Page 13 of Always My Love

He stood up as well. “Sure. Thanks for stopping by. I’m sure Blue is going to sleep well tonight,” he joked.

She stopped walking towards his gate and turned suddenly. “If you want, we can do this a few times a week. I don’t want Lucy to be lonely.”

He nodded, figuring he’d take the win. He was afraid he would mess up his chance if he said something, so he and Blue just followed them to the gate and stood by as they climbed back into the car and drove away.

“Well, buddy, I think that went well.” He picked up his dog. “Did you like hanging with your sister?”

Blue gave him a happy bark and licked his face.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He laughed as he walked back inside to put Blue back in his kennel until he got off work in a few hours.

The rest of his day he thought about Harper and the conversation they’d had. Normally, he wouldn’t tell all the juicy details of his childhood to someone to get them to relax around him.

But it must have worked since she was planning to bring Lucy back to his place to play again.

Maybe she’d agree to come in the evening when he was off work so they could have an actual meal together. Should he invite her to dinner?

So many questions ran through his head as he directed traffic after the high school football game that evening.

“How’s the new dog doing?” Tom asked him as they waited for the cars to pass them.

“He’s doing good. We’re going to work on sitting tonight. I think he’s finally getting the hang of it.”

Tom chuckled. “I overheard Hailey telling Kate that Lucy knows how to sit, lie down, stay, roll over, and shake already.”

“Seriously?” He frowned. Why hadn’t Harper told him she’d taught her dog to do all that already when Blue was struggling to learn the basics, like how to sit and that he shouldn’t pee on the rug.

Tom slapped him on the shoulder. “Maybe you could hire Harper to train Blue.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” He thought it was an excellent excuse to get to see her more. “Kate and Hailey seem to be getting along great,” he said, knowing his sister had struggled to find friends outside of their cousin Brook since returning home.

“Yeah, it’s nice. Kate really likes having new friends. So much has changed in the past year and a half. Being married is… well, amazing.” Tom smiled.

Nick’s smile was genuine. He could tell that Tom was a happier guy since marrying his sister. “You’re probably just saying that because you’re married to my sister. Remember, I grew up with her. I know she can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

Tom shook his head. “Nope, I’m too happy to notice anything wrong. Plus, I’m sure I can be a bigger pain than she ever could. I guess I’m just lucky she decided to put up with my quirks.”

Nick chuckled. “Love sickness has sure spread around. Brook and Ryder are just as pathetic as you guys are.”

“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it. Speaking of which…” He paused as they switched the traffic to the main road for a few cars that had piled up. “Your sister was happily surprised to hear that you finally made a move on Harper.”

He frowned and held in a low growl. “Just because you enjoy talking about your love life doesn’t mean I like to.”

Tom’s smile grew. “You and I agreed when we became partners that we were equals. So…” He waved the last car ahead, and then they shifted back to the last remaining few that were leaving the high school parking lot. “Harper? How’d it go? Did you officially have your first date yet?”

“We got the puppies together and did a little shopping for dog things.” He shrugged, remembering the lunch break earlier. “Today we watched the dogs play together as we avoided talking about the dark parts of our pasts.”

The taillights from the last car disappeared into the darkness. Tom walked over and slapped him on the shoulder again. “Take it from a guy who is happily in bliss. Those were not official dates. Man up, bro.” He nudged him again as they walked back towards their patrol car.

With the disappearance of the last car, they were officially off duty. He would drop Tom off at his and his sister’s house, then head home himself. He was on call until the following Friday, so it was his week to keep the patrol car at his place.

“This is exactly why I like to keep my love life to myself,” he pointed out as he got behind the wheel.

Tom shook his head at him. “Hey, I had to listen to your advice about your sister. Even your threats.”

Nick smiled. “The threats are still pending. Hurt my sister and no one would ever find your body.”

Tom laughed as Nick pulled out of the parking lot. “Empty threats because the day will never come when I hurt Kate.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Lovesick wimp.” He groaned and had Tom laughing again.