My Only Reason (Men of Monroe Book 2)

by Rachel Brookes

  Even though I hadn’t seen her in the flesh, I hadn’t been able to avoid her face. She was running for mayor, and the election was only a few weeks again, so she was everywhere, literally everywhere. Billboards, flyers, on the radio, and television.

  Finn stood still yet alert and observed the scene going down. This morning I’d offered him a permanent job that would allow him to work around his studies, and he’d accepted immediately. We had a good thing going on. Not only had he proved himself and his skills during the Christmas and New Year rush, but he had also stepped up when I took a couple of days off when I was staying with Austin. Now that life and work seemed to have settled down, we were in a good routine. I could trust him with Luscious Lavender, and the customers loved him. He’d already started getting a few regular customers that would come in and order fresh flowers every week and request him. They said it was because of his skills, but I’m thinking it was because he was easy on the eyes.

  “I want to order some table settings for my victory party. Something bright, bold, and classic. It must scream winner.”

  Cybil continued to amble through the shop, picking up gift boxes and bouquets Finn and I had spent the morning putting together, and either nodding or turning her nose up at them. I honest to god had no idea why she was even here, and what the hell was she talking about a victory party? Finn shot wtf eyes at me, and I shrugged in response because I was thinking the same thing he was.

  I refused to fall for her games, and I sure as hell didn’t have time for her bullshit.

  I was officially done with Cybil Hart.

  “Luscious Lavender can’t help you. We are already committed to the mayor’s party, and it would be a major conflict of interest to provide a service to the opposing party.”

  Her head whipped around, and I swear I heard a growl cultivate from deep within her chest. With her lips pursed and her eyes cold and furious, she wore a mask of thunder, and it was directed entirely on me.

  “I’m asking you again. Turn around and leave. We have never had anything to say one another. I know you’re playing games by coming here, and I do not have time to play games because, newsflash, I’m an adult. Something you need to become. So turn around and leave before I call the police and have you escorted out.”

  Her face turned from thunder to fury, but I didn’t break. I wouldn’t. I refused to. Eventually, with an exaggerated huff, she directed her attention to Finn, who hadn’t moved from my side.

  “I know you.” She ran her pointed gaze up and down him, before becoming fixated on his face. “How do I know you?”

  Finn flinched, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think you do, ma’am.”

  “Tell me your name.” She took a step toward him, then lifted her phone and quickly snapped a photo of him.

  What the actual fuck?

  I turned to Finn. “Call the police.”

  With a sharp nod, he grabbed the phone and headed for the office. Austin’s mom continued to glare at me, and again, I didn’t break. Did she honestly think I’d help her out? She’d spent years treating me like shit and pretending Austin didn’t exist. I didn’t give a shit about what she said or did to try to intimidate me, but when it affected people I loved or cared about, that was when I took offense.

  Hitching her purse higher, she huffed, then spun around on her heel and stormed out, bursting through the door with enough force to rattle the windows on either side.

  I placed my hands on top of the workbench, dropped my head, and sucked in a deep breath.

  “Uh, are you okay?” My head shot up to find Finn standing at the entrance to the office with the phone pressed against his chest. “Do you still want me to call the police?”

  Shaking my head, I smiled, hoping to take away the worry masking his face. “No, but thank you. Are you good?”

  The tension in his jaw eased, and he rejoined me. “Yeah, all good. I recognize her, but who is she?”

  “Austin’s mom.” Shrugging, I reopened the order book I’d been working in and grabbed a highlighter out of the drawer.

  “His mom?”

  “They obviously don’t have any kind of relationship.”

  “No shit.” He laughed, although it almost sounded forced.

  “You sure you’re okay?” I pressed, focusing on him. His eyes were downcast, and he was back to cutting the rest of the ribbon and putting together the boxes for the flower gift boxes we had to prepare for pick up later in the day, but I could see the tension locked in his shoulders.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  I didn’t believe him, but I wouldn’t press him. Instead, I went into praising boss mode, hoping I could get him to laugh, or at the very least smile.

  “I’m glad you stalked me outside that night. Who would have thought that you almost scaring me to death and causing a heart attack would end with you being employee of the month for two months running?”

  This time, his laugh sounded genuine. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Yeah, ridiculously awesome.” I pulled my phone out of the drawer and headed toward the office. I stopped when I reached the door, and called back out to him, “Now, get back to work; otherwise, I might have to give myself employee of the month.”

  Thankfully, I closed the door to the office to him laughing, so hopefully, Cybil fucking Hart hadn’t freaked him out too much. Seriously, what was the deal with her taking his photo? There had to be some kind of law that made it illegal to take someone’s photo without their consent. If not, it was still creepy on so many levels.

  I opened my messages after sitting down at the desk and scrolled to my texts with Austin.

  Marnie: Is taking a photo of someone without their consent illegal?

  Immediately, the three dots appeared

  Austin: Who is taking photos of you?

  Marnie: No one. Your mom decided to visit, and she took a photo of Finn.

  My phone vibrated in my hand, and Austin’s face appeared on the screen requesting a FaceTime call. As soon as I clicked accept, he went on a rant.

