Page 71 of It Takes a Thief
“What if we have a daughter?”
“Then I hope she’s just like you.” He drops a kiss against my lips. “But it’s a boy.”
He sounds so sure. “How do you know?” I ask.
He hesitates. “There’s this little voice I hear sometimes.”
“Voice?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know if it’s my mom or Angel, Addie’s mom, or just my conscience. All I know is it’s never wrong.”
“Does it say we’re going to be happy together?”
“Insanely happy together,” he tells me.
I smile up at him and he rewards me with another wicked kiss that makes my toes curl.
Once the dance is over, Linc makes sure I have a glass of sparkling grape juice since champagne is out of the question. I’m sure people notice, but I don’t care. We eat too much, dance even more, and I’d completely forgotten about my bouquet when Brighton runs up to me with it.
“You need to toss your bouquet,” she reminds me.
Linc nods. “Go on, sweetheart.”
“Be right back.” I leave him talking to Knox, Hunter and Ryder, and follow Brighton over to where a crowd of single ladies gather. I hold it up and wink at Charity. Then I get intoposition, facing the opposite way, and toss the flowers over my shoulder.
I hear the women screech in excitement and when I spin back around, I see Addie holding the bouquet. I’m not sure if she actually looks happy about it, but she grins good-naturedly and waves it in the air.
“Yay me,” she says, sounding less than thrilled.
I waggle my brows and start walking back to Linc when I hear a slight commotion. Glancing over my shoulder, I see a tall, good-looking man in a rumpled suit, with shaggy brown hair that’s a little too long, striding straight for Addie. She places her hands on her hips and frowns.
When he reaches her, it looks like they exchange a few heated words. She defiantly tosses her hair over a shoulder and sends him what can only be described as a challenging look. I have no idea what he says back, but the next thing I know, he plucks a pair of handcuffs from the belt concealed by his jacket and slaps them on her wrists.
My jaw drops, and I hurry over, along with Linc, Knox, Ryder, Brighton and Hunter.
“What’s going on?” I demand, and Linc moves up beside me, always in protector mode.
“Here to crash the party, Detective Vaughn?” Knox asks lazily. “I believe you’re a little out of your jurisdiction.”
Detective?I look up at Linc whose lips are flattened in annoyance. Policeman or not, he can’t just barge into our reception and arrest my friend. This isn’t the correct procedure, and he can’t make an arrest without Arcadia’s consent and accompanying law enforcement. I guarantee he knows it, too.
“I don’t know who you are,” I say tartly, lifting my chin, “but you have no power here in Arcadia.”
Detective Vaughn reaches into his pocket and pulls out a letter, flashing it so fast no one can get a good look. “The FBI disagrees, Princess Merritt. Sorry to interrupt your wedding party.”
He turns back to Addie, quickly tucking the letter back into his pocket. So fast, in fact, that it’s suspicious. Clearly, he doesn’t want anyone to question its authenticity.
“Addison Mae Mills, you are under arrest.”
Beside me, Linc growls, and I quickly place my arm in his, keeping him close to my side.
“This is bullshit,” Ryder exclaims.
“Let’s go,” Vaughn says, placing a hand against her lower back, but she jerks away.
“It is bullshit, and just so you know, I’ll be suing your ass, Detective.”
“Oh?” He lifts a thick, dark brow, and his lips twitch.
