Page 39 of Wild Dreams

"Why would you be alone when you can spend it with my family?" I asked, more than a little confused.

Marigold crossed her arms over her chest, then looked out the window. "I have work to do, and besides, I bought fixings for dinner. I'll be fine."

"You can work in the morning. Then I'm picking you up. You're spending the afternoon with my family."

Her head swung in my direction. "Chance. No. I can't let you do that."

"I don't want you to be alone on Thanksgiving."

Marigold huffed. "You know, you're incredibly frustrating sometimes."

"I'm told that I am all the time, actually." I grinned, knowing I'd convinced her to spend the afternoon with us.

"You should probably listen to those people and be less annoying."

I suspected she didn't love being home alone on the holidays. She was okay with it. But I wanted her to be happy. Especially since she was so worried about Oakley. "You can bring Oakley. Everyone will love him."

"That does sound nice," Marigold said.

Satisfied I'd convinced her to spend Thanksgiving with my family, I turned into the parking lot for the Thai restaurant. "Let's get food to go. I kind of want a night in."

"That sounds perfect."

We ordered a bunch of different entrees that sounded good, then drove to Marigold's house. I knew she was worried about Oakley and wouldn't relax until she knew he was okay. I set up our containers of food in front of the TV and put on a classic holiday film about a child left home alone at Christmas. It was exactly what she needed to unwind.

I managed not to check in with my deputies all night. They could handle the occasional drunk at the bar. I deserved a worry-free night.

When her phone rang around seven, Marigold dove for the phone. "Hello. Yes. Okay."

I moved closer to her, needing to be there to comfort her.

Her shoulders relaxed. "That's good news. Thank you so much. I can come by early in the morning and pick him up."

When she hung up, I asked, "They're keeping him overnight?"

"They want to make sure he was okay since we weren't sure how much chocolate he'd eaten. And he's my baby. I'm fine with being overly cautious."

I liked that she'd said we weren't' sure how much he'd eaten. It made me feel like I was part of this. That we were a couple. Which was ridiculous because we hadn't even kissed.

"What do you want to do now that you know Oakley is going to be fine?"

Marigold slumped on the couch. "Sleep for a million years. I hadn't realized how stressed out I was until she said he was going to be okay."

"Do you have the makings for hot chocolate? I can whip some up," I offered, getting up and heading toward the kitchen.

"That would be lovely." Marigold followed me into the kitchen, showing me where her mix was. I heated milk on the stove while she pulled out the whipped cream and marshmallows. "All we need is a little snow. I bet Oakley would love it."

"You're looking forward to all the little moments with him?" I asked, pleased that she had him in her life.

"I can't believe I waited so long to get a dog. I had this idea in my head that I had to be in a serious relationship before I could make that commitment. That I couldn't care for one myself. But your life expands when you add someone to it. Not the other way around."

Was that true? That sounded nice. I'd always assumed a relationship would encroach on my job, and I couldn't let that happen. But now, I wondered if I'd been thinking about it all wrong.

When the milk was heated, I poured it over the mix in mugs that had bookish sayings on them. One was a stack of books, and the saying, "I'd rather be reading."

We added whipped cream and marshmallows, taking our mugs into the living room where the movie was paused.

"Want to keep watching?" I'd offered to make hot chocolate because I was worried she'd tell me I could go. That she didn't need me to distract her anymore. There was no reason for me to be here. She was my sister's best friend. There was a barrier to that relationship, lines you didn't cross. Except I'd been stomping all over them.

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