Lawfully Festive

by Natalie Middleton

  “I don’t have the money to treat her,” Alan whispered. “I thought if I could get her something nice to eat, and some warm clothes, she would feel better.”

  “Where’s your mother, Alan?” Jerry asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her for a while.” Alan slumped on the bench outside. Jerry took Riley to the side.

  “I think we need to call Child Protective Services, and the police, of course. This case needs special attention.” Riley nodded grimly.

  “I’m going to call home first.” Jerry nodded and she left to call her parents.

  “Can we call the police right here so you can make your report?” Jerry asked the security fellow. He nodded and went to place the call.

  Jerry sat with his arm around Alan, waiting.

  Chapter 11

  “Mom, Jerry and I are at the hospital.” Riley called her mom.

  “The hospital?! What happened?” Martha’s voice came out high pitched.

  “No, Mom, none of us are hurt. Jerry intervened in a shoplifting case, and it turned out the teen was stealing to get food and clothes for his sick sister. We’re trying to get this sorted out.” She filled her mother in on all the events that happened earlier.

  “Oh, my God.” She heard her mother call out to her father and explain everything.

  “Honey, hang tight, we’re coming to the hospital.” Her dad said.

  “No, no, you don’t have to. It’s completely alright,” Riley said, but her father wasn’t having any of that.

  “We’ll see you in the hospital,” Riley hung up with a sigh.

  Her mind went back to Jerry and how quickly he ran to where the action was. His intervention had genuinely helped save Emily, that is, if she could be saved. She huffed and looked at the forlorn child sitting with Jerry. Love and admiration for Jerry overflowed in her heart. However, the niggling thought that she would have to spend her life worrying about him haunted her. She walked up to Jerry and gestured to him. He nodded and walked towards her.

  “Hey, what did Edward and Martha say?” He asked as he held her hand. He put his other arm around her. She snuggled into his warm embrace, glad to know he was safe.

  “They’re coming here.” Jerry frowned. “I know, I tried to stop them, but Dad wasn’t in a mood to listen.” She looked at his handsome chiselled features. She realized in that moment that she had two choices, to let her fear stop her from living her life with him, or setting aside her fears.

  “Jerry, we need to talk.” Jerry’s expression sobered up. She looked up at him and gently kissed him. They walked to a bench and sat down.

  “The reason I didn’t—I pushed you away,” she blushed, “is that I’m scared. I’m scared because you’re in such a risky job. I was so terrified something would happen to you today. But you came out of this safe and sound. You’re so good at this. I—I can’t let my fears stop us from coming together. I’d miss out—we’d miss out on a whole new life together.” She stood up and looked at him. He looked at her hesitantly, waiting for her to finish.

  “I can either stay away and worry about you from a distance, or stay with you, and have you close to me whenever you’re at home.” Jerry’s face transformed. A wide smile replaced the lines of worry.

  “Are you saying what I think you are?” He asked softly. He stood up beside her and pulled her close.

  “Yes, Jerry Winters. I want to be yours and I want you to be mine. I don’t know how we will figure things out, but I am sure we will. All I know is that I want to give this a chance.” Before she could say anything else, Jerry crushed his lips on hers. His hands roamed across her back, tantalizing with each touch. Her hands went around his neck and pulled him closer. Riley felt lightheaded.

  It was only when they heard footsteps did they break their kiss. Jerry noticed the police and Child Protective Services make their way. He winked at Riley and walked over to them. Riley sat down as if she was in a dream. Things had worked out extremely well this holiday. She couldn’t believe her good luck.

  She heard more footsteps and looked to see her parents arriving. Her mother came and sat down beside her and her dad walked over to Jerry.

  “Are you alright?’ Martha said, stroking her hair, looking concerned.

  “I’m fine. It’s Emily, that girl I’m worried about. I think they need to sort it out with Child Protective Services though.” She looked over to Jerry. He was involved in an intense discussion.

  After a long wait, Jerry walked over to her.

  “Hey, Child Protective Services is taking custody of the children. They will open an investigation into this. They’re temporarily placing the children with a social worker, until they figure out what they can do about this. Also, I have good news.” Riley looked at him.

  “The police are dismissing the charges with a reprimand, and community service hours for Alan.” Jerry looked pleased.

  “That’s great.” Riley stood up and gave him a hug. “This is all because of you. I’m so proud.”

  Edward walked up to them.

  “Jerry, you did an excellent job here.” Jerry nodded. Martha looked up to both of them.

  “If everything has been sorted out, can we go home? I really don’t like hospitals,” She shivered. Riley giggled and nodded.

  * * *

  After they had parked, Martha and Riley walked into the house to prepare dinner. Jerry called out to Edward.

  “Edward, if I may have a word.” Edward turned towards him.

  “I thought a lot about what you told me yesterday, about my career choice. I think—” Edward cut him off.

  “Jerry, I’m sorry. That was very curt of me. Your choice of occupation is your own. It was wrong on my part to make assumptions.” Edward looked ashamed.

  “I am good at my job, Edward. My job is my duty. I need to help the public. And, as it stands, I love your daughter.” Edward looked up sharply. “I promise you, she will be a priority in my life. I will keep her safe.” Edward nodded.

  “I suppose that’s all one can really expect. Good luck to you.” They walked inside.

  * * *

  Riley and Jerry sat by the fireplace after midnight, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. They shared a blanket. They sat in silence enjoying each other’s company. Jerry played with Riley’s fingers.

  Riley looked into Jerry’s soft brown eyes and found herself melting. She cupped his face and gently kissed him. Jerry pulled her closer and held her close.

