Don't Say Goodbye (Taphouse Blues Book 2)

by Heather Lyn

  “I plan on spending the day with this beautiful girl I like a hell of a lot. Sound okay to you?” Garret strides forward and loops his arms around my waist, fingers playing with the hem of my shirt.

  “Yeah. Let me go get changed, okay?”

  “Not going anywhere, Nacole.”

  Leaving him in the kitchen, I go back into my bathroom to blow-dry my hair. The whole time, I keep replaying his words over and over again. "Not going anywhere, Nacole."

  Yeah, I’m starting to grasp that concept, Walker. And if it’s okay with you, I don’t want you to go anywhere. I like you right next to me.

  Shit. I’m starting to fall for Garret Walker.

  Well that’s a wrench in my “go slowly” plans.

  Shutting off my hair dryer, I fluff my hair up a little and change into a pair of jeans and a light sweater. It’s late summer, but the weather is cooler today, which I kind of enjoy.

  Stepping out of my bedroom, I find Garret waiting for me in the living room, kicked back on my sofa.

  “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah.”

  Grabbing my purse off the couch, I swing it over my shoulder and walk to the front door, pulling it open. Garret holds it for me and I step out, the morning crisp and sunny.

  “Do you want me to drive?” he asks, stepping down from the porch behind me.

  “No, I want to. Do you mind?”

  Garret shakes his head and follows me over to my car. Unlocking the doors, I toss my purse onto the back seat and find him standing next to me, holding my door open. Shaking my head, I climb in and watch him go around the hood, dropping into the passenger side a second later.

  “I’m telling you. Book boyfriend material right there.”

  “Whatever you say, babe. So tell me something. I’m dying to know. What else does a book boyfriend have?”

  Biting down on my bottom lip, I grin at how serious he’s taking this.

  “Well, they’re usually really tall. Muscles galore. A master in the bedroom….” I avoid eye contact when he turns to face me with a huge grin on his face.

  “Bedroom master, huh? I could get behind that.”

  “Oh my God, Garret.”

  “Shall I throw you down on the bed and then invade your personal space with my—"

  “Garret!”

  Roaring with laughter, he slaps his knee at his own joke, and I shake my head at this lunatic in the seat next to me. “You are insane,” I tell him.

  “Hey, you’re the one who reads that shit.”

  “For the record, what I read is romance. And it’s beautiful. Corny at times, yes, but nothing is more beautiful than the idea that someone would do anything to protect the woman he loved. Making her feel as if she’s the most beautiful person in the world—hell, as if she’s the only person in his world.”

  His eyes are trained on me and I force myself to stop, knowing I’m no longer talking about books. I’m talking about how I wish I could feel. That everything I went through over the last seven years could just be erased, that none of it happened.

  It can’t, of course. But sitting here in my car, watching Garret laugh over things that Graham never would have, I realize maybe my own world is sitting in the passenger seat of my vehicle, ready to run to the ends of the world for me.

  Just maybe.

  §

  “Are you gonna tell me what we’re doing tonight?” Garret winks at me while we stroll hand in hand through downtown. We just left this small mom-and-pop joint to grab a late lunch, then got ice cream after.

  “Nope. Not yet.”

  “Okay, wise guy,” Garret jokes, taking a lick of his ice cream cone.

  “Tell me about yourself,” I say, gripping his hand tight.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything.” And I mean it. I could listen to him talk for hours about nothing and I would still fall under his spell. One he seems to have no idea he has.

  “Well let’s see. I’m taking the detective’s exam in a month,” he tells me, and I stop dead in my tracks, looking up at him. “What?” he questions.

  “You didn’t tell me that!” I exclaim, a huge grin breaking out on my face.

  “It’s no big deal,” Garret says with a shrug.

  “Are you serious right now? That is a huge deal.”

  “Just the next step in my career. I’ve been thinking about it an awful lot lately, and when the offer presented itself, I jumped. I love my job, and having Jace as a partner is awesome, but I’m ready for more, you know what I mean?”

