“Damn, that’s extreme. I’ll deal with him again tomorrow. What’s his problem, anyway? I swear it has something to do with you, Lynz. You used to get along better than this.”
Lynzee lets go of me. “It’s probably because he asked out one of my new friends, but I warned her that Cruise is a player, so she turned him down. It shouldn’t bother him. He has no problem finding willing victims.”
I cringe, studying a popsicle-stick building. “He’s not all that bad, is he?”
She frowns and toys with a pipe fitting. “Cruise has a reputation. He denies it’s true, but we all know Chase is the virgin. It’s hardly a secret.”
Before I argue, Talia smacks her arm. “Lynzee, he’d better not be the only one!”
Lynzee laughs. “I’m talking about those two airheads. I will be until I’m thirty.”
I say, “At least.” Lynzee rolls her eyes and turns back to her history project.
Talia cleans up scraps on the table. “Don’t trash your brother so much.”
“I don’t want him messing around with my friends, Mom. I see how he is with other girls. He only stays for sex, and if it takes too long, he hits the road.”
I sigh as Talia groans, “Oh, God. I hope that’s not true.”
“I’m afraid it is. Ask any girl at school. Cruise McGrath is a ho.” Fuck. He’s worse than I thought.
“Do not call him that, either!” Talia argues. I’m honestly not in the mood to argue after tonight’s events. The fatal accident shook up Ruby and has about done me in for the year.
Lynzee shrugs, squeezing the fitting into the project. “I don’t see what the big deal is about him. He’s sort of average looking.”
Pasting more sticks, Talia sneers, “Your dad and I didn’t make no ugly babies.”
I finally laugh when Lynzee makes a disgusted face. “Yuck. I heard about you earlier. Cruise has a big mouth. Maybe that’s what the ladies like.”
I say, “Okay. That’s enough about your brother and anything he told you. It’s late. Aren’t you done with this yet? You need to go to bed.” Talia glances at me with a smile.
“Yeah. Just finishing up.”
I sigh, probably for the fifth time, and Talia asks, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I’m not ready to talk about today, so I pick up a hollow piece of plastic. “Is this a hill?”
“It’s the Liberty Bell!” they whine in unison. Lynzee adds, “The building is Independence Hall! Come on, Dad! Your investigative skills are disappointing.”
They glare at me, and I set down the piece and back away. “Ouch. Sorry. I’ll leave you to it.”
As I’m leaving the kitchen, Talia says, “I made lasagna for dinner. It’s in the fridge.”
“Okay.” Not hungry tonight, I go upstairs and hear Chase’s TV but nothing from Cruise’s room. Next, I peek in on Amari, who’s sleeping. Similar to Cruise’s hair color, it glows in the hallway light.
Having showered at work, I grab boxers and go into the bathroom to change out of my jeans and T-shirt. When I emerge, Talia is looking into the mirror, examining her earrings again. Her reflection smiles at me as I head to my side of the bed.
“I heard about the accident on the news. Those poor people. One died?”
“Yeah. Some people underestimate wet roads.”
“How come they never interview you on camera?”
“Because I push it off to someone else.”
“But you’re so handsome, especially right now, without your shirt.” Talia giggles as she walks over to me, but she stops at the end of the bed when I don't smile. “Do you like your recruit?”
“She’s fine. Uh, something else happened today.”
Talia’s smile drops. “What?” When I hesitate, Talia’s eyes widen. You’re scaring me, Dylan.”
I sit on the bed and look at the tan carpeting. “My recruit was nervous around me all day.”
“Well, you’re her training officer and sergeant. I can see why.” Talia crosses her arms, waiting for me to say more as she shifts on her feet.
“We had lunch at Sage’s and saw J.J. Then, Ruby’s mother showed up.”
Talia grins. “Oh. Did she try to tell you how to train her daughter or for you to give her daughter special consideration?”
“Sort of. Turns out I know her well.”
Talia’s grin slowly disintegrates. “How?”
“Ruby’s mother is Audrey, my ex.”
