Betty shrugged but didn’t say anything. Her sister looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine and Bobbi was willing to bet that every piece of her ensemble was a freebie from the many shoots Betty had done in the past.
The knee high espresso colored riding boots, paired with white denim (tucked into the boots of course), white turtleneck, and chunky white & caramel scarf, was a great look but it somehow didn’t belong in the old arena. Around here things were casual. Like way casual and Bobbi was more than fine with that.
It made things so much easier in the morning. Bobbi had thrown on a pair of jeans and her favorite boots, slid her hands into a smart blouse and she was ready to go. She had to admit, it felt kind of good to go to work in clothes that were comfortable. She wasn’t going to miss the skirts and nylons or heels anymore.
Betty’s hair was straightened, her makeup dramatic, as usual—the girl looked plastic but Bobbi wasn’t sure it if it was because of the way her makeup was done, or the fact that she seemed to have misplaced her heart and soul somewhere along the road. It was as if Betty was blank…there was no fire inside her anymore and Bobbi was starting to get fed up with her sister’s apathy.
“Did you get Dad to Doctor Newley?” Bobbi asked. Travis Barker’s appointment was for noon and though Gramps always took him when Bobbi couldn’t, his knee was so bad from arthritis that it was hard for him to drive. Betty had volunteered to take them.
She nodded. “Yep. I was told to come back in an hour so I thought I’d…” she shrugged. “I don’t know what I thought. I just stopped by is all, for a visit.”
“We could do lunch? Billie is almost done with her training session.”
Her sister’s face hardened and this time it was easy for Bobbi to read her loud and clear. “What is it with you and Billie?” Bobbi asked abruptly, pushing her chair back as she settled on the edge and gazed across the room at her sister.
Betty shoved off from the door and flopped onto the ratty sofa next to it. Her expression was hard. As hard as her attitude.
Bobbi ran her hands through her hair and took a moment, her head hurting from all the stuff crammed inside it. Shane stuff. New job stuff. Money stuff. Dinner with Shane and his family stuff.
The usual, and the not so usual.
Did she really want to open up this can of worms with her sister?
Betty sighed. A dramatic sort of thing that did nothing but make Bobbi raise her eyebrows and shake her head.
“What?” Betty said belligerently.
Bobbi got up out of her chair, walked around the desk and leaned against it, dangling one foot as she watched her sister. “Your bitchiness increases five hundred percent whenever Billie’s around. You’re mean and nasty and though I’m pretty sure Billie thinks you’re awful because you’re either on drugs or trying to get off drugs, she’s wrong.”
“Is she?”
‘Damn right she is. You’ve become quite the little actress.” Bobbi nodded. “Sure you drink too much, but as far as I can tell you haven’t done anything stronger than a bottle of Jack.” She paused, noting the color that pinched Betty’s pale cheeks.
“What the hell do you know?” Betty asked, slipping further into the sofa.
Bobbi snorted. “Seriously? I’ve been there, remember? Besides, you can’t afford drugs or booze or any other of those vices you used to enjoy so much. So are you going to tell me what this Billie thing is?”
Betty made a face. “Why the hell are you so concerned about Billie anyway? It’s not like she ever gave two shits about us. Even though we’re triplets, it was always you and me. Bobbi and Betty. Billie was off doing her own thing. She’s always done her own thing.” Betty’s face hardened. “And don’t give me some bullshit answer about the power of time and healing and blah, blah, blah, either. Back in October, the two of you weren’t exactly besties, so what the hell changed?”
Damn, the can of worms was spilling all over the place.
Bobbi glanced out the window once more and caught sight of her sister flying by, on the heels of several hockey players as she put them through their paces.
“Look, I’ll be the first one to admit that I wasn’t exactly Billie’s biggest fan. If anything, I was more of a bitch to her when she came home than you’re being right now. I resented the hell out of her career and the fact that she made it out of this town.” She ran fingers across her forehead and sighed. “Both of you did and for the longest time I felt like the screw up. The Barker with no dreams or ambition. The Barker who was left behind. The Barker who had to stay behind because there was no one else to look after Dad. But you know what?”
At Betty’s insolent shrug, Bobbi leaned forward. She thought of Shane’s confession Sunday night. His acceptance of his mistakes. The pain of his past and what it meant to finally face it.
“All of those reasons are nothing more than excuses I used to cover up the fact that I wasn’t strong enough to go after what I wanted. It wasn’t because I didn’t have a chance to leave this town that I stayed. It wasn’t because of Dad or Gramps or even Shane. It was because I wasn’t strong enough to leave.”
