Every Breath You Take (Redeeming Love Book 2)

by J. E. Parker

  “And why is that?”

  The table shifted as Maddie put her elbows on top of it and leaned towards me. “Because out of all the ladies at the shelter you’re the toughest. You’re our fighter. I see it. The rest of the girls see it. Heck”—she pointed at Hendrix—“even handsome sees it.”

  My eyes drifted to Hendrix to find him nodding. “It’s the truth,” he said, wrapping his left arm around Maddie’s shoulders. “I saw it that first night in the hospital when—” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Never mind. Just know I noticed it when I first met you. Still do.”

  “And I think she’ll see it too,” Maddie continued without blinking. “She’ll see you’re a fighter. A protector. She’ll realize that she’s safe with you.” A slight smile adorned her lips. “And because of that, I know she’ll come inside with you.” Lifting her glass of sweet tea from the table, she took a ladylike sip through the straw. “It’s what I would do.”

  Only half of what she’d said was correct. Was I a protector? Yeah, I was. Why? Because everyone deserves to have someone in their life who will stand between them and whatever is trying to hurt them. Growing up, I never had someone like that. But as an adult I was determined to be that person for everyone around me. It didn’t matter what I had to do or who I had to go up against, I wouldn’t let someone I cared about be hurt without trying to intervene.

  As for being a fighter, that part was correct too. In fact, I’d been fighting since the day I was born. Growing up with my mom, I’d never had a choice.

  It’s just what I had to do to survive.

  But despite all of that, I wasn’t strong like Maddie thought I was. Did I try my best to be strong? Absolutely. However, most days I felt like I was barely keeping myself together. Truth be told, I was damn tired of trying to be so strong all the time. Matter of fact, some days I wanted nothing more than to collapse into someone else’s arms and cry.

  My eyes shifted back to Anthony.

  His arms sure look strong. Bet he could slay a few dragons… or monsters.

  To my disappointment, he wasn’t looking at me anymore. Instead, he was talking to Emily, the waitress working the breakfast counter. Fiery jealousy stirred in the pit of my tummy at the sight, startling the crap outta me.

  With raised brows, Maddie followed my gaze to where Anthony, and the little tramp he was speaking to, stood.

  Tramp? Really Shelby? I berated myself. She’s just a teenager!

  Maddie’s eyes met mine. “He’s cute.” Hendrix bristled beside her, and she playfully smacked his arm. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She pointed at her pregnant belly. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure you’ve staked your claim.” He grinned before pulling her against his side.

  Ugh! Those two made me so sick sometimes.

  “Anyway,” Maddie continued while resting her head on the behemoth’s shoulder. “He’s cute. Why don’t you go talk to him some more? He seemed into you.”

  My head snapped back, and I barely resisted the urge to poke her in the eye.

  “Have you lost your damn mind?” She shrugged. “You know I can’t do that!”

  My voice rose a decibel or two.

  “Why not?”

  “Because,” I stammered, not knowing what to say, “I can’t. You of all people should know—”

  Maddie held up her hand, cutting me off mid-sentence. “Stop right there.” Her voice was serious and full of determination.

  Great, here we go. Another lecture.

  “There is nobody, and I mean nobody, stopping you from getting up, marching your behind over there, and talking to him.” She steeled her features before proceeding. “Nobody except your dang self.”

  I sucked in a breath and clamped my jaw tight. Much as I loathed to admit it, Maddie was right. Still, she didn’t need to know that. “I can’t,” I repeated before following up with, “I’m not ready.”

  And I never would be.

  Not after—

  “Liar,” Maddie scoffed before softening the features on her face and closing her eyes for a split second. After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again and looked at me with nothing but love and concern. “You can’t let that bastard take more from you than he already has, Shelby.”

  Her words were like a bucket of ice to my heart. I froze and my insides clenched in torment. “I know.” My voice was small, weak; two things I swore I’d never be again. Clearing my throat, I put a handful of starch in my spine and sat up straight before raising my chin in the air. “I won’t,” I declared.

