Love

by Lacey Weatherford

  “What do you want to put in for the code?” Dylan asked, turning to me, and the security guy moved away to give us some privacy.

  “Something easy. I don’t want to be flustered trying to remember a bunch of stuff if I accidentally set this thing off.”

  “How about our anniversary?”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  “Excuse me,” Tom broke in. “I forgot to mention we usually recommend you don’t use anything like birthdays or special dates as your code, just in case those are things someone else could easily figure out.”

  “Oh, okay. Thank you. That makes sense,” Dylan replied, glancing back at me.

  “Well, there goes that idea.”

  Dylan’s gaze traveled to my stomach and he smiled. “I know the perfect code.” Lifting his hand he pressed the number ‘1’ button. “One for me, one for you, one for the baby makes three. 1113. Does that work for you?”

  I smiled widely. “I think that’s perfect.”

  “Awesome,” he replied and hit enter and lock.

  Immediately, a set of double beeps emanated from the keypad and the small digital screen flashed the word ‘ARMED.’ Tom helped Dylan finalize things with the company and set up security passwords to prove we were who we said we were for verification reasons, and then gathered his things and left.

  Turning to me, Dylan smiled and held his arms out toward me. “Welcome to Fort Knox.”

  I laughed and stepped inside them, relishing the warmth and strength I found there. “Well, I certainly feel protected, that’s for sure.”

  “Dog door, open,” a computerized voice spoke from the keypad and I jumped.

  “That might take some getting used to, though,” I added.

  “I know, but it makes me feel better. And now you’ll know if the dog is inside or outside, so you won’t have to go searching for him.”

  “You’re going to keep spouting off how great this system is until I love it, aren’t you?” I snickered against his chest.

  “Probably.” He chuckled and it resonated through him. He squeezed me tighter. “I simply want to know that you are safe and happy.”

  “I’ve always been happy,” I responded, glancing up at him. “And I think you have more than taken care of the safe part.”

  “Nothing’s too good for my girl.” Bending down, his lips captured me and I opened my mouth so his tongue could tangle with mine. My hands slid up around his neck as I kissed him back. It was crazy how much I loved this man. I’d heard people say that love would continue to grow, but I didn’t really believe it. I thought I had always loved him to capacity, but that capacity continued to constantly expand.

  “Thank you for everything you do, and for being concerned about me,” I whispered against his lips.

  “Always,” he replied. “I love you.”

  Chapter Six

  Dylan-

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled into Cami’s ear.

  “Do it or she’s going to kick you out,” she replied softly, elbowing me in the stomach. “Besides, this was your idea.”

  “I didn’t know it was going to be taught by one of Satan’s minions.”

  “Whatever. Just do it.” I could tell Cami was trying not to laugh.

  “Maybe you should’ve brought the dog with you instead. He’d be a natural at this.”

  She snorted, catching the attention of the She-Devil across the room. Immediately, the instructor locked her gaze on me, eyes narrowing, as she made her way toward us.

  “Do it now!” Cami practically growled.

  “Hee, hee, hoo. Hee, hee, hoo.” I began making the ridiculously exaggerated Lamaze breathing sounds.

  The instructor stood before me and it really wasn’t a far stretch for me to imagine her with horns and a forked tail, holding a whip. “You shouldn’t be staring at me, sir, but at your wife, who is having your baby.”

  Not wanting to cause any conflict, I obediently stared back at Cami and resumed coaching her breathing. As soon as the woman was out of earshot, I spoke softly. “Sorry. I’m a trained police officer. My eyes tend to go toward the biggest threat in the room.” Cami elbowed me and I started my breathing, again. The instructor continued to move about the room, shouting out directions.

  “What’s wrong?” Cami asked between breaths.

  “Nothing. I’m still just a little scarred from the birthing video. It was not pretty.”

  She giggled softly. “You’ve seen birthing videos before. Hello, Mr. Paramedic, remember?”

