Page 90 of Justice for Elyxandre
“Go on. Get out of my car. Your people are waiting for you.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?”
“Maybe a time or two. I prefer to think of it as helpful.” With a grunt, he considered the two men on the porch. “He hides it well, but if you don’t get out of this car, he’s going to burst a blood vessel. So I suggest you prevent a 911 call and get inside that house. And that’s just the kid. I’m not sure what his father will do.”
A look at Ezra standing on the porch showed her that Quint wasn’t wrong. He was basically vibrating, his fingers twitching down at his sides. What did he think was happening? That she was riding in Quint’s car because something was going on?
“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh. “His father probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I had to put Ezra down on the ground and cuff him to keep him from overreacting.”
“It’s understandable. You’ve had a hell of a week, and he was worried. He loves you. They both do.”
“Yeah, they do.”
She could finally admit it to herself. Elyxandre, who had felt unlovable for a long time, no longer felt that way. For whatever reason, they did love her. And she loved them.
Exiting the vehicle and shutting the door behind her, she ducked her head down to look at Quint through the open window. “Thanks for the ride. And for everything else too.”
He waved her off. “Nothing to thank me for. The blue line always holds each other up. See you soon.”
When she stood up, he eased the car out of the driveway and took off for his own home. She stood there a moment, enjoying the sight of her two guys. The man she deserved, and the son who deserved a mother and a father who would cheer him on. She could be that woman. She already was. She just had to reach out and take what was being offered. A home. A family. Happiness.
Ambling to the bottom of the porch steps, she stopped and faced them. “I told him to take me home, and he brought me here.”
“Smart man,” Ezra said. “I’m going to bed.”
He returned inside the house, leaving her staring at Lucas.
“Ezra’s right.” He came down the two steps so that he was toe-to-toe with Elyxandre. He licked his thumb, then used it to wipe away something from her hairline. “Theatre dust,” he told her.
“I gotta admit. That tunnel was pretty nasty. When I left the station, I was having lurid fantasies of a hot shower, a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and eating a pint of ice cream right out of the container like a heathen. Don’t suppose you’d let me come in and use your shower?”
“I have everything inside to make those fantasies come true. You can use whatever you want as long as you always promise to come back if you leave.”
“Sounds doable, Dr. Vaughn.”
Warm hands framed her face, and soft lips brushed hers, before enveloping her tight in his arms. “Ezra informed me that if I don’t ask you to move in right this second, I am no longer up for Dad of the Year,” he whispered.
“I think you need to have a talk with him about how relationships work.”
“Told him I should probably ask you out on a date first. He said modern people don’t move at such a slower-than-dirt pace, whatever that means. Muttered something like, ‘If you already know she’s it, why wait?’”
Forehead to forehead, they stood there soaking up the joy of being alive and together. “Well, my house is still a bit unlivable at the moment.”
“This is true.”
“And it’s going to take a while to put it back together.”
“Also true.”
“I’m going to need a place to stay while that happens.”
“I’ve got an extra key for you and you can have Ezra’s spot in the garage.”
“By the time everything’s good, we probably could have been out on a multitude of dates, so then you asking me to move in would be more realistic.”
“Definitely.”
“I’d probably say yes at that point.”
“Hope so.”
“So, if we accept those premises, maybe we should just skip to the foregone conclusion, and I’ll just move in.”
“I like your logic, Officer Hookstead.”
“I’m smart like that.”
His mouth pressed against hers, and she immediately opened to let his tongue inside. One arm banded around her middle back, one hand holding her neck at the angle he wanted, they announced to everyone on the block that the school resource officer was officially dating the high school principal.
And she didn’t give a damn.
