Lee still seemed sceptical, but he gave me a small smile anyway, his hands lowering to cup my arse as he whispered, “Maybe having you around’s been a good influence.”

I pressed a kiss to his lips before drawing away. After all, there were half a dozen staff milling about, and PDAs weren’t my thing. I lifted a cracker spread with cream cheese smoked salmon off a tray and shoved it in my mouth. Lee gave me a playful smack on the bottom and told me to stop picking at his finger foods. Just as I rubbed away the sting, threatening to get him back, Liam walked into the kitchen.

“Well, well, well, aren’t you full of surprises,” Lee announced loudly at the sight of his younger brother. “Thinking of joining the coppers. Our dear old granddad would be turning in his grave. You know mum’s old man was a black marketer back in the day.”

Liam shot me an exasperated look. “You didn’t have to run right off and tell him.”

“What?” I said, already shoving another cracker into my mouth. “I was excited.”

He sighed and turned to Lee. “And why the fuck would I give a shit about some old geezer I’ve never met?”

“Because you’re making a change, cleaning up the Cross name,” Lee replied, slipping his arm around my waist and preventing me from eating any more of his finger foods. “Hey, who’d have thought the coppers’d be the new family business?”

I grinned and stuck out my tongue. “You should be thanking me for the improvement. And I’m not family yet.”

Lee barked a laugh. “Yet being the operative word. I’ll have a ring on that finger before the year is out.”

I gaped at him but couldn’t help the smile that spread from ear to ear. “Shut up.”

“Make me,” he purred, capturing my lips in another kiss.

Liam groaned and left the kitchen, not wanting to witness any more of our smug coupledom.

***

Lee stood across the street from the police station, his arms folded as he leaned against his parked car, waiting for me. I got a warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy as I walked across to him and he pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my temple. It was nice having a boyfriend to pick me up after a long day on the job.

“Hey,” he said, pressing his face into my hair and inhaling deeply.

“Ugh, please don’t smell me right now. I had to chase down a mugger earlier, and I stink.”

“You smell amazing,” he countered huskily. “And you’re a sergeant now. Let the others do the grunt work….”

“Ah, but you’ve gone straight. I have to find my excitement somewhere.”

Lee chuckled and ran a thumb across my lower lip. “I’ll give you excitement, you cheeky little minx.”

His laughter died when his attention snagged on something just behind us. I sensed my dad’s presence before I even turned around, my skin prickling when he said my name. “Karla.”

I stepped out of Lee’s arms and turned to face him, his frown and thick, narrowed eyebrows signalling his disapproval. I didn’t necessarily need to be doing anything bad; he just disapproved of me in general.

“Dad,” I said firmly as I stood up straight.

He was studying Lee, his face stern with concentration as he tried to figure out how he knew him. Lee and my dad had had a small few run-ins over the years, plus Dad had pictures of him from the McGregor investigation. Still, Lee’s hair had grown out and he wore a trim, fitted shirt, a suit jacket, and slacks. He dressed like that on days when he was in business mode, so he didn’t look the way Dad was used to seeing him. I swear, it was crazy the things a suit could do to blind people. Though in this case Lee was a retired wolf in sheep’s clothing. Dad’s attention came back to me as he cleared his throat.

“I heard you passed your sergeant’s exam,” he said.

He wouldn’t be giving me any “congratulations” or “well done” hugs. God forbid he show some actual emotion. However, the fact that he’d approached me at all was out of character. Dad was the kind of man who waited for you to come to him; otherwise, he’d lose his sense of importance.

“I did.”

“At least now you won’t be in the trenches,” he said cynically.

And there it was. I knew he couldn’t keep up the good behaviour for very long.

A silence fell, and Lee slid his fingers into mine as a show of support. I didn’t really hate my dad, but I knew I didn’t love him, either. I felt a strange sort of disconnection, and it was kind of sad, but that’s how it would always be between us.

Dad’s attention returned to Lee. “I supposed this is your young man.”

“Very pleased to meet you, Superintendent Sheehan.” Lee smiled widely and reached forward to shake his hand. I could tell he was getting a real kick out of this.

“Likewise,” said Dad. “Karla, it’d please your mother greatly if the two of you came for dinner this Sunday.”

“Oh, sure,” I said, trying not to simultaneously stutter and choke on my own restrained laughter. “We’ll try our best to make it.” The fact that he didn’t recognise Lee was too hilarious for words. If Dad knew who he was really inviting over for dinner, he’d probably turn around and vomit all over his shiny brown leather shoes.

“Good. I’ll let her know,” he said before tipping his hat to us and turning to walk away. Before he could complete the turn, he twisted back, eyes on Lee. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch your name.”