by Reese Ryan
She mirrored his breathing. “I got home about thirty minutes ago. I thought Cory was in his room. I changed, then knocked on his door. He’s wasn’t there. I called his cell phone, but it’s going straight to voice mail. There isn’t a note, but when I looked in his closet I noticed his book bag and some clothes are missing.” Her voice wobbled. “Where would he go? Do you think someone took him?”
She started to cry. Isaiah took her hand in his. “Shh…don’t automatically jump to the worst conclusion,” he said in a calm voice. “He’s had a rough day. Think back to before you left for work? Did he say or do anything before you left?”
She sucked in a voice and thought back. “He said he was just going to hang out. I think he was texting his girlfriend.”
Isaiah’s eyes lit up. “His girlfriend.”
“What—what do you know?”
“He said earlier this morning that she was the only person who cared for him.”
“How could he think that?” Anger mixed with her worry. “Of course I care about him. I love him. I’m going to try and adopt him!”
“You told him that?”
Her shoulders slumped. Fresh tears popped up. “Not yet.”
Isaiah wiped her tears away. “He’s confused and worried right now. He thinks Denise isn’t obligated to care for him. I’d bet money that’s where he went.”
“Where does she live?” Angela jumped up from the chair. “Let’s go get him right now. If he’s not dead I’m going to kill him for scaring me.”
“I don’t know where she lives, but we can call Keri. She’ll have the registration for all the kids and might be able to give us a phone number if not an address once we explain what’s going on.”
Angela nodded. “Call her.”
Isaiah got on the phone and Angela bit her lip to keep from asking him to repeat everything Keri said. It took a bit of convincing, but Keri agreed to at least go to the office and pull a number for Denise’s parents.
“We’ll meet her at the center,” Angela said after he hung up.
“What if he comes back?” Isaiah said. “Someone should be here.”
Angela ran her fingers through her hair again. “Crap! This is why I’m going to make a terrible mother. I shouldn’t have left him home.”
“He’s almost fourteen. You didn’t do anything wrong to trust him.”
“I shouldn’t be working at night.”
“You provide for him by doing that. You’re not the only guardian that has to work at night. You’re doing everything you can to take care of Cory. Don’t beat yourself up.”
The door opened and Cory walked in. Angela ran over to him. “Cory, thank God!” She grasped his shoulders and looked him over from head to toe. No bruises, thankfully, but he had his book bag on his shoulder. She let him go and smacked his arm. “Where in the world have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m sorry,” Cory said. “I thought… I wasn’t sure if I should stay?”
“So you were going to run away? Are you crazy? Why would you do that?”
Cory looked at the floor. “My dad’s in jail. My mom doesn’t want me. I’m just a burden on everyone. I can take care of myself.”
“So can I, but that doesn’t mean I can’t accept a little help sometimes from the people who love me. I love you, Cory.” His head shot up and surprise filled his eyes. “Don’t look shocked. It’s true. I want legal guardianship of you.”
“You do?” he sounded hopeful.
“Yes. I’m not going to leave you high and dry. We’ve made out pretty well this summer—no need to mess that up.”
The hope in his eyes faded. “What if my mom says no?”
“We’ll deal with that when we get in touch with her.” Angela doubted Heather would say no. Not after she dumped Cory off without a look back. “Even if she does, I’m not going to lose touch with you. I promised to take care of you and I mean it.” Tears ran down her face. She was so thankful he was safe.
Cory’s eyes widened at her tears. He shuffled his feet and touched her arm. “I’m sorry I scared you, Auntie. I don’t want to be your burden.”
Angela swiped the tears from her face. “You’re not a burden. I want you here. I love you.”
Cory’s eyes glittered. He lowered them and sniffed loudly through his nose. Angela pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back. “If you ever run away again I’m hunting you down so I can skin you.”
He chuckled and nodded. “I won’t run again.” He stepped back and met her eye.
Isaiah came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Good. Running away from your problem doesn’t solve it.”
“Unless you’re being chased by a bear,” Cory said.
Angela shook her head but smiled. “This is not the time for jokes.” Her smile went away. “We’re serious. Understand?”
Cory nodded. “I understand.”
“Go put your stuff up and then we’ll talk some more,” Isaiah said.
