She’d had such a good time today, she didn’t want the evening to end. But she couldn’t put her selfish desires before her children’s need for a good night’s sleep. “This has been really fun. Believe it or not, I’ve never been to a parade.”
“You’ve never been to a parade?” Finlay spun around in front of her, her pink and white outfit lifting in the wind, sending Tinkerbell into a frenzy. The pup’s big head swung back and forth, assessing the threat.
“Tink,” Bullet said sternly, giving his thigh a single sharp slap. Tinkerbell cocked her head, whimpering at Bullet, then looked at Finlay again.
“It’s okay, Tink.” Finlay petted her head and said, “Parades were a staple of my youth. Where did you grow up?”
Sarah was pretty sure the response in hell would incite too many questions, so she said, “Florida.” The last thing she wanted to do was talk about her childhood. She was sure they’d all had perfect childhoods filled with parades, parties, and pancakes with little smiley faces. The type of childhood she wanted for her children. She’d screwed that up, too, but it wasn’t too late to start over. It’s never too late, she reminded herself. That was the motto she and her siblings had lived by when they were young. A sea of longing moved through her with thoughts of her younger sister, Josie.
“Sunshine and beaches, like Peaceful Harbor. Most of the time, anyway,” Gemma said with a happy sigh, pulling Sarah from her thoughts. “Well, now that you’re here, you can join us for the parades and the club rallies and—” Her eyes bloomed wide, and she gasped. “When are your kids’ birthdays?”
Sarah laughed softly at her quick change of topic. “Lila turns one at the end of next month, and Bradley will be four in April.”
“Next month? What date?” Bones asked as they came to the corner of her street.
His lips quirked into a hopeful smile, and she wondered what he was hoping for. He had the most beautiful, full lips, the kind women paid good money to emulate. She often found herself staring at them, thinking about things she shouldn’t think about, like how they’d feel pressed against hers or sliding along her neck and whether he’d kiss hard and demanding or slow and titillating. She shifted her gaze to her baby in his arms to try to distract herself from those thoughts. Lila’s sweet little hand rested on his jaw. Her daughter had gone to Bones without hesitation from the very first time he’d tried to hold her. Sometimes Sarah was jealous of that easy trust, wishing she could muster it. But other times her daughter’s trusting innocence underscored Sarah’s responsibility to watch out for her children and protect them from snakes in the grass.
“Birthday?” he said with an amused grin.
Oh crap. She’d forgotten he was waiting for an answer. “November thirtieth.”
“Dude,” Truman said in a low voice. “Now, that’s what Gemma would call fate.”
“Fate?” Sarah had a love-hate relationship with ethereal things like fate. Before moving to Peaceful Harbor, her life had been too awful to believe some higher power was guiding it. She’d believed fate was something weak people relied upon. But then Scott had found his way to working on the oil rigs, she’d escaped her father’s wrath, and eventually, Josie had, too, giving her hope that some guiding light would lead them all to happiness. But then she’d landed on the streets. Every time happiness was within her grasp, it was torn away, proving time and time again that fate was for the weak—and surviving was for the strong.
“That’s my birthday, too.” Bones pressed his tempting lips to her daughter’s forehead, earning a sleepy murmur from Lila. “No wonder I adore this little lady so much.”
The man was a walking ovary explosion.
“We have to throw a joint birthday party!” Gemma said. “I’ll bring dress-up clothes for the kids.” She owned Princess for a Day Boutique, where she hosted children’s parties and offered a variety of costumes and themes. She’d hired Sarah to do the kids’ hair for two parties recently, and Sarah had loved seeing so many happy, creative kids in one place.
Finlay clapped her hands. “That’s perfect!”
“You don’t have to do that,” Sarah interjected. “I usually just make a cake and get them a little something.”
“I think it sounds like a great idea,” Bones said, gazing down at her daughter. “Turning one is a big deal. She deserves fanfare. Why don’t we do it on Thanksgiving? Everyone will be there anyway. I’m hosting it at my place.”
