I’d fall all over myself trying to be close to you?”
“I wouldn’t say I assumed… I’d say I hoped,” I say, flashing said blues at her.
She lets out a deep breath and sits back in her chair. “This is so much to wrap my head around,” she mutters. “Why am I even here?”
I’m up on my feet and pulling her out of the chair. She squeals as I set her on the desk. When I brace my palms on either side of her, my eyes bore into hers.
“Does it change how you feel?” I ask, my heart hammering in my chest as I await her answer.
She doesn’t make me wait long. “Of course not,” she whispers, her eyes softening. “It may be fucked up, but it’s our fucked up. It brought me you. It brought me the baby. It can’t change the way I feel.”
I briefly close my eyes and savor her words. She’s watching me intently when I reopen them.
“I didn’t walk into this with improper expectations for you. Or us. I’ve never gotten involved with a woman connected with a case, nor did I ever think I would. But as soon as I saw you, Brie, something inside me awoke. As if some deep-down place in my heart knew you were it for me and I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t step away, no matter how much my brain told me to.”
“Rafe, you don’t have to convince me. I believe you. You may have been a little intense in the beginning, but I was a willing and equal partner in this. And for the record, I’m not complaining. I’m actually quite happy with how things turned out. It’s just… I never thought my love story would be this unconventional.”
The rollercoaster my heart’s riding doesn’t know which part of the track it’s on. It wants to both plummet and soar.
“Is that what this is?” I ask as I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Her eyes blink twice, and she swallows hard. “It’s what it’s shaping up to be. Or am I wrong?”
“No, Brie. You’re not wrong. It may be unconventional, but aren’t the best ones?”
Before she can answer, there’s a knock on the door. I press a quick kiss to her forehead and push off the desk. The inspector stands on the other side and informs me that all’s ready and he just needs my signature. I step out of the trailer and lean up against it, glancing through the paperwork.
As I sign my name on the dotted line, I should feel relief. I don’t, however. It doesn’t signify an end—not by any means. Nothing about this assignment has gone as planned, and I’m standing on the precipice of the unknown, unsure of which way to turn.
Just as I’m about to go inside and propose a celebration, my phone rings. When I look down and see who’s calling, I search the estate, but nothing is out of the ordinary.
“Matthews,” I answer, gruff and impatient, not wanting to deal with this—or him—right now.
“I wanted to congratulate you on passing the inspection and finishing up this phase of the project,” a stern voice responds, setting my blood instantly on fire.
“How the fuck could you possibly know that?”
“Don’t forget who you’re talking to, Matthews,” he scolds.
I mutter a curse under my breath.
“I know everything. You should know that by now. Is there any word on the boy?”
Ah, of course—the real reason he’s calling.
“No. Agent Howard isn’t exactly being forthcoming with me. He’s been dodging my calls, and the local PD, as you know, is extremely tight-lipped on his whereabouts.”
“Well, since you met the deadline of the construction per the contract, you’ll be getting that bonus. Take some time off, Matthews. Cite a sore back, whatever the hell you have to do, but do not move to a new site. I want all of your focus on finding him and doing what we discussed. Is that understood?”
“You got it, Boss. Anything else?” I ask, mentally preparing my retirement and wishing it were already here.
“Yes, one more thing. Tell me about the girl. Have you made any progress there?”
My body goes rigid, and I have to fight from showing any emotion on my face. It isn’t a coincidence that he called me as soon as I signed the damn papers. Somehow, he must still have access to the video cameras, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he was tapped into them right now, watching. Hell, he’s probably been watching this entire