  “What the actual fuck? She came into your store after being told repeatedly to leave you the fuck alone, and then she takes a photo of your employee?”

  “I’m okay, Finn’s okay, and she just pissed me off. When I told Finn to call the police, she left.”

  He shook his head, pissed off to the max, and I could tell by the vein popping in his neck. “What did she want?”

  “She wants me to provide flowers for her victory party.”

  His eyes shot wide. “Has she lost her fucking mind?”

  I couldn’t hold the giggle in any longer. I threw my head back against the chair, and deep belly laughs filled my office. Now that I’d said her request out loud, it sounded even funnier than it had in my head. The term batshit crazy came to mind.

  “I’ve got to head into court, but I’ll give her a call afterward and remind her for the hundredth time to back off.” He sliced his fingers through his hair, and the way it went all crazy reminded me of how it looked after we had sex that morning. Instantly, a tingle shot through me and landed right between my legs. Thank god for FaceTime! The look on my face wasn’t lost on him “Stop looking at me like that.”

  I winked. “Have fun in court.”

  I ended the call to him shaking his head while grinning handsomely.

  Even though we’d just got off the phone, I couldn’t resist sending him a quick text.

  Marnie: I wouldn’t bother contacting her. We’re happy, and that’s all that matters. Plus, she wants you to react. How about instead of you calling her, we have crazy wild sex tonight. Okay?

  Austin: Stop it! I do not need a hard-on when I walk into court.

  Marnie: So it’s probably not the right time to mention that I’ve been thinking of giving you a blow job all day? It’s been five years since I’ve had you in my mouth.

  Austin: Fuck.

  Marnie: Yeah, that’s what we’ll be doing later.

  Austin: Fuck, I’ve missed you.
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  Marnie: Missed you too. I’ll see you tonight xo

  All afternoon, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Things were good, really good between us. Did I still have moments where I feared opening my heart again? Yes. But then Austin would kiss me, or squeeze my hand, or look at me with utter devotion in his eyes, and I knew I made the right decision. Truth be told, I’d never stopped loving him, and I never imagined living my best life with anyone other than him.

  I just needed a little push to make me believe I could have it again.

  And boy was he proving every single day that he was mine to keep.

  Today must have been the day for unwanted visitors because as I was turning the closed sign on the door at the end of the day, Austin’s dad appeared through the glass.

  “What did I do to deserve this?” I groaned at the ceiling. “Honestly, what?”

  I’d already gone head to head with Austin’s mother, and I sure as hell didn’t have the energy or patience to have it out with his dad, but I couldn’t ignore the look of defeat on his face.

  “Marnie, I’m sorry to arrive uninvited, but can I trouble you for a couple of minutes of your time?”

  Fuck, he even sounded defeated. Because I clearly liked to torment myself, I unlocked the door and opened it to him. Even though he had been a shitty parent to Austin, he’d never said a bad word to me. Well, to my face. Over the years, I’d actually got a few smiles out of him, but that didn’t erase the shit he’d been a part of in regard to Austin. But I could give him this. A couple of minutes of my time wasn’t a lot in the scheme of things.

  I stepped farther into my shop before turning to face him. “What can I do for you, Baron?”

  He flinched at my nonchalant greeting and nodded slowly, understanding that I hadn’t invited him in for general chitchat. For the past hour, I’d been in end-of-day mode and counting down the minutes until I could get home, shower and scrub off my makeup, and wait for Austin. The plan for the night was simple; have some dinner, and then fall into bed with Austin and have sex until we passed out.

  My plans did not include being held up by his father.

  “How’s Austin?” he asked sheepishly. “How’s his recovery going?”

  “You know you could call him?”

  “I doubt he’d pick up.”

  That’s the thing, though, he would. That was the kind of man Austin was. His parents fucked him and Ashlyn over, but in his eyes, they were still his parents, especially his father. The only good stories Austin shared from his childhood involved Ashlyn, but occasionally, he’d mention his dad. Never his mother. Once upon a time, the two of them did have a relationship, but as Austin grew older, Baron started working out of town more, and there were times when he wouldn’t be around for months.

  “If you called, he would answer. I don’t know how he’d react, but he’d answer. I don’t mean to come across as rude, but you and Cybil were shitty parents, so you’ve got to understand why he’d be standoffish.”

  “I always did appreciate your honesty.”

  I shrugged. “My dad always said honesty is the best policy, so I live by that.”

  “So, Austin?” he repeated.

  “He is doing good. No long-term issues. I may have overreacted a little. Apparently, it was a graze and wasn’t as serious as I believed.” I said, using air quotes when I said the word graze.

  “Anything to do with a bullet is serious.”

  “Thank you! That’s what I said. I’m glad someone agrees with me.”

  He smiled, and I couldn’t ignore that he and Austin shared a very similar smile. Come to think of it, looking at Baron was what I imagined looking at Austin would be like in thirty years.

  “Well, I won’t take up any more of your time. Thank you for talking to me.”

  “Austin and I are back together,” I blurted out, and as soon as I said it, I had no idea why I did.

