She whirled on him. “What do you want me to say? I talk and talk and talk in that shrink’s office and it does no good! Why the hell do I have to talk to you too?”
“Because that’s the only thing that’s going to fix this. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“What do you want me to say? That I’m pissed off? That I’m sick of being like this? That I hate myself because I can’t even go out of the damn house without losing it!” She clutched a hand against her chest.
“That’s a start.”
“He took something from me, Marco. I can’t sleep the night through without waking up in a cold sweat. I can’t walk the street without constantly looking over my shoulder. I can’t even do my damn job because I’m so God damn afraid I’m going to shoot the wrong person!”
“I know.”
She held up a hand, then slapped it against her thigh. “I feel broken inside and I don’t know how to put myself back together.”
He came toward her and smoothed his hands over her shoulders. “You’re doing it right now, Peyton. You’re taking back your life right now.”
She searched his face. “I’m tired, Marco. I’m so damn tired.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
“What if I’m never the same again?”
“Then you’d be human. We’re all the sum of our scars, our mended bones, our heartaches. No one comes through this ride unscathed, Peyton. We get knocked around, we get beaten up. We get broken. But it’s the little victories. It’s the going out that door and trying tomorrow that really matters. And when it comes down to it, I know you’ll go out that door again. I know you’ll heal.”
She moved into his arms, pressing her forehead to the middle of his chest. “God, do you even begin to know how much I love you, D’Angelo?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Can’t be nearly as much as I love you.”
She gave a strangled laugh and held him tighter.
“What do you say we get away for a night?”
She leaned back. “What do you mean?”
“Go to a bed and breakfast in Napa next Friday night.”
“What about the case?”
“The whole precinct is on the case.”
“Defino has to know we won’t be here.”
“It’s Napa, Peyton. It’s an hour or so away. We could come back if anything happens.”
She considered that. Go away with him like a normal couple? God, it sounded wonderful. “Let’s do it.”
He smiled.
She took a step back. “I’m going to take a shower. I don’t suppose you want to join me?”
“I definitely want to join you.”
She took his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom. Before they made it, his phone rang.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “You better get it?”
“It’ll wait.”
“It might be the precinct.”
He sighed and released her, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the phone off the bistro table. He gave her a sultry look as he turned it on and lifted it to his ear. “Hey, Mom.”
Peyton returned his look with one of her own as she kicked off one shoe, then the other. He smiled as he listened to his mother. Reaching for the bottom of her t-shirt, she slowly began lifting it, pulling it over her head and dropping it on her shoes.
He licked his lips. “She wants to know if we’ll come over for Sunday dinner.”
“Tell her yes,” she answered, reaching for the waistband on her shorts.
“We’ll be there, Mom,” he said into the phone, beginning to stalk her. “Look, I gotta go. Something’s burning on the stove.”
She smiled and began backing toward the bedroom.
“See you at 5:00,” he said, then he pressed his thumb to the display and cast the phone on the couch.
Peyton had just made it to the doorway, when he dashed at her, catching her up with one arm and carrying them both back onto the bed.
* * *
Rosa and Mona descended on Peyton the moment she walked through the door, dragging her off to the kitchen. Peyton looked over her shoulder at Marco. He gave her a smile and a shrug, then he was gone.
Serena and Sofia, Franco and Bernardo’s wives, were arranging food on the counter, but they dropped everything and surrounded Peyton, hugging her and kissing her cheek. After they were done, Mona deposited her on a barstool and placed a drink in her hand. Peyton gave it a critical look.
“Pomegranate tea,” Mona said. “Drink up.”
Peyton took a sip. “Thank you. It’s good.”
Mona patted her hand and went around the counter, hurrying to the refrigerator and pulling the doors open so she could rummage inside.
Serena placed her hands on Peyton’s shoulders and leaned close to her ear. “You know what pomegranate tea is for, right?”
Peyton shook her head, looking at Rosa and Sofia.
They both made rounding motions with their arms near their bellies. Peyton set the tea on the counter, causing them all to laugh.
“We’re so happy you and Marco are finally together,” said Serena, kissing Peyton’s cheek again.
“We’ve been waiting a long time,” said Sofia.
A little girl came into the kitchen and went to Sofia, holding up her arms. Sofia scooped her up and hugged her. The child rubbed two fists against her eyes, but Rosa held out a piece of cheese to her and she took it.
“How was your nap, my Pia Princess?” said Sofia, nuzzling the little one’s cheek.
She put her head on her mother’s shoulder and watched Peyton with her big blue eyes. D’Angelo eyes, Peyton thought.
Marco entered the kitchen, but he’d only gotten through the door before the women pounced on him, hugging him and kissing him and generally fussing over him. Pia reached her arms out for him and he took her, settling her on one well-muscled arm. She placed her head on his shoulder and sucked on her thumb.
“Do you want something to eat?” asked his mother.
“Just a beer.”
