Page 24 of Bringing Home the Bad Boy

“Daddy!” Jelena waves a cookie cutter in the air. “Look what we made!”

“Amazing, princess.” I move closer to inspect her handiwork. The kitchen counter is covered in an army of gingerbread men, some missing limbs, others with too many. All perfect.

Noel catches my eye over Jelena’s head, and her smile hits me like a punch to the gut. Even with flour on her cheek and her hair escaping its messy bun, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The ring on her finger catches the light, and my heart does that thing it always does when I see it. Mine. Finally.

The doorbell chimes, and Jelena squeals. “Is it Mama Rosa?”

“Let’s go see.” I scoop her up, flour and all, heading for the door. But it’s not Rosa - it’s Jim Barkley, standing awkwardly on our porch with a bottle of wine and what looks like wrapped presents.

“I’m early,” he says, shifting from foot to foot. “I can come back…”

Jelena scrunches up her nose, studying him. “You’re the man from the restaurant.”

“Yes, I am.” Jim’s voice is rough as he holds out one of the wrapped packages. “I brought this for you.”

“A present?” Just like that, her suspicion melts into excitement. “Daddy, look! Another one for under the tree!”

I set her down and she grabs the gift, darting back inside. The awkward silence stretches between Jim and me until Noel appears in the hallway, still wearing her flour-dusted apron.

“Dad,” she says quietly. “Come in.”

He steps inside, and I close the door on the cold. We all stand there for a moment, three adults trying to navigate this new reality. Then Jelena’s voice rings out from the living room.

“Daddy, Can I put it with the others?”

“Yeah, princess. Go ahead.” I’m grateful for the interruption. For her innocent excitement cutting through the tension.

The sound of another car pulling up has me moving toward the window. Through the glass, I watch Rosa park next to Jim’s Mercedes. The contrast between her beat-up Honda and his luxury car is stark, but that’s Bear Ridge in a nutshell. High society mixing with working class, all of us trying to find our place.

The doorbell rings again, and this time when Jelena races to answer it, her whole face lights up.

“Is she here?” Jelena runs in from the living room. Rosa shoulders through the door with a stack of plastic containersbalanced precariously in her arms. I move to help her, but Jelena is faster, launching herself across the room.

“Auntie Rosa,” she says, throwing herself into Rosa’s arms. She nearly topples the containers I catch just in time. “I missed you so much! Are you coming home?”

Tears well in Rosa’s eyes as she crouches down, hugging Jelena tight. “I missed you too, baby. So much.”

“We all have,” Noel says softly, stepping forward. “We’re glad you’re here.”

Rosa’s eyes snap up, uncertainty warring with hope on her face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Noel’s smile is gentle. Real.

The doorbell breaks the moment. This time it’s Alix and Ryan, their arms full of gifts. Jelena peers at them curiously, then turns to me with wide eyes.

“Daddy! They look the same!”

Ryan laughs. “That’s because we’re twins. I’m Ryan, and that ugly one over there—” he points to Bryan coming up the walk “—is my brother Bryan.”

“But how do people tell you apart?” Jelena demands, her earlier shyness forgotten in the face of this marvel.

“Nope,” Bryan says, setting down his packages, “I’m the handsome one.”

The door opens again, letting in a blast of cold air, and Dani already shedding her coat. “Move it or lose it, boys. It’s freezing out there.” She spots Lowe behind her and grins. “Well, if it isn’t Bear Ridge’s finest. Thought you had patrol tonight?”

“Chen’s covering.” Lowe steps inside, and the temperature seems to drop as Rosa straightens, her arms tightening around Jelena.

“Sheriff,” she says, her voice Arctic cold.

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