Page 69 of Written with You (The Regret Duet 2)
“You okay?” Caven asked as he put the car in park.
“Yeah. Though I’m probably going to have to move.”
“He’s dead, babe. He’s not going to come back to cause you any trouble.”
“Yeah, but Jerry’s not. And he might look old but trust me, his shit-list is a dangerous place to be. There’s a reason I got this house for a steal.”
He chuckled. “So, you’re okay?”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “Are you? After what happened with Trent?”
He kissed the back of my knuckle. “Yeah, babe. I’m good. I promise. Let’s get this over with so we can get Rosie and head into the city for brunch.”
“Can we maybe hit Central Park too? My dad used to take us there sometimes on the weekends. His old bakery is still off Times Square. I hear the guy who bought it is an asshole, but they still sell bear claws. I’d love to get Rosie one and then show her where Hadley and I used to play out back.”
Catching me at the back of the neck, he met me halfway over the center console and kissed me. Chaste and sweet, but it was Caven, so it was also filled with absolute love. “Then it sounds like, after brunch, we’ll be getting bear claws and hitting Central Park.”
I smiled huge and stared into his blue eyes. It didn’t matter that my life was pretty much in total disarray and we were sitting in front of my house with police tape across the front door. I thought maybe Hadley had always been right. I was the lucky one.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Willow.”
“You have to call me Hadley, remember?”
He pursed his lips. “I’ll call you babe, baby, sweetheart, beautiful, and maybe even gorgeous. But I’m not calling you Hadley. Okay?”
I didn’t argue because I liked all of those. “Fair enough.”
He kissed me again, and then we both climbed out of the car. He immediately took my hand again as we strolled up the front sidewalk, where three young officers were standing around talking.
“Mrs. Banks,” the youngest of the three greeted when we got close.
I was either getting old or the PD was fishing from the junior police academy swimming pool.
“That’s me. This is my, um…” I flashed a smile at Caven. “My boyfriend, Caven Hunt.”
Stoic Caven’s lip twitched just like old times and it caused butterflies in my stomach. It wasn’t very long ago that he had been standing in that very same spot, angry and worried that I was there to take his daughter. I’d never in a million years dreamed we’d be standing there holding hands, committed and in love, on the cusp of starting a life together.
God, life was crazy sometimes.
“Nice to meet you,” he replied, taking the officer’s proffered hand for a quick shake. “Is Detective Gains around? He’s been my contact for the last few days.”
My eyebrows popped. “Your contact? Why don’t I have a contact?”
He squinted one eye. “Did I say contact?”
“That’s what I heard?”
He bit his lip as he winked.
So damn sexy.
“Uh…you just missed him,” the young officer said, flicking his gaze between us. “We’ve finished up inside. Got several prints we matched to Aaron White. Big-time druggy. Small-time criminal. No one you have to worry about anymore. We just need you to take a look around and see what’s missing so we can put it on the report and then we’ll be out of your hair. Hopefully for good.” He shot me a grin and then lifted his chin to the other cop standing by the door. “Let ’em in.”
Caven’s grip on my hand tightened as we walked up the steps to the door. It was sweet that he was concerned. Unnecessary, but sweet.
“I’m okay. Really. It’s just stuff, remember?”
He nodded. “Maybe. But in case that changes, I’m gonna stay close.”
Gah! Sweet Caven was the best.
I leaned into his side as we walked inside. A smile broke across my face when we found my living room covered in fingerprint dust but otherwise untouched. Hadley’s paintings still hung on the walls, and after a few days of staying in Caven’s neutral-snoozfest house, the bright pops of colors seemed more intoxicating than ever.
“My house is so much prettier than yours,” I told him.
“I’m not sure pretty is the word. Loud may be more accurate.”
“It’s okay to be jealous. It’s a natural human emotion. I still love you.”
He chuckled and shook his head.
We went to the garage first. It was where I’d been storing all of Hadley’s boxes that she’d mailed to me in Puerto Rico. I hadn’t gone through them yet, but when I opened the door, it was clear someone had. They’d all been opened, dumped out, and strewn from one side to the other. It didn’t appear to be much more than a bunch of clothes and shoes, though I did catch sight of a few of her art supplies scattered around.
