Inked Expressions

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  They took their seats in the living room, Rachel in the high-backed chair, Everly on one side of the couch, him on the other. He gave Ev space only because she seemed to need it. He’d move closer the minute it looked as if she needed him. He didn’t know how this conversation would go, but he knew it probably wouldn’t be good.

  Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Everly held up her hand. She was so stoic, so freaking stiff that he was afraid she might break. Others might not see the emotion rippling beneath the icy exterior, but he didn’t know how anyone could miss it.

  “Before you begin with what must be a fascinating tale, I’m going to tell you what I know, and you will nod or shake your head with what is true or false.” Rachel narrowed her eyes but thankfully didn’t speak. “If this is all a misunderstanding, then I’m sure we can move forward, but from the way you walked in here with a smile instead of fear, I have a feeling you will be walking back through that door quite quickly.”

  “You think you know everything?” Rachel spat. “You don’t know anything.”

  It took everything he had not to speak up, but Everly didn’t need him taking control of the situation. She had it firmly in hand and would do what she had to do. If she needed him, he’d be there. Right now, he was just her visible support.

  “I said you could nod or shake your head. I didn’t say you could speak. You are in my home. A home I shared with my husband. A husband, I fear, we might have shared.”

  Storm almost reached out to grip Everly’s hand but stopped himself just in time.

  “I hear you had an affair with my husband, perhaps even when Jackson and I were merely dating at first. Is that correct?”

  Rachel glared but nodded.

  Everly’s fisted hands tightened on her lap, the only visible evidence she was breaking inside. He wanted to fix this. Wanted to kick Rachel out. Wanted to go back in time and kick Jackson’s ass. Yet he couldn’t do anything except watch Everly take matters into her own hands and find the only control she could. He refused to take that away from her.

  “You slept with Jackson Law, my legal husband, for years.”

  Rachel nodded.

  “How many? And yes, you can speak for this answer.”

  Storm didn’t know why Rachel was allowing Everly to control the conversation, but he had a feeling she saw what he did: Everly meant business.

  “Ten years,” Rachel bit out. “We were together for ten years. He loved me. Had a life with me. I understood that he needed to marry you for one reason or another, but he was mine for ten years.”

  Jesus Christ. Storm knew the timeline since he’d been the one to bring Jackson up to Fort Collins, but hearing it from Rachel’s lips just made it that much more real. What the hell had Jackson been thinking? And how had they all been so blind to what the other man was doing?

  “Ten years,” Everly repeated. She paused for a moment, and Storm once again forced himself not to go to her. It would only make her resent him for coddling her in front of Rachel. “And you have children?” The last word was whispered, and he knew she was on the verge of breaking.

  Rachel nodded. “Three. Jackson is nine. Holden is seven. And Mariah is three.”

  Jackson. They’d named their fucking son, Jackson. Storm’s hands shook, and he tried to remember if the man he’d called his friend had slipped up at any point. Had Storm really been so in his head that he’d missed all the lies? Missed the fact that Jackson was a horrible person who could even hurt Everly from the grave?

  Everly blinked. “Three years old.”

  Rachel smiled, and he saw the bitterness in it. “Yes, the same age as your kids. He wasn’t with me as much during the last pregnancy because you were taking up so much of his time.” Rachel wiped a tear he couldn’t see, and he figured she was probably faking it. “We loved each other. No, he wasn’t with us as much as he should have been, but I understood. He had responsibilities with you and with work. He’d made promises, and he wouldn’t break them. I found that noble. He loved me, you see. Loved me so much that he kept coming back. He was such a good father.” Rachel smiled again, this time her eyes going dreamy. “I miss him so much. He’s missing his children growing up.”

  “Yes, he is.” Everly’s voice was so sharp it could cut steel. “He’s missing my boys growing up. He never met his children.”

  “He met mine,” Rachel bit out.

  “What do you want?” Everly asked after a moment, and Storm’s head pulsated at the temples.

