Hopper spins around in his seat again, locked in on my father. “What if I have questions? Will you let me call you? My friends are all great dads, but honestly,” he says, gesturing at me, “I’d like to learn from the very best.”
Ugh.This man.
Dad nods. “I probably got lucky with our kid, but I’d be honored to answer any questions you have.”
Luck, my ass. Hopper Hughes is about to get a world-class education from my father, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
Hopper claps his hands. “I’m going to be a dad again!” He rocks back and forth. “A dad.”
There aren’t any dry eyes in the SUV.
“And I can’t wait to be an older brother,” I say softly, and Maverick kisses my shoulder.
We started this drive as a handful of strangers, but as we walk into the restaurant, I sense we’ve become a family.
EPILOGUE
MAVERICK
“Hopper didn’t killthat bicycle rapist last night, did he?” Boone asks, sounding exhausted.
“Nope. Hop was with Bailey, teaching her how to swim.”
Boone’s chuckle warms me, even through the phone. “How didthatgo?”
“She picked up on it so fast, and then we could barely get her out of the water for her bedtime.”
Liam and Hopper have officially moved to Austin, taking one of the penthouses in our building. I’m told the rest of the New York gang is considering setting up residence here as retirees, and…I’m pretty sure that’s a good idea.
Possibly.
Maybe.
“That’s good to hear,” Boone says.
What were we talking about?
Oh. Swim lessons and dead assholes.
“What’s this about the rapist, hon?”
“Ugh.” The thunking sound means Boone is knocking his phone against his forehead again. “Messy. So messy. I was pretty sure it wasn’t Hopper because his kills are always way neater,but I had to double check, just in case he was in some sort of rush or something.”
“I wonder if it was one of the victims,” I ponder, easing back into my seat as the cabin lights dim, still buzzy from wrapping on Ru’s shoot ahead of schedule.
“I don’t wonder that,” he says with a grin I can hear. Lowering his voice, he says, “In fact, between you and me, it seems like there’s a lot of dead ends to this case.”
Oh how the tables have turned.
I tsk. “Sounds like you’ve been compromised, Detective Hitchens.”
“Yeah, well,” he says, his voice dirty like a dream, “I would love to compromise you later on tonight.”
I chuckle. Sex with Boone is the best I’ve had in my life, and that’s not just the girth talking. He’s become a dedicated student of my body, and I gotta say…he’s definitely on the honor roll.
That said…
“Can we use your apartment so my cousins don’t complain?”
