Dirty Truth (Fighting Dirty Series Book 2)

by Glenna Maynard

  I hear Tyler and Jace yelling at the TV in unison. Peeking around the hall, I see the two of them standing in front of the TV shouting, regarding a football game they are watching now that the tape has ended. “Boys and their balls,” I mumble to myself.

  Watching the two of them, I know I finally made the right choice for once. Tyler is exactly what and who we needed.

  **

  The day for mediation has arrived, and I am so nervous. I am only willing to agree for Mrs. Case to come to Florida to see Jace. There is no way I am putting my baby on a plane and sending him to her. I walk on in with my attorney and have a seat. I am surprised to find Beverly’s lawyer without her.

  “I regret to inform you that Mrs. Case isn’t feeling well. I have been advised to act on her behalf. Considering her recent health concerns, Mrs. Case is no longer able to travel and is no longer seeking visitation rights. However, if you are so inclined, she requests that you bring the child to see her once every summer. She assumes that you will be visiting your family there already.”

  I am not going to fight this turn of events. Even though I want nothing more than to say no after the way she has acted. Her calling CPS on me was drawing the line. But she is Brian’s mother, and I want Jace to know who he comes from. Once he gets older, he can decide for himself how he feels about her. So, I put my big girl panties on and agree.

  I hurry to get home and tell Tyler the news.

  If I am fast enough, I may be able to spend the day with my guys. I send a quick text to Tyler and let him know that Beverly was a no show. He is as relieved as I am, but he tells me they are having a guy’s day, and I am not included. Those punks, but I am glad they are spending time together.

  I go home and start unpacking more of my belongings and hope to surprise them with a clean and clutter free home when they return. I spend so much time cleaning and arranging I don’t even notice as the hours fly by. My two guys come in laughing and tell me all about seeing the sharks being fed. Jace is wearing his lopsided grin. It makes me feel even better about moving in with Tyler quicker than I had anticipated.

  I tell Jace to go to the bathroom so I can clean him up and get him ready for dinner, but Tyler stops me and orders me to have a seat on the couch. He says that he and Jace have something important to talk to me about. I am clueless as to what is going on. I have a seat and wait. I can see the two of them huddled in the kitchen whispering. Curiosity has its hold on me as I impatiently wait to find out what could be so important.

  They enter the living room together. Tyler takes a deep breath before speaking. His palms are sweaty and he looks like he might throw up. Now, I am getting nervous.

  “Okay, don’t freak out on me. But, this is something I have been thinking about, and I really hope you can just listen and give Jace and me both a chance to talk before you say anything.”

  “Okay, I guess I can do that.” I take a second to mentally prepare myself for whatever the two have them have up their sleeves. Jace is grinning at me excitedly, but Tyler still looks like he might faint or puke. A nervous giggle escapes my throat.

  “I know you just moved in with me, and it might seem too fast to bring this up but, I really love you and Jace. I want us to be a family, Aria. A real one. I don’t want us to waste time worrying about what ifs and wishing for it to happen someday. Life is too short. I want to adopt Jace. I want to be the guy who takes him fishing. I want to teach him all about sports. I want to be the guy that teaches him to ride a bike. I want to walk him to class on his first day of school. Let me be the one to cheer him up when he doesn’t always make the team.”

  The tears are beginning to pour down my face as this wonderful man declares his love for my son. It may seem too fast for other people, but I want these things too. The symbolism of his words sounds so much like what Faye used to say to me. It’s now I know that it is a sign from her telling me to live hard and love even harder.

  “Before you say anything Jace has something he wants to ask you. You ready buddy? Remember what we planned okay.”

  Jace brings his hands from behind his back and he is holding a jewelry box. He places the box in my lap and says to me, “Ma you marry Ty.”

  It takes me a moment to realize what my little man just said to me. “Yes baby, Ma will marry Ty.” I let out an excited giggle and wipe away my tears.

