The Lies We Tell Ourselves (A Southern Heroes Novel Book 3)

by Michelle Heard

  “I didn’t know you were comin’,” she says, shutting the door behind me. She walks to the living room and picks up her bag. She’s going to make a run for it.

  I go over to her and taking hold of her hand, I pull her into the indoor garden. I stop suddenly, and as I turn around, Reece bumps into me. I don’t bother taking a step back, and instead, wrap my arms around her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t care,” she says as she brings her arms up between us to push me away.

  Tightening my hold, I look down. “You care. You wouldn’t be so pissed at me if you didn’t care.” She glares up at me which only makes me smile. “See, you care.”

  “You’re arrogant,” she snaps. “Let go of me.”

  “I’m gonna hold you a little while longer. I’m scared you’ll slap me if I let go right now,” I tease her.

  “I wasn’t thinkin’ of slapping you but thanks for the idea.” The bite is gone from her voice which makes me feel a little better.

  We stare at each other until the awareness builds between us. I now know what it is. Interest. I want to know more about this woman.

  I pull back, not wanting to push Reece too hard. The fact that’s she’s not cursing a blue streak is a win for me.

  I walk deeper into the garden. “I saw my mom yesterday. She made me pancakes shaped in a star. The first time she made them it was because I was obsessed with ninja stars. The holes are still in my bedroom door from all the practicing.”

  I glance at Reece and seeing no sign of anger on her face, I continue, “When I joined the police force, she just changed the shape of the star.”

  I look down at the flowers, and it reminds me of something Mom once said. “I bought my mom flowers once, and she was so pissed at me for givin’ her somethin’ that was dyin’.” I turn and look at Reece. “Since then I buy her the whole plant.”

  “Why are you tellin’ me this?” she asks.

  “It’s somethin’ we have in common. We’re both close to our mothers. I wanted you to know at least one truth today.”

  “Why?”

  I walk back to where she’s standing and placing my hand behind her neck, I press a kiss to her forehead. “I want to replace the lies with truths.”

  “Why?” She takes hold of my wrist and pulls my hand away from her neck.

  “I care for the Nicolson women.” I’m serious right now. No playing around or teasing Reece. “I care.”

  “I’m still angry.” A smile tugs at her mouth.

  “I understand.” Our eyes never break contact, and it’s starting to feel intimate. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. How’s it possible that a look can feel more intimate than holding hands or kissing?

  “Mom misses you. She’s been naggin’ me to call you,” Reece says, and she breaks the moment between us as she turns around. “Oh, and don’t read that romance book to her.”

  “Why?” I ask as I walk after her.

  “Because I don’t want to read it to her, and I can’t have you outshinin’ me.”

  I laugh as we climb the stairs. It feels like there’s hope. With a little luck, Reece might just forgive me.

  CHAPTER 22

  “I need time.”

  REECE

  It’s been three weeks since I found out Alec lied to me. He’s been visiting Mom twice a week, and I’ve stopped hiding whenever he comes over, but it feels like I have to get to know him all over again.

  I need time, though. I’m not ready to let someone into my heart again.

  Life has been overwhelming, and I need a break from it all, or I’ll lose my mind. I’ve been planning a trip to China, and have asked Nurse Hensley to come along. Having booked rooms for us in the best hotels, and hired a private jet, I’m sure Mom will be able to enjoy herself.

  Walking into Mom’s room, I see she’s busy on her phone again. I bought it a week ago, and the first thing she did was create a group chat for her, Alec, and myself.

  “Mom, put down the phone. We need to discuss our itinerary.” I make myself comfortable on the bed. “I think I’ve listed all the places you want to see. I’ve arranged a helicopter ride over parts of Mt. Huangshan, and a bamboo boat cruise past Yangshuo.”

  I look at Mom and seeing her smile, I continue. “Another helicopter ride over Zhangjiajie. We’ll end the trip at the Yu garden. Does that sound okay?”

  Mom nods, excitement coloring her cheeks. “Yes. Gonna be fun.”

