Games of the Heart

by Kristen Ashley

  Fin grabbed Clarisse’s hand and tugged it so she sat down next to him. She twisted her head to look at him and saw him grinning at her.

  She’d done good.

  She even might have sounded just a little like Dusty which was cool.

  She grinned back.

  Dusty, her Dad and Principal Klausen talked for a while. Then everyone stood and shook hands, including Mr. Klausen shaking Fin and Clarisse’s hand.

  And when he shook Clarisse’s, he didn’t let it go so she looked up into his eyes.

  “You don’t write a bestseller, Rees, then I expect we’ll hear you’re changing things in Washington,” he muttered. Clarisse smiled at him because that felt nice but no way she was going to Washington. Fin’s aunt lived there, she was a bitch and an attorney. Clarisse was not going to do anything like that.

  They left the office and her Dad grabbed her head, tugged it to him and kissed the top of it. “That was great, what you did in there. Proud of you, honey,” he whispered in her hair.

  That felt good too but better. Way better.

  When he let her go, she grinned up at him. Then he started walking to the front doors with Dusty and Clarisse was about to follow when Fin tagged her hand.

  “See you later tonight,” Dad called and she looked from him to Fin and her brows drew together.

  “Your Dad says I take you home,” Fin said quietly.

  Clarisse blinked.

  Fin smiled huge.

  Then he pulled her closer and finished even quieter, “Every day.”

  Wow! Awesome!

  Clarisse smiled at Fin then her head jerked around so she could look her father’s way. Dusty was by him and smiling big at her feet, walking out the door her Dad was holding open. Dad was looking their way and he wasn’t smiling, he was watching close (as usual). Then he shook his head. Then his lips twitched.

  Then he looked to his boots and followed Dusty.

  Watching him go, Clarisse’s heart lurched as something shifted inside her. It was big. Huge. Colossal. And she kept feeling it as she watched her Dad walk away.

  And it wasn’t until Fin tugged her hand then moved them toward the hall that led to the parking lot that she got it.

  Fin let her hand go, she felt his arm slide around her shoulders and he tucked her tight to his side. She liked walking with Fin like this. No, loved it. His body was solid and warm and he was the perfect height for his arm to curl comfortably around her shoulders and hers to curl around his waist, which she did right away when he pulled her to him.

  They fit. It felt right, natural. Fin tall and strong and handsome at her side. Clarisse proud to be held there.

  And she knew what just happened.

  Her Dad let her go a little bit and walking next to Fin, so close, Fin’s hold on her tightened and she wasn’t talking about the one he had around her shoulders.

  But between these two men she loved, both in one way or another holding her close always, Clarisse Haines knew she would never fall.

  And it was weird, like feeling lost at the same time feeling found. It made her feel like smiling and crying.

  She did neither.

  She just walked at her guy’s side to his truck, climbed in after he opened her door and sat there as he rounded the hood and angled in beside her.

  But she grinned when he almost immediately muttered, “Buckle up, babe.”

  She twisted to find the seatbelt, still grinning.

  No, after that day, what Fin had done to protect her then him telling her to buckle up and be safe the minute he got in his truck, Clarisse Haines knew she’d never fall.

  Not ever.

  Not ever.

  * * * * *

  “Hang on a second,” I called.

  Rees and Fin were headed out the backdoor, Fin with Rees’s book bag slung over his shoulder. He also had some swelling at his cheekbone that had also purpled the area under his eye. But like any hot guy who got tagged protecting his girl, for some reason, his war wound made him look even hotter.

  It was eight thirty. Rees had to be home by nine. Fin always moved her out around eight thirty to walk her the five minutes home. Plenty of time to stop by the back gate and chat or participate in other activities. I hadn’t seen it. It was mid-March and the days were getting longer but it was still dark by the time Fin walked Rees home. But I suspected it was a good guess.

  They both stopped and looked at me as I walked into the kitchen.

  My eyes went to Fin.

  “Can I have a second with Rees?”

