Kaye fisted her hands on her hips. “Ronan, I swear to God-”
Ronan’s snort and giggle stopped Kaye’s impending tantrum in its tracks. “I’m kidding, Mother Grimm. This all looks wonderful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do you all want a chicken tortilla soup for tomorrow with corn and black beans?”
“No way!” Fitzgibbon said. “Donot, under any condition, give these two beans. They’ll kill us all. After I made chili for Sunday dinner two weeks ago, our office smelled like rotten burritos for three days. Jude blasts off like a trombone, but Ronan’s king of the silent, but deadly.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ronan said, mildly. “Do you, Jude?”
“Nope. Not a clue.” Jude waggled his eyebrows. “Tortilla soup would be great, Kaye. Thank you.”
“I’ll make my famous chocolate chip cookies. A batch for you boys and one for the kids. Is there anything else you need?” Kaye asked, eyeing the door.
“I could use a hug,” Ronan said, shooting Kaye a pitiful look.
“I’ll hug you from behind.” Kaye stood behind Ronan and set her hands on his shoulders. She patted him three times and did the same for Jude and Fitz. “I’m off, boys. Try to get some rest and above all else, be kind to each other. You’re still best friends and partners even if you’re all sick as dogs.” Kaye grinned at the detectives and headed for the door. Jude heard it open and then close behind her.
“Good call, Ronan,” Jude said. “We needed Kaye’s help more than I wanted to admit.”
“It really makes you see how important our husbands are to us, huh?” Ronan asked.
“They deserve so much better than the us dumbasses.” Jude’s voice cracked. A lone tear trickled down his face.
“I won’t survive if Ten leaves me.” Ronan wailed, burying his head in his hands.
Fitz snickered. His phone was pointed at the sobbing detectives. “Thanks, guys. I’ll just send this to your husbands.”
“Send what?” Ronan asked, picking his head up.
“The video of you two crying.” Fitz turned the phone around and played the video.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Jude reached for Fitz’s phone, but missed.
“I would dare!” Fitz grinned. “One wrong word out of either of your mouths and I send the video. One argument about what to watch on television and I send the video. If either of you wake me up, I send the video. Got it?”
“Blackmail,” Ronan and Jude said in sync.
“Blackmail is such an ugly word. Why don’t we call it a behavior deterrent?” Without waiting for an answer, Fitz dug into his soup with gusto. He alternated between bites of his crispy grilled cheese and a spoonful of chicken noodle soup.
Jude exchanged a knowing look with Ronan. Fitzgibbon had just declared war and Jude would be damned if he went down without a fight.
5
Ronan
Running Fevers and Sharing Secrets
After dinner, Ronan summoned up the energy to put their bowls and spoons into the dishwasher along with the soup pot and the frying pan Kaye used to make the sandwiches. He went to the freezer and grabbed a popsicle for everyone.
“Here you go,” Ronan handed Fitz his frozen treat and did the same with Jude, before settling himself in on the sofa. He wrapped up in his favorite blanket and peeled open the paper package. It hurt to swallow, but the melted sugar water soothed his throat.
“You need to turn up the heat,” Jude said, barely lifting his head from the pillow he was resting on. “I’m freezing my gorgeous ass off.”
Ronan was about to say that Jude’s ass could use a little freezing off, but thankfully, Fitz interrupted him.
“No,” Fitzgibbon said. “It’s stifling in here. We need to open a window or put on the air conditioner. Maybe fill the tub with ice.”
Getting up from the sofa, Ronan went to the bathroom and grabbed the thermometer and a bottle of Tylenol. He brought it back to Jude and rolled the tip over his forehead. “One hundred two point one. You’ve got a fever.” He repeated the procedure with Fitz. “One hundred one point four. You’ve got a fever too.”
