Only Love Read Online Free Page A

lives on the other side of town and I won’t have time to run you by the school.”
    Aubrey reached out for Rissa, and after the change off, Gabby nodded, saying “Sure,” before slipping her book bag off the chair she sat in. She pushed her arms into the straps. “Is everything okay? Why isn’t she going to daycare?”
    Aubrey opened her mouth, but then her gaze went to me still at the table. I turned away, giving them privacy. I didn’t want to listen in, but the thing about ears was they were hard to turn off. I didn’t miss when she said her check for the week of daycare bounced, though I made it look like I had, scraping my fork along my plate. Like I was distracted and not listening. Gabby started to say goodbye when I chose to make my presence known again. I rubbed my mouth with my napkin and stood.
    “I can take her,” I suggested. Both girls’ eyebrows twitched up at the proposal and I shrugged. “I pass the high school on my way to the precinct. Not a problem at all.”
    “You want to take her,” Aubrey said, eyebrows narrowed in my direction. Rissa patted lightly at her face, but the woman’s gaze didn’t let up. “In your squad car?”
    Yeah, the thing was an eyesore. But again, something my boss requested I drive once I moved in. I didn’t have to drive it all the time, but I did have to have it in the area. I shrugged again. “I’d take my car, but I’m headed into work right after.”
    “I like the idea,” Gabby popped in, exchanging a glance between the pair of us with a clear excitement in her eyes.
    Fighting a smile, I pointed at her. “She likes the idea.”
    With a quick goodbye, Aubrey let us go, though she did so begrudgingly, I think. Gabby gave Rissa a kiss before she went into the hallway. I was last and left to close the door. I raised my hand to Aubrey and Rissa still in the hall. “Thanks for breakfast this morning. It was great.”
    “Though a little crazy?” Aubrey added, her baby still patting her face while her mom stared at me.
    I chuckled. “Yeah, a little crazy. But still good.”
    I didn’t say what I really wanted to. I wanted to add it was a little perfect, too. Aubrey nodded and I got a cute little grin from Rissa just before Aubrey turned around with her, her back to me. I heard her mutter something as I closed the door. Something that sounded like: “Only one day with Aunt Jen today. We’ll figure out daycare tomorrow.”
    Again, I wondered why she had no one to help her.
     
     

 

    “Are these the lights?” Gabby asked, getting dangerously close to the car's police lights and siren.
    Raising my hand to the dash, I cut her off before she could draw the neighborhood’s attention more than we already had. Being in my squad car, everyone already gave me more of it than I desired. Folks stopped in the middle of conversations and paused as they watered their lawns. I never used the siren half the time anyway. It was obnoxious and giving people a quick flash of the lights usually did the trick. I only used the sirens if I needed to get somewhere quick, an emergency usually.
    “Um, yeah,” I said with a laugh, making her look up and drop her hand. “Probably shouldn’t mess with that, though.” I redirected her gaze by pointing to the radio. “You can go to town on the radio.”
    I returned my hand to the wheel and watched as Gabby went for it. I liked that she didn’t seem intimidated by me. She hadn’t really been at all, even when I answered the door this morning in full uniform, so that was good. I hated that people saw us, police, as something to fear more than for their protection; especially when it came to kids.
    Gabby smirked before she touched the radio button. “Probably got country all geared up here. Don’t you, Officer Adam?”
    I indeed didn’t, and when lyrics full of more profanity than someone her age, or damn, really anyone should hear, blasted into the car in the form of the latest popular hip hop track, Gabby’s eyes grew