Hot and Handy: A Small Town Romantic Suspense (Shameless Southern Nights Book 3)

by J. H. Croix

  The teacher knelt by my legs as Emery moved behind me. She had a tendency to be shy off and on, but nothing like this. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, some of the sudden shifts in our lifestyle were affecting her.

  “Hi, Emery. I’m so excited to meet you. I have it down here that you like pink and you think ponies are pretty cool.” She extended her hand and wiggled her fingers. The pink pony ring she wore shimmered.

  “Oh wow!” Emery released my hand and moved out as if she were completely comfortable. “I love your ring.”

  “Good. It’s yours.” The teacher stood, winked at me, and walked Emery over to her desk.

  “Bye?” I lifted my hand to wave, feeling useless. Emery was lost to the magic of public school and pink ponies. It was time for me to leave.

  I made my way out of the school and drove in silence to work. I came to a sound conclusion on my short ride. All of the drama with Evan was worth it.

  Having never known love, this relationship with him was going to be my first and last taste of it. And I wanted it—so badly. More than anything else outside of my daughter.

  We would figure out a way to get everything settled. Sonny would help. I had faith.

  The day dragged on forever. I finally had to take off my apron and walk out. Even with no traffic, I was going to be fifteen minutes late getting Emery. My boss wasn’t being an ass anymore at the restaurant, thanks to Evan, but he was still demanding more from me than I cared to give. It was a job and nothing more.

  Another problem for another time.

  I pulled up to the parking lot at the school and balked at how ridiculously long the pick-up line was. No way in hell I was sitting in that thing. Not after the day I’d had.

  A woman was pulling out in the visitor lot just to my left, and I pulled in and parked. Hopefully, no one would get upset with me walking up to pick up Emery.

  Something caught my eye to the left, and I realized it was Stan’s car.

  My heart skipped a beat. What the hell? Is he here?”

  Trying to tamp down my worry, I jogged into the school and walked quickly to Emery’s classroom. The kindergartners were the last to march up to the front of the school by the looks of things. The hallway was still filled with chatter and the jumble of children’s voices yelling over one another.

  Stan knew where I worked. Where Emery went to school. Where I lived?

  My blood ran cold. Maybe Evan and I weren’t taking things as seriously as we should have. To put each other in danger was one thing, but I couldn’t let anything happen to Emery. Not even if it meant losing everything else in my life—even Evan.

  Maybe him breaking things off before had been the smart thing to do.

  No. Stop it.

  “Mommy!” Emery’s voice pulled me from my panic.

  “Baby.” I walked quickly to the door of her classroom and smiled at her teacher. “Sorry. I was nervous.”

  She offered me a warm grin. “No worries. Just sign her out, and you’re good to go.”

  “Thank you.” I wrapped my hand around Emery’s and walked to the car. Emery chattered rapidly the entire way out and the drive home, barely stopping to breathe. I waited until I got to Evan’s place, and she was busy working on her homework to call him.

  “Hey, baby. How was your day?” His voice helped soothe my frayed nerves.

  “It was okay.” I bit the edge of my nail and paced the floor in his kitchen. “Stan’s car was at the school, Evan. I’m ninety-nine percent sure it was him.”

  Silence echoed through the line for a moment.

  “Did you see him?” Evan’s tone was tight and filled with angst.

  “No, but I know the car, and the tags were the same as last time.” I let out a long sigh and dropped down in a chair at the dining room table. “Should I call Sonny?”

  “Let me call him. I’ll call you right back.” He dropped the call and left me to stew in silence.

  Not a moment later, the phone rang again.

  I pressed the phone to my ear and tried to ignore the gut churning, nagging feeling inside of me that the situation was far from over. “What did he say?”

  “He wants to know if you’ll talk to the state investigator.”

  “Of course I will. Do I need to see if Marie can watch Emery? Should I go up to the police station now?”

  “No, Sonny said that he’ll bring the guy to the house. I’m headed your way now. Just stay put, and if you don’t mind, put on some coffee. Those cop types always feel welcomed when it smells like coffee.” He paused. “Hey, I love you. This is going to be all right. We’ll work it out, okay?”

  “I know we will. I love you too. See you shortly.” I put the phone on the counter, started the coffee pot, and then walked down the hallway to Emery’s new bedroom. “What are you up to?”

  “Coloring for school. Wanna help?” She glanced over her shoulder quickly before going back to her project.

  “You know I do.” I kicked off my shoes and got on the floor, working on her picture until Sonny and the investigator showed up.

  There wasn’t much to tell him, but I filled him in on everything as Evan sat beside me, interrupting every third word. Sonny gave him a few warning looks, but there was no calming him down. I told him the info I had, which took all of five minutes. Maybe it was enough. I hoped it was.

  Evan was at his wit’s end, and we all knew it.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Evan

  The shop was busy with activity, and I was glad for it. I needed something to keep my attention in check. The fact that Ken’s main man had stopped by Emery’s school had me restless and on edge. It had been a few days since the incident, and I knew Sonny and the state investigator were working hard as hell to figure things out, but I felt helpless.

  It wasn’t a good place to be for a guy like me.