“Um, oh.” Talia’s stunned gaze falls to the floor. “Your ex.”
“It’s no big deal. I swear.”
“Damn, Dylan. You’ve avoided her all these years here in Richmond. Now, she pops up?” Talia’s dread is palpable and contagious.
“Yeah. We talked some.”
“About?”
“She wanted to reminisce.”
“Did she want you to get back with her?”
I shift, unsure if I should go to her or if it’s safer to remain on the bed. “Baby, it wasn’t like that.”
When I frown, Talia nods. “I should have figured. I mean, who’d blame her?”
“And I said no.”
“Why not? You fucked her for years. She was your first.”
“So? I’ve fucked you longer. Why does it matter? You’re my last. What about your first?”
“It’s not the same. Mine was a one-time thing, not a significant relationship.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
Having a full house, Talia angrily whispers, “This bitch wants my husband! On our anniversary! She had you at one point! How am I not supposed to worry?”
“Because she’s not getting me.”
“You’ll be spending time with her daughter every day. I’m sure Audrey will make more coincidental appearances.”
“I can be friendly to Audrey without crossing a line. I didn’t know she was Ruby’s mother. I mean, Ruby has blue eyes and blonde hair but kind of resembles her.”
Talia paces but then stops to stare at me. “Shit. How old is Ruby?”
“Talia.”
“Just answer it.”
“Twenty-one.”
Talia’s hand goes to her forehead and then into her hair. “Dylan.”
I watch Talia’s reaction as I sigh and admit, “Yeah. I thought she was mine.”
“Did you lie to me?”
“No!” I stand up as Talia shakes. “The last time I had sex with her was on my twenty-first birthday. I thought maybe Audrey had gotten pregnant and hid our baby from me. But she couldn’t have. Ruby would be over a year older.”
“So, there was a possibility, then? I thought mine was the only garden you fertilized.”
“It is, but she wasn’t always on birth control.”
“Fantastic. I imagine you railing your ex, bareback. I was a mere rebound.”
“No, you weren’t. Audrey and I had been broken up for a year when I met you. You and I have lasted twenty-two years. Audrey was a long time ago. There’s no comparison.”
Talia blinks her damp eyes. “What are you going to do about Ruby?”
“That’s the thing. Audrey asked me to keep her as my recruit. She said it’d mean a lot to Ruby.”
Talia gasps, “Are you serious? Why in the hell would she do that, regardless of what it would mean to her daughter?”
In the hall, doors close. We’re never fucking alone. I shrug, not wanting to lie but feel it’s for the best to omit the whole truth. “She’s a good recruit but needs work. I see a lot of myself in her.”
“Maybe Audrey bullshitted you, and it’s the DNA you see.”
“Talia, stop.”
“So, you’ll train her because your ex begged you?”
I put my hands on my hips as I struggle not to upset Talia more. “She didn’t beg. But yeah. I want to.”
“You already have two daughters. Remember?”
“I do. Don’t let this be bigger than it is. Please?”
“Don’t you see it? Audrey’s inserting herself back into your life.”
“I think she’s after your cock.”
I frown. “She can find her own. Mine belongs to you. And I wouldn’t want you to make good on the murder charge you touted earlier.”
I smile, but Talia’s gaze drifts to the wall, and her expression changes like she’s watching an accident happen. Confused, she asks, “When you came back to Richmond, you said you visited her. What did that visit entail?”
“We talked and ate dinner.”
“No sex?”
“She offered, but I said no.”
“No hard-on? Or did she blow you instead?”
“What the hell does this have to do with anything?”
“I want answers, Dylan. You’re a damn pro and dodge questions better than your son.”
“When they’re not relevant.”
“To you. Did you kiss her that night?”
“Fine. She kissed me first, but yeah. Then, I left.”
“The next day, after I left Jordan’s, Audrey showed up, and you talked.”
“What’s that mean? I told you we did.”
“But you refused to go into detail about it and were in a horrible mood for weeks. You barely talked to me. It wasn’t fair.”
