by Ali Parker
Belle shouldered her things, reaching out to Tommy. “We’ve just got some shopping to do first. You promised me you’d bear with me today after practice.”
Glancing at me, she shrugged. “He’s grown out of nearly everything again, but he hates shopping.”
A sympathetic grin tugged at the corner of my lips. “Know the feeling. We’ll go pack a bag for Austin and have lunch. Let me know when you’re done?”
“See you later.” With a flip of her blonde hair, she led Tommy to their car.
Jeremy gathered all our things and carried them to the car for me. Once it was all stowed in the trunk, Austin looked up at me. “Is Jeremy coming over for lunch?”
Sneaking a quick glance at him, I saw a tiny smirk playing on his lips. “Sure, if he wants to.”
“I’m all about lunch,” Jeremy assured both of us, helping Austin clamber into his seat. “How about I pick up some pizza?”
“Sounds great,” I said, excitement welling in me. I’d been disappointed that practice was called too, though for more selfish reasons than just sharing in Austin’s disappointment. I’d been looking forward to spending time with Jeremy and having my day with him end already would’ve been a bummer.
“See you in a few,” Jeremy said, crossing the lot to his truck. I slid into my car, wondering if we’d get to spend the night and wake up together this time. The mere thought of it sent my pulse racing and liquid need sliding through my veins. My body seemed to be addicted to Jeremy, but I wasn’t complaining.
Austin sang along to songs on the radio as I drove us home. He was in a much better mood now he knew he was going to his friend’s house, practically running up the stairs to get his bag packed.
Unlocking the door, I stepped inside the apartment. Something felt smooth under my foot and I moved it an inch to see a piece of paper folded neatly in half. Keeping my foot on it until Austin ran past me and into his room, I bent down to retrieve it.
My name was scrawled onto the paper in red pen. The sight of it made my stomach drop and my heart stutter. I’d recognize that handwriting anywhere.
Wesley.
Clutching the note between trembling fingers, I slammed the still open door to our apartment and threw the deadbolt shut too for good measure. My breathing was coming in shallow gulps, numbness spreading to my eternities.
How had he gotten to my apartment? Eyes darting over every surface to ascertain if something had been moved or looked disturbed, I dashed to Austin’s room with a hammering heart. Relief so acute it was mildly painful washed over me when I heard him humming the same song from the car in his room.
Seeing me as panicked as I was would only frighten him, so I checked on him quickly and quietly, making sure he was alone in his room as he rummaged through his clothes to pack. I kept going down the hallway to my own room, the note feeling like it was burning my hand.
I went straight to my bathroom, splashing water on my face and forcing myself to take a few deep breaths before picking up the note again. Heart in my throat, I dried my hands and unfolded it.
Marie,
You should’ve listened to me.
Your boy toy didn’t have to be a part of this, but he is now. Wonder if he would’ve stuck around if he’d known how much pain he was about to be in.
I told you to stay away from him, but you didn’t listen. You left me no choice, I found my own way to get you away from him.
See you soon.
“Fuck,” I roared into my empty bathroom, my hands trembling and a pounding headache building in my temples. Wesley didn’t sign the note, but he didn’t have to. His handwriting was as familiar to me as my own. The sad truth was it wasn’t smart for him to pull this crap now that we were about to meet in court, but then Wesley didn’t tend to think things through as evidenced by his lengthy petty criminal history.
He was threatening me again, and a shiver ran down my spine as I stared at his words. He’d found a way to get me away from Jeremy? I didn’t even want to think about what that might mean.
Austin’s voice interrupted my thoughts, forced me to get it together. “Mom. Do you know where my brown boots are?”
“Sure, honey.” I cleared my throat, willing my voice to stop shaking. “I’ll be right there.”
With unsteady hands, I folded the note again and stuffed in my pocket. Taking a few more deep breaths, I splashed some more water on my face and I hoped like hell it worked that time.