Everyone agreed, and as Finlay and Gemma talked about themes, Sarah touched Bones’s sleeve to get his attention, speaking just above a whisper. “We can’t just take over your family’s Thanksgiving.”
“Darlin’, you became family the second Bullet pulled you from that burning car. Have Thanksgiving with us. You and the kids and Scott belong there.”
She’d never belonged anywhere. He couldn’t imagine the way that made her feel all gooey and happy inside.
“Of course they’re going to join us,” Finlay said. “I’ve got a whole allergen-free feast planned. I’ve been menu planning for the past two weeks.”
Now she wanted to cry. Stupid pregnancy hormones. They made her overly emotional. And when Bones was around, horny as a cat in heat. Struggling to force those emotions down deep she said, “But it will take me a lifetime to repay you for everything you’ve already done for us. And you don’t even know us that well. We could be bad people.”
“What the fu—”
“Bullet!” Finlay cut him off, eyeing Kennedy in his arms.
Bones shook his head, looking at Sarah like she’d lost her mind.
“I think we’d know if you were a bad person by now,” Gemma said. “At least our guys would. They have a sixth sense for trouble.”
“But how does that work exactly? That sixth sense?” Sarah asked, but it came out like more of a plea, because she wanted to possess that skill desperately. Was she the only person in the world who didn’t have that knack, or were they just too naive to realize some people were masters at hiding their true colors? “How can you tell if someone is bad or good after just a couple of months?”
Bones, Bullet, and Truman exchanged an incredulous glance.
“All I need is about two minutes,” Bullet said.
“From what I’ve seen,” Sarah said, “people can change without warning.”
“That can happen,” Bones said in a serious tone. “And sometimes good people do bad things and then redeem themselves and make things right.”
He looked deeply into her eyes, and she wondered if he saw the dark memories of her past dragging her down. She was sure there was a special place in hell for men like her father and her ex. But what about people like her? She had to believe in redemption, at least in certain cases. If not, she was screwed.
“Don’t worry, darlin’,” Bones said. “You’re one of us now. We’d never let anything happen to you.”
“Thank you. That means the world to me, but I still wish I knew how to spot bad people.”
“I’ll show you.” He must have seen a modicum of relief in her eyes, because he slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as he lowered his mouth beside her ear and said, “Not all types of bad are harmful. Some are very, very good.” Then he locked those dark eyes on hers, making her stomach go ten types of crazy, and said, “I can teach you to spot all kinds of bad.”
Her jaw dropped open, and he gave her an I didn’t mean to go so far but I sort of did crooked grin that made her almost laugh.
“Down, bro,” Bullet said. “We don’t need the dirty doctor making this sweetheart go into labor right here on the street.”
Bones glowered at Bullet; then he turned that devastating gaze on Sarah again and said, “Say yes to Thanksgiving and a joint birthday party, darlin’.”
“Yes,” Finlay said. “Please do, Sarah.”
“And don’t mind these guys,” Gemma added. “They always talk like that.”
“If you’re sure…?” she asked carefully.
“Absofrigginglutely.” Bones lea
ned closer to Lila and whispered, “We’re celebrating together, peanut.”
Gemma peeled Kennedy from Bullet’s massive chest. “On that adorable note, I think we’ll get our babies home to bed, too.”
Kennedy sighed, her sleepy eyes closing again as she cuddled in her mama’s arms.
“I’ll hit you guys up this week,” Truman said to the guys.
“Sounds good, man,” Bullet replied.
Finlay looked at Sarah and said, “I’ll call you and we’ll figure out a time to get together after the wedding to plan the birthday party.”
“Okay, thanks. That sounds like fun.” She glanced at her baby girl sleeping cozily in Bones’s arms. Turning one is a big deal. She deserves fanfare. She did deserve fanfare, and Bones recognizing that fact made it an even bigger deal.
