Page 61 of Newly Tied

“We were on the phone when he knocked on the door. I was telling her what happened to me last night, and I was asking if Ethan and I could come by.”

“You’re taking Sharpe to meet our mother?” Lang asked far too loudly.

“Yes, I am.”

“You met the man yesterday.”

“But we stayed up all night talking.”

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Lang warned me, and I snatched my phone from him.

“We just woke up,” I told Talia. “We were on a case and didn’t get home until three.”

“Well, it’s ten now, so you two need to take the world’s fastest showers and get the hell over to Mom’s.”

“Hold on,” I told her and put the phone on mute before meeting Lang’s gaze. “Do you want me to go with you, or would that be too much?”

“Since when do you not go with me whenever I see my mother?”

I squinted at him. “Let’s agree that this is different. It’s your father.”

“It’s not different to me.”

“Okay, then,” I said, smiling.

“Don’t start acting weird now and second-guessing normal things.”

“I won’t,” I promised. “And I know I haven’t brushed my teeth yet, but c’mere.”

He walked into me and wrapped me in his arms. “Best wake-up in the morning ever.”

“Yeah, it was.” I gave him a hard squeeze and a quick kiss. “Let’s keep doin’ it.”

“Deal,” he said softly.

I unmuted my phone. “Okay, sorry. When do we need to be there?”

“Now,” she insisted. “And were you asking Lang if he wanted you there?”

“I was, yes.”

“Jesus Christ, Del, why would you even ask such a stupid question?”

“Yeah, Del,” Lang said, grinning at me. “Why would you?”

I shook my head at him.

“Lang always wants you there,” Talia went on, working herself up. “I want you there, and most importantly, my mother wants you there. I will bet you money right now that she will want to hold your hand.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

“At church when we all go, or whenever we’re all in the kitchen talking, she always reaches for you. Have you never noticed that?”

I looked at Lang, who nodded. “You better not be going anywhere for Christmas or New Year’s because she’ll be heartbroken.”

It was a lot, and I was both happy and overwhelmed.

“I too would be heartbroken,” Lang uttered, meeting my gaze. “Holidays are for family, which you have, yes?”