I had to keep it together in front of Austin. There was no way I was letting Wesley take yet another weekend from my boy.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jeremy
“Pepperoni okay?” I held up the pizza box in offering when Marie opened the door. Nearly dropping the box as I caught sight of her face, paler than a sheet and her mouth set in a grim line, I hooked my free arm around her shoulders and tugged her to me.
“What’s going on?”
Austin ran up behind his mom before the words were cold. “Pizza! I love pizza.”
Marie gave her head a little shake as if telling me she couldn’t answer me now, and I felt her lungs expand against my chest in a deep breath. She allowed me to hold her for another second, but then she stepped away from me.
A huge smile was on her face as she turned to Austin. “We know you do. You hungry?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately, head bopping up and down as his eyes narrowed in on the pizza boxes I was still carrying. Marie stepped out of the way so I could get inside, leading both Austin and me to the kitchen.
Gray clouds hung low outside, the drizzle from earlier turning into heavy rain as I watched through her kitchen window. By the looks of things, I’d made it just in time. Marie absently hit the lights while she got three plates out and handed one to me.
Opening the two boxes I’d set down on the counter, she pulled a piece out of each and placed it on Austin’s plate, then filled a glass of water for him. Austin was the only one in the kitchen talking, telling me all about a puzzle he’d started with Tommy the last time he’d been there and how he hoped they could finish it this time.
I nodded and asked him a couple of questions here and there, but my attention was on Marie. She didn’t say a word, looking slightly dazed and a lot worried. She was trying to keep her features schooled around Austin, but whenever his attention was elsewhere, I saw her careful expression crack.
Itching to get her alone, to find out what the fuck Wesley had done now, because there was no doubt in my mind that he was responsible for this, I just about inhaled my pizza. Austin followed my lead, but Marie had barely eaten a bite.
“Is it time for Austin to go over to Tommy’s yet?” I asked, closing the pizza boxes when it became clear no one was going to eat anymore and taking them over to the fridge. I’d get some food in Marie later, when she was feeling better.
I just hoped that whatever had happened, I could make her feel well enough to eat. She’d lost some weight since the custody things with Wesley started. While I couldn’t blame her, I was also worried about her.
Marie pulled her phone out of pocket, looking at it like she was surprised to have found it there. She blinked at the screen. “Yes, they’re home. Belle says she’s making lunch now, but we’re welcome to go anytime when we’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” Austin piped up, jumping from his stool in the kitchen and calling from the hallway. “I’m just fetching my bag.”
“Can I drive you two to Belle’s?” I asked quietly, reaching for Marie’s hand. She took it, gave it a quick squeeze, and then dropped it so fast it was like it’d shocked her. I glanced toward the door, but it wasn’t because Austin was back in the kitchen.
What the hell is going on?
“Would you mind?” Marie asked. She also avoided looking at me, deciding instead to gaze out at the storm raging outside.
“Of course not. That’s why I asked,” I explained.
She turned from the window, but still didn’t look at me. “Thanks, I’ll just go make su
re Austin’s all packed.”
Waiting for them in her small kitchen, I cleared our plates and let my eyes drift outside. The sky split in a flash of lightning and a few seconds later, thunder rumbled so loudly I could’ve sworn it shook the foundation of the building.
The weather mirrored my mood almost perfectly: dark and gloomy. It seemed like Wesley was intent on stealing every possible happy moment away from Marie and Austin. What kind of asshole did that?
“Ready,” Austin announced as he bounced back into the kitchen. Marie followed after him, a backpack slung over her shoulder.
I offered to take it for her and she surrendered it silently, still in her daze. Grabbing two umbrellas by the door, Marie handed one to me and one to Austin.
“Where’s yours?” I asked her.
Shaking her head, she waved me off. “I’m fine.”
“Bullshit,” I mumbled under my breath. Holding mine out to her, I swept Austin up onto my hip. “See, both of us fit under this one. Let’s go.”
