“Still holding a grudge, I see,” Meredith said after she stopped laughing herself silly. She was referring to the way Chaz resented her arrival in town our first year of high school because he suddenly had to share my friendship with someone else.
“I honestly didn’t mean it the way it sounded.” Chaz was prone to say the absolute worst things at the wrong time. “I meant that your finding your Prince Charming has been a long time coming. I’d be honored to share in your special day.”
The doorbell rang, and Harley yelled, “Food’s here.”
“Aw, you guys ordered us dinner?” I asked.
“It’s just pizza,” Chaz said. “None of us can cook quite to your standards yet.”
“Salad too,” Kyle added.
“It was pizza or Deanna would make something from the grocer’s freezer section.” John tilted his head to the side and asked, “Do you make your lasagna homemade Josh?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “I even make my own pasta.”
“John,” Deanna yelled from the kitchen. “No one is entering any more cooking or baking contests!”
“Damn it, woman. Do you hear everything?” John asked as he headed for the kitchen to sweet talk his wife.
“That will be us in a few years,” I told Gabe.
“Probably a few months,” he countered.
“Hey, you want to sneak off…”
Our babies started crying again, and it was louder than the first bout, which meant they either had full diapers, empty bellies, or both. We looked at each other and grinned. “Raincheck,” we said at the same time.
I suspected we would be saying that word to each other many times over the next eighteen years or longer. I knew we’d be okay as long as we carved out time for one another. Instead of heading into the kitchen, we walked over to where our babies were kicking up a fuss in their seats.
Gabe and I had the diaper changing down to an art and had the kids redressed and ready to feed in a jiffy. The grandmas came out of the kitchen with fresh bottles and snatched the babies from us. I pouted a little because feeding time was my favorite. I loved the little grunts they made as they greedily drank from their bottles.
“Go get something to eat,” Martina said. “Bertie and I have this under control.”
We followed the smell of delicious cheesy pizza and the sound of happy voices in our home. Emory stepped out of the kitchen and nodded his head to the side. “Can I talk to you guys for a minute?” His timid smile and the nervousness I heard in his voice worried me.
“Is something wrong?” I asked Emory. I glanced over at Josh and saw that he was nibbling on his bottom lip nervously, which meant he picked up on our neighbor’s mood.
“No,” Emory said unconvincingly. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving town for a little bit to take care of some personal things. I don’t like to just drop out of sight without telling you.” Emory’s voice cracked, and he broke eye contact to look down at his shoes.
Josh stepped up to Emory and placed his hands on his shoulders. I didn’t thump my chest or growl because I could tell Josh was trying to comfort our friend. “Emory, there’s something obviously wrong. Won’t you tell us?”
Emory raised his head slowly and attempted to smile. “Maybe it’s right,” he replied cryptically.
“Is this like the last time you left before our wedding?” Josh asked. Emory had told Josh the Monday before the wedding that he needed to leave town to do something but promised to return for our ceremony. Emory honored that promise. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this trip was different from the last. “You’re coming back, right?”
“I hope so,” Emory said noncommittally. “But if not, I want you to know that your friendship has come to mean the world to me. The two of you have restored my faith in humanity.”
“Emory, is there anything we can do to help you?” I asked. He was clearly torn up about something, and I wanted him to know he didn’t have to go through it alone.
“I appreciate that so much, Gabe, but unfortunately, this is something that I’ll have to do alone.” Emory hugged Josh first then me. “I love you both. I’m sorry that I ruined your first night home with the babies. It’s just I leave first thing in the morning, and I couldn’t go without saying goodbye.”
“So long for now. You’ll be back, Emory,” Josh said confidently. He added a wink and added, “I know things.”
Emory smiled at Josh’s attempt at a joke, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I was a fix-it kind of guy, and I wanted to help make things better for my friend. I recognized that I couldn’t make everything right in the world, no matter how hard I tried. The only thing I could do was be patient and let Emory know how much we valued his friendship. “There will always be a place for you at our table, no matter how long it takes you to find your way back to us.”
I was aiming for assurance, but instead, my words made Emory cry. I tried to apologize, but he shook his head and left. I started to follow him, but a firm hand on my shoulder stopped me.
“I got this, Gabe,” Jonathon said. “You guys enjoy your welcome home party, and I’ll take care of Emory. Congratulations on your beautiful new additions to your family.” Jonathon didn’t wait around for us to respond.
Josh and I looked at each other in shock. “What just happened?” he asked me.
I wrapped my arm around my husband and pulled him to me. I dropped a kiss on his forehead before I answered him. “I have no idea. I don’t like it, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do to make him stay.”
“Lock him in the scary room downstairs,” Josh teased. I couldn’t hide the shiver that worked its way through my body. “Too soon, Gabe?”
I pinned him with a dark look. I didn’t think enough time would ever pass before I got over being bashed over the head and knocked out in that creepy cellar. Josh had the room sealed off before we moved in because he knew how much I hated it.
“Come on, you two, and eat something while you can,” Sally Ann said from the kitchen. “You need to take advantage of the help when offered. Don’t be saintly fathers who try to do it all.”
