Dangerous Redemption: A Single Parent Forbidden Romance Novel (Paths To Love Book 4)

by Grahame Claire

  “Thank you, Miss Jacobs.”

  “Aunt Mulaney, want me to get your tablet for you?” Leona asked. Another kid around here who seemed wise beyond her years. She was still in high school, but from what I’d seen spending time with them at Christmas, she appeared to have a solid head on her shoulders.

  “Can you be my aunt too?”

  Something in my chest clenched as Holly's son looked at Mulaney. He was such an open book. Trusting. Was I once like that?

  “Gabriel.” Holly's reprimand was only halfhearted.

  “I'd be honored,” Mulaney returned, fist-bumping Gabriel.

  “What am I supposed to call you now?” he asked.

  “How about Aunt Mulaney, like my nieces do?” she suggested.

  “Okay, Aunt Mulaney. Want some of my cookie?”

  That issue was resolved. Why couldn't everything be as simple as it was to a child?

  “Here's your dip, honey.” Miss Ruby pushed a plate piled high with spinach artichoke dip and tortilla chips into my hands.

  “Thank you,” I said, clutching the plate.

  She patted my cheek. “You go get settled in the living room. Holly will bring you another glass of sweet tea,” Miss Ruby said. “Gabriel, go tell those boys in there to make room for you.”

  He hopped down from his barstool and raced to the living room, taking some of the energy in the kitchen along with him. I watched him go, nearly dropping my plate when a gentle hand touched my forearm. Holly's fingers were soft, but she yanked them away before I could fully absorb the way her touch felt. Her reaction was as if I'd burned her. Maybe an angel like her could feel the flames that encapsulated my soul.

  “You don't have to do this. We won’t be able to get a dog for a while.” Her tone was guarded, something I could relate to well.

  “I understand. I wasn’t sure what to say to him, so my offer just came straight out.”

  “Yes, Gabriel does often incite that reaction from people.” Her features clouded. “I’d very much like for him to have a dog. All boys should. But it’s something we haven’t been able to do,” Holly said, as if I’d insulted her skills as a mother.

  “Maybe someday you’ll be able to. I hope I didn’t cause any harm.”

  Her lips pressed together. I appreciated the sultry shape of them. I could kiss that pissed-off expression right off her face and replace it with one of pleasure. What was I thinking? This beauty was no doubt deeply in love with her husband.

  And that was fine. It was time for me to get my life together. To start again. To start living the right way.

  Chapter Five

  Holly

  “I should’ve warned you about him, but it was kinda fun to see your reaction.”

  Miss Jacobs gave me a smirk as I stared toward the living room. So what if Carlos was unnerving? And so what if he was beyond handsome? That didn’t mean it had anything to do with me.

  I shivered as I thought about those piercing dark eyes and the way his lips felt as he brushed them against my cheek. The hint of an accent when he’d introduced himself was like a lingering caress that refused to let me go. He was trouble all rolled up into one big, beautiful package. And I avoided trouble at all costs.

  Miss Jacobs snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Are you here or in the living room?”

  I grew warm with embarrassment. All the ladies in the kitchen wore knowing expressions except Muriella, who worried her lip between her teeth.

  “I started looking through the balance sheet for the exploration division,” I said, changing the subject, even as I glanced back toward the living room again.

  It had nothing to do with Carlos. I couldn’t see my son, and whenever he was out of my sight, I got twitchy.

  “Find anything?” Miss Jacobs asked.

  “Not yet. It’s a lot to wade through, but I should be able to get the rest of it done by tomorrow.” All the numbers were dizzying, but I thrived on the challenge. Even though I was only an assistant, I appreciated that my boss didn’t just give me menial tasks to complete. Just because I hadn’t finished college didn’t mean I wasn’t capable.

  “When you’re done, go through it again,” she said. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but we will to get to the bottom of it.”

  “No business talk,” Miss Ruby said. “Holly, you’re here to enjoy yourself and not in a professional sense.”

  “Thank you.” I darted my eyes around the kitchen. I’d never had this in any capacity.

