“Are you going to call Dillon or do you want me to do it?” Uncle Charlie pointedly asked. If the time spent with Dillon taught me anything, it was that he had very resourceful friends. As much as I hated it, I told Uncle Charlie to call. After giving him a tearful hug and Amelia a kiss on the top of the head, Sally and I walked out the door and got into the back of the police cruiser.
Five hours later, we were still in jail. My boobs were leaking all over the place and I had to pee like a race horse.
“What is taking so long? Hello people! We have a woman with serious boob distress here!” Sally shouted through the bars.
“I can’t believe Jimmy did this to me,” I said out loud.
Sally let out a rude snort. “You also couldn’t believe he threatened to tie you to the bedpost when you stayed out drinking with me…and refused to let you pee.”
“Don’t mention the word pee right now,” I groaned.
“And how about the time you told him you didn’t like the pasta dish he made because you were allergic to mushrooms, and he made you eat all of it anyway. You broke out in hives all over,” she continued. “You also couldn’t believe he did that. Oh! My favorite has to be the time you walked in on him screwing his associate and calling her his baby girl! I seem to recall you not believing that happened either!” she shouted. Yes, Sally had reached the end of her rope.
A commotion interrupted her tirade and we both turned to see what it was.
Dillon!
He was heading our way with Cas and two men I had never seen before. He had a scary look on his face. Following behind them was a man in a suit, three policemen and Uncle Charlie with a screaming Amelia. Thank God.
“Holy shit,” Sally whispered. Holy shit is right. Dillon was mad. No, more like livid.
“We will be discussing the shit I just heard later.” He told me. “For now, Officer Morgan here has offered us a room so you can feed our daughter.” I didn’t miss the fact he stressed the word our in that statement, nor that he was giving me a possessive me-Tarzan-you-Jane look. “Garrett, Bobby, and Cas will help Sally and the police figure this all out. As soon as you are through nursing, we will join them.”
Taking Amelia from my uncle, I bravely said, “You can go with Cas and everyone. I can feed Amelia and join you when I’m done.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth he was in my face. “Do you have any idea how badly I want to spank your ass right now?” he quietly asked. My eyes shot from Amelia up to his and widened in shock and embarrassment.
“Dillon!” I exclaimed.
“Let’s go,” he said. Reaching down, he took a fretting Amelia from me and, like a pro, shifted her onto his shoulder, where he steadily balanced her with one large hand. His other hand shot out and latched onto mine. I sputtered in protest as he dragged me across the room and out the door. Cas winked as I passed by and Sally giggled. I was not humored…at all.
Officer Morgan showed us where the bathroom was. I was afraid for a second that Dillon was going to follow me in. When he paused outside the door, I gave a sigh of relief and got to it. As soon as I was done, Officer Morgan led us to an office.
“Shout when you’re done,” he told Dillon with a smirk on his face. Again, I did not see the humor. They shook hands, like old buds, and he closed the door behind him as he left the room.
“Wait! You know him?” I asked.
“We went to high school together,” Dillon clipped, as he handed Amelia to me with a burp cloth.
I sighed when she latched on and started sucking. The relief was more than welcome. Looking up at him, I asked the stupidest question ever. “What now?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the desk. “First we talk about why you ran.”
“Now?” I asked, clearly exasperated.
“Now.”
“I think I was pretty clear in the note I left, don’t you?” I dryly asked.
“The note you left said Amelia was mine and so was Dana. I saw the clothes. I knew what she had done. Did you ever consider asking me about it?” His grey eyes stared through me and I squirmed.
“Okay, maybe I was a bit hasty,” I admitted.
His left eyebrow shot to the ceiling. “Ya think?”
“However, you and Elvira obviously have history together. You say it’s over and she…doesn’t. I don’t want in the middle of that. She,” I nodded my head to Amelia, “doesn’t need to be in the middle of that.”
“Do you think I would do that?” he asked. I didn’t answer him because, honestly, I didn’t know. “Wow,” he mouthed and I felt the need to explain.