I inhale as I cross my arms, glancing at our family picture on my dresser. “We argued, okay? It wasn’t easy, telling her you and I were back together. She cried, Talia. It was draining and, yeah. I felt guilty.” I don’t know why, but I still can’t tell her Audrey heard us fucking.
“You two ended on a bad note then, but now she wants you to mentor her daughter, even though Ruby isn’t yours.”
“I don’t want to fight with you. Can we go to bed?”
“Why? That’s the million-dollar question. There has to be a reason, Dylan.”
“There isn’t. I’m a nice guy.” I pull down the blankets on my side of the bed to distract myself from telling her everything. When Talia’s quiet, I again see her staring at the wall before her eyes suddenly widen. “Oh, my God. That’s the reason.”
“What is?”
“If I hadn’t shown up at the exact time I did, I would’ve interrupted Audrey fucking you.”
“Okay. I’m done with this.” Panicked she’ll see the truth on my face, I turn back to the bed.
“Ruby was meant to be your daughter, Dylan. I’ll bet money on it. You didn’t fuck Audrey that day, and she probably found a rebound. Tell me that’s not what happened.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I close my eyes. I can’t lie to her anymore. I don’t know why I tried. “Okay. If you hadn’t come to Richmond—”
“You would’ve come in Audrey, getting her pregnant.”
When I drop my hand, Talia’s eyes flash with tears, and I confess, “Yeah. She would’ve been mine.” Sighing, I go toward Talia, but she moves to the window. “Talia, what do you want me to say? It was a tough time. I was forcing myself to move on. I didn’t want to, but what the hell was I supposed to do? For that whole month, I barely survived each day without getting killed at work.”
She peers through the curtain into the night. “I know it’s my fault for saying I cheated on you, but it’s shitty to hear how close you were to fucking her.”
“It wouldn’t have been the same experience. My heart wouldn’t have been in it.”
“Sex is sex, right? It doesn’t matter.” Talia leaves the window, but before she can get farther away, I grab her arm and spin her to face me.
“That’s not true. It’s different with you.”
“Only because sex with me resulted in four pregnancies.”
“It’s more than that, and you know it.”
“Is it? Because when I arrived in Richmond, you had sex with me, almost like I was the rebound. Now, I feel insignificant and used.”
“You’re far from that. I almost proposed while making love to you.”
Her brown eyes harden. “So, you would’ve proposed to Audrey, then?”
“No! You are the only woman I’ve ever asked to marry me.” Talia tries to escape my grasp until I say, “If I hadn’t quit the department in California, you would’ve slept with Tristan!”
“But I would’ve slept with Tristan to save you. You would’ve slept with Audrey to save yourself.” Talia jerks her arm from me and goes to her dresser, pulling out a nightshirt, leaving me stunned.
“I don’t want to argue with you on our anniversary. It’s almost over.”
She mumbles, “Maybe it should be.”
“What the fuck does that mean? You’re this upset about something I didn’t do over twenty years ago?”
“With her back in your life, maybe you’ll see things differently this time.”
“Is that the problem? Talia, she’s not in my life. I’ll only be working with her daughter.” I watch Talia take off her shirt and bra to change into an old T-shirt of mine. Her toned body momentarily distracts me as her breasts bounce free. She truly is a sight to behold. If we weren’t arguing, I would already be on her.
“I think you feel guilty you didn’t father Ruby.”
That statement tears me away from staring at her. “Guilty for that? No.”
Pulling down the shirt over her tits, she says, “It’s the goddamn public servant in you, always offering your help, even to your detriment. That night we broke up, you let me fuck you in the back seat of my car. You offered a hard dick, but you were barely there. I came, and you left. Why?”
I shrug. “Maybe because I’m a goddamn public servant whose detriment is you. Besides, your Garfield pajama pants got me horny as hell.” Talia frowns with an angry eye roll. Crossing my arms, I sigh. “Talia, I wanted to pretend you loved me for real, as if that isn’t fucked up. I didn’t want to say goodbye to us. Even believing you had fucked him, I needed to be with you one last time. I tried to come but couldn’t, so I took out my frustrations on Tristan. That night was the most painful experience of my life. I’ll never forget it.”
