Prodigal Son: A Sexy Single Dad Romance: Book 2 in the Marked Men 2nd Generation Series (The Forever Marked Series)

by Jay Crownover

  “Normal bad ideas I’m usually up for, but bad ideas that involve you… they nearly kill me.”

  With that parting shot, she closed the dark visor and leaned over the bike, zooming off like she was racing at Monaco or something.

  I looked down at the doll in my hand and then up to the spot where Remy had just been. It was a good thing I didn’t say anything when my dad told me to keep my distance, because I knew for sure after seeing her, I wouldn’t be able to do it.

  Remy

  “HOW DID I know I would find the only other party pooper here?”

  My cousin Daire barely turned her head in my direction as I plopped down in the swing next to the one she was lightly moving forward and back with the tips of her toes. Her black combat boots were covered in a layer of dust, indicating she’d been at the playground of the elementary school near her house for a bit. Her white-blonde hair was pulled on the top of her head in a messy ponytail that looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in a week. She had dark circles under her vibrant green eyes, and I could tell her clothes were on at least day two or three of use. She looked rough, which wasn’t a huge surprise considering the young woman had been a bit of a mess since she watched her brother nearly die right in front of her. Ry was lucky to escape the pile up with serious, but survivable, injuries. There were four other people involved in the crash who hadn’t been as fortunate. I was pretty sure Daire was grappling with some PTSD and survivor’s guilt and needed some professional help.

  That was the thing about having a brain that was wired in a weird way. It made you particularly in tune to other people, especially those close to you, those who might be struggling in the same way. I told my cousin more than once that she should make an appointment to talk to my therapist. The woman had literally saved my life when I was at my lowest, and she had helped me grow into and understand the woman I was now. Even when I was running around the country with no destination in mind, I still found time every single week to connect with my therapist and have a session. They were super helpful and kept me grounded, even if they were done over the phone or through a video chat.

  But Daire was still too angry to see a way out of her misery. Instead, she was determined to blame her older brother, my best friend, her parents, and anyone else she felt was at fault for how she was feeling. She wanted to be miserable so she could punish herself for calling her brother to her rescue the night of the accident and being inadvertently responsible for the end of his football career.

  Eyes the color of a ripe lime looked right through me. Not too long ago, that green gaze would light up like a neon sign when Daire saw me coming. Out of all the Archers, she and I were the most alike. She was also a little bit wild and more daring than was good for her health. She tended to be fearless and fierce in the same ways I was and had never been shy about speaking her mind or going after what she wanted. I always thought she was better adjusted than I was because she never seemed as boy crazy or as obsessive as I was at her age, but as it turned out, our brains were just broken in different ways. It hurt to see her crumbling so badly, and it gave me a whole new perspective on what it must have been like for my friends and family when I was in a downward spiral.

  I plopped down in the empty swing next to her and wrapped my hands around its warm chains. I stared at Daire until she practically growled at me, “Did my mom ask you to come and check on me?”

  I blinked at her and shook my head before using my feet to kick the swing in motion. “No. I haven’t talked to Aunt Shaw today. I just figured you were the only person in town who wouldn’t be at the welcome home party. I tried to text you to see if you wanted to do something while everyone else was there, but you didn’t respond. You know I’m stubborn. When I didn’t hear from you, I decided to come and find you.”

  I leaned my head back and looked up at the sky. It was getting cloudy, and white puffy clouds gave way to denser, dark gray ones. It was going to rain, which felt slightly more in line with my current mood. It used to bring me nothing but joy to see Hyde Fuller. I wasn’t sure what I felt when I looked at him now. But I knew it wasn’t anything close to happiness.

  “You resisted the urge to go fawn over your dream guy now that he’s back in town? That kind of restraint isn’t like you.” Daire continued to rock slightly in the swing, but her eyes were watching me as I flew by her every few seconds.

  I knew she was trying to pick a fight with me, but I wouldn’t let her. Another sign I was no longer the spoiled, impulsive girl who thought the world revolved around her. Plus, it wasn’t like what she said was wrong. That kind of restraint wasn’t usually in my bag of tricks. But everything where Hyde was concerned was different.

