“Whoa.” Vince’s eyes darted between them.
“Don’t go there,” Nate threatened.
Barnes stared back at Nate. “Where is she tonight? Probably off letting another man screw her brains out.”
“Shut up, Barnes.” Nate sucked in a breath, willing himself not to lose his cool.
“She was looking really hot yesterday, Tucker. It’s no wonder that pervert stripped her down and tied her up.” If he had just stopped there, Nate might have been able to walk away. But Barnes kept talking. “I wouldn’t mind tying her up and making her scream.”
Nate didn’t even know what he was doing until he was staring down at Barnes’ prone form. His hand throbbed and Barnes had a bloody nose and was swearing at him.
“You will pay for this, Tucker!” Barnes spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
Vince threw money on the table and shoved Nate toward the door. “We gotta go. If we get caught fighting in a bar, we’ll get suspended.”
Nate knew he was right. He also knew that he should have just walked away the minute Barnes started running his mouth. He couldn’t believe that he had let Barnes get to him and all he wanted to do was go home and sleep it off. He never expected the incident to come up ever again. But he was wrong.
He woke the next morning to a pounding head and a call from Sergeant Russo letting him know that he had been suspended for one week. Nate was too hungover and too pissed to formulate an argument. He hung up the phone, popped two aspirin, and stepped into a cold shower. After a big cup of coffee, his head started to clear and the throbbing was almost gone.
With a clear head, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Olivia had just gotten home from her boxing class when she got Brian’s call. She knew right away that it wouldn’t be good news. Her brother never called on a random Tuesday. When she heard that her father was in the hospital, it was like all of the air had been sucked from her lungs.
Talking to Nate had just made it worse. All she wanted was to see him, to have his arms around her, but she knew she couldn’t be that selfish. He had to stay in Chicago and work on finding the killer. It was more important than her need to be comforted.
Ed came out of the surgery okay. He wasn’t doing great, but his heart was still beating. It was all that Olivia could hope for at that point. She stayed in the hospital, sitting next to Ed’s bed all throughout the night while Brian went home to check on his family. So many times she reached for her phone to call Nate, but then just as quickly she stopped herself. It wasn’t fair to call him in the middle of the night just because she wanted to hear his voice
Brian relieved her after the sun came up and she went to her dad’s place to take a shower. Afterward, she allowed herself a quick nap and then headed back to the hospital.
“How’s he doing?” she asked Brian.
Their father was in cardiac intensive care, which meant visitation time was limited to whenever the doctors and nurses weren’t busy working on the patients. Right now, they were busy with Ed. Brian and Olivia were passing the time in the waiting room.
“He’s doing the same as he was before you left.” Brian was six years younger than Olivia, but he appeared to have aged a decade within the last day. Olivia noted that he was starting to look a lot like their father.
“How are the kids?” Olivia wasn’t sure if Brian had told them anything. Teddy was only 5 and his sister, Emma, was a year younger.
“Crazy.” Brian laughed. “They were up before I was this morning.”
Olivia noticed how his entire demeanor changed when he talked about the kids. “I’ll have to stop over and see them. I was sorry I missed you guys at Cam’s wedding.”
“I’m not,” Brian said dryly. He and his family had been out of town last month when Olivia had come back for her cousin’s wedding. “Dad said you brought a guy with you. Are you seeing someone?”
“I am.” She didn’t tell him that at the time, she and Nate hadn’t been dating. Ed was the one that had pointed out how stupid she was being pretending that she wasn’t in love with Nate. A lot had changed since then.
“He didn’t come back with you?” Brian tried to sound neutral, but he was clearly making a judgment about Nate.
Olivia felt the need to defend him. “He offered, but I told him no. I wasn’t sure this would turn out to be anything serious.”
“I want to meet this guy,” Brian said. “I need to make sure he’s good enough for my sister.”
“You’ll like him,” she said confidently. “Everyone likes Nate.”
“We’ll see.” He looked doubtful. “I’m going to run down the cafeteria and get something to eat. Do you want anything?”
