The minute the door opened, the pitter patter of little feet raced down the hallway. Grace first, followed by two-year-old Ricky.
"Auntie!" they cried in unison.
It happened to be Caleb's visitation weekend with his daughter, which didn't happen as often as she knew he'd would like. The kid's mother made his life a living hell, but her brother gave as good as he got in that regard, and in the end much to Karen's displeasure, he was given joint custody.
Tamara picked Grace up and swung her around. She hadn't seen her niece and nephew in what felt like forever. She'd been working four twelve hour shifts, 4 days on, three days off and vice versa.
Ricky clung to her leg. Putting Grace down, she picked him up and tickled his oh-so-addicting belly, earning her a round of giggles. He was the spitting image of her brother with his head full of black hair, and the mesmorizing grey eyes that were one day going to dazzle a lady.
Once she finished greeting the kids, she turned to Maria. "God, girl, what are you packing in that belly of yours?"
She never expected her brother to get married, let alone marry a bookworm. He'd seemed too wrapped up in BDSM world to be interested. A world he thought no one else knew about, but she knew. He couldn't hide things from her.
Tamara knew the world as well as he did. She just never said anything and didn't bother participating in his group. Hers was more of an online community. The only meetings that took place were of two people, the rest were faceless and nameless, unless you chose to hookup.
Maria placed a hand on her large round belly, smiling. "Blame it on your brother. He seems to like me bare foot and pregnant."
"Speaking of which, where is my meathead of a brother?"
"Him and your dad went out to buy a Christmas tree."
Carting Ricky over her shoulder, Tamara plunked him down on the couch, making him giggle again. "Dad actually managed to get him out this year?"
"Again," Ricky cried, holding his little arms up. "Again."
"Now you've done it," Maria said, shaking her head as a wicked grin spread across her face. "Once he gets going, he won't stop."
Tamara didn't mind. She'd be going home after dinner, and her brother could deal with the kids excess energy afterwards-the joys of being an aunt. She chuckled under her breath as she picked him up again, carefully tossing him back on the couch.
She'd thought about having kids, but that meant getting involved and after what happened with her superior officer and her last boyfriend, well, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Her plans were only to have the odd hook-up to satisfy her needs.
Carla, her best friend, was the only person in her life that understood why she didn't care about getting married. Everyone else thought she was being petty and picky. What else did they expect when her last serious boyfriend, Harley, wound up in jail for trying to kill her brother?
Seriously, wasn't that enough to show everyone that her judgment of men was skewed? Hitching the kid on her hip, Tamara asked, "Where's Mom?
"She's in the kitchen, fighting with the turkey."
They had all decided to gather at her Mom and Dad's house one final time before it was sold. Her parents were downsizing into a three bedroom apartment. The house was beginning to be too much for her mom to handle.
It was hard to believe that they were going to be losing their childhood home. There were many fond memories that existed inside these walls. Despite not living at the house, it was comforting knowing that her parents were still living here, and her room is as it always had been. They probably kept it the same because they thought she'd be back like before. Unlike her brother who left at Nineteen and never moved back, she was the yo-yo. Always coming back after a relationship didn't work out. That's what happened after moving in with two guys far too quickly. Neither time worked out as she'd planned.
Now, she and Caleb were 30. Thanks to their birthday at the turn of the Autumn season. Their lives were all changing, except hers. It took her a bit to come to terms with that, but she was finally comfortable in her little rut. If her Grandmother could handle not having a husband for 40 years, then so could she.
"Did you bring anything for us, Auntie," Grace asked, wrapping her arms around Tamara's waist.
Ricky kicked his sister. "My auntie."
Grace slapped his leg, earning her a stern talking to from Maria. Tamara felt it best to leave the two of them be and took the toddler into the kitchen with him bouncing gleefully on her hip.
Her mother looked up from the open oven as she slid the turkey back inside. "Hi dear, I didn't hear you come in."
"Is there anything I can help with?" Tamara asked.
"You look like you have your hands full already," she said, pointing the turkey baster at her grandson, her eyes glowing with love. Betsy put the baster on the counter and reached up to tighten her grey ponytail and then rubbed her low back. "Don't ever get old. It's nasty."
"See, that's why I offered to help."
Her mom waved her off. "It's nothing I can't handle."
Upon hearing footsteps coming down the hallway, she turned and spotted her boss coming towards then. Great, just what she wanted to do. Sit and have dinner with the man who denied her the promotion.
"What's he doing here, Mom?" she hissed between her teeth.
Betsy washed her hands and dried them, refusing to look at Tamara. "Your father invited him."
Tamara's eyes narrowed as she studied her mom. There was a secret lingering in those brown eyes of hers and it created an uneasy feeling in her gut. Betsy slipped past her and went to greet their latest guest.
"Happy you could make it, Dale," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
"Wouldn't miss this for the world," he replied, hugging her back as he gave Tamara a head nod.
"Captain," she greeted, her voice cold as ice.
He was the last man that she wanted to see, let alone have dinner with. Captain Dale Collins should have taken her word for what happened and he didn't. Stupid internal politics had him kissing Abraham's butt. She understood that his family had funded a new division in the office, but when a man was wrong, he was wrong.
"I think I've changed my mind about dinner." She placed her nephew in the playpen and brushed past Dale, clipping his shoulder on the way by. "Excuse me."
"Honey, don't be ridiculous," her mother said sternly, taking her by the arm.
Tamara spun around, fire flaming in her eyes. "How could you even let him into the house after what happened?"
"He's a family friend."
"As if! A friend would have stuck up for me."
When Betsy went to open her mouth again, Dale placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "You're right, Tammy, but it's not as easy as that."