  “I did see him briefly. I took over a gift for the baby. It would’ve been weirder and caused more of an issue if I didn’t go at all, so I did the bare minimum.” And I felt pretty good about my choice. I didn’t want to think about how long I waffled back and forth over the choice to go or not, or admit that I spent way more time than I should’ve picking out that stupid stuffed animal. It was something that would probably be tossed in a corner somewhere and quickly forgotten, but I’d treated the choice like it would have some long standing effect on the little girl’s life. “I know I’ll run into him eventually, so I wanted to rip the Band-Aid off as quickly as possible.”

  “Was it weird? Seeing Hyde with a baby?” Daire’s questions were quiet, but it was the most engaged or interested she’d been with me since the accident. “I know he’s a lot older than me and even Ry, but I still remember Hyde as the guy who used to babysit us when our parents went out. It’s sort of hard to imagine him as a dad.”

  I scoffed a little and laughed when I leaned back so far that my hair touched the ground when the swing swooped past her. “The only reason he always got the babysitting gigs was because I was so unreliable. He was boring, and I was the fun one.” I dragged a foot to slow myself down and turned my head to look at my cousin. “He’s closing in on thirty. It would probably be even weirder if he wasn’t settling down and having kids at this point in his life. The process has just been harder for him than for most guys his age. That’s the way it always seems to work out for the Fullers.”

  “If he’s closing in on thirty, then so are you.” Her pale eyebrows lifted in a taunting manner. Once again, I had to remind myself not to let her rile me up. She was doing it on purpose because she wanted an excuse to fight. But her aim was off, and she should know enough about me to know I was never an easy target. “Isn’t it about time you started acting like an actual adult?”

  “What’s an actual adult? Someone who pays taxes and goes to work every day? Someone who does the dishes and separates their laundry? Someone who locks the door and remembers to pay the parking meter when they go out? I do all of that, but I’m still fun. Being an adult doesn’t mean you have to stop being who you are or forget about the things in life that you like. I’m just a different kind of adult, is all.” I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a push, so she swung sideways. She didn’t catch herself when she swung back into me, knocking into my side hard enough that it hurt and rattled my teeth together. “I’m the one adult in your life who has been where you are right now in your head, Daire. I’m the adult who gets what you’re going through with painful accuracy. I’m here if you need anything, and when you’re ready to fix what’s wrong, you will get absolutely no judgment from me.”

  Daire pushed out of the swing and got to her feet. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her dirty jeans and glared down at the ground in front of her. A very loud crack of thunder rumbled across the sky and raised the hair on my arms. It was almost as if nature was reading the mood of the Archer girls and reacting accordingly.

  I looked up just as a raindrop landed on the end of my nose. I wrinkled it out of reflex as Daire practically growled, “I’m fine. Everything is fine. I wish everyone would stop acting like there is something wrong with me. So what if I’m pissed Ry up and decided to leave for so
me girl? They could break up any day, and it’s not like Bowe was ever particularly nice to him. He was much better off with Aston.”

  I heard her sniff and watched as she dragged the back of her hand across her nose. She looked like she was going to break into a million pieces at any moment. I climbed out of the swing as the sky opened up. I was almost instantly drenched as I moved to my cousin, who was visibly shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself. I knew what it was like to want to physically hold yourself together. I also knew how hard it was to ask for help when there was simply too much damage to contain in your own arms.

  I hugged Daire even as she struggled to break free. I’m sure it was quite a sight to see since I was three inches shorter than her, and we were both now soaked to the skin, our clothes plastered to us as it continued to pour.

