I know I said I could, but long distance isn’t working for me.We need to talk.
Javi closed his eyes.He swallowed, and it felt like stones.
He should have picked the rings quicker.He’dknownhe wanted to propose for months, so why wait?So he could tell his parents they’d known each other long enough for it to be a “sensible” next step?For the suite he’d wanted to have an open weekend?
Why didanyof that matter?
His phone pinged again.Javi couldn’t bring himself to look at it in case it was Cloister pulling the plug.The big deputy had always had a “rip off the Band-Aid” approach to life.
Someone cleared their throat.
“Not now,” Javi snapped.“I’m—”
He swung around to glare at the interruption, and it was six foot three of blond leaning against his door frame, phone in hand.Cloister.
“Cloister?”
Javi looked at the phone.The last text read “turn around.”
“You son of a bitch,” he said as he scrambled to his feet.
Cloister tucked his phone into his jeans and held up both hands.“In my defense,” he said, “I thought you’d turn around.”
“Why are you here?”Javi said.He didn’tcare, but he had to say something as he crossed his office.“I thought we were going to—”
Cloister caught his hip and pulled him into a kiss.“I missed you.”
He tasted of cheap soda and fried food.Javi kissed him back and then tipped his head back.
“How long are you here for?”he asked, because he needed to brace himself.
Cloister looked uncomfortable.“About that—”
Down the hall, Javi heard someone clap.He looked that way in annoyance and saw Bourneville sitting on her haunches, high-fiving the rookie with one paw.
He frowned.Not that he wasn’t glad to see her, but K-9s didn’t get vacation days.
“I meant it about the long-distance thing,” Cloister said.“I hate it.So…I guess I’m here for as long as you’ll have me?And the dog…and her cat.”
Javi dragged his attention back to Cloister.
“You brought the cat?”
“It’s Bon’s cat.”
Javi supposed he couldn’t argue with that.He didn’t know why hewantedto argue.It felt safer than anything else, he supposed.He clenched his jaw against the clumsy wash of emotion and tried to be logical.
“What about your job?”
Cloister shrugged.“I quit.”
“Where are you going to live?”
Why?WHY?Javi mentally flinched from the mental slap he’d just given himself.He didn’t know.He’d wanted Cloister to move in with him back in Plenty.He’d been about topropose.So he’d no idea why he was acting like he was concerned about a hobosexual hookup taking over his couch.
“My house is on wheels,” Cloister reminded him.“It’s parked in your lot.”
Javi put a pin in the need to come back to that later, when he could pretend he’d led with “I have plenty of room” and not…what he had.