  Tyler comes over and kneels in front of me. “Jace, you did a great job buddy, but I want to ask her myself now. Aria, sugar. I love you so much. I couldn’t go another day before I ask you one very important question. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes, Tyler.” I throw my arms around his neck and give him a kiss as he opens the box and slides the ring on my finger.

  It is so beautiful. I can’t stop staring at the ring on my finger. The diamond is canary yellow and in a princess cut.

  “Do you like it? I picked the yellow because I know yellow stands for friendship. We started off as friends and grew into something so much more.”

  “It’s perfect Tyler.” I kiss Tyler’s face again and pull Jace into my lap.

  I can’t help but wish for Faye to be here with me celebrating in our joy, but I can feel her with me, telling me that she is so happy for Jace, Tyler, and me. Maybe what she said was true.

  Everyone serves a purpose in our life.

  Maybe when they leave, it just means their time in our life is up.

  All the choices I have made and the lies I have told have lead up to this moment in my life.

  Sometimes life has a way of choosing your path for you.

  Some call it fate.

  Epilogue

  Three years later…

  I am sitting comfortably in my beach chair, well, as comfortable as I can be at this size. I look out in front of me and see my guys. Tyler and Jace spend their Saturday’s playing soccer and football on the beach. They are so cute together. Tyler is the best dad.

  Jace still has his father’s curls. I never could bring myself to shave them off. Besides, they suit him.

  My son’s face still haunts me with the ghost of his father, and three years after his death it never gets any easier. I still feel Brian with me, every time the wind blows I almost hear him whisper my name. He will always be a part of me.

  Tyler has been so patient and understanding. He even takes the time to talk to Jace about Brian even though he never met him. Although Tyler is now legally Jace’s dad, he never wants our son to forget who his father was.

  Beverly Case didn’t live long enough to get her visits with Jace. They say she died of a broken heart. She passed away a few months after I married Tyler. I guess Faye was right about another thing. She always said death comes in threes. Beverly did include Jace in her will. Her lawyer had most of Brian’s sports memorabilia shipped to us along with photos and mementos. Giving Jace things to connect to who his father was.

  Tyler comes jogging over to me and places his hand on my stomach and gives it a rub, while leaning down to kiss my cheek. “How are my girls doing?”

  “We’re hungry.” He helps to pull me from my chair. “I have been thinking about a name,” I tell him.

  “Yeah, what are you thinking, we’re getting close to her due date.”

  “Well, I was thinking I want to call her Dava, after your brother Davie. Dava Brianne, for Brian too.”

  “Sugar, I think that’s perfect.”

  “You’re perfect,” I whisper against his mouth.

  “Eww, stop making out. That’s gross,” Jace shouts.

  “One day little man, you won’t think it’s gross. Not all girls have cooties,” Tyler teases him.

  Jace scrunches his nose, but then a huge smile stretches across his face when a little girl from his class asks if he wants to build a sandcastle with her.

  “That’s my boy,” Tyler says with a chuckle as Jace takes her by the hand to get a bucket of water to wet the sand.

  About the Author

  Glenna Maynard is a Kentucky native with a passion for romance, best kn
own for her bestselling romantic suspense novel I'm with You and The Black Rebel Riders' MC series. When she isn't arguing with the voices in her head or drinking reader tears, she enjoys watching classic TV shows with her two children and longtime leading man.

  You can also find Glenna on several social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Blogger, Google+ and Goodreads. You are also invited to join her reader group on Facebook just search for Glenna’s Rebels.

  Available Now

  Beauty & The Biker A Dark Fairytale

  Drunk On You

  I’m with You

  The Suffocation of Katie

  When it Rains

  Born Sinner

  Dirty Love

  Dirty Truth

  Grim The beginning

  Rumor

  Baby

  Striker

  Romeo

  Heart of A Rebel

  A Rebel Love

  A Rebel In The Roses

  Acknowledgements

  Michelle, my Rockstar you know I adore you and love you to bits. Thank you for always giving me awesome feedback and being a kickass friend. Oh, and for being my blurb bitch this time around.