  When I couldn’t solve situations in the past quickly, it always came to kicking someone’s ass. I still felt like that was my best bet, but I had to give Sonny a chance. Unfortunately, no matter how much I trusted and respected my brother, if something didn’t happen soon to Stan, I would be forced to take matters into my own hands, regardless of who liked it or not.

  I was done with them threatening my girls.

  Phoenix stood up from around the other side of a big blue Buick. “You get the last bill from Terry Auto Parts paid, boss?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, why? You sleeping with Terry?”

  He chuckled. “You seen how big that fucker is? No way me and him could fit in a bed together.” He flipped me off and moved back down to work on the car. “You know, you could get someone more fit to do this work on the brakes.”

  “And you could stop pretending you’re twenty and lift the damn thing up in the air to work on it.”

  “I’m old school,” he called out.

  “And where is it getting you?” I smiled and turned at the sound of my cell phone ringing from down the hall. I had to jog to get to it in time.

  Sadie. I put the phone to my ear and sat down.

  “I was just thinking about you,” I said with a sexy voice.

  “Evan, I’m freaking out.” I could hear the panic in her voice.

  My heart almost stopped, and I stood. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

  “I came to get Emery today from school, and the office wanted to make sure I updated the paperwork on who could pick Emery up.” She sniffled, and as badly as I wanted to jump in, I decided to let her finish. “I wasn’t sure what they were talking about because I have you and Lori as the only other people that can pick her up.”

  “I don’t understand.” I moved to the front of my desk and paced the floor.

  “They said some guy who said he was her father tried to pick her up today.” Her voice broke.

  My blood ran cold. “They said what?”

  “By the description, it sounds like it was Stan, Evan. I’m coming to the shop, but we have to do something. I’m not sure why it’s taking so long for Sonny—”

&
nbsp; I cut her off. “Hey, grab Emery, and get over here. I’ll call my brother now. We’ll get it all sorted.”

  “Okay. I love you.” She took a deep breath and waited for me to respond.

  “I love you too. Be safe. See you in a minute.” I ended the call and dialed my brother’s number, exploding before he could get more than a “what’s up” out. “What the fuck is up? Stan tried to pick up Emery from her school today, Sonny. Tried to pretend like he was her fucking father!”

  “Hey, calm down.”

  “No, I’m done being calm. I’m going to burn that fucking law firm down, and then when I see that weasel working for Ken—”

  “You’ll end up sharing a prison cell with Dad. I got the information we needed back. We’re headed out to his place now. I’ll send a car to the school and to your shop. We’re bringing him in. We got him, okay?”

  His words took the wind from my sails. “You did?”

  “Well, we will. I have enough to arrest him. He’s sneaky, and having Ken cover his tracks hasn’t helped much. Where are Sadie and Emery? Are they coming to you or going home?” The concern in his voice reminded me that my brother did care—a lot.

  “They’re coming to me.” I let out a long, painful sigh. “I’ll have them wait in my office until I hear back from you.”

  “Good. We’re almost done with this part.”

  “Right. This part.” I dropped the call and growled loudly. When the fuck would we be done with all of it? Why was it still going on? What had my father been thinking? Did he not care that Mom died and messed us all up? And now this? Our family had been a pillar of the community, and now we were ruined. Not him.

  No, not him. He was in a jail cell, protected from the mayhem, but all five of us brothers were out here fending back the violent response to his bullshit. A response that he deserved. Not us.

  “You all right?” Phoenix poked his head in my office.

  “Sort of.” I shook my head and leaned against my desk. “I’ll explain some day. Just shit with my father spilling over into my life. I just don’t want to get into it now. Sadie is headed this way. I’m going to keep her and her daughter here until my brother figures a few things out.”

  He shrugged and offered a warm smile. “This is your place, boss, but even if it were mine, I’d be good with it. You know that.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, my friend.”

  “Anytime.” He turned and whistled as he walked back in the garage.

  A moment later, I was pulled from my thoughts by the sound of yelling in front of the shop. I jogged out front to find Stan and Sadie face to face, and Emery in the car, her face and hands pressed to the glass as she watched them.

  “You think you’re going to threaten me and my daughter, you piece of shit.” Sadie poked her finger in Stan’s chest. “I’ve been through more shit than you can imagine. I’ll kill you before I let you near my little girl.”

  “Hey! Get Emery and get into my office. Now.” I walked out and pulled her back, taking her place against Stan. “How dare you threaten my family?”

  He didn’t move a muscle. “That was the promise, Evan.”

  I just had to hold him there until my brother or some of his people showed up.

  “Even though I had nothing to do with any of this shit?” I pushed him—hard.

  “Your family did this. You’re part of that family, are you not?” He nodded toward the girls, and a fire ripped through me that I couldn’t squelch.

  “You sorry bastard.” I moved toward him and landed four quick punches, taking him to the ground. A second later, a cop car pulled up. Sonny pulled me off the guy, but the fury burning through me took a few minutes to release.

  “Hey, calm down. You got him. We got him, okay?” My brother pressed his forehead to mine and patted my chest. “I’m right here. The girls are all good. You saved them.”

