I was about ten articles deep into the possible case when I felt someone enter my office.
I didn’t turn to look because I was too busy reading.
“Do you want me to go back to Brook Creek?”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized it was Tommy. But I didn’t have time to talk right now.
So, I did what I always did when I was busy. I answered questions as fast as I could, so I could get whoever was talking to leave me alone. “No, I don’t.”
I went back to reading, clicking on a Reddit thread. Those were always fascinating because they could have wild theories and were out there, but sometimes, the people were pretty close to the truth with their guesses.
“Do you want to see me go back to Virginia?”
“No,” I answered, irritation making my tone clipped.
“Good, because I don’t want to go back. You know why?”
I sighed. “No.”
“Because I love you, and I think you love me, too. Do you love me, Olivia?”
I gritted my teeth. Can’t he tell I’m in the middle of something important?
“Yes, I love you. Now, will you please go away?”
Part of me heard Tommy laugh, but our conversation didn’t really hit me until he walked over and pushed my laptop cover closed.
“Hey,” I said, looking up at him.
He was grinning. Something had just happened.
“Oh crap. What did I miss?”
“You told me once that when you’re busy at work, you answer things quite honestly. So, you, my dear, just gave me some great information.”
I ran back the conversation in my mind and gasped. I cupped my hands over my mouth.
And damn it, I started crying again.
“Did…did you say you…” I couldn’t quite finish.
Tommy took my hand and pulled me up out of my seat. He guided me around my desk and into his arms. “I said I love you. I don’t want to go back to Virginia. I don’t even want to go back to Brook Creek. I want to stay here with you. And you might have let it slip that you love me, too.”
“But what about the bedroom stuff?”
His brow furrowed in confusion. “What bedroom stuff?”
I started playing with his T-shirt. “Me. I’m not so good in there. I’ve had numerous exes break up with me because of that.”
The guy had the nerve to throw his head back and laugh.
“Ouch,” I couldn’t help but say.
He quickly shook his head back and forth, but he couldn’t quite stop his laughter. “No, Liv, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at them.”
“You are?”
“Yes, because you’re the best goddamn lay I’ve ever had.”
I frowned. “Do you have to be so crass?”
He laughed again. “You like it when I’m crass.”
I smiled. “Maybe I do.”
He snorted. “No maybe about it.”
I took a deep breath. “What about work? You don’t have a job.”
“I was thinking maybe you’d like to hire me?”
“For what? I already told you, the firm is not going to pay for a bodyguard. And I don’t really need one anymore.”
“I thought I could fill that investigator position. I looked into it. I need to get certified, but I don’t need a degree or anything. But if you’d put up with me for a while, I think I’d like to work on getting my criminal justice degree if I’m going to do this full-time.”
I leaned back in his arms and studied him. “You’re not just settling for this job because you want to be close to me, are you?”
“No. The other day, when I was knocking on doors and calling the bank, I loved it. I haven’t had that much fun working in a long time. Is it as fun as being a SEAL? No. But nothing will be. And this is the closest I’ve ever gotten. I think I’d like to explore it.”
“I think that sounds like an amazing idea.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.
Tommy pushed me up against my desk. “I think it’s time for some celebration sex.”
Epilogue
Tommy
SEVERAL YEARS LATER
Maddox and I bumped fists.
“Ready to beat the Donaldsons once again?” I asked.
He laughed. “Will they ever learn that they’re not going to win?”
I looked over at Frank and his cousins with their heads down as they strategized. “I don’t think so.”
At this point, it was becoming an annual tradition to beat them every year at Brook Days.
We separated, and I got into my position on the field. I glanced over at the sidelines, where Olivia was rubbing her belly as she spoke to Addison. Addison was patting the back of her new daughter while Spencer and Thane ran literal circles around the two ladies.
My Olivia was due in a month and a half, and I couldn’t wait. At first, she hadn’t been certain that she wanted kids. I didn’t push because I knew how important her career was to her. But after I got my associate’s degree in criminal justice and passed my certification with the National Association of Legal Investigators, I thought she’d decided it would be a good time to try.
We’d gotten pregnant the first month, and knowing that a part of me was growing in my wife’s womb was better than any mission I’d ever gone on in the military.
Olivia looked over at me and smiled.
Every single day, I understood Maddox’s words more and more.
“Things change. Sometimes, for the better.”
He’d sure gotten that right.
Take Me in the Night Excerpt
Maddox
I didn’t know who was more surprised—Addison or me.
I certainly hadn’t expected her to walk through the door. When Foster had told me that he was going to get a lawyer, I had been so surprised that Brook Creek had one that I didn’t even think to ask who the person was.
She turned around. “Please close the door,” she said to Whitlock, her voice firm and full of authority.
It wasn’t the only firm thing in the room.
Whitlock shot me a dirty look
