Page 120 of Sergeant O'
“Do you think there’s really something going on with him and the nurse?”
“She’s the bakery owner’s sister…”
He sat down in the booth next to me without hesitation; one hand gently slid around the back of my neck anchoring me there while his eyes searched mine.
Then, without a word, he leaned down and kissed me. Softly at first—almost like he was making sure I wasn’t going to slap him before he pulled me closer and deepened the kiss.
Right there, in front of everyone.
Gasps broke out around us. A spoon clattered against a tabletop, followed by the steady hum of whispers.
By the time my brain caught up, he’d already pulled back—just far enough for his eyes to meet mine.
“I should’ve done that the morning we got back,” he said, his voice steady and low enough to carry. “I should’ve taken you to the diner like I’d said. Instead, I kept quiet and tried to hide this. I thought I was protecting you. But all I did was make you think I was hidingyou.”
My chest ached, a mix of shock and everything I’d been holding in for days.
He turned slightly, not to the crowd exactly, but enough that anyone watching could hear. “You’re the woman I love. And I don’t give a damn who knows it.”
Someone near the counter clapped once, awkwardly. Then another joined in, and another, until the bakery filled with a ripple of warm applause.
I could barely breathe. “Brian…”
He stroked my cheek with a smile. “I’m sorry. For all of it. For making you feel invisible when you were the only thing I saw.”
The sting in my throat became impossible to swallow back. I reached for his shirt and kissed him again, harder this time, until the sound of clapping faded into laughter and the world around us blurred.
When we finally broke apart, Lainey was leaning against the counter, smirking into her coffee. “Guess that recipe’s a hit,” she said.
I laughed through a tear that slipped free. “Yeah,” I said, still looking at Brian. “It is.”
Chapter Sixty-One
Brian
The morning air smelled like coffee and rain. My leg still tightened when I stood too long, and stairs were a pain in the ass—so I was grateful we’d been staying at Jade’s. I was managing to walk without a limp most of the time—although Penny the Cat did her best to try and make me trip every chance she got. We were still figuring our relationship out. Some days she was content to sit in my lap and be petted, and others she wanted nothing to do with me and would try and bite me if I even came near her.
After getting cleared by SLED, Angus let me start back on light duty. In addition to pushing paperwork and answering phones, that included physical therapy and visits with the department shrink.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t too antsy to get back on the street. I liked our routine, and I knew once I was back on duty, it wouldn’t be as predictable.
I’d discovered I liked predictabilityanddomesticity.
Jade sat on the edge of the counter, wearing one of my shirts and a pair of shorts, her hair still damp from the shower. She stirred sugar into her coffee, pretending not to watch me move around the kitchen.
“You’re walking better,” she said.
“Yeah,” I answered, flexing my leg once. “Dr. Patel says another few weeks of PT and I’ll be back to chasing suspects.”
She smiled faintly. “You mean limping after them while telling them to slow down.”
“Details.” I leaned in to kiss her temple. “How was work?”
“Busy, but manageable.”
“You headed to bed?”
“No, I thought since it’s my weekend, I’d try to stay awake. I need to go see Lainey; she’s in full panic mode about Adam’s parents getting here tomorrow.”