“Absolutely,” Deanna agreed. “When someone offers to watch the babies so you can nap then do it.”
“Or some other bedroom activity,” Adrian offered. “It’s a long dry spell, brothers.”
Josh snorted. “Not for us; we didn’t give birth to the babies.”
Adrian tipped his head to the side and said, “True, but there’s precious little alone time with newborns in the house.”
I just shook my head, certain that they were just exaggerating. “They have to sleep sometimes,” I replied.
“Who said they’d sleep on the same schedule?” John countered.
Josh and I looked at one another in panic. Oh my God! What if one of them slept all day and stayed up all night while the other did the exact opposite? I felt panic start to creep in that I would never sleep or have sex until the kids were ten or older.
John and Adrian must’ve thought it was hilarious because they threw their heads back and roared with laughter.
“Now they get it,” John said.
“I bet I’ll see a whole lot less swagger and more stagger out of Gabe these next few months—maybe even years,” Adrian added.
Their comments started up a new round of laughter. They were so busy slapping each other on the backs and laughing it up that they didn’t notice their wives’ reactions. Deanna and Sally Ann wore matching expressions of disgust and outrage.
“I wasn’t aware that our children were such a burden to you, John. If you weren’t getting any then how is it we had multiple children?” she asked icily.
“Baby, I’m just joking. You know I love our little cockblockers,” John said to his wife. His tone was appeasing but not his language. I was glad they had found a babysitter for the night, although John was an amazing father and would never say something like that in front of the little Dorchesters.
“I guess it�
��s not a good time to tell you that you’re going to be a father again,” Sally Ann said to Adrian then promptly burst into tears.
“What?” Adrian asked, sobering immediately. “Oh my God! Are you teasing me right now?” Adrian scooped Sally Ann up into a hug. “Do you promise?”
Sally Ann was still crying but at least she was smiling and nodding happily.
“Damn, I hope Adrian doesn’t lose his shit in the birthing suite like he did last time,” I said fondly.
“Or Sally Ann’s head starts spinning in circles while she spews foul language and talks about dudes carrying babies in their prostates and squeezing it out their asses,” Josh added. He winked at Sally Ann who laughed hysterically. “I told you that I’d never let you live it down.”
“That you did.” Sally Ann looked at Adrian and said, “I’m sorry I told you this way. I had every intention of doing something cutesy.”
“I don’t need cutesy,” he replied softly.
Josh and I congratulated the expectant couple with hugs before we made our way to the pizza. It felt like months instead of hours since I last ate. The cheesy, greasy pizza was just what the doctor ordered.
Adrian came over after everyone finished fawning all over him. “Hey, I want to talk to you about a few things, but wasn’t sure it was the right time to talk shop.”
A cop was never truly off duty. “What’s up? Any leads on the break-ins?”
“Nothing, man. They stopped as fast as they started. It’s frustrating as hell,” Adrian replied.
“Then what’s on your mind?” I asked.
“There was a pretty big announcement in the police department while you were gone.”
“There was?” I was shocked that Adrian didn’t call me right away if it was so serious.
“Captain Reardon has decided to run against Rocky Beaumont in the May primary election,” Adrian told us. “There is no opposition party on the ballot at this time so if the captain wins, and I think he will, our captain will be mayor.”
“And that leaves his position at the police department open. Are you going to apply?” I asked him. Was he trying to let me down easy?
“No, but I want you to apply for the position,” Adrian said.
“Me? I’ve been here the shortest amount of time. You have more seniority here than I do,” I argued.
“Gabe, you have a lot more experience, and you have a better temperament for the job. I hate to lose you as a partner, but I’d love to see you take over our department if the captain is elected as mayor.”
“I’m honored, Adrian. I love being out in the field, and I’ve never really given much thought to moving up the ranks. I mean, I’ve taken the appropriate tests so that it could happen, but I never thought it would.” I thought about how much my life had changed in a year and realized maybe a little more change was on the horizon.
“Captain Roman-Wyatt,” Josh said, testing to see how it sounded. “I like it.”
“It does sound kind of snazzy.”
“And think of the names I can call you when you’re bad. Captain Cock Badger!”
“I’m never bad,” I rebutted.
“Oh, you are, but in a very good way.”
“Sally Ann, let’s get our pizza to go,” Adrian said. “The love birds want some alone time.” We hadn’t said anything, but now that he mentioned it…
“Yeah, grab some pizza and get out,” Josh said. “The grandmas have this under control for a few minutes.”
“Few minutes,” I whined. Who was I kidding? By that point, I’d settle for a hand job in the laundry room and a few seconds would be all it took.
It was amazing how quickly our friends cleared out of our house. My mom and Bertie entered the kitchen burping the twins on their shoulders. They looked around the empty kitchen in surprise.
“Where’d everyone go?” Bertie asked. She looked at Josh with narrowed eyes. “Did you fart, Joshy?”
“Mom, seriously?” my husband asked. “Of all the things you could accuse me of doing to clear a room, your first guess was farting?” Bertie just shrugged.
“Oh, I think I know.” My mom’s dark eyes twinkled. “You told them you wanted some alone time while the babies were preoccupied. I reckon no one was getting much action in the hospital suite or while you bunked down with the babies in the hotel rooms on the drive home.”
