Rai smiled sleepily. “Same.”
“Well, you can sleep until the weekend, but then I think you’ve got plans.” Khi raised his brow. “Something to do with wearing Dre King originals as you get married in front of your closest friends and family?”
Spencer and Rai beamed.
“Oh yeah, that,” Rai said. “We wanted something easy and simple, but I am beyond excited about wearing Dre’s work.”
“We’ll definitely be the most well-dressed couple in the history of courthouse weddings,” Spencer added. “How’s the fashion world treating you?”
Dre shook his head with a smile. “Beyond my wildest imagination.”
He’d finally gotten a couple designs picked up about a year after he and Khi made it official. From that point, his name and designs grew and grew—it wasn’t an overnight thing and Dre was grateful for the slow progression—until Dre King Designs was a name anyone and everyone in the fashion world knew and respected. His dream of having lines in the most affordable stores all the way up to the most high-end boutiques had become a reality and Dre was on cloud nine.
“And what about you, Deputy Chief Harris?” Spencer nudged Khi’s elbow as the four men headed toward the airport exit.
Khi chuckled. “It’s all good. Julia’s on my ass pretty much every day, but our crew is solid and strong. We had a couple years of rebuilding, but we’re in a good place now.”
Dre and Khi had continued as partners for two years after they began dating. Once Dre’s fashion dreams started to take shape, he’d opted to take fewer shifts. Khi spent most of the next year bitching about each and every partner he was placed with until Julia finally yanked him into her office. She’d let him in on the news that the chief was retiring at the end of that year, Julia was being promoted, and she wanted to name Khi to the deputy chief position, but he had to stop scaring away every partner just because they weren’t Dre.
Khi had sucked it up and dealt with the various partners he had to ride with, demanding that he got assigned Dre when the man was on a shift with him, and eventually actually built some strong relationships with the new people on the crew.
He’d been promoted to deputy chief and spent the last few years, with Julia at the helm, building the station to a glory it had never seen.
“I can’t believe Hadley is turning eighteen,” Rai said wistfully. “You know what that means?”
“We’re old as fuck?” Spencer deadpanned.
“Yep.” Rai nodded.
Dre unlocked the car and everyone piled in.
“It’s crazy to me to think that Cooper has an eighteen-year-old daughter.” Khi adjusted the vents and put on his seatbelt.
“Do you think Jesse’s going to be okay with her going off to college?” Dre asked.
Jesse still ran the most popular auto shop in town and Cooper had the most sought-after preschool in the entire county. Hadley had been working for Logan at the homeless shelter from the day she turned fourteen. While she wasn’t going away to college, she was going to move out of Jesse’s house and live on campus. But she had plans to still work at the shelter as she studied to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
“I think he’s doing as okay with it as a father can. I know he’s grateful she’s not leaving the state and she’ll still be so close. Logan is thrilled he’s not losing his best worker,” Rai said. “Hadley is so good there and she’ll only get better as she goes through all of her training.”
Dre pulled onto the interstate to head toward Remington.
“Dalton and Gabby are going to be there, right?” Spencer asked.
“Yep, the whole crew is coming,” Khi said.
Dalton and Gabby were still very happily married with three children. The oldest was nine—he showed up exactly six months after their wedding—and the youngest had just turned three.
“How’s Bev doing?” Rai asked. “She seems really good when we talk.”
“Well, it took some convincing, but with Logan’s position at the homeless shelter and assisting with identifying victims of trafficking, he’s finally talked Bev into a few things regarding Remington Place,” Dre explained. “He’s going to work with Bev on recruiting boarders and he’s got a registered nurse who is going to live on-site—to be a housemother and help the new boarders, but also to keep an eye on Bev.”
“Kinda surprised Bev is okay with that,” Spencer said.
“She’s not selfish. She knows she can’t do it all. This way, she gets to stay in her home and have a part in what she started. She likes that she’s able to help those in need,” Khi said as the car pulled up at the homeless shelter.
Cruz and Logan came out to meet them, hugs all around.
“Man, it’s good to have you back,” Cruz said. “How was this round of world traveling?”
“Good. Tiring and long, but we got a lot done and helped a lot of people,” Rai said.
“Excellent,” Logan said. “One of these trips, we’re going with you.”
“Ha! As if my bosses would ever let me take three months off,” Cruz joked.
He still worked for Jesse at the shop, but spent most of his time working with Logan at the homeless shelter. They’d done a lot to improve and grow the place since Logan had slowly worked his way up the ranks at the shelter.
Once inside, Hadley turned their way, a huge smile on her face. Breaking away from her group of friends, the dark-haired beauty made her way toward the crew and hugged Spencer and Rai before hugging the rest of the gang.
“I’m so glad you guys made it home in time! A birthday party wouldn’t be the same without everyone here,” Hadley said. “Dads!” she hollered. “We can have cake now!”
Ten minutes later, Cooper, Jesse, and Hadley stood behind a table with a gorgeous birthday cake, homemade by Bev, of course.
