Hold on to Hope

by Jackson, A. L.

  Her nod was slow. “I don’t think a child can ever understand the extent of a parent’s love until they get to experience that for themselves.”

  Sitting there, memories assailed me, the fear I’d felt when my mother had been trying to protect me against the wrath of my biological father.

  God, even at eight, I’d fucking hated him.

  Wanted to protect her no matter what.

  But it had been Mom who’d done the protecting.

  She and Kale.

  They were the ones who’d stood for what was right.

  I swallowed hard. “Do you remember what you used to say . . . what you used to tell me when I was a little boy?”

  She angled her head, brow pinched, unsure.

  I lifted my hands.

  THIS HOUSE IS LOVE.

  It was an assertion we’d made.

  A command.

  A rule.

  Tenderness filled her expression. “Of course, I remember.”

  “That’s what I want, Mom. I want a house, and I want to fill it with love.”

  “That’s always been my hope for you, Evan. I’ve always hoped you’d find love and you’d hold onto it . . . because there is nothing more wonderful than that.” Her eyes darted to the door. “Love her.” That gaze slipped to Everett and back to me. “Love him.”

  She squeezed my hand.

  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life and one thing I hope you hold onto for all of yours—never let go of what you love most.”

  Twenty-Six

  Frankie Leigh

  Evan was sprawled out, face down, his naked back exposed where he slept.

  My tummy turned and a blister of the need that showed no hope of dying out seared through my body.

  Not that I was complainin’.

  But I was supposed to be to work in twenty minutes, and if I wanted to get there on time, I was going to have to tear myself from the warmth of his glorious body. I mean, I could just stay there all day, right?

  I pouted a little.

  Nope.

  That was just not gonna happen.

  I couldn’t go letting Aunt Hope down that way. Gettin’ flaky just because her son was back in town. But with everything, I wondered if she would blame me.

  I crawled over him, running my nose from the sexy dimples just above his butt up the length of his spine, all the way into his hair. Breathing this boy in. There went my tummy again.

  Yum.

  He stirred, and I could feel the force of his smile where half of his face was pressed to the pillow. He flipped over and pulled me across his hard, chiseled body.

  Flaking was sounding like a mighty good plan right about then.

  “Mornin’,” he rumbled in his sleepy voice, that scraping sound wrapping me whole.

  My favorite song.

  One I wanted to listen to every single morning.

  “Hey,” I whispered. “I’ve got to go.”

  He tightened his hold. “No. Stay in this bed with me all day.”

  A giggle slipped free. “Don’t tempt me. The last thing I need is my boss to come barging through the door later to find me here after Jenna said I called in sick.”

  And I was pretty sure lovesick didn’t count.

  A smirk tugged at his sexy mouth. “She won’t mind.”

  I fiddled with a lock of his bedhead hair, voice going serious. “No, she probably wouldn’t, but I never want to let her down.”

  Evan reached up and brushed the hair out of my face, cupping my cheek, staring up at me like I was his treasure.

  My heart banged against my ribs.

  Beatin’ for him.

  “You are so good, Frankie Leigh. Have me in awe. Every second. Every day.”

  My head shook. “The only thing we can do in this life is try to be the best person we can be. From lovin’ to workin’ to helpin’.”

  “And that is what makes you so good. That you recognize it. I hope one day I can stand beside you and you see the same thing in me.”

  I trembled my fingertips across his full lips. “I already do.”

  Could feel that Evan was hard. From the twitch of the packed muscle on his abdomen to his erection that was straining through the sheets.

  I groaned. “I’ve got to go or I’m really going to be here all day. I’ve got to run home to change really quick.”

  “Grab a few changes . . . need you here with me. And honestly, I really don’t want you out there by yourself.”

  Was I blushin’? It didn’t have a thing to do with being shy, it was pure giddiness. Pure gratefulness. “You really want that? Me to be here with you?”

  “You think I was lying last night?”

  My eyes searched the depths of his. The sincerity and devotion. Could stay there forever.

  He gripped my bottom, making me squeak. I tried to subdue it, tried to silence the giggle that was breaking free so I didn’t disturb Everett who was fast asleep in his crib.

  “We’re goin’ to have to figure out something with Milo. I can’t be leaving him with Carly and Josiah all the time.”

  He nodded, something passing through his expression. “We’ll figure it out.” He lifted his chin with a grin. “Go on. Hurry up and go to work so you can come back to me.”

  “Bossy pants,” I told him, slipping out from his bed and pulling on my skirt. Was just going to wear the T-shirt I’d borrowed from him back to my place.

  He quirked a brow, watching me dress with a hungry gaze. “You want me to show you bossy? Don’t tempt me, woman.”

  I edged back over for him, brushed a kiss to his lips, inched back so he could read me. “I’ll tempt you all I want. You better get used to it, Froggy Boy.”

  He clutched me by the inside of the thigh. “Get the hell out of here before I have you tied to my bed.”

  I laughed.

  He shook his head.

  And it didn’t matter how much was going on in our worlds. How scary things could be. I didn’t think I’d ever been as happy as right then.

