“Mr. Lomns, against the advice of the police officer in the surveillance van, pushed open the door and ran to the above scene. He was stuck by a bullet shortly after.”

I looked at the phrase again, still feeling nauseous every time I read it. Benji had nearly died that night, and I couldn’t help but wonder if someone had told him that.

Sighing, I laid the report in the folder and closed it, stamping it with the signatures to denote that the case was truly closed. I was still reeling over the fact that Angela had been the one to set this all up, just because she wanted Benji’s attention. It was crazy and would probably end up on one of those TV shows for half-crazed women. She was really lucky she wasn’t facing a murder charge.

Pushing the folder to the done pile, I sat back, looking at my new office. To my surprise, I had been promoted because of my work on this case, moved to a day job with my own office. Now I would be investigating cases with a great deal of desk work, but it would be much more interesting than manning the phones at night. It had been Henderson that had suggested the move and now I was stationed in the detective division with a raise in my bank account. I still couldn’t believe it.

There was only one thing missing from my life. I picked up my cell phone and looked at the text messages from Hannah, seeing that Benji had indeed made it out of the hospital a few hours ago, reunited with his daughter shortly thereafter. She had even sent me a picture and tears sprang to my eyes as I looked at their smiling faces. I had really wanted to be there for him, our talk pretty much stating the obvious between us. There was something there, something that neither one of us had a good handle on but wanted to continue with it. I wanted to continue with it, with Benji. He had changed my life so much over the last few weeks, and I didn’t want to give that up. Now we were all going to meet at his apartment later on, make sure that he had everything he needed and help watch Amelia.

“Parkman? Someone’s here to see you?”

I raised my head, seeing the officer at my office door. “Let them in.”

The officer nodded, and I stole a glance at the clock on the desk, seeing that the time was drawing near for me to go to Benji’s. I couldn’t wait to see him and Amelia.

I was surprised to see Tom walking through the door, his eyes landing on me. “Thank God,” he said, relief on his face.

“Tom?” I asked, surprised to see him. He looked older, his hair longer than I had remembered. “What are you doing here?”

“To make sure that you are really okay,” he said, letting out a breath. “You don’t know how scared I was to hear that you were involved in that kidnapping case. I thought you just answered the phones here.”

“I do much more than that,” I said defensively, rising out of my chair. “Why are you here?”

His eyes flashed with hurt, and I almost apologized, catching myself at the last moment. I hadn’t asked him to come here. “I was worried, Danielle. Your face has been plastered all over the news for the last week.”

I cleared my throat against the swell of the emotions that crept up. “That’s kind of you, Tom. I-I really appreciate your concerns.”

He rounded the desk, reaching out before deciding against it. “I will always care for your Dannie. We had a good thing once before, didn’t we?”

I softened, seeing the puppy dog look that had made me fall in love with him all those years ago. “Of course, we did Tom. Those were some of my best years.”

“Mine too,” he said, looking away. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when she died. I still visit her grave you know.”

My heart ached as I felt some of those emotions from that horrible day when I pushed him away because of my grief. He had been hurting too, and we hadn’t been able to deal with it. “I’m sorry too.”

He cleared his throat and stepped back, some of the color returning to his face. “Well, um, are you involved with someone?”

Startled, I busied myself with the papers on my desk. “Why do you ask that?”

“That man, the fighter mentioned in the article. I was wondering if you were involved with him.”

I swallowed hard, thinking of the publicity that Benji had gotten. Some had hailed him a hero, and in my book, I owed him my life. He had taken a bullet for me, and a debt like that never could be repaid. “I think I am,” I said finally.

“Oh,” Tom said. “Well, I’m happy for you, but you know you can always come home.”

Home. What Tom was referring to was no longer home. What I had found with Benji and Amelia was the closest thing I had felt to a home in a long time. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. “Thanks, but I have something good going here.”

“Yeah sure,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I guess I should leave then.”

I sighed and walked from behind the desk, reaching out and pulling him into a hug. His arms wrapped around me and I breathed in his scent one last time. “Thank you for coming, Tom.”

“Always,” he said, releasing me. “I just, I want you to be safe Dannie. If our daughter hadn’t died...”

I waved him off. There was no need to rehash the past. We didn’t know if we would be together if she had survived. “We had a good life, Tom. I don’t regret any of it.”

“Me either,” he said, giving me a grin that had roped me in all those years ago. “See you, Dannie.”

“Bye Tom,” I said as he walked out. It felt good to close that chapter of my life.

* * *

The apartment was packed when I walked in, balancing a cake and Benji’s favorite chips in my hands. “Danielle!” Hannah exclaimed, grabbing the cake before I could dump it on the floor. “You made it finally.”

“Sorry,” I said with an apologetic smile. “I had something come up at the last minute.” I wasn’t about to tell her that it was my ex that had come up. I still couldn’t believe that he had driven all that way to check up on me when he could have easily picked up the phone and called.

“Well I am sure happy to see you,” Hannah said, setting the cake on the counter. The counter was already loaded with food of all kinds, with the sink full of bottles of beer packed in ice. “Benji is out on the balcony I think.”

“Thanks,” I said, wiping my hands together as I pushed through the crowd until I reached the small balcony, the door propped open to allow for easy access. I stepped out, immediately finding Benji all alone, leaning against the railing. His arm was still in the cast, but my heart still fluttered wildly at the sight of the strong profile. He turned, and I gave him a smile. “Hey, what are you doing out here?”

He grinned, reaching with his good hand. I laid my hand on his, and he pulled me close, pressing a hot kiss on my lips. “Hey, you. I’m glad you made it.”

“Of course,” I said, my lips tingling from his kiss. “But the party is in there, not out here.”

He sighed, squeezing my hand. “Yeah, I was just doing some thinking.”

“Might be trouble,” I laughed, laying my head on his good shoulder. “Care to share?”

“I’m just thinking about my future,” he stated, looking out into the night. “I probably won’t ever fight again.”

I felt for him. I knew fighting was his life, everything he had ever dreamed of. “You don’t know that.”

He let out a sigh. “Yeah well, it’s pretty much wrapped up. You know that fight, it was my last chance at being a champion, and I am okay with that.”

I tugged him around until he looked at me, taking his handsome face in my hands. “Are you sure?”

He nodded, leaning into my touch. Benji couldn’t hide the regret in his eyes, however. “I think so. I’m a dad now, and fighting, it was me in the past.” He slid his arm around me, pressing his forehead to mine. “I was kinda hoping you would be part of my future.”

My heart stopped in my chest. His future? Of course, I wanted to be part of his future, whatever that might be. “Y-yes,” I stammered, unbelieving that this was happening. “I love you, Benji. I just didn’t realize how much until I nearly lost you.”

His lips curved in a smile, tenderness in his eyes. “I love you too Danielle.”