by Beth Andrews
Nick studied Faith’s face, wanting to memorize every feature. Dark circles rimmed her eyes, and her hair was frizzy and pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. She wore the same clothes she’d had on last night, but her shirt was wrinkled, and if he wasn’t mistaken, that was a coffee stain on her pants.
She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
He turned and walked over to the couch. Picked up the remote and muted the TV before facing her again. “What are you doing here, Faith? Did something happen? Did that P.I. find you?”
“What happened when you got there? I didn’t hurt her, did I?” she countered.
He’d been half-afraid he was going to find the P.I. bloody and bruised. Though he couldn’t imagine Faith hurting someone, she’d been desperate. And desperate people were dangerous people.
“Her eyes were red and swollen, but other than that—and being mighty pissed off—she was fine. Actually, she was fine enough that she ripped me up one side and down the other for helping you get away. Even threatened to bring what she called my ‘illegal activities’ to my captain’s attention.”
Faith’s eyes widened. “Can she do that?”
“Make threats and accusations?” He shrugged. “Sure. I tried telling her I’d just happened to stop by to get some paperwork I’d promised Britney I’d take care of, but she already knew we were…involved. Luckily, she was more interested in picking up your trail than filing charges against you for assault, or for going after me.”
That, and the fact that Britney had no idea a woman had been locked in her closet for over an hour, were the only bright spots to an unbelievably shitty night.
“I’m so sorry I got you involved in all of this.”
“I made a choice.”
“And you chose to protect us.”
“A lot of good it did me,” he said flatly. “You still left.”
“I made a mistake,” she said in a breathless rush.
“Really?” He forced his voice to remain cool, viciously tamping out the hope that tried to ignite. “And what would that be?”
Chewing on her thumbnail, she stepped toward him, her eyes beseeching. Then she dropped her hand to her side. “I need…” She swallowed. “I was hoping… I want another chance.”
“You left!” he exclaimed, his control snapping. Glancing behind him to make sure Austin hadn’t come back, Nick lowered his voice. “I told you I loved you, but that wasn’t enough. And now you’ve, what…changed your mind?”
She pulled her shoulders back. “Yes.”
“Is this another game?” Nick murmured. “Because I can’t—”
“It’s not a game. I thought I had to leave, that I had no other choice. We made it as far as some town called Woodland, and I was trying to figure out my next move when I realized I didn’t want to run. Not anymore.” Faith reached for him, her hand trembling when he stepped back. “I want to stand up to Miles. I’m willing to fight for the life I want. The life I want with you,” she added softly. “But I…I can’t do it alone. I need you, Nick.”
Her words slammed into him. “You need me? I tried to help you, but you threw it back in my face. You didn’t trust me enough, and now, all of the sudden, you do?” He shook his head. “How do I know you won’t take off again?”
“Can I have some of those chips?” Austin asked as he came back into the room and zeroed in on the bag Nick had opened to have with his sandwich. “I’m starved.”
“Sure, buddy,” Nick managed to say. “Help yourself. You can have that sandwich, too, if you want it. I’m going to talk to your mom in the kitchen, okay?”
Austin, already entranced by the game on TV, nodded absently and, plopping down on the sofa, shoved his hand into the chip bag. Nick gripped Faith’s elbow and steered her to the kitchen.
Once there, he raked his hand through his hair. “Look, I don’t know if I can do this. You lied to me…to my family. Hell, Britney’s a wreck. She was ready to call out the National Guard until I convinced her you must’ve left of your own free will, considering there was no evidence of foul play and your clothes were gone. Even then she stuck up for you. Told me that you and she were friends, and she knew you wouldn’t just take off like that without telling her. She loves you, she considered you a friend, and you used her. You used all of us.”
Tears filled Faith’s eyes, but he hardened his heart against them. “Yes, I did. I was wrong. So wrong. And I…I don’t blame you for not trusting me. I called Allison Martin and asked for her help one more time.”
“Allison Martin—the woman who got you out of New York?”
“Yes. I haven’t had any contact with her since we left Serenity Springs, but luckily, I was able to get her new cell phone number.”
Faith looked so beat, he pulled a chair out and gestured for her to sit. She shook her head.
