The Bad Boy's Secret Romance

by Jessie Gussman

The judge could be in the parking lot – they were ten minutes early – but Thad put his own arms around Justice and pulled her even closer. Her dress shimmered with warmth and life under his hands and he ran his hands down her back, lowering his head.

  “They’re going to love you,” she whispered.

  Love might be too strong of a word for any feeling that might develop between the judge and him. But he hoped they didn’t hate him, at least. If things went reasonably well, he had a question he wanted to ask Justice’s father. At the thought, his stomach clenched and his throat tightened.

  He kissed her forehead. She stroked the back of his neck before dropping her hands. He took one in his and they walked to the door.

  Her parents were waiting just inside the door. They greeted each other without much warmth and were led immediately to their table.

  Thad didn’t know much about such things, but it seemed like a great table – in a private alcove, tucked back. Dimly lit. It might be considered romantic, except he didn’t think eating with the parents of one’s girlfriend lent itself to much in the way of romance.

  There wasn’t much conversation as they looked at their menus and the waiter came and took their drink orders.

  Thad managed to order something that he could pronounce. He wasn’t real concerned with his meal. Whatever it was, he would eat it. He wasn’t here for the food.

  “So you’ve been seeing my daughter for a while?” The judge had barely given the waiter a chance to get out of hearing distance before he spoke, his bushy white brows lowered over shrew eyes.

  Thad had watched him apologize to Blade in the Richmond Rebel’s garage, and knew the man was fair. But he wasn’t sure how this was going to go over.

  “Yes.” He couldn’t lie, although, technically “a while” could be anything.

  “But you kept it a secret.” The statement didn’t need an answer, and the judge didn’t wait for one, anyway. “Scared?” He lifted a shred brow.

  Thad huffed a laugh. The judge wasn’t going to intimidate him. Sure, he wanted to make a good impression and he was completely out of his element right now, but scared? No way. Not now, not this summer.

  “Nope.” He allowed his mouth to curve up. “I think we knew our families weren’t ready for us to be together and we wanted to get to know each other first. Put a foundation down without having to fight anyone.”

  Thad wanted to look at Justice, make sure they were together on this, but he held the judge’s eye and didn’t turn his head.

  Justice’s fingers touched his leg. He moved his hand and their fingers entwined.

  “I see.” The judge steepled his fingers. “When you keep secrets, it makes you look guilty.”

  “Darling,” his wife said, putting her hand on his arm, “Do we really need to talk about that?”

  The judge looked down at his wife. He put his hand over her fingers and patted them. It was such a sweet gesture, that Thad was almost taken aback. Immediately, the idea that the judge was a husband and father, intent on protecting his offspring, determined to make sure that they were safe at all costs, tripped through his brain.

  Of course. The man believed Mariam. He wanted justice for his daughter.

  It didn’t change the fact that there had been no evidence, but it did make it so that Thad suddenly saw clearly the position the judge had been coming from.

  They chatted through the appetizers and main courses, the conversation flowing more naturally than Thad had ever thought it might.

  They ordered dessert and Thad could hardly believe the meal was almost over. Even more unbelievable was that he’d actually enjoyed it.

  “Sweetie, I’m headed to the ladies’ room. Do you need to go?” Justice’s mother’s regal air had never disappeared, but Thad no longer considered her a snob. Just different than most of the ladies he knew and had grown up with.

  “I do, actually.” Justice touched his leg before pushing back and walking gracefully away beside her mother.

  “You have a lovely wife and daughters to be proud of.” Thad didn’t include Mariam in that statement, but he didn’t figure he needed to be obvious about it.

  “You do understand it is my duty, as their father, to protect and defend them.” The judge’s eyes almost seemed to have a trace of pleading in them, like he really wanted Thad to know that he’d done what he did out of zeal for his family.

  “Yes.” Thad sucked in a breath. This seemed like a perfect opening. He plunged ahead. “I’m not sure Justice is quite to this point, yet, but I want to ask her to marry me. I’d like your permission.”

  Of course Thad was cognizant that Justice was an adult out on her own. But the old-fashioned courtesy could never hurt. It showed respect and deference to Justice’s father, which is what Thad wanted to give. He hadn’t given the idea of having a daughter of his own a whole lot of thought, but it wasn’t hard to realize he’d want the same respect and deference shown to him.