  We’ve been in China for two days, and Mom hasn’t stopped smiling. Seeing her so happy is all I ever wanted.

  As we fly over Mt. Huangshan Mom grabs my arm every ten seconds. “Look!”

  “It’s beautiful,” I say as I watch the breathtaking scenery below.

  Mom snaps a few photos and uploads them to the group chat. She’s spamming the hell out of Alec.

  It’s the first time I get to travel internationally with Mom, and the experience is something I’ll never forget.

  The bamboo boat cruise is filled with astonishing sights, but the highlight of the whole trip is the Yu garden. Blossoms rain down on us as I push Mom over bridges and the structures make it feel like we’ve traveled back in time.

  On our last night, I hear Mom laughing. Walking into her room, I hear Alec’s voice.

  ‘Her long silky hair makes me want to run my fingers through it. ‘You’ve always been the one for me,’ I whisper.’

  I hear him clear his throat. ‘Uhm, I’m gonna stop here ’cause you’re too young to hear the next part.’

  Mom laughs until tears are running down her face and when she finally manages to compose herself, she sends a voice clip back to Alec. “Read it all.”

  Chuckling, I go over to Mom and taking her phone from her, I record a voice clip of my own.

  “Yeah, Detective. We wanna know what happens next.”

  Mom claps her hands. “That’s my girl.”

  The phone begins to ring, and seeing Alec’s name, I swipe to answer and put him on speaker.

  “Are you gonna give us a live readin’?” I tease him.

  “I’m not sure you’re ready to hear what comes next,” he teases back, which has Mom laughing again.

  “You have me on speaker?” he asks. “Shit, sorry Mrs. Nicolson.”

  “No, go on. Don’t mind Mom.” I get a kick out of making him uncomfortable.

  “You’re both gonna be the end of me,” he groans. “I’ll do a live readin’ in person and see how brave you are then.”

  My cheeks flush up, and Mom wags her eyebrows at me.

  “Here’s the phone,” I say, and dropping it on Mom’s lap, I make a run for it while hearing them both laughing at me.

  As much fun as the trip was, I’m glad to be back home. I feel refreshed after the vacation with Mom.

  Needing to check on Birdie, I give her a call. “Hey, how are you holdin’ up?” I ask when she answers.

  “I’m okay. It’s just such a shock, you know?” I hear the sadness in her voice, and I wish I could give her a hug.

  “Have you spoken to your dad again?” I ask.

  “Yeah, but listenin’ to him explain himself… it’s like he’s a different person. I can’t believe he’s been involved in drugs all this time. He totally had me fooled.”

  “I’m so sorry, hon. It sucks.” I have no words of comfort to offer her. What can you say to make things better?

  “Wanna come for coffee tomorrow?” I ask.

  “Yeah, then you can tell me all about your trip,” she agrees.

  After ending the call, I walk to the kitchen to make lunch. I’m busy slicing turkey when the knife slips, and it cuts my finger.

  “Crap,” I whisper, and leaving everything on the counter I walk over to the sink so I can run water over the cut.

  The doorbell rings and I grab a paper towel. Wrapping it around my finger, I go to open the door.

  “Hey,” Alec says, then his eyes drop to my hand. “What happened?”

  “It’s just a cut,”
I explain. I walk back to the kitchen. “Have you eaten? I’m makin’ turkey –”

  Alec takes hold of my shoulders and turns me to face him. Taking hold of the paper towel, he unwraps it and inspects the cut.

  “Sit down. I’ll get the first aid kit,” he orders, pushing me toward the couch in the living room.

  “It’ll stop bleedin’ soon,” I argue but it falls on deaf ears.

  Alex runs upstairs and seconds later comes back with the box. He sits down and turns his body toward me. While he disinfects the cut, my eyes drift over his face. I take in the strong line of his jaw, his full lips, and his sharp eyes.

  Damn, those eyes are something else.

  Suddenly he looks up and catches me staring at him. I still feel the impact of his gaze and realize it’s the way he looks at me, with his full attention.

