going to let me do it. If you don’t think all three of them wouldn’t agree with me…”
I held up a hand. No, I would never dream of that. “A half.”
He nodded and snapped one in half for me. I stuff down another taco, then took the half with a long drink of soda. Hopefully, the caffeine and sugar would help. As soon as I’d taken it, Archie turned all solicitous again, and I felt a little bit like an asshole.
“Sorry I’m so grumpy.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured, pressing another kiss to my cheek as we walked toward the building. “I know you love me.”
I chuckled.
“And I’m your favorite,” he added the last bit with a sly wink before pulling open the door.
Coop was already on his feet, and he crushed me to him as soon as I got there. Half the paint on his face had been wiped away, but he looked rumpled, bruised, and angry. At least, he did until he cupped my face and searched my eyes. “You’re really okay?”
“Promise, just bruises. I have to call the other doc, but that can wait. Archie just made me take a pain med, and there are tacos in the car.”
“You’re the best.”
“Ahem,” Archie said. “The tacos were my idea.”
“Yeah, but Frankie is still the best.”
“Agreed.”
Rachel made a gagging noise, and I laughed at her. It hurt but it was funny. We all took a seat and kept waiting. I couldn’t see Ian or Jake, but Coop insisted Wittaker was in with them. Ian’s parents had arrived. I winced at that announcement. Jake’s mom was there, too.
I really didn’t want this night to get any worse.
I ended up walking back out to the car with Coop and Rachel so they could have some food. I split my soda with her because we hadn’t gotten her a drink. We sucked. She didn’t care. Coop suggested I go home, but I shot that shit right down, even when Rachel offered to drive me.
Until Jake and Ian were out, I wasn’t going anywhere.
It was almost six when Alicia emerged from the back with Jake. They both looked weary. Worse, Jake’s bruises had definitely mottled his face and his knuckles were raw. But the smile on his face chased my own exhaustion away. He scooped me up carefully for a hug, and Alicia gave me a tired smile.
“I was going to ask if he wanted a ride home, but I’m guessing he’s heading to your place.” Guilt stabbed at me, but she just gave me a gentle hug, then studied me. “You’re all right, yes?”
“Just bruises,” I assured her, but Jake kept an arm around me, and I studied him. “Are you okay?”
“Just bruises,” he told me with a wry smile. “Looks a lot worse than it is. Sorry you got dragged down here again, Mom.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m proud of you. All of you boys,” she added glancing past me to where Coop and Archie waited. “You did good. Just—let’s not make the police station a habit? We don’t need to host reunions here.” She gave Jake a hug, then me, whispering, “You should come over to dinner with the girls. Let’s make that happen.”
I didn’t really know how to respond to that, so I just gave her a smile. After she left, Jake wrapped me in another hug, careful as hell. “You’re really okay?”
“Tired,” I admitted. The half pill hadn’t knocked me out. If anything, it had just relaxed me. Archie kept shooting me looks, especially after Rachel commented it was probably because I was hurting a lot more than I was letting on.
Yeah, didn’t need that added to the plate. She just smirked at me. Rachel was never going to change. She was blunt to the point of painful, but she was also still here, waiting for the guys to get out, and she hadn’t hesitated to jump into the fight. Though of all of us, she had zero bruises.
And I was really glad about that.
“Worried about you guys.”
“No charges,” Jake told me. “They really just wanted to ask a lot of questions, and Wittaker sat in with me and made them wait to ask Bubba anything until he could sit there, too. Bubba’s parents are here.”
“Are they pissed?”
Jake gave a little shrug as he moved us back over to the chairs and settled with me between him and Coop. “They aren’t thrilled,” he said. “But I think they are more concerned than anything else. They wanted to know why Mitch