Scotty about “real kids” made her crazy.
“You guys?”
They turned back to him.
“I’m thankful all the time that you came to Richmond that day and we met each other. I just wanted you to know that.”
“That was one of the best days of my entire life,” Nick said.
“Better than becoming VP?”
“A thousand, million, bazillion times better. See you in the morning.”
Smiling, Scotty said, “Night.”
Nick let Sam go ahead of him, closed Scotty’s door and followed her into their bedroom, where she whirled around to face him.
“I want to kill that woman.”
“Don’t do that, babe. Think of the paperwork…”
“I’m going to call her and let her know what her dumbass, ignorant, what-the-ever-loving-fuck-is-wrong-with-her question led to.”
He smiled at her choice of words. “That might not be a bad idea.”
“It’s the best idea I ever had. In fact, maybe I’ll go there and have it out with her in person and really make her day.”
“Uh, well…”
“Don’t tell me not to protect my kid, Nick. Please don’t do that.”
“I’d never tell you not to do that, but you tend to shy away from the kind of publicity a confrontation like that is apt to generate.”
“In this case, I don’t care.” She glanced up at him. “Unless it’ll cause heartburn for you.”
“I couldn’t care less about that.”
“Maybe,” Sam said, giving him her best diabolical smile, “we should go together.”
“A date with my beautiful wife in the middle of a workday? Sign me up.”
“Only you would see it as a date.”
He closed the distance between them, placed his hands on her hips and kissed her. “Any minute I get to spend with you is the best date I’ve ever been on.”
“I’m so mad.”
“Me too, babe.”
“Let’s do something about it.”
“I’m with you.”
“This idea makes me giddy.”
“Giddy is a good look on you.” He kissed her again. “What you said to Scotty about it not being for a lack of trying on our part was classic. The look on his face…”
Sam flashed a big grin. “Right? I was rather pleased with that myself.”
“The poor kid,” Nick said, chuckling. “He’s going to need PTSD therapy by the time we’re done with him.”
“No, he won’t. He’s our masterpiece. He’s going to make us so proud. I know it.”
“I tend to agree. He’ll make us proud despite us.”
“No, because of us. He thinks we’re so gross with the kissing and stuff, but we’ve shown him what to aspire to when it comes to love and marriage and happily ever after.”
“That’s true,” Nick said. “I can’t wait to see him fall madly in love so I can tease him mercilessly.”
“Same.”
“But until the day comes when we can mock and torture our son, I’d like to focus on my own happily ever after.”
Sam put her arms around him. “Is that right?”
He kissed her neck and seemed to breathe her in. “Uh-huh.”
“What did you have in mind?” She needed to spend time online, digging into the life of her latest victim and finding out more about the scheme that’d probably gotten her killed. But with her husband hot and hard and talking about happily ever after, the case would have to wait a little while longer.
“What I have in mind will require full nudity.”
“Your plans usually do.”
“Only the ones that involve you.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
His low laugh echoed through his big, muscular body. She loved to make him laugh, to make him smile, to make him happy. Whatever it took, she was there for it, even if it meant putting work on hold for a bit.
Once upon a time, before he came back into her life, the idea of putting work on hold for anything never would’ve occurred to her. Now, she did it regularly, because she’d learned there was nothing more important than him or their family. She gave her job everything she had for eight to ten hours a day, plus weekends, holidays, vacations… She’d learned that allowing a minute or two for herself in the midst of an investigation made it so she could continue to fight for justice for her victims.
And the minutes she allowed herself to have with Nick were the best of her entire life.
Being naked in bed with him was one of her favorite things in the world, and after the long, emotionally charged day with Gonzo and the new case, not to mention the conversation with Scotty, she felt the tension leave her body when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him in bed.
“This is the best thing ever.”
“The absolute best thing.”
For