Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 69

Carrying her gifts for the holiday, Bonnie bumped into a few coworkers in the elevator and found herself smiling more than usual.

But instead of going home, she made a detour to the mall near her apartment. She headed straight for the seafood section and picked out some fresh king crab, her mom's favorite. She added a bottle of her dad’s favorite whiskey and some fruit for good measure.

Arms loaded down with bags, Bonnie kept switching them back and forth to ease the strain. When she finally looked up, she noticed a crowd gathered just ahead.

In the middle of it all stood two tall police officers in crisp blue uniforms, raising their arms to calm everyone down.

Bonnie was never the type to join a crowd just to watch drama. She nearly walked away, but then one of the officers turned. His sharp profile radiated confidence, that kind of trustworthy energy that instantly makes you feel safe. It was Aiken.

He saw her too, but he looked busy. All he could do was give her a quick glance that said, Hang on a second.

Bonnie hadn’t seen him since that awkward night Lawrence got drunk and wouldn’t leave her alone. She’d actually forgotten all about Aiken’s joke about refunding her coaching fee.

Now they’d run into each other again, and walking off without a word would just feel rude. She found someplace nearby to set down her shopping bags and waited patiently at the edge of the crowd.

The commotion turned out to be a squabble over a rental bike. Two young guys had started arguing, and it escalated until they were shoving each other. In the chaos, a whole row of bikes fell over like dominoes.

Bonnie watched as Aiken stepped in and gave them both a stern talk. After a minute, the guys shook hands and helped put the bikes back up. The spectators started to drift away.

Aiken spoke to his partner for a moment, then made his way directly to Bonnie. Even for early autumn, the air was still warm. He took off his hat, pushed his hair back, then slipped the hat on again and smiled at her. “As soon as I got the call, I had a feeling I’d see you here.”

Bonnie smiled, a little shy, and handed him a tissue. “You’re sweating a bit.”

He took the tissue, catching a trace of the scent, and glanced at her shopping bags. “Stocking up for the holiday? Headed back to your parents’ place?” He remembered from her ID that she was a local.

He was trying to be subtle, but Bonnie understood right away. The truth was, it wasn’t a little thing. Lawrence was still interfering with her life, even messing up simple things like her going on dates. It felt wrong, but she didn’t want to get into it.

She just smiled and shook her head. “Everything’s good.”

Aiken didn’t push any further. He watched her walk away, the bags swinging at her sides, until she finally disappeared into the crowd. Later, back at the station, even as he wrapped up his paperwork, he kept thinking about how much thinner she looked this time.

It was early autumn, the streets buzzing with life, but the image of Bonnie’s solitary figure—almost like a single fallen leaf—stuck with him long after she was gone.

She was definitely going through something. Otherwise, why would she seem even more worn down than the last time they met?

Thinking it over, Aiken went looking for his partner. “Hey, Ableson, can I run something by you? I’ll cover your shift tomorrow night. You should go home, spend some time with your wife…”