Joe doesn’t respond, and Eli moves to the next hand. It goes on with the same variations of questions, all centered around our relationship, none about his multiple sclerosis. Which is baffling since that’s what the point of this was.
I stand one step behind Eli as he moves to the next question.
“Ms. Covey.” She looks at me and a flash of fear hits me. “Do you plan to quit your job as a Tampa Police Officer?”
Eli starts to speak, but I touch his arm as I get closer to the microphone. I don’t know how I got here, but my feet somehow moved toward him. “I don’t. I love serving this city, and I’ll continue to do so.” I slide my hand down his arm and rest it on top of his hand. The smile on Eli’s face is full of pride. He laces his fingers with mine, and I’m not afraid. He’s up here taking the hits and standing strong.
I can do this because together, we’re unrelenting.
“Is it true you were married before?”
I watch Eli’s knuckles turn white from gripping the side of the table he’s holding with his other hand. I squeeze my fingers and take a page from his book. “Yes, I’ve been divorced for five years. Eli is aware of my previous marriage.”
Sharon moves to the other side of Eli and pulls the microphone out. “That’s all we have time for today.”
Sharon ushers us to a private room, where Eli takes a seat. He refused to use the walker today. I didn’t even attempt to convince him otherwise. However, it’s clear that it took a great amount of energy for him to stay on his feet and perform.
“You did great,” I say, wiping his forehead.
“You weren’t so bad yourself.” He smiles and takes my hand in his.
“Yes, yes, you both were great,” Sharon says as she types on her phone. “We need to get you out there as quickly as possible. They all need to believe you’re the epitome of health.”
I’m suddenly thinking this meet and autograph thing was genuinely a bad idea.
I roll my eyes and fight back the urge to slap her. “Are you good?” I ask him.
“I’ve got this, baby.”
The instinct to protect him rises, but I repress the urge. I have to trust him, which means not trying to control the situation. It’s so much easier said than done. I’m a cop. I thrive on being in control. It’s who I am, but I also know that it’s his greatest fear within our relationship.
Instead of doing what I really want to do, I smile. “Okay.”
Eli bursts out laughing and pulls me on his lap. “You’re such a shitty liar.”
“Don’t laugh at me.” I smack his chest.
“You should see your face. Don’t ever go into acting.”
Whatever.
“Let’s go, Eli.” Sharon claps her hand. “I want you to go for as long as you can.”
I glare at her. “Don’t you think you should be a little concerned for him?”
“I’m concerned for his career, which is my job.” Sharon doesn’t even look at me. She goes back to her phone and huffs. “I’ll meet you out there. Don’t take long.”
I get to my feet once she leaves the room. “I’m pretty sure she’s Satan’s daughter.”
He chuckles. “Makes me glad she’s on our team then.”
Eli pulls me into his arms, and I wrap mine around his waist. “I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you.”
He drops his lips to mine, and I couldn’t give a shit less about his fans waiting or Sharon, who is probably ready to butcher me. Right now, I have him all to myself. I love how centered he makes me feel. I never worry where his mind is. When we’re together, it’s on us.
“You should go,” I mumble against his mouth. “And be careful, those women are crazy and will try to kidnap you.”
He pulls back. “Don’t worry, we have police protection.”
“What?” I ask.
Eli shrugs. “I know you’re able to take care of yourself, but this is a new set of rules. You’re in my world now, and I’m going to do what I can to protect you.”
I’m still not understanding. What the hell does any of this have to do with police protection?
He waits a second, and it hits me.
“Oh my God! You have people here to protect me? Other cops? I am a cop, Eli. I don’t need protection.” There’s no freaking way this is going to work for me. I’m not getting other cops to shadow me. A lot of us do it part time. It’s great money when the celebrities are in town. I’ve done it, and over my dead body will I become one of those.
“You have no idea what the hell crazy fans are like, I do. We do this my way, baby. No room for discussion, at least in the beginning. I have a bunch of off duty guys who will stay with me and some will stay with you.”
My eyes narrow. There are so many damn things to say to him, but the worry in his eyes makes me swallow every single one of them. He’s truly afraid and doing what he can to ease his own fears.
“We’ll talk later. Right now, you need to go.” I table the discussion.
His brow raises, but he doesn’t say anything. We both know what this means . . . one hell of an argument followed by some fantastic sex.
We exit the room, and I see a bunch of my squad leaning against the wall.
“Hey! Look who it is, our very own celebrity officer!” Whitman laughs and looks around.
“Look, it’s my over-aged security detail.” I smile. “I’ve missed you jackasses!”
And I have. I’ve been off work since Stephanie passed away, and I’ve been itching to get back on the road. This squad is part of my family. We may give each other a hard time, but I would literally take a bullet for them. They’re my brothers, and I don’t forget how lucky I am to have these kinds of people in my life.
Whitman and Vincenzo pull me in for a hug. “It’s good to see you with a smile.”
“Yeah, it’s all thanks to this guy. Boys, this is Eli Walsh.”
“Eli, this is Whitman and Vincenzo.” I point to each in turn. “They were who responded to your fall.”
“Oh, wow.” Eli shakes their hands. “Thank you, guys. I’m really grateful.”
“We’re glad we could help.” They both brush it off. And in all honesty, it’s our job. Being praised for doing what we took an oath to do is sometimes weird. I always feel awkward because I love it. I want to help others. I like the calls where I get to make a difference, and those two did so much—for Eli and for me.
“I’m glad Heather had someone she knew there to help,” Eli says and then kisses the side of my head.
Federico coughs, and I glare at him before finishing the introductions. “You know Brody. This dumbass is Federico, that’s Jones, and—” I stare in to the eyes of one man I didn’t think I’d see here. I don’t know why I never thought it was a possibility, but it’s happening. “My lieutenant, Matt Jamerson.”
“Nice to meet you guys.” Eli shakes all their hands and then wraps his arm around my waist when he reaches out to grab Matt’s hand. “I appreciate the help with the crowd.”
I look to Brody and purse my lips, using my mind to yell at him about not warning me. In a weird way, he seems to understand my internal screaming and has enough sense to look contrite.