  Both of my boys lying in their beds waitin’ on me to come back to them.

  I crept out the door and downstairs as quietly as I could, figuring everyone would be trying to sleep in on Sunday morning.

  I hit the bottom landing, making a beeline for the door only to freeze when I heard the words hit me from behind. “You going to tell him, Frankie Leigh?”

  I flinched.

  Body and soul.

  Warily, I turned around to face Uncle Kale who was leaning against the back of the couch.

  There was no judgment on his face.

  Just the expectation that I would do what was right.

  I gulped for clarity.

  For my own resolution.

  I stared at my uncle who’d always stood by my side, even before Evan had come into our lives. Emotion fisted. “I will . . . I just . . . I’m not sure it’s the right time with everything happening with Everett.”

  Sadly, he shook his head. “It’s never going to be the right time, Sweet Pea. You know that. And it’s only going to get harder to find the words the longer you keep them hidden. He has a right to know. Especially with what is happening with Everett.”

  Grief fired from that place where I’d tried to keep it locked down. Where I’d lived the best way that I could with it until Evan had come back into my life. “I know that. It’s so hard, Uncle. I don’t want to hurt him.”

  “You can’t protect him from that, Frankie Leigh. Just like he couldn’t protect you from his disability.”

  Uncle Kale was right, but that sure didn’t make it any easier.

  “I will do it soon. I promise.”

  His nod was full of understanding, and he straightened to standing. “It wasn’t your fault, just like it wasn’t his.”

  I swallowed down the old wounds, forced a smile that was as brittle as the thought of telling Evan made me feel, and I slipped out the door without saying anything else.

  Thankfully my car was still sitting out f
ront from when I’d gotten there yesterday afternoon, and I got in and made the quick drive to my duplex.

  Unease coiled my stomach when I saw that Jack had returned, his car parked the way that it always was. But I wasn’t goin’ to live my life in fear, and if Seth believed that he was innocent of the letters, then I had to believe it, too.

  I thought I probably had always believed it way down deep, anyway. Doin’ something like that just didn’t seem Jack’s style.

  It was too petty.

  Too cowardly.

  He came out fists blazin’.

  Obviously.

  Which I wasn’t so keen about, either, but at least there was some honesty to it, and I got the feeling he wouldn’t be bugging me anymore. Still, I was quivering a bit when I stepped out into the cool dawn air, and I rushed for the porch, my key already in hand.

  Carly and Josiah would be here, so I knew I really didn’t have anything to worry about.

  But I was on edge. Fighting the creeps chasing me down. Hair lifting at the nape of my neck.

  A slick of awareness sent my pulse into overdrive.

  I whirled around, Jack’s name on the tip of my tongue, ready for a fight or to scream or to just plain run, only for it to die right there when I saw the stranger slink out from the trees.

  A misty etching in the morning.

  My eyes narrowed while my heart drum, drum, drummed, taking the guy in. Shaggy dark brown hair, medium height, thin build.

  Completely ambiguous.

  I realized he fit the description that Evan had given Seth of Ashley’s brother.

  Chris.

  Chris was his name.

  And my hand started shaking, fumbling around to get to my phone, when he started to speak.

  “Are you Frankie Leigh?” he called, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

  I relaxed a fraction when I realized he bore no threat. That he was remaining way out behind my car.

  “Yeah,” I told him, keeping myself planted in the spot, ready to bolt inside if I needed to. “Are you Chris?”

  He nodded. “I am. Ashley’s brother. Have you seen her?”

  I didn’t answer him, instead I was blinking, trying to sort through the disaster of questions that tumbled through my mind. “How do you know who I am? How do you know where I live?”

  How do you even know about me?

  That one I didn’t ask aloud, too scared to voice it.

  He gave a harsh shake of his head, looking away in frustration before he turned back to me. “Sorry. I apologize for showing up here out of the blue, but I thought I finally caught up with her yesterday. She told me what hotel she was staying at and left me a key at the front desk, but when I went inside her room, she was gone. Took most of her things except for a few scraps of paper . . . one that had your name and address written on it. Thought you might know where she was. Guessing you know Evan? The guy she dumped her kid on?”

  Wasn’t sure why that phrase dug at me, but it did.

  “I wouldn’t call it dumpin’. He’s Everett’s father.”

  Chris raked a hand through his hair. “Listen, I’m just trying to track down my sister. I’m not here to cause any trouble. She needs her medication, and she hasn’t been on it for over a month. I’m worried about her. She calls me, tells me she is ready to go home, and then when I get there, she’s vanished again. Was hoping there was a chance she’d been here since she had your address.”

  He appeared a little helpless, and damn it, I felt bad for jumping to conclusions. I shook my head. “She hasn’t been here that I know of, but we did see her yesterday downtown.”

  He heaved out a sigh of relief. “Where?”

  “Down by Patty’s Ice Cream Parlor on Macaber.”

  He nodded, attention drifting for a beat, like he was calculating where she might have gone after that.

  If only we knew.