  “I didn’t say there was something wrong with you or that you need to be fixed, Daire. I said I would help you fix what is wrong in your life right now. Your mind is a tangible thing, something that can be injured, or even broken, considering the trauma you’ve been through. It can also get better.” I tightened my hold on her as she continued to fight and told her seriously, “You can be mad at Ry for whatever reason makes sense to you. You can feel bad because he left you here alone when you needed him. You can even blame him for picking a path that took him closer to the girl he likes and away from you, if you want, but at the end of the day, none of that is going to make you feel better. You’re going to get madder and madder. You’re going to find more reasons to push the people who love you away. You’re going to convince yourself you’re better off alone because no one understands, but you are wrong. I understand, and if you think I’m going to let you follow in my footsteps without fighting you every damn step of the way, then you are sadly mistaken.”

  She managed to wiggle out of my hold, mostly because we were both so wet, but she didn’t run away when she was free. Instead, she looked at me, and I could see her internal struggle clearly outlined in her bright eyes.

  She puffed out a breath and looked me up and down. “You look like a wet poodle.”

  I shook my soggy curls away from my face and laughed. “And you look like a fairy princess who went on a bender. Seriously, you need to take a shower and brush your hair. If you don’t want to do more than that today, if anything else feels too hard, that’s okay. Just do what you can do. I’ll help you.” I looked across the now drenched playground to where I’d parked one of my brother’s less scary motorcycles. I was a competent rider, and confident I could handle the machine, but not in the rain. It was a good thing my aunt and uncle’s house was close by. It was also a good thing that Daire hadn’t left for college at the start of fall like she originally planned. Where she was at mentally right now would’ve led to a disaster if she’d stayed enrolled.

  I kept an arm around her even though the height difference made it a struggle as we silently walked toward her house. Right when we were about to reach her front door, Daire pulled to a stop and gave me a serious look. It was still a lot sadder than her usual looks, but I no longer felt like she was trying to stab daggers into my soul with her eyes.

  “How was it really? Seeing Hyde and the baby. I know you’ve seen him here and there when he was home on leave, but you always knew he would be gone any minute. It had to be different this time.”

  I sighed heavily and rested my cheek on her damp shoulder. “It was different. I mean, I didn’t see the baby, just a lot of frilly pink stuff and a sign with her name. Hyde looks different. Kind of like you. Like a battered, kicked-around version of the person I remember. He’s thin and looks a little bit like he might break at any moment. It’s obvious he’s been through a lot.” His red, swollen eyes were firmly implanted in my mind as a stark reminder that he had recently lost the woman he loved and was not only adjusting to being a new parent, but also grieving the loss of a loved one.

  I made another sound as she pushed open the front door. “He’s still ridiculously handsome, though. That face of his never seems to have an off day.”

  He had high cheekbones and a mouth that was always a little pouty and full. He always looked like he was getting ready to lay a big ol’ kiss on someone, which was good since he didn’t smile much. His mouth was his one friendly and soft feature. The rest were all sharp and pronounced. His looks suited his serious personality. His green eyes were so intense under his thick, dark brows, and even with his hair shaved so close to his head, he looked cool and trendy. Instead of being perpetually tan and swarthy like his dad, Hyde was on the paler side, and even after all the years spent in the military, he was still tall and lean, rather than built like a linebacker. His strength wasn’t super obvious at first glance, but once you got to know him, you could see the steel that lined his spine and the iron he kept wrapped around his heart.

  To me, he’d always been the most beautiful boy. Now, he was a devastatingly handsome man. His face aged well, and I hoped what was on the inside had as well.

  Daire laughed lightly and shook free of my clingy hold. “He’s always been good-looking and super moody. I never told you, but when I was a lot younger, I totally had a crush on him. I didn’t want you to be mad at me.”

  I snorted and used a hand to shove her inside the house. “I would’ve gone ballistic back then. I probably would’ve been mad at you for no reason. I was living outside of reality in those days.” Which was exactly why I was the perfect person to help Daire on the precarious path to better mental health. “These days I’m smart enough to tell you to find someone else to crush on because Hyde’s too old for you, and you don’t need anyone to bring their mess into your mess. I can be rational and reasonable sometimes.”

  “Boys are more trouble than they’re worth. I don’t plan on having a crush on anybody for a very long time. And like you said, who’s going to want to hang out with me when I can barely even manage to wash my hair?”

