Cross-Checked (Boston Rebels, #3)

by Julia Connors

For anyone who ever girl-bossed so hard they forgot to have a life…

Beating the shit out of her then husband wasn’t my smartest move, but I have zero patience for men who verbally abuse and physically intimidate women.

I’m already feeling like the old adage is true: the days are long, but the years are short.

He sighs so deeply it seems to physically deflate him, and then he places his baby into my outstretched arms. “Don’t make me stop hating you now.” His words are practically whispered as he watches me take his baby and turn her so she’s facing me.

Pissing her off felt good in the moment, but it feels childish now. Damn, this woman turns me into a fool.

“I don’t give a shit what the optics are, McCabe. I need you to play. In exchange for me watching Abby, feel free to score a hat trick tonight.” Her lips curve up at the edges as she nods her chin at me. “It’s been a while.”

I’m a quiet guy by nature, reserved in a way that has people thinking I’m grumpy or pissed off. But it’s not because I don’t like people, it’s because I’m fascinated by how much you can learn about others when you simply shut your fucking mouth and listen.

“Sunshine? What the fuck, McCabe?

“Oh, Sunshine, I’ve been waiting for you for a fucking decade. I could wait longer . . . I would wait longer, if I had to.”

“I don’t think you’re broken. If anything . . . I’m looking at you with admiration. It’s like the person I see in front of me now is completely different than the person I thought you were. And I really like who I see.”

“I never wanted to be a public figure,” I say with a little laugh. Lauren gives me a smile. “Perils of breaking the glass ceiling, I guess.”

“Well, this will be fun.” “Fun?” I must be looking at him like he has three heads. “Yeah. Now that Colt’s turned into a respectable human being, I haven’t had any crises to deal with in a while.”

“Speaking from experience, there’s the family you’re born with, and there’s the family you choose. Sometimes the two overlap, and sometimes they don’t.”

“Oh my god,” I say with a laugh. “The world’s grumpiest cat has found the world’s grumpiest man, and it’s a match made in heaven.”

“I already can’t imagine myself with anyone but you, Sunshine. You’ve infiltrated every part of my soul and overrun all my defenses. There’s no part of me that doesn’t want to be with you. It’s okay if you’re still worried about how this will work, or if you’re not thinking far enough into the future to know for sure that everything will work out. I’m optimistic enough for the both of us.”

“You trying to get caught?” I’m fucking tired of hiding this, that’s for sure. “No.” “Then stuff those fucking heart-shaped googly eyes back into your head before someone else sees you looking at her that way.”

“You deserve every good thing in life, and I plan to make sure you get what you deserve.”

It feels like we both just adopted a go big or go home strategy, and I’m at peace with that.

And maybe that’s what this life is . . . crazy, but beautiful. Maybe the beauty is in the unpredictability—in accepting changes you weren’t ready for, and being open to possibilities you couldn’t imagine.