Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  Or happy to see him.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”

  With little more than a nod, she turned and walked back into the bedroom. Bobby followed and closed the door. “I wish you had told me you’d be here today. I would have come over sooner and had lunch with everyone.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. I figured your parents or Anna would have mentioned it to you.”

  He hung his head and sighed before looking up at her. “Okay, I get it. You’re angry with me.”

  “No, I’m not,” she said, but he didn’t believe it for a minute.

  “Teagan, you’re upset because I didn’t tell you about work. I didn’t mean for that to happen, okay? Can we just be honest here and admit that you’re mad?”

  Her gaze held his, but her expression was completely neutral. “Fine. I was upset.”

  “And now?”

  Another shrug. “I get why you did it. I don’t like being kept in the dark, but…I understand that you were trying to respect my wishes by not bringing up work Friday night.”

  He immediately relaxed and moved in close to her, carefully placing his hands on her waist. “I really wish I could have been here earlier—especially when you came up here and changed into this.” His fingers played with the Lycra on her hips.

  “It’s your sister’s suit,” she said with a slight smirk.

  “Aaand you just ruined it,” he said, laughing. With a quick kiss on her lips, he stepped back. “So are we good?”

  “We’re good, Bobby. I think we still need to talk, but not today. Today’s about the kids getting to celebrate their last day of summer vacation. Can we promise to make time maybe next weekend to sit down and do that?”

  He hated the thought of waiting that long, but for now he’d go for it. “We’ll see if we can get a babysitter Saturday night. Or maybe we can have a family dinner—just the three of us—and talk after Lucas goes to bed.”

  Her smile was slow and beautiful. “I like the sound of that. Thank you.”

  With one more kiss, he reluctantly led her from the room, down the stairs, and out to the yard to join their families.

  “Aren’t you going to swim?” she asked when they stepped outside.

  “I guess I could borrow a suit from Quinn.” He shuddered dramatically. “Or maybe I’ll just sit with everyone and have something to eat.”

  “Spoilsport. I was kind of hoping to spend a little time in the water with you.” She inched closer. “We could go over in the corner of the deep end, I could wrap my legs around you while you helped me stay afloat.”

  Just the thought of it was making him hard.

  “But…you should go eat,” she said lightly. “I’ll just swim by myself.” And with that, she walked toward the water with a sassy sway of her hips and gracefully dove in.

  “Quinn!” he called. “I need to borrow a suit!”

  * * *

  The rest of the day was spent relaxing more than Bobby had in a long time. The focus was on the kids, no one was asking about his job, and that was more than okay with him. Quinn lit up the grill one more time for an early dinner, and by six thirty everyone began packing up and heading home. Bobby wished Aidan and Zoe’s kids good luck on their first day back to school, and hugged Kaitlyn extra hard because he couldn’t believe she was old enough to be starting kindergarten.

  “Uncle Bobby!” she cried playfully. “You’re squishing me!”

  “Yeah, well…maybe I’m trying to squish you so you’ll stay small forever,” he teased.

  She giggled uproariously as she squirmed to get out of his arms. “I can’t stay small forever! I have to grow up!” Then she settled down and eyed him curiously.

  “What? What are you looking at?”

  “I think you’re going to need to work on Bailey,” she said.

  “Bailey? Why?”

  “Because she’s already small. Maybe squish her a little and she’ll stay like that longer!” And with a wave, she skipped away.

  Straightening, he caught his sister’s eyes and smiled. “You’ve got a great kid there, Anna.”

  Walking over and wrapping her arms around his waist, she said, “Yeah, I do.”

  He kissed her on the head. “You okay with this? With her starting school?”

  She nodded. “I am. I think it’s going to create a whole new level of chaos around here, even though I’ll have a few hours with one fewer kid underfoot. But she’s excited about it and so are we.” Pausing, she looked up at him. “What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “When are we going to be talking about your kids going to school?”

  That one statement made his heart kick hard in his chest. It was something he’d been thinking about more and more in the last year or two, more so since meeting Teagan. In his mind, he already did have a kid starting school.

  Lucas.

  Not that he was going to voice that out loud to anyone. It was his own private thought.

  When he didn’t say anything, Anna sighed and took a step away. “How did things go with Teagan? I’m guessing pretty good, since you were all over her in the pool. If you hadn’t already been in the water, we’d all have turned the hose on you.”

  That made him grin. Yeah, it had been pretty sexy—albeit G-rated—fun, and he wished he could have gone home with her and continued it.

  “We agreed to wait and talk about this next weekend. This really wasn’t the place to do it. Not with everyone down here and it being a party for the kids.”

  “Next weekend? But—what about tomorrow?”

  “She doesn’t know about that yet.” He stopped and thought about it. “Actually, I’m not even sure we were having the same conversation earlier. I mean, she knows I’m working, and according to your husband, Teagan saw me yesterday in uniform while I was at lunch. But it was a fairly vague and generic conversation. We didn’t talk about the specifics of my job or anything like that. I kept waiting for her to ask, but she didn’t.”

