Page 58 of Man Cuffed
Because it belongs to my brother. The one I haven’t spoken to in years. Please let it not be Morris who’s disturbing the peace. Not again. Officers have responded to my brother’s address before. He’s a big drinker. And a mean drunk, sometimes.
But I’ve never been the one to get the call. And I can’t imagine that it’s me he wants to see turn up on his doorstep.
Meg is watching me from the passenger seat. She’s the most observant civilian I know. Hell, I hope she can’t read minds. Mine is full of regret, grumpiness, and horny thoughts about her.
She obviously can’t read minds, or she wouldn’t be sitting here.
On that wacko thought, I pull up to their house, followed by Lance, who’s back already from booking the drunk girl.
“There are times when this job is boring as fuck, and times when you wish it was boring as fuck,” I grumble.
“Which is this one?” she asks.
“Vote’s still out.”
I get out of the car, my senses locked and loaded. I just hope I don’t have to get into it with my brother over his drinking.
But even as Lance walks over to meet me, I hear the ruckus from the neighbors next door. That other house is lit up like a Halloween pumpkin, lights flickering, the sound of their speaker bass an actual physical sensation. It’s a throb that goes straight to the guts, and not in a fun way.
“I’m thinking I know the problem,” Lance says.
“Agreed,” I’m relieved to say. Still, I need to check in at my brother’s to let them know we responded. I could make Lance do it, but that’s a pussy move.
Meg pokes her head out of the open window. “This call is just about a loud party? That’s all the action I’m getting?”
Lance chuckles at her choice of words, and I whack him in the arm to shut him up.
That’s when I spot her.Julie. She’s standing in the open door, her shape silhouetted by the lamplight behind her. Any other night, I might have lost my calm just seeing her. But tonight is different. I’m still wearing a half smile, courtesy of Meg. And as I walk toward the house, I’m wondering what Meg will get up to in my squad car while I’m gone. Is she touching any buttons she shouldn’t be touching?
Which makes me immediately think of her touchingmybuttons, and most definitely in a good way. One specific button, in fact. The big one right between my legs.
First, Julie.
There were moments in my past when Julie was all I could think about. Julie and Morris. The betrayal. My nightmare come to life. Those were some really dark days.
But as I make my approach, I realize I haven’t thought about her in a while, though. In fact, before this family wedding popped onto my radar, it had been months.
Interesting.
I give one last glance back at the squad car. It looks like Meg is behaving herself. I’m a little disappointed actually. Her sass is pretty damned irresistible. Luckily, I’m immune to that sort of thing. Or I try to be.
“Evening, Julie!” I call out, my voice surprisingly even.
She opens the door and steps out onto the porch. That’s when my bravado starts to crumble. I’m looking at the woman who destroyed me. I used to be a happy guy who thought he had the whole world figured out. Until she twisted the knife.
And—fuck—I forget to breathe. Because the baby is on her hip. She’s holding the nephew that I’ve never met. He has a round face, and one fat little hand is clutching his mother’s hair.
Then he turns that chubby little face toward mine. And there’s just enough light so that I can see his eyes widen. He opens his mouth and begins to babble. “Dadadadadada!” And his short arms reach for me.
Goosebumps. Suddenly. Everywhere.
Holy. Shit. I’m not prepared for this. The baby thinks I’m Morris. Just when I thought things were already weird. And I swear to God I thought I was done with all this. I thought I’d already felt all the feelings I had coming to me. Wrong again.
When will I learn?
I’m actually frozen, one foot on the first of three steps up to the front porch. Julie looks down at me, her jaw unhinged. We’re both sort of locked inside our discomfort for a very long moment, while my nephew squeals and struggles to get to me.
So I do the only thing a guy in my shoes can do. I unstick myself, climb two steps, and reach for him.
