Page 83 of Housebroke

“Excessive speeding.”

“How excessive?”

“Ninety-four in a forty-five zone. I wanted to see how far I could push it. Which was the story of my life back then.”

“Oh, Linc.”

“Yeah. The cop actually called my dad and told him he’d let me off with just a ticket because he could see how scared I was, but my dad said to haul my ass off to lockup and he’d come there and pick me up. It was terrifying sitting in that cell, wondering if I was going to end up staying in jail. Then my dad showed up and I was mortified and embarrassed and also more than a little scared shitless that he might just kill me.”

“So what happened?” she asked.

“He asked how I felt about what I had done. I told him I felt stupid. I told him I was scared and I was sorry. And then I cried in the holding cell. The other prisoners laughed at me.”

“That must have been humiliating.”

“It was. But I didn’t care. I’d never needed my dad more thanI did at that moment. I threw my arms around him and cried. Sobbed. He hugged me. And then he bailed me out. We grew a lot closer that day. Though he did take my driving privileges away for a month.”

Her lips curved. “You deserved it.”

He laughed. “I really did.”

They went silent for a few minutes, and Hazel took a breath, leaning back to take a couple of swallows of her beer. She listened to the sounds of the crickets and birds as the night took over.

“This is nice,” she said. “Sitting here, the kids upstairs asleep. The dogs lying here at our feet, asleep. This is what I want for my life.”

He looked over at her. “You want the dogs and your sister’s kids?”

She laughed and shoved her shoulder against his. “No. But I want this. A life. A home. A family. The dogs. For the first time in a very long time I can clearly visualize a future for myself.”

“And that future looks like this.”

She inhaled, then let it out, smiling. “Yes. A lot like this. I mean, not exactly like this. More land. But definitely a pool. The dogs like the pool. The kids would like the pool.”

“How many?”

She looked over at him and frowned. “How many pools?”

“No. Kids.”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Two. Three. Four.”

He laughed. “Better get started.”

She reared back, glaring at him. “Was that a remark about my age?”

“Hell no. I was just... What I meant to say was...” He grimaced. “Shutting up now.”

“Smart.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, suddenly exhausted. Linc put his arm around her and drew her close. Her eyelids felt heavy, and after a few minutes of cuddling Linc’s broad shoulder she couldn’t stay awake.

She felt his hand smoothing down her back, which gently roused her awake.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Mm-hmm.” Like a zombie, she took the hand Linc offered, all the dogs following as she walked up the steps hand in hand with Linc. With her eyes barely open, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, then undressed and climbed under the covers, hardly cognizant of anything but the sound of Linc’s voice as he got all the dogs settled in their sleeping spots.

The last thing she remembered before falling into sleep was Linc’s body pressed against hers and the rhythmic sound of his breathing.

She smiled and drifted off.

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