  “I want us to know each other,” Rachel said simply, but Storm knew there had to be more to it. Hell, from the way Ev’s back straightened, she knew, as well.

  “What do you want?” Everly repeated, her hands appearing stiff as she unclenched her fists.

  The other woman sighed. “Fine. Raising three children is hard. Raising Jackson’s three children without him is hard. You have help. He left everything to you, but he couldn’t do the same for me.”

  He knew it. It was all about money. It had to be. Rachel hadn’t gotten a penny in the will, but she’d had a part of Jackson Everly had never laid claim to.

  “I had nothing to do with the will, Rachel.” Storm wanted to wrap his arms around Everly and make this all go away, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

  Rachel’s eyes narrowed for the barest moment before she visibly fought to look a little more innocent. “I deserve it, Everly. My children deserve it. If you won’t listen to me now, I’ll make sure you listen to me soon. Damn sure.”

  “That’s enough,” Everly said calmly, but she was anything but calm. “That’s more than enough.

  Rachel narrowed her eyes, and Storm opened his mouth to speak before rethinking. This was Everly’s choice, but he’d forcibly make Rachel leave if he had to.

  “Get out,” Everly said calmly.

  “We’re not done,” Rachel cried.

  “Yes. We are. Get out before I throw you out. Before I let Storm do what he’s wanted to do from the moment you walked in—force you out of my home.”

  Everly stood, and Storm did the same. He was beyond ready to get this woman out of Ev’s home so they could talk. He couldn’t believe Rachel would just show up after all this time and think everything would be okay. He knew there was something more going on, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

  “I can’t go. We’re not done yet.”

  “Yeah, you are. Now get out.” He hadn’t meant to chime in, but he was beyond done. And from the way Everly kept so, so still, he knew she was, too.

  “You knew!” Rachel screamed. “You knew. You introduced us.”

  One of the boys made a noise from the back of the house, and Storm held back a curse at the look of manic glee in Rachel’s eyes. There was seriously something wrong with this woman.

  “Get out,” Everly said a little bit firmer. “Get out before I call the police.” She made a step toward Rachel, and the other woman got out of her chair quickly.

  “This isn’t over,” Rachel said as she stormed away.

  “I fear it’s not, but right now, I don’t really care. Now get out of my home.”

  Rachel stomped through the front door, her hair flowing behind her, and Everly closed the slab of thick wood behind her and then locked it.

  “I’ll go check on the boys,” Storm said softly. “Be right back.”

  Everly turned to look at him, her eyes full of anger. “I need a moment to think, so thank you.”

  He bent down to kiss her, thought better of it since he had no idea what the hell he was doing, and jogged to the boys’ bedroom. James was still sleeping, his stuffed bear tucked in his arms, but Nathan was sitting up and looking around, wide-awake.

  “Uncle Storm?” Nathan asked, rubbing his eyes.

  “Hey, buddy,” Storm said softly so as not to wake up James. “You doing okay?” He knelt by the bed and ran a hand over Nathan’s blond hair.

  “Uh-huh. I heard loud people.”

  Damn it, Rachel.

  “It was just someo
ne at the door. They’re gone now. You want to play with your trucks in the playroom so James can sleep?”

  Nathan nodded and held up his hands to be picked up. Storm’s heart ached as he picked up the little boy who had never known his father. But now that Storm had learned more about who the man truly was, he wasn’t sure that was a bad thing.

  He turned with Nathan in his arms to see Everly in the doorway, her arms wrapped around her middle. “Hey,” he said softly.

  “Hey,” she said back before looking at Nathan, her mouth forming into a small smile. “I’ll bring you a snack in a bit if you play like a good boy. How’s that?”

  Nathan snuggled into Storm’s neck and nodded. “Okay.”

  “How are your lungs?” she asked her son as Storm moved closer.