  I slipped in front of her so I could raise my hands to her shoulders. I gave her a little shake and forced her to look right into my eyes. I wasn’t often very serious, but when I was, there was no missing the change. “Me. I will always want to hang out with you. I don’t care what shape your hair is in or if you’re being unnecessarily bitchy and mean. I will take whatever you dish out and come back for more. I know I’m not the only one. I have absolutely no doubt your brother would drop everything, including Bowe, if you honestly told him you needed him. You are not alone. Even if you want to be. Even if it feels that way, regardless of the fact I’m standing in front of you. I’ll remind you every hour of every single day if that’s what it takes to get you to believe me.”

  I watched as her full lower lip started to tremble. Her eyes got glassy, so she blinked hard to keep her tears at bay. Rather than break down in front of me, she sniffed loudly and whispered, “I’m going to go take a shower. Go ahead and grab something dry to change into.” She sniffed again and forced a grin before firing one last taunt in my direction. “Nothing in this house will fit you since you’re the size of a garden gnome, but it’s better than wearing clammy clothes home.”

  I stuck out a foot to kick her the way I often did with my little brother and shooed her off in the direction of the bathroom. Once I heard the water start, I made my way to the kitchen to find something to drink and pulled out my phone.

  My Aunt Shaw hadn’t asked me to stop and check on Daire today, so I hadn’t lied to my cousin. But she never asked if her dad had sent me a message at any point today. My Uncle Rule was a cool guy. When I was younger, there were times when I wondered if I’d ended up with the wrong Archer for a father. My dad was cool, calm, and collected in all situations; it could be really difficult to get a read on his emotions. My Uncle Rule was the opposite. He was a hothead, and the kind of guy who never let you guess where you stood with him. He was honest to a fault, which often came across as rude, and more than once I’d heard my dad mention that his younger brother had been a lot to deal with when he was a teenager.

  That w
as something I was also used to hearing.

  I was a lot… too much… too intense.

  Too loud.

  Too happy.

  Too angry.

  Too passionate.

  I wouldn’t change my dad for anything in the whole world, but there was no doubt there were plenty of times he didn’t understand me or what I was going through no matter how hard he tried.

  ~ The eagle is in the nest. She’s taking a shower, and I’m going to try and get her to eat something. I’ll stay with her until you guys get home.

  I fired off the text to my Uncle Rule and picked through the fridge to see if they had anything I actually knew how to make. I was more of a food-delivery-app type of girl. My phone buzzed back with a reply almost immediately.

  ~ You’re the best, Remy. Thank you for looking out for her.

  My response was really the only answer I could give.

  ~ I love her. She’s family. I don’t want her to end up like me.

  I pulled out a soda and some stuff to throw together a couple of sandwiches. I was slightly surprised when my phone pinged back with another message.

  ~ Nothing wrong with her being like you, Rem. You’re one of my favorite people on the planet, and so is she. There are a lot of people who would be better off if they took after you.

  I grinned down at the phone and kicked the fridge shut with my foot.

  That was exactly what I was trying to tell Daire. It didn’t matter how bad her mind might tell her she was; no matter how much her brain convinced her she deserved to suffer, there was always someone who loved her outside of that toxic bubble. There would always be someone there to remind her that she was perfectly fine just the way she was, warts and all. The trick was letting those voices be louder than the ones inside her head.

  Hyde

  “I DIDN’T THINK you were ever going to stop crying, baby girl,” I whispered the words, but they sounded alarmingly loud in the gray and yellow nursery. I had to give it to my mom; she had a deft hand with decoration. After seeing all the pink for the welcome home party, I was a bit worried Hollyn’s new nursery would look like the inside of a dollhouse. I was pretty sure all the pink was going to give me a headache. Instead, the room was tastefully done in colors that suited me, but still looked soft and feminine. It wasn’t an eyesore that I would have to rush to change anytime soon. Which was a good thing, since it seemed like I was going to be spending most of my time here until the baby started sleeping through the night.