by RB Hilliard
“Have you spoken to Mom and Dad lately?”
“Mom called the other day, but I was busy. Look, just so you know, someone broke in here this past weekend and took a tire iron to my shit. If you ask me, it had Mandy’s name written all over it, but she conveniently has an alibi. I don’t want Mom to know what’s going on. I’ll try my best to stop by the house and tell them both about the divorce, once it’s official, but until then, they’re on a need to know basis.
“In other words, they don’t need to know a damn thing,” he filled in.
“You got it.”
In a jerky motion, he pushed off the bed and shuffled to a standing position. “I gotta go,” he announced, once he was steady on his feet.
“Help me up and I’ll follow you out.”
After Ehren and the guys took off, Alex-Ann and a still half-drunk Gretchen left. Chaz and I were hanging in the kitchen drinking coffee while Quinn and Olivia made grilled cheese sandwiches, when Bobby strolled in. I could tell by his expression that something was wrong.
“What?” I asked.
“Are you aware that there’s no marriage license filed for a Mr. and Mrs. Evan E. Walker in the State of Texas?” His question made the room go silent.
“What do you mean there’s no license? Mandy and I filed it together. In fact, I distinctly remember that a good friend of hers named Serena worked at the County Clerk’s office. She filed it for us. I’m pretty sure that’s the law, right?”
“It wasn’t filed,” Bobby shot back at me.
“You’re sure?” Chaz asked.
“Positive,” he confirmed.
What the hell?
CHAPTER TEN
“All My Ex’s Live in Texas”
Quinn
I was in the middle of flipping the grilled cheese sandwiches when Bobby and Tut walked in. I could claim I was trying not to listen to the conversation in the other half of the room, but as it concerned Evan and that heifer, Amanda, I was all ears. I swear, that woman’s cheese had slid all the way off her cracker. She’d better not step foot back in Margo’s. Actually, I take that back. I hope she did. That way, I could finally give her a piece of my mind.
“There was an actual license?” Bobby asked.
“Yes,” Evan answered, a confused look on his face—confused and hung over. Weren’t we all...I was pretty sure Alex-Ann hooked up with his brother’s friend last night. I caught them half-naked on one of the pool lounges when I went down to deal with the torches.
My attention snapped back to Bobby when he asked, “Do you happen to know where it is?”
“It’s in one of the boxes in the garage. Why? What are you thinking?”
“Nothing yet,” he answered, and then repeated, “You’re sure it’s in the garage?”
“Why?” Evan demanded. I could tell he was getting irritated.
“We need it,” Tut said. He was leaning against the door-jam with his hands shoved deep in his jean pockets. I couldn’t quite figure him out. He was a large, imposing man with tattoos all over his body, even on his shaved scalp. He didn’t talk a lot and had the most amazingly expressive eyes—well, maybe not the most. Evan’s were pretty darn amazing and expressive, not that I was trying to compare or anything. Unlike Evan, Tut had zero bullshit. My daddy would have called him a straight shooter.
“Mandy’s living in the house,” Evan pointed out, as if Bobby wasn’t already aware of that fact. My lip curled at the mention of that woman’s name. Mandy shouldn’t have been anywhere near that house, and what kind of name was Mandy anyway?
Tut’s brow shot up. “Does she own it?”
“No, but she lives in it.”
“As long as you own it, it’s your home, even if she lives there,” Bobby informed him.
Chaz pushed back from the table, and said, “It looks like a good day for a little B and E, boys.” Bobby shook his head.
“It’s not breaking and entering if we are authorized to enter by the owner of the house, and there’s no way in hell I’m taking you with us. In fact, neither of you are going.
Scowling at Bobby, Chaz said, “C’mon, man. How ‘bout this, I’ll keep an eye out for the bitch while you two break in.” I let out a quiet snort as I transferred the sandwiches to the platter and started on two more. I could see why Evan and Chaz were close. The guy was loyal to a fault, and even if he was a bit abrasive, he was funny as all get out.