  “Yeah,” I tell him, my eyes trailing him up and down. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  “Being a beat cop is tough shit, and I’ve seen a lot of things I wish I could erase from my memory. It’s hard, and I won’t lie to you, Nacole, being with me isn’t going to be easy. Especially if I make detective. Long, crazy shifts, no downtime. So I want you to know that now. I think it’s the main reason I’ve never settled down or had a real, honest-to-God, more-than-sex relationship.”

  Garret steers us toward a small park area with benches all around us. He brings us to the closest one and we sit down, his arm slung over the back of it.

  “People think I’m this tough-as-nails badass, and I guess maybe I am, but only when I’m at work. Being a cop has just hardened me to the sadness of the world.”

  “I’m sorry you go through that.” I squeeze his hand and lean my head on his shoulder. “But I’m proud of you, Garret. You’ve only been in my life a couple of months, but they’ve been some of the best months of my life, especially since losing Mom. I can never thank you enough for getting me through this week.”

  “No thanks necessary. Like I said, I’m always here for you.”

  “I know.” Finishing my ice cream, I settle myself more comfortably next to him, and his rough hand moves to rest on my thigh, his thumb rubbing gently. It causes me to shiver, and assuming I’m cold, he pulls me closer.

  “Like, take this case we had the other day. Got a call to some run-down apartment building. Domestic disturbance. We figured it would be a typical college student fight, and we’d show up and tell them to knock it off. No, what we found was a man strangling his girlfriend after he’d beaten the holy hell out of her. I wanted to kick his fucking teeth in.”

  My body stiffens with each word he speaks, but he doesn’t seem to notice and continues.

  “So I sit her down on the couch to get her statement, and all she could say was that she didn’t know why she made him so angry. And all I could think was she had no reason to be asking why. She should've been telling him to fuck off. No excuse for putting your hands on a woman. No matter what.”

  I nod and force the tears back. This genuinely sweet man is talking about a case at work, but I can’t help wondering if he would've been that way with me if I’d called the cops on Graham. If a man like Garret had come rushing in, would I have let him help me?

  “But nothing is worse than my first month on the job. Almost beat me. You think you watch shows like Law and Order or Criminal Minds and be prepared. You’re a young twenty-one-year-old, fresh out of the academy, and you can take on this world. Then you answer a 911 call where a three-year-old child has been killed, and at the hands of his own father no less, and your perspective on the world changes.”

  “Oh my God,” I breathe. A few tears break free, and I do nothing to hide them.

  Garret wipes them away with his thumb, a look of sadness crossing his face.

  “Yeah. Twenty-one and I went home to my mom that night and cried. Like a fucking baby. But then I got up the next day and did my job, and I found that it got better. I got over it. But to this day, I still have a picture in my mind of that little boy, and it’ll never go away. That’s the reason I want to make detective, because I want to do more than answer 911 calls. I want to be the one who helps put the bastards of the world away. Make it safer so one day when I have children, they’ll be safe to live in this world.”

  We sit in silence for sever
al minutes, my hair blowing around in the breeze. I haven’t lifted my head from his shoulder this whole time, and he turns to kiss my forehead.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to unload a ton of shit on you.”

  “It’s okay. I like listening to you.”

  “Tell Jace that, would you?”

  I laugh and he stands from the bench, holding his hand out to me.

  “Garret?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you like Luke Bryan?” I ask, unzipping my purse.

  “Love his music.”

  “Good. 'Cause I got us tickets to his show in a few hours.”

  Garret hooks his thumbs into his belt loops and shakes his head at me, a wry grin on his face. “Woman, what the hell am I gonna do with you?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I tease, hopping off the bench. He swoops me into his arms and I laugh, cupping his stubbled cheek.

  “I would, actually. We’ve been dancing around each other for two months, spending every waking moment talking. And the second we’re together, the spark ignites. So yes, the second I get to drag you into a bed with me, I don’t plan on us leaving unless it’s in a wheelchair.”

