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“Hell, yes,” Mike responded immediately. “Joe is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“And are you going to make some babies for us?” Uncle Shim questioned pointedly.
Mike threw back his head and laughed. “Well, Joe and I haven’t exactly talked about it yet, but I’m willing. Although I already have two teenagers,” he warned.
There was a noise cracking through the air that sounded distinctly like a high five.
“Yes!” Shim exulted. “Two ready-made grandchildren, no waiting, and more to come. I’d say that’s damned fine news.”
Joe glanced over at Mike with her mouth hanging open, and saw that he was dead serious. Tears sprung to her eyes as an unprecedented happiness bubbled up inside her.
Really, she mouthed.
Mike’s eyes were alight as he nodded, then held up two fingers while quirking a questioning brow.
He wanted two kids with her? Joe didn’t know whether to crow or bawl. She leaned forward and kissed those raised digits, spilling a little moisture onto his hand as she did. He gently brushed her tears away.
Damn. She never thought she’d?—
“All well and fine,” Uncle Drew’s voice barked. “But, Little Joe, what kind of man is he? Is he smart enough and tough enough to take you on? Can he support you?”
Joe spluttered. She should have been ready for the third degree.
Before she could get a single word to her lips, Drew started up again.
“Mike, how about you answer that one?”
Joe shrugged apologetically to Mike. She hadn’t expected her patriarchs to put him on the spot so fast.
Mike didn’t look fazed in the least. “I love everything about Joe, including her propensity to get bossy.”
Joe slapped him on the chest, but couldn’t keep her lips from twitching upward.
“And here’s my bio, in a nutshell. My name is Mike Carlese. I’m well established here in Orono, Maine where I grew up. I have a house that I own outright, and, as I mentioned before, two teenage offspring, Addilynn and Tim, who, by the way, love Joe as much as I do.
“I’m a lieutenant with the Bangor Police Department, and second in command of our local Downeast SWAT team. I can give you the names of my bosses if you’re looking for references, but understand it’s not gonna change anything. Joe is mine now, and with all due respect, even if you don’t like what you find, she’s not leaving,” he ended.
“Good answer,” Uncle Drew replied. “But here’s some straight talk from me. Now that we have your name, we’ll be looking into you.”
Joelle huffed. “Seriously Uncles? You can’t trust my judgement on this one?”
“After you wasted so much time working for that asshat, Lester?” Drew rebutted. “We’re not leaving anything to chance.”
Mike was now looking at her, grinning like crazy. Apparently, he liked her overprotective uncles.
“Fine,” she eventually responded, attempting to keep the amusement out of her voice. “But I’m not ditching him, no matter what bullshit dossier you come up with,” she groused.
“Wait? Is that our girl? Swearing again? I thought I heard some cussing out of you earlier,” Drew exclaimed. “Halleluia. Your dickhead boss didn’t spoil you for life.”
Joe chuckled, because what else could she do? And Mike wasn’t helping; his amusement turning to possessiveness over the words exchanged. As if to stake his claim, he brushed the robe off her legs, drawing circles on her thigh, inching ever closer to where she—desperately—wanted him again with a fierceness that defied the orgasms they’d already shared.
“Listen, Uncles,” she managed to rasp out. “I have to go. Something’s…come up.”
Way up, if the front of Mike’s sweats didn’t lie.
“Hah. Fine,” Shim agreed, sounding cheeky. “But before you jump your young man, Little Joe, tell us when are you coming to visit?”
EPILOGUE