“Allie lives in Dallas now, but she agreed to meet me in New York tomorrow morning and act as my legal counsel. I’m going to turn myself in.” Though her voice shook, Faith’s gaze never wavered. “And I want… I was hoping you’d go with me when I do.”
His throat constricted. As much as he wanted her back, Nick didn’t want her to end up in jail—or worse, lose Austin to that monster she’d married. Both of which were very real possibilities. And though her facing her husband was the right thing to do, Nick had to make sure she understood the consequences. “What you’re doing is a risk. You could be charged—”
“I know what I’m doing. The chance I’m taking. Which is why before I do, I need to know Austin will be safe. That no matter what happens to me, he won’t be sent back to Miles.” Faith closed the distance between them and laid her hand on his chest. “And the only person I trust my son with…is you.”
Humbled, Nick could only nod. “I’ll keep him safe. I promise.”
“And maybe…once this is done…maybe you could learn to forgive me. The only reason I’m strong enough to do this is because of you. Because of your belief in me. Being with you, trusting you, will never be a mistake. And I want to show you that you can trust me, too. With everything.” She looked up at him, and what he saw in her eyes made his heart race. “I love you, Nick.”
He shut his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to fight his feelings for her when she hit him with such simple honesty?
He pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you, too, Faith. Always. What happens next won’t be easy, but together, we’re strong enough to face it.” He leaned back so he could meet her eyes. “We’ll get through this. Don’t you ever doubt that.”
“I won’t.” She pressed her lips against his in a kiss filled with love and promise. “I’ll be okay as long I have you by my side.”
“You’ve got me,” he told her, pulling her close. “Forever.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
NICK PULLED TO A STOP in front of Andrea’s house and shut off the ignition. Snow fell softly from the January sky, covering the driveway and the row of cars with a dusting of white.
“I thought you said this was going to be a quiet family dinner,” Faith said.“Those cars do belong to family,” Nick insisted. “Well, family and Ethan and Lauren. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s Kathleen’s new boyfriend’s Jeep.” He reached over to play with a strand of Faith’s hair. “But if you’re not up for it, I’ll be more than happy to just go home, where we can have a private homecoming celebration.”
Faith’s heart leaped. Home. For the first time, she and Austin had a place they belonged, people they belonged with. She glanced into the backseat, but Austin was still sound asleep, his head against the door, his mouth open.
“You’re not getting off that easily.” She kissed Nick’s palm before unbuckling her seat belt. “And if you think I’m going to leave without eating first, you’re nuts. Britney said your mom made lasagna, and I want some. So let’s get inside. I’m starving.”
He seemed to hesitate, but so briefly, she wondered if she’d imagined it. “You want me to carry Austin in
side?”
“No, I’ll wake him.”
Nick pulled on his earlobe. “Okay, but just…just hold tight for a minute, would you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I need you to wait. Just…wait right there.”
She frowned and zipped up her coat. It was amazing how quickly a car could lose its heat when it was twenty degrees outside. “What am I waiting for?”
“You’ll find that out soon enough,” he said, then got out and slammed the door.
Shaking her head, she shifted and turned to waken Austin, but then noticed Nick pacing behind the car. Was he… She narrowed her eyes, craning her neck to see… Was he talking to himself?
Maybe the stress of everything that had happened was finally catching up to him. He’d been nothing but rock solid from the moment he’d driven her and Austin down to New York so she could turn herself in to the NYPD. He’d even wanted to take a leave of absence from the Kingsville P.D. to stay with them in New York, since she wasn’t allowed to leave the city. But she’d refused to let him make that sacrifice. Instead, he’d driven down every day off he had, and they’d talked on the phone several times a day.
Faith wasn’t sure she could’ve gotten through the past six months without his love and support. Plus, she’d had Allie on her side. The attorney had flown in several times, representing Faith, until two months ago when she’d had to hand her case over to a trusted friend and ex-colleague. Something she wouldn’t have done if she hadn’t been eight-and-a-half months pregnant and unable to travel.
Wrinkling her nose, Faith watched Nick continue his pacing. Yeah, he was definitely talking to himself, and was even adding hand gestures, which went beyond strange. He must be more tired than she realized.
She shook Austin’s shoulder. “Wake up, honey. We’re in Kingsville. We’re home.”
