Page 8 of You Can Make Me
“I’m not sure it’s going to make you feel any better, but I’ll tell you if you want.”
I heard more muffled voices, and then noises that indicated Gene was walking out of the main room in the detective’s unit and into his office.
“I want to know. Sam wants to know, D. You’ve kept her best friend away from her for months. I think you owe it to us?—”
“It was the night we celebrated your promotion. Department spokesperson. You chose that night to tell everyone you were going to be a dad.”
Gene went silent on the other end of the phone. I hated even bringing this up.
He finally let out a shaky breath. “Man, I really fucked that up.”
“Gene, man, you couldn’t have known.” Two weeks after that party, Sam had another miscarriage, and they’d waited a month to tell everyone. They stopped trying after that. “For a while,” Sam had said. They hadn’t given up all hope, but she’d gone back to work, using her investigative talents for a nonprofit that helped locate missing and trafficked teens.
Gene was so damned proud of her, and they were closer than ever, but it was still fucking sad that there weren’t any little Ochoas running around with her good looks and his devilishly charming personality. I’d been looking forward to being an honorary uncle.
I’d always thought I would have kids of my own, but my first wife left me during my first deployment in the Marines, and my second wife…well, she’d left me for her high school sweetheart six years ago. There went my hopes of being a father. I’d had a blast with Junior’s kids, and I still had hope Gene and Sam would find a way.
“I didn’t even know youtalkedto him that night.”
I cracked my neck and smiled, thinking of how thoroughly that night changed my life.
“You sure you want to hear what happened?”
“Hit me.”
I exhaled and laughed. Jesus, I couldn’t believe I was about to tell Gene that Cooper and I had…knowledgeof each other, that I’d become infatuated with him, waswildabout him. I’d been ready to take things to the next level when he blew up at me and then cut me off. Such a loss. This wasn’t at all how I’d hoped we’d be thrown back together.
The story poured out of me, and Gene remained silent.
“He called my bluff,” I said. “He drove me home that night, gave me his card. There was something there, but I thought…maybe a connection, you know? Like friends. I knew better, but I tried to tell myself I didn’t, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I texted him, I went to Vegas to see him, and yeah. Wedefinitelymade a connection. And all of a sudden I’m…not as straight as I thought.”
Gene was silent for too long. Then he snorted. “Youdog.”
“Gene, man?—”
“Itoldhim, that little shit. I told him that night there was no way, that he was barking up the wrong tree with you, but that cocky sonofabitch wouldn’t be deterred. Guess he was right.”
“I swear, Gene, I was good to him.”
“I bet you were.”
“Fuck off,” I groaned, but then I laughed along with him. “I was just as shocked as you. We saw each other off and on for almost a year.”
“I can imagine, Staff Sergeant Hamilton. But you know, in a weird way, you two make sense.”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, you’re both stubborn pains in the ass?—”
“Takes one to know one. Listen, things were great, then our wires got crossed. I hadn’t seen him in over a year when he showed up in Laurel Canyon.”
“So what, you guys pick back up, or?—”
“It’s not like that. I honestly don’t know why he chose me to watch over him. There’s no way I’d refuse him anything. Ever. But he’s… I’m feeding him and taking care of his affairs. I’m a glorified caregiver. That’s it.”
And it fucking hurt like hell.
“That’s… I’m sorry, D. Cooper’s an enigma. He’s magnetic. He’s got this talent where he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world, and he’s so damned smart. He has a major effect on everyone he allows into his inner circle.” Gene sighed. “I’ll explain to Sam, get you off the hook with her, but I tell you, it’ll make a big difference if you let us see him. We can help.”