  “She was super freaked out,” I added. “She took off running when we saw her.”

  I edged up closer to the railing. “Would she . . . would she be the type to vandalize? Paint on someone’s property?”

  Sadness had him pursing his lips. “Not normally. But about a year ago, she . . . she left a really hateful message for our mom written on her windshield in lipstick. Our mom hasn’t talked to her since . . . it was that bad.”

  God, I hated to think that Everett’s mother could be this disturbed. Hated the idea that he had the possibility of ever being in her care again.

  Protectiveness swelled.

  So fast I could feel my spirit squeeze.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I am, too. I really need to find her so we can get her stabilized.”

  I nodded slow. “I understand. I wish I could help you more, but I can’t. But one of the officers here in town is looking for her and would like to have a word with you. He wants to help her as well.”

  More relief. “Yeah, that would be awesome to have someone on my side.”

  “Let me call him really quick, I’m sure he can come right over.”

  “Actually, could you give him my number? I really want to get back out on the streets and see if I can find her this morning.”

  I flipped into my phone. “Sure . . . what is it?”

  I inputted the number as he rattled it off.

  “All right, I’ll give it to him.”

  “Thanks, Frankie Leigh. I appreciate your help. And if you see anything, please let me know.”

  “Absolutely.”

  He started to walk back down the drive, then he hesitated, slowly turned back around. “Is . . . Everett okay?”

  Affection burned so bright inside me that I thought I might physically glow. “He’s wonderful.”

  Softness filled his expression. “You and Evan are close.”

  He didn’t phrase it like a question. It was just a quiet satisfaction. “He’s the love of my life,” I said simply. “And I promise you, we’ll take care of Everett. Provide everything that he needs.”

  He gave a gentle smile. “That’s great, Frankie Leigh. That’s great.”

  Then he turned and disappeared from where he’d come.

  Quickly, I dialed Seth so I could give him the number. It was early so I wasn’t all that surprised that it went straight to voicemail. Rather than leaving one, I tapped out a message as I rushed inside, hoping that we were getting closer to being able to put this behind us.

  Twenty-Seven

  Evan

  “You have money for this?”

  Uncle Rex was in the middle of the kitchen spinning a circle in his work boots.

  He was wearing his typical. Tattered jeans and an old flannel, the guy printed in grit and tenacity.

  “Yeah.”

  He eyed me with more of the speculation Frankie had been talking about.

  Thing was, he knew me as well as everyone else, and I was nervous as fuck.

  “Going to pay cash for it, actually,” I amended, making it clear.

  He nodded slow, calculating, eyes making another circuit around the brand-new custom kitchen, the brand-new floors, the brand-new windows—the brand-new everything.

  Yeah, house was brand new.

  Had never been lived in.

  No expense had been spared. Place gorgeous.

  Best thing about it?

  It was a street away from mine and Frankie Leigh’s parents.

  Skeptical, he turned his attention back to me. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t have me here to get a remodeling quote?”

  So maybe I’d lured him here under false pretenses.

  Sue me.

  I needed to see him. Face-to-face. Without anyone else around.

  Felt like the right thing to do. Because I was finished being a pussy. Finished being a coward. Finished not standing up and fighting for what was most important in my life.

  Still, I exhaled a strained breath, nervously rubbed my palms together. “Might need an awesome playground out back.”

&nb
sp; He huffed out what I was pretty sure was a disbelieving laugh. “Little below my pay grade, don’t you think?”

  Okay, so Rex’s company, RG Construction, was the largest, most successful builder in the area. He’d grown it from the ground up, a few remodels here and there, to building the high-rise apartments that had gone in downtown, not to mention the entire community he and Uncle Broderick had collaborated on down by the river that now was one of the most popular resort destinations in Alabama.

  He wasn’t exactly begging for work.

  I’d texted him and told him I was calling in that favor that he really didn’t owe me.

  I was only half shocked that he’d shown.

  I wrapped my hands around the counter to keep myself from twitching, nerves a riot as I hedged the real reason I had him there. “Seems to me it’s something you’d do for family.”

  He ran his hand over the scruff on his jaw, eyes closing for a second before he leaned back against the opposite counter. “Cut to it, Evan. This about Frankie Leigh?”

  My chest squeezed at the thought, and I looked around the house before I let my gaze slide back to him. Straight truth bleeding free. “Know I don’t deserve it, after what I did, but I hope I get lucky enough that she will want to live here with me.”

  His nod was slight, though I could read that his words were a challenge. “And what does this have to do with me?”

  I chuckled what I knew was a rough sound, and I scratched uncomfortably behind my ear, head dropping for a beat before I forced myself to look at him. “Come on, Uncle Rex. I know you have something to say about this. Know you’re pissed. Thing is, I’m not sure if it’s because I left or came back or have a kid or if it was because I was with Frankie in the first place.”

  He wanted me to cut to it, then so be it.

  He blew a sigh into his palms and rubbed his face before he dropped his hands. “A little bit of all of them, Evan.”

  Acceptance had me nodding, but it wasn’t close to being in surrender. “I get that.”