Where We Belong

“Fucker. I told him to stay gone until I called him. I’m still sporting a semi.”

“Aw, babe. Do you know what I would do if I was there?”

“Mia,” his voice is a warning.

“I’d drop to my knees and lick . . .”

The line goes dead.

Oh, I really, really hope he gets me for that.

I close my eyes, smiling and welcoming sleep.

“I’ll be waiting, Officer Kelly.”

Ben

CUTTING OFF THE ENGINE TO my truck, I take the keys out of the ignition and step down, shutting the door and walking up the driveway toward the house.

At 8:15 A.M., the sky is blooming with bright colors, the sun already warming the air.

I rub at my neck, squinting a bit to avoid the harsh morning light.

Fucking night shift. I couldn’t be happier about switching back to days. Going two months without spending any real time with my family has taken its toll. It’s been tough on everyone. The boys don’t understand why I’m not around as much. You can’t really explain it to Chase yet. Not even two years old, he’s still too young to get why I have to work at all. Nolan is used to me leaving him during the day. I’ve been doing it for the past six years, but in his mind, the bad guys should be sleeping when the rest of us are. He thinks the entire world shuts down at night.

I wish it did. I miss my sons. And Mia, fuck, I miss her so badly I fucking ache. I’m not ashamed to admit my dependency on her. That woman keeps me breathing, and for the past two months, she’s done more for our family than she probably realizes.

I can’t wait to worship every perfect inch of her.

Stepping up onto the porch, I hear Nolan’s animated voice somewhere in the house. Chase squeals, probably laughing at his brother. I unlock the door and step inside, moving toward the noise in the kitchen.

I stand in the entryway, going unnoticed, leaning against the wall and watching my family.

Nolan is seated at the table, eating pancakes and drawing in his sketch pad. Chase is next to him in his high chair, reaching with both hands for the plate of pancakes on the table and out of his reach. He kicks his feet and whines.

“Shh, Chasey,” Nolan says, keeping his head down and concentrating on his paper. “You’re messing me up.”

“Hold on, baby. I’m just getting your milk.”

That sweet, velvety voice draws my attention across the room. Desire throbs low in my groin. Just hearing her and I’m fucking ready.

I look at Mia.

She’s standing at the bar with her back to me, pouring some milk into a cup for Chase. Her dark hair is falling halfway down her back, messy from sleep. She’s wearing one of my shirts by the looks of it. It hangs loose on her body, the sleeves touching her elbows and the hem covering her ass, revealing long, tanned legs and bare feet.

Christ, I’m a lucky bastard. Still can’t believe that perfection is mine.

“Daddy!” Nolan jumps from his seat at the table and lunges for me, clinging to my leg. Chase starts chanting, “DaDaDa” over and over like he does when he spots me, and Mia spins around, smiling and biting at her lip, looking like she’s got a million dirty thoughts running through her head as her eyes run up and down the length of me.

“Angel.”

She winks, then turns back to put the milk away, her hips swaying as she walks to the fridge.

Remembering my boys are in the room, one still stuck to my leg, I will my cock to ignore my wife and her slamming fucking body, which is damn near impossible, and grab Nolan, picking him up, smiling when he runs his finger down my nose. I do the same to him and he giggles.

“Hey, Buddy. You being good?”

“Yeah. I made my bed all by myself today. Chasey can’t do that yet.”

Chuckling under my breath, I carry Nolan over to the table and sit next to Chase, smiling at my other boy. I grab his sticky fist and kiss it.

“Little man. You hungry?”

Chase looks down at the plate of pancakes again and reaches for them, making all kinds of grunting noises, his face turning a deep shade of red and his brown eyes round.

“He’s had a whole pancake already, Daddy. Mommy said he’s going to eat us outta the house. I don’t want that. I like it here.”

Mia laughs behind me.

Smiling, I grab the fork and feed Chase a bite. “He’s a growing boy. You ate like this when you were his age. How do you think you got those big muscles?”

“I’m gonna be as big as you. Look.” Nolan flexes his arms, the sleeves of his T-shirt coming up to reveal his tiny biceps. “See? And I’m gonna have tattoos like you too. Just on this arm. A big dragon.” He runs his hand over his right shoulder and down to his elbow.

Mia walks up to the table, setting Chase’s cup on the highchair. “And what about your girlfriend’s name? Aren’t you going to get that on you somewhere too?”

Nolan sighs, his shoulders sagging as he drops his head. He tugs at the buttons on my uniform. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I told you that. I can’t find one I like.” He looks up at me. “But I will, Daddy. I’m going to have her name just like you have. The first girl I get.”

Smiling, my chest swelling with pride, I glance up at Mia, then look back at my son. “You got plenty of time, Nolan. Don’t worry about getting any girl’s name tattooed on you until you know you’re marrying her, okay?”

He slides off my lap. “First girl I like, I’m marrying,” he mumbles, climbing back into his seat and resuming his drawing. Another castle, by the looks of it.