  “I didn’t think it would take too long. Make him happy and allow him to make you just as happy.”

  I didn’t recognize this Baron. He was chilled, even melancholy, and the ruthless businessman who’d I encountered over the years was nowhere to be found. To be honest, he was almost likable, which was crazy to imagine.

  “Before you go, can I ask you a favor?”

  He nodded and waited by the door.

  “Can you please tell your wife to leave me alone? I don’t want to be around her, and I sure as hell don’t want her anywhere near me, my store, or my employees.”

  Anger flashed behind his eyes. “When did she come here?”

  “This morning.”

  Shaking his head, he cursed under his breath. “I’ll have a word with her.”

  “I’d appreciate that, and Baron, if you want to check in with Austin, call him. I don’t know if he’ll talk to you, but he’ll answer.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I watched him leave and blew out a long breath. What a weird as fuck day. I was quickly learning that there never seemed to be a dull moment in the life of Marnie Lavender these days. Quickly, I rushed around, closing up and making sure everything that needed to be put away was. Once I was satisfied, after re-checking of course, I grabbed my bag and pulled out my keys and locked up for the night.

  I walked to my car, hoping that tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that would be less eventful.

  I’d had enough of Austin’s mother to deserve a reprieve.

  Little did I know, the universe had bigger plans, and a storm was brewing and it was getting ready to hit.

  Twenty-Nine

  Austin

  BELOVED COP KILLER’S SON WALKS AMONG US

  The headline read like a Hollywood movie. I stood, leaning against the kitchen island, and scanned the article on my phone. I took in every word and couldn’t believe what I was reading.

  It was complete and utter bullshit, and it had my mother’s name all over it, literally.

  Mayor Electoral candidate Cybil Hart says, “It has recently come to my attention that Finn Bell, the only child of Thomas Bell, is residing in Monroe and living life as Finn Brown. Thomas Bell murdered Monroe’s favorite son and my family’s good friend, Captain Theo Lavender, five years ago, and is now incarcerated for life. I am shocked and disgusted to learn that his son and mother are walking the streets of Monroe and his son, Finn Bell, has been working at Luscious Lavender, which is owned by Marnie Lavender, the youngest daughter of Captain Lavender, and my future daughter-in-law. To think a member of my family has been victimized like this incomprehensible, and I will not stand for it. I’m promising my fellow Monroenites that if I am elected mayor, I will ensure this kind of thing never occurs again. I will ensure families of convicted criminals cannot change their name and reappear in the town the crime was committed, because I ask you this, how do we know Finn Bell doesn’t share similar traits to his father? My family and this town must come first.”

  Her future daughter-in-law?

  Her family’s good friend?

  Monroe’s beloved son?

  What in the actual fuck!

  My anger grew astronomically as I re-read the article. First, because my mother was a nasty piece of work, and secondly, because if this was true, I needed to meet Finn Bell, and find out firsthand from him what the fuck was going on.

  I wouldn’t judge him for his father’s actions, but I would if he knowingly kept this from Marnie.

  I copied the link to the article and sent it to Ben.

  Less than two minutes later, he called my cell.

  “What the fuck did I just read?” he hissed down the phone, and in the background, I heard a door shut, and I knew he was moving away from Sasha.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Is it true?”

  “There’s a lot of bullshit in that article, but my mother is smart enough to know not to drop a bombshell like that without evidence to back it up.”

  “Does MJ know?”

  I glanced toward the stairs that led to her b
edroom and frowned. “I’m going to wake her up now and try to find the right way to tell her. Then we are going straight to Finn and finding out what the fuck is going on.”

  “Text me when you’re heading out, and I’ll meet you there.”

  I ended the call, then climbed the stairs, taking two at a time, and silently entered Marnie’s bedroom. It was early, and through the orange-grayish wash of a new day stabbing through the window, I found her snuggling into the pillow I’d left barely ten minutes ago. I sat on the edge of the bed next to where she slept and watched her. My stomach knotted at the thought of being the one to take away the peaceful look resting on her stunning face. Gently, I traced my fingertip over her cheek, and her lips, before tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

  “Freckles, I need you to wake up.” I leaned down and whispered in her ear before sitting back up.

  Slowly, she stirred, and pulled my pillow in tighter against her chest, before looking up at me with sleepy eyes, swollen lips, and a lazy smile. Pure innocence stared back at me, and it fucked with my head that I was about to rip that innocence away.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered as she read my face, and panic hit her eyes. Her smile dropped, and she sat up and brought the sheet with her. “Austin, what’s going on?”

  I rose from the bed and offered the best smile I could. “I need you to get up and get ready, and then meet me in the kitchen.”

  As soon as I stepped away, her hand darted out and wrapped around my wrist. “Tell me.”

  Fuck, how was I going to tell her this? I ran my hand through my hair while trying to work out what to say. She begged me with her eyes and demanded to be told with her silence.

  “It’s Finn.”

  She didn’t hesitate, she jumped out of bed, wrapping the sheet tightly around her body as she started to grab the clothes she’d discarded last night. “Oh my god, is he okay? Is he hurt?”

  My girl. Always the protector. Always thinking about others before herself.