  “Honey, have some black-eyed peas.” Miss Jacobs’s mom spooned some into a bowl and set them in front of me. “For luck.”

  As long as I could remember, I’d been the one making sure everyone was taken care of. It was odd not to be an afterthought or to really be a thought at all.

  “I’m thrilled you and Gabriel decided on Saint Pius for his schooling.” Muriella offered me a glass of tea, which I took and gulped down.

  I didn’t know her well, but she was family to Miss Jacobs. Although my instincts weren’t always the best, they told me I could trust her. I felt better knowing there’d be a familiar face close by if Gabriel needed anything during the school day.

  “I like that it’s small, and Gabriel loved the building.” He’d looked wide-eyed around the old church with curiosity. Every question he’d asked, Father Jude had answered patiently.

  “It’s a wonderful environment. He’ll thrive,” Muriella said kindly.

  “I appreciate your offer to keep him after school.” With a move this huge, everything seemed to be falling into place. We had an apartment nicer than anything I’d ever imagined living in. Gabriel’s schooling was sorted out, and I didn’t feel like I’d settled on the first thing that came along. We seemed to have support close by. People we could potentially depend on.

  I wasn’t used to any of that. And it scared me a little how perfectly things seemed to be going.

  “I’m looking forward to it.” Everything about her said she genuinely meant that.

  I worried I was an imposition thrown on her, but if that was the case, she hid it well. It was hard to accept this level of genuine help when I’d gotten so used to shouldering everything on my own since I’d had Gabriel. Although, when I really thought about it, I’d been on my own for all my adult life. The kindness offered to me here was unexpected—terrifying—yet it was a relief at the same time.

  “It’s going to be fun having the little dude around,” Vivian said. She was Muriella’s best friend, and though her beauty was intimidating, she was completely down to earth.

  “You don’t even like kids,” Muriella pointed out.

  “I like Gabriel.” Vivian shrugged and grinned at me. “Don’t worry. He won’t be unsupervised with me since I don’t know anything about the tiny ones. He’ll be in the best hands with M.”

  The laughter that escaped me sounded frightened, which I was a little. Muriella looked apologetic.

  “We shouldn’t have joked about that,” she said. “Vivian is unexperienced, but she’s better with children than she realizes.” Her expression softened.

  “She’s going to have to get good. We want more grandbabies around here,” Miss Ruby said.

  I furrowed my brow. Was Vivian or Daniel, her husband, related to the Jacobs in a way I didn’t know?

  Vivian slung her arm around the older lady’s shoulders. “You may get what you wish for, and then we’re dumping them off at your house.”

  “The fresh Texas air will be good for them.” Miss Ruby harrumphed.

  “When they’re all wild as hell, you can’t go claiming they’re not technically your grandchildren so you don’t have to deal with them,” Vivian warned.

  “They’re ours.” She squeezed Vivian’s waist. “You’re family now whether you like it or not.”

  A twinge of jealousy wound its way through me. I wanted to give this to Gabriel, but it was impossible. We were the only family we’d ever have, and I’d do best to remember that before I started wanting things out of our
reach.

  Miss Ruby held out a glass of iced tea and nudged me. “I bet he’s thirsty.” I stared at her a moment, frozen in place. She elbowed me harder. “Go on. A little fun never hurt nobody.”

  Chapter Six

  Carlos

  Gabriel had a seat in the living room, leaving a space big enough for me beside him.

  “Mr. Carlos,” he called, nearly dropping the tablet when he waved me over. Daniel caught it before the device fell to the floor.

  “Nice catch,” I said, sitting. “Would you like some?” I offered Gabriel the plate of chips and dip. He shook his head, and I shrugged and shoveled warm dip onto a tortilla chip.

  “How do we find out about taking care of a dog?” he asked, all businesslike.

  I finished chewing and swallowed. “Google?”

  “That's where I'd start,” Daniel suggested, and Gabriel wasted no time swiping his finger across the screen, then tapping the app for the internet.

