Well I know where he can shove it. That’s for sure.
If it weren’t for Brooklyn I wouldn’t even go back over there until he started acting right. If he starts acting right.
But that little girl is so perfect and we’re so close now that I’d do anything for her, even if that meant feeling like I’m humiliating myself.
And is that exactly what I’m doing? Making a fool out of myself? Getting played like a fiddle by an older guy?
I don’t want to think that at all, but right now I’m not so sure.
I’m not sure of much actually.
And if that’s going to change anytime soon then it’s going to be Carter who takes the action to make it happen, especially since he’s the one who made everything fall apart.
He’s given me doubt now. Let’s see if he can give me assurances.
And not just words. Actions.
That is if he really wants to be with me anymore.
CHAPTER 18
Carter
“You got Brooklyn?” I ask Christina who’s holding her on the couch in my living room.
“I’ve got her. Now go get your girl.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
I shove the front door open and march over to Steven’s house. It wasn’t thirty minutes ago that I called Christina and told her what’s been going on and she drove right over.
And now I’m going over to Steven’s house to tell him to.
I don’t care what he thinks. All I care about is what I did earlier today and making it right.
Do I respect my friend? Yes.
Do I want to remain friends? Absolutely.
Is it the most important thing to me in the world? Not a chance.
She is and it’s time to get back to acting like it.
I pound on the door with the side of my fist.
“Coming. Hold your horses,” comes from the living room.
“I’m not holding back anything,” I mumble under my breath.
“Carter. You look like a man possessed.”
“I am. We need to talk.”
“Everything okay?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Woah buddy. What’s gotten into you?”
“Steven you’ve been my friend for a long time but you haven’t been acting like it lately.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hiding out beside my house. Dropping by unannounced for fake reasons you care nothing about. I know what you’re up to.”
“What I’m up to? What in the hell are you up to?”
“Exactly what you think I’m up to. I’m in love with your daughter.”
“Well, you son of a bitch!”
Steven’s hands shoot toward me and just as he makes contact with my chest I grab his wrists sending us both flying off the steps.
And then all hell breaks loose.
“I’m gonna kill you,” he yells.
He’s on top but not for long.
“You’re not in control here. I am,” I say.
I get my legs wrapped around him and flip him up and over my head, landing right on top of him. Am I ever glad for that Krav Maga and judo training at the station we conducted last month.
He tries to punch up at me but he can’t get anything, with me holding his shoulders on the ground.
“You respect us and let us be or I don’t let you up.”
“You don’t have to let up, because I’m gonna get up myself and when I do I’m gonna kick your ass.”
Steven tries for a leg lock before coming around with an elbow that catches me squarely in the jaw.
I’m temporarily stunned, but I’m not letting him up. Not until he gives up and I’m not just talking about this scuffle. I’m talking about gives up his sneaking around so Alyssa and I can go about our lives in peace.
“You’re not kicking anything. I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but I didn’t have a lot of choices. I was gonna ask her to meet her father the day I ran into you, but things just snowballed too quickly.”
“Don’t rub it in my face.”
Steven gets his hip rotated and gets my body leaning. I lean into him and wrap my arms up and underneath his armpits in some sort of messed up wrestling hold.
“Get off me!” he yells.
“Not until you promise you’ll let us be.”
The porch lights in the neighborhood come on one right after the other and I can hear mumbles.
“The cops are coming!” I hear a voice yell.
“You willing to lose your job over this?” Steven says.
“I’m willing to lose everything for her,” I say.
Not twenty seconds later a squad car comes roaring around the corner and pulls up right in Steven’s front yard. Part of me is proud my team answered the call so quickly, and another part of me knows the embarrassment that awaits.
But nothing is as embarrassing as what I’ve already gone through. Suggesting to Alyssa that we had to hide from her dad. What was I thinking? I thought I was putting other people first and even helping her out, but then I realized the person who always comes first is her. That’s the real way to help her out, make her life better, and show her what I really think about her.
“Captain Donovan?” a voice yells.
“Arrest him!” one of the neighbors yells.
