She watched as he walked away then rolled over to check the clock. Crap. She overslept. The kids needed to get ready, she had to pack lunches and they had to be out the door.
She jumped out of bed and threw on the first clothes she found, a pair of skinny jeans and an oversized sweater. She grabbed a pair of boots and socks and headed downstairs, making it halfway before she turned around to go brush her teeth. Two minutes later she was running down the stairs.
“Maddie! Charlie! We have to hurry guys.” She stopped in the living room and looked around the unusually quiet house. Thomas peeked out at her from the kitchen.
“Kids are gone.” He emerged with two plates, tendrils of steam rising from piles of scrambled eggs. “Mom took them to school. You were sleeping really well so I hated to wake you up.”
He set the plates on the table and went back to the kitchen, returning with two cups of coffee. “Plus it gave me an excuse to have you all to myself for a minute.”
“That was really nice of her.”
She sat at the table, the smell of eggs and toast making her stomach growl again. “I gave the school our history when we moved here. I know they won’t let the kids leave with anyone else, but I just…”
“Don’t worry about that. I made a couple calls. The kids will be safe.” He nodded at her plate. “You need to eat.”
She gave him a smile before biting off a piece of buttery toast. Last night Nancy brought the kids home along with a couple pizzas so Mina didn’t have to cook. Unfortunately, after the stress of the day, her stomach had no interest in food of any kind. It must have recovered sometime during the night because now, she couldn’t shovel it in fast enough.
“You look like you’re feeling better.”
She looked up from her plate and found Thomas watching her, a satisfied grin on his face.
“Much.” She took a sip of the coffee. It was perfect. Creamy with a touch of sugar. She swallowed, letting the warmth seep in.
Thomas shifted in his seat, his gaze turning serious. “Are you up for today? We can reschedule.”
She really didn’t want to deal with the whole Don thing today. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. Or ever, really. But she learned a long time ago you can’t run away from things like this. They don’t go away and you only spend more time worrying. Plus this was only the beginning. It looked like she was going to have another court battle ahead of her.
“I just want to get it done and move on. It will be one less thing to worry about.” She needed one less thing to worry about since they were seeming to pile up.
She watched Thomas across the table as he chewed, obviously deep in thought. His hair was getting long enough it was starting to lay down, but without the constant exposure to the sun, it was more of a very light brown than the blonde of his previous locks. Still less boyish but not quite as intimidating as when it was shaved.
“You want to stop by your mom’s after we’re done at the city and get some clothes to bring here? I have plenty of room in my closet.”
He leaned back in his chair sipping at his black coffee, the plate in front of him empty. “That would be great.” He reached across the table and put his hand over hers. “I’m sorry all this is happening.”
He was sorry? Since she’d come into his life it had been one crazy thing after another and he was sorry? “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. You should be able to be home relaxing and getting your strength back for the spring. Not sleeping on a couch and running me and my kids all over.”
His eyes sparkled in amusement over the rim of his coffee cup as he took a sip. “You did save my life, so I guess I owe you.”
She couldn’t help but smile. As soon as she was starting to work herself up into a hissy over guilt at him being involved in all this, he knocked the wind out of her little fit and brought her back down from the edge of crazy.
“That is true.” She downed the last of her coffee. “If you think about it, I kinda saved your life twice since I kidnapped you the night your house burned down, so you owe me double.”
He chuckled as she grabbed their empty plates and dumped them in the sink before heading upstairs. “I’m going to go make sure I’m presentable for this thing.”
“I’ll be right here when you’re ready.”
She headed into her bathroom to check out the mess she had to work with. She stood in front of the mirror and cringed at her reflection. How did she miss this when she was brushing her teeth?
She just sat across from Thomas acting all cute and funny, all the while looking like a total wreck. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed. Her hair was a matted mess from not putting it up during their bath and not combing it after.
She needed a shower and some eye cream. She looked herself over again. And some more coffee. She started the shower and jumped in.
Ten minutes later, she was scrubbed and shaved and feeling one step closer to herself. A quick blow dry and a little bit of make-up and she was as ready as she was going to get for this thing. She headed back downstairs in search of the last thing on her list.
Thomas was on the couch watching the news. A stack of folded blankets sat on top of a pillow at the end of the couch.
“Where did your mom sleep?”
Thomas decided it would be better if Nancy stayed with them too. Mina didn’t like the idea of Nancy being alone either, not knowing what was going on. If one of them got hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself.
“She slept with Maddie.”
“Does she get to spend much time with Rich’s kids?” If she raised Rich that would make his kids basically her grandchildren.
“Rich’s wife is pretty close with her parents so I think they spend more time over there.”
That was probably difficult for Nancy. She so clearly wanted to be a grandmother. Mina couldn’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want her to be a big part of their kids’ lives.
Thomas checked his watch. “It’s about time to head out, huh?”
