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Mypalmsaresweating on my steering wheel as I pull into the parking lot of the police station. Charlotte is brutally honest with strangers. I’m really worried she is going to hate Dom, or worse, one of his friends’ kids. She isn’t one to put up with bullying and tends to be the leader in a social setting. I love her for it, but I also know it can come off extremely strong for others.
If Charlotte doesn’t like Dom, then it means all of this has been for nothing. Making him chase me, being with him so that emotions can come back, will all be for nothing. She is the only thing that matters, and it’s hard knowing that this is it. I’m finally introducing her to someone who can change her world.
“Are we here?” She asks, unbuckling her chest clip. Yes, I’m that mother who keeps her six-year-old in a high back booster with a five-point harness. So, sue me! You won’t get far, considering I am an expert in the courtroom. Ha!
My stomach bubbles as the nerves hit me, and I feel like I’m about to shit myself. Instead, I look at her through the rear-view mirror, and smile brightly. “We are! Are you ready, sugar?”
“I’m so excited.” She climbs into the front passenger seat and looks out the window. The large parking lot is covered with people and police vehicles.
“Whoa. I can’t wait to go on the helicopter.” She points to the huge helicopter in the center of the lot. A few kids jump out of it and run to the bounce house.
“Remember to use your manners. Wait for your turn on things, okay?” I unbuckle my belt and we climb out together. She hurries around the car and grabs my hand, skipping happily toward the event.
We reach the helicopter first, and I take a glance around to see if I can find Scarlett. My eyes land across the way to where I spot Dom. He’s easily the tallest here. My heart skips a beat, eyeing him in his black tactical pants and black work shirt, and I smile as I watch him talking to someone older.
Dom sees me and waves. He turns back to the man, my heart stopping when I get a good look at his face. My face drops in shock, and memories flood through me. Detective Harden. The man who told me Colby Monroe wasn’t a real person is here, and he’s talking to Dom as if they’re close. Old friends. If that were true, wouldn’t he have told Dom when I came looking for him?
Dom reaches us pretty quickly; his long stride is no match for the distance. Harden follows and my mouth is so dry. So very dry. I have to remind myself I can’t cause a scene.
“Hey.” His smile falters when he realizes I’m upset. I’m sure I look like I’m about to throw up, because that’s exactly how I feel.
“You okay?” His hand grabs my elbow, grounding me, and I snap back to reality.
I nod and grab Charlotte’s hand. “Charlotte. This is my friend, Dom. Remember, we’re going to go out to eat later, with him?”
Charlotte nods eagerly. “Mommy says you’re Terry’s brother. I don’t think so. Where is your beard?”
Dom laughs. “Terry’s beard is long enough for the both of us,” he tells her. “You know, I’m the big brother, but he’s taller than me?”
Charlotte shrugs. “He eats his vegetables. Do you?”
“Yes. Except Brussels sprouts. Do you eat Brussels sprouts?”
She glances up at me, then turns back to Dom. “We eat what’s in our garden. I don’t think we have any Brussels sprouts. We will have to add them to the list. I don’t wanna be short like you.”
I laugh at that, because Dom is anything but short. The man may be a couple of inches shorter than his brother, but he’s still tall. His arms are so long they flow past his mid-thighs, close to his knees. And he even walks like a clumsy giraffe sometimes. I noticed it’s more after a rough day at work, when his body is sore.
“Andi, this is Karson Harden. He works homicide,” Dom introduces us and I force a smile, holding my hand out to shake. It’s clear Karson doesn’t remember me. Why would he? It was so long ago, and I was a pregnant hormonal mess, eyes swollen from crying.
“Nice to finally meet you, Andi.” He talks about something, but I’m too distracted. Finally? He and Dom are close. Why wouldn’t he tell him I showed up and tried to place a missing persons report? Surely, he knew about Dom’s undercover name. He must have recognized the photos I brought, too.
Charlotte grabs my hand and she yanks me towards the large black tactical vehicle. Dom is behind me, and he lifts her into the driver’s seat. “This is my girl,” he tells her, patting the steering wheel. “I just took her out for a wash, and I’m the only one who drives her.”
Charlotte turns her head, eyes wide. “Tyler in school says these are bulletproof. That means if someone shoots at the glass you won’t get hurt, right?”
“That’s right,” Dom nods. “My job is to drive us to wherever the bad guys are. And once we get there, we tackle them.”
“Will you take me for a ride one day, Dommy?”
He glances back at me, grinning at the nickname. “Yeah. I’ll take you. You can hit the lights and the sirens. Me and your mom will set up a day.”
“Awesome!” She cheers. She leans forward and wraps her arm around his neck so he can help her down, then darts away, towards the moon bounce. I watch her throw her shoes off aggressively, and she jumps in.
He takes the moment to slide his arm around my waist, and presses his lips to my ear. He’s making sure that everyone here, all of his friends and coworkers, know that I’m his. “How am I doing?” His breath is hot against my ear as I turn to smile at him.
“She loves you.” I squeeze his forearm and he takes a moment to steal a kiss on my cheek before letting me go.
Charlotte jumps for a good hour before she finally decides her legs are too weak to go any longer. Dom comes by to check on me every once in a while, but then disappears to work his shift at the event, technically still on the job. Scarlett popped by at one point, but the twins had been sick, so she didn’t bring them.
