Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed on the last chapter, i really appreciate it. I'Ve been gone for a while from this stsory but I'm back. Enjoy.

It had been days since he had extended the offer of dinner to Kim and now is was the night. He had offered to pick her up at 7 after having gotten Mackenzie ready for bed, his parents coming to babysit her while he was out.

"Not that daddy." Mackenzie scrunched her nose as he turned to face her. She was settled on her tummy with her face in her hands, her feet swinging.

"What's wrong with this?" He was wearing dress pants and a nice button down.

"You're not asking her to marry you daddy." She rolled her eyes dramatically, Adam chuckling. "You're just going to eat Pizza. You did tell her you were going for pizza didn't you daddy?"

"Yes, I did, and I'm not dressed that nice Kenzie."

"Yes, you are. You asked mommy to marry you dressed like that."

"You weren't even there when I asked her to marry me, how would you know?"

"Because grandma showed me pictures of when you asked her."

"Well, if I'm over dressed, what do you suggest I wear then?" His hands rested comfortably on his hips as he watched her bounce off of his bed towards his wardrobe. He watched her move around the room and throw pants and a shirt, bouncing back in a sitting position in her dad's bed.

"Put that on." She pointed at the pile and put her hands in front of her face, making him laugh.

"Fine." He slipped the jeans on and the shirt and told her when she could look. "I wear this on Sundays when it's just you and me, I'm not sure this is good for dinner."

"Dad." He knew it was serious when she said it like that. "You're going to Aurelio's with her, this is perfect. Just put your black coat with the while line on the neck and your chucks." She insisted.

"Since when are you the little fashionista?"

"I don't want you to scare Ms. Burgess off daddy." She rolled her eyes.

"What are you up to Kenzie?" He took a seat next to her on the bed.

"Nothing daddy." He eyed her suspiciously.

"I don't believe you." He tickled her side. "What's on your mind baby?"

"I like her daddy and I like it that she can make you smile, like mommy did."

"I like that I smile like that again too." He pushed a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear. "Kim is becoming a good friend."

"Is she going to become more than a friend?"

"No, I don't think so. It's complicated sweetie."

"Why?"

"Because you're the most important thing in the world to me and right now, we still have some work to do, just you and me. Does that make sense?" He knew she would have questions, it was inevitable, but it was hard for him to hear them and give her an explanation that made sense.

"We're okay daddy, mommy wouldn't want you to be alone forever."

"I know sweetie but right now, I'm happy with you and all of our friends. That's all I need." He promised. "Now why don't you go grab your pj's and head into the shower before grandma and grandpa come over?"

"Okay." She bounced off the bed and headed to her room to grab her things. He let her do her routine, barely needing to check up on her anymore. He looked at himself in the mirror and grabbed the jacket out of his wardrobe, sliding his arms through the sleeves. Mackenzie was right though, this was better. Tonight was meant to be a casual way to get to know Kim more. He checked on Mackenzie quickly after he heard the shower turn on and headed downstairs to wait for his parents who showed up less than five minutes later.

"She's still in the shower." He kissed his mom's cheek when she walked in.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned him with a smile.

"It's just dinner mom and Kim is a friend."

"Just let the man be Elaine." Bob chuckled, patting his son on the shoulder. "Just be happy he's going out with someone else than that unit of his."

"Thanks pop." Adam started the coffee machine, knowing his parents would want one. "I'll try not to home too late."

"We've got nothing better to do and if I remember correctly, you are off tomorrow too so just have fun."

"Thanks ma."

"Grandma." Mackenzie bounced down the stairs, a hairbrush in hand.

"Sweet girl, are you ready to have some fun?"

"Yes." She handed her grandmother the brush. "You can go have fun with Ms. Burgess daddy, we're all good."

"Alright missy. You be good with grandma and grandpa." He cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead.

"You heard her, go have fun."

"Thanks again." He winked at Mackenzie and was out the door. The drive to Kim's wasn't long and after cutting the engine, he suddenly became nervous. He didn't know why exactly but he was. He knocked twice and waited. His back was facing the door and he turned around when the door opened, and he smiled at Kim.

"Hey." She smiled back at him. "Come on in, I'll just be a second."

"Enjoy your day off?" He questioned as he walked into her living room.

"Went for a jog and did some reading outside, it was a beautiful day." She disappeared behind her bathroom door. "You?"

"Quiet day with Kenzie, nothing special."

"I'm ready." She came out of the bathroom. She was wearing distressed jeans with a white, button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up a bit. She had black booties and her hair was falling down against her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes popped with the light make-up she had on and Adam's heart did a little flip.

"After you." He let her walk ahead of him out the door and he waited for her to lock-up before they were on their way. Kim asked Adam how Mackenzie was doing during the drive to the restaurant and although she did it every time they saw each other or spoke, it pulled at his heart that she would think of her that way. When they made it there, the waitress led them to the bar area of the restaurant, on the side of the window. Adam ordered a beer for both of them while they looked over the menu.

"Do you come here with Mackenzie? I always thought it had a family vibe."

"I haven't taken her here since her mother passed." Kim closed her eyes out of exasperation with herself.

"Adam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She took a deep breath.