Finlay wrapped her arms around Bullet and gazed up at him with stars in her eyes. “I still can’t believe we’re getting married next weekend. Who plans a wedding that fast?”
“A gnarly, possessive biker who wants to get a ring on your finger before you realize what a mistake you’re making,” Bones said with a smirk.
“Damn right,” Bullet said.
“Thank goodness Cassie has the time to cater,” Finlay said. Cassie owned Messy Buns and Muffin Tops Bakery in the heart of Peaceful Harbor. “What kind of caterer can’t take care of her own wedding?”
“A busy one,” Sarah said. “I have no idea how you do as much as you do, with working at the bar, your catering company, and planning your wedding.”
Finlay leaned into Bullet’s side and said, “The wedding planning was simple. As long as family and friends are there, nothing else really matters. We didn’t even have to send out invitations. Bullet put out the word about the date, and it quickly spread to all of the Dark Knights members. We had more help than we could have ever needed.”
“That’s my girl.” Bullet embraced her, and Tinkerbell shoved her nose between them. Bullet reached down to pet her, eyeing Finlay lasciviously. “Come on, Fins. Let’s get home and have our own Halloween celebration.”
The girls hugged, careful not to wake the little ones, and then Bones walked Sarah home, his arm firmly and protectively around her, as he’d been doing for weeks.
When they reached the house, she was filled with a sense of peace that had taken some getting used to. She’d never had a home where she’d felt completely safe until she’d found Scott and they’d moved here. Scott had texted earlier to tell her not to walk home alone and to text him when she was ready to leave. But she’d let him know she had an entourage watching out for her tonight, and she had to admit that felt good, too. And Bones’s attention? That was right up on her Things That Feel Good but Make Me Nervous list.
Even with Bones making her as nervous as a teenager, feeling safe was such an incredible sensation, she wanted to linger in it and soak it up.
“What are you thinking about?” Bones asked as he lifted the stroller onto the small front porch.
“Nothing,” she said, because how silly would she sound if she told him the truth?
“Here, let me.” His big fingers wrapped around hers as he took the keys. “That wasn’t nothing. Your eyes went soft, the way they do when you look at your children.”
She shifted her eyes to her boy, sleeping in the stroller. She felt the same sense of peace and knew he was right. “Do you notice that much about everyone?”
He unlocked the door and pushed it open without responding. His gaze swept over the cozy living room of the two-bedroom rambler, separated only by a half wall to the kitchen. Plastic toys were spread over the coffee table and floor. Stuffed animals and kids’ books littered the sofa.
“Oh gosh. I’d say excuse the mess, but you’ve been here often enough that you know this is pretty much how we live.”
He smiled and said, “Your house is just how it should be. My mother always used to say that you should be able to tell who lives in a house with a single glance. That a lived-in house is a house full of love. It’s the impeccably clean ones you have to worry about.”
“No wonder I like Red so much.”
“She likes you, too,” he said casually, but there was nothing casual about the way he looked at her. His gaze turned serious, and he said, “I’m about ready to show up here with curtains for those glass doors. I know you have a fenced-in backyard, but you can’t be too safe.”
She winced. When they’d first moved in, they’d hung a sheet over the glass doors that led from the kitchen to the backyard. Curtains hadn’t exactly been a top priority, though she’d heeded his worries, bought fabric, and had begun making curtains. “I’m almost done making them.”
She bent to unbuckle the straps of the stroller, and Bones touched her arm.
“I’ll carry him in,” he offered.
He transferred Lila to Sarah’s arms, tucking the blanket around her and her hedgehog. He started to lower his lips to her baby’s forehead; then he looked at Sarah, silently seeking approval. She nodded, wondering if he’d kissed Lila earlier without realizing he had done it. Because he’d done it so naturally, and on several occasions, she imagined that was the case.
He closed his eyes as he pressed those beautiful lips gently to her daughter’s head, and then he whispered, “Sleep well, little lady.”