He groaned and shrugged away from her, curling toward the door. Poor kid. She almost hated to waken him, since this was the soundest he’d slept since they’d left Kingsville. Their time in New York had taken a physical, mental and emotional toll on all three of them. And there’d been times when Faith wasn’t sure she could go through with facing her past—especially when Miles was granted weekly supervised visits with Austin.
But they’d come through. Together.
Since she and Miles were still legally married and didn’t have a custody agreement, she’d been charged with custodial interference instead of kidnapping. In the deal she’d made with the district attorney’s office, she’d pleaded guilty, and been sentenced to three years probation. In exchange for her plea, she’d agreed to testify against Miles—and had allowed Austin to testify, as well.
Miles had been charged with sexually abusing their son. Once the story of his new arrest got around, the son of one of his business associates came forward to admit he’d been abused by Miles, as well. During the trial, the evidence against him was overwhelming. So much so that even Miles’s secretary couldn’t defend her loyalty to him any longer. Sondra admitted that during the first investigation, Miles had her hide his laptop at her sister’s house. A laptop she handed over to the police. Between the boys’ powerful testimonies and the child pornography on Miles’s laptop, the jury had needed only a few hours to reach a verdict. A verdict they’d delivered just that afternoon.
Guilty. On all charges.
The district attorney felt confident the judge would impose the maximum sentence, and while Faith had to return to court next month to try and get her own ruling overturned, she, Nick and Austin hadn’t wasted any time. They’d gone back to the tiny walk-up where Faith and Austin had been living, packed their belongings and headed home.
The car door opened and she turned, the frigid air hitting her face like a slap. “I can’t…” She gaped at Nick, her heart picking up speed. “What are you doing?”
Nick, one bended knee down in the snow, held out a closed ring box and scowled. “Shh…”
She raised her eyebrows. “Did you just shush me?”
“Quiet,” he said irritably. “If you keep talking, I’ll never be able to remember what I’m supposed to say.”
“Sorry,” she said, before pressing her lips together to squelch a smile.
“Okay. So…” He shook snow off his head. “The thing is…I love you—”
“Oh, Nick,” Faith cried, her heart about bursting, “I love you, too.”
He sent her a dark look. She mimed zipping her lips together.
“Like I said, I love you and I love Austin—as if he’s my own. I want to spend the rest of my life with you both, and I want us to be a family. I want to be there for you in good times and bad. And I promise, if you’ll agree to be my wife, if you’ll agree to share your son with me, that I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, cherish you and love you. Both of you,” he said huskily. Inhaling a ragged breath, Nick lifted the lid of the ring box. “Faith Lewis, will you marry me?”
The ring, a white-gold band with an emerald-cut diamond in the center, was simple, and so perfect she forgot to breathe. Faith blinked away tears, causing them to streak down her cheeks.
“You stood by me,” she said, then cleared her throat. “You forgave me and you made me see how strong I can be. But most important, you saw the real me and you loved me.” Leaning forward, she touched her lips to his, then straightened to look into his eyes. “Yes. I’ll definitely marry you.”
He shut his eyes briefly, as if in relief, then cupped one hand behind her head and pulled her down for another kiss.
Faith wasn’t sure how much time passed as their kiss grew heated, but by the time Austin stretched and yawned in the backseat, both she and Nick were breathing hard.
“What’s going on?” Austin asked sleepily as he shimmied his thin frame in between the front seats and plopped onto the driver’s side.
“Great news, buddy,” Nick said. “We’re getting married.”
Austin’s eyes widened. He grinned. “Yeah? Me, too?”
“Of course you, too,” Nick assured him. “We’re going to be a family.”
With a whoop, Austin launched himself across his mom and into Nick’s arms, his knee digging into Faith’s stomach. “Ow,” she said, laughing through her tears. “Watch those bony knees.”
Nick stood, taking Austin with him. “Here,” he said, passing her the ring. “See if it fits.”
Her hands trembled so violently she wasn’t sure she could even put it on. But she managed to get it out of the box and onto her finger without dropping it. She held her hand up to the dome light. “Perfect fit.”
“That we are,” Nick said.
Faith got out of the car and took his hand. Then, with the man she loved still holding her son, they trudged up the snow-covered walk to start their new life together.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5559-7DO YOU TAKE THIS COP?
Copyright © 2010 by Beth Burgoon.
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Beth Andrews, Do You Take This Cop?
