ARRESTED: A Stepbrother Cop Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

always have someone to play with. Not that I minded growing up an only
child. Being the only kid in the house had its advantages.
    "Tell me about my new stepbrother."
    "He's following in his father's footsteps. He's also
a police officer."
    Two police officers in the soon-to-be family.
    "Interesting. Does he like being a cop?"
    "They both love it. You can ask them all about it
tomorrow at dinner."
    "Tomorrow?"
    "Yes, if you can make it. Jeff wants to meet you and
make it all official and I really want you meet his son too. Can you make
it?"
    Fresh panic sets in. I’ve got enough on my plate right
now without having to play happy families. What if I don't like them? What if they
don't like me? This could be a disaster.
    I take another sip of my Americano, draining the rest of
it. Suddenly I need more caffeine and maybe a little sugar now. All I want is
for my mom to be happy. At least one of us should have that luxury. She's been
through a lot in her life and deserves something good for a change. Silently I
vow to be on my best behavior tomorrow. If my mom loves him, he can't be
horrible.
    She reaches over and pats my hand. "Relax, sweetie.
It's just dinner. A chance for us all to get to know each other better. Jeff
will love you. And you'll love him."
    I hope she's right. At least his son will be there,
someone closer to my own age who I can commiserate with while our parents make
goo-goo eyes at each other. The more I think about the two-parents-two
kids-dynamic, the more I like the idea. I'm looking forward to meeting Cory.
Having a stepbrother might be fun. Having someone else to trust, someone to
talk to might be good for me.
    "Okay, sure. Dinner tomorrow sounds great."
    "Wonderful!"
    She snatches the phone from the table and her fingers fly
over the screen as she types a message. A few seconds later it buzzes with a
response.
    "Jeff can't wait to meet you," she says
beaming.
    "Tell him I can't wait to meet him either."
    She types in the message and her posture relaxes. She's
no longer fidgeting. A glow takes over her face and I smile despite the nerves
knotting my stomach.
    I'm always looking for an excuse to go shopping and a new
insta-family is a perfect reason. As soon as we’re done with coffee I'll stop
by those shops and get those shoes and that skirt. Anything to help make a good
first impression.
    Somehow it will all work out. And I get a stepbrother.
What could be wrong with that?

 
 

5
    CORY

 
    I’m at Hudson’s bar
on Fourth. I arranged to meet Simons, my partner in all things law enforcement,
for a beer. It’s been a shitty week overall, and I need to blow off some steam.
I order us both a drink and we take a seat at the bar, watching the sports news
that’s playing on a flat-screen in the corner.
                “Why
the fuck did you pick this place?” Simons asks.
    It’s a good question. The bar’s a dive,
with sticky floors and a pervading smell of the toilets wafting from the back.
The men in here are definitely not our usual crowd. I’m wearing a baseball cap
pulled down low to avoid the risk of being recognized. I’m sure I’ve arrested
at least one of the guys in here.
                “Wanted
a change of scene.”
    Simons looks at me suspiciously. He knows
I’m a creature of habit. In most towns, the cops have their haunts. Ours is
across town. The thing is, it does get a bit tired when you constantly see the
same people and hear the same shit, day in, day out. That’s not the reason we
are here, though.
                Mr.
Douchebag, Jackson’s fucking asshole father, is the reason we’re here. If I
told Simons that, though, he’d flip out. We’re off duty and I’ve got no
business trying to hunt down perps out of official time.
                I
glance over my shoulder, taking a swig of cold beer, scanning the crowd.
There’s no one that I can see who looks like the idiot in the wedding picture.
                “This
place