Rosa hurried to get it.
“I can make you a sandwich,” offered Mona.
“I’ll wait for dinner,” he said, moving toward Peyton and sliding his hand down her back.
She reached out and touched Pia’s cheek. The little girl covered Peyton’s hand with her own. Peyton found herself smiling, moved by the innocent gesture. Marco motioned at the drink with his chin.
“Pomegranate tea,” she said.
His eyes widened and he looked at his sisters-in-law. They smirked back at him.
The rest of the day passed pleasantly. Mona served dinner in her dining room, so everyone could eat together. The children had their own table and Peyton watched as the entire D’Angelo family made it their project to see every child was sufficiently fed no matter who he or she belonged to originally.
After dinner, everyone retired to the living room to watch television. Peyton found a spot on the floor near Emilio and Sergio, but they couldn’t sit still for long and eventually had to start wrestling. Franco and Sofia waded in to break it up. Peyton found even this charming.
Looking around, she realized that Marco wasn’t in the room. She climbed to her feet and went in search of him. She found him in the backyard, sitting on the picnic table, his feet braced on the seat, staring at the tangle of grapes his father had planted along the fence.
She climbed up on the table next to him and wrapped her arms around his bicep, leaning her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and rested his cheek on her wild curls.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I just needed a break. I’m good for a few hours, then I get overwhelmed.”
“I like it.”
He kissed her again. “You would.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you should have been born into the big family. To be honest, I think they like you better than they do me.”
“That’s not true. They adore you.”
“S
orry about the pomegranate tea.”
Peyton laughed. “I thought it was funny.” She leaned back so she could see him in the failing light. “Your family has always made me feel welcome, especially now. That means so much to me.”
He toyed with a curl. “See, this is why you’re perfect. Any other woman would be appalled that my mom was trying to get her pregnant, but you...you take it in stride.”
Peyton laughed.
“If you aren’t careful, they’ll be taking us house shopping next weekend.”
“Speaking of that,” she said. “Since we’re apparently not worrying about who knows anymore, I think I should talk to Defino, don’t you?”
“Let me. I was going to talk to her about our trip to Napa. I’ve got a few bargaining chips to play, so she doesn’t send me to Siberia or something.”
“What if I go talk to her with you?”
“No offense, sweetheart, but that usually gets me in more trouble.”
She socked his shoulder. “Okay, but once that’s done, we need to think about our living arrangements. I have an entire house that I own, you know? Seems silly to pay rent and a mortgage both.”
“Your house is overrun with other people, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I know, but maybe if we moved back into it, they’d think about leaving.”
Marco touched her nose. “Or maybe we could ask them to leave.”
“I can’t do that.”
Marco sighed.
She rubbed her hands along her pants legs. “That brings up something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Okay?”
“After Rosa Alvarez made her proposal the other day, Tag suggested we apply for the FBI.”
Marco straightened. “She did?”
“Yeah, but forget that.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s silly, but she did say that I should look into getting my bachelor’s degree. She suggested that I might be close to one anyway with all of the continuing education credits we’ve done over the years. She thought I should talk to a counselor at SF State.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“What if we talk to a counselor?”
He considered that. “Me and you?”
“Yeah. If we had our bachelor’s degrees, we’d be eligible for other promotions, better pay and better benefits.”
He nodded, looking out at the yard.
She reached for his hand and ran her fingers over the back of it. “I think I’d like to have my bachelor’s degree, Marco.”
“Then let’s look into it.” He shifted toward her. “Why wouldn’t you consider applying for the FBI, though?”
She made a scoffing sound. “I can’t go for a run, but I’m going to pass all the tests they have to become a special agent. Besides, I’m not spending five months in Virginia.”
“Why not?”
She frowned at him. “I’m not leaving you for five months.”
“Peyton, it’s five months. It’s nothing. We waited eight years, we can make it through five months.”
She studied his face. “Me? FBI?”
“You heard her say they were looking for women and she told me herself, they’re looking for women of color. This might be the perfect time for you to apply.”
Peyton thought about it. She hadn’t given it a moment’s consideration when Tag suggested it, but suddenly Marco thought it might be a good idea. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me what’s really holding you back.”
“Five months in Quantico, away from you.”
“I’ll fly out on weekends.”
“This is ridiculous. You heard all the hoops you have to jump through. I’d never make it.”
“You won’t if you don’t try. What are you going to do? Work homicide your whole life? You’re a damn good cop, Peyton. You could do so much more. You could be a Special Agent in Charge like Rosa someday.”
“I have PTSD, Marco.”
“Well, this is one ballsy damn way to fight back, isn’t it?”
She searched his face. “Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t think there’s anything in this world that you can’t do.”
“And what if I made it through and they wanted to relocate me?”
“Then we relocate.”
“You’d go with me?”
“I go anywhere you want.”
“And leave the City, your job? Your family?”
He twirled a curl around his finger. “Yeah.”
