Slenderman by CeeRee Fields (good novels to read TXT) 📗

“They think it’ll be okay since Lisa is here and Marta makes the meals. But they want to discuss it with you.” His voice shook at the end as if he was unsure of his welcome, but his eyes held the light of excitement.

Rhys understood. In any other situation, Evan would have been forced to live at home since he did not cope well with others and had a hard time sharing a room. But he and Rian meshed well, and Rhys and Rian had plenty of money to make sure the boys had what they needed to succeed. He also wouldn’t have to share a room with Rian since there were four bedrooms in the house. Each had been upgraded to include their own bathrooms when Rian moved out.

“Fair enough. I’ll call and set up a time Jo and I can talk to them.”

It warmed his heart when Jo laced their fingers together and said, “Just let me know, and I will get it on my calendar.”

This would be a significant change in their lives and to have her support for his brother. To let Rian feel independent as much as he could, made Rhys want to gather her in his arms and never let go. Instead, he brought her palm to his mouth and placed a kiss to it. She beamed, her pale blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

~ ~ ~

The dinner dishes were cleaned up, Rian and Evan had been whisked away by Lisa for their monthly gaming session at the library. Jo didn’t understand what all the game entailed, but the one time she went, it looked confusing having someone reading something from a piece of paper while others around the table responded based on dice rolls and their characters they’d designed in minute detail. She had no idea what spells of invisibility were, or regen spells to help heal a party. Sneaking up on assailants and how to knock them out in several ways without the use of a weapon-those were things she knew.

Luckily with Lisa in their lives, Jo didn’t need to understand the intricate details of Rian’s gaming activities at the library so he could connect with other people. Could socialize in a setting where he shined. Rian and Jo played the regular games where she could drive a little toadstool around a rainbow track and beat Rian some of the time.

The night air was cool, but between their coats and shared body heat, she and Rhys were toasty warm in the rope hammock nestled among the garden. Peace settled into her. It had been a rough few weeks with all their leads on the Slenderman case dead ending. On top of her regular caseload and her new duties as a lieutenant, she’d been swamped. No ringing phone pulled her attention. No teammate or partner yelled for her to come look at yet another crime scene. And no subordinates asked about the upcoming leave schedule.

She snuggled her head deeper into the hollow of Rhys’s throat. His ocean scent with a hint of mint spoke of home. “This hammock was the best idea ever.”

He hummed. The silence between them stretched, not uncomfortable. Instead, it was relaxing and filled with warmth. Jo cherished these moments the most, and she tried to never take them for granted. Quiet time with Rhys was as rare as a diamond these days. Between his schedule, her schedule, and Rian, the only time they connected was in bed.

Crickets called to each other in the garden while lightning bugs lit the evening sky, and they swung gently cradled together in their own safe cocoon.

“Are you sure you’re okay with Evan coming to live with us?” His voice a quiet rumble in his chest.

“If I’d have had any doubts, I’d have asked for us to talk about them, but if Lisa is okay with it and her friend helps, then I’m fine with it.”

“Are you fine with it though?”

Confused, Jo tipped her face so she could meet Rhys’s gaze. The gold of his eyes was burnished and cloudy as if there was a weight he didn’t know how to express. “Ask me what you want Rhys, and quit dancing around the subject.”

His muscled chest expanded under her as he took a deep breath. “You know Rian will be with us forever, right?”

“Yes.” Jo had no clue where this was going.

“I mean, we won’t take a spontaneous vacation to the beach when we both have a day free or take a road trip somewhere without him being included.” Rhys’s arm tightened around her after each point he made.

“Unless we clear it all first, I know this, hon.” She rubbed his chest, hating that the fabric of his t-shirt blocked her from his skin. “I’ve known this since we started dating, before we moved into together, and I knew it when you asked me to marry you. With my job and your upcoming job, we wouldn’t be taking spontaneous trips anyway.”

“It’s just. When Sharon left, it hurt, and she damaged Rian—”

“I’m not Sharon.” Offended, Jo tried to sit up only to have the hammock tip dangerously to the left. She slid back into Rhys’s arms but scowled at him. “I love Rian, and if you and I hadn’t worked out, I’d still come to hang with him. He’s a cool kid. But I’m in love with you, Rhys. I knew from our first date Rian would always be in our home, in our lives. And when we have kids, he will make an amazing uncle.”

“You want kids?”

Jo squirmed. “Not right away, but yeah, eventually.”

She hated Rhys’s ex was intruding into their lives again. It wasn’t enough the woman had walked out on Rhys because he refused to put Rian into a home, but then she came back and almost killed Rhys. As far as Jo was concerned, the woman should have been rotting away in a dank cell, but since Sharon had knowledge of a new group taking over the drug trade