  What if I open my heart to this man? Will I still have his full attention a couple of years from now, or will we end up disappointing each other?

  When he’s done wrapping a band-aid around my finger, I get up. Before I can head back to the kitchen, Alec takes hold of my hand again, and standing up, he pulls me closer.

  Being near him, my heart instantly begins beating faster. His eyes drift over my face, and when they stop on my mouth, anticipation hits me like a ten-ton-truck.

  What will it be like to be kissed by Alec?

  Instead, he presses a kiss to my finger. “You’re all fixed.” I’m still blinking from feeling his lips on my skin when he teases me, “I’m pretty sure I owe you a live readin’.”

  I pretend to glare at him. “Don’t start with that again.”

  He winks at me, and it happened so fast, I wish he’d do it again, just in slow-motion this time.

  Letting go of my hand and gesturing upstairs, he says, “I’m gonna go greet your mom.”

  “Are you stayin’ for lunch?” I ask, making my way back to the kitchen.

  “Yeah, that would be nice,” he answers as he goes up to her room. He stops at the top of the stairs and calls down to me, “I have nothin’ planned for tonight, you wanna watch a movie?”

  Uhm, like a date?

  “A movie,” I repeat like an idiot.

  “Yeah, in the cinema room with your mom.”

  Oh, not a date.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  All of a sudden, I feel flustered, and I place my hand over my racing heart. Damn, it’s going to be near impossible not to fall for Alec.

  CHAPTER 23

  “I missed them while they were gone.”

  ALEC

  I’ve been busy at work, but it didn’t stop me from missing Reece and her mom. It actually surprised me how attached I’ve grown to them.

  But I need to push that to the back of my mind because we all forgot about Lawrence Tymes. The man is in hiding and none of us have any leads to follow.

  I go to the Lyman precinct to pay Roberts a visit because I have a gut feeling he knows where Tymes is. Walking into the station, I run into Wyatt.

  “Hey, it’s my brother from another mother,” he says, clapping me on the back.

  “Have you found anythin’ on Tymes?” I ask.

  Wyatt places his hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt. “No, I missed you?”

  “We spoke this mornin’,” I reply dryly. Since I no longer wear the earpiece, he’s been blowing up my phone.

  “But it’s been three hours,” he complains. Placing his arm around my shoulder, he wags his eyebrows. “Don’t you miss our late-night conversations?”

  Shrugging his arm off, I glare at him. “That’s just wrong on so many levels.”

  “I know you miss me,” he keeps joking as we walk down the hallway.

  “You need professional help for your delusions.”

  I sign myself in to see Roberts and ask the officer to bring him to an interrogation room.

  Wyatt sticks to my side like glue, and I frown at him. “Don’t you have any work?”

  “I do, but I’m not missin’ out on you talkin’ to Roberts. It’s gonna be the highlight of my day.”

  Laughing, I go inside the interrogation room while Wyatt goes into the viewing room beside it.

  When the officer brings Roberts in, I gesture for him to take a seat. I wait for the officer to close the door after leaving, then say, “How are you likin’ your new place?”

  Roberts just glares at me. He’s looking rough around the edges.

  “Where’s Lawrence Tymes?” I ask.

  Roberts smirks, giving me a triumphant look.

  “Reece is happy,” I say, hoping to anger him so he’ll lose control and maybe blurt out something useful.

  “Like I give a fuck,” he growls.

  “Poor, bastard,” I taunt him. “You don’t know what you’ve lost yet.”

  Roberts leans back in his chair and gives me a loathsome look. “I’m not gonna talk. I’ve met with my attorney, and he’ll have me out of here soon.”

  I smirk at Roberts which only angers him more.

  “I’ll buy my freedom, and I’ll get out of this place, and you’ll still be stuck here,” he taunts me.

  “Yeah,” I say, getting up, “but right now I get to lock your ass behind bars, and I have to admit, I really get a kick out of it.” I walk to the door and opening it, I call the officer to take Roberts back to his cell.

