Don't Say Goodbye (Taphouse Blues Book 2)

by Heather Lyn

  Switching off the light, I step from the bathroom into Garret’s bedroom and head for where I left my sandals. Slipping them on my feet, I look up to see him watching me from the doorway.

  “What?” I ask, tucking my hair behind my ear.

  “You look stunning, Sades.”

  I glance down at my outfit: jean shorts and a hunter-green tank top. Entirely basic.

  “Thanks.” I blush.

  Coming into the bedroom, he kisses my cheek and goes into the bathroom. He comes out a minute later, putting his watch on, and the scent of his cologne washes over me.

  “Ready to roll?”

  I nod and reach for the sweatshirt I left lying on his bed, folding it over my arm. We head downstairs and out to his truck, Garret locking the door behind him. I offered to drive tonight so he could drink with his buddies, so he holds the driver door open for me and we take off, the latest Keith Urban single blasting through the stereo.

  Since I’ve been to Hunter and Carmen’s before, the drive is easy and in no time, we’re turning into the driveway, a bunch of other vehicles out front. Parking next to a large Ford, I shut the engine off and fiddle with my keys in my lap.

  “Everything okay?” Garret asks, turning toward me, reaching out to calm my hands.

  “I’m just realizing this is the first time I’ll see your friends since that barbeque Brody had. They met Nacole, not Sadie. What am I supposed to say to them?”

  Understanding dawns on Garret’s face, and his thumb runs circles on the back of my hand. “Yeah, I had a feeling you’d be worried about that. I called Brody this morning, asked him to make sure everyone knew, but not to get into it with them. It’s nobody’s business unless you want them to know the details, okay?”

  “Thank you, Garret.”

  “Hey, you’re my girl. It’s my job to take care of you.”

  Kissing his cheek, I climb out of the car and grab my sweatshirt from the back seat. Taking my hand in his, Garret walks us to the front door, ringing the doorbell when we reach it.

  Carmen swings the door open a moment later with a huge smile followed by the tightest hug I’ve ever received. “I’m so glad you came, girl. Garret, thank you for coming too.” She reaches up to hug Garret and he pats her back, still holding tightly to my hand.

  Yeah, that boyfriend of mine is one protective man. And I wouldn’t change a thing about him. I’ve never felt so loved or wanted in my entire life.

  Carmen ushers us inside and brings us out to the backyard where a large crowd of people are hanging out. I notice Brody and Lindsey, and the other couple I met, Kennedy and Grayson, but there are others here I don’t know.

  Garret squeezes my hand and looks down to wink at me. Bringing us over to Brody, he hugs his brother and Lindsey embraces me, whispering in my ear how proud she and Brody are of me. My cheeks heat at her words, and then Carmen drags us over to the people I don’t know.

  She gestures to a really tall guy with blue eyes and a backward baseball cap, and he gives her a side hug. “Sadie, this is my older brother, Noah, and his wife, Aubrey. Guys, this is Garret’s girl, Sadie.”

  “Hey, so nice to finally meet you.” Noah shakes my hand and Aubrey does the same, the petite blonde absolutely stunning. Carmen then grabs the other two men standing nearby. “And this is Aubrey’s brother, Landon, and his husband, Chase. Noah and Chase are firefighters at the same station as Hunt and Gray.”

  Landon waves and smiles at me, but Chase steps forward and gives me a bear hug. Laughing, I brush my hair off my face, giving a small wave back at Landon.

  “It’s nice to meet you all.”

  Garret shakes hands with the guys, obviously knowing them all, and then he’s right back by my side. Brody comes over to the group and smacks Garret on the shoulder, offering him a beer. Garret takes it, and I notice he’s still holding my hand.

  Is it normal to swoon over your own boyfriend?

  Carmen hands me a bottled water and then drags me away from Garret to the other women, creating our own group. I give Garret a sympathetic glace and he feigns being sad. I roll my eyes and turn back to the girls.

  “Okay, so you have to give us the scoop.” Kennedy says, taking a sip of her red wine.

  “Scoop on what?” I ask, twisting the cap on my water.

