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By the time Rue comes back, the kitchen is clean. She looks around before her gaze lands on me. A soft expression graces her face. “You cleaned up?”
“You baked.”
“I’m also the one who made the mess.”
“So? I’m a grown-ass man. I’m more than capable of cleaning up. It’s not like you wouldn’t do it for me. If you were doing laundry, would you just wash your stuff? Or shove my shit in too?”
“Yours too, of course.”
“Right then. Why is this so different?”
“It’s not. You’re right, and I’m not complaining. I think men overcomplicate shit when they’re thinking about what women want. When we really want stupid shit like this.”
“Clean countertops?”
“Yeah, clean countertops, folded laundry, cooking dinner occasionally. We want to be part of a team.”
“I’ll always be on your team, baby. There will never be a time when I’ll put anyone before you.”
“You don’t know that. People change—” I cover her mouth with my hand and scowl down at her.
“You’re it, Rue. You’re not my first choice. You’re my only choice. If there is no you, there is no me.”
Her lips move behind my hand, but I don’t care what she has to say. In this, there will be no compromise. There will never be a time I’ll willingly let her walk away from me.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rue
After waving to Valen as he drives away, I run my hands over my dress and take a deep breath. I have no need to be nervous, but that doesn’t mean I’m not. I look up at the building in front of me as the glass doors open. Two cops in uniform walk out, laughing with each other as they head toward one of the squad cars in the parking lot.
I’ve been here before. Quite a few times, apparently. There are people here that I know will recognize me and respond with either a smile or a frown, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to that.
Taking another deep breath, I square my shoulders and lift my head high. I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of. I’m the victim of an attack. That’s on the bad guy, not me. As for their opinions of Valen, that’s all they’re ever going to be, or they would have arrested him by now.
I walk toward the doors and pull them open, finding the waiting area deserted. I pause for a moment, remembering howbadly everything turned out the last time I ended up at a police station, but I don’t give in to my nerves. Walking up to the empty counter, I wait for someone to appear. When, after a few minutes, nobody has noticed me, I hit the little bell on the counter.
A couple moments later, a pretty blonde woman in a uniform walks over and smiles at me. “Can I help you?”
Well, there is at least one person here who doesn’t recognize me. I have no idea why, but my nerves settle at that.
“Hey, I’m Rue Anderson. I’m supposed to be meeting Detective Nathan Hask and a few people I worked with before.”
She stares at me for a second, and I see the moment she realizes who I am. Instead of making it weird, though, like everyone else does, she smiles gently at me. “Nice to meet you, Miss Anderson. I’ve heard a lot about you since I transferred here.”
I smile and nod. “You probably know more about me than I do at this point.”
She laughs at that, lifting part of the counter for me. “That’s gotta be weird as fuck. Oh, sorry. I’m Officer Louise McPartlin. You can call me Louise, though.”
“Hi, Louise.” This woman puts me at ease. “I won’t lie. It totally is. It’s bizarre, sometimes confusing, most times terrifying, and always, always frustrating. And please, call me Rue.”
“I can’t even imagine. Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you’re handling this like a boss. I’ve seen you on the news, living your life. I know there are plenty of assholes out there that think you should be in a padded room somewhere, but I say, fuck that. This prick took enough. Don’t you dare let him take any more.”
“I like you. I think we’re going to be BFFs.” I beam at her, making her laugh again.
“I’ve been replaced. The pain is real,” Nathan complains, holding his heart as he walks out of the room we’re heading toward.
I roll my eyes at his dramatics.