  To my rebels thank you for your support. You mean the world to me.

  Bonus

  Preview

  Beauty & The Biker: A Dark Fairytale

  Isabella

  Vandacamp Mansion was said to have once been a grand castle. It’s stood for over two-hundred years, hidden in the backwoods of a forgotten town, Eden. The mansion has been passed from generation to generation to the Vandacamp heir. I have only seen it once, when I was a child on a business lunch with my father. I was terrified. The home reminds me of something out of a medieval movie. Built of dark grey stones and bricks, it is very much a castle, complete with a round tower and what was once a dungeon. It gives me the creeps.

  Thinking back on it now gives me shivers. It was so dark and cold inside. Like love had never lived there.

  I gloss over the rest of the article in the newspaper about the historical home and the man who now inherits the Vandacamp legacy after the sudden passing of Angelo, the head of the family.

  The current heir, Tristian Vandacamp, is the type of man you will cross the street to avoid at all cost. Known to most as an enforcer for a violent motorcycle club—Depraved Sinners, the men who run this town and everyone in it. They own everything, keeping the rest of us hostage. No one can afford to leave, so we are all forced to stay. They are notorious for ruining anyone who stands in their way. I’ve heard whispers about Tristian, they say he has no soul and that is why he looks the way he does. Rumor has it he once killed a man with his bare hands for pronouncing his name wrong. I’m not sure I buy into all the hype though.

  My father has done his best in shielding me from them, but I have seen Tristian and his gang riding through town, appearing as if he has risen from hell itself, from the window of my family’s bookstore.

  The Book Nook was my mother’s dream and my Papi has tried so hard to keep it thriving. The store has never been his passion, but he has held on, trying to keep her memory alive. Besides, it isn’t as if he has a choice to do otherwise. We have nowhere else to go and no way to get there.

  He has my sister’s and me to care for. I am the youngest of three. Elsabeth is the oldest, and the only one of us to get married. Her husband, Felix, manages the local sanitation company. My sister the garbage queen. I would have never thought that would ever happen, but she fell in love. Her and Felix are always kissing and being so romantic. I want that someday—the passion they share. They are expecting their first child later this year. They shared the news with us over the weekend.

  My father cannot wait to have his first grandchild. We all wish my mother were here for times like this. She was always so graceful and knew exactly what to do or say. When she lost her battle with Lupus, it was hard on us all, but mainly my sister, Ariala.

  Ariala is wild. She is always chasing after the wrong men. Men who keep company with Tristian no doubt. She wasn’t always like this but since mom passed away she has been lashing out, warranting the wrong kind of attention. I never imagined she would act out the way she has. Always out late, if she comes home at all. My dad stays stressed and worried about her welfare.

  The staying out isn’t the worst of her offenses, she has a serious drug problem that she tries to hide but I can see it. I just don’t know why everyone else can’t. She bleeds our father dry. I caught her taking money from his wallet a few days ago and when I confronted her, she had the audacity to lie and say Papi owed her money.

  That is why it is up to me to be the good girl and do what is expected of me. My father’s heart can’t handle more stress. He is stretched thin as it is.

  Being the baby of the family has left me the most sheltered. With Elsabeth married and Ariala out of control, I do what I can to help my father out at the store. I recently obtained my high school diploma. Much later than I should have, but with our mother needing constant care and looking after, I dropped from public school and finished school at home with online courses.

  I fell far behind in everything but reading. I would rather read than do anything. It’s my escape. It took me away from the pressure of taking care of my mother and being perfect for my father where my sisters had failed him.

  “Isabella,” my father calls from his office.

  I discard the newspaper and walk to the back of the store. “Yes, Papi.”