She accepted the umbrella, her movements almost lagging. Whatever Wesley had done, it was bad. Again.
After moving Austin’s booster seat to my truck, I was thankful Belle didn’t live far away so the ride over was quick. Austin was ecstatic for another sleepover while I was relieved to finally have some privacy with Marie after we dropped him off. I really needed to find out what was wrong.
“Bye buddy,” I said when we got to Belle’s. “Hope you get to finish that puzzle.”
“Me too.” He held up his hand for a high- five and I slapped it, grinning at how happy the small gesture made him. “See you later, Jeremy.”
“Later, little man.”
“I’ll be right back,” Marie told me, unbuckling herself so she could walk Austin in. They hurried up the stone path to Belle’s house huddled under the umbrella. Belle must’ve been waiting, because the door opened almost as soon as Marie and Austin hit the front steps.
Marie disappeared inside for a minute, then reappeared, waving at Belle and the boys waiting in the doorway as she made her way back to the truck. She slid inside and shut the door, placing the wet umbrella by her feet.
“It’s really coming down out there now,” she remarked, keeping her eyes trained on the dark sky.
“It is,” I agreed, then pointed at her head. “What about in there? What did he do now?”
Shoulders slumping as she leaned back in the seat, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back. When she opened them again, her eyes were wet and going red.
At least she finally looked at me properly. “He left me another note. Said we should’ve listened to him, that he was going to hurt you and that he’d found a way to get me away from you since I didn’t walk away myself.”
“Fuck.” Near blinding fury rolled through me, but I couldn’t let it take over. Not while I was driving and certainly not while Marie was in the truck with me. Biting it back, I forced myself to calm down for her sake.
Her hands were trembling in her lap. I reached for them with my free hand, wrapping it over them both. They were ice cold, shaking as her fingers laced with mine. Seeing her so upset devastated me, made me want to leap into the air and catch a fucking star if that was what it took to make her happy again.
But I couldn’t very well do that. What I could do was to make her feel safe, for now anyway. “Are you okay with coming back to my place? I need to walk Arcadian when this clears up, but I don’t want you to be alone right now.”
“I think Wesley might be watching my place,” she mumbled, eyes glued to the storm again. “I don’t want to be there tonight.”
“Got you,” I said, giving her hands a squeeze. They were still cold, but they were slowly warming up. “I told you I’d protect you, I still plan on doing that.”
“I know,” she said, so quietly I almost hadn’t heard it. But I had. Her words, spoken so quietly yet so confidently, renewed my determination to keep her safe. I was winning her trust.
My heart gave a hard thump. I planned to keep feeling it for as long as she’d possibly let me.
“Whose truck is that?” Marie asked when we turned onto my street.
Sure enough, my driveway wasn’t empty. “Sonny’s. He must’ve decided to pop in to say hi. Good timing, actually. Do you mind if we show him the letter?”
“Okay,” she agreed. Though she wasn’t crying anymore, her eyes were still red by the time we’d parked and I’d let both her and Sonny into the house. He gave me a questioning look, obviously noting that she’d been crying not too long ago.
I nodded in return, holding my one hand out for Marie to pass me the letter while tucking her to my side with the other. Wrapping my arm around her, I felt her tentatively place one hand on the small of my back. Her fingers bunched the material of my shirt, but it was almost like she was afraid to let Sonny see her small show of affection.
“Wesley made contact with Marie again,” I told him, deciding to talk to Marie later about what was causing her hesitation with Sonny around.
His face darkened. “He called?”
I shook my head. “He left a note. Baby, can you give it to Sonny, please?”
“Okay,” she repeated. I wanted to fucking kill Wesley for traumatizing her like this, putting her through all this shit time and time again. Digging into her pocket, she handed him a damp note.
“Please tell me you can do something about this asshole now?” I muttered, watching Sonny turn red as he read the note.