  “Good.” Nathan let out a loud, wet breath on Storm’s neck, and Storm did his best to keep from cringing. Kids were constantly leaving slime and grime on him, even though he didn’t have any of his own. He just happened to have tons of nieces and nephews, as well as the twins around. He didn’t mind it, though. Unlike some, he liked kids.

  Everly grimaced, her eyes dancing with laughter for a bare moment before the reality of everything that had already occurred that day settled in. Storm swallowed hard and followed Everly to the playroom where they let Nathan get out his toys. Everly picked up the video monitor so she could watch him while she and Storm talked in the living room. He knew she usually kept the twins in her sights as much as possible, but this wasn’t a conversation they needed to have in front of the boys.

  They made their way back to the living room, and he ran a hand over his scruff, figuring he might need to shave soon. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

  “Did you know?” Everly asked immediately. “I mean, you knew enough to tell me today, but Rachel said you introduced her to Jackson. And as much as I don’t want to believe a word that came out of that woman’s mouth, it all seems like too much of a coincidence for you to know her and Jackson and for all of this to come to light.”

  Storm reached out and gripped her hand. She let him, though they didn’t sit. He knew they each had too much nervous energy to do so.

  “I didn’t know Jackson had another family until last night. I spent the night tossing and turning, figuring out how to tell you. I know I probably should have driven right here once I found out, but I needed time to process and make sure that it made sense timeline-wise before I did something stupid like tell you what Clay told me, only to find out it wasn’t true.”

  “Who is Clay? And you still haven’t answered my question.”

  Storm took his hand back and ran it through his hair. “It all goes together. Yes, I did introduce the two of them.” Everly sucked in a sharp breath, and he cursed. “But I didn’t know what I had done at the time. I know Rachel’s nephew, Clay. The guy I got the photo from.” He tried to order his thoughts and couldn’t quite do it, so he just went with what was in his head. “Remember that camping trip Jackson and I took ten years or so ago? The one you wanted to go on but couldn’t?”

  Everly’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded. “I remember.”

  “Well, on the way to that trip, we stopped by Clay’s house so I could drop off his birthday present. Rachel was there, and I guess that’s how she met Jackson. I don’t know more than that. I didn’t know they ever saw each other again. Hell, I’m pretty sure I only met her once or twice after that, and only in passing. I knew she had kids, but didn’t know the father. I didn’t even know the kids’ names. Nothing ever pointed to the fact that the man I thought I knew, the man I called my best friend, was a fucking liar and a cheat.”

  Everly hugged herself, and Storm moved toward her. He held open his arms, and she sank into his embrace. When he tightened his hold, she let out a sob, her tears soaking his shirt. She cried, and he hated himself. Hated that he had been part of this, even if he hadn’t been aware.

  “How do you know Clay?” Everly asked after a few minutes, her voice hoarse. “There’s a story there.”

  He ran his hands down her back and sighed. “I haven’t told many people about him.”

  “Is he your son?” Everly asked suddenly.

  Storm shook his head, but she couldn’t see him. “No,” he said after a moment. “It would be easier if that were the case. Clay isn’t my son, but I’ve been in his life since he was four years old.”

  He pulled back so he could look into Everly’s eyes as he told her a tale only a few people in his life knew. She deserves to know, he thought. She deserved so much more than him.

  “When I was twenty, I was in college with Jackson—as you know. I visited my family here in Denver, and Wes at his college often—I went to a different college than Wes because our scholarships ended up that way. We figured it would be good because we had always been the twins and were attached at the hip. Plus, Jackson and Wes didn’t get along, so it was easier for everyone if my brother and I learned to be our own people as well as Montgomerys.”

  Everly took his hand and pulled him to the couch. “I think we both need to be sitting for this.”

