by Jae
Aiden lifted her hand and caressed the fingers that held the ice bag to her jaw. "You're right. I sometimes forget all the happy moments and the good things about her," she admitted.
"How old were you when you learned... about your father?" Dawn lifted the ice bag from Aiden's jaw so that she could see the emotions playing over her face.
"Seven," Aiden said, her mouth a grim line.
For a moment, Dawn thought she hadn't heard right. "Seven?"
"My mother shouted it at me when she was drunk one night," Aiden said. "I didn't really understand what it meant until I was older, but I knew that he was a bad man who had done terrible things to my mother." She grimaced. "That did wonders for my self-esteem during puberty."
Dawn bent down to kiss her, knowing that nothing she said could take away the pain of a lonely childhood.
"So, tell me, what kind of trouble did you get into when you were in kindergarten?" Aiden asked when their kiss ended.
By the time the alarm clock went off, Dawn knew all about Aiden's first crush on a woman, about her adventures at the Police Academy, her childhood, and that she couldn't stand green beans. She had told Aiden about the difficult year after her father's and brother's deaths, her short marriage, and her secret – or not so secret – addiction to cookies.
They finally found themselves lingering in bed, reluctant to get up and leave each other even though they had talked for hours. "I really enjoyed this," Dawn said when she sat up.
Aiden yawned. "What? Staying up all night to keep the nightmares at bay and listening to the sad story of my life?"
"Your life is not a sad story," Dawn protested. She lovingly tugged at a few tangled curls. "I enjoyed staying with you for a few days, getting to know you better. Still, I think it's time to move back into my apartment before Kia can consolidate her reign over your place."
Aiden looked up. She studied Dawn and then said, "Whatever you want."
Want? Dawn wasn't sure that she ever wanted to spend another minute without Aiden, but she suspected that moving in together at this point of the relationship wouldn't be the best idea. She still had a lot of issues to resolve, and Aiden needed more time to get used to the idea that her independent bachelor life was over.
"Will I see you tonight?" Aiden asked when they both moved out of bed.
Dawn nodded. "We're having dinner with my mom and Del, remember?"
"Oh, right. Spanish Inquisition for the advanced." Aiden gave her a crooked grin.
Dawn swatted Aiden's behind. "They're not that bad."
Aiden laughed. "Right."
CHAPTER 33
RAY THREW A STACK of crime-scene photos across his desk and onto hers. "So, what are you doing tonight?" He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, to study her.
Aiden spread the photos out on her desk. "Doing? Why do I have to do anything?"
"It's Valentine's Day."
"I repeat: why do I have to do anything?" Aiden looked up and began to twirl a pen between her fingers. "I never celebrated Valentine's Day."
Ray leaned forward, folding his hands in a schoolmasterly way. "It's just the thing you do when you're in a committed relationship and want to show her that you care – and you do care, don't you?"
Aiden met his curious gaze. She hadn't discussed her relationship with any of her colleagues, but she knew that Ray was aware of her feelings for Dawn anyway. "Sure I do, but I don't know... buying the obligatory card, chocolate, and flowers for Valentine's... that's just so cheesy."
"It's romantic," Ray corrected. "At least that's what Susan says. So, take my advice and send her flowers or chocolate or something. I haven't been exiled to the couch for a couple of years."
"Dawn doesn't even like chocolate," Aiden protested. She didn't need a silly day to prove to Dawn that she cared for her; she wanted to show her every single day.
"Every woman likes that V-Day stuff," Ray insisted. "Even Okada ordered flowers for someone."
Okada looked up from his paperwork. "That had nothing to do with Valentine's Day. I always send my divorce lawyer flowers on her birthday – you never know when I'll need her again. Don't succumb to the pressures of rampant consumerism, Aiden."
Aiden smirked at Ray.
Ruben returned with a tray full of coffee paper cups for them. "Hey, Aiden, what are you doing for Valentine's?"
She rose with a groan and collected the photographs. "I'll run these over to Kade, see if she wants to use them in court." She knew that she could rely on the single, career-oriented Deputy DA not to ask her about her plans for Valentine's Day. She would bet her paycheck that Kade wasn't even aware of the date.
Kade was all business as she thumbed through the crime-scene photos, picking out those that she wanted to present in court. Only when she had seen the last picture did she look up at Aiden. "I haven't seen you all week. Were you busy preparing for Valentine's Day, Detective?"
Aiden groaned. "Not you too!"
Kade sent her a confused gaze.
"Everyone and their brother asked me about my plans for tonight – I don't have any, okay?" Aiden explained with growing irritation.
"Okay," Kade said, "I just thought..."
"What are your plans?" Aiden asked, assuming that Kade would spend the evening working as she always did right before an important trial started. That would prove her point that not everyone had to have something special planned on Valentine's Day.
Kade laid the photos down. A smile played around her lips. "I have a date."