  “Can you help me? I'm still learning to spell,” Gabriel informed me earnestly, offering the tablet to me. “I got it to Google.”

  “We'll do it together.”

  Though it took a little longer than if I'd typed it myself, we had a list of links on how to housetrain a puppy in only a few minutes, and Gabriel was proud because he'd done it mostly himself. Weirdly, that made me proud too.

  The second Holly came into the living room with my glass of tea, I sensed it. She frowned when she saw Gabriel practically attached to my hip, now helping himself to my chips as he stared at the screen he was holding between us.

  “Thank you,” I said when she placed the cup on the end table beside me.

  “Mama, I think we need a crate,” Gabriel said.

  A little growl escaped her, aimed in my direction. “If we were getting a puppy, then yes, that would be a good thing to have. A yard would be ideal too.” Her words had no bite whatsoever, only the logic mothers seemed to possess.

  “Do we have to have a yard?” he asked me, panicked.

  “Many people have dogs who don't have a yard. There's probably a park close by,” I said in reassurance.

  “Rockefeller Park isn't too far,” Daniel offered.

  “We'll take you one day,” Stone volunteered before looking over at Holly. “If it's okay with your mom.”

  “Can I, Mama? Please?”

  “When it gets a little warmer.”

  “Okay.” Gabriel struck me as an agreeable child. He seemed to absorb everything around him. “Mr. Carlos, how much do we feed a puppy?” He was back to the most important task at hand.

  “Let's see if we can find out.”

  Holly chewed on one corner of her lip. If her son hadn't been sitting here, I knew I'd be getting an earful. And maybe I was overstepping. I didn't want to lead the kid on, get his hopes up for a dog, but for the first time in a long time, I felt . . . joy. As though spending time researching something with this little boy was filling a very empty void in my heart. Strange.

  Gabriel thumbed through web pages, and Holly leaned over to my ear that was opposite her son. “Wrap it up,” she ordered.

  “Let's look at this until halftime is over, and then we'll watch the game. Sound like a plan?” This seemed to placate both Holly and Gabriel. I didn't want her to be upset with me, another novel feeling. I'd quit giving a fuck when I'd put Muriella on her path to freedom, so finding I did now gave me pause.

  When Holly left the room, I wanted her to come back—to sit on the other side of Gabriel and look at puppy training with us—but I shook it off. Who did I think I was? Part of their family?

  Suddenly, I wanted to distance myself from this kid, but I couldn't. In less than half an hour, he'd sucked me in, so I found myself teaching him about football right along with the other men in the room. It was odd seeing things through his eyes. He seemed excited to be hanging around with the guys, cheering when we did and booing at the bad calls.

  Gabriel saw a big world out there, full of possibility, so much to see and do and learn. I saw the world as an ugly place, though I'd made it a speck brighter only hours ago. There was so much nastiness in my life that I'd almost forgotten there was anything good left in it. Gabriel was good. I'd been like him once upon a time, innocent and upbeat. If there was something I could do to keep him that way, I wanted to. The thought of him seeing any of the shit I had made me fiercely irate. Nobody should be subjected to that. Not him. Not Holly. Not my sister.

  “Gabriel,” Holly said, appearing when the football game was nearly over.

  “Hi, Mama.”

  “We need to go, baby.”

  “There's only a few minutes left. Can't y'all stay until then?” Stone asked, giving Holly wide eyes. She softened, and though it was innocent, I wondered how long she’d known Stone to feel that comfortable around him. She was so . . . trusting. Was that how all American women were?

  “Watch with us, Mama.” Gabriel scooted toward me, making room for Holly to sit between him and Daniel.

  “All right,” she relented, her legs brushing mine as she squeezed between the sofa and the coffee table. Her back stiffened, but otherwise, she didn't acknowledge the contact.

  Once she took a seat, I forgot about the game. I had no idea what happened in the past few minutes and didn't care. Every inch of me was aware of her presence.

  As soon as the game was over, Gabriel popped up off the sofa and offered a hand to his mother. For such a little guy, he was a gentleman, and I knew without a doubt that had everything in the world to do with great upbringing from his parents. They’d just earned a ton of my respect.