He gathered Bradley in his arms and followed her inside. Bones had been in her house many times, but as he followed her down the narrow hallway, she realized they’d never been alone.
BONES WAITED IN the doorway as Sarah changed Lila’s diaper on a pad on top of the dresser. Too drawn to them to stay away, he stepped into the bedroom she shared with her children. That seemed to be the story of his life lately, being drawn to Sarah and her children. He stood beside her as she buttoned Lila’s sleeper.
“I can’t believe she stayed asleep through that.” He gazed down at the baby with awe as Sarah lifted her into her arms, cradling her against her breasts.
She kissed the baby’s head and said, “She’s always been a great sleeper, unlike my little man. Believe it or not, he didn’t sleep through the night until a few weeks after we moved here.” She laid Lila in the crib, tucked her blanket around her, and set her hedgehog in the corner of the mattress.
“What about pajamas for B-boy?” Bones whispered.
She grabbed a set of Batman pajamas from a dresser drawer. “If you lay him on the bed, I can change him.”
“Shouldn’t he use the bathroom first?”
Her smile told him she knew all the tricks. “He’ll wake up just enough to go while I change him.”
Bones laid him on the bed and helped her carefully remove his little black boots.
As she changed him into his pajamas, Bradley’s eyes fluttered open. “Mommy, where’s my candy?”
Bones chuckled at his priorities.
“It’s tucked away in a safe place until tomorrow.” She helped him sit up and said, “Let’s use the potty, and then you can go nighty-night.”
Bradley’s eyes shifted sleepily to Bones. “Can Bones take me?” he asked with a yawn, drawing out his words.
Sarah glanced at Bones, and for reasons he had yet to fully understand, he hoped like hell she’d trust him enough to do it.
“Only if Bones doesn’t mind,” she said.
“Not at all,” he said as casually as he could. “Come on, buddy. Show me to your throne.”
Bradley slipped off the bed and took his hand, leading him toward the hall. “What’s a throne?”
Bones explained that throne was a cooler way to say toilet as Bradley used the toilet. Their house had only one bathroom, and though Bones tried not to be nosy, it was impossible to miss the netting of plastic toys attached to the side of the bathtub or the bottles of Johnson’s baby shampoo, body wash, and bubble bath. Hanging from a basket around the showerhead was a bottle of generic body wash. A tiny black towel with the Batman insignia on the back, a hood, and ears hung on a hook on the wall beside a tiny pink towel with a hood and fairy wings.
He helped Bradley wash his hands, spotting a Batman toothbrush in a cute little holder with a bottle of SpongeBob toothpaste and a tiny paper cup dispenser with colorful designs on the cups. Sarah’s and Scott’s toothbrushes stood upright in a plastic cup, and a tube of store-brand toothpaste lay beside it. It didn’t surprise him that while Sarah didn’t have much, she took extra care for her kids.
“We should probably brush your teeth, huh?”
Bradley nodded, rubbing his eyes as Bones put toothpaste on the brush and handed it to him. He wrapped his little fingers around it and halfheartedly brushed one side of his teeth.
Bones crouched before him. “How about if I help you?”
Bradley relinquished the toothbrush and opened his mouth—obviously he knew the drill, while Bones was playing catch-up. He helped Bradley brush his teeth; then he filled a paper cup and handed it to him. “Do you know how to rinse without swallowing the toothpaste?”
Bradley nodded, filled his mouth with water, and then leaned way over the sink and spit into it, dribbling on his chest in the process.
“Good job, buddy. But I think we should take that shirt off before you go to bed.” He took Bradley’s shirt off, and Bradley wrapped his arms around Bones’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder. Bones wondered again where the kids’ father was. Other than Sarah’s sister, who had visited only once, he knew no one had come to see them at the hospital. Was her husband a deadbeat? Or worse? Was he dead? He wondered again if there were more than one father to consider.
Wicked Whiskey Love Page 3