Aiden groaned. So much for her theory. "Not that used-car salesman again?" She noticed that she felt protective toward Kade but no longer the jealous envy she had always directed at Kade's dates.
"He's the Vice President of an international car manufacturer, but no, it's not Wayne."
"It's not Judge Yates, is it?" Aiden asked.
"Yates?" Kade's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why would you think that?"
Aiden leaned her elbows on Kade's desk. "Come on, Counselor, don't tell me you didn't notice how he almost fell from his bench last week because he was too busy staring at your legs."
Kade directed a confident Matheson smirk at her. "Well, my old law school professor used to say that sometimes long legs are better than long legal arguments. But no, I would never go out with a judge."
"So, who's that mystery date of yours? Do I know him?"
"Actually," Kade paused to make sure her office door was closed, "you know her."
The pen with which Aiden had been playing clattered to the floor. "Her?" she echoed. "You're dating a woman?" She leaned down and picked up the pen, just to have a second to collect herself. Of all the things she had expected Kade to say, this was the last on a list of a thousand possibilities.
"Don't tell me you of all people have something against that!" Kade crossed her arms and stared her down.
"No! It's just..." Aiden shook her head to clear it. "I'm surprised as hell. I didn't know you were into dating women."
"Woman, singular," Kade corrected in her precise lawyer tone. "It's a rather recent development and... well... it's just one date and we'll see where it goes."
Aiden still didn't know what to say. All those months of secret admiration and longing glances when she thought Kade wasn't looking – and now she discovered that there was at least a theoretical possibility that Kade could have returned her interest. She wasn't sure she even wanted to know but found herself asking nonetheless, "You said I know her... your date? It's not Stacy, is it?"
"Stacy? Stacy Ford?" Kade laughed. "God, no! She's a really nice woman, but dating another DDA? Really, really, really bad idea."
"Not a DDA and not a judge – a cop then?"
Kade nodded. Her eyes shone.
"Someone with the SAD or Central Precinct?" Aiden asked.
"No."
Aiden furrowed her brow. "No? Then where do you know her from?"
"Actually..." Kade pointed a finger at her. The smile on her face was softer than Aiden was
used to. "...you were the one that introduced us."
"Me?" Aiden couldn't believe it. As far as she knew, she hadn't introduced Kade to any lesbian cops. Except for... She stared at Kade. "You're not dating Lieutenant Vasquez, are you?"
Kade's smile widened.
"God!" Chaotic thoughts were shooting through Aiden's mind. Kade dating a woman was mind-boggling enough, but the thought of her with Dawn's adopted aunt... that would definitely take some getting used to. "Why did it have to be Del Vasquez? This practically makes you my aunt-in-law!" she complained.
Kade laughed. Her good mood seemed indestructible. "She's really sweet," she defended.
Aiden arched an eyebrow. "Kade Matheson wants sweet?" She had always imagined that Kade was a woman who would want to be conquered.
"I want sweet, honest, reliable, and passionate. Del is all that."
"She's also old enough to be your mother," Aiden cautioned.
Kade rolled her eyes. "Maybe if she'd had me when she was ten. Besides... not that I've ever been in a relationship with one, but maybe I like older women?"
She winked at Aiden, who almost swallowed her tongue. "I'm older than you," she unnecessarily pointed out and then wanted to slap herself.
"Oh, you don't say? Is that an offer, Detective?" Kade peered at her over the rim of her glasses.
This conversation came a few months too late. At this point of her life, not even Kade Matheson could make her forget about Dawn. "No! I'm happily partnered already, thank you very much."
"Relax, Detective. I'm just teasing you."
Aiden decided that Kade was enjoying this a little too much. "Oh? So you wouldn't have gone out on a date with me?"
"You never asked."
The teasing suddenly turned serious. "Were you waiting for me to ask?" Aiden wanted to know.
Kade regarded her with a serious gaze. "No. The only question I've been waiting for since I passed the bar is 'Do you want to run for DA?' For the last few years, I took case files and law books to bed, not lovers."
Aiden nodded. Kade had never made a secret of how career-oriented she was. "So, what made you risk all that for a date with a woman?"
"She sent me flowers."
"You agreed to go out with her just because she gave you a bunch of flowers?" Aiden laughed. "Counselor, you're cheap."
"She sent me flowers every day since the trial ended. Every single day," Kade emphasized. "Handpicked and grown in her own greenhouse."
Aiden whistled. "Since the trial ended? Wow, she must have a pretty big greenhouse." She hadn't known that Del was a gardener or that she had a romantic streak, but there was one thing she did know and it made her worry about Kade. "Kade, seriously, I don't want to spoil this for you, but I'm not sure Del is emotionally available. I had the impression that she's a bit in love with Dawn's mother."
Kade didn't react with the concern or outrage that Aiden had expected. Kade leaned back in her chair, the picture of calmness. Her high-heeled shoes thumped to the floor when she slipped them off. "Del already told me."