  My stomach clenches at his words, and he must know he got me when he winks.

  “Trust me, Garret, it’s starting to sound better every day. You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I have an idea, sweetheart. My dick has seen more of my hand in the last couple months than when I was fifteen. He’s bored with the one-man show.”

  “So sorry to hear that,” I reply, sticking my tongue out at him.

  “You won’t be sorry when he’s making you arch off the bed and yell my name.”

  “Holy—"

  Garret cuts me off with a fierce kiss, his lips turning me into a panting, crazy mess. Gentling the kiss, he pulls away and cups my cheeks, his harsh breathing fanning my face.

  “You’re making me crazy. You said you weren’t ready to be with me, and I respect that. But fuck, do I want you.”

  “What do you want?” I whisper, biting my bottom lip.

  His thumb pulls it free from my teeth and rubs back and forth over it.

  “I want everything.”

  And for a minute, it’s like we’re in our own little bubble. Nobody around us. We’re the only two people in the world.

  I’ve felt the connection since I saw him in the bar. I've fought it every day, but I don’t want to anymore. I deserve more than my past, and I’m moving forward. And I’m doing it with Garret by my side.

  Now I just have to tell him about it and hope he’s still next to me at the end.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Garret

  Well it’s official.

  I, Garret Walker, have officially lost my mind. And it’s that tiny brunette who has me wrapped around her finger. The concert last week was kick-ass, and I’m so glad she surprised me with tickets. She knows I’m a sucker for a country music concert, and she used it to her advantage.

  Nacole is easily the kindest person I have ever met, and every day she blows me away. I took her out to dinner a couple nights after the concert, and after we paid, she noticed a couple across from us with a newborn baby crying. Clearly they were embarrassed and wanted to get out of there, so on our way out, she grabbed the waiter and paid for their meal.

  I have no idea how I got lucky enough to meet her, but I did, and I’m sure as hell not letting go any time soon. The time we spend together has become some of the most incredible moments of my life so far. I’m falling for her, and I just hope to God she is too. I convinced her to come spend a couple days at my place with me, and now I’m only one work shift away from forty-eight hours with my girl. I’m going to romance her ass off.

  Yes, I’m charming her. I fucking need her. I won’t push her though, and I’ll be more than happy to just watch movies and eat takeout and listen to her laugh. But if I have any say in it, I’ll finally be claiming her as mine. No more screwing around.

  The driver door opening breaks my thoughts, and Jace climbs inside the squad car, offering me a coffee. I accept it gratefully and take a swig, a sickly sweet taste hitting my taste buds.

  “Dude,” I groan, my mouth turning down at the nasty shit he just gave me. “The fuck is this?”

  “That is a pumpkin spice latte, and it tastes like Christmas in a cup.”

  “Okay, three things,” I say, setting the cup in the cup holder. “Christmas doesn’t taste like anything, because it’s not fucking food. Second, it’s August, Jace. Stop it. And third, don’t make me drink the satanic piss of a pumpkin ever again. I’ll fucking handcuff you to the trunk of the squad car and throw pumpkin ass lattes at your head.”

  “Kinky, man.”

  “Fuck off. I’ll be right back, and that monstrosity better be gone.”

  Climbing out of the car, I head into Starbucks myself, cursing the existence of my best friend. How in the hell he can drink that shit, I’ll never know.

  Swinging the door open, I step inside and head over to the counter.

  “What can I get you today?” the young woman asks.

  “The opposite of the crap my partner just brought out to me,” I grumble, tossing a five onto the counter. “I’ll take a black, tall.”

  It takes her hardly any time to hand it over, and I grab it, telling her to keep the change. Walking back out to the squad care, I climb inside and take a sip of my drink.

  “Happy, sunshine?” he retorts, making a scene of drinking both coffees.

  “No thanks to your pumpkin-loving ass,” I joke, smacking him in the back of the head.

  He goes to give me shit back when the radio crackles to life with a call.

