Slade looked around at the faces of the people on the deck. “Shadow Bay could give the Bureau some lessons when it comes to keeping secrets.”

There was another round of laughter. Slade made his way through the crowd and stopped near Charlotte and Rachel.

“Happy birthday, Chief,” Rachel said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get in line for my slice.”

She hurried off.

Charlotte looked at Slade.

“How is the cake?” she asked.

“A whole lot better than Thelma Duncan’s zucchini bread,” Slade said. A look of soul-deep satisfaction lit his eyes. “In fact, I can state unequivocally that this is the very best cake I have ever eaten in my entire life.”

Charlotte smiled.

Devin waved a small, gaily wrapped gift in the air. “Time to open your present, Chief Attridge. Nate and I got it for you. It’s from Looking Glass.”

Slade smiled at Charlotte. In his eyes she saw the heat and promise of a love that would last a lifetime.

“In that case, I won’t have to worry about returning it to the store,” Slade said. “Whatever it is, it’s going to be just what I wanted.”

He kissed her on the mouth there in front of their friends and neighbors. A roar of applause went up from the crowd.

Slade raised his head and looked around.

“You’re all invited to the wedding,” he said.

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