Opening the letter, he read the page he’d hidden from Teal. The reason why she didn’t truly understand the second letter—he’d only given her part of it.
The pain of that day, when her father threatened to accuse him of raping his daughter, was now muted by the love he felt for Teal, and his knowledge that he was good enough—had always been enough. He skipped down to the part of the letter that made him sick.
Shoving the letter back in its place, Trent moved to the closet and pulled his great-grandmother’s ring from a shoebox in the closet. Opening the box, he pulled the ring from its satin holder. The delicate, vintage white gold setting lay in his palm. The weight of the jewel so light, yet the memory of his Nan weighed heavy on his mind. Before her death, Trent had thought to go and live with her.
Nan had seen the life her daughter offered him, and had been dead set against allowing it to continue. She’d wanted to take her grandkids and raise them, but the cancer had come, ravaging her body, and Trent and his siblings were left to rot with his mother. It was the one thing Nan had left him, and the one thing he’d hidden well enough from his mother, so she hadn't stolen it for drug money.
Trent closed his eyes and thought back to his time with Harper. He’d believed he’d truly loved her, but what did it say that he hadn’t thought once of giving Harper this family heirloom? Putting the ring back, he went to the bed and laid back, placing an arm over his eyes. His head spun with the amount of shit going on in his life.
All he wanted was to prove to Teal that she belonged at his side, and not up in Vermont. How the hell was he supposed to do that when he couldn’t even control the shit happening to the shop? How could he focus on convincing her to stay and making her his wife, if his focus was so divided between the chaos at work and the shit from his past?
At this point, he needed to focus on Teal and Teal alone. The shop could wait, the past could wait—fuck, his needs could wait, but not hers.
Teal’s husky voice sounded in the room. “Baby?”
He lifted his arm from his eyes to see Teal dressed in a cream colored shirt and a pair of tight fitting jeans. Her curly hair framed her face and held a beautiful sheen. Blood red lips called to him as he sat up.
She checked her watch as she strode over to him. “It’s time to head out.” As soon as she caught the lust-filled gaze in his eyes, she stopped. “We have no time for that.”
He laughed a dark sensual laugh. “No we don’t. But the way you look,” he eyed her appraisingly, “I’d like to take my sweet, precious time tasting every inch of your body.” Teal’s eyes darkened revealing her arousal to him.
“Come here.” He glanced down at the cream colored high heels on her feet. His eyes roamed up her thick, jean-clad legs to the spot he craved more than a dying man craved life.
Teal stopped just shy of Trent’s reach. Placing a hand on her hips she pushed out her breasts and bit her lip. “Now, we don’t have time for this, but if you are a good boy—”
Trent surged to his feet and grabbed her. Pressing her body against the wall he pushed a knee between her legs and made contact with her core. Swallowing her gasp with a deep kiss, Trent pulled away. “And if you behave . . .” He smacked her ass good and hard. “Do I even need to finish the sentence?”
Teal could tell Poe’s house was on what Trent said was the “other side of the tracks.” And as they pulled up, she withheld a shocked gasp. It was not that she didn’t believe a man like Poe could own a home like the one she saw, she was just unsure of how a bartender could afford a three-story mansion.
Teal glance to Trent. His nervous energy sought to drown her. Softly placing her hand on his arm, she offered him a reassuring smile. She sensed that it was more the area, than the man they were visiting, that had Trent stressed. Because he’d constantly told her he believed she would like Poe more than she liked him. Teal had smiled at his words, but greatly doubted they were true.
Trent cut the engine then turned to Teal. “Let’s go.” His dispassionate tone gave her pause.
Gripping his hand she asked, “You okay?”
His brow furrowed. “Yeah, why?”
Teal could not believe this was happening again. “Hell no.”
He turned to her. “What?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she shook her head in astonishment. “After what happened today, you are still going to sit here and shut me out like this?” Her feelings had transcended anger and become actual pain. The ache grew in her chest and spread throughout. How could this man ask so much of her, yet still only give half of himself?
