“Oh, and Brick?”

He paused, hat halfway to his head. “Yeah?”

“I don’t like to give my cops or my daughters relationship advice. But be good to each other. By my calculations, you two have been circling this for a long-ass time. I’d hate to see one of you fuck it up.”

He swallowed hard. “Are you giving me your blessing to date Remi?”

She snorted. “I’m not an idiot, like someone else in this room. You’ve had my blessing since she was of age. Not that I was going to broach the subject. They don’t come better than you.”

She put down the pencil and picked up a half-eaten donut. “You two are what the other needs. But if you know my daughter at all, having my blessing is just as likely to push her out of your bed. So if you want my advice—which I’m giving you anyway—don’t tell her anything about anybody blessing anyone and quit wasting your time. You two have been tangled up together for far too long without doing anything about it. Now get out of here and don’t let anyone else see those hickeys, or you’ll never hear the end of it.”

Dismissed, Brick settled his hat on his head and he walked out with a distinct spring in his step.

* * *

Remi wasn’t in bed when he got back to her place. A lick of panic flamed to life in his gut as he checked the bedroom and bathroom. There were no signs of her. It wasn’t until he returned to the main living space that he saw the note on the table next to his neatly folded underwear.

I’m at your place. Get your ass over here.

The words were encircled with a heart.

Carried by both temper and the driving desire to see her again, he hauled ass across the street.

“I see you took my advice,” Spencer said, stepping out of the kitchen, a smug look on his face and a bowl of cereal in his hand.

Brick stared down at the toes of his boots and squashed the urge to toss his brother aside like he wanted. “What advice would that be?” he asked, trying to sound innocent.

Spencer punched him in the arm. “Remi’s in the back. Weird coincidence about you both showing up with matching hickeys.”

Brick slapped his hands to his neck to hide the evidence.

“Relax. I’m happy for you, man,” his brother said with a genuine grin. “Seriously.”

Brick reached out and squeezed Spence’s shoulder. “Don’t be happy for me yet,” he said grimly. “I have to go lay down the law with her.”

His brother snorted. “That’ll go well. What kind of lining do you want for your casket?”

“Flannel,” Brick said, shooting the smallest of grins over his shoulder as he stomped down the hall.

She was wearing one of his old t-shirts and singing at the top of her lungs behind the easel. Just seeing her swamped him with a wave of possessiveness. Mine.