She steps to me and reaches out to touch my shirt near my shoulder. There is no reason to, but she does. “You really want to be the guy without a badge and handcuffs?”
“Handcuffs can still stay a part of my life, just in a different way.”
It causes her to blush, and as much as I’m teasing her, I’m really not.
“Fair enough. You want to listen to complaints and cut ribbon when the library has a new statue?”
“I do. I’ve been sheriff for many years now.”
“So, you want to get your hands dirty with suggested proposals and laws and meeting minutes and all of that boring stuff before getting your picture taken because we have the state-winning pickle and you have to take a bite. And no, there is no inuendo there.”
My fingers wrap around her wrist with her fingers close to me. Soft and tiny but not willing to fall because we’re touching.
“In life, sometimes things change.”
Like us.
“Okay then. I’ll support you and not ask questions.”
That causes me to smile. “That’s nice to hear. Supporting me doesn’t mean we need to pretend to be back together if we’re not. If people don’t want to vote for me because of that, then this isn’t the town I want to represent.”
She chuckles. “Now that is some serious political marketing right there… but you mean it.”
“I do,” I reply in earnest.
We stand there, not breaking contact, and I want to swipe away her wistful smile with a kiss, but I can’t. We’re having a baby, which is why we have to tread carefully with whatever we do.
One squeeze of her wrist and I let her go, feeling the loss as soon as her fingers drop.
“Come on, we have a snack plate ready for us to conquer.” I lead us on the journey to the house.
This time, Rosie walks even closer by my side.
“You’ll always be my hero with a badge.” She says it so dreamingly.
This woman has always been this way. Saying things to cause people to lift their hearts. And she often hides a little bit of truth underneath the surface.
Which is why I’m waiting for the hint of what she wants.
It’s better to be patient than snap and tell her how it’s going to go.
My way.
9
ROSIE
Ipush the muffin to the side, not sure why I even bother.
“Still not feeling so great?” Hailey asks. We’re sitting at a table in Foxy Rox with Esme.
I snicker as I appraise the coffee spot on Main Street. The school year just started, so Hailey is busy with the preschool she runs but managed to take some time away for an after-school break.
Foxy Rox is the best and only coffee and bakery spot around. It’s trendy enough that for a moment you forget that you’re in a small town. Still, one look out the window and you see the quaint center of Everhope.
“It’s better. Just started my second trimester this week, and they say it lessens. So far, all indications are promising. It’s just the sight of blueberries in a muffin seems to put me off. Suddenly, it sounds revolting. A shame, too.”
Esme takes a sip of her latte then sets her drink down. “How is it going with sharing an abode with your ex?”