I feel four hands grabbing me from behind but I don’t let go of Steven.
I manage to hold on for another twenty or thirty seconds until a second unit arrives and four hands become eight plus one well trained German Shepherd who’s knife like teeth are mere inches from my face.
The team gets us separated and pulls us around the side of the house.
“Captain, I don’t know how to proceed,” the officer who is junior to me says.
“Do your job officer. If you have to arrest me, arrest me.”
“A citizen’s arrest?” he asks.
“Ask him,” I say motioning towards Steven.
“Sir, would you like to have this citizen’s arrested?”
Steven knows he’s in a catch twenty-two. He put his hands on me first and this is public humiliation for both of us. Our names are already going to be in the blotter, now it’s just a matter of how many paragraphs they give us and whether this winds up with the other police calls or on the front page.
“Sir? Are you pressing charges? Neighbors said he had you down, and he’s considered a deadly weapon.”
“He’s not a deadly weapon,” Steven says. “I was just about to pin him.”
A moment passes where nothing is said and then I can’t take it anymore. I bust out laughing.
“I was. I had you. I was letting you wear yourself out,” he says.
“Just like you did after football practice that one time?”
“That was different.”
“Riiiight,” I say.
“Sir? It’s a yes or no question.”
“No,” he says before pausing. “I don’t want to press charges…although a restraining order against seeing my daughter might work out better.”
“Come see me tomorrow and I’ll fill the paperwork out for you,” I say. “Before I stick it in the trash.”
“The girl from the parking lot?” one of the officers asks.
“Who doesn’t know about that now?” I ask.
“Sorry, sir. People are asking questions.”
I turn and see Alyssa standing on the front steps to her house.
She looks sad, her eyes tired from crying.
I’ve got a question for her that’s going to make her cry even more, but in a totally different way.
“It’s time I ask some questions?” I say.
I walk over to Alyssa and take a knee.
“Being without you for even just a few hours brought me enough grief to make it feel like a lifetime. I was wrong earlier. I made a mistake. A mistake I won’t make again…if you give me another shot. Alyssa, will you marry me?” I ask.
She looks down in
my eyes and then walks down the stairs.
“Get up,” she says, as she brushes grass off my forehead. “So you can kiss me.”
We kiss and I feel a rush of energy come back shooting through my entire body.
“Yes,” she says. “ I’ll marry you and I promise to be the best mother I can to Brooklyn…and to all the children we’re going to have.”
“Good,” I say. “Because I’m hoping you’re up for a whole lot of them.”
“A whole house full,” she says.
I slide my ring on her finger and we’re right back to kissing.
Cops are known to come in, fight the bad guys, and save the day.
Well, Steven’s no bad guy and I’m off duty, but true to form I feel like I did save the day…from myself.
Just when it looked like I’d lost it all I got my girl back and I’m never going to let her go.
Even if we have to move to her college town for her last semester. She’s mine and I’m not going to miss a minute of this life we’re creating together without her.
And neither will Brooklyn…our daughter.
The first of many.
EPILOGUE
Carter
One year later
“In your face!” I say as I make a three-point shot while Steven tries to guard me.
“Lucky shot,” he says.
I give him a high five. “Speaking of lucky shots, thanks for giving me a shot with your daughter. I appreciate it more than you could ever know and I’m glad we were able to remain friends.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Come on man, you were mad at first,” I tease.
“What did you expect me to do?”
“Ask us how many people we were inviting for the wedding so you could start saving up?”
“Okay, man. Enough is enough.”
“But seriously. I’m glad everything worked out. Sorry to give you a hard time, but looking back on it now it's kinda fun.”
“And the wedding was fun too. I never thought I’d give my daughter away to my best friend. That’s for sure.”
“But you feel fine about it now, right?”
“Yeah, it’s cool now. You know, I was thinking back about it the other day. I think it’s normal for me to react the way I did, but I think it’s amplified even more because I was a single dad and Alyssa was my only daughter. She was my only female connection to my wife, and she reminds me of her so much.”
“I’m sorry about what happened.”
