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Officer William Bronson of Valor County Police Department was injured in June when he arrived at the scene of a robbery turned hostage situation at Nick’s Convenience Store in Castleton. According to the Connecticut Police Department, Officer Bronson was off duty when he disarmed the robber and was shot in the chest during the altercation. All five patrons in the store, including clerk Terrence Houssein, were unarmed. Bronson returns after a three-month leave.
If I didn’t already think Officer Bronson was a fine specimen of a man, knowing he took down an armed robber, using his bare hands and sheer will, just pushed him up a few notches.
Dad takes off his glasses and looks up at me. “How do you know him?”
“Just … from around.”
I hide my expression with the thermos and take a very large sip of coffee. It’s scalding hot, so my eyes bug out as I swallow and injure my throat by being an idiot who can’t just tell her father how exactly she knows the hero officer on the inside pages of the paper.
“Damn, that’s hot,” I say after the swallow and have to breathe in cold air to cool my injured larynx. “See you for dinner tonight?” I sling my purse over my shoulder.
He clears his throat and then goes back to reading the paper, his eyes avoiding mine, and I already know what he’s going to say. “Anna and I are going out to dinner.”
I inhale deep and hold it, then nod my head. “Great. Have fun.” I spin on my heels and rush out the front door.
Anna is my father’s girlfriend and someone he started dating soon after Mom died. She’s nice and all, but she’s a poor replacement for my vibrant and wonderful mother.
I let out an exasperated breath as I close the front door and head to my car.
While my desire to be around Anna or even hear stories about her is limited and my father knows my feelings on the matter, I try not to voice my opinion. Gavin Jones is good man, a great father, and an even better grandfather. He deserves to be happy. It’s just … I wish I could explain it. So, I don’t. I avoid. It’s not the best course of action, but it’s a dance we’ve been doing for quite some time.
As I drive toward the wedding venue where Jillian and I are setting up today, I plug in my phone and call the kids. Even though Tyler has them, I need to talk to my children at least twice a day. I dial Tyler’s house number and wait for someone to pick up.
“Hi, Mommy!” Hunter’s sweet voice fills my car, and my shoulders relax. I’m thankfulhepicked up and not one of the adults in the house.
“Good morning, myson-shine!”
“I miss you. Can you come here?”
“No, baby. I’m sorry. I have to work, but when you come home, we’ll play some games before dinner.”
My kid is not only cute as hell—brown hair, brown eyes, and the sweetest cherub face on the planet—but he’s also the happiest kid. Seriously, nothing gets him down. He loves everyone he meets and has the best view on life because, as he says, each moment is an adventure.
“Mom, you are not going to believe this. We had French toast for breakfast, and—get this—Maisie put chocolate chips and strawberries on them, and it was so good. And then we went outside because we have a new bounce house. We get to keep it in the garage and use it in the backyard whenever we want!”
“French toastanda bounce, all before nine a.m.? You’re having the best morning, my baby!” I say in an overly excited voice.
“Yep, and later, we’re going to the petting zoo. We were going to go early, but Daddy’s still sleeping. He didn’t sleep well last night, so we’re gonna go to the zoo later.”
“Yeah. Daddy needs to sleep.”
“Maisie said I can wake him up at noon. I’m gonna jump on the bed and sing a song really, really loud.”
“That’s a fantastic idea.”
“Did you know there’s a magic trick where you can lift someone off the ground? I saw it on YouTube, and it looks so cool. I asked Daddy to teach me, but he doesn’t like magic.”
“Not his favorite thing, no.”
“Can you teach me?”
“I don’t know how to levitate someone, but I can try.”
I smile, knowing this is gonna take some serious Googling. Making a promise to a five-year-old is like selling your soul. They forget nothing and will ignite a hellish fire around you if you don’t live up to your word.
“You can’t lift someone off the ground, Hunter. It’s fake.” I hear Isabella’s sharp tone in the background.
Oh, my Izzy. You’re too young to be so angry about everything.