“Ohhhh,” Bertie said, “they are turning an interesting shade of red. I don’t think I recall Joshy every looking that embarrassed.”
“You boys go on upstairs and get busy. We got the babies covered,” my mom told us.
I thought it was great that our moms were so hip about the fact that we wanted sexy time together, but I doubted either of us would get an erection knowing that our moms were downstairs waiting for us to finish.”
Josh and I looked at each other and exchanged grins. “Nah, we’re good,” we both said at the same time.
“Suit yourself,” Bertie said, “but blue balls can be very painful. Plus you want a healthy prostate for optimal—”
“Not another word, Roberta,” Josh tersely said. I’d never heard him address his mother by her first name. “We’re very familiar with things like blue balls and prostate health. I need you to stop thinking about them so that I won’t think about you thinking about them. I’m at risk of never getting another erection as long as I live.”
“Jeesh, you don’t have to be so testy with me,” she replied petulantly.
As much as we loved our mothers, we lived in pretty tight quarters the past few days. I thought it would be best for a little break. “Why don’t you get a bite to eat while we give the babies their baths?”
I didn’t care that we hadn’t grabbed a bite to eat for ourselves and that my stomach was threatening to eat itself. I wanted a happy husband who’d be able to get it up as soon as our children fell back to sleep.
I took Destiny from my mother and Josh took Dylan from his. Bertie kissed Josh’s cheek then whispered something in his ear.
“I’m sorry too, Mama,” he said softly.
I appreciated their help more than I could express, but I was eager to get into a routine with our angels. Josh and I quickly got into a rhythm together just like we did everything. He washed then I dried and dressed them. Once they were ready for bed, we tucked them in and watched over them for a few minutes as they slept.
I brushed my finger against Dylan’s soft cheek then Destiny’s. “Only your daughter would insist on having her own birthday,” I said.
“No, your son didn’t get with the program. He had to arrive at eleven fifty on New Year’s Eve when the whole world knew they were supposed to be New Year’s babies,” Josh replied. “So impatient like his father.”
“Me? I’m the epitome of patience. Look how much crap I took from you while I waited for you to come around.” Josh smiled sheepishly at me. He had no comeback because he knew it was true. “There are moments in my life when I felt like someone was watching over me, guiding me perhaps. It was never a spiritual feeling like God or a guardian angel; it felt different.”
“Like a big brother watching over you?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, I guess that sums it up right. Is that just wishful thinking that I want Dylan to know that he lives on in our son, or how we named Destiny to honor Bianca and Georgia bringing us together?”
“Who’s to say that they’re not watching us right now?” Josh asked. He tipped his head to the side thoughtfully before he looked up toward the heavens. “Now would be a good time to look away. I’d like to have some alone time with my husband.” Josh looked at me and said, “That is if you want…”
I didn’t let him finish his sentence. I took him to our bedroom and showed him what I wanted. I was better with actions than words anyway.
“O Captain! My Captain!” Josh whispered.
So long for now. Josh and Gabe will be back December 2017 with A Dye Hard Christmas!
Other Books by Aimee Nicole Walker
Only You
&n
bsp; The Fated Hearts Series
Chasing Mr. Wright, Book 1
Rhythm of Us, Book 2
Surrender Your Heart, Book 3
Perfect Fit, Book 4
Return to Me, Book 5
Always You, Book 6
Any Means Necessary, Book 7
Curl Up and Dye Mysteries
Dyeing to be Loved
Something to Dye For
Dyed and Gone to Heaven
I Do, or Dye Trying
Undisputed – coauthored with Nicholas Bella
First, I need to thank my husband and children for their constant support and encouragement. It’s not easy living with a writer who often disappears into a fictional world for long periods of time. They do so many things to help me out so that I can realize my dream. I love you guys more than words can ever express.
Many thanks go out to my three best friends, Annabella, Deena, and Kerry. They’ve stood by me, cheered me on, picked me up, and held my hand through some rough patches. I love you girls so very much. I wish everyone had friends like you because the world would be a much kinder place.
To my creative dream team, thanks seem hardly enough for all that you do. Pam Ebeler of Undivided Editing thank you for your tireless work, feedback, and many laughs while editing. Jay Aheer of Simply Defined art is just an incredible artist, and I love how she brings my words to life. Stacey Blake of Champagne Formats is also an amazing artist who does incredible interior formatting and designing for e-books and paperbacks. Let’s not forget Judy Zweifel of Judy’s’ Proofreading. She does an amazing job of finding the tiniest details that make a book shine.
I would like to thank my beta readers for all the honest feedback they give me on my storyline. I appreciate you guys so much. Aimee’s ARC Angels are Racheal, Jodie, Kim, and Laurel. Thank you for all that you do!
I am a wife and mother to three kids, four dogs, and a cat. When I’m not dreaming up stories, I like to lose myself in a good book, cook or bake. I’m a girly tomboy who paints her fingernails while watching sports and yelling at the referees. I will always choose the book over the movie. I believe in happily-ever-after. Love inspires everything that I do. Music keeps me sane.
Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville, #1) Page 23