Page 35 of Ridin' Solo
All four erupted in squeals, surrounding me like a pack of hyenas.
“Was it hotter than hot?”
“Please, God, tell me he used the cuffs! Or maybe the baton?”
“Did you stay the night?”
“He seems like a big-dick-energy kind of guy. Am I right?”
“Girls!” I yelled, pushing their grabby hands away from me. “I’m not discussing it, and if you so much as bring it up around anyone but me, I will personally haul your ass to jail. Do not try me.”
Amelia pouted. Esme put her hands on her hips with a frown. Izzy sighed and looked dreamily out the window. Vee just kept smiling at me like she was about to burst.
“Jesus, take the wheel…” I muttered, rubbing my forehead.
The door clicked open and Mom clapped her hands, saving me from further discussion about Wyatt. “Come on, girls! The table won’t set itself!”
We all headed into the kitchen, Titus included. He’d learned that while he was definitely not one of the girls, he couldn’t escape chores. Mom had told him the second that ring was on Amelia’s finger that he was part of the family now, and that meant he wasn’t a guest. He grumbled about it all the time, but he kept coming over to help Mom and Dad with things around the house, sometimes even when Amelia wasn’t with him, so I had a feeling he didn’t mind being an honorary Waldo after all.
After the food was on the table, Dad pulled out a chair for Mom, giving her another kiss we all tried to ignore. Titus did the same with Amelia, sending an ache right through my chest. I saw the way they looked at each other, like the other person completed them in a way a single girl like me just couldn’t understand.
We all dug into the food, and for a few minutes, no conversation was had. That happened frequently when partaking of the meals Mom cooked. The woman was a culinary genius. The ticktock of the antique clock Mom kept in her china hutch sounded louder than normal, setting off a crazy thought in my head.
My biological clock, the one I thought I didn’t even possess, began to tick away, the stroke of the minute hand ratcheting up my unease. My whole life, I’d wanted to be in law enforcement, serving my community and working my way up to management. One night with Wyatt and suddenly I didn’t want to do any of that if it meant I had to do it solo. I wanted a partner, at work and in life. I wanted it all: the career, the house, the husband, the baby showers, and the making out on the porch grossing out our kiddos.
I wasn’t sure what I ate after that, as it had all turned to dust in my mouth. I wasn’t sure if Wyatt was the one to give me all that, but for the first time in forever, I wanted to try. I was willing to sacrifice my job to have the rest of it.
Which meant tomorrow morning, I was coming clean to Sheriff Locke. Wyatt was out of time. If he and I were going to have anything together, it would be on a foundation of honesty or nothing at all.
16
Oakley
My heart felt like it was going to gallop right out of my chest. I’d arrived at work early, knowing the sheriff liked to get a head start on paperwork before the change of shift happened. I also wanted to beat Wyatt to work. If I saw him, he’d just flash that smile, give me a wink, and I’d be persuaded to give him more time. For what, I had no idea. Honestly, it was probably just bullshit. Which made what I was about to do even scarier. What if I was sacrificing my reputation for a guy who didn’t deserve me?
I knocked on the sheriff’s door and swiped my sweaty palm down my pants. So much for the crease I’d ironed into them this morning.
“Come in,” barked Sheriff Locke.
I pushed the door open and closed it behind me, having a seat across from his metal desk before I could talk myself out of confessing. The chair was cold, adding to my nerves and making me shiver.
“What can I help you with, Captain?” Sheriff Locke asked, looking up from his computer with a frown.
Maybe now wasn’t the best time to broach this subject. Maybe I should really think this through a bit more.
“Spill it before I have to go back to this infernal spreadsheet.”
I tried out a smile, but my cheeks didn’t participate.
“I, um, would like to request a transfer to another department.”
I cringed, not quite believing I’d put it out there. The air went fuzzy and my lungs had a hard time taking a full breath. My intention coming in here had been to ask for the sheriff to transfer Wyatt to a different department, but at the last second, I realized that was taking the easy way out. I wasn’t about to start being a pussy now. I was a cop, dammit. We did the hard things, and we did them without complaint.
The sheriff folded his hands on his desk and faced me fully. “Say what now?”
My knee started bouncing up and down. I had to push down with my palm to still it. “Well, you see. Funny thing happened. I actually enjoy having a partner. Good job calling my bluff on that one, by the way.” I gave him the double-gun hand gesture, but his eyebrows stayed pinched tighter than an asshole. I cleared my throat. “The problem is that I like my partner too much. I’d like to date Wyatt, sir. And I know that’s against department policy, so I’d like to transfer.”
The door behind me swung open so hard it hit the wall with a bang. I spun in my chair, hand already on my service weapon.