“God, you could give Pastor Richards a run for his money,” Betty said dryly. “Seriously, you could replace him at sermon and no one would know.” But her eyes were bright and her lips were pinched. She was listening.
“Look, we both ended up where we ended up because of the choices we made. And until we learn to own our past and deal with the consequences of those choices, neither one of us will ever be happy.” Bobbi’s eyes bored into Betty. “You will never be happy.”
“Wow, Bobbi, you’re just full of tidings and good joy, aren’t you?”
“I’m just keeping it real.”
“Sing it sister.” Betty smiled and thrust her chin out, but there was no warmth or joy in her eyes, and sarcasm dripped from her words.
“Betty, I’m just telling you the truth. Figure out what the hell is wrong with you now, before it’s too late. Before you’re too broken. Billie did. She might not be playing professional hockey anymore but she sure as hell adapted and she’s in a good place.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not Billie.”
“No, you’re not and neither am I. It took me a long time to get over my jealousy.” At Betty’s frown, Bobbi nodded. “Jealousy is exactly what I felt. Jealousy and resentment. It fueled everything in my life and I didn’t realize how much that negativity was affecting me until I snapped.”
“So the wedding-that-didn’t-happen was your snap?” Betty was being sarcastic and Bobbi ignored her.
“I can’t even begin to describe the weight I carried every day. Weight that I put on myself because I was trying to live up to some fake image of some fake person who I thought had everything. A person who was successful. A person who was successful in everyone else’s eyes. But in the end none of that matters. None of it should matter.”
Her voice trailed off for a moment. “In the end the only thing that matters is that we need love to survive in this world. We need to love and be loved.”
Something warm trickled inside Bobbi. She loved. She loved a lot. She had never stopped loving Shane. Never.
“Some of us aren’t capable of that.” Betty looked surprised that she’d spoken out loud. She cleared her throat and looked away.
“What happened to you, Betts?” For one moment, the plastic shield her sister had constructed melted and something moved within the depths of her eyes. Something painful. Something ugly.
It was gone just as quick and Betty, always good at deflecting, rested her elbows on her thighs and leaned forward. “Have you told him yet?”
She knew what Betty was talking about. “No,” Bobbi whispered.
All those years ago, Betty had been the one to take care of her when her world was falling apart. When her heart felt as if it had been ripped to shreds. When she was hurting so badly she couldn’t get out of bed for days.
Betty had been the one who had found her curled up on the floor in t
he bathroom, bleeding, crying hysterically, wounded and alone.
Betty had been the one to comfort and soothe her when she had lost her baby. The baby she hadn’t realized she wanted until it was too late.
The baby Shane thought she’d aborted.
Her heart twisted and she balled her hands into fists as the wave of emotion inside her threatened to unravel.
The baby she had told him wasn’t his.
“Bobbi, are you alright? You don’t look so good.”
Before she could say a word the door opened and Shane strode into the room, eyes on Bobbi, and so damn sexy her heart twisted some more. He didn’t stop until he pushed his way between her legs, slid his hands around her waist and opened her mouth with his own.
His kiss was tender and warm and exactly what she needed. His lips skated across hers and they spoke without words, pushing aside the pain in her heart. He kissed her long and with exquisite finesse and when they finally came up for air, Shane rested his forehead on hers and grinned. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she managed hoarsely. There was too much emotion inside of her and all of it was caught at the back of her throat.
“I just had to do that. I hope you don’t mind”
She shook her head because she still couldn’t speak.
“Jesus Christ, if I’d have known I was going to be treated to a nooner I would have charged my phone and taken video. I could make a fortune selling that shit.”
Shane turned around, his arm still around Bobbi.
“We can wait if you want to run home,” he said silkily.
Bobbi pushed him and hopped off the desk, straightening her shirt a little as she did so. Her lip gloss was gone, no doubt inside Shane’s mouth and because she’d been running her hands through her hair all morning, she imagined it looked a mess too.
The heaviness of her conversation with her sister was still there, but Bobbi pushed it aside. She couldn’t deal with that right now.
Betty was on her feet as well. “I’m going to head back and wait for Dad with Gramps.”
Bobbi glanced at her watch. “Are you sure? Billie’s going to be—”
“Billie’s going to be what?” The third Barker strolled through the door, long hair pulled off her face in a ponytail. She crossed the room and grabbed a green Gatorade out of the fridge, unscrewed the cap and took a good long drink.
