Page 25 of Defending What is Mine

Next up is Chet, but his better half decides to take his turn for herself when she leaps off the couch and wraps me in a warm hug. “You be safe over there. This family has had enough drama for a while. Hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am. Loud and clear.” I smile.

I extend a hand to Chet, who gives his typical, firm handshake and then unloads the sum total of everything on his mind. “Jack, you take care.” That, followed by direct eye contact and a solid nod in my direction lets me know he’s finished.

Last, but not least, is Mom. And it’s only fair to add, Marie Wilde doesn’t pull punches when saying goodbye to one of her own. With a hand on each of my cheeks, she pulls my face down to meet hers. “You heard what Christy said. That goes double for me. You be careful now. Promise me.”

“Maawwwm. I cwwan’t pwomish awnyfing if woo dwon’t lut go,” I say through my smushed face.

“Don’t sass me, now. Just promise,” she replies, without releasing her grip on my cheeks.

“Fwine. I pwomish. Now pweash lut go.”

Mom sighs a long, sad sigh as her hands fall to her hips and she steps aside. “Miss you already,” she calls after me as I pull the door closed.

With my duffel hoisted over my shoulder, I reach Sam’s car just as she opens Vanessa’s door to help her out. Seeing her is a bittersweet jolt of energy. I am in no way, shape, or form ready to say goodbye to my new favorite feeling in all the world. “Morning,” I say through a warm smile. “Thanks again for doing this.”

“Hey, you,” Sam replies over the roof, her face the perfect image of my bittersweet feeling. “No thanks needed. It’s the least we could do. Plus…” she kicks at the gravel under her foot. “I…you know, I want every last second I can get with you.”

I drop my duffel by the trunk on my way to greet her. Sam eagerly slips her arms around my waist and, without stopping to consider the seven-year-old audience sitting in the back seat watching my every move, I lift her off the ground, leaving her legs to dangle as I kiss her deeply. It’s only after I put her down that I notice Vanessa, trying her best to hide her ear-to-ear grin with her hand. I bend down to her window and wave while Sam reaches in to the front and releases the latch for the trunk. “Good morning, Vanessa. How are you today?”

“Goooood,” she replies with a giggle. “You look different in your costume.”

Costume? Sounds like something Hank would say.

Glancing down, I chuckle. “You mean my uniform? This is what I wear for my job.”

“What’s your job?”

Sam looks back at her daughter over the driver’s seat. “Honey, we’ve got a long drive ahead of us, and it’s important that we aren’t late. Maybe Jack can tell you on the way?”

“Right.” I nod. “Great idea. I’ll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about bureaucratic red-tape on the drive.” I toss my bag into the trunk and head around to the passenger side to climb in.

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