Page 12 of Bred By The Deputy
It was not a hard decision—I won’t let anyone hurt Della.
“What do you think the chances of him coming down here might be?”
“He would be both an asshole and an idiot if he did. I hope he is both. Hawk mentioned Della might not be his first lady friend who saw something that cost her damage. Cahill, we ain’t friends, I never met your lady but,” he pauses for effect, and I find myself waiting for him to go on. “He comes to Driftwood, he won’t be leaving here.”
Relief washes through me at this declaration. I’m a cop. A deputy sheriff. The last time I broke the law, I stole a candy bar from a store. I ate half of it before guilt made me try to return it. I have dedicated most of my life to doing right, to helping people, to being a good guy.
If it takes being a bad guy or working with bad guys to ensure Della is safe, I will blur that line. Even if I was not falling head over heels for her, even if there was no obsession in me to get her pregnant—and there is, I want her belly popped with my baby as soon as possible—no one should be as afraid of something as she was the night we met.
Della was racing through the streets of Driftwood because she was terrified. Because she was rushing to get to someone she could trust. To the few people in her life, her best friends, who had let her live her life her way. This man, this piece of shit she wasted four months of her life on, he changed that, he sent her running scared.
Being the bad guy would be worth making her feel safe.
“Thanks, Panic,” I tell him with an awkward laugh. “Good to hear you understand where I am coming from. I hope he is not dumb enough to come after her. If he does…good to know that I know a guy who knows a guy,” I say tactfully as I focus on the fire in front of me.
“Know where to find me, brother.”
Ending the call, I take a deep breath. Yeah, I know just where to find Panic and the other Disciples. My hope is I don’t have to. If I do, then I will deal with whatever fallout comes with making that call.
Back at the cabin, it’s warm, a fire crackling still. Hearing the shower going, I smile. Having her here in my space, a place I have never brought a woman, it feels so good. Feels right. I shed my clothes and step into the bathroom, seeing Della beneath the steaming spray, her hand on her belly.
My chest seizes as I close my eyes, dreaming along with her. Coming home to her in the shower, her soft belly round, maybe another baby down the hall napping. All of us at the dinner table, the room filling with baby laughs and baby messes. Holding her body, one that changes to give me the family I wanted the second I laid eyes on her.
Peace settles over me, joy, a kind of completeness I have never known. One I had hoped I would know one day, and here it is, standing in front of me. I join her in the shower, grabbing her slick body to bring her close. “I think two to start. A boy first so he can look after his little sister. Thinking of you round with a baby…with my baby, Della, darlin’, it is the first time I have ever thought of being a father.”
Della gazes up at me with eyes showing me it’s the same for her. How could we have expected to end up here? Finding the person for us on the side of the road. Truth is I knew it before we had that first kiss. At the diner, I knew I wanted a lifetime of dinners with her.
As we dress for our first date, I eighty-six her outfit choice. Seems my girl packed just cute, flashy dresses and sexy underthings. Thanking her for the foresight because I cannot wait to see her in each pretty thing, I hand her a warmer pair of my sweats. With a pouty look, she pulls them on, somehow looking sexier in my clothes than I think she would in her own.
“Going to thank me for that later, darlin’. Come on, let me show my girl a good time,” I plead, taking her hand and leading her through the cabin.
“Is this where I say anytime with you is a good time?”
“Couldn’t hurt my ego, could it?”
Laughing softly, she follows close behind as I lead us to the back of the cabin. We don’t talk for a while as we walk deeper into the woods. Sometimes there is no need for words. Along the way, she stops a few times, picking up a single flower strugglingto survive through the thick underbrush. She weaves them in her hair, and I think they’re much like her: surviving when they are given every reason to give up.
“When I was about ten, Daddy took us camping. Up in the Catskills, it was supposed to be some bonding, back to the earth thing. I loved it. It was the one time life felt real. Maybe Iwasmeant to wind up out here with you.”
Bending my head, I drop a kiss at her temple, drawing her closer. We step out of a thick growth of trees about a click away from the cabin. I smile when she gasps, turning a bright, beaming grin up at me. Set out around the deep-set fire is a little picnic. It was the best I could do without time to plan, but from the look in her eyes, I think I did good.
Blankets and pillows surround the fire, a little basket with some fruit, and a few sandwiches. Good ole’ PB&J—she said she hadn’t had one in years. Leading her toward the sparking fire, I help her settle on some of the pillows I piled up before I join her.
“Deputy Cahill, this might be the sweetest, most adorable thing anyone has ever done for me,” she muses as I settle back against some logs, pulling her between my outstretched legs.
“Good. I’ll keep doing this sort of thing then,” I promise, kissing her temple again.
For a while, we just sit there by the fire, enjoying the quiet. Reveling in the peace we have found here together. Della snuggles back against my chest, draping her legs over my thigh. I gather her close, sighing contentedly. Her soft little body fits perfectly against mine, our hands lacing tightly over her stomach.
“How did I not scare you off talking about putting babies in you the day we met?”
Della laughs, her head tipping back on my shoulder. Green eyes shine up at me as she bounces a shoulder. “Guess it mighthave scared me off if it didn’t sound so good. How did I not scare you off by telling you I was running from a known criminal?”
“Might have scared me off if keeping you safe, playing the hero for once, didn’t sound so good,” I shoot back, kissing her softly.
“Dole,” she breathes against my mouth, “I do want babies with you. Forever after. I want it all with you.”
Turning to face me, she settles on my lap, long legs wound around me. Grinning down at me, she combs gentle fingers through my hair. The air smells of fresh earth, fire, and her sweet, succulent perfume. Behind her the fire crackles as the sun slowly begins to set.