“Don’t start this now.”
Surprised by the anguish in his voice, she turned to face him. “I get it—”
“No, you don’t.”
And for the first time, Teal feared she didn’t. Her fear of Trent holding back, of him unable to commit to her the way she needed him to, felt like an unwavering burden. It was part of the reason why she was unwilling to do the same. This relationship was so fragile, Teal worried their bond wouldn’t survive another bout of absence in their long distance relationship. In ways, it was barely holding together now.
Shaking her head in resignation, Teal pulled her hand away from his. “You’re right. I don’t get it.” Shifting in her seat, she eyed him. “I don’t get why the man I love won’t open up to me, yet expects me to give up everything to move nine hundred miles away from home for him.”
With that, Teal opened the door and stepped out. She was not angry at Trent, not anymore. She was scared. What did this mean if he couldn’t open up to her? The sex was amazing—just the thought of it made Teal’s legs tremble—but sex was not enough.
The sound of the truck door shutting was followed by Trent’s heavy footfalls behind her. Teal gathered herself before she turned around. When their eyes met, Teal held her hand out to him. After a brief moment of shock, he took her hand.
She chuckled inwardly at his surprise. While she might have withheld affection from him in the past, Teal couldn’t imagine acting that way now, not when he needed her. She was not one to play nice when things needed to be aired out; but she was also not one to air her dirty laundry in front of strangers. She loved Trent, and no matter how hard this relationship had become, she needed him to feel her love and support.
As they arrived at the front door, Teal lifted onto her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips just before knocking on the door.
It swung open, as if Poe had been standing there waiting for the couple to knock. “Hey!” His gruff voice was warm and filled with geniality. “Come on in, y’all.”
Teal started to walk past Poe, but was stopped as he leaned in and gave her a huge warm hug. A bit surprised by the gesture, Teal hesitated a moment before returning the embrace.
Trent placed a playful hand on his friend’s shoulder and yanked him back. “Hey, man. You gettin’ fresh with my woman?” His voice held that carefree tone Teal loved and missed.
Poe moved back, lifting his hands in the universal surrender pose. “Not my fault you got this beautiful woman prancing through my house and all.” His playful smile widened just before a soft, feminine, and extremely southern voice sounded throughout the room.
“Richard Poefred Royce . . .”
Poe winced at the voice, and Trent laughed. Then a tall, thin, beautiful black woman rounded the corner.
“You in here flirtin’?” The woman’s voice held every bit of Southern charm Teal thought Southern Belle’s possessed. “That’s all you ever do, you ol’ hound dog.” She glided over to the group and into her man’s arms. “Please excuse him, it’s been days since he’s had any of the lovin’.”
Teal couldn’t help but laugh at the feigned mortification on Poe’s face. She took in the sight of the woman, marveling in her delicate grace and charm. How in the hell had goofy ass Poe ended up with this regal woman? She nodded as she looked up at Trent. “Just like any horn-dog, you have to take away treats to teach them lessons.”
The woman gav
e an indelicate snort of laughter, while both men groaned disapprovingly. “So true, honey, so true.” She offered her hand in greeting to Teal. “I’m Violet Regina Royce, formerly Violet Regina Jackson of the Daws-Jackson stable, until I allowed this fool to marry me.” Violet paused, as if giving Teal a moment to place her last name with an obviously rich family here in Kentucky.
Teal was at a loss, she didn’t know anyone. But Trent and Logan were from this state. She looked to Trent for guidance, but stalled at his expression. His pale face and slackened jaw had her moving to him.
Poe reached Trent before Teal and gave him a friendly slap on the back. “Yeah, man. I know. Breathe easy though.”
Teal felt panic rising in her chest. Why was Trent staring at Poe’s wife as if she were a ghost? If Violet hadn't said her name, she would have thought it was Harper standing in front of him.
Taking Trent’s hand, she asked, “What the hell is going on?”
