It All Falls Down: Rose Gardner Investigations #7 (Rose Gardner Investigatons) by Denise Grover Swank

Author:Denise Grover Swank [Grover Swank, Denise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781940562377
Publisher: DGS
Published: 2021-02-08T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Hope slept until around three. Joe got up, changed her diaper, then brought her to me so I could nurse in bed. She nursed longer than the previous two nights but fell asleep.

Joe and I exchanged a look, and a silent communication passed between us. Neither of us wanted to let her go just now. Joe arranged her in the middle of the bed, once more placing small pillows around her. We both lay on our sides, facing each other, and he reached across Hope toward me. I took his hand, and he linked our fingers and offered me a smile. “I love you, Rose.”

“I love you too.”

I fell asleep, our fingers still linked, and when I woke up around seven thirty, Joe and Hope weren’t in bed. I sat upright in a moment of pure panic, but the bedroom door was partially open, and I could faintly hear Joe’s voice coming from downstairs. Based on the tone of his voice, he was either talking to Hope or Muffy, possibly both.

I got up and headed downstairs, finding them in the kitchen. Hope was in her bouncy seat on the table with an empty bottle next to her, while Joe stood in front of the stove, frying bacon. Muffy sat on the floor under the table, giving the skillet a longing look.

“What’s goin’ on down here?” I asked. “I woke up and found myself all alone.”

Joe grinned, but I could see he was anxious. “Hope and I decided to have a little father-daughter bonding time, and after she had her breakfast, I decided to make sure you had yours.”

“Thanks.”

“Maeve called.”

“Oh?”

“She heard about me quittin’. She’s worried. I think she knows there’s more goin’ on than meets the eye.”

I gave him a grim smile. “She’s a very intuitive woman. Is she still okay with watchin’ Hope?”

“Even more so. And she was relieved to hear that Witt would be hangin’ out with ’em.”

We spent the next hour trying to pretend like our life was normal, and Joe and I were just ordinary parents who were taking their daughter to the sitter on their way to work.

After I showered, I put on a navy blue sundress and attached my thigh holster, my stomach in knots. I stayed with Hope downstairs while Joe showered and changed. When he descended the stairs, he was wearing jeans, a fitted black T-shirt, and a shoulder harness with his pistol strapped to his chest.

“Is it wrong to say you look incredibly sexy?” I asked, my stomach fluttering with more than nerves.

He grinned, but it looked forced. “If I’d known this was what it took to turn you on, I would have quit the force ages ago.”

I got to my feet. “Joe…”

He shook his head. “Let’s take my car. It’s less conspicuous than your truck.”

“Agreed. Do you have the flash drive?”

He patted his pocket. “Jed came through, and I downloaded it while I was feeding Hope. Let’s go.”

“I want to have another vision first.”

“Okay.” He reached for my hand and laced our fingers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.