“How about this, you sit here on your ass with your hot little mama and leave the professional shit to...the professionals,” Tut countered.
“Awww, he thinks I’m hot,” Olivia cooed. Chaz glowered, Tut smiled, and Olivia giggled. Okay, maybe Tut did have a sense of humor after all.
“What? You’re just going to open the garage and take the boxes?” Evan asked.
“Pretty much,” Tut answered. Bobby shot him a look and he dropped his eyes to the floor, but I still caught the smile.
“We’re going to wait until she’s not at home, so there is no possibility of a breach of the peace. Then we’re going to access the garage and retrieve the box,” Bobby explained in a slightly more professional manner, before asking, “How many did you say there were?”
“Two,” Evan replied. “You won’t be able to tell them apart, so just grab both.” Bobby nodded in understanding.
“In other words,” Chaz butted in, “you’re going to break into the garage and snatch the boxes.” Tut’s eyes were still trained on the floor, but I could see his shoulders shaking.
Evan stared at Bobby with a look on his face I couldn’t quite read. Apparently, Bobby couldn’t either, because he felt the need to say something. “Look, Tut and I want to see if the license is legit. Once we have it in hand, we’ll need to track down the minister who officiated, and then decide where to go from there.”
“Mandy’s cousin married us,” Evan told him. That didn’t sound good. From the look on Bobby’s face, he didn’t think so either.
“Shiiiiit,” Tut drawled.
“Is he authorized to perform weddings?” Bobby asked.
“I assume so. He’s some sort of lay minister with a wing nut congregation out in the sticks. He married another cousin of hers earlier that year, and because we didn’t have time to plan, we used him.”
“Okay, first thing’s first. We need to discuss the logistics, starting with the lay out of your garage.” While the men discussed the details, I finished making the sandwiches.
We ate quickly and then Bobby and Tut took off on their mission. Chaz and Evan disappeared to the front porch, while Olivia and I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen.
“What if they don’t find the marriage license?” she asked. I’d been asking myself that same question.
“What I want to know is why they can’t find a copy of it on file?” Neither of us had any answers, so we dropped the conversation and went to find the guys.
Evan was on the porch talking to someone on the phone, but Chaz wasn’t with him.
“Chaz?” Olivia mouthed when he looked her way. He pointed upstairs, and she took off. I was about to leave when he nodded to one of the rockers, indicating he wanted me to stay.
“Who was that?” I asked as soon as the call ended.
“The insurance guy. He wants to take another look at the piano before he tells me how much they’re willing to give me.” He dropped onto the rocker next to mine and grumbled, “What a fucking mess.”
A minute or so of silence passed before I got up enough nerve to speak. “Can I ask you something?” His head turned and those striking green eyes were all I could see. Damn, but they were potent.
“You know you can ask me anything. What do you want to know?”
“Why did you marry her?”
He looked away, off into the horizon somewhere. “Because she was pregnant, and it was the right thing to do.” I opened my mouth to respond, but quickly closed it when he kept talking. “We didn’t have any money. Her parents didn’t have any either. Mine did, but they refused to ackno
wledge that I was getting married, much less pay for it.” He laughed and shook his head.
“What?” I asked, wanting in on the joke.
“Mandy insisted on an extended honeymoon in Hawaii. There we were, poor as shit, and she wanted that damn honeymoon. I should have known then.” The bitterness behind his words made me tense. This wasn’t funny at all. It was just plain sad. I wanted to touch him, to take his hand or squeeze his arm, but I was afraid of his reaction. As far as emotions go, I couldn’t tell my head from my ass. I’d had boyfriends and lovers along the way, but the intensity of what I felt for this man scared the pants off me. He said he was coming for me, but what did that mean? I wasn’t sure I could handle being his bed buddy, not without losing my heart. Hell, that ship was already pulling away from the dock.
