They served up dinner for everyone, and the core group crowded around the center table. Xavier, Lawson, and Hannah on one side, Cade and River on the other, along with Bailey and Aaron.
“This looks great,” Hannah remarked as she went to serve herself up a generous helping.
“Hey, leave some for the rest of us,” Lawson teased, nudging her, and she raised her eyebrows at him pointedly.
“First come, first served!” she retorted, and everyone laughed.
While they were all eating Lawson asked, “You had a meeting with Willis yesterday, didn’t you, Bailey?”
“Yeah, I did.” She nodded.
“How did it go?” Xavier asked. “How’s the case coming along? Anything they need us to give them a hand with?”
“I think they’re okay for the time being,” she replied, smiling down at her plate. “But, uh, there was something we got to talking about. I wanted to tell everyone when we were all together.”
Aaron’s heart leaped in his chest, and he reached over to squeeze her hand beneath the table. She shot him a slightly nervous look, biting her lip, but he nodded at her to go on. He could tell everyone was on pins and needles, waiting for her to share her news.
“I asked him if there were any positions open in the Blue Ridge police force, and he said yes,” she explained. River drew in a sharp breath, and Hannah clapped her hands together.
Aaron could hardly believe it. He thought she would have come to him first about this, but from the look on her face, he could tell she wanted to be sure before she told him anything. She never liked to get his hopes up without good reason, and this was about the best one he could imagine.
“That’s amazing!” Hannah exclaimed, jumping to her feet and rushing around the table to give her a hug. Bailey smiled and hugged her back; the two women had become close in her time here. They, along with River, could often be found walking in the forest together.
“Yeah, I know it’s not exactly what I pictured for my career,” she continued, once Hannah had released her. “But I can work really closely with him on the case against Ziegler and the others, and maybe work my way up to a bigger agency from there.”
“But that means you’re going to be staying for now, right?” Hannah asked enthusiastically.
Bailey nodded. “Yeah, it does.”
“Then this meal is a celebration!” Hannah exclaimed, grabbing her glass and lifting it up. “To Bailey. And her first year at Warrior Peak!”
“First of many, I hope,” River added, and Bailey flushed excitedly. She glanced over to Aaron, and Aaron could do nothing more than smile back at her.
“To Bailey,” Lawson announced, and everyone echoed him, their words overlapping as their glasses tapped together.
“Thank you,” Bailey replied, lowering her head in gratitude. “It means so much to me that you’re all happy I’m staying.”
“Of course we are!” Hannah replied, but Aaron knew one thing for sure. As much as everyone here was happy she was sticking around—nobody was more excited about what this meant than him.
He leaned over and brushed his lips against her ear. “I love you. And I’m so proud of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bailey woke up slowly to the feel of Aaron rubbing her back lightly. She rolled toward him with a sleepy smile on her face.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said softly, giving her a quick kiss.
She beamed. “Good morning, handsome.”
No matter how many times she woke up next to him, she was always so happy that he was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes every morning. She still felt giddy when he kissed her, and got butterflies just from looking at him. She didn’t think she would ever get over how thankful she was that they had found each other again.
“It’s your first official day of work today at the Blue Ridge Police Department. How are you feeling about it?”
That was one thing she loved about Aaron—he was always so thoughtful and he cared about her feelings. “I’m excited,” she replied. “A little anxious, too, if I’m being honest. The last first day I had at a police department didn’t go so well.” She shrugged a shoulder.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s true, but just remember that Blue Ridge isn’t Kings Mountain, and there are more good cops out there than ones like what we dealt with from Kings Mountain.”
She sighed. “I know you’re right. I’m excited to be part of the department here. Willis has been such a big help with our case.”
