The Weight of the Badge: The Complete Trilogy (The Weight of the Badge #1-3) by Kaylee Rose

Author:Kaylee Rose [Rose, Kaylee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0BVL1P12B
Goodreads: 112823597
Published: 2023-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

9

KELLIE

A tiny part of me feels guilty for being deceptive about my ulterior motive for bringing Rory on our date. I didn’t completely lie about my parents being busy. When I asked them to take Rory for the night, they reminded me they had plans with friends. I could have canceled or asked Gina to come over to care for Rory, but I thought by bringing her along, I would determine if Lance was ready for what my life is really like.

My conscience knew it was unfair to test him this way, but at the time, I felt it necessary to put my mind at ease. I almost backed out of the date, sitting in the parking lot for ten minutes debating whether I should text Lance and cancel or go through with a plan that most likely would scare him off.

I should have known better because Lance isn’t the type to be easily scared. He says what’s in his heart without pulling punches. His honest declaration of intent toward me was a turning point in our relationship.

Requiring a moment to compose myself, I take Rory to the bathroom to wash up before eating. A quick splash of cold water to my face does the trick. I smile to myself when I hear her humming while washing her hands. To my amusement, she’s singing about bonking a bunny on the head and being changed into a goon by the blue fairy. She turns off the faucet and grabs a handful of paper towels from the dispenser.

“A goon, huh?” I hold the door open for her to lead the way.

“Yep. Bonk.” She pretends to hit her forehead. “I’m a goon.”

I shake my head and follow my niece as she skips back to where Lance is waiting.

Ever the gentleman, he stands when we return to the table.

“Are you okay?” His eyes show concern.

“I’m fine, just needed a minute to collect myself.” Rory scrambles into the booth and shoves fries in her mouth. “Slow down, or you’ll choke.”

With a mouthful, she gives me a big toothy smile and mumbles, “Okay.”

Lance and I both laugh and dig into our own cheeseburgers.

After a few bites of her burger, Rory has overcome her shyness and bombards us with silly questions.

“Are tigers real?”

“Yeah, tigers are real.” He looks at me quizzically.

I know exactly where this is going and sip my iced tea to keep from laughing. She went through this same line of questioning with my dad yesterday. Rory has developed her own sense of humor that nobody understands yet, but her. She cracks herself up, and I go along with it, glad to hear her talking in complete sentences.

“Are lions real?”

“Yes. Lions are real too.” Lance looks lost, but I think this trial by fire is perfect. A little taste of what he’s signed up for.

“Are ligers real?” Her eyes squint like she’s trying to read his thoughts.

He doesn’t hesitate. “Of course, ligers are real. They are awesome.”

His confidence is just about to get crushed by a little girl.

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