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She flips through the pages, and her eyes widen. “You are full of surprises.”
I take her book. “On the Way to You. You said there’s some mystery in here too?”
She nods. “Kandi Steiner’s writing is so beautiful. It’s such an emotional story. I cry every time I read it.”
“All right, Kandi Steiner. Let’s see if you can make me cry.” I prop my pillows against the headboard and lean back, grunting as a sharp pain shoots through my hip.
“Careful,” she says. “Go easy.” Then she flips to the first page in John Grisham’sThe Partnerand settles in beside me.
“Come here.” I wrap an arm around her, needing her close. “Get comfy.”
She snuggles in, and my heart swells. I could get used to this, the feeling of her next to me, spending a lazy day reading in bed together.
After a few minutes pass, she glances at me. “You know, most guys think women who read romance have unrealistic expectations of men because of these books.”
“That’s because most guys don’t have enough sense to find out what it is that women actually want.” I lift a shoulder. “I think romance can be very real if you find the right person. If you can listen to what your partner wants and do what you can to make him or her happy, then you can have any romance scene in these books. It might not be a millionaire with a yacht, but I think anything is possible if you set those standards and make it clear what you’re looking for.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Officer Russo, are you a hopeless romantic?”
“Keep reading, and you’ll find out.”
13
Phoenix
Daily Affirmation: “I am proud of myself.”
“I knowyou have a big day this afternoon, but will you take a ride with me?”
I stop what I’m doing and look up at James. “Of course. What’s wrong?”
He rubs the back of his neck and blows out a breath through his lips. “Damon’s funeral is today. I… I don’t want anyone to see me there, but I feel like I need to go.”
I cap the marker and set it down so I can reach for James’s hand. “Absolutely.”
James doesn’t talk on the ride over to the cemetery. Light snow flurries around us, the sky a dark, gloomy gray.
When he pulls into the parking lot, he puts the car in park and turns up the heat. “Are you warm?”
I nod. “I’m fine.”
He scans the field and points out the window at a handful of people gathered around a priest. “That’s his mother.”
I squeeze his hand. “You did everything you could to help those boys, James. He’s not in that casket because of you. He made the wrong choice, and Phil only fired because you were in danger.”
“I know.” He shakes his head, and I wonder if he believes his own words. “She lost her son right before Christmas.”
“If he was into drugs and guns, it sounds like she lost him long before he actually died.”
“Maybe. But I’m sure she still held on to hope. I know I always did when Leo went off the rails.”
“I’m so glad you have your brother back.”
“Me too.”
We remain in silence, watching the funeral until the casket gets lowered into the ground.
“The last funeral I went to was my mother’s.”