  Storm nodded and took a seat next to her, his hand still over hers. “I was driving back home after visiting Wes, and it was raining. I was tired but still alert.” He could still hear the sound of raindrops hitting his windshield. Still feel the wind on his face when that windshield shattered. “A man fell asleep at the wheel and went across the median. Since it was raining, I hadn’t been driving that fast, but fast enough. He hit me head-on. Totaled the car. It didn’t break my spine, but nearly.” He blew out a breath as Everly squeezed his hand. “The doctors said I screwed up enough in my back that a broken vertebra would have been easier to deal with. That’s why I have so many back issues and why I don’t work at the sites as much as the rest of my family. I just can’t handle the manual labor anymore. I worked through the pain when I was younger, but I can’t now.”

  He was rambling about himself and not what had happened, and he needed to stop.

  “I was lucky,” he rasped. “I lived. The man driving didn’t. He died on impact. His four-year-old son, Clay, didn’t get a scratch on him because he’d been in the back and properly strapped into his booster, but he lost his father. He’d already lost his mom when she died during childbirth, and because of me, he lost his dad, too.” Storm blinked back tears, his throat raw with that familiar burn. “I killed a man, Everly.”

  Everly shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. “No, you didn’t. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Yeah, it was. At least, part of it. Maybe I could have slowed down. Maybe it was too dangerous to be on the road. It doesn’t matter. A man died, and I was driving.” He blew out a breath. “Only my dad and Austin know. They were the ones at home when the hospital called.” He pressed his lips together, trying to gather his thoughts. “I never told Wes.” How could he? How could he let others know his shame?

  “Oh, Storm.” She leaned closer to him on the couch, and he moved his arm so she could sit right by his side. He needed that warmth, yet he hadn’t known it until just now.

  “I never told Wes because I couldn’t. Not at the time. And as the years passed, it got harder and harder. He’s always known something is up, but we moved past it. At least, I thought we had. Now, he’s even wearier, and I know I need to tell him or I’m going to break something so inherent between us that we won’t be able to fix it.”

  She kissed his jaw, surprising both of them. “But you told Jackson?”

  He swallowed hard, tightening his grip around her. “Yeah. We were roommates in college, so he knew I’d had surgery and needed time to recover. Austin came up and rented an apartment, so I ended up staying with him while I healed. I could walk, but it hurt like a bitch, you know?”

  “Why didn’t you come back down to Denver? To your family?”

  Storm hung his head, trying to come up with words. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t let them see me like that, and I couldn’t tell them what I’d done.”

&n
bsp; “It wasn’t your fault, Storm.”

  “It still feels it, even if I wasn’t the one who fell asleep. There were so many what-ifs, and yet there was nothing I could do in the end. Jackson knew, though. He was there when I came back to school after missing a semester. He slept in the same apartment with me when I screamed in my sleep or when I had episodes.” He looked down at her. “I still have PTSD, though therapy helps. I had a dog named Ben for a while who was a certified therapy dog that helped me calm down when things got too loud, or stuff reminded me of the accident. When he passed away, I didn’t get another dog, but I helped train others in the program.”

  Everly set her hand on his chest, and he let out a breath. “Is that what you’re doing with Randy?”

  He kissed the top of her head, needing the touch. “Yes, though I’m going to keep him,” he said with a smile. “I’ll train other dogs in the future, but Randy will be mine.”

  “I still need to meet this puppy,” she said after a moment.

  “You will.”

  They were silent for a while, their breaths evening out. He hadn’t told another soul about what had happened that rainy night after he told his father, Austin, and Jackson, and yet he’d told Everly without breaking down. That had to mean something. Actually, it meant more than something. He could tell her things…but he knew he also needed to tell his family. He couldn’t keep this secret any longer without hurting them more than he already had.

  “What am I going to do?” she asked, her voice low.

  “I don’t know, Ev,” he answered honestly. “But I’m not going to let you do it alone.”

  He held her for a few minutes longer before getting up and checking on the children. He’d been honest when he said he didn’t know what the next step would be, but no matter what, he couldn’t let her face it on her own. He’d be there—for her, for the boys…for whatever came from what they were becoming. Always.