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“Oh yes you do, you prude, don’t act like a princess.” Francesca sticks her tongue out at Britt’s words.
“I’ve been with guys my age, and they think they know it all. Three pumps and some colorful language and they think they’re king. Newsflash. They’re not.”
“Oh, yes, I know exactly what you mean.” Britt laughs. “I was nineteen, and Bobby was twenty-five. We definitely had some fun. He showed me things and then I got to show him things.” She waggles her brows and we giggle at her antics.
“Well, the Chief is definitely in charge everywhere he goes. I’ll say that. And his dirty talk?” I whistle. “The man knows what he is doing.”
They all fawn and flutter their lashes. This is fun. This is sweet and I wish Angelina was here with me. She’d love this interaction as much as I do.
“Well, I’ll say that I’m stoked you’re with him. We’ve known Vincent for a long time and I’ve never seen him as happy as he is now.”
Hearing them talk about the Chief as the main point of this town, a loyal man and a great friend, has me falling hard and fast for him.
I glance towards him and see him laughing with the boys, throwing his head back and then clapping Tom on the shoulder. He’s the epitome of a man wanting to protect and do all he can for others. We’re one and the same.
Dare I say I’m in love?
ChapterTwenty-Two
VINCENT
Being with these men is good for my soul. Having a friend you can be yourself with is nothing short of perfection. Having a whole family you can hang with, who knows your ins and outs and loves you, anyway? Yup. This is where I want to be.
The Casanovas never made me feel second rate. They never made me question all my overtime or dumping my daughter in their preschool. They just welcomed me in.
Maybe they knew I needed them.
Tom and his parents, Janet and Frank, are the only ones who know about my sister. Whether they’ve given this info to anyone else is beyond me, but no one has ever approached me about my loss, or walked on eggshells around me. Not even when they were close to losing Billy, when Tom was overseas, did any of my past come up. They just asked for my help.
And not that I was hiding it, but I didn’t want that to be the reason someone accepted me into their home. I didn’t want to be a charity case or a pity case.
It’s why I never told Daisy until I had to explain why I have a need to protect her. And she understood.
She always understands.
And I love her for it.
Yup. I said it. I love her.
After having dinner with Angelina and hearing her say the words, I went home and thought long and hard. Am I in love or am I just in lust?
I’ve never been in love but I do know that what I’m feeling right now, I’ve never felt before.
Love is wanting to come home to the same person every day. Love is wanting to tell the stupid story I just heard at work. Love is wanting to take her back to the coffee shop where we had that amazing espresso just to recreate the feeling.
And love is wanting to move her in with me to wake with and fall asleep to every night.
I don’t care how old she is. I don’t care how taboo our age gap is. Or what the town is going to say. I care about how she takes care of me, how she loves me back, how she lets me touch her. Love is all of that mixed with the best sex I could ever dream of.
Am I getting sentimental because it’s the holiday season? Christmas is around the corner and the feeling this town gives, fills your heart. You’d have to be a grinch to not want to be a part of it. And even when I was younger and had Angelina, the warmth that showed through from the parties and parades and the gifts was outstanding. I wanted to give that back to everyone.
I began an annual Christmas party at the station a few years back. We collect toys, wrap them and dispense them throughout the town. It’s grown every year and now we have it at the Rec center to accommodate everyone.
It’s an amazing feeling to be a Secret Santa and being the Chief and in charge of it brings me so much joy.
The fact I get to do it with my girl this year? Even better. And the party afterwards? It’s always a ton of fun. I’m already thinking about the costume she can wear.
Red skirt, white lace. And her green eyes? Best Christmas present ever.