Cory squeezed Angela’s hand, then went to his room. Angela let out a deep breath. “If he hadn’t come back…”
“But he did. And we’ll make sure he understands we mean it when we say we won’t put up with him running off just because he’s upset.”
“We?” Her voice croaked. She cleared her throat. Damn tears.
Isaiah took her hands in his. “Yes, we. If you’ll forgive me.”
“What am I forgiving you for?” She was the one who’d kicked him out.
“I shouldn’t have paid your bills without talking to you first. I’ll admit I’m ready to settle down. I want to have what my parents have. I want a family. Maybe I saw you and Cory and when I fell in love, I thought my family was ready. I should have consulted you on that first. I don’t want to take over your life. I want to be your partner in it. I want to talk about what’s going on and we work together for a solution. Not be the one making all the decisions.”
The happiness those words inspired in her was almost more than she could contain. “What about my job at Sweethearts?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s obvious you can take care of yourself. I heard about what Mark did.”
She frowned, then waved her hand. “That. I’d forgotten about it as soon as I got here and realized Cory was missing.”
“Still, I don’t like the idea of someone threatening you. I can’t lie, but that is your source of income. If you decide to stay there, I know you can handle yourself,” he said without a trace of insincerity.
“I’ve already decided that once I’m finished with school I’m done. I don’t want to work the late hours anymore or deal with guys like Jerry or Mark. Until then, I need the income. You paid for my larger expenses, but there are others. Can you deal with that for just a few more months?”
He tugged on her hands until only inches separated them. “I deal with a lot more if it means you’ve forgiven me?”
“Only if you forgive me. I overreacted earlier today. I was upset about my family, it brought up old memories and I took that out on you.”
“I don’t want you to do what I say or else. I love you and I want us to be equals in everything we do, especially when it comes to our relationship. Actions speak louder than words. I’m ready to work hard and go into overtime to show how much I love you.”
He kissed her. Angela wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. She let go of the fear and mistrust in her heart. She’d trust this.
“Ewww!” Cory’s voice interrupted. “Am I going to always have to break up you guys kissing?”
Angela and Isaiah broke apart, but he still held her against his side. “Get used to that, kiddo. We’re going to be together a while.”
Cory’s eyes widened. He looked at Isaiah, then at Angela. “For real?”
“Is
that okay with you?” Isaiah asked.
Cory considered that, then grinned. “As long as you keep the kissing to behind closed doors.”
Isaiah laughed and turned Angela in his arms. “Sorry, Cory, I can’t promise you that.” He kissed her again, and this time, Cory just smiled.
EPILOGUE
“If you get eaten by a shark in the middle of the season, Coach Gray is going to kill me,” Angela said with a nervous smile.
Isaiah and Cory both laughed. The early-spring morning was temperate and the breeze carried the scent of the ocean to where they stood on the dock waiting as the film crew prepared the boat to film the sharks migrating south along the coastline. Isaiah and Cory were both dressed in swim trunks and long-sleeved T-shirts.
Isaiah pulled Angela into a hug and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, Angel. I’m just going to watch them film and maybe throw out a little chum.”
Cory bounced on his toes. “You’ve gotta go down in the cage.”
Angela shook her head. “No cages. Just watch and enjoy.” She pointed at Cory. “Especially you. Don’t even lean on the edge of the boat.”
Isaiah chuckled. “It’s not that big a deal. We’re just capturing the migration. Cory, why don’t you take our book bag on board while I reassure your aunt.”
Cory picked up the book bag and smirked. “While you kiss her again. Thanks for the heads-up this time.” He hesitated, then walked forward and kissed Angela’s cheek. “Don’t worry, I won’t let him get a hand bitten off.” Cory grinned, then turned and went to the ship.
Tears pricked Angela’s eyes and she touched the spot on her cheek where he’d kissed her. “I guess he’s still happy with me.”
Isaiah ran a comforting hand up and down her back. “I think so. I’m glad Heather agreed to temporary guardianship.”
Angela nodded and watched Cory talk to some of the crew. “I am, too, but I’m still disappointed in her. Guardianship until Darryl is out of jail is guardianship until Cory’s graduating high school. I knew she was selfish, but still.”
“Shh.” Isaiah turned her to face him and kissed her forehead. “It’s all for the best. Everything is turning out well, Ms. Assistant Director,” he added with a grin.
