Page 69 of Fierce-Colson

“Are you embarrassed to be dating him?”

“Absolutely not,” she said immediately, the words coming out hot and harsh enough that her mother put her hands up.

“Enough said. Then I don’t see the problem.”

“What if he’s not ready for it to be public?”

“Then he shouldn’t have had two dates with you out and made a third. Marly, really? What is going on?”

“I don’t know. How can I not know?” she whined. “And listen to my voice. This is horrible. I’m never this unsure of anything.”

She wasn’t acting this way around Colson.

No, when she was with him, she acted like someone else completely.

Someone she might have always secretly wanted to be. A second persona. One who wasn’t afraid to just let go. To put the fact that her job and life was in public office away.

Or go back to a time where there wasn’t so much stress on her shoulders. Responsibility. Eyes watching her every move.

Things she always knew she was setting herself up for.

Which was why she was talking to the woman in front of her.

“Maybe it never meant as much as it has before now,” her mother said.

“I’m starting to think that. It’s only been two dates.”

“With the potential for a third,” her mother added.

“You like him, right? I know you’ve dealt with him. I should find out what Dad thinks?”

“Wow,” her mother said. “You’re going down that road already? I can tell you that your father never had a bad thing to say about Colson. He worked with him some before he retired. I believe Colson might have been under your father at one point. Or at least for a case.”

“I didn’t know. He never said.”

“Your father or Colson?” her mother asked.

“Both.”

“Your father would have no reason to say it. Not sure why Colson didn’t.”

“Maybe it didn’t come up. He admitted that Bella sees Regan. That he did at one point too. He thought it was a good idea after his father died.”

“Very mature of him,” her mother said. “There are a lot of men out there very resistant to counseling of any kind.”

“I know. If it’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Colson can surprise me more than anyone else.”

“And you don’t do so well with surprises. I know that.”

“I’m catching up. And you need to go. I appreciate the time.”

“Come, give your mother a hug. I don’t get one often and I love that you know you can reach out like this. I’m going to want an update.”

“I’ll give you one when I have something.”

Marly turned to leave, walked back down the hall, noticed Stacia in a room with Colson and another detective, lifted her hand to them all and kept walking before she was tempted to stop in for another look at the man who had such a hold on her.

Once seated at her desk, she got to work, knowing that she might get a visitor soon.