Trent’s gaze slowly moved from Violet to Teal. The shock in his eyes so evident, Teal rethought her earlier guess that the woman wasn’t Harper.
Just as Teal made to turn Trent spoke. “Daws-Jackson. From Sugar Mountain Farms?”
No one spoke up, and Teal was seconds from snapping. She turned to Violet. “Who the hell are you?”
It was Trent who spoke. “She’s Harper’s cousin.” He turned to Poe. “You knew all along?” Poe nodded. “About Harper and what happened? About . . . my son?” He nodded again.
Violet spoke up. “Honey, while I know some don’t consider Kentucky the South, I very much guarantee that we are in fact, the South. And family knows everything.”
Teal felt Trent tense.
Poe frowned. “Man, come on. Don’t be angry.”
Too late for that. Teal wrapped a reassuring arm around Trent’s stiff body.
“Listen. Just give me one minute to explain.” His friend moved closer, while Violet smiled warmly at her.
What the hell was happening? Did these two invite Trent over just to rub this in his face, or to report back to Harper? Teal turned in Trent’s arms, facing off with Violet, ready to let a bitch know something.
“We aren’t mad at you,” Poe continued. “We know what her father did to you, and back then, there was nothing anyone could do to oppose him.”
Trent’s tense expression didn’t waver. “But you knew all these years?” His voice was no more than a whisper.
Poe gestured to a room off the foyer. “Come in. We all need to sit down and talk.”
At Teal and Trent’s hesitance, Violet added, “Please. This isn’t an inquisition. We truly want you to stay for supper. While the past is a horrid thing to speak of, there are somethings we think you should know, Trent.” She glanced at her husband.
While Teal was more than interested in what they had to reveal, she would place the decision to stay or go in Trent’s hands. She gazed up at him, taking in his indecision. “Whatever you decide, baby.” She took his hand in hers. The utter emotion in his eyes as he took her in nearly tore her apart.
This was a man struggling with his past, present, and future, all while trying to be the man he thought she wanted him to be. While her decision to move in with him wasn’t a yes, Trent’s love and adoration for her made damn sure the answer wasn’t a no, either.
Trent had decided to stay. Teal couldn’t lie, she was eager to hear what they had to say about Harper and why they both felt he needed to hear it. Violet served rack of lamb and roasted veggies, all while chit-chatting about the weather, gushing over her and Teal’s colorful names, and of all things, sports.
Violet placed a dish in front of Teal. “And my daddy still swears Kentucky wouldn’t benefit from an NFL team. Swearing up and down the Wildcats are enough.” Next came a plate of beans. “Honey, if I have to hear about the Wildcats breaking a 17-game SEC losing streak one more time, I swear I’ll spit.”
Poe chuckled. “Baby, just remember, the only team that matters—”
“I know, I know!” With a good-natured smirk she added, “Denver Broncos, but that’ll be our little secret.”
After they said grace, and took their first bites, Trent spoke. “Let’s not tiptoe around here. Tell me what you need to tell me, and be done with it.” His voice sounded over the cutlery clinking.
Teal had just placed a savory piece of meat in her mouth. Both Poe and Violet shared a glance before Violet placed down her fork. She dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
“I’ll just get right to it then. Harper’s father fell ill summer of ‘02, he was unable to care for himself or even leave his home.” Trent’s indifferent expression betrayed nothing of his thoughts. “With that, Harper called and asked if she could come and stay with me. She said she had something she needed to take care of and she wanted to bring her son with her.” Violet’s eyes lit up at the mention of her cousin’s son.
“What does this have to do with me?” Trent asked, his tone not unkind.
“That was the summer she planned to come back . . .” She paused, her eyes flitting to Teal and back to Trent, as if gauging her next words. “For you, honey. She came back for you.”
This revelation didn’t surprise Teal or Trent, as they both already knew.
“See, it was her daddy who kept you apart. The night you went to her and found she was with child, her daddy called a meeting with his other judge buddy and the commissioner. Harper knew what that would mean for you.”
