“Keep running to the end of where you’re at. I’ll meet you there. I want a kiss before I head back to work.”
I could practically feel her smile.
“I’ll be there,” she gasped.
After hanging up, I drove to the other side of the trailhead that she rarely visited because it was too close to where she’d one time seen Eerie walking.
Apparently, there was a risk of her seeing her again since Eerie lived in the apartments right off of the trail, but Eerie wouldn’t be bothering us today.
At least, I wouldn’t let her bother me if I saw her.
I was done being worried about anything Eerie did, especially after meeting with Dr. Messings and coming to an understanding that he would never, ever use anything by anyone without his own visual consent.
I got to the trailhead before Reggie and threw my leg out of the cruiser and waited for them to arrive.
It wasn’t but five minutes later when they both came jogging up.
I grinned wickedly at my girl.
She was wearing a tight pair of black leggings, a tight hot pink bra, a black form-fitting racerback tank, and hot pink tennis shoes.
She looked cute as hell.
I slid out of my cruiser and walked straight to her, dropping a kiss on her mouth.
“How’s the run?” I rumbled against her lips.
She pulled away to answer, reaching for her water.
“It’s really hard to push this,” she admitted, her breath leaving her in pants. “I didn’t think it would be.”
She pressed the bottle to her lips, and I reluctantly pulled my eyes away from her chest to look at something just as important.
I moved the sun shade out of the way and grinned down at my boy who was, indeed, awake.
Which was a rarity for him. He slept a shit ton.
The pediatrician assured me it was normal, so I hadn’t freaked out big time even though I’d wanted to.
“Hey, Dare,” I rumbled.
His out-of-focus eyes tried to follow the sound of my voice, and I grinned before leaning down and putting my face close enough to his that he could see me.
When I did, he blinked.
“Just pick him up already. You know you want to,” she teased.
I did.
Arguing with her was futile, too.
Reaching into the car seat that he was strapped into inside the stroller, I unbuckled belts and buckles, and then picked him up and brought him to my chest.
He was still so fucking small in my hands.
All of eight pounds even as of last night, he was still in preemie diapers and clothes, and barely to the point where he would’ve been born had he arrived on time.
“And who is this?”
I blinked, surprised that I’d let an old lady get the jump on me.
“This is my son, Darren,” I said as I turned him so that he could be seen, but not touched.
Reggie and I were still extremely careful with him.
He didn’t get to go to the store or out to eat just yet.
His immune system was still very, very new and susceptible to the bad shit going around, but we were hopeful that he would be able to be introduced to the public soon.
“Darren, such a sweet name. You don’t hear that one very often,” she said as she looked at my kid. “Hey, are you Mr. October?”
A muffled peal of laughter sounded from the woman that was going to get a spanking tonight, caused me to blush slightly.
“Yes, ma’am,” I confirmed. “I am.”
“Oh, you were one of my favorites indeed,” she said. “You, and Mr. February. Do all y’all have babies coming or already came?”
I thought about it.
“There are two of us left on the SWAT team that don’t have children or one on the way,” I agreed.
She turned to leer at my wife.
“I’m sure they’re just irresistible,” she admitted to Reggie. “If I had a man that looked like that, I would get knocked up, too. You look great for just having a baby, too. Wow, such effort you must’ve put in.”
Reggie opened her mouth to say something in the negative but I caught her shirt top and tugged her gently toward me.
“She’s awesome,” I agreed.
The woman smiled at me, her eyes twinkling with an inner light that had me grinning right back.
“Looks like you might make the paper,” she said as she pointed. “This new trailhead was opening today. They’re documenting all the people that came to watch it open.”
“It’s been open for a month,” Reggie disagreed.
“Soft opening,” she said as she pointed around at all the balloons and shit that