by Zoe Hart
Pulling out a chair, I motioned for her to sit there. Once she had, I sank into the one beside her that I’d turned to face her direction. I took both of her hands in mine. She seemed to be trembling slightly, and I was ready to kill my father for hurting her. In theory. In reality, until I had control of my trust fund, I couldn’t rock the boat. Until the renovations on what I hoped would become our house were finished, I had to remain cool-headed. Yet whenever anything bothered Taryn, I was affected too.
“Tell me. Please. And I won’t even interrupt this time. I don’t think…” I gnawed on my cheek in an effort to remain silent.
She nodded. “He came in. Before this, he has only called.”
“I don’t understand. Is this about me? How does he know?” I growled in sheer frustration.
“You said you’d let me finish,” Taryn complained. “Let me speak.”
I sank down in my chair and groaned. “Okay.”
After watching me for a few seconds, she began again. “He wanted to know who took Bishop. I didn’t tell him. And obviously, he doesn’t know you have Bishop, or that Bishop is here.” She paused and I wondered if she was waiting for confirmation.
“No. He has no idea.” I frowned and rubbed my forehead. I could feel a headache coming on as my blood pressure rose. “What does he know about Bishop?”
Taryn tilted her head. “MK9. Your father owns MK9.”
I stood abruptly, my chair crashing against the wall after I shoved off of it. How did I not know this? I began pacing around the island. “Are you sure?”
Taryn stood and placed herself directly in my path. “Think. Of course I’m sure. Our clinic has a contract with MK9. MK. McKenzie. And the whole play on dogs with adding the 9 at the end.” She sighed. “I thought you knew about MK9. You work for the company. How is this news to you?”
Now it was her turn to pace. She held a finger to her lips as she thought aloud, mumbling to herself. “I don’t get it. I figured you gave him the idea. I thought for sure you had to know and that this was why Bishop was registered to you. Every other dog that has come through our clinic for the last four years has been registered to MK9.” She shook her head. “He kept this secret even from you? How would he even know to do this?”
We froze and stared at each other. “The news story.”
Taryn had seen it and all she focused on was the part where she thought I was professing my love to another woman. As if I could ever feel like this for anyone else. Ever. Oh, but I knew my father. He probably saw that video and saw dollar signs. He asked me a ton of questions after the interview aired. I’d foolishly taken his call. I was certain he’d be congratulating me for the positive press. I’d even managed to mention the family’s proud military history.
“I thought he was proud of me when he called after the interview. I thought he was finally interested in my life.” I shook my head. “I had no idea he was taking the information I shared and turning it into a new branch of the family business. I had no idea he was going to hurt so many veterans by stealing our dogs out from under us.” I raked my hand through my hair. “All he ever cared about was money. He didn’t give a fuck about me. Still doesn’t. He knew I was coming home, and he was going to steal my dog from me.” I turned away from her and slammed my hands on the granite counter.
Taryn took a few steps closer. “How did you outsmart him?” she asked quietly. “I ask because if you did it once, you can do it again.” She laid her head on my back.
She was right. I could outsmart him again. After all, he wasn’t exactly brilliant. He was devious. And he’d never be any match for someone who knew him like I did. Although I had to admit, he sure did pull one over on me.
“I called a hacker friend. I didn’t trust having anyone transport Bishop but me. So, I secretly took pictures of all of his paperwork before I handed his file over to the MK9 crew. And when I arrived at Camp Lejeune and Bishop didn’t, I contacted a guy I graduated with. I begged him to help me. I can’t tell you more than that.” I moved slowly and wrapped my arms around her. “The less you know, the safer you are. You won’t have to lie. I’d never ask that of you.” I buried my face in her hair. “I know this is going to seem fast, but I’ve wanted to say this for a really long time. And I swore if the reality of you came anywhere close to the memory of you…”
“What?” she asked. She looked concerned, and I knew I was freaking her out a bit.
I grinned. “I wasn’t raised in a loving home, Taryn.”
She snorted. “I picked right up on that, Hawk.” She rested her chin on my chest and smiled up at me. “I think that’s why you like me so much. I’m nothing like him.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, babe. I don’t just ‘like you so much.’” I reached down and brushed the back of my fingers over her cheek. “I love you, Taryn Curtis. I love every bit of you.”
At that moment, before she could react or respond, Lark burst into the kitchen. “Do you smell that?”
For the first time, I took a deep whiff and then groaned. “I forgot to set the timer.” I released Taryn, rushed over to the oven, and pulled open the door. Smoke billowed out. I hit the button for the exhaust fan, grabbed a dish towel, and pulled out the cookie sheet. Dinner was most definitely ruined. “Okay, ladies. Who wants Chinese takeout?”
I figured the mood had been ruined too. Taryn was quiet, like she was processing everything. We ordered food and I drove to pick it up alone. I had a lot of thinking to do. In the morning, I’d have to go to the office and act like I didn’t know that my father was building the business by hurting veterans. I’d have to pretend I had no idea that he was making money transporting the dogs and then even more from selling the unclaimed ones—which was all of them, because no one could find the dogs to claim them. He had to be raking it in.