“I had my little brother go to my mother and ask her for money,” he continued, thankfully interrupting my inner tizzy. “She went behind my dad’s back and gave it to me.” His eyes slowly drifted to mine. “Mandy lost the baby in the first trimester. We’d only been married for two months.”
“I’m sorry. That had to be awful for you both,” I said, while at the same time wondering why he stayed with her.
As if reading my mind, he asked, “You’re wondering why I stayed, right?”
“I’m sure you had your reasons.” Knowing her, she cast an evil witch spell on him.
He lowered his elbows to his knees and stared off into the trees. He looked as if he was lost in thought, but I could tell he was choosing his words, trying to decide what and what not to say.
“She was a mess after the baby, all freaked that I was going to bail on her and shit. I just didn’t have the heart to leave her like that.”
“But—” I started to ask if he ever wanted more and decided to just leave it alone. What did it matter now anyway?
Angling his eyes back on me, he asked, “What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, ask it,” he commanded, the bitter tone back in his voice.
“Didn’t you want more?”
“Not until you.” I blinked. The pin was out, and the grenade lobbed...right into my lap.
“Evan—”
“I grew up in a loveless house. I’m pretty sure neither of my parents even know how to love. To them, life is more of a business transaction. We never took family trips because my father couldn’t break away from his job long enough. I’ve never been to Disneyland. I’ve never been skiing. Hell, the first time I saw the ocean was when I was thirteen and got invited to the beach with a friend. I was this kid with music in his blood living in a tone-deaf world.”
My heart ached for both the boy and the man. I couldn’t imagine how lonely he must have been. My house had been filled with so much love.
“Mandy fit right in. Like my parents, she was flat and colorless and perfectly happy in her tone-deaf world. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were different. You’re vibrant, funny, and full of life. I bet you raised hell as a kid. Shit, what am I saying, you’re still raising hell.” I couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t wrong. I’d always been a hell raiser.
“Who you are and what you stand for speaks straight to this.” He placed his hand over his heart. Dang it, my eyes were burning. He held out his hand, palm up, as if inviting, no, daring me to take it—to take him. My daddy always used to say, “If you want somethin’, take it.” Well, he didn’t raise no dummy. I wanted it and I was taking it. Our eyes clashed and held as I placed my hand in his, and I knew right then and there that this...whatever this was, was bigger than the both of us.
A breathtaking smile spread across his face. “I don’t know where this is going, Country, but wherever it is, it’ll have you and me in it, okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered, smiling back at him.
We sat there for the longest time, just holding hands and rocking in our rockers. I was full to overflowing with happiness, and I knew that if something was to happen and this was all I ever got of Evan Walker...it would be enough.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Ball and Chain”
Evan
This is where I’m supposed to be. I’d gotten so used to the big things in life—the band, the fame, and the money—that I’d forgotten to cherish the little things, such as sitting on a porch in the middle of nowhere Texas with a woman who was slowly stealing my heart. A woman I felt a soul-deep connection with...a woman who made the little things mean more than all of the big put together. I’d never had this with Mandy. I had no idea this even existed.
The sound of wheels on gravel pulled me from my thoughts. Bobby and Tut had returned. With them came a sudden feeling of dread. Had they found the boxes or did Mandy stop them? Quinn didn’t say a word. She just quietly released my hand. In a whiplash of emotion, the feeling of dread morphed into anger. Anger at Mandy. Anger at myself. Anger at the whole damn situation.
“One day, you won’t feel the need to let go,” I uttered before pulling myself from the rocking chair and making my way down the steps to greet Bobby and Tut.
Frustration sat heavy on my shoulders as I waited for Bobby to exit the car. “Did you have any trouble?” I asked.
“Nope.” His curt reply felt like salt on an already festering wound. I was on the verge of losing my cool when he popped the trunk and I saw the boxes sitting there. This is what nine years of marriage looked like.
The thought of going through Mandy’s things, of having to relive what I was trying so damn hard to forget, made my head ache. I’d already done this once. I wasn’t planning on doing it again. Yet, here we were.
