“We were just talking about food, too,” Mike said. “We still have plenty of leftovers.”
“Why don’t you two go sit down?” Caden said to Mike and Makenna. “We can take charge of dinner.” He looked at Patrick.
“Absolutely,” Patrick said.
Makenna pressed up onto tiptoes to give Caden a quick kiss as she passed him. “Thank you.” It was the first time they’d done something more than hold hands or sit close together in front of everyone, and Caden braced for a reaction. But there was none. Not even from Ian, who’d been very quiet around him since the accident.
The three of them heated up the food and set it out on the table. And even though Ian’s derisive words were still pinging around the back of Caden’s brain, he liked this family. Despite Ian’s snubs. Mike was loving and friendly and generous. Patrick was a good guy and a straight shooter, and they worked together as well in the kitchen as they had on the scene the night before. Collin was talkative and funny, easy going and accepting. And Makenna…Makenna was everything good and light and loving.
Soon they were all gathered around to eat, including Collin and Shima, who came down when the smells of turkey and stuffing started wafting through the house. Collin was moving a little stiffly and looking a little bleary-eyed but otherwise he’d be fine. And Caden was glad. He’d hate to see anything happen to the family Makenna loved so much. Because she deserved everything.
The meal was subdued compared to the conversation of the day before, but it was real. Real life. And for the first time, Caden actually let himself imagine being a part of it.
*
The past couple of days had kicked Makenna’s butt. First, the unexpected conversation with Cameron. Then, the accident. Then, the stomach virus she’d picked up that had left her queasy and exhausted. And finally, she’d barely seen Caden in the four days since they’d gotten home because he’d had back-to-back shifts that had allowed him to get the holiday off in the first place.
All of which made her very glad that they’d have tonight together. He’d made the arrangements for her to get her first tattoo, and Makenna was thrilled. And a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. But Caden would be right there with her.
The work day finally over, Makenna took the elevator to the first floor—her favorite elevator, the one that made her smile every time she took it because she’d met Caden in it—and made her way to the Metro. Outside, it was already dark, and the cold air bit at her skin. But she was all pure frenetic energy looking forward to tonight.
Back at her apartment, she was thrilled to find Caden home. Wearing jeans and an ACFD T-shirt, he was in the kitchen unpacking containers from plastic bags. “Hey,” she said. “What smells so good?”
“Hey, Red,” he said in a quiet voice. He turned toward her. For a split second, something in his gaze looked wrong, almost disheartened, but then he gave a little smile and his whole face changed. “I stopped at the noodle place.”
“You okay?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Yeah,” he said, hugging her back. “Last night’s shift was non-stop and I couldn’t seem to stay asleep today.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Well, thank you for getting food. I love the noodle place.” And I love you.
She thought it so often these days that the words lived on the tip of her tongue. After the conversation about Cameron, Makenna had been so tempted to just tell Caden how she felt, but there’d been moments over the weekend where he’d seemed stressed, and she could tell he was at his limit. They’d get there. She knew they would. The way he looked at her, the way he took care of her, the way he made love to her—it all said he felt the same way she did, even if he hadn’t given her the words.
“I know,” he said with a wink. “That’s why I stopped there.” His lips found hers, warm and exploring. She reveled in the little bites of his piercings against her skin as he kissed her again and again.
“Mmm, good appetizer,” she said around the edge of the kiss.
He grinned. “Food then tattoo. Then we can come back to appetizers after.”
“Fine,” she said, feigning being put out. “I guess I can live with that plan.”
“You excited?” he asked, returning to the counter.
Makenna couldn’t hold back her smile. “Really excited. Heath sent me the final version of the design today,” she said. “Wanna see it?”
“Of course,” he said, grabbing silverware from a drawer. Heath was the tattoo artist who’d done most of Caden’s work over the years. “He’s great, isn’t he?”
She dropped her bags on the edge of the counter and fished out the sketch. She found the sheet and made sure it was the right one before she handed it to Caden—because she had two versions of it in her bag. One for Caden to see, and one that Heath was actually going to use to make the stencil. She’d cooked up a little surprise that he couldn’t know about until the ink was done, and she was nearly bursting at the seams.