Matt rode with Leah on countless shifts and trusted her completely as back up. In fact, he preferred riding with her rather than a couple of the newer officers they now had on the force. Once he was discharged from the Marines and wore the Manning Grove PD uniform again, Matt and Leah got close and stayed that way. They had an easy, comfortable relationship both on and off the job. He was glad Marc finally got his shit together and saw her for the good cop she was and then made her his wife.
Marc couldn’t have picked a better woman to deal with his goofy ass. But then, neither could he. Carly was perfect for him. Someone solid to grab onto when things were twisting inside him like a tornado.
Amanda was also perfect for Max. His older brother could be a bossy asshole sometimes, and Matt’s sister-in-law knew just how to knock her husband down a few pegs.
“They call me every offensive name they know for a lesbian.”
“To your face?” To her face or not, they shouldn’t be calling her names at all. He felt his blood begin to simmer.
“No, when they don’t think I can hear them.”
“Wait, you’re not one, right?” Because if she was, that was news to Matt. But then, he didn’t know Adam was gay until just a few years ago when he hooked up with Teddy at his brother’s wedding.
Jet laughed. “No, but dealing with those jackasses makes me want to swear off men.”
“Yeah, we can be assholes.” Carly called him an asshole all the time in the beginning. And he couldn’t argue that. He had been. So, he had owned it.
“No shit. I just worry about them backing me up when it comes down to it.”
“Yeah, you have to trust your brothers in blue. Or sisters in blue,” he corrected quickly. “Max is a great chief. He was born to lead,” Matt admitted. “He doesn’t put up with any bullshit. Not from anyone about Adam, not about Leah, either. But then, he runs a tight ship.”
Jet glanced up at him in relief. “That’s good to hear. Maybe when he retires, one of us will take that spot.” A long, dark strand had escaped her ponytail and was stuck to her cheek. She tucked it back into place.
“Maybe one of you younger officers. Not me. I’m good with being in the trenches.”
Jet peeled back the fabric of the sling to peek at Levi’s sleeping face. “Do you plan to adopt any more kids?”
Matt stared at his son. “I don’t think so. We were just lucky Levi came along when he did. Carly happened to be in the right place at the right time. Like it was meant to be.”
Fate whispered through his mind.
“Is she in his life?” Jet asked. “The birth mother, I mean.”
“Autumn stayed local and, believe it or not, still supplies Levi with breast milk.” Matt lifted a hand at Jet’s puzzled expression. “That was her decision since I think it helps her deal with the whole situation. But she hasn’t been around him since he was born. I think it’s too fresh right now. She needs to do a lot of healing first. But we kept that option open to her.”
Jet stared at the bottle of beer in her hand. “I heard that whole situation was messy.”
“It was.”
Messy didn’t even describe it. And Matt still didn’t know everything that had gone on. He was afraid if he heard it all, he’d go right up that mountain, do something stupid and screw up his life.
Landing in jail for losing his shit on that crazy clan would not help his family. Levi and Carly needed him.
Hell, he needed them.
Which meant, it was best he didn’t know all the details. Autumn was now living a better life and Levi was healthy and loved. That was all that mattered at this point.
“Somehow she got mixed up with the Shirley Clan living on that mountain. We’ll make sure you get the whole lowdown on them long before you start your first solo shift. You have to keep an eye out on those fuckers since they hate anything to do with the government. Hell, they think they’re above the law. As long as they stay up on that mountain, we usually leave them alone.”
Jet’s crystal blue eyes narrowed on him. “You don’t think I’ll have a run-in with them?”
“Oh no, I know you’ll have a run-in with them. Guaranteed. We all get that pleasure. You just need to know who and what you’re dealing with when you do.”
“It’ll be nice to be in a department where the other officers have my back.”
“Glad you’re joining us.” And that was true. Jet had always been a no-frills female, more of a tomboy growing up. She could probably hold her own in a struggle with a subject. “You got a place to stay yet?”
“No, but your parents said I could crash with them for as long as I’d like. I might take them up on that for a while.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Leah lived with them at first, too, and she wasn’t even related.”
“And now she is.”
“And now she is,” Matt repeated as he watched his wife approach them.
“Can I steal my men away?” Carly asked Jet.
Matt’s cousin laughed softly. “Yes, we were just talking shop anyway, which we shouldn’t be on Christmas day.”
“Yes, it’s a day off. Enjoy it,” Carly murmured. She turned to Matt. “Dance with me, husband.”
“My wife is a bit bossy,” Matt whispered to Jet like it was a secret.
“Then she fits right in with the rest of us Brysons.”
“That’s for fucking sure,” he grumbled, then shot Carly a big smile.
His wife rolled her eyes at him, but smiled and held out her hand.
“Do you want me to hand off Levi to Mom so we can do some dirty dancing?”
Carly laughed. “No, we can do some dirty dancing later in private. If