  Smiling, Anna said, “Good. Hopefully you’ll surprise her and she’ll be happy. She deserves it more than anyone I know, and I’m glad you’re the one who can make that happen.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping for.” Raking a hand though his hair, he let out a small laugh. “Did you ever think you’d see the day?”

  “The day when my big, bad, skirt-chasing brother would be looking to settle down? No.” Then she laughed. “And the thought of that happening with one of Quinn’s relatives? Definitely not!”

  He couldn’t help but laugh at that one. “I think he gave me more of a hard time just because of all the years I did it to him. Not that the two were even remotely similar.” He paused. “My rage toward him was totally justifiable. His toward me? Not even a little bit.”

  “Oh, no,” she said, walking toward the kitchen. “I’m not weighing in on that debate. You’re both overprotective of the people you love. End of story.”

  He followed her. “Yeah, but…he deserved me being hard on him because he was such an ass for so long! There was no reason for him to continually try and warn Teagan away from me.”

  “Says you.”

  “C’mon, Anna,” he whispered conspiratorially. “Admit it. No one’s here to hear us. Admit I was right and Quinn was wrong. You know you want to.”

  “Wrong!” They both turned when Quinn walked into the kitchen holding Bailey. “She’s not going to admit that, because my wife isn’t a liar,” he said confidently, walking over and placing one arm around Anna. “Big words from a guy who I helped out today.”

  “Helped out?” Bobby asked with amusement. “You told me to come over, yelled at me, and then sent me to have a conversation I ended up not being able to have until next week!”

  “Or maybe tomorrow,” Anna corrected.

  “Or maybe to
morrow,” Bobby repeated. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. After tomorrow, I’m going to have my girl back.”

  “And you’re going to live happily ever after? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Quinn snorted. “Anna, c’mon. We’re guys. We don’t say things like that.”

  Grinning, Bobby leaned in. “Speak for yourself.” He looked at his sister. “And Anna, that’s exactly what I’m praying for.”

  * * *

  “Okay, be good.” Teagan kissed Lucas on the cheek. “Be sweet.” She kissed his other cheek. “And remember to listen to your teacher.” She kissed him on the top of the head. “And remember that if you need anything, I’ll be right up by the front office, okay?”

  Lucas smiled and nodded. “It’s going to be okay, Mom. We got this.” With a thumbs-up, he turned and walked into his classroom.

  His teacher, Ms. Preece, smiled. “First days are always harder on the parents.”

  Teagan placed her hand over her heart and nodded. “Apparently.” Rather than stand there staring after her son, she made her way back to the front office where she was needed. Well, maybe not needed, but the office staff were supposed to stand at the entrance to greet all the parents and students, so that’s where she should be.

  By the time the school day officially started, her cheeks hurt from smiling and she was in desperate need of a cup of coffee. Teagan’s first month at school would largely be spent on organizing programs and events for the upcoming year. It normally took the teachers several weeks of evaluation to find out if any of their students were in need of her services. Glancing at her schedule, she saw she had a meeting later this morning with the new school resource officer. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. The title normally belonged to a police officer who was responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.

  She hated thinking of needing one at the elementary school level.

  Either way, their appointment was scheduled for eleven o’clock. The office would have the program binder with the information on the officer’s level of involvement with the school and the kind of programs they’d previously run.

  “No time like the present,” she murmured. If there was anything she didn’t quite understand, she could always ask Bobby about it. He knew the local officers, obviously, so maybe she could get pointers on things she could do to ensure a smooth working relationship with him. Or her. She really wished she had a name written down.

  Standing, Teagan went into the main office area to the receptionist’s desk. “Hey, Gloria! I have an eleven o’clock with the school resource officer, but there’s no name on the appointment. Do you have it somewhere?”

  “Sorry, Teagan. Last I heard, the position wasn’t officially filled, so they’re probably sending an interim officer.”

  “Oh. Okay. Thanks.” Heading back to her office, she was mildly annoyed by the lack of information. She preferred having some advance notice of who she’d be dealing with.

  Sitting back down, she opened the binder and began reading, jotting down notes and questions as she went. Before she knew it, it was almost eleven. She got up and stretched, then made a quick run to the ladies’ room to freshen up before her appointment.

  Five minutes later, she was walking back into the office when she spotted a uniformed officer talking to Principal Martin. His back was to her, but she’d recognize that fine butt anywhere.

  And suddenly she had a whole new appreciation for his uniform.

  Casually, she walked over and smiled when both men turned to her. “Ah, Ms. Shaughnessy,” Principal Martin began. “I believe you already know Officer Hannigan.”

  She could feel herself blushing. “Yes, I do,” she said with a smile.

  “Then I’ll leave you two to talk,” he said with a smile of his own before walking away.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked quietly. “Are you here to check on Lucas?”

  Bobby grinned and gently grasped her elbow. “Which one is your office?”

