“And again, I’m moody at work, she doesn’t talk to my wife about it.”
“I’m her stylist, darlin’, except for talking about stuff with you, it’s very close to the sanctity of the confessional even if she’s not in my chair but instead at a wedding where a woman gave birth on a dance floor.”
“Babe, you rat out people all the time, which, I’ll note, you just did, sharin’ that shit Donna gave to you.”
I grinned. “If they share with the sheriff’s wife, they deserve me being a snitch.”
Hix didn’t grin.
He looked back to the street but at least he did it with his mouth quirking.
“Are you okay with this Becker stuff?” I asked.
“Him makin’ a deal, ratting on bigger players in order to get his ass in WITSEC after we finally shut down his shit in this county? No. Do I want that house of cards to collapse? Yes. Do I want Becker to live cush after he’s gotten away with his crap for decades? No.” He took another sip and muttered, “But I got no choice. It’s outta my hands.”
I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his forearm. “Sorry, baby.”
He pulled out of my hold but only to take over, placing the back of my hand on the arm of the chair and then running his fingers along the insides of mine. He did it automatically, his eyes were still aimed at the street, but he did it having so much practice, he didn’t have to watch to do it expertly.
“I’m glad Hal finally got his head out of his ass,” he whispered eventually.
I was in the know about the fact that Hal had not been a very good husband, until for some reason things broke loose after Hix gave him a talking to during the investigation of Nat Calloway’s murder.
Or maybe it had just been Nat dying, leaving Faith to face a life without her husband.
Whatever it was, he’d gotten rid of his women and recommitted to his marriage.
Now they had a baby.
And when Ashlee came and got her hair done, she didn’t look sad anymore.
“Me too,” I whispered back.
“Hope called,” he shared.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Jep and Marie want us at Thanksgiving. Andy’s invited too, of course. Your call, sweetheart. It’s a big day and important to you and Andy just like it is to everybody.” I felt his eyes so I stopped looking at our hands and looked to him. “I know you and Hope manage to keep it good. I also know you two aren’t the best of friends. So if you’ll be uncomfortable, we’ll say no.”
“Shaw’ll be home and it’d be good we don’t make him split too much of his time. So maybe we can meet them there for pie at the end but maybe go over to Lou’s or have Tommy and Toast over here and do our own thing before we go.”
“That’ll work.”
I smiled at him.
He stopped stroking my fingers, threaded his through mine and held on.
“Sheriff,” I heard and looked to the street. “Hey, Greta. Nice night.”
“Year’s getting old. We need to enjoy them while they last, Joe,” I called.
“I hear that,” our neighbor replied, nodding to us both and continuing to walk his dog.
I sipped my wine.
My husband held my hand and sipped his bourbon.
We let the peace of our street melt away the craziness of the day.
“I want more bourbon. I’ll get you more wine. I do that, you get upstairs. I’ll bring up the drinks. But I wanna fuck my wife.”
My lady parts spasmed and my gaze shot to Hix to watch him down the rest of his drink.
When his gaze came to mine, I didn’t hesitate offering him my still half-full glass.
He didn’t take it.
He pulled me up and then he pulled me into the house.
Rocky followed.
Our dog and I stopped with Hix as he let me go to close and lock the door.
“Headboard?” I asked when I got his attention.
“We’ll see,” he answered and took my glass.
I grinned a lazy grin.
He watched me then growled a low growl.
Once I heard that, still in my heels and dress from the wedding, I sashayed across the living room and up the stairs, knowing my husband’s eyes were on my ass, even under my cardie.
I eventually got headboard.
I got a bunch of other stuff too.
It was magnificent.
It would be.
Because I got it all from Hix.
Hixon
Hix stood by the mantle of his fireplace, looking at one of the many framed pictures resting there.
The one that had his attention was the biggest of the lot.
Greta was wearing a long-sleeved, drop-waist, filmy, ivory gown. The sleeves where see-through. There was an elegant drape at the neckline, not low, but wide, exposing her chest and collarbone all the way to the points of her shoulders.
No beads. No pearls. No bling.
Just that.
Her wedding dress.
He was standing beside her wearing a suit, his arm around her, but his other arm was around Corinne who was pressed to his other side and he had his head turned and bent, kissing his daughter’s hair.
Andy was at Greta’s other side but she didn’t have her arm around him. She had one around Hix and her other hand was holding her bouquet of blue roses and white calla lilies. Andy was just standing close to his sister, but bent over the back of Mamie standing in front of him. A Mamie who’d been caught by the camera, laughing uncontrollably, Andy’s arms wrapped around her in what looked like an embrace, but what memory served as him tickling her.
Shaw stood next to Andy with his hand on Andy’s shoulder, he was bent slightly with his own laughter toward his sister and a man he treated as a brother.
Greta, however, was looking at the camera with a look on her beautiful face Hix had seen only three times from her in his life.
The first was the first time he saw her brother wrap his arms around her that day her mother was making a scene at Sunnydown.
The second was when he looked back to her face after he’d slid her wedding ring on her finger during their wedding.
And that picture was the last.
Her expression was sublime.
As it would be.
She looked like she’d just hit heaven.
“Ready,” she said from behind him and he turned to see her coming in the room in a gorgeous, tight dress, her usual heels on her feet.
He suspected with one look at her that he looked like she did in their wedding photo.
Then again, Hix suspected most times he looked at his wife, he looked like that.
She was rummaging through her bag, doing it talking.
“We gotta go. With everyone coming in to see her, hair ran long and I didn’t get back in enough time. We’re running late.”
He knew this, she didn’t have to tell him.
He didn’t share that info.
He walked her out the door, managed to keep Rocky from following them to the garage as he got her in his Bronco and they took off.
“I talked with her and Mamie’s driving Andy back to Sunnydown after he’s done at work. So we don’t have to leave early.”
“Right,” Hix muttered.