“My dad cheated on my mom and left us when I was a baby. Two weeks before I met you, I walked in on Jimmy having sex with his co-worker. When Elvira,” I paused and asked, “What’s her real name, again?”
“Dana,” he answered.
“When Dana showed up and told me you two were very much together, I just snapped. Enough is enough.”
“For the record, I have not been with Dana since well before I met you.”
“She thinks you are,” I retorted.
“She can think it all she wants, Isabella. It doesn’t make it true. Case in point, look at Jimmy. He thinks Amelia is his and the two of you are going to get back together and be one happy family. Are you?”
“Absolutely not,” I answered. Both of his eyebrows shot to the ceiling as if to say, you see? And I did see. I saw all too clearly. “So, you didn’t tell her I was your cousin?”
Chuckling, he sat down and wrapped his arms around me. “Is that what she told you?”
“Yes. She said you enjoyed spending all your time naked with her and she was going to find you at Dragonfly for a quickie.” I made air quotes as I said the word quickie and could feel Dillon’s body shake with laughter. “It’s not funny. It was horrible,” I murmured.
“Baby,” he whispered, kissing the side of my head. “I promise I took care of Dana. Now, let’s say we take care of Jimmy.”
I turned my head up to tell him about what Jimmy had done and was met with his lips on mine. The next thing I knew, we were all over each other. When Amelia let out a squeal of protest, Dillon pulled back and looked down at her.
“She’s mine,” he whispered. Before I could respond, he said, “As soon as we get this cleared up, you two are coming back to Charlotte with me.”
Wait, what?
“I can’t come back to Charlotte with you. I have a place here. I have a job. Sally and my uncle are here.”
“Your job is teaching guitar lessons part time and barely making ends meet. The majority of your money comes from selling your music. Am I right?”
“Well, yes but….”
“You can write anywhere, Ibby.” My heart melted when he called me Ibby and he knew it. “Just hear me out,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about buying a place near Cas. It has three bedrooms. Milly and Sally can have the upstairs. You can work at Dragonfly and gig every Saturday night. Sally can work the shifts you don’t and we’ll pay her extra to watch Milly when we can’t.”
“But my place here,” I protested. I loved my place in Charleston.
“As if sensing my hesitancy, he said, “Keep it. In fact, use the money you make at Dragonfly and gigging to pay for it until you find a renter. No one says you have to give it up.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Let me take care of the two of you. Give me the chance to get to know my daughter. Please? If it doesn’t work out, then at least we can say we tried. Plus, I want you as far away from Jimmy as possible. The guy is bad news.”
Tell me about it. “I’m not telling you no, Dillon, but I’m also not saying yes. Let me think about it and talk to both Sally and my uncle.”
“Fair enough,” he said.
He helped me change Amelia and then took me out and introduced me to his friends. Strangely enough, it just so happened that when the lab tech at the police station went to get the pills to test them, they were nowhere to be found. Apparently, Jimmy had bu
rned a few bridges there as well over the years.
It was two in the morning when we were finally released and much too late for anyone to drive back to Charlotte. Sally and I made up beds and the sofa for Dillon’s friends. By three a.m. we called it a night.
Dillon in my bed again was the best feeling in the world. He worshipped me with his mouth and hands and slowly brought me to orgasm. The second time around he filled me up. It was greedy and fast and everything I needed. As I pulled him over with me my heart melted. This man was under my skin and it scared me. I laid awake most of the night thinking and, by the time everyone woke, I had my answer.
Chapter Eight
Dillon
‡
I hadn’t seen my girls in over forty-eight hours. It had been the longest two days of my life. What the fuck happened in the three hours I had been gone? Fucking Dana, that’s what.
It was bad. When I arrived home from Dragonfly and saw the note Ibby left on the bottom of the paternity test, Amelia is yours. Apparently, so is Dana. I felt as if a knife had been plunged into my gut.