  “Our training videos were not that gory. Besides, I practiced deliveries on a rubber pelvis with a fake baby covered in gel. Messy yes, gory no.”

  Cami’s eyes flicked to make sure the instructor was still occupied elsewhere. “You’re a paramedic, Dylan. You’ve seen lots of gore.”

  “True, but I’ve never imagined any of that gore coming out of my wife, and I’d like to keep it that way. The way that woman in the video was screaming, I kept expecting her to give birth to an elephant or something.”

  She giggled softly. “If it scared you, imagine how I feel. That’s what’s going to happen to me!”

  Giving her a gentle hug, I kissed her forehead. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Goody,—even if it means panting like a dog.”

  She smiled. “It’s only fair. After all, it was all your panting that got us here in the first place.”

  My eyes widened. “Now that is not fair, at all. You were panting just as much as I was.”

  “Are you sure about that?” she asked, continuing to goad me.

  “Positive. I always make sure you’re panting. I consider it part of my job description.”

  A laugh escaped her and she tried to muffle it with a cough. Quickly, I searched the room for the drill sergeant. “Don’t worry. Cruella DeVil is emasculating another poor man right now. She didn’t hear you enjoying yourself over here.”

  “Thank goodness. She is kind of a tyrant, isn’t she?”

  “That’s putting it mildly. The lady could send armies running in retreat. How many more of these classes do we have left?” I wasn’t sure I could take much more of this.

  “Four.”

  “How do you feel about natural childbirth? With a midwife, perhaps?”

  “You don’t want to come anymore, do you?”

  “Not one bit. There has to be something better than this.”

  “The classes aren’t mandatory, Dylan. It’s just to help the hospital get ready for us, so our check in will be easier, and to give me some help with getting through the delivery.”

  “I’ll buy you every Lamaze and birthing video on the planet if you’ll tell me we don’t ever have to come here again.” A woman who was moaning loudly across the room interrupted my thoughts. Her husband was by her side, visibly coaching her to breathe with exaggerated breaths. “Um, they do realize this is just practice, not the real deal, right?” I asked. A quick glance around the room showed I wasn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable.

  “That’s the couple I was telling you about. Remember? The actors that run the community theater?” Cami’s eyes widened as the woman got louder. “Apparently they’re really getting into their role.”

  “That’s it. I can’t take it anymore.” Standing, I pulled Cami to her feet, grabbing her yoga mat and dragging her to the door.

  “Where are you going?” the instructor spewed out angrily, her eyes narrowing as she turned on us.

  “Sorry, family emergency. Got to go!” We hurried through the door, practically running down the hall.

  “Dylan, slow down. I can’t keep up.” Immediately, I slowed my pace, feeling bad for dragging her along that way.

  “Cami, I’m so sorry. I just had to get out of there. I think all those people are crazy.”

  She snickered. “They were pretty funny.”

  “Maybe you can visit with your mom, or mine, and let them give you some tips. That lady tonight was way too into her job.”

  Cami lau
ghed again. “Yeah, she kind of was. I guess we lucked out that she’s retired from nursing.”

  “I wouldn’t let her anywhere around you while you were having a baby.”

  “Oh, so you’re going to be one of those dads.”

  “Yes, I am. Only the best for you.”

  She shook her head. “I’m glad you care.”

  “Of course I do.”

  ***

  “You doing okay?” I asked Cami as I handed her a plastic cup full of ice and punch. She was fanning herself with a paper plate and her cheeks looked flushed.

  “Yeah, I’m managing, thanks,” she replied, accepting it and taking a large swallow. “Are you having a good time?”

  “Yep. I just won a bunch of money.” I gave her a wink and she stared at me perplexed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look.” I nodded toward the right and she followed the direction indicated, hiding a snicker behind her cup when she saw Russ approaching with a very curvy girl on his arm.

  “He has a date!” Sounding amazed, she giggled again.

  “I knew he wouldn’t show up to the Annual Fireman’s Barbecue without one, not after we all razzed him at the fire.”