  He looked at me then he looked at Rees then, finally, he jerked up his chin to me.

  To Rees, he muttered, “I’ll meet you outside, babe.”

  She smiled up at him and nodded.

  Fin looked at me again, this time assessingly before he moved out the backdoor, closing it behind him.

  I moved to Rees.

  She tipped her head to the side and I thought it was cute.

  “Is everything okay, Dusty?” she asked.

  I stopped close and said quietly, “Yeah. Just wanted to say those tacos you and Fin made for dinner were yummy.”

  She gave me a big smile and I liked it. When I met her, those didn’t come easy. Now they were coming often.

  “Thanks,” she said soft.

  “Also wanna say…” I stopped, took in a breath then I went for it. I slid her beautiful hair off her shoulder, cupped the side of her neck in my hand and I dipped my face closer. “Not my place, you don’t know me very well but I’m going to say it anyway. Today, I was proud of you Reesee.”

  Her lips parted and her eyes got big and that was cute too.

  “Proud?” she whispered.

  “For standing up, having your say and taking care of my nephew,” I explained, brought my face closer and whispered, “Yeah, proud.”

  “I…uh…” she stammered.

  “You don’t have to say anything,” I told her quickly. “Just know that. And know that I appreciate, more than I can say, you helping Fin out. Understanding him. Making him smile. Giving him something good when he lost something amazing in his Dad.” My hand squeezed her neck and I felt my eyes sting with tears but I kept going. “Means a lot to me but more, it means a lot to him. I know you ease him, Rees. And I thank you for it.”

  “I think I like to be with him more than he does with me,” she whispered back.

  I grinned. “Then, honey, you aren’t paying attention.”

  She chewed her lip but I saw the hope flare in her eyes.

  I slid my hand to her jaw and got even closer.

  “Our boys, yours and mine, they’re strong. They’re guys. Anyone who sees them, how they act, what they say, they know they can take care of themselves and those they love. But we know,” my thumb stroked the soft skin of her cheek, “we know that someone behind the scenes has to look out for them. Today, what you did, wasn’t behind the scenes. But you looked out for your man. You took care of him. And I knew when you did that you do it behind the scenes too. Any good woman knows two things. She knows how to take care of herself and she knows how to take care of the ones she loves. Today, you demonstrated you’re a good woman, Rees. And it was an honor to be there because it was a sight to behold.”

  I saw the tears start shimmering in her eyes before she asked softly, “You think all that?”

  “No,” I replied, “I know it.”

  Her hand came out and curled around mine, the one that wasn’t holding her face and she whispered, “Thanks, Dusty. That means a lot to me.”

  I smiled and slid my hand back down to her neck. “Thank you, honey,” I whispered back. Then I studied her beauty, her eyes soft on me, the tears she was holding back glistening in her eyes and I told her truthfully, “My brother Darrin would have loved you.”

  “You think?” she asked, the words pitched slightly high but still said in her soft, sweet voice. The tone was a tone of hope. And it was beautiful.

  “No,” I replied. “I know it.”

  “Dad
knew him,” she told me. “He was around. But I didn’t know him very well. Was he like Fin?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She held my eyes then said quietly, “Then I would have liked him too.”

  I lost hold of the tears I was controlling and felt one slide down my cheek.

  My voice thick, I told her, “Yeah, you would have, honey.”

  “Can I say something Dusty?” she asked, still talking quietly.

  “Anything, beautiful,” I whispered, my voice still thick.

  I saw the tears gather in her eyes, the wetness increasing then she whispered back, “I wanna thank you too, for making Dad happy.”

  Oh my God. Oh my God.

  I loved this girl.

  Then one second I was staring at a beautiful girl’s face and the next second I was in her arms.

  I wrapped mine around her and held on. Her body bucked as a sob tore up and two seconds later, mine did the same. But we both held on. And we did it tight.

  “What’s goin’ on?”

  We jumped apart like guilty children and both of us looked to the door to see we were so in our moment neither of us heard Fin come back in.