Trent’s eyes flared at the memory. “I know all of this already.” Teal took his hand under the table.
Poe took a gulp of sweet tea. “What you don’t know is that Harper was forced to have an abortion.”
Teal nearly knocked her tea over as she reached for it. Trent’s eyes widened. He stood, knocking the chair over beside him. “Not fucking possible. I saw that boy! I saw my fucking boy with my own goddamned eyes.” He thrust his hands into his hair and paced.
Violet stood and rushed around the table. “That came out wrong.” She turned to her husband with wide eyes. “Poe . . .”
Poe quickly recovered. “Yes, fuck. No, what I should have said was, her father tried to force her. Even made her mother take her to a clinic up North. Apparently, it was a sad ass day. Tears were shed, threats were made, and so on.”
Greedily, Teal took a gulp of her wine as her heart thundered in her chest, she wondered just what kind of drama she’d gotten herself into. Glancing up at the man she’d fallen in love with, the man she’d hoped to start a life with, she was troubled by his grief-stricken face. When would this man catch a break?
She took a deep breath and moved her gaze back to Violet. This story had to be told, all of it. So she asked in a calm voice, “Okay, so what happened next?”
“Her momma couldn’t do it. What momma in their right mind could force her daughter to kill her grandbaby? So, she divorced her husband and took Harper up North. Now, you know a lot of ladies of the South don’t work traditional nine to five jobs, and because of that, divorce is a bit rare. So she and her daughter depended on the money sent to them from the one man they both hated.”
Trent turned to listen.
“The one condition was, that you were to never see your child, or he would destroy all three of you.” Violet’s frown deepened. “And you know, Trent,” her voice softened as she spoke, “he would’ve done it.”
Trent sighed, and his pacing increased. “She could have come to me. I would have helped.”
Violet tsked, sounding like a disapproving mother. “You’d have done nothing of the sort.”
Trent’s eyes darkened when they met hers. “The hell I wouldn’t have.” His voice echoed off the walls, as his anger burst free.
Poe stood, his chubby face no longer held a somber expression, but one of fierce protection. “Watch your tone.”
Violet placed a hand on his arm. “Hush now, he’s not lashing out at me. This is a lot to take in. He is angry, hurt, and confused. Never a great mixture of emotions for a man to feel.”
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At his broken voice, Teal realized her ass should have been up with her man. She stood and made her way to Trent. “Breathe, baby.” His wild eyes met hers. A plethora of emotions swam in his dark gaze.
She knew then, that with as strong and confident as Trent was, he needed her. Yes, he could survive this without her help, but why should he have to? What stressed her out more than anything, was knowing if she weren’t present to hear the story herself, she wasn’t sure Trent would have ever told her. His need to protect her from his past was fierce, and she would work on breaking those walls down if it killed her.
Without looking away, Teal said, “So, she moved, had Markus . . . what then?”
Violet walked around the table and spoke. “When she asked to come and stay with me, I agreed. That was when she told me her plan to come for you. And as you and I both know, Harper might be book smart, but she lacks street smarts, or common sense for that matter.” Violet let out a soft loving laugh. “Bless her heart. She thought, after all those years, she would just come back, fly into your arms, and everything would be okay. You’d be this happy family, now that her daddy was sick and unable to make good on his threats.”
This had Teal cocking a brow. “This is when she saw you at the shop?”
Trent nodded. “The dates match up. Summer of ‘02.” His stiff body relaxed a bit in her arms, calming as they reached a part of the story he knew.
“Yes, well this is where I owe you an apology. I’d told Harper about all the rumors I heard involving you, and that I feared for her and her son’s safety.” Violet’s sheepish words caused Trent’s anger to rise again.
His shoulders tensed. “You didn’t even fucking know me.”
Violet’s eyes hardened and her hand flew to her hip. “I didn’t, you say? Was I not there the day you spouted those nasty words? What about the day you beat those two black kids to bloody pulps?”
Indelible: Beneath His Ink (Teal and Trent Book 2) Page 9