Angela was happy to take her mind off her disappointment and switch to the good news she’d gotten the other day. She’d accepted the job of assistant director at the North Region Activity Center and started in two weeks. She was nervous and excited. Getting fired from working as an advocate still annoyed her, but she would get to work with kids in the community and that was what mattered.
“I can’t believe it, but I’m ready for the challenge. School’s done, I’ve got a new job and Cory is settled and happy. Everything is great.”
“There’s one other thing I think would make things even better.”
She placed her hands on his chest. His heart beat fast beneath her palms. Frowning, she noticed nervousness in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Isaiah licked his lips. His hands squeezed her hips. “I love you, Angela. I want to marry you.” Her jaw dropped and he continued in a rush. “I know we had a whirlwind relationship and you’re finally getting back on your feet, but that doesn’t change how I feel about you. I want us to be permanent partners in life and in love.”
“When?” Her face broke out into a huge smile. Her own heart matched the pace of his.
“After the season. When we’ve got time to plan and decide how we want to move forward with starting our lives together—maybe growing our family.”
“I didn’t know if I ever wanted to get married, much less have kids. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to trust anyone enough to fully combine my life with theirs. But, Isaiah, you’ve shown me that you don’t want to run my life.”
“I’m sorry about the rent and school.”
She shook her head. “That’s over and done with. Honestly, it helped out a lot and I can never repay you for helping me out the way you did. Since then you’ve shown me that you respect my decisions. We talk things out, you’re always there for Cory and you haven’t pushed even when I knew you wanted to. I want to marry you, too, Isaiah. I want to build a family with you.”
The smile on his face turned her world into a kaleidoscope of colors. “Is that a yes?”
Angela grinned and nodded. “Yes.”
“Yes!” Isaiah picked her up and swung her around.
Angela yelped, then wrapped her arms around his neck. She laughed and held him tight, feeling safe and protected in the security of his arms.
“She said yes?” It was Cory’s voice.
Isaiah put down Angela. “She did.”
She looked at her nephew’s eager grin and Isaiah’s matching one. “You knew he was going to ask?”
“Of course. I’m the man of the house,” Cory said, tugging proudly on the front of his shirt.
“Okay, man.” Angela rolled her eyes, then pulled Cory into a hug.
Isaiah wrapped his arms around both of them for a group hug. Angela’s body sang with love and contentment. She didn’t have to do things alone anymore. She had a family she could count on, and she believed with her whole heart in this chance at love she’d been given.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488081293
Overtime for Love
Copyright © 2018 by Synithia R. Williams
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9 Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
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Flights of passion
When her engagement party is crashed by her fiancé’s mistress, Tressa Washington
will do anything to escape the disastrous aftermath. Even stow away in the back of a guest’s SUV. And when she tells Roth Lexington to “just drive,” the handsome aerospace engineer does exactly that. In his snowbound mountain cabin, mutual attraction ignites a scorching affair…
Roth has three rules: never be vulnerable, always wake up alone and stay in control. Thanks to Tressa, he’s broken them all. One beautiful, sensual night becomes many, but once they leave their haven behind, mistrust and meddling exes intervene. Soon he faces a choice: watch this stunning, adventurous woman walk away or finally let his guard down. Roth will quickly learn that in order to reach the heights of love, you have to be willing to fall…
“Something clearly exists between us, Roth. Something that gives me so much peace it scares me.”
He hummed a sound that could have been interpreted as understanding or confusion, then his arms tightened around her a hint more. Was that his way of saying he felt the same way? She needed him to use words.
“Why are you afraid of me, Roth?” That was the only logical explanation. The only thing that made sense.
Roth chuckled, the smooth, sexy sound caressing her ears.
He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. “Woman, do you really think I’m afraid of you?”
There was no need to be, but she replied, “Yes.”
“I’m not afraid, Tressa. Just cautious.”
“Am I a risk?”
“Yes,” he said without blinking.
Now they were getting somewhere. “Am I one worth taking?” She could tell by the way he studied her that the question had caught him off guard. Bringing her mouth within inches of his, she teased him in the same way he’d teased her earlier. “Am I a risk worth taking, Roth?”
His jaw tensed, relaxed, then tensed again. “Yeah, I think you are,” he said in a low tone of surrender.