  “I need to leave early today. I have to go by the bank before closing.” He takes off his glasses, cleaning them on the hem of his button down shirt. A coffee stain is dribbled down the front. He hasn’t been feeling well. I’m afraid he is over doing it. He stays stressed over my sister and money. “You shouldn’t have many customers. I’ll need you to lock up. “

  “Go, I’ll be fine,” I assure him. I’ve taken care of the store plenty of times on my own since I was fifteen. When Papi would take Mama to the doctor I would stay behind and keep the store open. Papi hasn’t been the same since she died. None of us have.

  I just wish I could see Papi smile again. He needs a woman to look after him other than me.

  Although, I believe Papi has a thing for Lana Crawford, the loan officer at the bank. He goes to the bank often enough to see her. She seems like a sweet lady. She comes in from time to time to buy a romance novel. It would be nice to see them date. My father hasn’t dated since mom passed away over three years ago. He says that Mama was his one and once you have been with your one, nothing or no one can ever compare. I’m not sure if I believe there is only one person out there that I am meant to share my life with, but I have always felt a piece of me has been missing. Maybe I just haven’t met my one.

  “I’ll swing back by and drive you home afterward.” He smiles warmly, but his skin seems pale for his naturally tan appearance.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine Mi hija.” He brushes my concern away and gathers the papers strewn across his desk into a neat pile, tucking them under his arm.

  Once he has left, I make my way back to the front, on the odd chance that someone will actually come in and buy something. I grab a favorite book of mine and collapse on the loveseat, in the corner by the front window. My mother wanted customers to be comfortable and have a quiet place to read or talk about their favorite books.

  Three cozy couches are placed in various parts of the room. My favorite being the one next to the window. When I’m not reading I enjoy people watching. I watch, as everyone’s lives seem to be moving on, while mine continues to stand still. Not that I mind working at the bookstore, but I don’t have many friends outside of my family. My daily routine consists of home and the bookstore. At least I get to read just about anything I want for free, basically.

  I glance around the store my mother created missing the way she would smile at me from behind the counter, when she was well enough to work. The business did so much better when she was alive. She was the
heart of the store. She attracted most of the customers with her wit and charm. But most of all her beauty. I have never seen a woman as beautiful as her, though many say I look like her, but even prettier. I think they are all nuts. My mother was graceful and stunning. I am a klutz and homely in comparison. I have no style or grace.

  At least that is what my sisters tell me. I don’t care much about appearances though. I would much rather have my mind stimulated with the beauty of words rather than the vanity of society. If I ever find a man who can penetrate my mind, I’ll be smitten. For now, I will have to settle for my book boyfriends. They always know what to do or say.

  If only I could turn things around as easily as it happens in the books I find my escape in.

  Looking around the store there isn’t much design wise that I can change to draw people in.

  The shelving and displays take up most of the room. A small counter takes up a short space holding the cash register, bookmarks, keychains, and small baubles for sale. Not that we sell much of anything these days. Most people have switched to e-readers. I prefer paperbacks myself, but I’m not a paying customer.

  I’m on my third re-read of the Outlander series. Jamie is to die for. He is the ultimate book husband. I lose track of time as I escape my sad reality with the Fraser’s in Scotland. I am so absorbed in my reading I don’t even hear the door chime. I only realize someone else is in the store when my novel is plucked from my grasp.

  In shock at my rude interruption, my eyes travel up the length of the intruder’s body. Starting at the feet, my eyes meet with a pair of black riding boots, my pulse quickens as I come to his worn, ripped, faded, denim jeans. Tattooed knuckles grip my book. One finger sticks out with the skull ring that adorns it. A leather vest covers the man’s chest. The name TRIS displayed in bold letters on one of the many patches exhibited on his biker cut, identifies him as Tristian Vandacamp. Tattoos snake up his neck and cover most of his face. Giving him the appearance of a skeleton. His appearance is alarming and intriguing. My hand, out of instinct, reaches up to touch his bone colored flesh.