  Fin’s eyes narrowed on Rees then on me. “Why are you guys crying?”

  I waved my hand in the air then dashed it on my face and explained, “We’re girls. Today was full of drama. After a day filled with drama we do three things. Eat until we feel sick. Throw a tantrum. Or collapse into tears. Sometimes it’s a combo of two, bad times it’s all three. Trust me, honey, we picked the best one.”

  Fin scowled at me and I didn’t know if he was doing that because he was pissed about the possibility I made Rees cry or just pissed two girls he loved were crying and as a boy who was mostly a man he pretty much knew he had no power over that.

  Then he asked, “Are you guys done crying then? ‘Cause I need to get Reesee home before Mr. Haines gets pissed at me for bringin’ her home late.”

  I looked to the clock over the microwave and saw it was twenty-three minutes to nine. He totally had enough time. He just wanted to make sure he had the time to make sure his girl was okay and, probably, give her a goodnight kiss which would make certain she’d be okay.

  I looked at Rees and she must have felt my eyes because hers came to me. “I’m okay if you’re okay.”

  She nodded, dashed a hand on her cheek and her lips quirked into a little smile that was seriously cute.

  “I’m okay, Dusty.”

  “I think you both did so well in the kitchen, Thursday night is taco night every week,” I informed them, stepping back to indicate I was done with creating a girlie scene.

  “Great,” Fin muttered and I bit back a smile.

  “Sounds good to me!” Clarisse chirped.

  I held her eyes. Then I lifted my hand and blew her a kiss.

  She replied by giving me one of her big, beautiful smiles.

  Then I turned away, calling, “’Night Rees. See you in a bit, Fin.”

  “’Night Dusty,” I heard Rees return to my back.

  “Later, Aunt Dusty.”

  I walked upstairs to Kirby’s room, grabbed my cell, lay with my back on the bed and called Mike.

  “Hey, Angel,” he answered.

  “Had a breakdown in your daughter’s arms about Darrin,” I announced.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  “Just so you know, when she’s home soon, if you see her eyes puffy, she cried with me.”

  “Shit,” he repeated on a mutter.

  “It’s all good,” I assured him.

  “You wanna come over?” he offered.

  “I come over any more, I’ll be living there.”

  This was met with silence.

  I figured this was partly because Mike was harking back to the fact that since we got home from Texas, this was true. Unless Rees was at the farm and I had to chaperone, I was at his house (with Fin). In fact, the schedule normally was that Rees came over to study with Fin after school then when Mike came home, we all went to his place to eat dinner and hang.

  I also figured the silence was due to the fact that I was currently scoping out apartments. I shared liberally my apartment hunting in The ‘Burg stories with Mike, a pastime I had no idea would be so fruitless and annoying. These stories never failed to put him in a bad mood not because they were fruitless and annoying to me. No, it was because he loved me and I loved him. It was because he loved to spend time with me and he knew I loved spending time with him. It was because he knew I was having a time of it with all the crap swirling around me and he liked to be close to make sure I was okay and if I wasn’t, to make me okay. It was because he loved to have sex with me and knew I loved having sex with him. And it was because we liked sleeping in each other’s arms.

  If he had no kids, I had no doubt the offer to move in would have been extended.

  Since he did, and Mike was the kind of Dad Mike was, this was not going to happen for a while.

  Which he clearly found a tad bit more than annoying.

  Mike ended the silence with, “You want me to come over?”

  “I’m good, honey,” I said softly.

  This was again met with silence and this silence surprised me.

  When it stretched, I called into it, “Mike?”

  “Jesus, fuck you’re right next fuckin’ door.”

  Right. Mike didn’t shy away from cussing but he sprinkled his curse words abundantly when he was seriously pissed. And he was pissed because I told him I’d been crying and he was too far away to do anything about it even though he was right next door.

  “Honey, I’m good. Promise,” I whispered.

  “Like to see that for myself, Dusty,” Mike replied.

  Seriously, no kidding, I loved this man.

  “Okay, then, give it half an hour. Fin gets back, I’ll head out,” I gave in.