  I closed my eyes and held back a torrent of emotions. Fuck my father for messing with my life. I should have never helped him. And knowing him, this wasn’t the end of it.

  It never seemed to be.

  “Pizza! I love pizza!” Emery danced around the kitchen as I opened the pizza boxes on the table and handed her a plate.

  “Well good. I was hoping you and your mommy might join me in a pizza celebration.” I handed Sadie a plate and let my eyes linger on her.

  The fact that she was willing to go up against Stan had me hard as a rock. I loved her with the depths of my heart already, but knowing she was tough was a major turn on too.

  “What?” She took the plate and moved past me, brushing her hip across my budding erection. “See something you like?”

  “More like something I love.” I moved up and got my pizza before sitting down at the table with my girls. We turned the conversation to Emery’s school and let her fill us in on everything about kindergarten, which she enthusiastically did for the rest of the meal.

  “All right, that’s enough. To the bath and bed for you, missy.” Sadie stood up and took all of our plates. “Thank you for ordering pizza. How did you know it was her favorite?”

  I chuckled. “It’s my favorite. Who doesn’t like pizza?”

  “True.” She walked down the hall with Emery leading the way.

  I grabbed my soda and dropped down on the couch, letting out a long sigh. It was going to be hell to keep my eyes open while Sadie put Emery to bed, but I was trying. I wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss all over her. We both needed it.

  “Looks like you’re barely holding on.” Sadie sat down beside me and curled up against my side.

  “I’m so sleepy, but I wanted to tell you that I’m proud of you.” I turned my face toward hers and touched her cheek softly, pulling her in for a slow, sensual kiss. “You were ready to go up against some bad motherfuckers to protect what was yours.”

  “So were you.” She kissed me again and ran her fingers through my hair.

  My eyes grew heavier. “I love you. I’ll always protect you and Emery. You know that, right?”

  “I do. Now rest. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives.”

  I smiled as I drifted off. I liked the sound of that—our lives.

  They both were mine. Forever.

  Epilogue

  Sadie

  Three Months Later

  “Hey, you okay?” Evan wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, smiling down at me. “You look like you’re lost in thought. Get back here with me. No way I’m dealing with my family while you’re in a daydream. That is not fair.”

  I smiled, lifting up on my toes, and kissed him. “Your family is wonderful.”

  “Opinions are like buttholes. We all have them, and they all stink.” He chuckled as I grimaced.

  “I was just thinking about how glad I am that things feel like they’ve settled down a little. I mean, not everything is worked out, but for now, the threat feels like it’s gone.” I snuggled up against him. Stan was behind bars for extortion and attempted murder. How a creep like that could have been out running the roads was beyond me. It was terrifying. Ken was another story, but the bastard was a slick lawyer. He knew what he was doing. Maybe he’d get his in the near future.

  “That’s because it is.” He kissed the top of my head. “You’re not at the law firm anymore, or the restaurant. I know you like your independence, but I love having you at the shop.”

  “You just like that I keep it clean and bake cookies almost every other day for you guys.” I smiled and glanced up at him. His gaze locked onto mine, and my heart swelled in my chest. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d always feel so lost to him.

  “I will not deny any of that, but more than all of that, I love having you to look at all day.” He kissed the tip of my nose and moved back. “And besides, the guys at the shop love having you there.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere.” I winked and turned as Emery and Austin bounded into the room.

  “It’s time! Let’s go!” They danced around, holding hands and bumping int
o us.

  “Time for what?” I lifted an eyebrow and turned to question Evan. The early evening family dinner was becoming a regular event, and it was our turn to host. Not that I minded. It brought out the cook in me and let me try new recipes on unsuspecting victims.

  “Come on. You’ll see.” Evan grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the front of the house. We walked out on the steps as the sun set behind the sky, the little white lights twinkling to my left.

  I let out a gasp as I turned to see a path lit up on the grass that curved around to the backyard. “What’s all this?”

  “Too many questions.” He squeezed my hand and pulled me close, following the skipping kids to the back. They let out a laugh and ran around to the other side as the path stopped.

  “Emery?” I called out.

  “Hey.” Evan’s voice was serious. “Look at me.”

  I turned and lifted my eyes toward him. “Where is everyone?”

  “On the other side of the house, giving us some privacy.”

  “Privacy for what?” My lower belly clenched as he pulled something from his jeans pocket and knelt in front of me.

  “For this. I love you, Sadie. I want the rest of my days to be spent beside you and my nights to be wrapped around you. Be my wife, and let’s bring our families together. Say you’ll be my wife.” His voice shook, stealing my heart even more.

  “Yes,” I whispered as tears filled my eyes.

  “She said yes!” Evan yelled as he stood and pulled me into a tight hug. A long kiss later, everyone was around us, laughing and jumping around.

  Congrats were being thrown around, and Evan’s brothers and their wives were offering warm hugs and words of excitement about the future.

  I glanced over to see Emery on Evan’s hip, the two of them dancing and singing something together.

  “Hey, congrats.” Beau moved up in front of me and pulled me into a quick hug. “I never in a million years thought my brother would settle down, but you’ve slain the beast.”