A VERY UN-SHAKESPEARE ROMANCE: ‘A Fake Dad Grumpy Sunshine Romantic Comedy’

Lily’s wish came true, and damn if that didn’t have her dancing on clouds.

The Kellys’ hit men came in hot the next day like the unimaginative gangsters they were. Parking a few houses down just after dawn, they broke into the beach house, guns locked and loaded. Since the agents across the street had already alerted everyone to their presence, they were waiting for them the moment they crossed the threshold.

Fortunately, the pair didn’t have a death wish. They didn’t open fire when Tyler shouted, “Freeze! FBI. Lay down your weapons.” Their mouths tightened as they exchanged glances before putting their weapons on the floor.

While Sheila and Tyler trained on the hit men, Lily and Robbie approached them and cuffed them together. “I’m going to cherish this moment,” she told him as the lock clicked.

He gave her a playful wink as he tightened the cuffs. “Me too. I’m going to play it back on a bad day.”

“Glad we could make you so happy,” the one guy said in a harsh Southie accent. “Dammit, the boss should have listened to Mo. He knew you were laying a trap.”

“You talking to me?” Robbie asked, leaning closer.

“Yeah,” the broad-shouldered bull of a man said, craning his neck to look at him. “You’re Robbie O’Connor, and from everything we know, you’re a squeaky-clean cop. Being with the Feds proves it. I don’t know how you can live with yourself.”

Lily fought a smile.

“It’s a challenge every day.” His voice was filled with irony. “But I agree with you. It’s too bad for Branigan that he didn’t listen to Mo this time.”

Lily knew Mo referred to Maury Kelly, Branigan’s first cousin and his second-in-command.

“Branigan thought your family being involved might make you think more flexibly,” he said with a drawn-out sigh. “Clearly he was wrong.”

She and Robbie shared a look as Agents Johnson and Mather arrived and joined them in the kitchen. “No, he wasn’t. Family made this entire mess feel very personal.”

A shadow passed over Robbie’s face, as if he were suddenly remembering the harm the Kellys had put Tara and the girls in. These men had been sent here to kill. Maybe it wasn’t personal to them, but she knew Robbie was working hard on keeping his objectivity after Scotty and company had blown it to hell yesterday. Someone in his own family had planned to hurt or possibly kill him and his family, a betrayal that cut to the bone.

Since she was in possession of one of the bad guys, she couldn’t touch Robbie’s arm in assurance, so she cleared her throat. He found her gaze slowly and shook himself, nodding to communicate he was all right.

She signaled to Tyler and Sheila, who were talking on their cell phones, updating their superiors about the arrests. They had made a lot of them in the past twenty-four hours and enlisted the local office for more help. “Let’s get these guys up to FBI headquarters in Charlotte with the others we nabbed last night and wrap this case up.”

They had a lot of interviewing to do.

Four days and a whole bunch of confessions later, Lily discovered the other benefit of dating a fellow law enforcement officer. He understood the tension a body took on from interrogation and knew exactly where to massage after she’d fallen face down on their bed in the Charlotte hotel room where their team was staying.

She lifted her shoulder as he hit a knot. “Oh, yes, right there.”

His thumb dug in deeper, making her take deep breaths to glide through the release of tension. “I think you might be more knotted up than I am,” he said, straddling her on the bed.

She thought about making a joke, but she went with honesty. “It might not be completely professional to mention this, but it was personal for me too. And not just because I want that promotion.”

Robbie gently caressed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head before resuming his massage. “I know that. Sheila said she’d never seen you so locked and loaded in interrogation.”

“We needed ironclad confessions,” she said, purring when he loosened another painful knot.

“Which we got, thanks to you.” His magical hands moved down along the outside of her spine. “You’re right. People do tell you things. I’m not surprised Scotty, Janice, and their ride-along accomplice caved, but I couldn’t believe you convinced the Kellys’ guys to become federal prosecution witnesses against Branigan and go into Witness Protection after taking an immunity deal. The new life you painted for them in Witness Protection was almost…God, I don’t want to use this word.”

She leaned her head back against his hard abs. “What word?”

“Poetic.” He snorted. “Timmy would have a field day if he heard it.”

Laughing was not an option. The previous night he’d had a bad dream about William Shakespeare’s head rolling around on the kitchen floor, spouting phrases from his works about death and betrayal and courage in the face of it all. Lily thought he was releasing internalized violence from the case in his own way.