“I’ll talk to Tyson about filing charges for threatening, Jeremy.” He nodded. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“Thank you,” Marie murmured. Leaning against me, she yawned and rubbed her eyes. The toll all this was taking on her was clear and it worried me, while only adding fuel to the fire of my anger toward Wesley.
“Why don’t you go lie down for a little bit?” I asked her. I wanted to talk to Sonny about how long he thought it would take Ty to take quick action and what we should expect after. But I didn’t want to keep Marie awake. Or cause her more stress.
She looked between the two of us, then nodded. “I’ll just go lie down on the couch for a while. It was good to see you, Sonny. Thanks again.”
“Good to see you too, Marie.” He smiled, though I could see he wasn’t doing much better with this new threat than I was. Granted, he was probably more riled about the reference to me in it than to Marie. Yet, I knew he was just as disgusted as I was that any man would do this to a woman—to the mother of his child, no less.
I caught her wrist before she left, pulling her back to press a kiss to her temple before she left. She flushed, returning the gesture by giving me a quick kiss on the lips, then disappeared into my living room.
“Guy’s a fucking coward,” Sonny grumbled as soon as she was out of earshot. “Gotta tell you though, this is only a start. Doesn’t mean we’ve got a rock solid case and the wheels of justice turn slowly, you remember that right?”
“I do.” This process was going go try my patience when what I wanted to do was beat the hell out of Wesley.
“Good,” he said, folding the note again and carefully placing it in his pocket. “I’m gonna get out of your hair. Call me for a beer when you got time? I’ll get on this in the meantime.”
“Thanks bro,” I told him, promising to get together with him soon.
Once Sonny was gone, I went to find Marie. She was curled up on my couch, already fast asleep. She looked gorgeous like that, younger and so much freer in her sleep without worry lining her features.
Careful not to jostle her, I lifted her up and cradled her against my chest, carrying her to my bed. An afternoon nap suddenly seemed like a great idea, especially if I got to do it next to my girl. In my bed.
Wesley could try, but he couldn’t ruin everything. We had this afternoon and we had this night, he couldn’t take that away from us. No doubt we were facing a shit storm with him in the coming weeks, maybe even days depending on what his master plan was.
At least f
or this one day, I was going to relish the relative calm of the house while the storm could keep raging outside. Literally and figuratively. The guy could go fuck himself.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Marie
“You look like you had a good weekend,” Beth, my first client for the day on Monday, commented.
Flushing, I ducked my head under the pretense of gathering more clips from the tray beside me. “I did, thanks.”
I had a great weekend, actually. Belle called on Sunday morning to say her sister was bringing over her son to play with Tommy and invited Austin to stay for the afternoon. He loved every second of it. If I was being honest, the extra time with Jeremy was like my own personal vacation.
Our afternoon nap on Saturday lasted well into the evening, leaving us both energized to get lost in one another after I’d thawed out from the shock of getting Wesley’s note. Knowing Sonny and Tyson were now involved also helped set me at ease. The cops and the district attorney certainly were the right people to be informed of the threats, specifically the one against their brother.
Feeling calmer in the knowledge that his brothers had his back, and mine, to a certain extent, I’d managed to enjoy the time I had with him. In fact, having spent so much more time with him, my feelings for Jeremy were taking up more space in my heart.
It didn’t feel like a fleeting fling or a simple infatuation that was going to blow over. Not for him and most certainly not for me. While all was well while I’d been on my metaphorical island with Jeremy, worry kept gnawing at the back of my mind.
Emotionally I was on edge, in both a good way and bad way. The good because of Jeremy and how well things were going with us, the bad because of Wesley and my worry over what he was going to do. I was also still terrified he would somehow succeed in getting custody of Austin.
Meeting with Savannah had soothed me, but receiving Wesley’s note brought all those worries racing to the forefront of my mind. He wasn’t backing down. While I didn’t know if he had a lawyer who’d explained the complexities of a custody case to him like Savannah had done for me, he seemed pretty confident.
