Page 58 of Stand By You
She turned and saw Mrs. Hudson bringing Nick into the living room before heading back to the kitchen. Jillian smiled. He carried a wrapped package and brought it over to her and then he shook both detectives’ hands.
“Good to see you again,” he said. “I hope this doesn’t mean Jillian is still in danger?”
“No,” Simons said. “We just came to give her the news that her case is closed, and she’ll be hearing from the DA about a trial date to testify.”
“Ah, then that is good news,” Nick said.
“Isn’t it?” Jillian said. “But if that is all you had to tell me, you could have called. There was no need to make a special trip to see me.”
“And miss seeing your face when we told you the details?” Simons said. “Wouldn’t have missed it.”
She smiled. “I hope I didn’t disappoint then.”
“Not at all,” Simons said. “We’ll show ourselves out.”
When they were gone, Nick settled on the couch beside her, taking the present and putting it on the other side of him. “What all did they say?”
She told him everything, even the information about Amber Collins going missing from her cruise vacation.
“That means Delvecchio couldn’t have been the one who was responsible. He couldn’t be two places at once,” Nick said. “He had to have hired someone to go on the cruise with the couple and take her out.”
“I’m sure Simons and Kohl will come to the same conclusion, but with Delvecchio murdered they may never learn who was working for him.”
“I’m just glad this is all behind us,” Nick said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her near. “That Travis is back with his father, and it sounds like from what Nathan was saying to Geneva last night, there is a good chance she’ll be able to start seeing her son again.”
“I’m glad too, but most importantly, I’m glad you were assigned to keep me safe and were here with me through it all,” Jillian said. And she leaned forward and kissed him.
The front door opened, and scampering feet broke their kiss.
“Jilly, I’m home!” Travis called and he ran to her, throwing himself into her arms.
She hugged him tight. “I’m so glad.”
“Is this your boyfriend?” Travis asked, pulling away from her.
“Yep,” Nick said before Jillian could respond. “Is that okay?”
Travis slowly nodded, then his eyes grew wide. “Is that present for me?”
“It is,” Nick said, picking it up and handing it to him. “Welcome home.”
The boy tore the wrapping paper off in a flash to expose the detective’s kit.
“Wow, it comes with a badge, handcuffs, and everything,” Travis exclaimed. “I can’t wait to show Carlos.”
They laughed and watched him head off to his room to play.
“That was nice of you,” Jillian said.
“I thought he might be a little curious into investigations after what happened,” Nick explained. “And if not, it might direct him into a career path.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” she said. “But I would have thought you’d have chosen something to do with the Army or the JAG core.”
“Not so easy to find in the toy aisle,” Nick said.
Nathan and Abby came into the room, holding hands and took their places on the loveseat.
“I was hoping he’d consider a path in the military,” Nathan said. “Like father, like son.”
