Page 8 of Taking What Was His

“I’m probably going to be taller than you in a few months.”

She swallowed. The time was rushing by her. He’d be a teenager in five months and be going to high school next year. Pretty soon, he’d be taking off to college, and she’d be alone.

She inhaled and smiled over at him. “I’ll still be able to kick your butt.”

Jayden snorted. “In your dreams.”

She laughed out loud. “Where did you get that?”

“Charlie. He heard his dad say it.”

“I’m going to have to have a talk with Mike.”

“I want to see that.”

She glanced at her son and then turned a corner. “Why?”

“Charlie and I think he’s either afraid of you or so infatuated he can’t talk.”

She snorted. “I can tell you. He’s very much in love with Charlie’s mom.”

“Oh, we know that, but it doesn’t mean he can’t look.”

She dramatically looked at the sky. “Oh, Lord.”

Jayden laughed. “Hey, I met the new captain.”

She felt her body jolt. “Yeah, what did you think?’

“I think he’s really cool. He looks tough. Maybe it’s because he’s enormous, but his face shows strength, control, or something.”

“I know he’s been a cop for a long time.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s it. I don’t see it in the cops we know.”

She let it go because she didn’t know what to say besides she got the same impression of him, too.

They pulled into her driveway. She looked up at her house as she parked. She loved the place. Her husband’s grandmother had given it to him when she had gone into a retirement home, and they had lived here most of their marriage. Jayden had grown up in it.

It had so much history and personality she couldn’t see herself living anywhere else.

Later that night in bed, her thoughts turned to the man whose persona wanted to drag her in and let him have whatever he wanted, and she didn’t know if she was ready for that.

Time would tell.

Chapter Four

Roman walked through the precinct to his office early in the morning several days after the funeral with a cup of coffee and a handful of files.

He set everything down on his desk and sat.

He relaxed back and sipped his coffee as he looked around his room. He still had boxes in one corner, but the majority of what he needed was put away and organized. He wasn’t one for clutter and disorganization. Maybe it had to do with his years in the military, or maybe it was what his brother said—that he’s just anal.

Roman snorted out a laugh. He’d say both, but he wouldn’t tell his brother that.

An hour or so after he got there, the lights in the big room turned on, and he started hearing his people come in and get to work. No one bothered him for another hour, so he got several things done.

“Hey, Captain. We might have a situation.”