As much as she didn’t want to do this, she also didn’t want to risk being late. These men hadn’t done anything to deserve her being rude to them. “I’m gonna make a coffee to go. Want one?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to pass. I’ve already had three cups. Anymore and I’ll be ready to jump out of my skin trying to sit still.”
Coffee was going to have nothing to do with her inability to sit still this morning. Her hands were starting to get a little clammy and she could feel her stomach doing flip flops. Hopefully she could keep her scrambled eggs down at least until the meeting was over.
On the plus side, it was distracting her from worrying about the whereabouts of her ex, although that concern would be next in line for her attention. Hopefully, she could get all this crap straightened out and be able to give all her extra attention to the person who deserved it.
**************************************
Thomas watched as Mina poured coffee into a travel mug. She was everything he’d ever wanted and more. The fact that some unknown dickhead could come out of nowhere and take it all away had him ready to lose his mind.
He’d lain awake on the couch all night listening to every sound, hoping the son-of-a-bitch would show up so he could kill him and be done with it. Finally be able to move on with the woman he loved.
He’d waited so long for the right woman. Someone he could trust. Someone who wanted the same things he wanted. Watching the way Mina was with her children left little doubt about what was really important to her and he would bet his life he could trust her.
She met him in the entry, swinging her coat on. “I’m ready I guess.” She was putting on a brave face, but he could see the worry in her eyes. He grabbed the hand not clutching a coffee cup and pulled her against him, capturing her lips in a kiss.
It felt like so long since he’d tasted her he couldn’t help but sweep his tongue between her lips and drink in the sweet coffee flavor of her mouth. She pressed into him, her breat
h tickling the whiskers on his face. He tried to hold back, but a small groan escaped as her body softened into his.
He pulled back, using his grip on her to put some space between them. “We need to go.”
She sighed. “I know.” She turned and pulled the door open, grabbing for her van keys from the purse she slung over her shoulder.
“Let’s take my truck.” He held up his keys, jingling them in the air. “I did okay with the van yesterday and I’ll have more space in the truck.”
Hopefully she could just sit and focus on staying relaxed. Plus, his old truck needed to be run around a bit. It hadn’t been driven much lately and he didn’t want the battery to go dead in the cold.
She looked at the keys, then at him. “Sure?”
“Positive.” He went out first, waiting for her to activate the alarm behind him. He opened her door, getting her loaded in before circling the front and climbing in. The ragged turn of the engine made him extra glad he decided to take the truck. He let the cold engine warm up a minute, pressing the gas occasionally to speed up the process.
Once the sound of the engine dropped to a low rumble, he rubbed his palms together for a little warmth before gripping the bitingly cold steering wheel and backing down the driveway. He coasted down the road stealing sideways glances at Mina as she stared out the window, obviously lost in thought. Probably mentally organizing everything she wanted to go over this morning.
He slid his hand across the seat between them and placed it on her leg, giving it a gentle squeeze. She turned her attention from the window and gave him a smile, placing her hand over his.
He pushed the truck a little faster, eager to get this over with and be one step closer to the happily ever after that had eluded him so long. She squeezed his hand, rubbing her thumb gently up the side of his palm before turning to look back out the window. He couldn’t help but look at her profile, the morning sun shining through the window, gleaming off the soft waves of her hair.
“Thomas stop.”
He must be making her uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. You’re just really beautiful.”
“No. I mean stop.” Her voice was urgent. She let go of his hand to point out the windshield. “Stop!”
He was dangerously close to flying through a stop sign. He drove these roads every day of his life. How in the hell could he miss a stop sign?
He stomped his boot on the brakes, jerking forward as the pedal smashed to the floor with no resistance. The truck kept moving, not so much as a falter slowing them down.
Thomas scanned the road around them. He didn’t have time to stop at the intersection and a car crossing in front of them would be tragic. He said a silent prayer of thanks when he saw the roads were clear.
“Thomas what’s happening? Oh my God why aren’t we stopping?” Mina was pressed back in the seat, her eyes wide with fear, her breath coming in short pants.
He shifted the truck into neutral and leaned forward in his seat to pull gently on the emergency brake. He had a wide open, straight stretch of country road ahead of him to get the truck under control.
“It’s okay sweetheart.”
Gradually he pulled the brake harder and was able to get the truck slowed down considerably.
“The brakes just went out. I needed to take it in for a once over before I got hurt and didn’t.” He shifted back into drive, keeping the truck at a speed he could safely control manually with the emergency brake.
“Shouldn’t we pull over and call a tow truck?” Mina’s knuckles were white from the grip she had on the door’s arm rest.
“We will be just fine. I’m gonna drive real slow.” He wanted to reach for her again. Comfort her, but he didn’t dare risk not being able to use one of his hands quickly. “Once we get to the city building I’ll call my buddy and have him tow it from there.”
Mina’s eyes darted between him and the road, still obviously not on board with his plan. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she took a few deep slow breaths and unclenched her hand from the door.
“Okay.” She still sounded a little scared, but nothing like before.