  “Girl, Aubrey and I have known this crew the longest—most of them, anyway—and Garret has always been the dark horse. No girlfriend, nothing. And your ass hooked him. Hard core. He can’t stop looking over here to see you. So, we need all the details.”

  “I don’t know. There’s not much to tell, really. He’s just amazing. I know that seems vague, but it’s true. He’s incredible. He’s my own personal hero. And he hasn’t done anything but make me fall in love with him.”

  A loud shout from behind me has us all turning, only to find Grayson horsing around with Garret. Gray has about three inches on Garret, so he easily pulls him to the ground, all the other guys hooting and hollering.

  “Oh, for crying out loud, Gray. Grow up,” Kennedy groans, and we all laugh.

  “What’s going on?” Carmen asks Hunter, and he flexes his muscles at her.

  “Mr. Tough Cop here thinks Gray isn’t getting in a good enough pump at the station gym, so he bet him that he couldn’t bench press him.”

  “What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Carmen laughs, shaking her head. Gray gets off the ground and tries to lift Garret, but instead he gets a knee to the balls, dropping with a loud shout.

  “Oh please, I barely knocked those babies. They’re so far up there’s no way I hurt you that bad.” Garret jokes, laughing when Gray kicks at him.

  Garret pulls himself off the ground, brushing his shirt off, but Brody grabs him around the neck, rubbing his fist on his head.

  “Brody, what the hell, man?”

  “Not so tough, are you, bro?”

  “Not when you’re trying to rub a hole in my skull, fucker. Get off.”

  But Brody doesn’t let up, and in seconds Garret fights against him, yelling loudly.

  “Pineapple! Pineapple, asshole!”

  Brody releases him and gives him a strange look. “What?”

  “Pineapple is my safe word. Now back off.”

  Covering my mouth with my hand, I start cracking up, Carmen dying next to me as well. Everyone is soon laughing along with us, and Garret just looks at everyone with a questioning glare.

  “What’s so funny?” he asks, looking over at Brody, who seems just as lost.

  “Dude, you just safe-worded your little brother. Didn’t know you guys rolled that way.” Hunter lets out a loud whoop and Garret starts laughing, realizing his mistake.

  “Fuck no, that’s nasty,” he replies, and Hunter just shrugs.

  “It’s cool, man. Carmen’s safe word is—"

  “Hunter!”

  Carmen is standing there with her hands on her hips, a murderous look in her eyes. Hunter pretends to lock his lips and she nods, laughing when Noah pretends to kill himself.

  “I have an idea,” I say, and everyone turns to look at me. “Siblings on opposite sides of the room. None of you can be trusted.”

  Brody laughs loudly and smacks Garret on the back. “I told you I liked this one, bro.”

  Garret strides over to me and gives me a fast kiss, his smile wide and infectious.

  The rest of the evening is filled with laughter and antics from the guys. I spend it with the girls, talking about anything and everything. I finally give in and tell them a bit about me and Garret, and by the end of the evening, I know I've found my place.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Garret

  Stepping into the precinct, I find Jace at my desk, pacing in circles. He looks up and when he notices me, a huge smile breaks out on his face.

  “Dude, where have you been?”

  I check my watch and raise my eyebrows. “Well, I was due on shift at 9:00 a.m. and it’s 9:02 a.m., so I'm walking inside?”

  “Chief left a letter on your desk
about ten minutes ago.”

  “Okay?”

  “Dude. A letter?” Jace is staring at me like I have seven heads.

  I toss my bag onto my chair, reaching for the envelope sitting on my desk. I still have no idea what his issue is, so I rip the letter open and hold it up. It takes me thirty seconds to read it, but I have to keep rereading it until it sinks in.

  “So? What is it, man?”

  “I passed.”

  Jace gives me all of .2 seconds before he’s cheering loudly, pulling me into a hug huge. “Fuck yes!” he shouts, climbing onto my desk. “Excuse me, can I have everyone’s attention, please?”

  The other officers in the room all look his way, laughing at his crazy antics.

  “My partner and best friend of ten years passed the detective’s exam!”