Once I’d kicked Mandy out of the house, I moved my stuff into the guest bedroom, where I discovered the closet filled with her things. After lugging her clothes over to the master bedroom and dumping them on the bed, I carried the boxes down to the garage. In my haste to get it done quickly, I missed the bottom step, which caused one to topple from the other and crash to the floor. The cleanup included an excruciating trip down memory lane, along with several wedding photos and a manila envelope containing our marriage certificate...
“Here,” Bobby said, shoving one of the boxes into my arms. With a grunt of acknowledgement, I turned to find Quinn waiting on the porch. She had a look of anticipation on her face. Whatever was in these boxes, be it good or bad, didn’t need to affect her in any way.
“I want her gone when we do this,” I muttered low enough for Bobby and Tut to both hear.
“Not a problem,” Bobby replied. “John and his team are thirty minutes out. It’ll take them about four hours to install the alarm system.” Good. Quinn would be at work by then.
“Let’s drop these in the living room. We can deal with them once they’ve gone,” I said loud enough for her to hear.
“Who’s gone?” she asked.
“The guys will be here to install the security system in a few minutes,” I replied as I passed by her.
“I have to work later.” I heard the disappointment behind her words but didn’t respond. Instead, I continued into the living room where I set the box on the floor.
“That it?” Chaz asked from the doorway. Shit. I’d completely forgotten he was here.
“Yep,” Tut responded as he set the second box next to its mate. While they discussed what had gone down at the house, I scrambled for a way to get rid of Chaz and Olivia for the evening.
As if reading my mind, Chaz asked, “What’s the plan?” I could tell by the challenging gleam in his eyes that I wasn’t getting rid of him. That didn’t stop me from trying.
“The security guys are about to arrive. Bobby estimates it’ll take them four hours to install the system. I was thinking that you and Olivia could head over to Margo’s with Quinn and the three of us will meet you there after they take off.”
He studied me for a minute before countering, “Or, we could send Olivia to Margo’s with Quinn and the four of us could meet up with them after we go through the boxes.” I started to tell him no but what was the point? I
wasn’t going to win. Underneath Chaz’s harsh exterior was a heart of gold and a will of steel. There was no way he would let me face this alone, and if the tables were turned, I wouldn’t let him either.
“Fine,” I snapped.
The fucker had the nerve to smile at me.
“Olivia and I are going for a swim. If you need me, you know where I’ll be.” He turned to leave.
“Chaz,” I called out. His head swiveled around, and he shot me a questioning look. “Thanks,” I muttered.
“Anytime,” he replied before walking out the door.
Minutes later, John and his team arrived. Directly on their heels was the insurance appraiser. The two may have kept me busy for the next few hours, but they didn’t erase Quinn’s look of disappointment from my mind. How did I stop my past from affecting my present? I wasn’t sure I could, but I sure as hell was going to try.
Quinn eventually found me down at the pool house discussing security logistics with John. I immediately zeroed in on her tight T-shirt and her way too short shorts. By the look on John’s face, he did too.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Olivia and I are about to leave for Margo’s,” she announced, then turning to John, said, “Can I steal Evan for a minute?” I could tell by her pinched expression that she was unhappy.
John shot me an enjoy-the-doghouse look and I smiled in return. “Be right back,” I told him. On the way out the door, I zeroed in on Quinn’s stiff spine and bunched shoulders. Yep, she was mad.
“Country—” I started to say but came up short when she pivoted around and seared me with an angry glare.
“We’re friends, right?” Her stormy gray eyes bored into me. I hesitated to answer, but only because in my mind we were more than friends. As if reading my thoughts, she added, “Friends above everything else.”
“We are,” I answered, wondering where this was going.
“Well, in my world, friends don’t shut each other out, but that’s exactly what you’re doing. You talk about us being together in one breath and in the other you shut me out. I hate to break it to you, Rock Star, but that’s not called being a friend. That’s called being an asshole. Now, I have to go to work. Have fun with your boxes.”
