Mike’s lips were twitching as he began to move away from the girls but as he did he noticed Audrey’s face pale and she quickly looked down to her feet. She’d heard.

He’d never seen that kind of reaction from Audrey and that unsettled him too. Maybe she was learning. Then again, maybe she was trying to learn then she’d fail to do it. He was used to that. He just hoped his kids didn’t get chewed up in whatever she was attempting to do with her life.

He hit Dusty and wrapped an arm around her shoulders at the exact same time No wandered into the room followed by Fin.

Dusty straightened at his side and the vibe in the whole roomed changed.

His daughter was beautiful, her friends pretty and his son was popular. Therefore, although this wasn’t a kegger and adults were visible, the room was packed and it included cheerleaders, basketball and football players and a spectrum of ages from freshman to junior.

Fin clearly upped the coolness factor of the party significantly.

Mike did not, until that moment, know The ‘Burg’s high school hierarchy. But at that moment he knew Finley Holliday, even as a junior, reigned as king.

And his eyes going directly to Reesee then his feet taking him there meant he’d just declared in front of thirty plus kids who he intended to make his queen.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath and heard Dusty chuckle but he didn’t take his eyes off his daughter who tipped her head back and he saw her lips form the word, “Hey,” to which Fin’s lips formed the word, “Hey,” back. Then Fin reached out and grabbed his girl’s hand for a quick squeeze before he let it go.

Christ, no crowns were in evidence but still Mike knew Fin just performed a coronation.

“Teenage girls down,” Dusty muttered and Mike tore his eyes from the scene to look at the girls who’d been whispering about Dusty. Their gazes were glued to Fin and Reesee, they were heated, their faces were flushed and it looked like they were only just able to stop from fanning themselves.

“Fuck,” Mike repeated on another mutter and got another chuckle from Dusty.

For some reason, he then glanced at Audrey to see her watching her daughter and Fin with thoughtful eyes. She didn’t look ticked. She didn’t look pleased. She didn’t look curious. She just looked reflective.

He had no idea what that meant and luckily Merry sauntered up with Rocky and took his mind off it.

Five minutes later, Audrey waded in to say good-bye to her kids and only glanced at Mike still holding Dusty to his side with his arm around her shoulders before she took off.

Fifteen minutes later, Rocky and Merry took off.

Twenty minutes later, the caravan of cars started to pick up the kids who couldn’t drive.

Half an hour after that, the rest with cars had left except the two friends of No’s who were in his band. They were up in his room playing and because they were good, it sounded good.

Rocky and Dusty had kept the mess to a minimum and even after Rocky left and while the kids wandered away, Dusty kept at it.

So in the end, he had a clean house save for decorations and a serious need to vacuum. He had rock music coming from upstairs. He had his woman tucked into his side on his couch downstairs. And he had his mind on the deck where Fin and Reesee had disappeared five minutes ago wearing their jackets.

“He’s not going to try even for first base with badass ‘Burg cop Mike Haines in the next room,” Dusty whispered in his ear and he turned his head and focused on her.

“He better not,” Mike replied.

“He won’t,” she told him.

Mike sighed.

Then they heard Fin’s deep laughter drifting in from outside and Dusty went completely still at his side.

He stared at her face which was frozen in shock.

“What?” he asked and her eyes drifted to him.

“Fin doesn’t laugh all the time. But he laughs.”

“So, he laughed,” Mike noted.

“Fin doesn’t laugh all the time. But he laughs. And Mom told me Fin has not had a light moment, not one that she noticed before she left, since his Dad died.”

Mike stared at her feeling this deep. He felt it as the man who tried to get Darrin Holliday’s heart pumping while his sons looked on. He felt it as a father. And he felt it as a father who was also a cop.

“Your girl just earned herself another kickass leather bracelet,” Dusty declared.

That was when Mike burst out laughing.

*

“What?” Fin, sitting out in the cold, dark night beside Clarisse on a deck chair, asked and she focused on him.

“Dad’s laughing,” she answered.

“What?” Fin repeated.

“Dad’s laughing.”

“So?”

“Dad doesn’t laugh all the time. But he laughs.”

“Yeah and he just laughed.”

“Dad doesn’t laugh all the time,” she repeated. “But he laughs and not like that.”

“What was that like?” Fin asked then he felt something weird in his chest when Clarisse smiled, straight out, big, right in his face and he’d always thought she wasn’t pretty.

But he was wrong.

She was beautiful. And it wasn’t her face made up like it was that day so she looked like an actual model.

She was just beautiful.

Then she answered in that kickass soft voice of hers, but this time it was different.

It was happy.

“Like he’s happy.”

God, he wanted to kiss her. He really wanted to kiss her.

And she turned fifteen yesterday. She was now totally in the zone where he could kiss her.

He didn’t kiss her.

Instead, he asked, “You wanna go out?”

She tipped her head to the side, “Go out?”

Shit, Clarisse Haines, totally cool. She was a freshman but she had it going on way more than any other girl, even the three seniors he’d been out with. Hanging back most of the time, making him come to her. Being all quiet and mysterious, not talking his ear off all the f**king time. Making an approach just enough times so he knew she was interested but not enough that she seemed to be gagging for it. Letting him make the moves, play his plays, giving back just enough to keep him interested but not really giving anything away.

Except this afternoon. This afternoon she was different. Twice, she grabbed his hand and held on. It was only for a few seconds but she did it. And she was meeting his eyes when he talked like she really gave a shit what he had to say. Like it meant something to her. Like she didn’t want him to quit talking. And she talked more too, telling him about her day with his Aunt Dusty and how cool she thought she was.