  Everyone starts clapping and I shake my head at him, currently doing the floss on top of my desk.

  Dropping into my chair, I lean back and keep reading the words in the letter. I’m floored. Not that I didn’t think I had what it takes, but still. I fucking did it.

  Jace hops down and sits on top, looking at me with a smile. “I’m proud of you, Garret. You’ve worked your ass off, and I couldn’t be happier for you. You know we gotta celebrate, right?”

  “Yeah, we will. Definitely. You mind covering for me for a second?”

  “Yeah, man. Go call your girl. I got your back.”

  Slapping his arm, I duck out and walk down to the hallway near the bathrooms where it’s quiet. Taking my phone from my back pocket, I pull up Sadie’s number and hit FaceTime. It only rings for a few seconds and she answers, bare-faced and fucking beautiful.

  “Garret?”

  “Hey, babe. You got a sec?”

  “For you? Always. What’s up?”

  Leaning my back against the wall, I try to find the right words but I can’t, so I just blurt them out. “So when I came in, Jace was pacing like a caged animal waiting for me.”

  Her eyebrows rise. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I fucking passed, Sades. I did it.”

  Her brown eyes widen in shock, and she covers her mouth with her hand. “I knew you would. I’m so damn proud of you.”

  Jace said those words to me only a few minutes ago, but coming from her mouth, they make me feel even better. Making my girl proud is top of my priority list, always.

  “Thanks, baby.”

  Her eyes are teary and she laughs at herself. “I’m such a mess, and it’s not even my news. Hope you’re up for a serious celebration tonight.”

  “Yeah, you better be in bed when I get back this afternoon.”

  “Oh yes, with bells and whistles.”

  “Sadie Ward has a kinky side. Who knew?” I joke, and she bursts out laughing.

  “Yeah, I’m real dangerous. Listen, I was about to jump in the shower, but call me later if you get a chance, okay?”

  “You know it. Have a good day, Sades.”

  She blows me a kiss, and then the call ends. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her how much I love her, but I haven’t. I may be celebrating passing the exam, but I’m not saying "I love you" for the first time over a video chat.

  No, that’s not happening.

  §

  Finishing the last of my paperwork, I stretch back in my chair and look up to see Jace walking over in street clothes.

  “You almost done?”

  “Yeah, in another ten minutes or so. Why?”

  “Just wondering. You sure I can’t tempt you into going out for a drink?”

  I shake my head and toss my pen down. “Tomorrow night. I really just wanna get home to Sadie.”

  Jace chuckles and scrubs a hand down his face. “Can’t argue with that. Congrats again, buddy. Say hi to your girl for me.”

  Bumping my fist with his, he takes off and I get back to work.

  Twenty minutes later, I’m heading home. After hitting the buttons on my dash, the sound of ringing fills my Jeep, and a second later Sadie answers.

  “Hey, Garret.”

  “Hey, baby. I’m about ten minutes from my place. What time are you coming over tonight?”

  “Shit. Hold on a second.”

  A loud commotion in the background has me narrowing my eyes, and then she’s back on the line. “Hey, listen, I’m so sorry but Caroline called out and Brody needed me. I’m working till ten.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m sorry, Garret. I know you wanted to celebrate tonight, but I didn’t want to say no to your brother. Please don’t be angry with me.”

  “No, I’m not angry, babe. I understand. I’m disappointed, but it’s fine. Jace was gonna take me out to get a drink, but I turned him down. Maybe I’ll just go anyway.”

  “Well, why don’t you come here? I want to buy you a drink, okay?”

  I can’t let her down, so I agree and end the call, figuring I can get changed and go. It’s only just after five, so the bar shouldn’t be too packed, and then I can head out with Jace.

  Pulling into my driveway, I switch off the engine and send a quick text to Jace. He agrees to meet me at Walker’s, and I head inside to shower and change.

  Fifteen minutes later, I stroll out of my house. The drive to my brother’s bar doesn’t take too long, and soon enough I’m parking in the lot.

  Locking my Jeep, I head inside, spinning my baseball hat backward. I pull the door open and am immediately overcome by the loud cheers and shouts.