She shook her head and settled more comfortably into the chair. Olivia didn’t plan to fall asleep, but that’s exactly what happened when she shut her eyes. It was a fitful sleep, probably because she was curled into an uncomfortable position in an even more uncomfortable chair. During a moment of consciousness, she suddenly became aware that someone was watching her and her eyes flew open.
“It’s you.” Olivia’s heart jumped happily.
Nate was sitting in a chair across from her, elbows on his knees as he looked at her. She didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, but she knew that he wasn’t close enough. As she pushed herself from the chair, he leaned back and opened his arms. Her body fit neatly into his as she slid into his arms.
“You’re here,” she said, burying her head into his neck and breathing deeply. It took her almost a minute to get over the shock of seeing him and ask, “Why are you here?”
“This is where I belong.” He loosened his embrace just a bit so that she could pull back and look at him. “I also may have gotten myself suspended.”
“Of course you did.” Olivia sighed and smiled. “What did you do?”
Nate winced. “I punched Barnes in the face.”
“Nate.” She poked him in the chest. “What did I tell you about being nice to people?”
“Barnes is a prick.” Nate paused, choosing his next words carefully. “He’s lucky I only hit him once.”
“Why did you hit him, Nate?” Olivia felt like a mother scolding her child.
Nate shifted uncomfortably. “You know, I drove all the way here to be with you and you haven’t even kissed me yet.”
“And you didn’t answer my question.” Olivia was too tired to play games. “How long are you suspended?”
“One week.” Nate gave her a crooked smile. “You are stuck with me now.”
For the first time, she noticed his casual look- faded jeans, fitted t-shirt, and old baseball hat pulled low. He hadn’t bothered shaving either. It was unusual for him to look so disheveled, especially on a week day. Olivia decided that he looked irresistible.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, in case it wasn’t obvious. She rubbed a hand over his stubble. “Unkempt is a good look for you.”
He pushed back the bill of his cap so that he could kiss her properly. “What did I ever do to deserve a woman like you?”
“Excuse me.”
Olivia had thought that they were still alone in the waiting room. She was surprised when she looked up and found Brian standing awkwardly in the doorway.
“Brian.” Her face flushed and she quickly extricated herself from Nate’s arms. “This is Nate. Nate, this is my brother.”
Nate stood smoothly and took a step forward, holding out his hand. “Good to meet you.”
“You’re the boyfriend?” Brian said, eyeing Nate skeptically. “Olivia didn’t tell me that you were coming.”
“It’s a bit of a surprise,” Nate said. “I was able to get some time off work to be with Olivia.”
“I hope you’re prepared to do a whole lot of waiting,” Brian said grimly.
He wasn’t just being facetious. There wasn’t anything for them to do but wait for Ed’s condition to improve. Over the course of the day, his vitals slowly recovered. He w
as still in a medically induced coma, but the doctor thought he might be able to remove the breathing tube the next day. In the meantime, they were encouraged to go home and get some rest.
That was easier said than done, however. Brian’s wife, Taylor, had heard about Nate’s arrival and was practically salivating at the thought of meeting him. She insisted they come over to their house for dinner.
“Taking me to meet the fam,” Nate said as he drove to their house. He was thrilled about meeting the rest of Olivia’s family. “I think Brian likes me already.”
“Of course he does,” Olivia said, somewhat perturbed. “You always make a good first impression. Just don’t get too cocky.”
“Me?” He feigned indignation.
Olivia ignored him. She was still thinking about how fragile her father had looked in his hospital bed. The doctor said he was improving, but she wasn’t so sure.
“Hey.” Nate grabbed her hand. “Everything is going to be okay. Your dad will be fine.”
“They lost him twice yesterday,” she said quietly. Olivia hadn’t told Nate just how bad it had been. She hadn’t wanted him to feel guilty for not being there with her. “They were able to bring him back, but he went into cardiac arrest twice.”