  Wanting to get to know Reece better, I stay after dinner. While she’s finishing up with Mrs. Nicolson, I carry a blanket out back and spread it open on the lawn.

  Walking back inside, I see Reece and meeting her at the bottom of the stairs, I take her hand and pull her behind me.

  “Where are we going?” she asks as I walk right through the indoor garden, and out the glass doors.

  “You need to get some fresh air,” I say, and when I reach the blanket, I gesture to it. “Sit, please.”

  She gives me a curious expression but does as I say. I take a seat next to her and lean back. Resting my hands behind me, I look up at the sky.

  “I figured you might like the view.”

  Reece tilts her head back and watches the stars for a while, then asks, “Did you plant cameras in the house?”

  “Ahh…” I sit back up and resting my forearms on my knees, I look at her.

  “You’ve removed them, right?” she asks, turning her body slightly toward me and crossing her arms over her knees, she rests her chin on them.

  “I’ll do that tonight,” I say, hoping she’s not going to be angry.

  “You better.” She glances out over the yard, then her head snaps back to me. “There aren’t any in the bathrooms?”

  “No,” I quickly answer, then chuckle. “Damn, I missed a good opportunity there.”

  Lightly, she slaps my arm, and I catch her hand before she can pull back. Placing my right arm around her, I draw her body closer to mine, so she can lean against me. Keeping hold of her hand, I pull her arm around my waist. At first, I feel her tense, but after a while, she relaxes and rests her head against my shoulder.

  “What’s your favorite memory of growin’ up?” I ask.

  “Mmh, let me think.” She lets out a soft sigh. “Hands down it’s gotta be Hunter.”

  The name rings a bell, but I can’t place it right now.

  “I fell head-over-heels in love with him at the age of fourteen.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I had zero brain activity whenever he was close. Damn, I had it bad for him.”

  I hear the sentiment in her voice, and ask, “Did you date him?”

  She shakes her head. “No, but that didn’t stop me from lovin’ him. He died earlier this year. You visited his grave with me a couple of weeks back.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember now.”

  “You met Cole at the station when Birdie went to visit Pastor Doug. Actually, you only saw him, but anyway, Cole was Hunter’s best friend.”

  “Yeah, you were too angry to introduce me,” I tease her.

  She chuckles, then asks, “What’s your favorite memory
?”

  I don’t have to think long about it. “Every night when my mom got home from work, I used to sit on the porch and wait for her, and I still remember the excitement I felt when the car turned up the driveway.”

  “Really?” Reece asks, turning her face up to look at me.

  “Yeah, she always looked so happy to see me, no matter how bad her day was.”

  “That’s a good memory.”

  I tilt my head, taking in the relaxed look on Reece’s face. Her eyes drop to my mouth, and it makes anticipation build between us. Keeping my gaze locked with her, I slowly lean down. When our faces are an inch apart, her lashes flutter closed. I press a soft kiss to her lips and keeping still, I take in the feel of her in my arms.

  When I pull back, Reece opens her eyes, and the instant they meet mine, she smiles and then buries her face against my chest. I let out a burst of laughter because she's so cute.

  Taking hold of her chin, I tip her face back up and steal another quick kiss, which earns me a warm smile from Reece.

  CHAPTER 24

  “I’m falling for him.”

  REECE

  I’ve been replaying the kiss in my mind, and every time I remember the way Alec looked at me before his lips touched mine, my stomach explodes in a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

  It’s the most intense kiss I’ve ever had, and there wasn’t even any tongue.

  Mom catches me smiling and asks, “What’s the grin for?”

  I shake my head and push her wheelchair in the direction of the kitchen. “Just thinkin’ of the good times we had in China,” I lie through my teeth.

  “Yeah, right,” she teases.

  I take a bottle of water from the fridge, opening it and hand it to Mom, then grab one for myself.

  After I take a sip, I set the bottle on the counter. Pulling a tray of cookies from the oven, I turn to Mom.

  “What do you think? Are they ready?”

  “Yeah, leave ’em to cool.”

  We’ve been baking cookies all morning which has been fun.