Assistant Chief Taylor's fingers curled around Sharon's in a firm hand shake and the fingers of his opposite hand brushed against the side of her arm.
"Congratulations, Captain," he said, a smile on his face. She nodded at him, noticing the way Julio wrapped his arms around Rusty's shoulders and congratulated him. For all of them, Rusty's adoption was only an official rubber stamp. He had become family to her and the squad long before the idea of adoption ever came up.
The next person to congratulate her was Amy, who pulled her into a hug that was a little too tight and told her how happy she was for her, then Tao who uncharacteristically kept it short and Buzz, who blushed when she told him how much she appreciated his ongoing support and the big brother role he played in Rusty's life.
She then hugged Julio, who seemed much less shocked than he was when she hugged him on the day he came back from his sick leave.
"I don't hug," Provenza had his usual grumpy expression on his face as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "But this is a special occasion, so here." He then proceeded to hug Rusty who seemed slightly surprised by the old lieutenant's unusually avuncular display. Sharon watched the both of them with a smile.
"Congratulation, Sharon. It's about time," Andy said as he wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, getting a whiff of his spicy yet gentle cologne. Her stomach fluttered when he pulled away, his hand lingering on the side of her body longer than it should. Their gazes locked and each of them could see the warm reflection of emotions in each other eyes. They weren't the only ones. Provenza noticed it too and he pointedly bumped his shoulder with Andy's with enough force to make his lovesick friend lose his balance. The sudden movement made Sharon and Andy look at each other and Provenza noticed the rosiness that simultaneously spread across their faces.
Idiocy must be contagious, Provenza thought. What other explanation could the Captain have for staring at his idiot partner with begging Cocker Spaniel eyes?