Alexa rolled the tape over another box and sat back to take a break. She hated moving. The whole process of putting everything she owned in boxes and taking it from one place to another. To be doing this all over again sucked. And the reason she was doing it made it suck even more. There was a knock on her door and she stood up. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Had the realtor forgotten something?

 

She opened the door but when she saw who was on her step, her mouth fell open.

 

“Hi,” she said to Hawk.

 

“Hi.” He looked around, like he didn’t know where to start. “So, you’re moving?”

 

She pressed her lips together and nodded. “I thought it was for the best.”

 

“Do you think you could come see Damian before you go? He misses you.”

 

“Did you just come over here because you need a babysitter?” Her heart was racing.

 

“No. I’m not going anywhere. I just thought maybe you’d like to come over for a little while.”

 

She thought long and hard for a moment. Was he using Damian as a cover? “You didn’t leave him home alone, did you?”

 

“He’s sleeping.” Hawk pulled the baby monitor out of his back pocket and held it up. “But I do need to get back over there. Will you come?”

 

Damian was asleep, but he wanted her to come over. Her detective skills pinged and she lowered her eyes, realizing that it was an attempt on his part to reconnect. It was clumsy, and after the way he’d treated her – after the way she’d treated him – it felt like both of them were on unstable ground, balanced on a precipice. Just trying to stand up as everything falls out from under us, she thought absently.

 

“Okay.” She was just in her sweatpants and t-shirt, her hair up from packing all day, and patted it down.

 

She grabbed her purse and locked the door behind her. After everything that had happened, she found herself being even more cautious than usual. She followed him into his yard and up to the porch. When he opened the front door, a delicious smell hit her. Steak and potatoes. She stepped inside and saw the dining room table set for two, a candle burning in the center.

 

He took her hand and turned to face her. “I know I can’t make up for all I’ve done. And we’ve both lied and kept things from each other. I guess we had good reason. But I’ve realized that I like having you around. The things I was afraid of if I ever got close to someone again don’t seem to be happening with you, you know?”

 

She bit her lip. Her chest was warm with hope and ready to bubble over.

 

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last days. And I guess you’ve decided to move on, literally, and maybe it’s too late. I realize I may have missed my chance to make things right. But I can’t deny the feelings I have for you, Alexa. I’m not perfect, and I’m guessing you know full well what kind of life I’ve lived before this. I’m trying to clean up my act for Damian, keep things straight. And I’d like a good woman by my side, standing with me, helping me raise this little boy into a good man. I can’t do it alone. I’d love for you to be that woman.” He squeezed her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes. “I think I love you.” Then he started laughing. “I’ve never said that to anyone before.”

 

She laughed, too, and wiped a tear from her eyes. “I know I kept things from you, and I shouldn’t have. And you’re right, I thought I had a good reason to. You came along, totally unexpected, and shook up my world. You showed me how fun life can be. I want a life like that. Not one where everything is by the book and planned and expected. I like being with you. And I know I’ve been falling for you, too. I wanted to sell the house and move because I couldn’t stand to look over here every day and know that I missed my chance at love and a life I’ve only recently started to dream about.” She tilted her head toward Damian’s room and smiled. “I love that baby, and I love you.”

 

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Then he pulled back to look in her eyes. “You really want me?”

 

“I do.”

 

He kissed her again for a long while. Her whole body grew warm and she wanted him to take her right there. But he stopped and paused to look at her.

 

“We need to have a proper date.” He gestured toward the table. “Please sit.”

 

She took a seat and he served the meal. They ate together, gazing across the table at each other, but it took another long while for them to break the silence, as if they might at any moment wake themselves from a dream.

 

When they’d finished eating he stood to clear the plates and kneeled down to kiss her hand. “Thank you for forgiving me, and still wanting to be here with me.”

 

“And thank you for forgiving me. I feel terrible about all the things I’ve done and-”

 

He put his finger to her lips. “You solved Hugh’s case and sent his killer away. You took a huge drug dealer off the streets. You got Damian back safe and put away the people who took him. You’ve helped me so much. I can let it go that you didn’t tell me everything. I didn’t tell you everything either.”

 

“No, I guess not. But I knew what I was getting into with you.”

 

“I know.” He pulled his mouth into a crooked smile. “And I’m grateful that you decided to give me a chance anyway.”

 

He pressed his lips to hers and this time, there was no pulling away. She wanted him so badly, she wasn’t going to let him stop it. She grabbed his ass and pulled him closer. He was already hard in his jeans and she pressed her hips against him.

 

“If you really want me to be by your side,” she breathed into his ear, “I suggest you take me right now into your bedroom and give me a reason to stay.”

 

He moaned in her ear and picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bedroom but instead of laying her down on the bed he pressed her back to the wall and kept kissing her.

 

She tugged at his hair and pulled off his shirt. She rubbed her hand along his bare chest and back, feeling every bulge of his muscles as he held her and kissed her gently along her neck. His hands roamed under her shirt and under her bra to play with her nipples. She squeezed tighter around his waist, wanting to feel his hard dick pressing into her.

 

He picked her up again and carried her to the bed. As he laid her down, he pulled off her sweatpants and panties. He unzipped his jeans and pushed them to the floor as he climbed into place over her. He turned her on her side so he could cuddle up behind her and cupped her breasts and circled his hand around her clit. She was wet with longing already and he rubbed his hard cock between her legs, teasing her as her wetness built up.

 

He lifted her leg and put it over his and as he positioned himself at her opening and slipped deep inside her she moaned. At the sensation of him filling her, she cried out and almost came right then. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as he moved in and out of her. They started slow and sweet, learning each other by the other’s heartbeat pounding through heat flushed skin. She felt tears running down her cheeks. She never thought she’d feel this again or be this close to him. She never wanted this to end.

 

He started to pick up speed and thrusted harder. As much as she wanted this to continue, she couldn’t fight the orgasm much longer. He put her leg down and turned her so that he was on top of her with her leg pinned back so he could penetrate her as deep as possible. He thrust harder and faster and as he cried out and came she felt the pleasure break over her. She dug her fingers into his back and came.

 

When they had finished, he held her close again, cradled in his arms like he had before. It was the best feeling in the world. She still breathed heavy and her heart was racing. She drifted off in his arms, feeling more content than she had in days.

 

In the morning, she heard Damian crying. Hawk was still curled around her, sleeping soundly. She peeled his arm back carefully and snuck out of bed. She tip-toed into Damian’s room and opened the door slowly. When he saw her, he squealed and clapped.

 

She picked him up and nuzzled him to her. He looked up at her, grinning, and squealed loudly at her. “Lex!”

 

She gasped. He had been making noises for months, but he’d never spoken anything so clearly. What else was he saying these days?

 

“That’s how I knew he missed you.” She jumped and turned to see Hawk in the doorway, watching them with a deep smile on his face.

 

“Your name was his first word. He would crawl over toward your house and reach out his little hand.”

 

“His first word?”

 

Hawk nodded. “It’s not just me who wants you. We both do.”

 

“Then I guess I have no choice but to be here forever.”

 

Hawk came to her and took them both into his arms. “I love you both,” he said and kissed them both. “My little family.”

 

THE END

 

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