  Hendrix looked confused. “What the hell are y’all talking about?”

  Maddie shrugged again, and I looked at him over the menu I still held in front of my face. “Don’t worry about it, behemoth. No need to worry your pea-sized brain about it.”

  He laughed before lifting his hand in the air and flipping me off.

  For that, I booted him under the table, smiling when he hissed in pain.

  Shelby 1. Behemoth 0.

  “You two fight worse than siblings, I swear,” Maddie mumbled under her breath.

  Rubbing his leg, Hendrix hissed, “Why don’t you get up and go talk to the man?” He wasn’t going to let it go. “God knows once he catches wind of your attitude he’ll run for the hills.”

  Maddie snorted. “She already showed it to him. He seemed intrigued by it.” Her eyes widened, and a huge grin stretched across her face. “Which is why I think you should talk to him.”

  Idiots.

  “No,” I bit out, still peeking over the menu like a doofus. “I’m not interested.”

  Takeout bag in hand, Anthony headed for the door.

  I was mildly disappointed.

  When he reached it, he glanced over his shoulder, and our eyes met. My lungs seized, and my body stilled. Then he winked and mouthed, “I’ll see you later.”

  I may have smiled and winked back.

  “Shelby,” Hendrix called my name. “I thought you weren’t interested.”

  “I’m not,” I snapped back.

  “Then how come you’ve been holding the damn menu upside down for the last five minutes?”

  I looked at the menu in front of me.

  Crap!

  “Shut up, jackass!”

  Hendrix tossed his head back and laughed.

  Long as I lived, I knew I’d never live this moment down.

  Trying to regain my composure and divert attention from my gaffe, I said, “So… let’s talk about the wedding. There isn’t much time left and, as the maid of honor, I've got a few questions...”

  Both of their eyes lit up.

  Crisis officially averted.

  5

  Shelby

  The smell of honeysuckle wafted through the open truck windows as I navigated my old truck through downtown Kissler. After passing Dairy Queen, I turned right at the only stoplight in town. A hundred yards later, we’d reached our destination.

  I pulled into the driveway of a yellow, two-story house on Magnolia Street. “Ga-Ma!” Lucca shouted at the top of his lungs, recognizing the house immediately. “Ga-Ma houseeeee!”

  I giggled at his antics. “That’s right, little man,” I said as I unbuckled him from his car seat. “We’re at Grandmama’s house. It’s Friday so that means it’s family supper night.”

  Grandmama, also known as Doris Davis, was Maddie’s eccentric, loud-mouthed grandmother. She was seventy years old but had the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old boy. It was frightening yet fascinating. She was honestly one of the most hilarious people I’d ever met. She may have been crazier than a loon, but she was kind—something that humankind was running low on these days.

  She’d also sort of adopted Lucca and me.

  Far as she was concerned, I was her granddaughter and Lucca was her great-grandson. She’d latched on to both of us the moment she met us and hadn’t let go since.

  Lucca continued to hoot and holler as we climbed out of the truck together. I stood him on the ground and watched with a giant
grin on my face as he took off toward the house at full speed. “Be careful climbing those steps, Lucca!” He ignored me as he toddled along, hell-bent on getting to the front door in record time.

  Once he was safely on the porch, I grabbed my purse from the truck and shut the door. Then I raced across the lawn, up the steps, and across the porch before coming to a standstill behind him.

  Hands balled into tiny fists; he banged on the door. “Ga-ma! Open!”

  Two seconds later, the door swung open, and there stood Grandmama wearing a flamingo-pink dress, white slippers, nude-pink lipstick, and black-framed granny glasses. “There’s my baby!” She lifted Lucca off the ground and hugged him against her chest. “I missed you so much, you little stinker.”

  When she pressed a kiss to his cheek, Lucca half screamed, half laughed before pulling back. “Down, Ga-ma, down!”

  With a shake of her head, she stood him on the ground. “Go on in the house, stinker. Hendrix and Maddie are both waiting for you.” She paused for a moment. “Me and your Mama need to have a little talk.”

