“Cut the shit, rookie.” Theo fake punched him in the gut, and a smiling Hernandez gave me a nod. The people I worked with were like family leaving us to spend so much time together enmeshed in each other’s business.
I cleared my throat, which remained raw from last night’s activities. “Someone get bored doing parking enforcement last night?” I teased.
“Nah, I left that for Hudson. Seemed like the least likely thing he’d fuck up.” Hernandez chuckled. We all agreed the guy was a mess and hoped he figured himself out before he caused his own internal investigation.
“Rumson. Hernandez,” Lieutenant called, and we all looked up. The man had a knack for being where you least wanted him. He shook his head, and we scattered from the hall. Theo and I walked down toward the communication center where I needed to clock in.
“So, I’ll see you later, darling?” Theo backed me into the room that was luckily empty shutting the door to give us a hot second of privacy.
“Yeah. You be safe out there.” I pulled him in for a kiss, and he obliged. His hands went to my hips, and I swayed into his embrace.
“I’ve got a reason to be safe.”
“What’s that?” I asked, feeling my cheeks heat and my heart pitter patter softly amid the beeps and whirs of the communication panel that lit up in the familiar blue light of the computer screen. His smile made me feel like I was expanding and floating at the same time.
“White pants, darling. You promised me white pants, remember?” His smile took over his whole face, and I swore the man glowed at the idea of me in those pants.
“How could I forget? I kicked your ass in the cage.” I pulled his shirt none too gently, forcing him in for another kiss. I would happily wear white pants everyday if I got this kind of reception.
“I’ll order take out tonight. My place?” he asked, and I nodded.
“You know where to find me, Sergeant Rumson.”
His chest vibrated with a chuckle. “I know, and now I have to remember to behave on the radio.”
“10-4,” I whispered against his lips, pushing him out the door so he wasn’t late for his own shift. The Lieutenant had it out for all of us, and there was no point in poking the bear.
It wasn’t long before Theo and I found a new apartment that held fresh memories for both of us. We couldn’t stand the long stretches where our schedules were on the opposite rotations because it meant not seeing each other for over a week, sometimes two.
We enjoyed playing house. I dragged him to Ikea and he made a display case for my softball trophies. Needless to say, our closet had a special rack where my white pants hung ready to go on date night or any night of the week he was feeling sporty. I guess dressing up was our secret kink.
On our six month anniversary, I surprised him with a golden Labrador puppy we named Badge. He grew fast and had tons of energy requiring us both to walk him like crazy. Not to be outdone, Theo surprised me with an unexpected baby, a little girl we named Alessandra. The wedding stuff came much later when we were good and ready. By that time, Theo finally made Detective and we considered looking for an even bigger apartment to house our growing family. The Lieutenant eventually retired finding a condo in Florida. He learned how to use social media and posted pics of sunshine and palm trees teasing the rookies.
Hernandez… well, he happily took over the red pen duty.