10 Years Later

“It’s been years, though, right? Like since we were in high school?”

Dalton nodded. “Yeah. He’s just bitter. All the time. It’s too hard to be around that, so I don’t see him very often. I feel like a selfish prick, but whenever I leave his place, I just feel drained.”

Placing my hand on his knee, I rubbed my thumb along the side of it. “I get that. People who aren’t happy tend to suck all the good emotion out of you.”

“That’s exactly what it feels like. Like I’ve been sucked dry,” he said sadly, and his eyes had a faraway look to them.

“Didn’t your mom start working at our school?” I searched the recesses of my mind, wondering where that tidbit of information came from.

“She did. She’s the librarian there, and she loves it. That’s how I found out about the reunion in the first place. They told her they couldn’t find any contact information for me, and asked her to reach out on their behalf.”

I laughed. “Yeah. About that. My God, Dalton. Who has no information about them available online? Like, at all? You have any idea how infuriating that is?”

He rubbed the stubble along his jawline as a wicked smile appeared. “You tried to find me? Like a stalker?”

I smacked his shoulder. “I tried to find you, yes. Like a stalker . . . kinda,” I admitted with a shrug.

“No social media is the safest option for me when it comes to my job. I’d rather not be easy to find, so I stayed off of it completely.”

I gave him a mock serious look. “Well, you were the cause of many nights of angst and drowning my sorrows in wine over the last ten years.”

“I might have done the same thing if I couldn’t find you, either. But then again, I’m a cop. I would have found some way to look you up.”

“So you stalked me too? Is that what you’re saying?”

He smacked a hand on top of his leg. “Hell yes, I stalked you. I might not have an online profile, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t out sniffing around yours.”

I frowned at him, wondering how he could have stayed away so easily. It certainly wasn’t easy for me. “You could have sent an e-mail or something. Did you have to go completely silent for so long?”

Dalton shrugged as he took a sip of his beer. “Well, I was dating Jill for a while there. And I didn’t know what to say to you. I didn’t know where to start, so I just didn’t.” His jaw tensed. “I just didn’t start at all.”

“It’s okay. I’m pretty sure we’re past all that now. I mean, look at us.” I tilted my head to look up at him and he leaned down, his lips pressing against mine. The taste of chocolate chip cookie on his tongue made me giggle, and he pulled away. “What are you laughing at? You think my kisses are funny?”

“No. But the fact that you taste like a cookie kinda is.” I giggled again before covering my mouth as a yawn escaped.

“You’re exhausted. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

“Not yet. Let’s just watch the rest of this show.” I motioned toward the television and repositioned my head against his chest.

Later I woke up and glanced at the clock on my bedroom nightstand. It was a little after one in the morning, and I had no idea how I’d gotten in bed. Dalton lay sleeping next to me on his back, his exposed upper body practically begging me to lie on it. Moving closer, I pressed my head against the warmth of his chest, and his arm immediately wrapped around my shoulder.

He held me close and I relaxed, listening to the sound of his heart beating against my ear, until my alarm blared at three thirty, waking me from a sound sleep.

• • •

The next few days flew by, and even though I wanted to see Dalton every second I wasn’t at work, I desperately needed some decent sleep. Alone. He tried to convince me otherwise, but I stood firm in my request, even though I didn’t always want to. It helped that the case Dalton was working on seemed to be heating up, so he was busier than normal, working hours that were even more demanding than mine.

It was ridiculous, feeling so much for him again so quickly, but I didn’t care. I welcomed the feelings with open arms and an open heart. When we couldn’t see each other, we talked every night about old times, memories, and new feelings until I fell asleep on the phone with him. Dalton claimed he thought it was cute. But I was convinced he thought anything I did was cute at this stage in our newly reunited state. He didn’t disagree, and I didn’t care.

After a ridiculous amount of begging, Dalton finally convinced me to have dinner with him at Graziano’s on Friday, making the reservations early enough to accommodate my end-of-the-week exhaustion level. I actually looked forward to having a delicious Italian dinner that I didn’t have to cook or clean up after. My mother had given me a few Italian recipes that I tended to make often. And while I loved the heck out of them, I hated the mess I created in my kitchen as I cooked.

Aside from the food, I also couldn’t wait to see my man again. The days seemed to last forever, and the phone calls were honestly no replacement for the real thing, even though we tried. I planned to tell him as much tonight. He had been right, and I should have listened. I didn’t care how tired I was from work, or how late he got done working his case, I wanted to see him anytime it was possible.

Nothing felt better than waking up in his arms at night and falling asleep with him next to me. Dalton made me feel safe.

Undercover

Dalton