Page 15 of In the Arms of a Hero

Crinkling her nose, she said, “I screwed up.”

Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “What happened?”

“I thought Thanksgiving was the following week and accepted a family reunion photography session for Friday. My sister planned to visit my parents and grandmother in Florida for Thanksgiving. I hate not going with them, but I can’t back out of the photography agreement this late.” She hefted her shoulders. “So I insisted my family go anyway, and I’ll fly to see my grandmother in a few months.”

His chin dipped to hold her gaze as they stood with their arms around each other. “What are you doing for Thanksgiving, then?”

She pressed her lips together as her brows lowered. Shrugging, she replied, “I thought I might pre-order from one of the restaurants?—”

“Absolutely not!” He couldn’t believe she was going to be alone. “You’ll come with me to Andy’s house. He’s hosting Thanksgiving with Ivy this year.”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose?—”

“Impose? Hell, Belinda, my family would love to have you join us.”

“Aaron, I doubt your family wants a stranger to come.” Her statement was tinged with doubt, but she held his gaze.

“They won’t care, and you’ll make it special.”

Her lips curved. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re special.”

Laughing, she said, “No, I mean, are you sure about your family?”

“I’m sure about them, and I’m sure about you. So it’s all good.” He bent to kiss her gently. “Lock up behind me, okay?”

“Yeah,” she breathed.

He walked out and heard the lock click behind him. As he jogged to his vehicle, he thought of the upcoming holiday. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d brought a date to a family gathering, but with past girlfriends, he’d never felt like he did now. Whatever emotion swirled through him, he wanted to enjoy it as long as it lasted. Now that Andy was hosting the meal with Ivy, it would be fun to have Belinda with him. Grinning all the way to his apartment, he thought of the perfect timing to have met her when he did.

8

Aaron and Lisa patrolled the streets the day before Thanksgiving. So far, they’d made five stops for speeding even though they had been generous with their over-the-speed-limit leeway.

Two of the stops politely admitted they hadn’t paid attention to the reduced speed limit on the highway bisecting the Eastern Shore. Two more drivers had begrudgingly accepted the ticket, mumbling under their breath about backwoods police who had nothing better to do than set up speed traps. For each of those, he and his partner didn’t engage but had to bite their tongue.

The last one was more involved. High speed from a black sedan with blacked-out windows. Single driver with no family in the vehicle. He was going almost twenty-five miles over the speed limit, and when pulled over, the driver became belligerent. He settled down when he realized he was getting a ticket but became mouthy again when it was explained that it was a reckless driving charge and he would be required to appear in court.

What started as a traffic stop ended up being an arrest when the man started the car and attempted to run Lisa over as he fled the scene at high speed again. By the time he wasstopped, multiple deputies and the state police were involved. Aaron was pissed as hell at the thought that the man fleeing was flying down the road at an alarming speed, endangering all the travelers on the highway trying to get to their family holiday destinations.

He and Lisa didn’t make the final arrest, but they had to spend time writing up the report at the end of their shift. Finally, he wished his coworkers goodbye since he had the next day off. The crisp air nipped as he jogged out to the parking lot. He was almost to his vehicle when Brad called out to him.

Turning, he waited as the detective caught up to him. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I know things will be nuts through the holidays, but once we get into January, I wanted to offer to help you study for the detective’s examination. I still have some notes that I thought you might find useful. If not, no worries. I just wanted to make the offer.”

Touched by Brad’s generosity, he nodded with enthusiasm as a swell of gratitude filled him. “I’m not too proud to say I’ll take all the help I can get. So thanks in advance, and we’ll set up times at your convenience.”

With handshakes and a hearty backslap, they separated, and he continued to his SUV. During the drive to his apartment, he plotted out how to carve time between his rotating shifts and Brad’s day shifts to ensure they would have maximum time to review anything Brad wanted to share. Adding in the study time he would need on his own, he recognized the path to becoming a detective was not just a career ambition but was a calling that demanded everything of him.

A sliver of unease passed through him for the first time since he’d started seeing Belinda, and he wondered if the timing was as good as he’d thought the other day. The sex had been mind-blowing, and just being with her had quickly become all he’dwanted to do. It wouldn’t be easy to make adequate time for his career and a new romance.Was the timing fair to either of them?

Once home, he ate quickly and looked at the stack of notes he had already amassed. He felt the familiar stirring of excitement at his career trajectory, but now it was tinged with a hint of trepidation.

Rising early the following morning, he went for a run to clear his mind. Once showered, he stood in front of his closet. He had told Belinda to dress casually for Thanksgiving, but he knew she would make an effort. While he usually didn’t spend much time concerned with what he wore, he grabbed a pair of clean, fairly new jeans and paired it with a dark green button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Right at ten o’clock, he parked in front of the bakery, and as he climbed from his vehicle, he spied Belinda struggling to make it out the door with her arms full. He hustled over, immediately taking the handles of the bags from her. “What is all this?”

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