  “Congratulations!”

  Well I’ll be damned.

  Standing in front of me is everybody I love. My parents and Brody are next to the bar, and all my coworkers are there, Jace included. And off to the side is the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life. And fuck, does she look good. She’s clapping softly, and I don’t miss the sparkle in her eyes.

  Brody comes over to me first and gives me a hard hug, cupping the back of my head.

  “So fucking proud of you, bro.”

  “Thanks, Brody. What is all this?”

  “Sadie called me this morning, and we got it all thrown together.”

  I shake my head at him in disbelief, and then my mom comes swooping over to me, throwing her arms around my neck. “Hey, Momma.”

  “We couldn’t be prouder of you, sweetheart. Congratulations.”

  “Love y’all.”

  When I shake my dad’s hand, he looks off to the side and finds me still staring at my girl. “Go see that pretty thing of yours. She’s one hell of a lady.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Leaving my parents behind, I make my way toward Sadie. When I get a foot away, she rushes me and jumps into my arms. I catch her easily, hoisting her up so her legs go around my waist. Burying my face in her neck, I breathe her in and close my eyes.

  “Thank you,” I say quietly, and she pulls away, kissing me hard in front of everybody, earning a few whistles.

  “Of course. And for the record, I’ve had this planned since you told me about the test.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “I told Brody that when you found out, we were throwing you a surprise party, and he was hosting it, and he better like it.”

  “Sassy. I like this side of you. But how’d you know I’d pass?”

  “Oh please, Garret. I know you better than you think. I knew you would because you’re the best person I know and you’re incredibly smart. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

  Holding her tight with one arm, I cup her cheek with my other hand, forehead pressed to hers. “What the hell did I do to deserve someone like you?”

  “I ask myself the same thing every day.”

  Looking deep into her eyes, I lick my lips and then kiss her again. She tastes like home.

  “I love you, Sadie.”

  She doesn’t look shocked, and even though I see the tears shining in her eyes, I know they aren’t sad ones.

  “I love you too, Garret. So much.”

  Placing her down on her feet, it’s only then I
notice something different about her.

  “Hey, when’d you do this?” I ask, fingering her now much shorter hair. It’s just above her shoulders, and while it's different, it also looks good. More elegant, somehow.

  “I like it,” I say, and she laughs.

  “I did it to celebrate.”

  “You cut your hair because I passed the detective’s exam?”

  She shakes her head. “No, I did it because Graham was served the restraining order, and Mitchell said the divorce should be final in ninety days. He pulled some strings once he filed all the evidence of abuse.”

  “Fuck yeah,” I growl, pulling her mouth to mine, completely devouring her in front of all our friends and family. Her tongue pushes into my mouth and I groan, her hands banding around my waist.

  When I pull away, she looks up at me, flushed and breathless.

  “Get a room!” Brody yells, and everybody starts laughing, us included.

  Taking her hand, I bring her with me over to the bar and order a round of drinks for everybody. Sadie grabs a bottled water and winks at me, then blows me a kiss.

  Together, we all celebrate. Surrounded by the most important people in my life, my girl by my side, I know life couldn’t get any better.

  Or so I think.

  §

  Hours later, I step in the front door of my house, Sadie tangled in my arms. She followed me over here, and now I need to get her in my bed.

  Kicking the door shut behind us, I pick her up and her legs tighten around my waist, my hands clutching her ass. Stumbling up the stairs, I make it to my bedroom and toss her on the bed, her laughter filling the room. Toeing off my boots, I rip my shirt over my head and drag my pants down, falling onto the bed on top of her.

  My mouth attacks hers in an aggressive kiss, her breathing coming in quick pants. Nipping her bottom lip, I pull it between my teeth, causing a moan to break from her throat, her hips thrusting against mine. Leaning up on my knees, I yank her pants down while she pulls her shirt off. Beginning at the swell between her breasts, I work my way down, tongue swirling around her belly button.

  Sadie sits up and with her hand grips the hair on the back of my head. I slip her underwear off and spread her legs, running my tongue along the inside of her thigh. I spread her for me and my mouth waters, needing my taste now.