“It was pretty poetic, I guess.” She’d chosen to paint a picture of them sitting in lawn chairs by the pool, playing bridge, and each of them meeting a good woman as neither of them were married. “Sometimes people need to see a new vision for their lives. Those hit men were only in their midforties. They have a lot of life left.”

“Branigan likes older, wiser guys for hits.” He paused in his massage. “Says they make less mistakes than ones with young, hot blood who will shoot their way out of anything.”

Lily closed her eyes as he resumed massaging her. “Bad for business all around. I’m glad you weren’t upset they were offered immunity.”

His hands fell away, and he lifted off her to rest on his side, so she shifted to lie facing him. “I might have to tell myself a few times it was only a job for them, but in the end, I’m practical. When little fish can help you catch big fish, you do it every time. Besides, your way got us the names of the two officers in my department on the Kellys’ payroll.”

She touched his face as his mouth tightened, knowing that was a second betrayal that had cut deep. “You’re probably going to get a special commendation for working with Internal Affairs to bring down those cops.”

“I don’t want it,” he bit out harshly, scrubbing his face. “I just want to get back to work and forget this ever happened.”

Her heart suddenly felt all tangled up inside her chest because she knew he was hurting. “We both know that’s not going to happen.”

His blue eyes blazed as he cursed. “No, it’s not. The other thing I tell myself—and I’m telling myself a lot of things these days—is that meeting you is one of the best things to ever happen to me. Lily Meadows, you will always be my sunshine.”

She bit her lip, glad he could make a joke despite all this heaviness around them. “You’re enjoying Sheila’s little sunshine jokes, aren’t you? She’s upped her quotient because you’re new to them.”

Her partner was also doing her part to bolster Robbie before he had to go back to the office and face the gut-wrenching betrayal of his fellow officers head-on. He’d certainly have more to handle when they went back to Boston. Everyone agreed it would take a few more weeks to arrest Branigan and bring his organization down, given the pace of additional interrogations and further evidence collection needed to make the case airtight. Because they were not going to let his lawyer get him off on a technicality.

His gorgeous mouth tipped up in all its sexy glory. “The sunshine jokes are your Achilles’ heel, and Lily, you know what I told you about letting the O’Connors discover those gems.”

“So we’re playing dirty now?” She slid her arm around his neck. “Did I mention I signed up for a Shakespeare quote a day email? You’re going to be begging me to stop.”

He shifted until he could slide deliciously over her. “That’s my line,” he said, kissing her swiftly as he tugged at her clothing. “By the way, after we arrest Branigan Kelly and the rest of his guys, you’re going to have to meet the entire O’Connor clan. Including the Ireland contingent, who are primed to cross the pond. So prepare yourself.”

She knew what he was telling her. Meeting his entire family meant they were joining forces for life big-time. “I’m ready. I figure I’ve got two brothers down already, plus your favorite cousins. How was everyone when you talked to them?”

He rolled them to their sides again, keeping his hands busy at the bare skin under her shirt. “Fidgety. No one likes having FBI protection, of course, but they understand the necessity. Tara was hoping you and Sheila might be the ones to shadow her and the girls once we get back to Boston.”

“That’s Buck’s call.” She kissed his jawline, loving the feel of his stubble. “But given that he’s personally talked to the head of the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and put in for my promotion, I might be able to convince him to assign me to protection duty until the paperwork is official. Tara is an important witness in our case, after all.”

She still hadn’t fully taken in that her dream job was coming true. Not when she was so focused on the present case, Robbie, and living off of four hours of sleep a night.

“Tara would love that. So would Reagan and Cassidy. Fortunately, my boss is also feeling magnanimous toward me since we got the names of the dirty cops, so I might also be given some leeway to look after them. Even if it’s a little unusual since we’re related.”

This case was filled with complications and conflicts of interests, but they would navigate them together. “If we end up looking after Tara and the girls, I’m going to insist Billie and Tim come around a lot. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

He groaned as he rose over her again. “Try. I’m begging you.”

She tugged on his shirt. “Get used to those last words coming out of that gorgeous mouth of yours. Because it might be your new mantra.”

Scoffing, he helped her take off his shirt. “Mantra? I don’t really understand what that means. I busted a New Age bookstore four years ago for money laundering. The owner told me his mantra was world peace. I’d never heard such bullshit.”

Her lips twitched. “Well, in this case, a mantra is like an intention. But we don’t have to use that word. All you need to remember is the begging part.”