“Shit, Liv. Why didn’t you tell me it was so bad?” Nate squeezed her hand. “I would’ve come sooner.”
She shrugged. “There was nothing you could do. I also thought you were busy working a serial murder investigation, not busy getting suspended for a childish fight.”
Nate had the self-awareness to look embarrassed. “I’m a guy. It’s what guys do. We drink too much and do stupid things.”
“Come on. You’re better than that, Nate.” Olivia was more than a little surprised at his cavalier attitude toward the whole thing. In the twelve years she had known him, Nate had never gotten into a drunken fight. “Something has been going on with you lately.”
“You noticed, huh?” He smiled adorably. “I can explain- you see, I’ve fallen madly in love with this amazing woman.”
“You’re not nearly as charming as you think,” Olivia said, already beginning to soften. He really did have an irresistible smile. “Also, for future reference, you might not want to blame me for the stupid things you do.”
Nate chuckled. “Noted.”
By the time they arrived at Brian’s house, Olivia was feeling a little better. Nate was always able to make her feel better. Being greeted at the door by her niece and nephew only increased the warm feeling in her chest.
“Aunt Olivia!” Teddy grinned wide enough to show off his missing front teeth.
Emma ran forward with her arms out and Olivia scooped her up.
“You guys have gotten so big!” she said. Even in a few months’ time, both of them had changed so much.
“Who’s he?” Teddy demanded, eyeing Nate suspiciously. “He’s tall.”
“He is,” Olivia agreed. “This is my friend, Nate.”
Emma giggled. “Nay.”
“Close enough,” Nate said with a smile and a shrug.
“Olivia?” Brian’s wife appeared in the hallway. “Kids, give her some room so she can come inside.”
Teddy grabbed at Olivia’s arm. “Come on! I want to show you my room!”
“Hi, Taylor,” Olivia gave her sister-in-law a hug. “Thanks for having us over for dinner. It’s really very sweet of you.”
“Are you kidding?” Taylor grinned. “When Bry told me that the boyfriend was in town, I insisted on meeting him.”
“Wonderful.” Olivia blushed all the way to the roots of her hair. “This is him- Nate.”
Emma started to squirm so Olivia set her on the ground. Teddy grabbed harder at her arm. “Aunt Oliviaaaa. Let’s go to my room.”
“Okay, okay.” She turned to Nate. “Can you be trusted on your own?”
“Don’t worry about him,” Taylor interjected. She winked at Olivia. “I’ll take good care of him.”
Needless to say, Olivia was more than a little nervous as she followed Teddy to his room. Fortunately, her nephew was so entertaining that she quickly forgot about Nate being left alone with the adults. Emma found them a few minutes later and promptly knocked down the Lego tower that Teddy had proudly been building.
“Now we just have to start over,” Olivia said cheerfully to keep Teddy from crying. “Show me how you build it, Teddy bear.”
She was so focused on the kids that it took her a while to realize that she was being watched. “Geez. How long have you been standing there?”
“A while.” Nate smiled sheepishly. “I was supposed to tell you that dinner is ready.”
“But instead you decided to stare at me like a weirdo?” She smiled so he would know she was kidding. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason.” He glanced over his shoulder. “That Taylor is…lively.”
Olivia laughed. “Lively? You mean nosy.”
“Okay, yes.” He laughed in relief. “I thought maybe there was something about me that brought out her inquisitive side.”
“What did she ask you?” Olivia asked wearily. She had been on the receiving end of Taylor’s personal questions on more than one occasion.
“She wants to know when we’re going to get married,” he said, not quite making eye contact with her.
Olivia let out a groan. “She didn’t... What did you say?”
“Something about being divorced and pathetic.” He flicked a stray Lego with his toe. “Then I ran here before I could say something else stupid.”
“I knew I could count on you to make a good first impression.” Olivia stood and held out her hands to the kids. “Let’s go, kiddos. It’s time for dinner.”
The kids were too excited to be held back by Olivia. They jumped to their feet and took off down the hall.
