Page 69 of His Greatest Treasure

“Ollie, can we go now? Where’s Mom?” Nova asks, stepping into the conversation with her colouring book and markers in her arms.

I take them from her and drop the backpack from my shoulder to put them inside. “Yeah, let’s go. You’re coming to the station with me for a little while.”

“Really?” she shrieks, eyes wild with excitement.

“Really. You can meet my squad this time.”

“This is so awesome!”

“Glad you think so,” I say with a pat to her back. “Come on, we’ve gotta make a stop on our way back.”

Nova takes my hand and tugs me toward the door. “Okay. Goodbye, Mrs. Kirby.”

“See you tomorrow, Nova. And I hope to see your lieutenant again as well,” Mrs. Kirby replies with a grin.

We step out of the classroom, and Nova takes charge, leading me down the hallway and explaining which teachers teach in the rooms we pass and what grades painted the murals on the walls.

I listen to every word she says, enamoured with the way she switches between Swedish and English with ease, almost as if it’s happening without her knowing it. I’ve ordered a beginner’s guide to learning Swedish, but there’s no way I’ll be able to learn it without help.

“Why didn’t my mom pick me up today?” Nova asks once we’ve left the school.

“She got busy at the store and asked me to help.”

“Okay. Cool.”

“Do you like donuts?”

“With sprinkles and jam. Those are the best.”

“We’re going to pick some up for the station. You can pick all the flavours if you want.”

She punches the air. “Nice.”

The donuts are absolutely a bribe for my squad, considering I left moments before everyone dived into their chores and opted into giving Adams my laundry duty.

Hart didn’t have much to do, so sending her to Avery was an easy choice. It helped that she’s a woman, and without having introduced Avery to any of the guys on the squad, I don’t want them around her without me. Not until I can threaten them with death if they try and flirt with her.

I open the back seat for Nova and watch with a small smile as she hops into the vehicle and onto the booster seat I stole from the extras pile at the station. She buckles herself in and gives me a thumbs-up before I head to the front seat.

“Do you have a favourite type of music, peanut?” I ask.

“Mom calls itdad rock.”

I keep my lips closed as I laugh to try and keep it silent. “Does she? I love dad rock. Do you have a favourite band?”

“Linkin Park and Matchbox Twenty. Nickelback too.”

I turn to stare at her, not having expected those answers. “Does your mom like that music too?”

“She loves it. Like me.”

Scrolling on my phone for a song, I find a playlist I made years ago and play it. I turn up the volume and put the SUV in drive before stealing a look at her in the rear-view.

“Numb” by Linkin Park wasn’t what I pictured Nova banging her head to, but as she starts singing the lyrics and tapping her thighs with the beat in my back seat, I think she crawls further into my heart, making a home for herself there.

“You’re cheating,”Nova accuses Patel, his latest match of cards pinched in her fingers.

Patel shakes his head, black hair flying. “I’m not cheating. How would I cheat at Go Fish anyway?”

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