I cleared my throat. “My mother’s favorite photo album and her grandfather’s wedding ring,” I said, looking down at my clasped hands on the table.
At that, Teri stopped writing and reached across to squeeze my wrist. I looked up to see sympathy on her face.
“I’m truly sorry about the loss of your childhood home, Lieutenant. I can’t imagine how hard that is for your family. I’ve been told your parents live in Singapore currently. Do you have brothers and sisters?”
I snorted but at the same time felt my eyes begin to smart. “Yeah. There are ten of us.”
“Ten?” Her eyes widened. “Wow. I’ll bet there were heaps of good memories made in that house.”
I thought of the time Hudson and West tried piercing MJ’s ears for her in the downstairs bathroom and created a bloodstain in the tile grout the shape of Florida, the time my dad tried to surprise my mom with her very own space after secretly renovating a storage closet so it could fit a recliner and white noise machine, the time Saint and I put five tiny frogs in Hallie and Winnie’s underwear drawer, and the countless times I snuck Seth Walker up the backstairs and into my room for a sleepover in elementary school and then later a hot-and-heavy make-out session when we were in high school.
“Yes, ma’am,” I whispered. “Lots of good memories.”
When the interview was finally over, I learned I was on paid leave for a few days.
“Why?” I asked the chief.
“Give you and your family a chance to process things, Wilde. Don’t worry about it.”
“Is this about me breaking protocol? Because—”
“That too. I’m going to take some time to think about it. I’m of two minds about it, Wilde, and I don’t want to rush into anything here. Let’s let Teri do her thing while you take a few days off, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
On the way back to the ranch, I finally got up the nerve to call Grandpa and Doc. They’d been calling and calling, but I’d texted I had to go into work and couldn’t talk.
“Otto, that you?” Grandpa asked. “You okay, son?”
“No,” I admitted. “Can I come over?”
Silence for a beat before an angry Grandpa snapped over the line. “Goddammit, Otto. Since when do you need to ask to come to our house? What the hell?”
I was taken aback by his tone. “Sorry. I’ll be there in ten.”
I hung up before he had a chance to respond and called Walker.
“Sheriff Walker.”
When I spoke, I could hear myself losing it. “Seth?”
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
I felt my throat sting and my jaw ache. Maybe it was just because I hadn’t slept well.
Yeah, right.
“They put me on paid leave.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. But, Seth… I felt like they were questioning me. Like… like they thought maybe I’d set the fires.”
“That’s fucking ridiculous,” he said angrily. “Evan Paige knows you didn’t set those fires.”
“Well, whatever. I’m headed to Doc and Grandpa’s. We’re going to have to call Mom and Dad to tell them about the house.”
“I’ll meet you there,” he said quickly, like he was going to disconnect the call.
“Wait,” I blurted.
“Yeah?”
I thought about what I wanted to tell him. What I wanted him to know. That his support, his belief in me was something I would never take for granted. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him to the very marrow of my bones.
But instead, I croaked, “Thanks.”
Of course it was another goddamned love posse, Wilde style.
When I pulled up to the ranch, I recognized my aunt Carmen’s Subaru, Uncle Hollis’s Lexus sedan, Hudson’s SUV, West’s truck, and MJ’s Mini Cooper. Before I even had a chance to turn off the engine, the dogs were flying off the porch and Doc was wringing his hands in the doorway. I saw Nico walk out behind him to hand him Pippa. That guy knew exactly how to bring down Doc’s blood pressure. Give him a baby to hold. Worked every time.
I saw his face soften into a smile as he dropped a kiss on her messy hair and cuddled her close to his chest. Her chubby thighs stuck out from some kind of shirt thing that snapped together in the crotch. The fat rolls were impressive and her bare feet kicking in Doc’s grasp were cute as hell. Seeing her was enough to put a smile on even my face, which was saying a lot.
“Hey,” I called to Doc as I approached. I leaned in and kissed his cheek before dropping a smooch on Pippa’s head. “How the hell did everyone get here so quickly?”
Nico stepped forward and gave me a completely unexpected hug. I stood there in shock for a minute before returning it. The guy was pierced and inked to within an inch of his life but was still one of the sweetest men I knew. My brother was lucky as hell to have found him.