Hold On

“One hundred percent, impressive,” Ethan decreed.

Garrett chuckled before he requested, “Mind if I say hey to your mom?”

“Sure,” Ethan allowed, twisting back to land on his ass on the couch. “Just not too gooey.”

He was still smiling when he turned to Cher.

That smell.

Her right there in his kitchen, looking pretty.

Her kid giving him the best welcome home he’d had in years, even though he hadn’t even said hello.

All that, Garrett wanted to give Cher more than gooey.

Ethan right there, he couldn’t.

But with what he did give her, he managed to touch his tongue to hers briefly before he lifted his head.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“Hey, gorgeous. Good day?”

It had been a good day.

He’d had an important conversation with his father that settled his soul and maybe, he hoped, neutralized the poison in his gut for good—or at least made it so he could manage it.

He’d discovered his woman and her kid were never in any danger, but now they were really not in any danger with Carlito and his crew picked up and being processed on RICO charges.

And it was looking good that Wendy Derian’s killer was behind bars with the RICO haul. The gun in the suspect’s possession was the caliber that did Wendy, had been recently discharged, and Robert Paxton didn’t have a firm alibi for the time of her murder. He was also in possession of her cell phone.

Jake still had to run ballistics, but during interrogation, Paxton gave Mike and Garrett indication he may roll over on a variety of things, including being ordered to carry out the hit on Wendy, doing this in order to make things tougher for Carlito but easier on him.

He didn’t tell Cher any of that.

He said, “Yeah. More later.”

She studied him a beat before she nodded.

“You gonna tell me what that smell is?” he asked.

“Garlic cheddar chicken, buttered noodles, fresh rolls from Kroger, and…” She dipped her voice quiet. “Green beans.”

“I heard that,” Ethan called.

She smiled up at him, not having moved from the curve of his arm, not an inch.

And he saw it. There in her face. That look he had memorized. That look, part of which she’d given him over and over for years and he’d been too blind to see.

That look now he’d never forget

She was happy. She was safe and happy.

And the part that had been his for a long time and he didn’t notice.

She was in love with him.

He lifted his free hand to slide it into the side of her hair as he took that look in.

He was wrong.

She wasn’t prettiest first thing in the morning.

She was at her prettiest any time of the day when she was looking into his eyes.

And hers were happy.

And in love.

*

Ethan

Ethan looked from the TV to his mom and Merry in the kitchen.

They were being gooey, standing close, staring into each other’s eyes, Merry’s hand in his mom’s hair by the side of her face.

Totally gross.

Even after witnessing the gross, when Ethan looked back at the TV, he did it smiling.





Chapter Twenty-One


Overachiever

Cher



Late Thursday Evening

In my cami and pajama bottoms, I sat cross-legged in Merry’s bed, facing Merry.

He had his back to the headboard, his body stretched out, his chest bare, the covers pulled up to his hips.

And he’d just shared his day.

For once in my life, I was at a loss for words.

But, being me, it didn’t take long before I found some.

“That BMW bitch…she have dark hair cut short and look-at-me-I’m-loaded sunglasses?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he answered.

I knew her. She’d honked at me too. More than once.

“I’ve seen her wear those glasses during a thunderstorm,” I shared.

Merry said nothing, just kept looking up at me with half his mouth hitched up like he thought I was cute or something.

“You got outta your car, flashed your badge, and gave her shit?” I asked.

“Yep,” Merry answered.