He coughed out a laugh. “I can probably get on board with that so long as you understand you’ll be begging too. But not too loudly this time, okay? Sheila is right next door, and she told me we kept her up last night.”

Lily looked at the shared wall. “She did not.”

His eyes sparkled with mischief. “She so did, and with great pleasure. You know her.”

“Evil is her middle name,” she said, groaning.

“She’s only messing with you because she can,” Robbie told her, grinning now. “I didn’t know you blushed. Lily, it’s like the first blush of sunshine—”

“Shut up.” She shoved him onto his back with a quick leverage move and straddled his hips. “Or I am so getting the cuffs out.”

He shifted under her, settling her more intimately against him. “Sheila mentioned those to me too. Said she was coming by tonight before she hit the hay with a special set. I believe her.”

So did Lily. Her heart gave an extra knock against her ribs. “What are we going to do? Tyler’s on this floor too! Oh my God! I’m going to kill her.”

“We could put out the Do Not Disturb sign, but I don’t think that would stop her.”

Lily felt the urge to put her hair up and start analyzing her way out of this nightmare. “What about an APB? I’ve seen other guys do it as a joke.”

“Do you really think that would actually work?” Robbie settled his hands on her hips, squeezing them gently. “Look, now you’re all tense again. I’m going to have to dedicate some serious time to helping you relax.”

“Relax?” She pushed on his chest. “How are you not embarrassed by this?”

He winced before saying, “Tyler told me I deserve props for being handcuffed to one of the most gorgeous but hands-off female FBI agents in the Bureau and coming out with a love match. It changed my perspective.”

“Sheila told Tyler?” Lily started to get up, but Robbie held her in place.

“Did you really think she was going to keep it to herself?” Robbie sat up and kissed her sweetly, clearly trying to take the sting out of his words. “While we’re on the subject…”

“Oh God!” She grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “Your family knows. Dammit, I’d hoped Tim—”

“No dice there.” He winced. “Tim told Billie, who told Danny, and then Danny told Kathleen, and then—”

“I am in hell with a capital H.” She flopped onto her back. “That’s all there is to it. I finally meet ‘the guy’ for me, and I’m a joke both at work and with his family. This can’t be happening.”

He leaned toward the bedside table and grabbed her coconut water. “Here, drink this. And then take some deep breaths.”

“Hydration and breath work is not going to fix this!” Oh, she was so embarrassed her cheeks could blister. “How can I face your family when they know about the cuffs? Does your dad know?”

He made a pretext of putting her coconut water carefully back in place.

“Robbie O’Connor, you answer me.”

“I can’t say for sure, but he has ears.” He gave a full-body shiver. “You really do sound like my mother when you say that, by the way. But you’re missing the point. No one in my family really cares about the cuffs. They’re freaking thrilled I’ve found someone. Jesus, have I lost my ability to swear? I just said freaking without even thinking about it.”

She wished she could laugh, and the fact that she couldn’t had her taking those deep breaths he’d recommended.

“Also, Sheila and Tyler, but especially Sheila, are really happy for you too. Not that Tyler would gossip about us. He could tell I was upset when Sheila started quizzing me about which handcuff styles I prefer. So that’s when he helped me see a different perspective.”

“Wait! She quizzed you? About handcuffs? Oh, this is getting worse by the minute.”

He rubbed his jaw before lying beside her. “How can I help you see this in a good way like Tyler did for me?”

Closing her eyes, she invoked a mantra of her own: don’t think about it. “Fine. I’ll deal with it. I’ll remind myself I just caught some really bad guys and am getting the promotion of my life.”

“Certainly something we need to celebrate.” Kissing her softly, he lifted up until their eyes met. “Don’t forget the part about you meeting ‘the guy.’ I kinda liked that part.”

She did too. “I might have to do some more deep breath work and a few mantras, but I’m going to put this aside.”

“Good.” He kissed her more swiftly this time before pushing up off the bed. “Because Sheila’s present should be arriving any minute.”

She crawled off the bed and laid her hand on his arm. “You mean she gave you a time?”

He lifted his watch and tapped the face. “Yep. Ten o’clock. Said she should be able to hit the local sex store just before it closes and be back at the hotel before we—”

“Enough!” She held up a hand, wincing so hard her cheekbones hurt. “I can’t take any more.”

He took her hand and kissed it sweetly. “Deep breaths. Focus on your mantra.”

She glared at his smiling face. “You’re lucky I’m a nice person.”