  Pointing down the short hallway, she said, “Second on the left.” Teagan let him guide her, feeling a little giddy at the thought of being alone with him in her office. Once they were inside, she closed the door and faced him. “Seriously, what are you doing here? It’s my first official day of work, I can’t be caught playing around with my boyfriend on school property.” She paused and gave him a very thorough look. “No matter how good he looks in his uniform.”

  He gazed at her curiously. “Teagan, I don’t think you understand—”

  “And I do have an appointment in, like, five minutes, so…”

  She watched as he stood a little taller and took on a more professional stance. Then he held out his hand for her to shake. “Teagan Shaughnessy, I’m Officer Robert Hannigan, your school resource officer. We have an eleven o’clock appointment, I believe.”

  Her jaw hit the floor.

  “Um…excuse me?” Blindly, she reached behind her for the desk—or anything to help hold her up—because she was sure she was going to fall. What was going on? Was this a joke?

  He stepped forward and led her to the chair and helped her sit. Once she was situated, Bobby walked around and sat in one of the chairs facing her. “As I said, I’m your official school resource officer. I understand we’re both new to our positions, and I’d be very interested in talking with you about plans to keep all your students and faculty safe and up-to-date on all school safety programs.”

  It took her a full minute to find her voice. “I…I don’t understand. When did you accept this position?”

  He let out a breath as he sat completely at attention. It was a side of him she’d never seen, and she wasn’t sure if she was more impressed or turned-on.

  “After I failed to get my medical clearance several weeks ago, I began to realize I had a choice to make. I could stay at home and be bitter, or I could be thankful I still had a career I believed in. Even if I couldn’t do my job in the same capacity as I had for years.”

  She nodded and waited to see if there was more.

  “I had several reasons for moving to Myrtle Beach when I did. I was tired of being a small-town cop, tired of everyone knowing my business, and I thought moving to a big city would be the answer to it all. But it never really was. I love this town, I love the people in it, but…I thought that if I moved back, people would see me as a failure.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true, Bobby.”

  “It may very well not be, but in my mind, that’s the way it was.” He paused. “I sat in my condo for several days just… I was in a daze. I didn’t return calls or texts and everyone was starting to freak out. That’s when I realized I wasn’t the only one hurting. I was hurting the people who cared about me.”

  All she wanted to do was get up and hold him, but he obviously had more to say.

  “Believe it or not, it was your cousin who really kicked my ass into gear.”

  “Which one?” she asked with a small laugh.

  “The one you’d least expect.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Quinn?”

  Nodding, he explained. “He called me and pretty much snapped me out of my pity party. Seems like he’s quietly had my back for a while now—at least since the shooting. He’d been talking to my former captain, along with a few of my other former colleagues, and once I pulled my head out of my ass, there was a position waiting for me. All I had to do was ask for it.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. I want to punch him and hug him at the same time,” he said with a lopsided grin and then instantly went back into professional mode. “This is where I’m meant to be, Teagan. Back in my hometown, back with this police force, and here with you and Lucas.”

  Her heart soared at his words.

  “I can’t promise there won’t be any risks, or that this position will be permanent. There may come a time when I’m cleared for active
duty and will want to go back to it. I need to know you’re okay with that.”

  For the first time in weeks—maybe ever—Teagan was confident in her answer. “Bobby Hannigan, I’m in this with you. Risks and all. I think we’re good for each other and can balance one another out.” She swallowed hard. “I have every faith in you—in us—that we’ll be more than okay. We’re going to be great.”

  The look of relief on his face was absolutely perfect, she thought.

  Clearing his throat, he leaned a little closer to the desk. “I kind of wish we weren’t in the middle of your office. I’d like nothing more than to kiss you right now.”

  Unable to help herself, she giggled. “I’d really like that too.”

  “Please tell me I won’t have to wait until Saturday,” he begged.

  Boldly, she stood and walked around her desk until she was standing right in front of him. “You know, this is the first time I’m really seeing you in uniform. Up close, anyway.”

  His smile grew. “And what do you think?”

  “I think there’s a spot behind the door where no one can see in, and I’d really like for us to check if that’s true.”

  Without waiting, Teagan went and put her back against the wall, breathless. When he stood up, he was magnificent. Slowly, he walked over until they were touching everywhere. “This is the first time I’m seeing you in a skirt and heels,” he said. “It’s sexy as hell.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.” Then he captured her lips with his and devoured her. She was expecting a slow build, but once again, he surprised her. It was wild and needy and she wanted to climb him like a tree right there in her office. She figured he was on the same page since she could feel his erection nudging her stomach, until he abruptly broke the kiss. “Every time,” he growled against her throat. “This is what being near you does to me every time.”

  “It’s the same for me,” she whispered. “I kind of hate how there isn’t anything we can…do about it.” Reluctantly, they moved apart and returned to their seats.

  And then, somehow, they managed to focus for the next hour on their plan of action for the school year. When they were done, Bobby stood and smiled at her. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Shaughnessy.”