“Is it really your shirt, Cole?” I tease.
“Finders keepers,” he mutters, handing me a mug. His fingers brush mine, and I swear the air crackles with electricity. I sigh, looking athim in those goddamn shorts. I can’t heal fast enough. I take a sip and instantly regret it when the cut on my lip protests.
Noah’s still studying me like I’m a suspect. “Daddy, why are Xaden’s arms so much bigger than yours?”
Cole groans. I laugh, then wince. “We don’t comment on people’s appearances,” Cole says gently.
“Sorry, Xaden.” He doesn’t sound sorry.
“It’s because I like lifting heavy things,” I explain. “When you do that a lot, you get strong arms. Like mine.”
He frowns at his own skinny arms, clearly calculating his future workout plan. Cole’s cheeks turn pink, and I want to kiss him senseless.
Iwillkiss him senseless. First chance I get.
“Also,” I add, “it helps me sleep better.”
“I have a tip,” Noah says gravely. “For sleeping better.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Bathing with dinosaurs. But you can’t have mine. Especially T-Rex. He’s my favorite.”
“Fair. Maybe you can help me pick out my own?”
“Yes!” He’s already dragging crayons and paper onto the table.
“What are them pictures on your arms?” he asks suddenly, pointing.
“They’re called tattoos. They tell a story.”
“I want a T-Rex one,” he declares. He points at the constellation on my bicep: “What all them stars mean?”
“It’s my way of keeping someone I love close to me,” I say softly.
“Daddy likes stars too.”
I glance at Cole. He’s watching, coffee cupped in both hands, eyes warm and aching. He swallows hard, like he’s torn between speaking and staying quiet. Like if he says too much, the whole fragile, perfect scene might dissolve. But the way he’s looking at me, like I belong in this kitchen, in this life, in this family, says it all.
“Are tattoos forever?” Noah asks.
“They are. Same kind of forever as love.”
THE BAYWOOD GAZETTE
Letter from the Editor
By Marjorie Pike, Editor-in-Chief
Fellow Baywood citizens,
It is with great journalistic responsibility and personal satisfaction that we bring you today’s coverage of Sheriff Hugh Willard’s arrest. While our duty is to report facts, typing the words “hauled off in cuffs” may be the happiest moment in my journalistic career.
We at the Gazette have long prided ourselves on objective reporting, even when confronted with the Sheriff’s “friendly” reminders to keep certain stories off the record. In the spirit of full transparency, I can now share that these reminders occasionally involved him blocking the exit to our office while wearing mirrored sunglasses indoors.
As you will read in the following pages, Willard’s crimes range from the serious to the absurd. From murder, intimidation, and abuse of power to the theft of baked goods.Whether you see Willard as a cautionary tale, a local villain finally unmasked, or simply a man who couldn’t keep his hands off a pecan twist, one thing is certain:Baywood is watching, and we are taking notes.
Yours in news and neighborliness,
