Rolling off of him, I jumped off the bed and went straight to the shower. North Carolina was so different from Maine. You could walk outside and be drenched in sweat in a matter of minutes. The humidity was worse than in Vegas.
I missed my uncle and the B&B, but Jason’s friends had turned into my family. Diane constantly sent me presents and even came out to visit a couple of times. She loved Charlotte so much, she decided to open up a store, giving me free access to anything I would want. If I didn’t take anything, she made sure to send me a package along with a letter, scolding me.
Once out of the shower, I picked out one of my many sundresses and slipped it on. The next thing I knew, Jason barreled up the steps and rushed into the room. “We have to go, now.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I raced down the stairs after him.
“Something bad happened at Second Street. I got a call saying they needed backup.”
I froze and looked down at my dress. “I can’t go in this. Let me change really fast.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. “No time. I got your gun and badge, that’s all you need.”
We jumped in his car and sped out of the driveway. “Who called you?”
“One of the guys from the PD. Apparently, it’s something they can’t handle.”
“That makes no sense. They’ve handled plenty of cases without you. Besides, don’t they know we’re on vacation?”
He scoffed. “Like they care. Whatever it is, we’ll get it handled and have the rest of the night to ourselves.”
One thing I’d learned about Jason was that he was completely dedicated to the force and to solving crimes. It was one of the things I loved about him. After I moved, the bureau transferred me to another government lab based in Charlotte where I could continue to experiment. The serum turned out to be a huge success and the bureau wanted me to come up with a truth serum for interrogations. I couldn’t wait to get started. When we pulled up to the Second Street Bar, there were police cars everywhere.
“Holy shit, what in the world’s going on?” I exclaimed.
Jason slammed on his brakes and jumped out of the car. “I don’t know, but I’m going in.”
“Dammit, wait on me!” Gun in hand, I jumped out of the car and rushed inside, only to come to a freezing halt.
“Somebody might want to take her gun before she turns it on Avery,” someone yelled. The crowd bellowed.
Looking around, I found Jason standing in the middle of the crowd with a mischievous smile splayed across his lips. Everyone was there, including my uncle, Diane, and even Adrian with his fiancé.
Luke, Jason’s best friend, walked up to me cautiously. I had the pleasure of meeting him the day Jason brought me to Charlotte. He was definitely a ladies man with his charming smile and tousled blond hair. “Mind if I take your gun? I don’t want you shooting my best friend.”
I gave it to him and glanced at the people around the room before focusing on Jason.
Stepping forward, he took my hand. “Come on.” He hopped up on a table and pulled me with him.
“Jason, what are you doing?”
The crowd gathered around and Diane was crying when I looked at her. What the hell was going on? Jason held up his hand and waved the crowd to silence. “Everyone, if I could have your attention. As you all know, this lovely firecracker has been here with me for six months now. I know that might not seem like a long time to some, but what we’ve been through surmounts any length of time. She started off as a pain in my ass—”
“Hey, look who’s talking,” I griped, smacking him on the arm; everyone laughed.
He pulled me close and kissed me. “Okay, so we were both pain in the asses. What I’m trying to say is, you’re my partner in more ways than one. I’ve trusted you with my life and you’ve never let me down. With that being said,” he murmured, getting on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shimmering diamond ring.