“They are cute kids,” Nate said, watching with amusement in his eyes. “You’re good with them.”
“Being an aunt is easy. All the fun and none of the responsibility.” Olivia wasn’t sure she liked the wistful look in Nate’s eyes. “Don’t get any ideas.”
“Who, me?” he feigned indignation. “I can barely take care of myself, let alone a small human being.”
Olivia nodded. “That’s right. Remember that.”
“Am I the woman in this relationship?” he asked, looking worried.
The idea of Nate, one of the toughest and manliest people Olivia knew, as the effeminate person in their relationship made her laugh out loud.
“Oh yeah.” She reached up and ran a hand over his unshaven face. “You are such a girl.”
“We’re going to be late for dinner,” he said, his arms slowly going around her.
“I’d take your hot body over a hot meal any day.” Olivia kissed him quickly, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
The kids had already demolished the food on their plates by the time Olivia and Nate took their seats at the table. Brian looked mildly perturbed by their late arrival, but Taylor just smiled.
“How did you two meet?” she asked, handing Olivia a bowl of asparagus.
“In college, actually.” Olivia smiled at the memory of the first time she saw Nate. “He saved me from a drunk guy.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Nate objected with a smile. “You saved yourself. I just got to witness your amazing right hook.”
“You hit someone?” Taylor’s eyes widened.
Olivia took a big bite of meatloaf and then pretended that she couldn’t answer because her mouth was full.
“In Olivia’s defense, the guy totally deserved it.” Nate’s leg brushed against hers. “I was smitten right away.”
“But that was years ago. Why did you wait so long to start dating?” Taylor didn’t hesitate at all as she dug into their personal business.
“Nate was too busy dating other girls,” Olivia said coyly.
Nate cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “We both were busy dating other people.”
“Sure. If you
say so.” Olivia had thought she was just kidding, but she also detected a truthfulness in her tone that surprised her. “Anyway, the past doesn’t matter. All that matters is now.”
She took Nate’s hand under the table and thread their fingers together. His thumb softly caressed the back of her hand.
“Aw.” Taylor’s eyes grew dreamy. “That’s so sweet. The two of you are such an adorable couple.”
“So I hear you’re a detective,” Brian said, not nearly as charmed as his wife. “That’s a dangerous line of work.”
“It can be,” Nate said tentatively.
“My dad said you were looking into Rosie’s case.” Brian stared hard at Nate. “Doesn’t Chicago have enough grisly murder cases?”
Taylor flinched and looked at the kids. “Hey, Teddy, why don’t you take Em into the other room and turn on that movie we were watching earlier?”
“Okay!” Teddy jumped out of his chair in an instant. It took Emma a little extra encouragement, but she soon followed her brother into the other room.
“Bry, I asked Nate to look into Rosie’s murder. He’s doing it for me.” Olivia hadn’t even thought to check with Brian. He had been so young when it happened, and he had never talked about it growing up. “Nate is a good detective.”
“That’s not the point, Livvy.” Brian’s dark eyes narrowed. “We’ve finally moved on as a family, but you refuse to let it go.”
Olivia said, “Rosie was our sister, Brian. I don’t understand how you can let it go so easily. Her murderer was never found.”
“I barely even remember Rosie,” he said coldly. “It’s been fifteen years. She’s been dead for almost twice as long as the amount of time I actually knew her.”
“She loved you so much,” Olivia said, overcome by a wave of sadness. Rosie’s heart would be broken if she knew how Brian felt. “She used to read to you every night before tucking you into bed.”
Brian stared at her blankly. “I only remember her fighting with Mom and Dad. I only remember seeing her picture on the news every night. I only know that she’s the reason Mom left us.”
“Brian!’ Taylor gasped.
“Mom left because she wasn’t strong enough to stay. It’s that simple.” While Olivia had kept a distance from her mother over the years, Brian had constantly tried to reunite their family. He visited her on every holiday and invited her to the kids’ birthday parties. As far as Olivia knew, Jill had never taken him up on his invites.
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