  “Game's over. We can go now.”

  Holly took his hand and thanked him for helping her up. Gabriel didn't let it go once she was on her feet, leading her to the edge of the living room.

  “Everything okay with the apartment downstairs?” Daniel asked. So she lived in this building too?

  “It's fantastic,” she said, a genuine smile lighting up her face. Once again, I was glad I was sitting. She was stunning when she smiled, and I wanted to see that again.

  “Good. Let us know if you need anything,” he said.

  “You've done enough.”

  Gabriel dropped her hand and rushed back to me. “Thank you, Mr. Carlos, for helping me about the puppy.”

  I held up my fist, and we bumped knuckles. “No problem. We'll do it again soon.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure thing. Why don't I walk you and your mom home, and we'll make plans,” I suggested, getting to my feet.

  “Cool,” he said happily, practically skipping over to Holly. Damn, before this day was out, she was going to laser a hole right through me with those looks she was giving.

  “We can make it just fine,” she said brusquely.

  “I'm sure you can.” I kept walking toward her. “Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me.”

  “Take your time,” the eldest Mr. Jacobs said with a smirk. Every man in that room knew exactly where I was coming from.

  “I said we're fine,” Holly hissed as Gabriel raced into the kitchen to say goodbye to all the ladies.

  “I heard you the first time,” I said easily, but in a way she'd know I wasn't backing down.

  Gabriel returned with a cookie, crumbs around his mouth from where he'd taken a bite. He grabbed my hand. “Want some?” He held up the cookie.

  “Gabriel. We don't share food with strangers. Not that we've eaten,” Holly scolded.

  I tore off a piece with my teeth. “We're not strangers,” I said around a mouthful of sugar. Gabriel giggled, and Holly looked ready to spit fire.

  I opened the front door, and Gabriel waited for Holly to pass through before we followed her to the elevator lobby. He pushed a finger on the call button.

  “How long do you think it’ll be before I’m ready for a dog?”

  The elevator arrived, and I held the door for them, then stepped in behind them, Gabriel's hand still attached to mine. His innocent eyes blinked up at me. Holly’s were pure f
ire and lasered me in half. I cleared my throat. “You’ll know when the time is right.”

  “Now?” he asked hopefully.

  A strange shape formed my mouth, one unfamiliar and unexpected. I glanced in the mirrored wall of the elevator over Gabriel’s head. Odd. I was smiling.

  “We’d better do a little more training.”

  A disgruntled noise escaped Holly.

  “Tomorrow?” Gabriel asked hopefully. “You could come over for supper. We can have pizza.”

  “I’m sure Mr. Carlos has other things to do,” Holly said as the elevator doors swept open. I hated she'd taken a professional tone with me, squarely putting me in the distant acquaintance category.

  “Actually, I don't.”

  Holly's lips flattened again, a look she seemed to be perfecting around me. Wordlessly, she dug in her pocket for her keys.

  “Let me. Let me.” Gabriel held out his hand, and Holly dropped the ring into his palm. She patiently waited for him to find the right one and fumble it into the lock. It clicked, and he pressed on the handle, forging ahead once the door opened.

  “Gabriel.” He was halfway across the living room when he stopped and turned to look at her. “Did you forget something?”

  Gabriel cocked his head, concentrating really hard, and then a light dawned in his eyes. He ran back over and snatched the keys from the door. “Sorry, Mama. I wanted to show Mr. Carlos the Lego cowboy we built.”

  “Let's try it again. I don't want you to have to think about it. I want it to be habit.”

  “So I'll be safe,” Gabriel said, already coming toward us.

  We went back into the hall and repeated the process, this time Gabriel taking the keys from the lock. Holly held up her hand for a high-five, and they grinned at each other.

  “Go get the cowboy,” she said, and he tore off. The second he was out of earshot, she turned to me. “I don't want you encouraging him about this puppy.” Her hand went to her hip and her chin lifted.

  “I wasn't—”