Riley rolled her eyes. “You got a grandson out of this, and I’m happy. A ring isn’t going to change anything.”
“We’re going to take this little guy swimming.” Her mother ruffled Seth’s hair.
“Okay. I’ll join you.” With the weather a little warmer there were so many more activities available to exhaust her energetic toddler.
They passed the afternoon swimming, blowing bubbles, and playing fetch with her parents’ Golden Retriever, Chase. The evening wound down with hot dogs and BBQ grilled veggies for dinner. After changing Seth into his sleeper, Riley read him a few stories on the patio swing as the heat from the day seeped away bringing dusk in its wake.
Seth fell asleep in her arms, but she let her father carry him up to the bed they’d set up in the room next to theirs. Riley tucked her feet beneath her and gazed out at the backyard where she’d spent so many summer days as a teenager.
Her life had changed so much since then. Heath used to ignore her as much as possible, dismissing her crush because he deemed her off-limits. Now they had a son together. The wave in Seth’s hair resembled Heath’s, but his brown eyes came from her. His stubbornness? Well, Riley knew they both contributed to that.
Riley rested her hand over her stomach. Soon they’d be adding to their family, not that anyone else knew. Not even Heath.
Two weeks ago, she’d left Seth with her parents and escaped back to her townhouse to grab a few things. She’d claimed she was going for a few forgotten clothing items, but really, she just wanted the pregnancy test from beneath her bathroom sink. When she’d discovered she was pregnant with Seth she’d bought a two pack of tests. Luckily the second test didn’t expire for another couple of months.
She and Heath had talked about expanding their family, but hadn’t made any definitive plans, they’d just stopped being careful.
After tucking it in the trash she’d taken the bag out to the garage so Heath wouldn’t see it. Now she had to figure out how to tell him. And when. Those were two questions she hadn’t bothered to address when he’d knocked her up the first time, when she’d kept her pregnancy a secret.
“You want to watch a movie with us tonight?” Riley’s mother asked, dragging her from her musings.
“No thanks. I’ve got some sewing to do.” Despite her work being closed, Riley kept busy by starting up her own little sewing business. She’d managed to make a bit of pocket change designing car seat ponchos for kids, bibs, and a few other items. Though now she mainly focused on masks, some for sale, but most were donated to hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.
A few minutes later Riley headed upstairs with a tea in one hand and a big bowl of popcorn in the other. She flicked on the baby monitor and got to work.
Riley stood and stretched her shoulders before tossing the last mask into the pile beside her sewing machine. When Heath periodically dropped off supplies to them, he’d pick up whatever masks she had ready and deliver them. Her current batch was destined for a local nursing home.
After packing up her supplies she perched on the edge of her bed and stroked the cat’s head until her phone rang, surprising them both. Sage jumped up from the bed and left the room.
Riley rushed to pull her phone from her pocket. A wide smile crossed her face when she saw Heath’s name and picture on the screen. “Hey.”
“Hey, babe.” His warm voice came through the receiver.
“Saw your picture today.”
“What picture?”
“At the protest.”
“Oh, yeah.” That was just like him. He didn’t want any of the glory for his good deeds. He just wanted to do his job and make a positive impact.
Once, when they were lying in bed one night shortly after Seth was born, she’d asked him why he decided to become a cop. He’d rejected the idea of being a youth counselor, claiming he wanted something more physically demanding. But more importantly, he wanted to be a bigger part of the community. After growing up in foster care he needed to make a difference on the system, repairing whatever he could, because according to his experience, it was severely broken.
Yet as a police officer he’d seen even more crap. COVID-19 probably didn’t help. Sure, it brought out the best in communities, people rallying together to help those less fortunate, checking on elderly neighbours, or hosting drive-by celebrations for those missing milestones. But it also brought out the dark side. Anxiety and paranoia ran rampant, and she hated the thought of Heath out there, defending peace and justice and good in a world with so much bitterness and hate.
Heath interrupted the gloomy path her thoughts were taking. “How’s my boy?”
“Seth is doing good. Loving all the extra grandparent time, and swimming and playing with Chase. I’m thinking about trying to start potty training this weekend.”
Heath chuckled. “You said that last weekend.”
“Hey, you’re not here to help me!”
“Dodging a bullet, I guess.” The first time they’d tried to potty train Seth, it hadn’t gone well. Now he refused to sit on the potty. But Riley wanted him trained before his little brother or sister came along. “Damn, I miss you guys.”
“We miss you too. More than you can imagine.”
“Oh, I know just how much. It’s hell not being able to hug him, and not being able to kiss you.” There was a long pause. “Fuck, I miss you Riley.”
Tears sprung into her eyes. “Me too.”
“What do you say to a little video chat?”
“Yes! I’d love to see you.” She hurried to where her iPad lay.
“I’m going to send you a link to a private message chat, along with a password.”
“Um, okay.” She paused partway through putting in her passcode. “Why?”
“Because the dirty things I’m going to make you do need a more secure venue.”
Uncertain, she wavered. “Um, Heath?”
“Trust me, Riley. You’ll love it.”
“Okay.” Her agreement was quiet.
A few moments later a window opened, and Heath showed up on her screen, his chest bare, water droplets clinging to his hair. “There’s my woman.”
Riley blushed. A few years ago, he wouldn’t admit to liking her, and now he wouldn’t let her forget that they belonged together. “Did you just get out of the shower?”
“I did. You want me to flash you the goods?” His grin was wicked. He set his screen down and reclined on his side on the bed. She didn’t get a chance to see anything too naughty, but those sexy abs and the distinct V of his hips had her swallowing a sudden mouthful of saliva.
Ignoring his naughty question, she told him, “I’ve got a batch of masks for you to pick up tomorrow, or whenever.”
“Riley,” his voice was soft but firm, making her lady bits take notice. “Take the shirt off.”
There were multiple reasons why she hesitated at his request. “It’s video though.”
“It’s secure.” Heath rhymed off a bunch of technical jumbo. Riley caught the words encryption protocol and VPN, but the rest was just a mix of geek jargon, at least to her ears. He was missing the real issue though.