  “I wonder where he found her? I don’t recognize her, but she’s very pretty.”

  “She seems a bit on the young side to me, but your right. She’s a looker,” I agreed.

  “Hey, now!” Her leg flashed out, kicking me softly in the shins. “Keep your eyes where they belong.”

  Bending over, I kissed her cheek and whispered, “Goody, if you were in a line up with every other girl in the world, I’d still pick you out first.”

  A rosy flush spread across her cheeks, causing them to flame even brighter, and she stared up at me. “You still have that sweet talking thing going for you.”

  “And you still have that luminescent glow that attracted me from the first moment I saw you—though I’d say you’re glowing much more than usual lately.” Allowing my gaze to drift briefly at her rounded belly, I slid my hand down to rub it. “You’re so beautiful.”

  She laughed. “I’m glad you like fat women.”

  “You aren’t fat. You’re perfect.”

  “Hey, Dylan, Cami,” Russ’s voice interrupted us. “I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

  Turning toward him, I saw he was nervous. “Hey, man. How’s it going?” Extending my hand, he slapped it and followed it with a fist bump, as was our ritual greeting.

  “Good, good. I wanted to introduce you to my friend, Daphne Fuentes.”

  Cami piped right up. “Hello, Daphne. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too,” she replied as they shook hands before she shook mine. “Russ talks about you a lot.”

  “He does, does he?” I asked. “I hate to say it, but he’s failed to mention you before now. Why is that, Russ?” I thoroughly enjoyed making him squirm, after all, what were best friends for?

  “Actually, we only met last night,” Daphne rushed to rescue him. “So he hasn’t really had time. We were out late, and then here, today.”

  “Two dates in a row?” I nodded, glancing at Russ. “You usually don’t even make it through the first one. I’m impressed.” Glancing back at Daphne, I added. “He must really like you.”

  Cami rushed to Russ’s aide, ruining my fun. “How’d the two of you meet?”

  “Blind date. Her mom knows my mom. They kept hounding us both; so we finally agreed to go out, just to get them off our backs.” Russ glanced at Daphne and grinned sheepishly.

  “And I kind of liked him. So I said yes when he asked me to come, today.”

  “Just kind of, huh?” Russ said, still smiling at her.

  She shrugged. “Yeah.”

  I slipped my arm around Russ’s shoulders. “Convenient how you picked this weekend to finally call her up. How many weeks has your mom been suggesting this, now? I know I’ve heard you grumbling about it for a while.”

  “You were grumbling about me?” Daphne said, arching her eye at him.

  “Hey, in my defense, I didn’t know you, yet. And I’m sure you had your share of grumbles, too.”

  She eyed him before laughing. “Okay, you got me. But I think it’s working out nicely so far.”

  “Oh, you won’t hear any complaints from me,” I piped up. “I think this weekend was perfect timing, though others on the department might not agree.”

  Daphne and Russ both looked confused. After a moment, Russ began shaking his head. “Please tell me you guys haven’t been betting on me.”

  “Ah, it’s okay.” I scrubbed my hand through his hair. “A little side betting never hurt anyone.”

  “When?” he asked.

  “At the warehouse fire.”

  “Damn, I knew you wouldn’t let that go.”

  “What are friends for?”

  “You suck, man.”

  “Yeah, but you still love me.”

  “Don’t worry, Daphne,” Cami broke in. “They’re like this all the time. Why don’t you come with me and I’ll introduce you to some of the other girls.”

  “Is that okay with you?” Daphne asked Russ.

  “Sure. I’ll join you in a minute,” he replied.

  I waited until they were out of earshot. “You did good, bro.”

  “She is hot, isn’t she?”

  “A little young, maybe, but she is. Is she a keeper?”

  Russ snorted. “Some of us aren’t lucky enough to find love at first sight like you, dude. And don’t be pointing the finger at me, Mr. I-fell-in-love-with-a-high-school-student-while-I-was-working-undercover.”