He was both proud of and saddened by her ability to take control of her emotions. It spoke both of her strength and her difficult past. He doubted she learned to do it because she wanted to.
She stayed calm until they reached town. The addition of other cars and stop lights had her closing her eyes and slow breathing until they were parked safely in the city lot. He put the truck in park and turned to her, stroking her cheek.
“I meant it when I said I would always take care of you.”
She opened her eyes and looked around the lot obviously relieved. “I know. It was just…”
“A little scary. I know.” He slid his hand down the softness of her hair, twirling one strand around his finger. “I’m not the kind of man who would ever…” He used his index finger to turn her chin toward him so he could look in her eyes and she would see the seriousness in his. “Ever. Put you in danger.” He brushed the pad of his thumb across her lips.
“I love you.”
He paused, a little overwhelmed at finally telling her what he’d been feeling for what seemed like forever. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything Mina.” He leaned across the truck to gently brush his lips across hers. “You saved me in more ways than you will ever know.”
TWENTY-FIVE
Mina walked into the bright fluorescent lights of the city building still blinking back tears. Her day had been a roller coaster and it wasn’t even noon yet.
One minute she was pretty sure she was going to die, the next Thomas was saying words she hadn’t expected to hear again in her life, much less believe. Now she had to spend the next hour or two recounting every questionable thing Don has done or said since she met him.
She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to be with Thomas. She wanted to go home and show him what she’d been too overcome to say in the truck.
She turned to look over her shoulder one more time before walking into the meeting room the woman at the desk pointed her towards, hoping to see him coming through the doors. She wanted to wait for him, but the little mechanical malfunction this morning ate up their spare time.
He’d promised to hurry with his calls, but he had to get the truck towed and make sure Nancy could come get them so they wouldn’t have to spend any more time than necessary here.
She took a deep breath and opened the door forcing a smile onto her face. Taking a step inside, she froze, her smile disappearing immediately. One of the three men around the table jumped up, his hand outstretched.
“Good morning Miss Hensley I’m Doug and this is Stan.” He gestured to the man sitting across the long table from him, who immediately stood.
She looked at Doug’s outstretched hand and considered breaking one of his fingers. That probably would not help her cause right now. Instead she grabbed his hand and shook it, squeezing hard, not letting go until the look on his face signified his understanding. She was fucking pissed.
She turned to Stan, her eyebrow raised. “Apparently I was confused about the purpose of this meeting.” Stan looked at Doug. Doug looked at Stan. Both men kept their mouths tightly shut. Obviously neither man had the balls to explain it to her.
She’d just opened her mouth to lay into them when a deep voice boomed behind her from the open doorway. “What the hell is he doing here?”
Don sat at the other end of the table a smug grin on his face. “Employee handbook says I can be here.” He tapped the capped end of his pen against a yellow legal pad sitting on the table in front of him, smiling at Thomas.
She stood there for a minute looking from man to man to man deciding how she would handle this. Option one was to go with the overwhelming urge she felt to launch herself across the table and rip that smile off Don’s face. Not the best option, but her favorite.
Option two leave and call a lawyer. She was pretty sure Don was wrong and tweedle dee and tweedle dumb were too intimi
dated to call him on it. “Where’s the man I spoke with last week to set this up?”
Don immediately answered. “Car trouble.”
Which brought her to option three. As much as she hated to, this was going to have to hang over her head a little longer.
“I’ll work this out with him then.” She spun on her heel and walked past Thomas, refusing to look back, knowing the smile Don would have on his face would get him a big face full of option number one.
She was halfway across the lobby before she realized Thomas hadn’t moved. He was planted in the doorway and she could hear the beginnings of a heated conversation.
Don sure wanted to piss her off this morning. Turn about’s fair play.
She marched her way back across the lobby reaching Thomas’ side in less than five seconds. She tucked her hand in his as she curled herself against him. “Honey let’s go,” she purred, loud enough to be heard at the back of the room.
“We have more important things we could be doing.” She smiled up at him coyly, batting her lashes and trying her best to look innocently seductive.
Thomas looked down at her, the anger in his eyes softening immediately. “Is that what you want?” His voice was soft, only meant for her. He knew what she was doing, but was ready to stay and fight if that’s what needed to happen.
She nodded. “Let’s get out of here. We can work it out later.”
Thomas took one last look in the room, his anger from earlier absent. He grinned at Don before looking at Stan and Doug. “Tell your boss we’ll be calling him to get this sorted out.”
Thomas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and directed her back toward the front doors. They only made it a couple steps when they heard an ink pen hit the wall as it came out the open door, followed by the flapping of pages as the yellow legal pad joined it.
“Fuck you Thomas!” Don stood in the doorway yelling at their backs as they continued to walk away. “Laugh now, but she’s gonna get tired of you.” Thomas kept walking but she could see the muscles of his jaw begin to twitch. “Just like Mary did.”
Run (Never Waste A Second Chance Book 1) Page 20