  “I can’t believe we’re together,” he whispered into her ear. She giggled.

  “I can’t believe it either. Who would have thought?” She looked into the distance. The past few days flashed in front of her eyes. A warm sensation spread through her chest.

  “Stay with me?” Jerry said, sounding hesitant.

  “Always.” Riley pressed her ear into his chest to listen to his heartbeat. The steady beat centered her, made her feel like everything in the world was alright.

  “So, is this our happily ever after?” Jerry asked, with his eyebrows raised. “Because it seems as close to perfect as it can be.”

  Riley looked into his eyes. Her finger drew circles on his strong muscular chest.

  “That depends mister. Are you going to kiss me?” She gave him a naughty smile.

  “Why, yes I believe I will.” Jerry reached down and kissed her, sealing their promise.

  Epilogue

  6 months later...

  Riley held on to her suitcase and waited outside Jerry’s door. She couldn’t believe she had finally made it. After the holidays, they had tearfully parted with promises to come together as soon as they could. Long distance was hard, but technology made it a little easier to bear. They called each other every moment they were free. Jerry’s job had kept him quite occupied, but he still eked out time to spend with her every day. Riley had never felt so loved and protected.

  Riley hadn’t told him about her plans to move to LA. She had started job hunting immediately after new year. Building a portfolio wa
s tedious, and she didn’t have a lot to go on. However, her background in digital media and content landed her an internship in a reputed advertising firm in LA. She was due to begin in a week.

  She had thought packing up and leaving New York would be hard. The city had grown on her, and she was used to the bustle. But, to her surprise, selling off her furniture and giving up her lease only made her feel relieved and excited for the future ahead.

  She had tracked down Jerry’s best friend Jake and had planned this whole surprise with his wife, down to the date and time of her arrival. Now all she had to do was wait for Jerry to come home from work.

  She didn’t have to wait long. Jerry walked up the stairs with Jake and Alice. Riley’s heart squeezed when she heard his laugh. She had missed him so much!

  Jerry’s laugh died when he saw her. His face formed a comical ‘O’ and he just stared at her, refusing to believe she was here. It was only when she walked up to him and cupped his face that he moved.

  “You—you’re here, what? How? Jake?” He turned around to see Jake and Alice laughing. “You—you planned this? She—she’s here?” Riley chuckled. He looked so cute. She walked up to him and held his face in her hands.

  “You owe me something, Jerry Winters. I’m here to collect.” Jerry stared at her dumbfounded.

  “W—what?” He put his hand out and touched her, unable to believe she was here in person.

  “A kiss,” she said as she pulled him close.

  Their lips met and fire spread through her body. She had missed this. Oh she had missed being around this man. The kiss reinvigorated Jerry as he pulled her in closer and deepened his kiss. Riley started feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Before dizziness overtook her, Jake coughed.

  “You have an apartment for this sort of stuff.” Jerry broke the kiss and glared at him. He opened the apartment and Riley walked in. Just as Jake was looking to enter, Jerry started shutting the door.

  “No, no, no. You tricked me this one time. Now I need my time with her.” Jake put his hands up in surrender and waved to Riley.

  Jerry shut the door and turned around to see Riley.

  “You’re here! How?” He asked.

  “It’s simple. I closed down the business, cashed out all the assets, gave up my lease, and bought a one way ticket to LA.” Riley shrugged. “And, I found myself an internship, but we can talk about that later.” She said.

  “What? You found a job here? You’re not visiting? You’re staying?” Jerry’s surprise made her laugh. She pulled him close to her on the couch.

  “I AM here, Jerry. Look at me.” She brought his hand to her face. “Feel me. I am here in person. And I’m here for a long long time.” She gave him a smile.

  “I promised you we’d be together, by the fireplace. This is me fulfilling it.”

  She didn’t get to say what else she wanted to because Jerry crushed her in his arms. He leaned and kissed her deep and urgent. His hands held her tight and pulled her close. Riley broke the kiss and gently stroked his face.

  “Our forever begins now, my love,” she said, as Jerry kissed her again.

  Acknowledgments

  I owe this story to my husband. Thank you Abhiraj, for being my sounding board. Thank you for listening to my harebrained ideas and then converting them into usable plots. Thank you for patiently reading each draft and giving it your best suggestions. Thank you for helping me name the bad guys.

  My cover would not have been possible without Abhiraj. Thank you for the wonderful job on it.

  My critique partner, Jewel, did such a wonderful job with her suggestions and plot points. It is true, a good critique partner can help you tremendously.

  I also need to thank my proofreader, Jess, whose work was instrumental in getting this novella in shape.

  And lastly, thank you, my dear reader, for without you, I would have no identity. Thank you for finding me, and finding my work. I hope you have enjoyed it.

  About the Author

  Natalie is a dreamer. She always had stories in her mind until one day she realized, she could also write them. There are innumerable stories in every corner of the mind, and writing is Natalie's way of sharing it with everyone. After several years (13 to be precise) of dreaming to be an author, Natalie finally took the plunge into writing.

  When she's not writing, Natalie dreams of traveling the world, and then, writing about it. She hopes to be Captain Planet someday and save the world! She’s also a huge foodie and dreams of trying as many different cuisines as she can.

  You can sign up for Natalie’s Newsletter Here

  Also by Natalie Middleton

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  Lawfully Found: Inspirational Christian Historical (Texas Ranger Romance)

  The California Belmontes

  Promise Me Forever (Arianna Belmonte)