  The judge didn’t seem surprised. But he didn’t answer right away, staring instead at Thad as though trying to see inside his head or, more likely, his heart.

  “Justice looks tough.”

  “I know.” He narrowed his eyes. “It’s a front.” He wouldn’t say anymore.

  “I know.” The judge fingered his napkin. “Sometimes the tougher the outer shell, the softer the inside. That’s true in Justice’s case. I don’t want her hurt.”

  “Neither do I.”

  The older man nodded. “You have my permission.”

  ~~~

  Two weeks later...

  Foster Truax set the jug of punch down carefully on the folding table. Immediate a waiting customer started filling their empty cup. August in Virginia was hot, and they had the big garage doors open for the Richmond Rebels’ customer appreciation day.

  Foster certainly hadn’t expected this many people to come. But the shop had been crowded all day.

  Things were clearing out a little now. Enough that he could see Thad and Justice’s heads bent together. Justice’s hand rested on Thad’s arm, and it wasn’t hard to see the sparkle of the ring on her third finger. Although why anyone would be looking at her finger when they were whispering and laughing together was beyond him. Foster loved seeing his brother happy.

  And he had to admit, Justice turned out to be not too bad herself.

  Nothing like Mariam.

  Shaking that thought aside, he wove around a group of people who were standing and talking to Liberty and Blade. If Blade had dropped his hand from around Liberty’s shoulders all day, Foster hadn’t seen it.

  He was happy for his brothers. Truly happy. It was not small thing to find a woman who would be a life-long love affair, and Foster believed they’d both managed that feat.

  But his own stomach felt cold and empty. Deflated.

  If Blade and Thad had managed to beat the odds, there wasn’t much chance Foster would do the same.

  Their new shop dog, Beau, trotted up to him as he headed toward the back door of the garage. Foster knelt to pet the pup, who immediately dropped to his stomach and rolled over, all four legs stick up in the air while Blade scratched his stomach.

  Foster had taken the entire next week off to work on the home remodeling he had planned. He was staying with his dad, which wouldn’t be bad, but he kept hearing that his former step-mother was moving back in.

  So far, she hadn’t materialized. Whatever. He didn’t really care if he ever saw Judy again or not. The thing that made him think he might want to buy a tent and sleep under a bridge for the three weeks he’d be out of his house was that Holland was rumored to be coming, too.

  Just the thought of her made his stomach blow up like helium filling a balloon. Painful, but sweet. He had so many good memories. They’d been friends, nothing more.

  Until he’d finally approached her about making their friendship into a relationship.

  Her no hadn’t exactly been polite.

  They hadn’t spoken since, despite the fact that they lived in
the same house for five weeks after that fateful day.

  She’d moved out and he’d moved on.

  Not exactly “on.” The pain stopped throbbing in his chest after what felt like years. But he’d never really been able to find anyone with whom he could have the great friendship he’d had with Holland.

  Was it so awful that he wanted to be friends, as well as lovers, with his eventual wife?

  Friends, the way Thad and Justice whispered to each other and laughed. The way Blade loved his wife’s company and didn’t want to be separated from her.

  That’s how he’d felt about Holland.

  As he straightened, Foster noticed Bram standing across the room, arms folded over his chest, deep in conversation with Barry Smithson. The big contract had already been awarded to their rival garage, and Bram, of all the brothers, had been the most upset about it.

  Bram wasn’t exactly upset with Barry, but he really resented the all-girls garage that had “stolen” the contract from them. Foster wasn’t sure if Bram was on speaking terms with Justice or not. He probably was – Bram wouldn’t be rude – but there were definitely some hard feelings there.

  Foster started toward his brother. He could mingle a little more before heading over to his dad’s house.

  Halfway across the floor his eye caught on someone standing in the open doorway.

  A woman in heels and a skirt, with a child holding each hand.

  He looked away and kept walking another two steps before stopping short and looking back over. He knew he was being obvious, but he couldn’t help it. The haughty angle of her head, the set of her shoulders, even that adorable bump in her nose that she’d always been embarrassed about, since it made it look like it had been broken at least once, all gave him the clues he needed to figure out her identity: Holland Powell was back in town.

  Foster took a shaky breath, unsure whether to run toward her or away.

  The three weeks at his dad’s house were looking a lot more interesting all the sudden.

  Thanks so much for reading!

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