"Yes it is. Why didn't you fire his ass?"
"You're a cop, a good one," the man said confidently. "So, I think even you know the answer to that."
She did, and she despised it. The law says that one is innocent until proven guilty. And regardless of what she experienced, there was no proof that he did what she said. The only evidence that existed from their evening together was the black eye she'd given him, and the lies another woman told against her.
"If it were up to me, I'd lock him up, but you know we can't do that." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "But one of these days, he'll get caught, and I'll book him myself."
In the meantime, she was on paid leave for another two weeks, and honestly she'd rather be working. She hated time off. It gave her too much time to think about everything. "You could have kept me working you know."
"I think you, more than anyone, needed a break. You haven't taken any time off since you came to work for us five years ago."
"If I wanted a break, I would have taken one," she snapped.
"All the more reason to have a break. you're a work-a-holic." He stepped backwards and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"He's right, dear. You've been looking a little thin lately."
"Mom, don't you start."
Tamara walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. Popping the top, she took a long drink. God, she couldn't wait for her brother to get home, and then they could lavish some attention on him for a change.
She liked it better when they gave him all the attention and left her to her own devices, but now that he'd gotten married, most of the concern fell on her as the one to marry off next.
"I'm sure Dale would like a beer," her mom suggested.
He nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Grumbling, she pulled out another can and tossed it to him. As he went to open it, it fizzed out the top, landing on his clothes. Tamara smirked as she leaned against the fridge, only to have her mom whack her on the shoulder with a dish towel.
"What?" she asked, trying to stifle a chuckle. "I gave him a beer."
"What am I going to do with you?" Betsy shook her head, wagging a finger at her. "Dale, I'll go see if I can find a pair of pants for you to change into. And you, my darling daughter, behave yourself."
"Always, Mom. You know me," Tamara said in a sickeningly sweet voice.
"Be on your toes, Dale. This child's a tricky one."
He nodded at Betsy as she left the room. Dale was an older man with three children of his own, all grown now. He'd become a friend of their family long before she joined the precinct. To be honest, he was the only one in the precinct who wanted to take her on and was the first of many women to join the team.
Tamara turned away from him and stared out the kitchen window, trying to reign in her temper. She really didn't want to spend the evening sitting across the table from him. He may be the reason she was on the team, but he was also the one who had the power to grant her the promotion.
"Tam, I'm really sorry."
She turned and leaned against the counter, glaring at him. "I worked my damn tail off for that promotion and you know it!"
"Your time will come, just let things cool off for a bit."
"I still don't see why I got suspended and he didn't. Does he have his hands in everyone's pants?"
The man's eyes clouded over slightly and he sighed, his fingers curling around his beer. "You know as well as anyone that if I could throw that man out on his ass I would. I've never liked the guy."
"Are you sure I can't come back sooner?"
He took a sip of his drink and then leaned back in his chair. "I think this time away will be good for you, and I won't let the suspension affect your future. But, you need time to relax, cool off. You're wound up tighter than a slinky."
Tamara plopped her butt on the kitchen chair, frowning. "I don't want time off. I never know what to do with myself."
"Precisely my point. You are still young, hun, you need to live a little. Find a man and settle down."
"Don't you get in on the matching making, too, please. I get enough of that baloney from my family." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Sorry. I do think they are right though. You can't let some meatheads turn you off love forever."
"I don't see your wife joining us today," she replied in a snarky tone.
The tips of his ears turned red and his jaw tightened as he looked away from her. And Tamara instantly felt bad. She knew it was a sore spot because his wife recently left him for some unknown reason to her. She didn't know why she was egging him on. Nothing good would come from it.
Reaching across the table, she placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Dale. My mouth gets away on me sometimes."
Truth was, she wasn't comfortable talking about love and marriage. She had thought she was going to marry Harley, until he turned out to be a cheating, murderous bastard. Nothing ever turned out right for her in that department, so best not to try at all she surmised.
Maybe a vacation would do her good. Travel somewhere to get her mind off everything and everyone.
He patted her hand, letting her know he accepted her apology. "I just want what is best for you. You're an incredible person, Tammy. You deserve the best."
"Thanks, Dale."
It wasn't long before her mother returned with a pair of pants, and her brother and Father walked in the front door with a large Colorado Blue Spruce tree for their high ceiling living room. Family tradition always had them setting up a tree on December 14th. It marked the day they first celebrated Grace's birthday after they found out about her.
Gathering in the Living room, they all took turns putting decorations on the tree with Grace putting the family's star on the top with Sylvester's help. Tamara watched her brother as he sat next to Maria after the tree was finished.
He had a glow on his face that told her how happy he was with his life, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He'd become the golden boy of the family while she'd turned into the black sheep. But she still loved him to no end and was glad that life turned out his way for a change, especially after the journey the two of them took to get to where they were now.
After her mom handed out hot apple cider to everyone-a lovely contrast to the snow covered ground outside-they gathered around the fire in silence. It would seem no one wanted to speak first as they stared at a bright red envelope on the coffee table. The only sound was Ricky bouncing happily in the playpen that was pulled in from the kitchen. Excitedly playing with a new toy that Dale brought him.
"Okay, what's going on?" Tamara asked, eyeing each one of them. "Who's that envelope for?"
Her Dad, Leonardo, leaned over and pushed the card in her direction. "This is from all of us to you."
Curious, she picked it up. "Why are you giving it to me now? It's not Christmas yet."
Her mother smiled, excitement flitting in her eyes. "We know, but it can't wait."
Oh God. Please don't let it be a blind date or something.
Tamara opened it up and pulled out a piece of paper. Scanning the contents quickly, she grimaced.
"Oh, hell no."