I tried calling her cell phone several times. The first time, it rang through. After that it went straight to voicemail. I didn’t blame her for being upset, but I was angry she left without talking to me first. That shit didn’t fly. Running my hands through my hair, I let out a deep sigh of frustration. One thing at a time, Dillon. Deal with Dana before worrying about switching the work schedules around. Once that happens, you will be ready to drive to Charleston and spank Isabella’s ass. I was looking forward to the last part.
I don’t know what made me think Dana would go silently into the night. She’d never done anything silently in her whole damn life. Why start now?
I made sure to wait a few days so I could cool off before I confronted Dana. I thought about calling Max for advice, but knew he was struggling with his own shit. He did not need me adding mine. I knew what Dana wanted from me…the same thing she’d always wanted…for me to show some sort of emotion where she was concerned. Taking a deep breath, I reined in my feelings for Isabella. If I showed the least bit of interest in another woman, Dana would be all over it like a fly on shit. Not only that, she would find a way to use it against me. Not fucking happening.
Dana answered her door with an I-told-you-so smirk on her face. “Something told me you’d be stopping by,” she purred.
It chapped my ass that she was acting as if nothing happened. “Cut the shit, Dana. Did we not have a talk at MMG? Was I not sufficiently clear?” I stared her down and waited.
Her eyes widened before narrowing into half slits. “We are meant to be together, Dillon. I don’t understand why you keep fighting it. You always come back to me and you know it. Even after Charleston, you called me to come and make it better.” She gave me a seductive look. Once upon a time, this was a turn on. Now it disgusted me. “What will it take for you to finally admit we are supposed to be together?” she purred. She turned and flounced across the room wearing what looked like a cat suit. As she plopped down into a chair, she shot me a smug look and I wanted to wring her neck.
“What do you mean after Charleston?” I quietly asked.
She pursed her lips but kept her mouth shut. Smart. I never told Dana about my weekend with Isabella in Charleston. As far as I knew, the first time she’d ever set eyes on Ibby was at the garage the other night. I had spoken about Isabella to Zane once. Even then, I never said her name. Plus, Zane hated Dana. He would rather cut out his tongue than have a civil conversation with her. So how did Dana find out about Charleston?
“Dana,” I warned.
She squirmed uncomfortably beneath my stare. “Oh, all right. I found out from one of the waitresses at Whisky’s you had gone to Charleston that weekend to visit your aunt. When you called me to come over and then…had errr…performance issues, there was a reason. I mean, you’d never had problems before. I made a few phone calls and learned you had played in a benefit concert and afterward hung out with a woman at the bar… the same woman you had just been on stage with.” She dramatically threw her hands in the air. “I admit it, okay? I was jealous. As if that wasn’t enough, you turned around and did it to me again the next weekend! There’s only so much I can take, Dillon.” She waited for me to react. When I gave her nothing, she rolled her eyes and sighed. “We are meant to be together. Why can’t you see this?”
Holy shit. I knew Dana was jealous and petty, but this was beyond. This was over the fucking top.
“Who did you call in Charleston, Dana?” She pursed her lips and remained mute. “And, as I recall, both times I got it up. I just decided I didn’t want to stick it in you. I have always been straight with you. In fact, the very first night we met, I made it more than clear I do not do relationships…ever. Did I not?” She huffed in response. “I get this is difficult for you and I am sorry. Had I known you were invested enough to stalk me all the way to another fucking city, I would have cut you loose a hell of a lot sooner.”
She snorted and waved her hand flippantly in the air. “I was hardly stalking you.”
Here was my chance to hopefully get rid of her once and for all. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Following me around and telling lies to people I care about is considered stalking. The way I see it, you have two choices here. Either you leave me and my friends alone, or I file for a restraining order against you and create a very public record that you are unstable,” I informed her.
She sat up and snarled, “You can’t do that!”
Finally, I’m getting through.
