Hope thundered in her chest. “Brodie—his friends, his school.”
A new intensity entered Zeke’s voice. “There’s an excellent school down the road. Full of kids waiting to be someone’s friend. Or, if you like, he could homeschool with Sadie. Either way wouldn’t prevent us from setting up visits with Brodie’s friends.”
Could she do it? Could she pull Brodie from everything he knew? Could she give up her dream job at the FBI?
If her parents had taught her nothing else, it was how resilient kids could be. Despite missing his father and his refusal to play sports, Brodie led an otherwise normal nine-year-old’s life. He already had one friend—Sadie—in Steele Ridge. He could make others, couldn’t he?
What did the FBI offer her that BARS couldn’t? She respected the agency and its mission, but she hated the office politics and the layers of red tape she had to plow through.
BARS was nimble. They didn’t have to play by the same rules as a governmental agency. The parts she loved about her job—recovering art and cultural property—she could do at BARS, without the frustration. Not to mention the other, more insidious reasons to consider Zeke’s offer.
She would no longer suffer that unique layer of stress reserved only for single parents. The one that thickened every time she was late, every time she called in sick, every time she left early.
Then there was the issue of Mitch’s inappropriate feelings for her. Feelings she didn’t share and which would likely combust once her relationship with Zeke became common knowledge.
A low hum of excitement vibrated in her stomach. “What if we don’t work well together? What if we turn into Mr. and Mrs. Smith?”
“I promise I won’t try to shoot you or throw you across the room when we have a disagreement.”
Although a laugh bubbled in the back of her throat, she said, “I’m serious, Zeke. Some couples should not work together.”
His lips brushed against hers. “Sweet, Liv. Did you not notice our flawless teamwork over the past week?”
She raised a brow. “Flawless?”
“Close enough.” He sobered. “There will be bumps—just ask my brothers—but we’ll figure things out.”
“Speaking of your brothers, I can’t imagine they’d welcome an outsider, especially a law enforcement officer, into the fold.”
“They would and they do.”
She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. “You’ve discussed this with them already?”
“Why do you think they were so lighthearted last night?” His thumbs traced twin lines over her cheeks. “It’s one reason I asked to use the conference room at your office. I wanted their blessing, and they gave it. Without hesitation.”
From one breath to the next, Liv’s world tilted in a direction she’d never thought possible. She loved this man, and the offer he proposed for the future was a temptation she couldn’t refuse.
“I accept your offer,” she said, somewhat breathless. “But my services don’t come cheap.”
The smile he sent her washed away any lingering doubts, and he sealed the deal with a ferocious, mind-melting kiss.
What felt like hours later, he lifted his head. “You and Brodie will move into the Friary?”
“Yes.”
“Soon?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
When his mouth covered hers again in a slow, thorough possession, she poured her acceptance, her dreams, her future into one hopeful word.
Yes, yes, yes. . .