"Kim, Kim, look at me." She opened her eyes and looked tentatively in his. "It's okay." He smiled at her. "I don't want you to feel like you need to tip-toe around the subject of my wife. It's not always easy, granted, but she is a part of me and that'll never change. If there are things you want to know, you can ask."

"I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."

"I know." He smiled at her.

"How about we steer the subject to something else?" She offered.

"Sure. How about you tell me about you?"

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yeah, I'll have a buffalo chicken salad." Kim smiled at the young woman.

"And I'll have the Taco pizza, and two more beers please." She wrote it down and told them she'd return with their orders. "So, you?"

"I already told you most of it." She took a sip of her drink.

"Married to the job, tough way up, I'm pretty sure that's not most of it." He smiled, taking a pull of his beer.

"Being police was all I wanted to be, but my parents didn't think I could make it. They kept saying that I didn't have a mean bone in my body, that I wouldn't be tough enough to even make it through the academy. I worked hard, trained harder and made it through the academy top of my class."

"That's impressive."

"It was until it wasn't. First year on the beat went well enough, few scrapes and bruises along the way. I built a tougher exterior and then the second year was crippled with chaos and injuries."

"How did they happen?"

"I got shot twice on a routine knock and talk a couple of months into my second year." She moved her shirt away from her neck so Adam could see the bullet hole that marred her skin. "Second one got embedded deeply in my hip and the road back was tough." The waitress came with their food and Kim continued her story as they ate. "I had to do PT for months, my arm never getting better for weeks on end, it's my shooting arm."

"PT is no joke." Adam agreed.

"Sounds like there's a story there." She smiled at him.

"Maybe later." He smiled back at her. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable with that story. "And what about that broken pelvis during a foot chase you talked about before? The one that turned wrong?"

"My partner and I were running down a suspect, but he had an accomplice with him and he rammed into me from the side, coming out of an alley."

"Shit, how did you come back from that one?"

"Worked my ass off, was determined to ger back." She shrugged.

"Anyone help you get through it? Parents, boyfriend?" Kim scoffed and took a sip of her beer.

"Boyfriend took off one week into that injury, couldn't take the job anymore, said it was too much for him."

"I'm sorry to hear that." And he was. Rebecca had always been steadfast next to him after any and every kind of injury he got while in Intelligence.

"So, my solution to being angry at the world, at him for all of the bad shit? I worked harder, returned and was asked to go undercover after Vice saw me close a case that I stumbled on during patrol."

"Is that how you made into the unit?"

"I was meritoriously promoted to Detective after the work I did on that case."

"Very much earned if you ask me."

"Not everyone in my unit has that same opinion about that."

"Buch of jealous idiots." He scoffed. "You earned everything that you have Kim, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I go into work doing my best to ignore them. As long as they have my back regardless, I can live with it."

"Good."

"And what about you? Any sordid stories out of the 21st?"

"More than my fair share." He ran a hand under the neck of his shirt instinctively and Kim saw it.

"We don't have to talk about that." She finished her plate and pushed it aside, placing her arms crossed over the table. "Let's talk about Mackenzie, tell me what she likes." Adam flagged the waitress and asked for their famous deep-dish cookie with two spoons and coffee before he started talking.

"She's so girly. Rebecca was always so good with her." He chuckled. "I try my best to do her hair properly, she helps a lot in picking her own clothes because if it were just for me, I'd dress her in boy clothes and Rebecca would hate that. I'm just not good at that stuff but I'm trying."

"I have an idea; I mean if you're open to that."

"I'm listening."

"How about I come over when we are off one of these days and organise a spa day at home kind of thing? Face masks, nail polish, that kind of thing. But it's okay if you don't want to, I'm cool with that too."

"I actually think it's a great idea. My mom and Rebecca's are the ones who do that with her when she begs them for it, and she likes you a lot, so she'd be really happy with something like that for sure."

"Perfect, I'm going to plan something fun." They polished off the rest of the desert, ice cream included. Adam flagged the waitress and asked for the check, even arguing with Kim over who would pay, Adam insisting that he had invited her out to dinner and that he was the one that needed to grab the tab. The drive back was filled with lighter stories about being a cop and Adam was happy about having had such a fun evening. He walked Kim to her door and watched her unlock it, turning the light on inside.

"I had fun tonight." He put his hands inside his coat pockets.

"I had fun too. I'm willing to do that again if you are."

"I'd really like that." Adam was now nervous again, not sure where it was coming from. "Come by for coffee some time? When Mackenzie is still awake, she would hate to miss you again."

"I'd love too."

"Well, good night." It was getting late and although his parents had insisted, he take all his time and enjoy a night off, he really needed to get back home.

"Good night." She smiled before he made a bold move and pressed his lips to her cheek. He saw the blush on her cheeks and for a second, they stayed facing each other, Kim leaning slightly against her door frame.

"Good night." She echoed again, a soft smile on her lips.

"Good night." He smiled back at her before he turned around and made it to his Jeep. He smiled all the way back home and after thanking his parents for the night off, he went to bed with a smile still plastered on his face and the sensation of her cheeks against his lips burned in his memory.

A/N: Adam got to enjoy a nice evening with Kim but something seems to be unlocking inside of him. Will that evening make Adam think about moving on or will he keep his steadfast decision to concentrate on getting both he and Mackenzie back on the right track? I hope you guys liked it and please take a few seconds to review before you go, I always love to read your thoughts. - Sarra