Chapter Thirty-Two
When Travis left the diner, some ofthe tension eased up, but not all of it.Brantley wasn’t sure what to make of his cousin’s behavior.Part of him didn’t want to question it because there was a sense of relief that came with Travis’s more laid-back demeanor.On the other hand, he didn’t want Travis to bank everything on them finding Kylie.
Oh, it was true, Brantley’d started thinking that she was alive, too, so he couldn’t fault Travis.But that didn’t mean it was true.
“Did you tell Travis about the doctor and the funeral home?”Archer inquired after the waitress topped off their coffee.
“That we talked to them, yes,” Brantley answered.
Atticus frowned.“But not that the casket is empty?”
“I kinda left that part out,” he admitted.
“Probably best,” Archer said.“He might head to the cemetery and start diggin’ otherwise.”
Brantley could almost envision his cousin out there wielding a shovel and a stern expression.
“You plannin’ on tellin’ him?”Atticus asked, still eating.
“Let’s see what the day brings first.”Brantley took another sip of his coffee, then pushed it away.“We’ve got one more stop before we head back to HQ.”He looked at Reese.“You ready?”
Reese nodded, signaling the waitress over.It took a few minutes to take care of the payment, but once they did, they headed out to the truck, leaving Atticus and Archer to finish their meal.
“Where are we goin’?”Reese asked as he opened the back passenger door for Tesha.
“JJ’s.”
“It’s kinda early, don’t you think?”
“She’s an early riser.”
“With babies, that might not be the case anymore.”
Brantley grinned.“It is.”
“Tell me you gave her a heads up and you don’t plan to just drop in.”
“I’m not an idiot.I texted herandBaz to get the okay.”
“And they both answered?”
Brantley glanced over at his husband.“Do you not trust me?”
“Not when it comes to followin’ the rules.”
He had to laugh at that because it was true.Brantley tended to straddle the line a lot of the time.
“That’s why you love me, though.”
Reese grinned.“It’s one of the reasons.”
He couldn’t resist grabbing Reese’s hand and linking their fingers as he drove to JJ’s house.The day hadn’t started off quite the way he would’ve preferred, but the fact that Reese was with him made it bearable.Hell, Reese’s presence made everything bearable.
A few minutes later, they were pulling up in front of JJ’s house, parking on the street.Brantley got out and waited for Reese and Tesha before heading up the narrow walkway to the porch.
He half expected to find JJ bleary-eyed and in her pajamas.After all, that was what happened when you had kids, right?You stopped worrying about your appearance because sleep became the only thing you could focus on?
“Mornin’,” JJ greeted when she opened the door.