  Oh, crap. What the hell did I do now?

  Lucca didn’t even give me a fleeting glance before he took off inside. “Hennnnnnny!” He shouted Hendrix’s name as he barreled through the foyer before disappearing into the living room.

  I scoffed. “Thanks a lot for deserting me, little man!” I looked at Grandmama who was staring at me with raised brows. “Just leave me to the wolves, why don’t you?”

  I was only kidding.

  Well, sort of.

  “Soooo…” Grandmama wasted no time in beginning her interrogation. “I heard you had a rough day yesterday.”

  What? I didn't know what she was talking about. I didn’t have a bad day. I had a rough morning but—

  Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “Damn it, Maddie.”

  She must’ve told Grandmama all about the bad dreams I’d had. I loved Maddie to death, but she needed to learn when to keep her mouth shut.

  “Don’t you get mad at, Maddie,” Grandmama hissed, stepping closer. “She’s worried about your stubborn self, and, truth be told, so am I.”

  Opening my eyes, I swallowed around the lump that had formed at the base of my throat. “I’m fine, Grandmama.” I forced a smile. “No need to worry about lil’ ol’ me.”

  Lips thinned into a straight line; she looked me in the eyes before continuing. “I don’t agree.” Feeling my skin heat, I took a step back. Grandmama, however, wouldn't allow me to retreat. Her stubborn butt took another step forward, once again closing the gap between us. “But I also know you’re not ready to talk about it, and I won't force you to.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at me with steely determination. “Not yet anyway.”

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Grandmama…” My voice trailed off for a second. “You don’t understand.”

  At my words, her eyes softened and her lips curved into a smile. “Sure I do, sweetheart.” Raising a hand, she ran the tips of her finger down the side of my face. For just a second, I leaned into her touch and took the comfort she was offering. “That bone didn’t heal right, Shelby.”

  I didn’t need to ask what bone she was referring to because I already knew.

  That bone was a physical manifestation of the trauma from my past.

  It was crazy because, no matter how hard I tried to hide it, Grandmama still saw everything. Though she didn’t know the details, she knew something terrible had happened, and she could tell how much it still affected me.

  Pushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear, she continued to smile softly. “But when you’re ready, we’ll re-break it so that it can heal right.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I merely nodded like a mute.

  Grandmama, however, had plenty to say. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve been through, Shelby, we can and will get past it. Trust me when I say that there isn’t a single person in this family that hasn’t seen their fair share of troubles.” She took a step back, giving me room to breathe. “Don’t care how ugly it is, don’t care how complicated it is. We’ll get you through it.” Her smile grew. “Besides, you’re my granddaughter. That means you’ve got a heart made of steel and a soul full of fire.” Her entire face lit up when the last word left her mouth. “And, apparently, you inherited my dazzling personality too.”

  Her words were meant to comfort me, but they only caused my chest to ache with emptiness. “I wish I really was your granddaughter. Maybe then I would’ve inherited some more of your awesome traits.”

  I was trying to be funny but failed miserably. Nothing made that clearer than seeing Grandmama’s face drop and her features harden.

  Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

  In one swift move, her hands flew to her waist.

  Lord have mercy, she’s such a loose cannon when worked up!

  “The hell you ain’t!” She hollered loud enough for the people on the other side of town to hear. “You may not have my blood running through your veins, but I claimed you, and that means you’re mine.” She leaned closer and narrowed her eyes. “So suck it, buttercup, because you’re stuck with my crazy old self.”

  At that, I laughed. Hard.

  “I can’t believe you,” I choked out between bouts of laughter, “you’re completely nuts!”

  Still smiling, Grandmama shrugged. “It’s the truth.” Her gaze moved over my shoulder, and her smile suddenly dropped. Placing a hand on my upper arm, she gently pushed me to the side. “Move outta the way, Shelby, I’m about to shove my foot up somebody’s rear end.”

  I stepped to the side, moving further out of her way.