Talia bites her lip and glances at the window again, mumbling, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pulled you into my car.”
“Why did you?”
“Because I didn’t cheat, and I loved you. I concentrated so hard to come. I wanted you to feel me holding onto you, though I had to let you go. It was the most agonizing orgasm I’ve ever had.”
“If I feel bad about Audrey, it’s because of how her life has turned out. I was the one without a plan or ambition. She doesn’t deserve to be unhappy. Helping Ruby is a way to help Audrey without being involved with her. And I like Ruby.”
Talia puts a hand on her temple and closes her eyes. “Whatever. I’m tired of arguing about it. Train Ruby. See Audrey. You’ve made your decision. Earlier, I joked that I boss you around, but that’s not true. As a police sergeant, you call the shots at work and at home. That has been our relationship. If you say I shouldn’t feel a certain way, then I feel guilty because I do. You’ve always been a rebel, throwing up your middle finger to the establishment. But sometimes, I’m often the one who gets the bird.”
“Where in the hell did you get this? I’m not some tyrant.”
“No, you’re not, but we’ve never been on equal footing, Dylan. It’s like you hold more value or have a higher stake in our marriage because you’re a cop.”
“Talia, I don’t. Hang on. For twenty-two fucking years, you’ve kept these feelings about me to yourself?”
“No. You just haven’t heard me over the clash of your sword and a crowded house.”
“I’m sorry. Jesus. I wasn’t aware I was hurting you.”
I walk closer, and we make eye contact in the mirror as she says, “Sometimes I think you’d be better off with a woman more similar to you. Audrey might not be a problem until you crave her white pussy and nail it in the diner bathroom.”
Standing next to her, I glare at her reflection. “How can you say that shit?”
“I’m in constant fear of
losing you, like it’s inevitable, and it’s exhausting. I’m not saying you’d ever cheat on me, but I’m afraid you will drift toward someone else. It doesn’t have to be Audrey, but she’s the perfect opportunity.”
Surprised, I laugh, which surprises Talia. “You seriously don’t get it, Talia. I’m average while you’re a gorgeous woman of many colors who could have any man.”
“Just stop.”
“Instead, you wasted your time on a twenty-two-year-old white rookie when I wasn’t worthy of a second of it. You saw past my flaws and loved me, Talia. I’m the one who should worry you’ll leave me because of the weight of my skin color. You had every right and then some not to give a second glance to a younger, white police officer. And don’t remind me how your dad is a white ex-cop. It could’ve been a huge turn-off to you, even more than my badge. I love everything about you, your hair, skin tone, eyes, heart…every damn thing. So, when it comes to me losing you, it drives me insane.”
Talia whispers, “Dylan,” and braces her hands behind her on her dresser. She looks at the floor. “It’s not only our backgrounds. It’s also our ages. I want us to be equal partners, no matter what.”
“I thought we were. Maybe I get overzealous with keeping you safe, but I never wanted to overshadow you. You’re my wife and my equal. Nothing less. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”
“Dylan, it’s fine. I don’t want to fight. You can train Ruby.”
Sliding my thumb across her bottom lip, I shake my head. “Huh-uh. It’s not about that anymore. This is only about you and me, baby—nothing else. You’re right. We built our relationship on you needing me to make the first move and convincing you that we weren’t a mistake. Along with my job, I guess I took control of us without realizing it, and that has been our status quo.”
Tentative, Talia’s brown eyes meet mine. “I’ve changed. I often make the first move.”
“Only if you’re positive I’ll want it too.”
“I’m better about it than I used to be.”
“After years together, we need to break the status quo and honor our wedding vows. Grab your fair share.”
“What do you mean?”
“Put this police sergeant in his damn place.”
Talia sighs, uncomfortable as she shifts. “This isn’t a joke.” The bathroom door in the hall closes, and she looks toward our bedroom door.
Rebel Rook: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) Page 41