“We can’t go back in time unfortunately, but all things considered it’s great that she’s just next door now so I can see her anytime I want. And Brooklyn too.”
“Yeah, it’s good to be back in town full time. And I’m super lucky the station let me transfer out while Alyssa finished her education.”
“But they got a good deal out of that arrangement.”
“A great deal. The best deal. Everybody at the station loves her and it’s perfect for everyone that she can give twenty hours a week down there to help out. Plus none the officers like to do paperwork and Alyssa’s very organized, has great handwriting, and has way better written communication skills than I’ll ever have. And not just me. She’s much more succinct than just about all of us. Our reports are done quicker and read better.”
“Plus I bet it’s nice that she’s bringing in some extra spending cash.”
“Sure is, but we don’t actually spend it. We just put it towards Brooklyn’s education.”
“Just Brooklyn’s?”
“Well we’re going to have to start another education fund now that Alyssa is pregnant.”
“You know I couldn’t imagine thinking a year ago that she’d be pregnant now. If you would have told me I would have thought it was a disaster. But being that it’s the two of you it’s a completely different story. I couldn’t be more excited.”
“Me either.”
“Have you picked out a name yet?”
“We still don’t know the sex.”
“Please don’t say sex when you’re talking about my daughter.”
“My bad,” I say, punching him playfully in the arm. “Another game?”
“Sure, but no dunking.”
“No dunking. It’s a deal.” I say.
I offer my hand to Steven to shake. He takes it and then quickly slaps the ball away with his other dribbling quickly for the basket and laying it in.
I probably could have blocked it but it’s more fun to see him make it because it makes him happy.
And thanks to Alyssa and Brooklyn I’ve come to realize that’s what life’s all about.
Making others happy.
Because that’s what makes me the happiest.
Nothing is as exciting as seeing Brooklyn say her first words or take her first steps. Or the moment when Alyssa told me she was pregnant with our child.
Nothing beats that.
Alyssa has changed me more than she’ll ever know, and I’m extremely grateful.
And I’m also grateful we get to share this right next door to Steven and Alyssa’s brother.
We’ve got our own little station right here at our two houses.
And although I’ll always do everything I can to protect my family and loved ones, this isn’t exactly a police station that we’ve got.
It’s much more like a diaper changing station.
Or a bottle-feeding station.
Or my personal favorite…a station where we come and go whether we’re creating memories here or on one of our many weekend road trips.
Together.
Always together.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Alyssa
Eight years later
“So if I do this,” Carter says putting his hands on Adam’s chest, “then you do this.” He demonstrates how Adam can get out of a possible violent situation without escalating it or getting himself hurt.
“Ready to practice?”
“Ready.”
“Okay…how…about…now!”
Carter comes at Adam who quickly defends himself.
“Great job, buddy! You’re going to make a great cop someday.”
“Someday,” he says. “But first I just want to be able to protect Brooklyn and Samantha at school.”
Carter gives Adam a high five. “That’s what I’m talking about, buddy!” he says. “Okay, one more and then off to bed.”
Carter and Adam go through the drill again and then Carter gives Adam a playful spank on the behind sending him off to bed.
“A couple more and he was going to need another bath.”
“Speaking of baths, in another thirty minutes all the kids will be asleep. I was just wondering…”
“You think I could possibly say no to that?”
“I sure hope not. And I also hope you’re not going to say no to more kids.”
“Isn’t three a lucky number?” I say.
“Not as lucky as twelve.”
“Twelve?”
“Yeah, that’s the number of months in a year…hours in a day, if you count it twice that is…it’s a dozen…it’s—“
“Okay I get the picture, but I don’t think you ever will,” I say playfully poking him in the ribs.
“What do you mean?”
“I’d love more kids, but I also love the idea of giving the ones we have as much time as we can. If we have more we have to spread that time out even more.”
“I’ll find more time,” he says.
“How in the world are you going to find time?”
“When it comes to family there’s always a way.”
“Okay Mr. Efficient, even if you or we could find more time I like the idea of keeping my body looking how it is. I don’t know how much more stretching and then un-stretching it can take.”
Cop's Babysitter_An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 7