Page 5 of Chasing Honor

I climbed into my Yukon bone tired and prayed I could make it through tomorrow. Congressman Harris was a pretentious prick. We’d have to follow him around the city tomorrow while he put on his dog and pony show for his supporters. Too bad none of them saw or heard how he behaved in private. His wife had died a few years ago giving him the leg up he’d needed to win that year’s election. He had the grieving widower act down to a “T” and he’d gotten the sympathy vote easily. His son was a politician-in-training and an even bigger douche. Thankfully, they didn’t come into town very often.

I pulled up to the house I’d grown up in and found Carson in the front yard with my mom, working in the flower garden. She had on a pair of bright yellow rain boots with god-awful red ladybugs all over them. Carson turned to watch me pull into the driveway, her pretty, chestnut curls bouncing with her movement, and my rough day melted away.

“Daddy! You’re finally here. I thought you’d never get here. Gran said I was acting like I had ants in my pants. That’s gross. I don’t have ants in my undies,” Carson said before my feet could hit the concrete.

“Hi, sweetheart. I told you I’d be here at five. It’s only four thirty,” I reminded her.

“I know. But I really, really, really want to see Incredibles 2. Everyone else has seen it already.”

A familiar guilt hit my gut at Carson’s declaration. Most of her friends had two parents. Even if they were divorced there was always one available. She only had me. And even though my captain tried his best to keep me on days, knowing I was a single dad, there were months I had night and weekend shifts. With only three years on the job, I didn’t have much seniority.

“That’s a lot of reallys. We better get going if you want to stop at The Freeze to get burgers and milkshakes first.” I picked Carson up, bringing her face level with mine and kissed her forehead before I set her back on her feet. “Go say bye to Gran and change your shoes please.”

She hurried off, disappearing into the house, and I walked over to my mom.

“Hey, Mom. How was she?”

“Perfect. As always.” She smiled.

“The flowers look great,” I told her, noting the addition of pink daisies this year.

“Thank you, Ethan. Listen, I was thinking about the roommate situation—”

“Mom. I know what you’re going to say. I’m a cop. I’ll do a background check before I let anyone move in. I don’t want anyone around Carson I can’t trust.”

“But—”

“I got this. I have a huge house for just Carson and me. If I rent a room out it brings in a little money. Cason’s been asking about cheer camp on top of dance classes. I can’t afford both.”

“My God, you’re just like your father.” My mom scowled, making me smile. It wasn’t the first time she’d complained that my brother and I were like my dad. “Would you stop interrupting me and listen for a second? You don’t need to rent the room. Your dad and I want to pay for Carson’s classes.”

“No way!”

“Ethan.”

“No!”

“But we’re her grandparents. We’re allowed to spoil her. It’s our right,” she tried.

“No way, Mom. Thank you, but no. You spoil her enough. That was the excuse you gave when you put the pool in the backyard for her. And the last three times you took us to Disneyworld on vacation. And all the other countless things you do for her—and me. I appreciate everything you and dad have done and still do. But I’m not taking money from my parents to raise my kid.”

“Told you, he’d never go for it,” my dad said, joining the conversation.

“I had to try.” My mom looked thoroughly dejected. “I just want to help.”

“Mama, you help me all the time. You watch Carson after school until I get off work. You keep her overnight if I have a shift. And if I get called out in the middle of the night, you never complain when you wake up and she’s at the house. There’s nothing more I could possibly ask for.”

“I hate the thought of a stranger being in your house.”

“I do too. But I have two more years until I can take the detective exam. Until then, we’re gonna have to scrape by.” We’d had this talk a hundred times.

“We have the money, Ethan. We want to spend it on you, Carson, and Carter.”

“Mom!”

“Leave it, Lily.” My mom cut her eyes to my dad and his face softened. “You rolling your pretty eyes at me, woman?”

Oh, hell. I knew where this was headed. Over the years my parents had never hidden their attraction for each other.