“As long as you’re there, of course it will be.”
Chapter two
Hunter
I am a fucking lovesick schmuck.
Looking around the crowded bar in Vancouver, all I can think of is how I miss Hastings, the bar in Dogwood Cove. No, I miss going there with my coworkers, my friends, my soon-to-be brothers, and most of all, my soon-to-be wife.
It’s only been five days since I left Dogwood Cove, and while the days are going fast, thanks to the intense course I’m taking, the nights are way too long with too much time spent missing Kat.
“Callaghan, you need a refill?”
I turn at the sound of Leland’s voice.
“Sure, thanks,” I answer, holding out my empty glass. He sits down across from me and fills it to the brim.
“You nailed that mock interrogation practice today, man. Seriously, I was ready to shit a brick watching you.”
I muster up a half smile. The praise feels good, but I’m in a funk. “Thanks.”
I feel the weight of his gaze on me, and struggle not to shift in my chair.
“Missin’ your girl?”
My eyes close of their own volition. Goddamnit. The last thing I need is to show any weakness in front of these guys. I’m already fighting to prove I belong with this group of cops. The best of the best are in this cohort, guys with many more years under their belt than I have, and in far bigger precincts than Dogwood Cove. They’ve seen and dealt with shit I can’t even begin to fathom.
“Yeah, we’re getting married later this month. It’s hard not being there.”
It’s the truth, just a massive understatement. It’s actually destroying me not being home with Kat, sharing nothing but phone calls and text messages as she takes care of a thousand last-minute details for our wedding. No matter what Abby said that day at the barn about us being easy clients, there’s still shit to do, and I left it all to Kat. A familiar wave of guilt crashes over me at that thought, but it’s interrupted by Leland’s next question.
“Tell me about her.”
I look up at Leland and study his expression. He seems like a good guy. Older than me, but most of the other cops in the cohort are. He gives me a go-on gesture, so I do. After all, talking about Kat isn’t exactly a hardship.
“She’s amazing. Smart, kind, funny, gorgeous. She doesn’t put up with any bullshit, but she’s got the most compassionate heart you’ll ever meet. Her family’s awesome; cheesy as it sounds, her brothers are some of my best friends.”
“Sounds like a keeper.”
I let out an amused huff. “That’s for damn sure. Even if I don’t know how the hell I got lucky enough to land a woman like Kat Donnelly, I’m no fool. I’m not letting her go.”
Leland lifts his glass and inclines it toward mine. “Cheers to the women who make us better men. May they never realize just how much better than us idiots they could have.”
His words hit a little too close to home, but I still clink my glass with his and take a long drink.
A couple of the other guys join us and conversation turns to the material we covered this past week. I chime in once or twice, but there’s no denying my attention is elsewhere. Like, across the water on an island elsewhere.
Setting my beer down, I push back from the table.
“I think I’m out for the night. See you tomorrow.” Tossing some cash down to cover my share, I don’t wait for a response before lifting my hand in a wave and grabbing my jacket off the back of my chair.
Shrugging it on, I push open the door, only to be met with a fiercely cold wind. “Damn,” I mutter under my breath as I hurry down the street to the hotel where I’m staying.
When I’m finally back in my room, I waste no time stripping down to my boxers. Climbing into bed, I pull out my phone and call the one person who never fails to make everything right in the world.
“Hey, Kitty Kat,” I say, a smile lighting my face as soon as I see her on the screen.
“Hi, babe,” she says, turning onto her side. I can see our bedroom in the background, and the thin black strap of her pajama top crossing her shoulder peeks out at the bottom of the screen.