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“And her father,” Daisy said, locking eyes with him. “He’s pretty amazing, too.”
He swallowed, not moving. “Nah. He’s pretty ordinary, but he’s doing his best not to fuck up her life, regardless.”
“Seems to me like you’re doing a pretty good job at it,” she said, pulling her jeans on. Once she zipped them up, she fluffed her hair out. “You’re putting her first, and that’s a good start. Just make sure you don’t forget about you, too. If you find someone who can make you happy, who isn’t a cop like me, grab her. Give that happiness a chance.”
“I’m pretty good where I am right now,” he said slowly, staring at her in a way that told her he included her in that statement. “I have everything I need right here.”
This thing between them, no matter what they called it, it was real.
And it was something that made her heart skip a beat when he texted her, or laughed, or ran his hands down her back. What they had was…was…more than friends.
If he didn’t realize that, he would soon, and then he’d run, if she didn’t run first. But for now, it worked. For now, it was enough. She just had to remember to keep her heart safe. Their whole relationship, if it could be called that, was an intense round of ring around the roses, and she had to make sure she wasn’t collateral damage when it all fell down.
“Do you want to be the type of cop you are forever?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Like, patrol. Just like with Shillings, there are different types of police officers. Patrol. Crime scene. Murder. Vice.” He shot her a short look. “Or, you know, office work. Like you’re doing now. Something not so…out there.”
She stood, feeling nauseous, because if she wasn’t mistaken, he was covertly asking her to take a “safer” job in the police force. And that was a big hell no. “I need to go.”
“But—”
She waved over her shoulder and ran for it. He’d asked her to give him a chance and she had, but the second she said yes to him, she couldn’t shake the feeling that trusting him had been the worst mistake she’d ever made. That one way or another, he was eventually going to prove her right. That he was going to be unable to accept her as she was, dangerous job and all. That he was going to leave her, just like all the other men in her life had, and he was going to crush her…
And she was going to let him.
Chapter Twelve
The clicking of the keyboard keys as Mark typed was the only sound in his otherwise silent office, and in a way, that constant click was comforting. It kept his mind off other things.
Things like Daisy, and the way she made him feel, and how he should be distancing himself from her because she wasn’t what he wanted in a partner, if he even wanted a partner, and how the two of them together made no sense. And as if all that weren’t enough of a dose of cold, hard reality there was the fact that she was constantly running from him.
And he kept chasing her.
There was no doubt she was a runner, and no matter what happened between them, or how far they took this thing they had going between them, her first instinct would be to run…and he would always be the one chasing her. Over and over again.
Ever since Tina died, he’d been sure to make every decision based on what was in Ginny’s best interests. To not let his heart rule him, like it had with Tina. Cold, hard logic was his friend when it came to his judgment. Logic dictated he take the few nights he’d had with her and let them be a happy memory. It also said he should stop chasing her when she clearly didn’t want to be caught. She wasn’t the woman for him because the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with was dead. All he had now was Ginny, and his logic. His smart choices.
Being with Daisy? It wasn’t smart.
It was catastrophic.
His phone rang, and he glanced down at it. It was his mother. She’d been an angel ever since he’d been widowed. She watched Ginny for him so he didn’t have to pay for childcare, and was 100 percent supportive of whatever he needed. Her only fault was she kept pushing him to date again. To find Ginny a new mom. She didn’t need a new mom. She had him. And he had her. Bringing in someone else would only mess up their dynamic…
And break their hearts when it ended.
He picked up the phone, slid the answer icon to the right, and rested it on his ear. “Hello?”
“Hello, dear. How’s work going?”
“Good. I’m almost finished. Should only be another half hour or so.” He hit enter and stared at the report on the Walker case he’d just wrapped up. It was the last thing he had to do, and then he was out of here. Sighing, he clicked on the Amazon window he’d had open in the background. As he stared at the book he’d been checking out, he could hear Elsa in the background, singing about letting go. He knew that damn song by heart. Maybe Elsa had a point. Maybe he needed to let it go a little bit. “Is everything okay with Ginny?”
“Yes, but she wants to go see that movie with the birds. It’s showing soon, so I was wondering if you’d mind me taking her?” She paused. “It’ll give you a chance to do something fun for yourself. Maybe go to dinner with the guys from work?”
He glanced out into the hallway. Steven walked by, his attention on a folder, and Jake spoke quietly with Tara, as he went down the hallway, limping slightly. Holt was on the phone, more than likely with Lydia, and Cooper was on his honeymoon with Kayla. If he were to go anywhere, it would probably be to Daisy’s place, and he wasn’t sure that was a good idea after last night. “I don’t know. Maybe I could join you guys a little later at the theater.”
“No. It’s girl time.”