  I laughed. “I guess you’ve got me there, huh? It may have been love at first sight for me, but I had to work to convince Cami.”

  “No. You just had to convince her to give in to what she already wanted. Everyone saw the way you two looked at each other. It was no secret.”

  “We were that obvious, huh?”

  “Pretty much.” He looked seriously at me. “Hopefully someday I’ll be that lucky.”

  I smiled. “Then why are you still standing here talking to me? Go get the girl!” Shoving him in the direction of where Cami and Daphne were standing in a circle of several other women, he stumbled forward.

  “Russ, say what?” Wilson’s voice floated through the air as he approached. “You brought a girl? I thought you were my date for this afternoon.”

  Russ’s face reddened and he shook his head, grinning. “Like hell, man.”

  “I’m just messing with ya, bro.” Wilson slapped him on the back. “But dang that girl has style. Come on, I think I should be introduced to your pretty lady. We can go shopping together.”

  Moving slowly behind them, I watched as they joined the group and several of the other firefighters came to meet Daphne. Russ had to like her more than a little to risk bringing her to this event. He was setting himself up to be teased unmercifully by everyone. Nothing escaped the notice of these guys, and they were always looking for someone to give some hell to. They would for sure tease him about robbing the cradle. Secretly, I hoped it would last. I often worried he was lonely. Hanging around with Cami and me all the time couldn’t be that exciting.

  However, my cop blood still ran strong and you could bet money on the fact I’d be checking this girl out and making sure everything was on the up and up with her. Russ was my closest buddy, and that made him family. And I always watched out for my family.

  Chapter Seven

  Cami-

  Dylan approached, gently taking me by the elbow and leading me away from the group I was visiting with, his face grim. I knew something was wrong, immediately.

  “What is it?” I asked, fear gripping my heart.

  “Chris just called. The alarms are going off at the house. The police are en route. I’m going to meet them.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “I’d rather you stay here where I know you’re safe.”

  “The house will be crawling w
ith police officers. How much safer can I be?” I argued. “I’m going and that’s final.”

  “What’s going on?” Russ asked, appearing at our side.

  “We have an emergency at the house and need to leave early,” Dylan replied. “Can you make our excuses to the Chief? I don’t think we’ll be able to make it back.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Are you sure everything is okay?”

  “I don’t know what is going on. Chris called to tell me the alarms had gone off and the police were on their way over. It could be nothing.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you need me.”

  “Will do. Thanks, man.”

  Dylan and I hurried to the car. “Do you think it’s a false alarm?” I asked as we slid into the Camaro.

  “Normally, I’d say yes.” Firing up the engine, he quickly pulled away from the curb, gunning it until he was up to the speed limit and then slightly over. I knew he was anxious. “But I know someone was in the house with you in the middle of the day before. I wouldn’t put it past them to try again.”

  “I don’t understand it, though. If someone wanted to hurt me, why not do it while they were in the house with me the first time? They obviously had the opportunity.”

  “I think whoever it is, is playing a game with us. They want us to feel terrorized. I’m just worried about the incidents escalating.”

  “So you think someone is stalking us? Who? Why?”

  He kept his eyes glued to the road as he weaved in and out of traffic. “I have no idea. It could be anybody. I don’t know if someone has picked us out randomly, or if maybe someone from my police days is targeting me. Whoever it is, we need to catch them.”

  “Maybe the police will right now.”

  “I hope so. They’ll approach the house in stealth mode, but I worry the alarm will have scared whoever it is away.”

  He turned down our street, and I saw two cop cars with lights on parked outside the house with the doors wide open. Chris’s personal vehicle was parked across the street and he was leaning against it, radio in hand.

  I had very fond feelings for my brother-in-law. He’d put his own life on the line to save both Dylan and me when my best friend at the time, Clay, had attacked me in high school. I knew Dylan had looked up to him, too, ever since Chris had married Sheridan. I didn’t know if it was because Chris had always been there to help us in high-pressure situations, but I always felt safer when he was around.