  “Squad twenty-three on it,” I respond, and we pull into the flow of traffic, sirens and lights blaring.

  The call we arrive to five minutes later is the usual he-said/she-said bullshit of neighbors who don’t like each other. After telling them to go back inside or we’d drag their asses to the station, they shut the hell up and went their separate ways.

  The first half of the shift is much of the same, and I soon find myself staring at the clock on the dash, praying time would go faster. At this point, it’s not even because of Nacole, it’s because the shift sucks.

  Not soon enough, it’s time to head back to the station to do paperwork, and I couldn’t be happier. As we make our way back, my phone buzzes with a text.

  Nacole: Do you need me to bring anything tonight?

  Garret: Just you.

  Nacole: Okay then. But be prepared, I’m not all that exciting on my own.

  Garret: Trust me, you are.

  Nacole: Do you have condoms?

  Choking, I spray water everywhere and cough loudly, trying to get a hold of myself. Jace looks over my shoulder and sees the text mid-cough, and he laughs at me.

  Garret: We’re covered, don’t worry.

  Nacole: I figured, just keeping you on your toes. Have a good rest of your shift.

  Garret: See you tonight.

  Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I look up to see a shit-eating grin on Jace's face. Scoffing, I don’t even bother asking him what it’s for.

  “Damn, love looks good on you, man. Not gonna lie.”

  “What are you going on about?” I ask, turning to look at him as he parks the cruiser.

  “Makes you way less cranky, unless you haven’t had your pumpkin spice latte.” Climbing from the car, he slams the door shut and I hurry out after him.

  “Don’t you insult me by talking about that swill,” I groan, and he laughs harder.

  “Dude, chill. But for real, I’m happy for you, brother.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  Jace jogs inside and I stroll in after him, shaking my head at my dumbass partner. I head toward my desk, but I’m stopped when someone grabs my arm.

  “Officer Walker?”

  Turning around, I find a young woman with zero makeup, her hair up in a ponytail, and a small smile on her face.

  Holy crap
.

  “Alison?” I ask, and she nods at me.

  “Yeah. I was hoping you were here.”

  “Just got back. Everything okay?”

  “Was wondering if you had a minute?”

  I gesture toward the bullpen and walk her over to my desk. She sits in the chair in front of it and I sit across from her, leaning my forearms on my desk and holding her stare.

  “I just wanted to thank you,” she says, and I raise an eyebrow.

  “For what?”

  “Being so kind that day Lance was arrested. I wasn’t in a good place, and you and your partner saved my life.”

  “Just doing my job,” I state, leaning back in my chair.

  “No, you guys saved my life. I don’t think he was gonna stop that day, and it’s because of you guys giving me a chance at a better life that I decided to legally press charges. He’s still being held on a hefty bond he can’t pay.”

  “Coward deserves it.”

  “I moved back in with my parents. My dad flipped his lid, but they’re supportive. I joined a support group, and I’m doing okay.”

  I smile at her, taking in just how different she is from only a few weeks ago. Alison looks happy and healthy, and the only evidence of that day is a very faint bruise near her jaw. It makes me incredibly happy.

  “I’m so happy for you, Alison.”

  “Thank you, Officer.”

  “Garret, please.”

  “Garret. Is your partner around too? I wanted to thank him as well.”

  “Yeah, Jace should be here somewhere. Let’s go find him.” I stand to get him when she hugs me again, and this time I hug her back. Not every call ends with a happy tone, and I’m glad to see this one did. When Jace and I went to visit her in the hospital, she told us she was twenty and had only been dating the guy about six months, so I’m glad she got out of that situation. She’s way too young to have that much pain in her life.

  Jace is over near the vending machines. When he turns around, his reaction is much like mine—shock and happiness. Jace being the kind of guy he is, he leans down and sweeps her into a bear hug, her feet dangling a few inches from the ground. When she leaves the station ten minutes later, her step looks bouncy and we both stand there watching her go.