And that’s when the idea came to me. Somewhere at McKenzie Enterprise Inc. were the missing pieces to my business plan. The knowledge I needed about the cost of shipping the dogs, the charge to the government, and the profit margin was all there. I wasn’t going to be complicit in what he did, but I could be his competition.
I just had to stick it out long enough for the lawyer to release my trust fund. Then I could quit and start my own business. I had to hold on to hope that I’d keep my attitude in check long enough for this new plan to work.
By the time I returned from picking up dinner, I had a genuine smile on my face. Taryn seemed relieved to see it. “You’re back,” she murmured.
“Yeah. And with food. As promised.” I pressed my lips to her temple.
She grabbed a paper plate and started pouring lo mein onto it. “For Lark,” she explained. Then Taryn gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “And when I said that you were home, I meant the guy that I fell for had returned, not the ball of stress that left to pick up dinner.”
I held my breath, almost afraid to ruin the moment. It was as close as she had come to admitting she loved me too. Considering all she’d been through, I’d take it. For now, it was more than enough.
That night when we climbed into my bed, she held me. She wouldn’t let me do what I’d normally do when I was struggling with family bullshit. “No shutting me out,” she murmured against my back as her breath tickled my skin.
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to fight it. If she wanted to stick it out with me, I was going to let her. After all, that was literally all I’d wanted for years.
We’d actually remembered to set our alarms before going to bed. The smoother start to the day helped immensely. We’d beaten Lark out of bed. By the time I made it to the kitchen, Taryn had coffee ready.
“Have a nice day today, Hawk,” she murmured as she kissed my cheek. “We’re out of here. See you tonight.”
I grinned and pulled her close. “I will. I hope.” Then I paused. “Thank you for telling me about MK9. You have no idea how much I treasure our time together. Unlike my family, we have no secrets. This really matters.”
She nodded and I saw her tear up some. That made me
just love her more. I couldn’t wait to surprise her with the house.
As soon as I arrived in the office, I logged into my computer and tried to find the MK9 information in our files. I could see that it was there, but I couldn’t access it. That meant calling in another favor. Finn was not going to be happy to hear from me. I found his last text on my cell and sent a response: I have a job for you.
Finn called back. “You’re lucky. I called because I’m in between meetings at the moment.”
I laughed. “Incredibly lucky. I’ll have to tell you sometime. Right now, let’s get down to business. I need access to files.”
With a loud sigh, he replied, “Is this another hack job? I told you, I don’t do this anymore.”
“Yeah. I know, but this is the family business. I can’t access a file. I thought of you.” I leaned back in my chair and stared at the door, hoping no one would walk in on this conversation.
“Are you supposed to be able to access that file?” Finn chuckled.
“Probably not,” I admitted. “It’s about the dogs. My father…”
“I know.” He blew out a breath. “Here’s the thing. I set up the McKenzie computer systems. I’m in cyber security now. And I shouldn’t be doing this. If you get caught, I’m fucked. I mean it. My business will be in ruins.”
“You installed a back door, didn’t you? Damn, you’re a genius.” I sat up straight in my chair. “How? Just tell me how.”
Finn walked me through the process. I’d slipped in my earbud so that I could work hands free. And in a matter of minutes, I had access to everything. The financials, the manifests, the proposal, and the contacts at the Pentagon and the State Department. It was gold. I grabbed one of the empty flash drives I’d found in my desk and quickly downloaded everything I needed.
“Thanks, Finn. I owe you.”
“Damn right, you do.” He sighed. “I don’t suppose this will be the last time I hear from you?”
“Not a chance. I have big plans for you. Legal ones. Good money. You’ll hear from me soon.” Our call ended. I meant everything I’d said. I was going to build it bigger and better than my father. Most importantly, I was going to do it honestly. If veterans wanted their dogs, they’d have first shot. More important than the profit margin and the bottom line was having a good heart. I was going to be someone Taryn and Lark could be proud of.
16
Taryn
His parting words ate at me all day. Secrets. There weren’t supposed to be any between us. If I loved him, which I did, then I had to tell him.
All day, I imagined how that would look, what I would say. Leslie was back. Over lunch she came in and sat with us. “What’s wrong, Taryn?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I lied.
Leslie and Kate exchanged a look. “Nothing she wants to talk about,” Kate elaborated. “She’ll tell us when she’s ready.”
“I can’t very well tell you first,” I mumbled.
“What? That Hawk is Lark’s dad?” Leslie smirked.
My jaw dropped. “You knew?”
“Please. I saw them together. The resemblance is obvious to anyone who pays attention. I saw the way you looked at seeing him again. And my God, have you noticed how he looks at you?” She grinned. “How are things going?”
“Good…” I played with my salad and avoided eye contact.
“So, when are you going to tell him?” Kate asked.
I looked back and forth between them. “I’m thinking tonight. If I want this to work, then he has to know the truth. At first, I was protecting Lark. I didn’t want her to be rejected. Now, it’s clear he loves her, even thinking she’s not his daughter. So…” I shrugged.
