just gotta take it easy if I have any discomfort. What I can for sure tell you right now is the only discomfort I have isn’t in my shoulder.”
Her eyes travel from my sling-free shoulder, down to the bulge in front of my zipper.
“How funny is this?” she questions as she struts toward me. “A few months ago, I was the one telling you you’d have to make a move on me, because I’d made all of them so far. Now look at you, all alpha and hot as hell.”
“Got pretty confident quick where you’re concerned.” I slip my finger into the knot of her towel.
“What are you doing?” she asks as I pull slowly on the material of the towel, helping it slip down her body.
“I think you know, babe.”
Judging by the way her chest is pushing up and down thanks to her increased breathing, she does know where this is headed, and she wants it as bad as I do.
“We were having a conversation about how our roles have changed.” She gives me a half-hearted protest.
My gaze moves down her torso, until I step closer, taking both her wrists in one of mine. When I pull them up and over her head, her nipples pull tightly against her skin. I’m sure she can feel the heat of my eyes on them. They lift as I watch, before I turn us around, sitting her down on our bed.
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