  She moved to where I’d been standing, placed one hand on the porch railing and raised the other in the air. “Damn it, Keith!” she screamed while shaking her fist like a wild woman. “I said thirty minutes!” She shook her head in agitation. “I know you can tell time, son because I’m the one that taught you how!”

  Dropping her hand, she blew out an angry breath. “Damn idiot,” she muttered. “The man would be late to his own frigging funeral.”

  Keith was Maddie’s father and Grandmama’s son. He still lived with Grandmama and had since his wife, Melody, died within hours of Maddie being born.

  Rolling his eyes, Keith moved onto the porch. “I know this might surprise you, Mama, but I have this thing called a job. I can’t just leave because you want me home in time for supper.” He looked at me and smiled. “Hey, Miss Shelby. How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing just fine.”

  Grandmama waved a dismissive hand in Keith’s direction. “Ah, whatever.” She glanced back at me. “Come help me get supper on the table. Maddie’s on the couch with her feet propped up and you know Hendrix ain’t gonna let her out of his sight. The boy is pretty much useless these days.”

  She shook her head in mock disappointment, but I didn’t miss the smile she tried to hide. Whether or not she’d admit it, Grandmama loved that Hendrix hovered over Maddie. Seriously, ever since she’d gotten pregnant again, Hendrix had turned into the perfect example of a mother hen. Not that I blamed him. After what happened with their first baby—

  Don’t go there, I told myself, cutting off my thoughts. Not today.

  Moving to the front door, Keith pulled it open. “Ladies first.”

  Following behind Grandmama, I moved into the house. The smell of chicken fried steak greeted my nose making my stomach growl. Until that moment, I didn’t realize how hungry I was.

  “Lord, that smells good.”

  Grandmama glanced over her shoulder. “Course it does. I cooked it.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Such a smartass.”

  “Oh lookie, it’s my blondie!” Maddie shouted from her place on the sofa as we passed by the living room.

  I stopped and playfully stuck out my tongue at her. “Missed you at work today, cupcake. It’s not the same without you around.”

  She smiled, and her entire face lit up. “That’s beca
use I’m awesome.” She elbowed Hendrix, who held Lucca on his lap. “Right, handsome?”

  Leaning over, he kissed her cheek. “That’s right, baby.”

  Sticking a finger halfway in my mouth, I gagged. “You two are disgusting.”

  Hendrix smirked, and Maddie scrunched up her nose. “You’re just jealous.”

  Maybe. Though I’d never admit that to myself, much less anyone else.

  “Not a chance in Hades, sweet pea.”

  My eyes moved to meet my son’s. The warm smile he was throwing my way made my heart melt. “You be good, little man. Mama is going to help Grandmama get supper ready.” He giggled, and I blew a kiss in his direction. “Love you, sweet boy.”

  Tapping his hand to his lips once, he shouted back, “Uve you, Ma-ma.”

  I glanced at Hendrix one last time. “Please take care of him.”

  His face was soft as he replied, “Always.”

  Hendrix and I bickered nonstop, but there wasn’t a person on earth that I trusted my son with more than him. He’d die before he let something happen to Lucca.

  With a final wave, I moved into the kitchen where Grandmama was stirring something on the stove. “Can you set the table, sweetheart?”

  Nodding, I moved to the cabinet and opened the door. “How many people are coming?”

  Tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth, she furrowed her brows in concentration. “Well, there’s me, you, Lucca.” She paused for a second. “Then there’s Keith, Maddie, and Hendrix. Plus, Evan, Hope, and—” The sound of approaching footsteps made her pause again. Looking over my shoulder, my eyes met Pop’s. “And James since he decided to show up.”

  Pop, or James as Grandmama and Keith called him, was Hendrix’s father.

  He was a complicated man and, hard as I tried, I couldn’t quite figure him out. He was a recovering alcoholic, and he’d been a bad—more like horrible—father to Hendrix until he got sober seven years ago. And when I say horrible, I mean he was abusive, both mentally and physically.

  But he’d changed since he quit drinking. Though everyone was still wary of him, they had slowly begun to forgive him for everything he’d done.