Josie raises a brow. "You want to go through cross-ex with Tillie? She looks sweet, but the girl has a brutal line of questioning, trust me."
"I'm ready for it. Do your worst, Tillie."
“Are you really, really, really sorry and do you promise never to make Josie cry again?”
“I am really, really, really sorry. I hate to admit it, but if you give me another chance, Jos, I’ll probably bring tears to those pretty brown eyes at some point. But I promise to wipe them away and be careful with your heart.”
“Hmmm…” Tillie says, tapping her chin. “Not bad. Ok, how do you feel about cats?”
This is a tough one. It could go either way, but I trust my gut. “Love ‘em.” It’s clearly the right answer because Iris smiles and gives me a thumbs-up.
Tillie’s not done. “Do you think we should get a pool?”
“Uh…honestly, I think if you’ve got that kind of space in your backyard, you should set up an ice rink. My buddy’s friends did it for his birthday and I heard it was awesome.”
Zane looks up from his snack and I swear I get a smile.
“Your Honor,” Tillie says, looking at Iris, “We are finished with the witness.”
Iris smacks the gavel against an end table because it seems to be her new favorite thing to do. “Do you have any last statements?” she asks.
“First, I want to say that I’m sorry, Jos, for breaking your heart and mine. In my fu—messed up brain, I thought I was protecting both of us from heartache down the road. But that was my insecurity talking. You have all the faith in the world in me, so maybe I should have some more in myself. But most importantly, I promise to do better. If you trust me with your heart again, I will treat it like the gift it is.”
She walks over to me and finishes untying me then points to the crutches that are less than a foot away, leaning against the wall. My keys, phone, and wallet have all magically reappeared, too.
I don’t want any of that stuff right now, though. Reaching up, I pull Josie into my lap, careful to shift her onto my right leg. Cupping her face, I trace her jaw and press my lips to hers.
"I love you, Josie Reynolds. I have for a really long time. Three years, three months, nine days, and sixteen hours, if you want to be precise."
She starts to kiss me back, but Milo interrupts. “Do you agree to be responsible for the prisoner if the court releases him into your custody?”
"Absolutely," she says, kissing me soundly.
Milo whines about how gross it is, Zane tells us to cool it because there are children present, and Levi just laughs before starting to herd the kids out into the snow. I’m grateful for the time alone, but I don’t think we’ll have much of it.
Levi pulls me in for a bro-hug. “Welcome to Crazytown, Van. And just so you know, Iris's longest record for playing in the snow is 14 minutes."
"Yeah," Milo agrees. "So finish up with the kissy face business and then make some hot cocoa.” A second later, his face is back. “Please.”
The kids get bundled up and troop out the door and finally I’m in a place I thought I’d never be again—alone with Josie.
Our kisses are frantic and though I don’t have a ton of mobility in my leg, my arms are working just fine. I run my hands over Josie’s body before slipping one under her sweater. Thank god for no-bra days. Things are just getting good when Josie pulls back.
"Levi wasn't kidding. Iris is tough as nails in a living room court of law, but she's a total wimp when it comes to cold temps. We should make some hot cocoa for when they come back in."
I stand and take my crutches before following Josie into the kitchen.
“I’m afraid to ask, but is there any update about your knee?” She asks, pouring milk into a pan and turning on the burner.
"I want to talk to you about all of it—my knee, my future, our future...Jos, I meant what I said out there. I love you. I probably shouldn't have stopped by unannounced, but...I was half afraid you'd refuse to see me, and with good reason."
"Bet you didn't plan on getting roped into a court appearance, literally."
"It was worth it."
Josie smiles as the door opens and the herd comes back in, tracking snow everywhere. "Whoa, you know better. Leave your stuff in the mudroom, then come back to wash up and set the table," she tells the little ones. "Set an extra spot. And make it actually at the table, got it? I know the way you three work, and I want to be clear. Van is my boyfriend and he's welcome here. He's also injured, so no booby traps. And don't think about setting his plate down next to the cat’s bowl, ok?"
Milo rolls his eyes, and Tillie nods. "I'm watching you," Iris warns and Van smiles.