“Wanna bet? I bet your big-time employer would love to hear all about what you’ve been up to. Aren’t you up for a promotion right now?” I clicked my tongue and let out a sigh. “They would be so disappointed to find out you are really a delusional nut job.”
A look of fear skittered across her face. Her lips thinned and nostrils flared. “You. Are. Mine.” Her venomous tone made my hackles rise.
What the fuck?
In a flash, I was across the coffee table and in her face. “I belong to no one. You got that?” I gritted out between clinched teeth, “Most of all, you. I never was and I never will be yours. This is over. It never even started to begin with. Do I make myself abundantly clear? Tell me you understand, because next time it won’t be me you’re answering to. It will be the police. You get me?”
Flinching back in fear, she gave a quick nod of her head. Mission accomplished. Without giving her a second thought, I was out the door and headed home to figure out my next move with Isabella.
The next day, I was just about to go over schedules, when Charlie Porter called. When he explained Isabella was in trouble and what that jackass Jimmy had done to her, I almost lost my shit. As soon as I hung up with Charlie, I called Garrett.
“I need you to dig deep, Gar. This guy is bad news and I want to bury his ass so deep he won’t be able to dig out for years. Make it stick, man. I want his law license revoked.”
“I’m on it. Do you want us to come with you to Charleston? I have connections there. So do Bobby and Cas. They’d be good to have at your back,” he suggested.
“Whatever it takes, do it,” I told him.
“Meet you at your place in thirty,” he said and hung up.
* * *
When we arrived home after the episode at the police station, I told Isabella we would discuss Jimmy later. Then I proceeded to show her how much I missed her. Two hours later, Milly woke me with sweet squawks. I loved the baby bird noises she made when she wanted attention. Not able to help myself, I jumped out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning and hurried to her room.
Quietly, I snuck in and peered over the side of her crib. She had apparently flipped over onto her stomach and couldn’t get back over. She was not happy about this at all.
Not wanting Ibby to miss out, I bolted back into the bedroom, grabbed my phone, and smacked her on the ass. “Baby girl is turning tricks,” I told her, as I shot out the door and back into the nursery. Tiptoeing
back in, Amelia was quietly lying on her stomach, head facing toward the door, panting heavily. She had worn herself out. The second she spotted me, she let out a half-whimper, half-wail, and waved her arms and legs in the air as if saying, “Help me!” I couldn’t help but laugh. She was so damn cute. Before she worked herself into a lather, I whipped my phone out of my pocket and shot several pictures of her. This little bitty being is my daughter. Mine. The possessive feelings rolling through me were overwhelming.
“She flipped herself over,” Ibby whispered from beside me. I closed my eyes and took in the sound of her voice. It soothed something deep inside of me. I opened them back up and she was watching me with a sweet look on her face. Suddenly, I got it. This is what a family feels like. Sharing special moments that fill you up inside is what it’s all about. This is what my mom fought so hard to protect and what my dad threw away. Amelia’s pissed off wails of protest brought me back to the moment.
Reaching into the crib, I lifted my baby girl into my arms. Before Ibby could get away, I grabbed her hand and walked them both back to the bedroom where I spent the next hour explaining to her about Dana. I told her everything. In return, she told me all about Jimmy. I made sure to get as many details as possible. One way or another, the guy was going down after the stunt he’d just pulled. The more I knew about him, the better.
As soon as Ibby nursed Milly, we both showered and headed to the living room, where I formally introduced her to Garrett and Bobby. Sally had already introduced herself and seemed to be hitting it off with everyone. Good. I was going to need her on my side later.
“How old did you say he was?” Bobby asked. He was parked on the living room floor playing Tug-O-War with Brutus. It was debatable as to who was actually winning.
“He’s a little over a year now,” Ibbs answered from the kitchen where she was making bacon and eggs for everyone. Cas was sitting at the table reading the paper and Garrett was busy on his laptop gathering intel on James Marsden. Amelia and I were playing catch up. In other words, I was holding her while she slept and refusing to let anyone come near.
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