Beneath the Badge (First Responders 4)

Tears glimmered in her eyes. “You mean that, don’t you?”

He nodded. “Of course I do. My only request—if you think you’re up to it—is that you stand beside me. And maybe be patient a little while longer.”

She was up off the mattress and in his arms before he had time to blink. “I’ve been so afraid you were going to cut me loose,” she whispered. “I pushed you away before and it was such a mistake.” She leaned back and kissed his cheek before capturing his face in her hands. “It takes so much strength to ask for help, you know that, right?”

“I don’t know about that. I’m not feeling very strong right now. The nightmares…”

“You hush right now.” She forced his chin up so she was looking at him dead in the eyes. “The things you’ve seen, done…you’re a good man, Matt. You put on the uniform but there is so much more beneath the badge you wear. Patience, compassion, honor. You think I don’t see that?”

He smiled a little. “You didn’t always.”

“Because you hide it behind that cocky grin. But you can’t kid a kidder. I saw through it without too much trouble. Right about the time I saw you sleeping with a tiny puppy in your arms.”

The smile slid from his face as the gravity of his feelings took over. “It’s only fair to tell you I think I might be falling in love with you, Lindsay.”

Her lower lip quivered a little. “News flash. I think I might be falling right back.”

He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. They were soft, pliant, inviting. His and his alone, and that was how he wanted it to stay. “So where do we go from here?” he asked softly, pulling her into his embrace once more and tightening his arms.

“We take it one day at a time,” she answered, snuggling against his chest. “It’s the only way to do anything, really.”

He laughed and shifted her weight until she was pinned beneath him. “Well, it’s not quite tomorrow yet. I say we make the most of what’s left of today.”

Minutes later, as the clock struck midnight, they got their first tomorrow off to a very good start.

A very good start indeed.

Epilogue

One year later…

Lindsay’s cheeks flared with heat as she stepped out of the car and took Matt’s hand. Today was the first day she was out in public wearing maternity clothes. After this afternoon the secret would be out.

Of course, it wasn’t that much of a secret. The moment she’d told Matt they were expecting a baby, he’d gone to his dresser and taken out a ring box. “I was saving it for the right moment,” he’d said, smiling. He’d already planned on proposing and knowing it had a distinct calming effect on her nerves. She was so afraid he’d feel pushed for a commitment. Who knew he’d been ready to make one all along?

“Feeling okay?” His warm voice touched her ears and she looked up at h

im. He was out of uniform today for the town’s civic holiday and looked delicious. The tan cargo shorts were ultra-casual, as were the flip flops on his feet. She’d always thought it was the uniform she was hooked on, but it didn’t matter what he wore. When he turned his blue gaze on her she pretty much melted into a puddle. Which was what had gotten them into a fast-forward track with the relationship in the first place.

Not that she was complaining one bit.

As Matt reached into the back seat, Lindsay took the opportunity to look around the park at the group assembled for the festivities. She grinned at the sight of Ally Jackson and her portable dog bath set up where pets, kids and owners were all getting a good soaking. Her husband, Chris, was in his fire-department uniform, standing in front of a fire truck and giving tours. Jake Symonds had closed the pub for the day and had two large grills going, cooking burgers and hotdogs and joking with everyone. He handed a hotdog to Gabe Brenner, a local paramedic, who added ketchup to it and passed it on to a small boy at his side—his stepson, Nathan—before accepting another and handing it to his wife, Carly, a local teacher.

Good people in a good town. Yes, sometimes bad things happened. But sometimes good things happened too, made all the sweeter by the challenges overcome.

“Sherlock is gonna flip if you take him over for a bath,” Matt said beside her, holding a leash.

Lindsay looked down at the terrier who was now just over a year old. To her surprise, Matt had adopted one of the puppy-mill pups as soon as Lindsay had given him the all-clear. Now the three of them called Lindsay’s house home. She’d finally cured Sherlock of the urge to pee on her vintage rug, and Mr. Boots had laid down the law on the first day and the two animals had called a reluctant truce. Sherlock was Matt’s pup. Mr. Boots was all hers.

“Sherlock has to learn to appreciate good hygiene,” she protested.

“He appreciates hygiene. He ate a bunch of tissues from the box in the bathroom this morning.”

Lindsay rolled her eyes. She was just happy the pup didn’t have the urge to chew shoes and furniture.

“I guess there’s no hiding the latest news now, is there?” she asked ruefully, smoothing the top over her belly.

“I guess not.” The lukewarm words didn’t fool her one bit. Matt had been strutting about like a proud papa since the day they’d first heard the heartbeat in the doctor’s office.