Page 63 of Liberating Love

He hugs me tight from behind. “Come take a load off out back.” Before I can say that I need to stay inside with Mom, Delaney calls across the dining room, “Holds?”

“Yeah, Dad?”

“Can you keep an eye on Everly until we come back inside?”

Holden smiles. “Of course. Maybe I’ll ask her to play that game of checkers with me.”

As he walks into the living room, Delaney puts his mouth by my ear to whisper, “She’s in good hands, baby. Holden likes spending time with her, so let him.”

He knows me too well. He knows I was about to tell Holds that he doesn’t need to help me, but… Delaney’s right. As hard as it is to get used to having people help, I really need to let them. So after sagging back into Delaney again, I say to Holds, “Thank you.”

He rolls his eyes. “What the hell are you thanking me for?”

Delaney chuckles as Holds waves me off, with Drix trailing behind his twin, and they join everyone in the living room, then my boyfriend pulls me out the back door where Jameson has apparently taken over grill duty, and Jovany is out here talking to him. When I glance at Delaney, I smile at the look on his face. He never fails to get this sweet, adorable expression on his face when he sees his kids getting along. I know it took a while for the three of them to get back to feeling like a family, and especially for Jameson and Jovany to mend their relationship, but they seem well on their way, so I know it means a lot to him.

Delaney pulls me over to lean against the deck railing beside him so we’re pressed shoulder to shoulder, and I take a sip of my beer, trying to relax a little.

Jovany grins at me, saying, “I’ve barely seen you today. How’s it going? It’s weird not seeing you every day.”

I grin back and say, “I never thought I’d miss your tiny office, but I kinda do. It’s been… pretty good patrolling again, I guess.”

Jovany looks at his brother and says, “Aw, man, Step-Daddy loves me.”

Without missing a beat, Jameson says, “Not as much as he loves me.”

I flip them both off, and everyone laughs as I shake my head with a reluctant smile.

The case Jovany and I were working on was taken over by Internal Affairs like Jovany thought—after we did ninety percent of the work of course—so we’re no longer working together. I may’ve said that jokingly to him, but I actually do miss working with him. It had been nice having a regular “partner” for a few months, and Jovany’s a good guy, now that I know him.

“Did they find you a new partner yet?” Jameson asks me.

I shake my head and sigh. “No, Martins is out on maternity leave, so I’m filling in for her for a couple of weeks.”

Jovany purses his lips and starts playing with the label on his beer. “They’re supposed to be finding you a permanent partner.”

“How do you know that?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Just what I heard.”

“Jovany,” Delaney says sternly.

Jovany snaps his gaze to his father before huffing out and saying, “Fine, I might’ve talked to Liza Cortez about you needing a partner, and she told me that she’d see to it personally, so… you should be getting your assignment any day now.”

My eyebrows rise. “You really talked to her for me?”

“Yeah, of course. You’re a good cop, Aiden, you deserve to be treated with respect, and now that Dad’s helping you with Everly, your hours can be more consistent, so that’ll have no bearing on anything—not that it ever should have.”

“Wow, Jovany, I don’t know what to say.” He lifts his shoulder again as he takes a sip of beer, looking uncomfortable with the attention, so I say simply, “Thank you.”

He nods and turns back to his brother, and Delaney throws his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in against his side, then leans in to whisper near my ear, “You’ve been hoping for a regular partner. That’s great news, Freckles.”

I nod, almost afraid to get my hopes up, but I know Jovany wouldn’t lie to me about something like that, so I let my smile free, tilting my chin up to see Delaney’s face. “Hopefully I get someone nice.”

He offers a soft smile and kisses my forehead. “It’s all going to work out.”

I rest more fully into his side. “You know, I’m starting to believe you when you say that.”

He chuckles. “Good.”

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