God, she loved this man. Why the hell had she wasted so much time when everything she wanted was right here before her?
She leaned forward and kissed him, lingering on his lips, savoring the moment. Happiness was right here in front of her and she was so worried she was going to screw it up.
“Hey, get a room!” came Vinnie’s voice from the top of the stairs.
Marco drew back, giving her a wry smile. “Does leaving the family really seem all that bad?” he quipped.
“Mama has dessert ready.”
Peyton glanced over at Vinnie.
“It’s chocolate cake,” he teased.
She climbed off the table and started toward the house.
Marco caught her arm and stopped her.
“He said chocolate cake, Marco,” she pleaded.
“Apply for the job.”
She drew a deep breath. “I have to find out about the degree first.”
He shook his head. “Apply. Then you can work on the degree.”
Peyton tugged on his hand. “Only if you find out about your degree too.”
He nodded and let her pull him off the table.
* * *
Jake reached over and scratched Tater’s ear, his eyes focused on the television. Maria and Cho were in her room...well, what had once been his room...and he was enjoying the quiet. Earlier she’d been bopping around the kitchen playing some rap and cooking dinner. He didn’t mind the dinner part, but he hated the rap.
He should be looking for apartments in Nebraska, he told himself. He wasn’t sure if Peyton ever intended to move back home, but it seemed silly that he was here, sharing a house with mean-as-piss receptionist and her scary-as-hell cop boyfriend.
Not that he minded Cho as much as before. Cho had actually shown interest in the concert he and Abe attended and Cho knew something more than rap. It always bewildered Jake what attracted two people to each other. Cho and Maria couldn’t be any different and yet they seemed to work.
A knock sounded at the door. Jake looked over his shoulder. He hated answering the door after dark, especially now. Especially knowing a serial killer had been living across the street. Tater lifted his head and went on alert, his ears pricking forward. Tater’s presence made him feel better and the fact that there was a scary-as-hell cop with a gun just a door away didn’t hurt.
He pushed himself off the couch and went to the door, Tater following him. He peeked through the peephole, finding Devan standing on the stoop. He unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“Hey,” he said, placing his hand on Tater’s head.
Devan glanced first at the dog, then up at Jake. “Hey, is Peyton here?”
“No.”
He shifted and looked back down the stairs. “Can I come in?”
Jake didn’t see a reason, but he backed up and let Devan enter the house. He walked into the middle of the room and looked around.
“Do you know when she’ll be back?”
Jake shook his head. “No idea.”
Devan nodded at that. “Do you mind if I wait?” he said, moving toward the recliner where Marco always sat.
Jake followed him, not sure what the hell to do.
Cho appeared in the hallway entrance, giving Jake a quizzical look.
Jake shrugged.
“Adams,” said Cho.
“Cho, hey, how are you?”
“Fine. What brings you by?”
“I wanted to talk to Peyton. I haven’t talked to
her since...well, since she wound up in the hospital.”
Cho looked at Jake and made a motion with his head at Devan.
Jake held up his hands. He didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do.
“Can I get you a beer or something?” Jake offered lamely.
“No, coffee would be nice. Do you have coffee?”
Jake gave Cho a wild eyed stare.
“I’ll make some,” said Cho, moving toward the kitchen. He jerked his head at the doorway, indicating Jake should follow.
“Don’t go to any trouble on my part,” said Devan.
“No trouble. Ryder, ya wanna help?”
Jake followed him into the kitchen.
“What’s he doing here?” Cho hissed.
“I don’t know. He wants to see Peyton.”
“Well, she isn’t here.”
Jake gave him an annoyed look. “Really? Did you use your detective super powers to deduce that?”
“Get rid of him.” He reached for the coffee pot and filled it with water.
“Why me?”
“Because you let him in.”
Jake sighed. “I don’t know what to tell him.”
“Tell him what’s really going on.” He went to the cabinet and grabbed the coffee.
“Then he’ll tell Defino and Peyton will be pissed at me.”
“You think Defino doesn’t already know? Shit. I figured it out. She definitely has. In fact, I think she placed a bet in the pool.”
“This is awkward. Why doesn’t Maria tell him?”
“She’s asleep.”
“At 7:00?”
“Just tell him.” He spooned the grounds into the filter. “Now!”
Jake backed out of the room and found Devan sitting in the recliner, studying Tater, who was sitting on the couch, studying him in return. Jake picked up the remote off the coffee table and turned off the television, then sat down beside Tater.
“Where’d the dog come from?”
Jake placed his hand on Tater’s head and the dog settled next to him without taking his eyes off Devan. “Peyton adopted him.”
“She adopted another dog?”
“Well, technically, she adopted him for me, so he’s mine.”
Devan frowned at that. “Do you know when she’ll be home?”
Jake scratched Tater’s ear. “About that. She’s not coming home.”
Murder on Treasure Island (Peyton Brooks' Series Book 7) Page 22