Page 94 of Then Came You

He braced himself. “Yes?”

“It’s your turn to bring the pies.”

He chuckled. “I can handle that.”

“Love you, son.”

“Love you too.”

He smiled as he tucked the phone back in his pocket. Now that his mom had brought it up, he liked the idea of spending the holidays with Gillian, assuming she’d want to spend them with him. He made a mental note to ask her about it tonight.

Right before the end of his shift, his plans changed when the deputy in charge poked his head into Sam’s cubicle. “Hey, Sam. I need a favor.”

“What is it?”

“Two of our guys are down with the flu. Can you cover one of their shifts tonight?”

Great. There go my plans with Gillian. He knew the deputy wouldn’t have asked unless he really needed the help. “Sure.”

“Thanks. You can take Dave’s shift from four to eleven. He was on patrol duty.”

Sam nodded, and after the deputy walked away, he sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the evening driving around in the rain, especially when he could have been cuddled up next to Gillian. Even watching a romantic comedy sounded better than this.

Since he had a short break in between shifts, he decided to stop by the bookstore and tell her in person rather than break the news over the phone.

When he walked into the shop a while later, all three owners were standing behind the counter, talking and laughing. He was glad to see it because he knew how important Gillian’s friends were to her. It gave him peace of mind knowing how many people looked out for the woman he loved.

Savannah saw him first. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Holly’s hottest cop.”

Then Gillian turned and awarded him a huge smile.

Oh, how things had changed. There had once been a time, not that long ago, when she might have frowned at him or averted her eyes. Today she gazed at him with an intoxicating blend of love and lust, and he puffed out his chest as he sauntered toward her.

“You two are so cute,” Lauren said when he came over and leaned against the counter near Gillian.

“Can you take a quick break?” he asked.

“Of course she can! Go into the office, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Savannah said while wiggling her eyebrows.

“Get back to work, you two,” Gillian mock-scolded her friends. Then she hurried out from behind the counter and led him back to the office.

Once they’d gone inside and she’d closed the door, he perched on the edge of the desk and pulled her into his arms. She looped her arms around his neck and pressed her body tightly against his.

“I didn’t think I’d be seeing you for another hour.”

“I have some bad news.”

She immediately stiffened, and he tightened his grip.

“It’s not that bad. It’s just that I can’t take you out tonight. My boss asked me to cover the next shift since a couple of the guys called in sick.”

She relaxed some, but she looked disappointed. “Bummer. I had Love Actually cued up on Netflix.”

He chuckled. “Believe it or not, I’d rather watch that than drive around in the rain all night. But I felt like I had to say yes.”

“I understand.”

Then she leaned in and kissed him, and for a moment, he felt better. When she slipped her tongue inside his mouth, he growled. “Way to remind me of what I’ll be missing tonight.”