Taking her into his arms, he slid his hands along her back. “I’m the luckiest. I happen to be in love with the smartest, funniest, sexiest woman, who shares the same passions as I do.”

She felt her heart bloom in her chest. They’d already talked about moving in together, both of them feeling the need to spend as much time together as possible while continuing to give their all to their jobs. “You mean killing their work partner?” she joked, telling herself not to think about losing Sheila as her partner—not that they wouldn’t hang out in their spare time and work on cases together.

He chuckled in that low, sexy way she loved. “Funny. No, I was talking about outdoor activities like running and other competitive sports, putting bad guys behind bars, and shooting the breeze with my family. Lily, Tim, and Sheila were right to handcuff me to you. You are perfect for me, and whenever I look at the handcuffs she’s delivering, I’m going to think about that. Hell, I might even frame them.”

She was turning gooey on the inside until he got to the part about using handcuffs as a decoration motif. “You are so not. If you do, I’m going to decorate our house with inspirational sayings like Love Lives Here and The Road Is Easier Because of You.”

His baby blues turned downright frosty. “You wouldn’t.”

“Would,” she practically sang.

He huffed out an aggrieved breath before nodding. “Fine. I won’t frame them. We’ll put them in a nice drawer—”

“I prefer a lockbox,” she said, poking a finger into his chest. “I wouldn’t put it past one of your brothers to go looking for them and bring them out for show-and-tell.”

His face bunched up like he’d eaten something sour. “You’re right. They’re totally ruthless.”

A knock sounded.

“Like your partner.” He kissed her quickly before going to the door. “Ready?”

She set her weight, preparing herself for the inevitable. “Open it.”

Cracking it mere inches, Robbie leaned down and picked up the pink gift bag before letting the door close behind him.

“Don’t think I don’t see that roguish smile on your face,” she accused, pointing her finger at him. “Normally I’d think it’s sexy, but I’m still processing the handcuffs thing.”

He wiped his face clean of emotion. “Sorry. Here. Your partner. Your gift.”

“I think she means it for both of us.” She flopped back onto the edge of the bed. “You open it. Since you’re the one who took her handcuffs quiz. God! Do I even want to know?”

He grimaced. “All I can say is that I took one for the team.” Ruffling through the tissue paper, he spurted out a laugh. And then another louder one before silencing himself.

She leaned forward, her stomach jumping. “How bad is it?” she asked, staring at the bag as if it were a ticking time bomb.

He walked over to the bed, obviously fighting a smile. “I’m in new territory here. I’m not sure how to describe it. See for yourself.”

Lily took a courageous breath and reached into the gift bag after he handed it to her. Her eyes widened as she took the cuffs out and dangled them from her hand. “They have pink fur with sparkles!”

“So I see.” Robbie’s mouth was twitching. “I believe there’s a card inside the bag.”

“Oh, you are no help.” She pulled out the note. “To Lily and Robbie. The perfect pair. Like these handcuffs. I got these so no one would get hurt. They’re mark-free! How cool is that? Love, Sheila.”

“It was really nice of her to pick ones that don’t leave marks.” Robbie came and sat next to her on the bed, nudging her shock-filled body. “I won’t feel guilty about using these. I worried about marking you the first time we were cuffed together.”

She turned to face him fully and held up the cuffs. “You seriously want to use these? In all their sparkly pink glory?”

He stood and pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside. “You bet I do.”

Her mouth went dry at the sight of his rock-hard body. “But I thought you hated having them used on you.”

He commandeered the cuffs and dangled them in the air, making the sparkles wink. “Do these look like regulation cuffs to you? Plus, they’re adjustable and key free, so we don’t need to worry about getting locked—”

“So they’re practically childproof?” she asked as he tossed them into the center of the bed.

“I wouldn’t use that term.” He unzipped his slacks and peeled them down with his underwear, dispensing with his socks. “In fact, I’m going to be a real gentleman here since you look like a deer in the headlights. You can cuff me to the bed first.”

Her eyes bugged. “Robbie O’Connor, you have got to be kidding! We’re professionals. Law enforcement officials. We do not use furry pink handcuffs with sparkles.”

He laid himself out on the bed, one gorgeous buffet of male splendor. “You are so cute when you’re embarrassed. I kinda like this side of you. It’s no wonder the sweet girl-next-door cover works so well for you. You’re totally her to the core.”