“What’s the fear?” Leslie frowned. “The guy is crazy about you.”
“I don’t want him to think I kept this from him on purpose.” I looked at Kate. “You remember. He was gone. I tried to tell him, but he was in boot camp.”
“I remember. You never mentioned the name, but I remembered that part. And I get it too. He’s rich. That can be scary. I dated a rich guy.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“What?” I leaned in. This was new territory for me. I’d accepted that Lark was all mine, mine to love and care for all by myself. Now Hawk was back and wanted in.
“Money. They are so easily controlled by money.” Kate took a sip of her water. “At least in my case. That’s what ended us. But I’m sure Hawk is different. Don’t worry.”
I quietly considered what she’d said. Hawk was different. He didn’t worry about money. He had a mind of his own. And he’d made it clear that he had chosen us.
That evening, we took a walk on the beach before tucking Lark into bed. She had picked another one of her Llama Llama books for Hawk to read. After we kissed her, we snuck out of her room and down the stairs to the great room. Once we were seated on the couch facing each other, Hawk initiated a conversation.
“I can’t help but notice these books are all about Llama and Mama,” he noted.
I nodded. “I wondered how long it would take you to pick up on that.” I reached for his hand and held it in both of mine. “I had to normalize single mom life. It was just me and Lark. No Daddy.”
Hawk squeezed my hand. “I can see that. I also hope you see that it’s different now. She has a guy in her life because I’m the man in yours. We’re together, right?”
We never had defined our relationship. I guess I thought wanting to be together was enough. Only yesterday he dropped the “L” word. And today he was trying to make sure we knew where we stood. I knew Hawk was one of the good ones. He’d never hurt me, never deny Lark. We were safe with him.
“There’s something I need to do. Something I need to tell you. But first…text me your email.” I released his hand so that he could do it.
“Right now?” He sounded incredulous. And I understood. Here we were, obviously on the precipice of a huge moment in our relationship, and I was asking for his email like some telemarketer.
“Yes, please. You’ll see why soon enough.” I curled up in the corner of the couch and watched as he groaned, but complied with my request. A few seconds later, my phone chimed.
“Done,” he announced. “See?”
I peeked at the screen and saw the email, just like I’d requested. I grinned and hoped for the best. “Okay, so here’s the thing. I need to tell you the whole Lark story.”
He sat up straighter and grew serious. “I’m ready.”
Taking a deep breath, I started to share the biggest secret of my life. My parents didn’t even know. Of course, they had never asked. “I don’t know how it happened, exactly. Freak accident, I guess. Drew isn’t the father. I’m sure that’s what you thought. The truth is, I hadn’t had sex with him since before Memorial Day.”
His eyes widened. “Not Drew.” He nodded. “Okay.”
And then I worried that he thought I was some kind of whore who slept with anyone. “Hey, I’ve only been with two guys my entire life. And one of them only once,” I blurted out.
He blinked a few times. “Are you saying…”
“I was on birth control. I stopped taking it the very next day because you were supposed to be a one-night stand, a rebound, some kind of fling. You’d told me as much.” I held my head in my hands. “And you used a condom. I have no idea how it happened.”
His hands gently tugged my wrists so he could see my face. “Lark was meant to be. We were meant to be. There’s no other explanation.”
I stared back at him. “You mean it?”
“Mean it? Yes. Believe it? Always.” Hawk pulled me into his arms and I rested against his chest. I could hear his heart thumping loudly. “She’s mine?”
I swallowed hard. “She’s ours.”
“You know I loved her before I even knew, right?” He smoothed my hair back from my face. And I stared up at him.
“I know. I saw it.” I pulled his face towards mine and pressed my lips to his. After we kissed, I studied him and asked, “So,
you think we were meant to be?”
Hawk nodded. “I heard this poem once, on TikTok. And the poem summed it up perfectly. Something about when we were together, it wasn’t about getting to know you. It felt like I was remembering you, and I knew you before.” He grinned. “I’m not saying we knew each other in a past life or anything, but our coming together, our being together was so comfortable, like we fit. In every way.”
“I love you, Hawk. Want to see if we still fit?” I winked.
To my delight, he laughed. “I thought you’d never ask.” He pushed me back long enough to stand. Then he scooped me up like a bride. As we started toward the stairs, he murmured, “My only regret from all of this is that I missed so much. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“I did try to tell you. Braxton brought me to your house.” I bit my lip.
“So, Braxton knows?” He paused. “God, he must hate me.”
“You were in boot camp when I found out. I didn’t know how to find you. So…I didn’t. If you wanted me to be in touch, then you would’ve given me your number. I just decided this was on me.” I shrugged as he brought me into his bedroom and laid me on the bed.
“I was stupid. I always planned to come back and find you. I wanted to have something to offer you before I made my big move.” Hawk kissed me. When he pulled back, he whispered, “For the record, even this isn’t my big move. This is just me showing the woman I love how deeply I feel for her.”
I quickly propped myself up on my elbows. “Wait. No birth control, remember?”
He opened his drawer and pulled out a box of condoms. “No holes this time. I promise.”