"She told you she's in love with another woman?" Clearly, she had been absent from the world of dating for too long if that was the new way of winning over a woman. She had been convinced that the proud Kade Matheson would never play second fiddle to anyone.
"It's not like that... not really. It's complicated." Kade fidgeted. For the first time since the conversation had started, she looked uncomfortable. "When Del met her, Grace was married to her partner and best friend. She liked her, and she admired the kind of relationship Grace and Jim had, but that was all. After Jim's death, she kind of took over a parental role for Dawn. Del has always wanted to have a big family, but hers didn't take too kindly to her coming out, so she fell into the comfortable role of 'playing house' with Grace. Yes, she said that she was half in love with Grace for a lot of years, but she recently discovered that what she was in love with was really just the idea of having a family, someone she belonged to."
"If she hurts you, I'm gonna kill her," Aiden announced grimly.
Kade reached over to squeeze her arm. "Didn't Del say the same thing about you and Dawn?"
"That's not the same thing."
"Of course not." Kade grinned.
Aiden scowled until the grin dimmed. "So, what are you and your Latin Lover doing for Valentine's Day?"
Kade pointed a sharpened pencil at her. "Refer to her like that again, and I'll let some slimy defense lawyer grill you next time you're on the stand. I'll catch up on my beauty sleep while you sweat during the cross-exam."
"All right, all right." Aiden held up her hands. "I better get back to work. Seems I'll have to leave early to plan my Valentine's Day activities. I don't want it told that some old lieutenant with the North Precinct outclassed me in that department." Kade's chuckle followed her to the door. "Bye, Auntie Kade."
* * *
Dawn had slaved in the kitchen for hours, but now she found herself ignoring the delicious food on her plate. The woman at the table across from her took her complete attention. Aiden filled all of her senses: the subtle fragrance of her perfume, the sound of her voice, the candlelight that made her eyes glow, the way her hand lifted the wineglass to sensual lips.
She had never seen Aiden in a dress before, and – while she found her spectacular in faded jeans and her leather jacket – it took her breath away. It was formfitting but simple, allowing Dawn to concentrate on the body it covered rather than fashion ornaments.
Aiden was equally busy staring at Dawn's own dress, not eating much even though she had told her three times how delicious everything tasted.
Finally, they carried half-full plates to the kitchen, and Dawn tugged Aiden with her to the couch. She wanted to cuddle up to Aiden, throw her arms around her and a leg over her thighs, but their snug-fitting dresses made that impossible. Suddenly, the sheath Aiden wore became a lot less attractive.
Aiden reached behind her and handed Dawn the gift she had placed on the coffee table earlier. "Happy Valentine's Day."
Dawn chuckled as she looked down at the giant box of her favorite cookies and the various potted herbs that had been missing in her new kitchen. "Herbs?"
"You told me that you were not a big fan of cut flowers," Aiden pointed out.
Dawn nodded. She hated to see them wither and die after just a few days. "Thank you." Her ex-husband and Maggie had never given her anything but generic gifts like roses and chocolate, and she loved Aiden's unconventional but thoughtful gifts. She leaned over to reward Aiden for her creativity. Her hands slid over cool silk and then touched bare skin that Aiden's dress left free on her back, where they began to wander without conscious thought. She caught a full lower lip between her teeth and deepened the kiss when Aiden's warm hands came to rest on her waist, pulling her closer.
Only the need for air and the vague memory of the gift she still had to give Aiden finally made her break the kiss. Wordlessly, she took the small box from the coffee table and handed it to Aiden.
Amber eyes widened as Aiden took in the jewelry box. Her thumb caressed the velvet. She lifted the lid but didn't look down. Her gaze searched Dawn's instead.
Dawn smiled. She could see that Aiden half feared, half hoped for the ring that normally lay in that sort of box. She fully intended to buy one for next Valentine's at the latest, but for now...
"A key?" Aiden had finally looked down and now lifted the object from the small box. "You didn't buy me a car, did you?"
Dawn shook her head with a laugh. "Nope, sorry, no car. It's a key to my apartment. It's very close to the courthouse and your precinct, so if you don't feel like driving across town during rush hour to your own apartment, I want you to come here, even when I'm at work. Mi casa es su casa." She took a deep breath. "And, maybe in a few months, if you decide that you want to move in, that would be okay with me. Very okay."
Aiden rose and moved to the door.
"W-where are you going?"
Aiden picked up her keys that she had left on a
sideboard by the door. "I'm adding your key to my key chain. The idea of someday living with you is very okay with me, too." She moved back to the couch and bent down to kiss Dawn. Once again, their tight-fitting dresses prevented full body contact. "As stunning as you look in that dress, it's really starting to annoy me."
"Then let's take them off." Dawn rose with sudden determination, grabbed Aiden's hand, and led her to her bedroom. She handed Aiden one of her larger T-shirts and chose one for herself.
