pulled on a t-shirt and pair of shorts before she padded to the kitchen and Brock's collection of coffee pots. She had time to make a full pot and drink it. A luxury. As she was pouring a cup of coffee, she heard keys jingling from the hall. "Kallie?"
"In the kitchen." She lifted a mug the size of a salad bowl to her lips and sipped the fresh brew.
Brock's head and only his head appeared in the door. She blinked and frowned. "What are you doing?"
"I… ah... I did a thing."
"A thing? Is this thing female, sexy and single?"
Brock's eyes enlarged. "Ah… female and single, yes. Sexy? No."
Kallie put her coffee cup down and crossed her arms over her chest. "I haven't had a full cup of coffee, King. Stop fucking around and spill it."
"Okay." He stepped into the doorway and held out both hands. "You know Jordan is going to come back eventually. I know how much you love Fester and I thought maybe…”
"Oh, Brock..." She moved across the floor as she stared at the small, fluffy white kitten lying on her back in his hands. She had a green bow tied around her neck and was bending into contortions trying to get at the ribbon.
"Bettis' cat got knocked up. He was describing the kittens yesterday. I thought maybe... Awww… damn it. You weren't supposed to cry."
Kallie wiped at her cheeks. "Happy tears." She reached out and stroked the kitten’s pudgy belly. It twisted and batted at her fingers. "Oh, she's sassy!"
"She's got tons of attitude." Brock extended his hands and she took charge of the tiny fluffball. "Is it too soon for us to get a pet?"
Kallie shook her head and pulled the ribbon from the kitten. It rolled onto its back and swatted at the satin. "No. Not too soon." She smiled up at him. "Thank you."
"I got all the stuff for her downstairs in the car. I wasn't going to lug it up here if you didn't like her."
The kitten meowed and batted at Brock's fingers when he reached out to pet her. "What are you going to name her?"
She lifted the kitten and looked up at the little furball. Her green eyes were wide, and she meowed her discontent––loudly. "She's got a ton of attitude, doesn't she?"
"A ton." Brock moved behind her and wrapped his arms lightly around her waist.
She lowered the kitten to the floor and watched as she reared up and attacked the green ribbon that had fallen to the floor. "How about Sassy?"
Fester poked his head around the corner and the kitten arched her back and hissed before she skittered after the bigger cat.
He chuckled and rewrapped his arms around her when she stood. "I think that's perfect."
She leaned into him and closed her eyes. "Brock?"
He gave her a small squeeze. "Yeah?"
"I love you. If this is a dream, never wake me up."
"We're real, babe. We're strong. We're together, and we'll last a lifetime. Together."
Epilogue
Brody
Brody jogged into the building that the Joint Drug Enforcement Team used for its operations. Brock and Kallie's wedding had started late and ended late. The reason the wedding started late was because Brock and Kallie didn't subscribe to the superstition, they shouldn't see each other before the ceremony. So... his entire family and the McBride family waited while the post-nuptial activities got a kick start. If his mother ever found out, she'd give birth to a cow. A full-grown, horn-toting, ring-in-the-nose, bull-type, beef critter.
He wondered how long it would be before the rumor mill made it through the family and back to his mother. He so wanted to be at that family dinner, but with the information and leads they'd been accumulating from Masters’ deal on the Treyson case, he'd been lucky to pull four hours off for his brother's wedding. The web of criminal activity alleged was massive and the FBI and DEA had been called in to help his task force, brandishing federal authority when the big guns were needed. They were moving at a snail’s pace. It was frustrating as fuck, but they had a ghost of a trail, and they were following the money. For that, they’d requested and received permission to work with Guardian. Thank God.
Now that his brother and wife were on their way to their honeymoon, he had to get back to work. He envied them a long weekend in New York City, but they were celebrating their wedding and Rich’s sentencing. In Maryland the maximum sentence for attempted murder