“This should be just the two of you,” Xander argued, but Rose ignored his protests and tugged him into the shot.
“You have to be in it, Xander!” Joey said.
Posing like a real family, they waited for the photographer to snap their picture and the check-in process was finally complete. A few of the counselors were standing several feet away with lettered flags for each of the cabins. The closest flag had an A on it for the boys assigned to cabin A.
“There’s your group,” Xander said. “But one last thing, first.” He squatted down and pulled a thick black Sharpie from his back pocket. “This is for all your new friends to sign your cast.”
“Thanks, Xander. This is great!” Joey stuck the pen in the pocket of his khaki shorts and rushed forward to give him a hug.
Xander braced himself for impact but underestimated the emotional punch that came with it. He had carried Joey to bed unconscious, given him high fives, ruffled his hair but hadn’t actually hugged him. It was the first time he’d held his son in his arms. A wave of feelings surged through him and in that moment, he didn’t want to let go. But he knew he had to. “Have fun!” He choked down the emotions and broke into his wide practiced smile.
Joey pulled away with a grin and turned to his mom. Rose gave him a big hug and kiss and then let the squirming boy run off to join the others.
Xander took her hand and led her back to the SUV. “Are you okay?” she asked as they reached the car, surprising him.
“Me? I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“I’ll be fine. He’s getting older and wants to do more things on his own. I’ve had years to prepare for this, but I saw the look on your face when he hugged you. You seemed a little overwhelmed.”
Xander nodded and they climbed into the car. “Things just got a little real all of a sudden.”
He pulled out of the gravel parking lot and set a course back to Torrington. In the silence of the drive, Rose reached over and took his hand. He wrapped his fingers through her own and instantly felt better. Rose always seemed to understand the things he kept inside. Back in school, he never had to tell her he was upset. She would just sit down beside him, take his hand and offer her silent support. She didn’t push him to talk or layer on empty platitudes to make him feel better.
Rose was just there for him. Then, like now. In the world of politics, that was a rarity. Everyone he interacted with on a daily basis wanted something from him. They were fair-weather friends who could turn on him as quickly as public opinion. His family members were the only people he could count on. They were the ones who would quite literally help him hide a body.
And even though he didn’t always deserve it, Rose was someone else he could count on. And he wanted to be there for her and their son, as well. To start, he wanted to spend the next few days getting to know Rose again. She wasn’t the teenager he’d fallen in love with anymore. She was more.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t just lie in each other’s arms all week. She had work. He had to travel to D.C. in a few days for a charity fund-raiser and book signing. Of course, he also had the police to worry about, but he would make the most of the time they had.
He knew Rose had to work today, so he planned to spend time on the farm and meet her later. “What time did you want me to come by tonight?”
“Nine-thirty, maybe? That will give me a chance to get home and get out of my uniform.”
Xander glanced over at her with a wicked smile curling his lips. The tank top highlighted the curves he’d touched only a few days ago, and yet it felt like years. “I can help you out of your uniform.”
Rose laughed. “I bet you can.”
“Shall I bring some takeout with me? Or do you eat at work?”
“You can bring dinner if you want to. I got burned out on the diner food a long time ago. I usually eat something light when I get home. There’s a pizza place not far from my apartment complex.”
“Pepperoni and green peppers?” he asked. That had always been her favorite in school.
Rose smiled and nodded. “You remembered.”
Xander’s eyes stayed focused on the road. Somehow it was easier to say the words that way. “The night we broke up, you told me to go off to school and forget all about you, but I didn’t. How could I possibly forget about you, Rose?”
Rose didn’t respond, but he heard her sharp intake of breath just before his cell phone chirped. The highway was clear, so he glanced down briefly at the incoming text. He sighed when he saw the message from his brother. One more thing to take away from their time alone together.