“No reason,” he told her with a smile. “I just like to kiss you.”
She grinned. “That's good, because I like to be kissed.”
So, he kissed her again.
“Hurry up, guys!” Tyson called from the top of the water-slide stairs. “I'm going again! You can't beat me!”
With a whoop, he took off fearlessly down the slide.
“Do you think we can always be like this?” Bonnie asked Dylan as they watched the boy shriek with delight as he slid down.
“Wet and humid?” Dylan asked, motioning to the indoor pool. “Probably not unless we move here.”
“No, you goof.” Bonnie chuckled and bumped him with her hip. “I mean, the three of us. Happy and safe.”
“Do you know anyone else needing to testify against the mob?” Dylan asked. “Any sisters running from the cartel?”
“Nope. Just me and my brother testifying against stone cold killers,” she told him. “Tyson's an orphan, so as long as there aren't any crazy relatives, we're good there, too.”
Dylan took her in his arms. His eyes held hers and kept her steady, even as her heart spun and danced. “Then yes.”
“Really?” Joy bubbled up in Bonnie's chest.
“Really,” Dylan replied. And he pressed his lips to hers, sealing the promise with a kiss.
Chapter 37
Bonnie
~Four months later~
Bonnie smoothed the front of her skirt. There wasn’t a wrinkle to be found on the soft gray fabric, but she smoothed it anyway. It helped calm her nerves.
“We’re up,” a lawyer told her. The man carried himself with such ease in the courthouse. He knew where to go, where to stand, how to dress. The lawyer knew the name of the security at the front entrance even. He was comfortable. Confident.
Bonnie was not.
“It’ll be fine,” Dylan whispered, taking her hand in his. He gave her a gentle squeeze. She nodded. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she’d throw up. That would definitely be worse than a wrinkled skirt.
Dylan held her hand as they walked into the courtroom. She was glad he was there. She was glad that Dylan was with her for this. They’d started this as a couple. It was best they finished it as a couple.
The carpet was some sort of gray-green mixture. Two wooden tables sat before the judge. A stern looking woman looked out over her tall wooden bench at the two of them. She had strict eyes, and the state seal loomed over her like a watchful guardian.
Bonnie swallowed hard. She could do this.
She stood before the judge, Dylan beside her as Tyson was brought into the room.
As soon as he saw the two of them, his small face lit up with a bright smile.
Today was the day they were going to officially adopt him.
“This is Docket FA148-09. We’ll start by swearing in your clients,” the judge said. When she smiled, her whole demeanor changed. She was no longer intimidating, but she was excited. She was excited to help Dylan and Bonnie legally adopt Tyson. She was making a family.
The lawyer had prepped Bonnie. She would swear in and then answer a series of questions. Dylan would do the same. Today was supposed to be easier than the trial Brett had participated in. Bonnie had stayed far away from New Jersey while the Trio was on trial. They were all in jail now and no longer even considered a player in organized crime. Brett’s testimony, as well as Bonnie’s against the driver, had destroyed them.
She grinned as she looked at the judge. This time, she was excited to be in a courtroom.
“Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”