  “Why half an hour?”

  “Um…” Shit! “Just wanna see if Kirb has got his homework done and is settling in for the night.”

  Silence then, “Bullshit.”

  I pressed my lips together.

  More silence then, “Half an hour, Angel.”

  He was such a good Dad.

  “Half an hour, babe.”

  There was even more silence then, “Wanna be face-to-face for this but can’t wait ‘cause, you cryin’, I gotta know. If you say yes, I’m not waitin’ half an hour. Fin can have the back gate, I’ll drive over.”

  There it was. Mike knew the back gate ploy. Though, he was a guy. I wasn’t surprised.

  Mike kept talking. “Today, did Denny come up for you?”

  I drew in breath.

  Then I said carefully, “Maybe a little.”

  “Shit, I’m comin’ over.”

  “Mike,” I said hurriedly. “Only a little. I’m okay.”

  “You went somewhere today, sweetheart. I saw it. I’ve given you time. Time’s up.”

  “I’ll be over in a half an hour.”

  “Dusty –”

  “Mike, honey, I’ll be fine and you can make it all okay in half an hour.”

  Again I got silence.

  Then he announced strangely, “Givin’ it two more weeks.”

  “Giving what two more weeks?” I asked.

  “Until I have a talk with the kids about them understanding Dad having Dusty for sleepovers.”

  My stomach curled and it felt nice.

  “You in?” he prompted.

  “If they are,” I answered.

  “They will be,” he muttered.

  I grinned.

  “Is now a time I’m allowed to go shopping for bribes for your kids?” I asked.

  “No,” he answered and I chuckled.

  “Right,” I murmured through my soft laughter.

  “Half an hour, Dusty,” he ordered and my smile stayed in place.

  “Half an hour, gorgeous.”

  “Later.”

  “’Bye.”

  I touched the screen on my phone. Then smiled at the ceil
ing.

  Then I heard my mother shout, “Kirby, honey, do you have your homework done?”

  To which came an exasperated, “Yeah, Gram!”

  Now Kirby had Fin, me and his grandmother asking every night if his homework done.

  Obviously, from his tone, he was over it.

  And I thought that was funny.

  So I burst out laughing.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Stealth Kisses

  Mike stood leaning against the kitchen counter with his mug of coffee in his hand staring at his kids at the table, No eating breakfast, Rees’s hands moving on her phone and he was wondering how the fuck to say what he had to say.

  Shit.

  It had been two weeks since Fin’s fight. Two very long weeks.

  He had to say it.

  Shit.

  “Kids, gotta have a word before you get to school,” he announced and No kept shoveling cereal in his face though he did spare Mike a glance before his eyes went back to his cereal.

  Reesee had her head bent to her cell, texting Fin no doubt, and she muttered, “Yeah Dad?”

  He opened his mouth.

  Then he closed it.

  Shit.

  Fuck it.

  “Tomorrow night, you’re goin’ to your Mom’s house. As you know, Dusty and I are adults. What you don’t know is that when you’re at your Mom’s, Dusty stays here with me. But this time, when you get back, Sunday night she’ll be spending the night. And from here on in, we’ll see, but a couple of nights a week she’ll be sleeping over.”

  No shoved another spoonful of cereal in his mouth and to his bowl garbled, “She should just move in.”

  Mike blinked and he did it slow.

  Reesee’s phone binged in her hand and she mumbled, “Yeah, totally.”

  No gave Mike his eyes and he informed him of something Mike already knew. “There’s like, a trillion people livin’ in that house and one bathroom.”

  Rees looked at her brother. “They have a half bath downstairs,” she corrected.

  No looked at his sister. “Yeah, but you can’t shower in a half bath. It would suck huge havin’ to share a shower with, like, a trillion people.”

  “Totally,” Rees muttered, her eyes dropping back to her phone, her thumbs flying over the keypad, her ability to multitask coming apparent when she kept talking. “Fin’s like, totally over sharing his room with Kirby. Totally. He hates it.”