She couldn’t argue that point. “Fine. I’m going to put these on you, but I’m not entirely sold on the idea. Just because Sheila gets a wild thought in her head—”

“Doesn’t mean we have to follow through,” he said with a straight face. “I believe I know the age-old saying about not jumping off a bridge if someone dares you.”

He was totally laughing at her, and suddenly she couldn’t blame him. She hesitantly picked up the cuffs again and grimaced. The pink fur was synthetic to the touch, and the glitter was already falling onto the bed.

“Quality workmanship, obviously,” he said with the snort of a laugh.

“You are having way too much fun with this,” she responded, but this time with a smile. “Okay, I’m starting to see the humor too.”

“About time.” He put a pillow over his lap. “I was getting a little worried. Lily Meadows, will you marry me?”

“What?” she squeaked, meeting his gaze.

He lifted a shoulder, his eyes filled with love. “I wasn’t sure when I was going to ask you, but I can’t stop myself. Right now seems pretty damn perfect.”

Her mouth dropped to the floor. “Perfect? Robbie, are you feeling all right?”

“Hear me out.” He reached for her hand with a calm confidence that shocked her. “Here we both are, laughing in bed over some gag gift from your partner. Like an old married couple. I’m playing along. You’re acting all hot schoolmarm.”

“I am not!” She launched herself at him, the cuffs forgotten. “Don’t be flippant about this. We’re talking marriage—”

“I know,” he said softly, his voice going deep and grave, “and in a good marriage, people laugh over silly things. Like pink furry handcuffs. After a tough day of work.”

She bit her lip as her heart swelled in her chest. She knew she would remember the way he was looking at her for the rest of her life. “Okay, go on.”

His lips twitched. “Moments ago, I remembered what my mom used to say. She said when you can laugh together, you can get through anything together. That’s how I feel about you. About us. So, I’m asking you again. Wait! Hang on. Jesus, I should probably pull my pants on.”

Now her lips were twitching. “Seriously? We have fun pink handcuffs on the bed.”

He leveled her a look. “I don’t want to be hearing twenty years from now how I could have handled this more romantically.”

Unexpected laughter tickled its way up her throat. “More romantic than this?”

“Oh, shit!” He pushed himself up off the bed, reaching for his pants, and then started to pull them up. “You’re right. This isn’t romantic at all, is it? Dammit, I don’t usually give in to impulsivity or spontaneity. I should have made a plan and stuck to it.”

She got up and pressed her head against his chest. “Okay, I might regret this comment, but I like you impulsive and spontaneous.”

He tipped her chin up, studying her face. “You do?”

“I do.” She cupped his jaw, feeling the stubble from his long day. “That’s important to me too. Us laughing together. Working together. I didn’t have much happiness growing up, but I’ve worked hard to cultivate it in my life. With you, I feel like so much more is waiting for me. Like there’s all this fun and support, bliss even, available to me now. Because you are perfect for me too.”

He caressed her face before cupping her cheek tenderly. “So I get a pass for proposing here? In this moment?”

She turned her head until she could kiss his palm. “Yes.”

“Wait here.” He crossed to the bedside stand and opened the drawer before closing it. “I’m still getting down on a knee, so prepare yourself.”

She started chuckling at that determination in his voice. She was going to get some romance after all. “Should I get the handcuffs? I mean, you’re bare-chested and your pants aren’t zipped.”

He sank to one knee and looked up, extending his hand. “But look, I have a ring.”

She glanced down, all humor vanishing. Inside a black jewelry box was the brightest diamond she’d ever seen in a simple setting that suited her perfectly. “When did you go ring shopping?”

“Sheila and I went while you were talking to Buck and pushing paper,” he said with a wicked grin. “I told you I had game.”

She put her hand to her mouth, joy rising in her heart. “So you do. Ask me again.”

She halfway expected him to roll his eyes, but his gaze held hers with love. “Lily Meadows, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?”

“I love you too, and you bet I will.”

She tackled him—after he’d slid the ring on her finger, of course. He was laughing as he fell backward on the floor, knocking the side table against the wall.

“You just made me the happiest man ever,” he said as his mouth swept in for a kiss.

A pounding sounded from the other side of the wall. “Hey! It’s getting awfully rowdy over there.”

Sheila!

Spurting with laughter, Robbie slid over her. “No, but it’s about to.”

She eyed her ring as she laid her hands on his shoulders, pulling his head down to her. Rowdy wasn’t how she’d describe it.

Perfect was.