She wiped her mouth, grinned at Shane and turned to her sisters.
“I thought we could all do lunch,” Bobbi said hesitantly.
Billie’s smile widened. “That sounds awesome. I’m starved. Let’s go to The Grill.”
“You guys go,” Betty said, a touch of frost in her voice as she sidled past Shane and was out the door before anyone could stop her.
“Wow,” Billie said with a slight tremor. “What does a girl have to do to get on her good side?”
“Billie, she doesn’t mean it. You know how dramatic she is.” Bobbi leaned into Shane and loved the way his arms held her. Like she was his. The thought left her warm and fuzzy and more than a little scared.
“Yeah, well, her drama is getting old. What the hell did I ever do to her anyway?” Billie tossed the now empty Gatorade into the trash bin and stretched. “She’s only here because she has nowhere else to go. Betty only cares about herself and as soon as she figures out a way to leave she will. Truthfully, I won’t be standing in her way. I’ll be holding the door open and slamming it shut behind her.”
“Okay, that would be my cue to leave.” Shane kissed Bobbi on the mouth but before he could leave her hands crept into his hair, holding him in place.
His eyes were dark, shiny, and with his lids half hooded he looked sexy as hell. “Why are you here,” she breathed against his mouth.
He nipped her top lip and bent forward, nuzzling her beneath her ear as he pulled her into a hug. “I had to drop by the lawyer’s office and thought I’d surprise you.”
“You did,” she murmured. “And if Betty hadn’t of been here—”
“Guys,” Billie interrupted. “I’m still here.”
Shane stepped back and she let him go, reluctantly. Her fingers trailed across his chest, her eyes lingered on his. He was so male. So hard and yummy that she wished they were at his place, in his bed, doing all sorts of naughty things.
Nooner.
Hell, yeah. That sounded more than good right now. A slight blush flushed her cheeks as an image of them the night before—
“I know what you’re thinking about,” Shane said roughly, his voice a low rumble in her ear as he bent forward once more.
Their morning had been like that. Full of long looks, longer touches, and an even longer goodbye. She’d spent the entire night with Shane and waking up in his arms was pretty much what she figured Heaven was like. It had felt so right, it hurt.
“Really,” she answered throatily.
“I’m guessing it involves one of my ties, that special lotion you brought home and those silver balls on a chain?” His breath was warm on her face and God help her, but she was wet. And horny. And aching for him.
“You know,” he continued. “The ones that we—”
“Jesus, Shane. It’s not cool to have talking sex in front of me. Logan’s been gone on business since Monday so this…”
They both turned to Billie, who was gesturing madly with her hands.
“This isn’t fair.” Billie frowned darkly, her eyes swinging from Bobbi and then back to Shane. “Aren’t you supposed to be looking after the shop anyway?”
“Calm down, Barker. Janelle’s there and everything is fine.”
“Where did Logan go?” Bobbi asked.
Billie shrugged. “Los Angeles.”
Shane pressed one more heated kiss on her mouth. “You’re still on for dinner?”
Bobbi nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Thanks, babe. I’ll pick you up around six.”
Bobbi watched him leave and then sank back onto the desk, momentarily forgetting that her sister was still in the room.
Billie grabbed a Snickers bar from her bag and spoke through chocolate and caramel.
“So, what’s up tonight?”
“Dinner with Shane.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Dinner with his father and the step-monster.”
Billie stopped chewing. She swallowed and cleared her throat, the smile on her face looking more like a grimace.
“That sounds painful.”
Bobbi made a face. “God, you have no idea.” But she would do this.
She would do this for Shane.
Chapter Twenty-one
At ten minutes to six Shane hopped onto the Barker porch and was about to ring the bell when the door flew open. For that one second—the one where his eyes met Bobbi’s—his heart nearly stopped.
He reached for her and without words she moved forward and stood on her tiptoes, encircling his neck with her arms and kissing him gently.
It was just what he needed. That contact with her. His Bobbi.
How the hell did she do that? How did she know what he needed even before he did?
“God, you taste good,” Bobbi murmured against his mouth.
“Yeah? Well, don’t fill up on me because I know Celia will have catered one hell of a meal and if we spend most of our time there filling our faces it means less talking.”
He stared down into her turbulent eyes. “I’m glad you’re coming with me,” he said simply. Glad? It was so much more than that. Shane wasn’t sure he could make it through a meal with his family, unless Bobbi was with him. Pathetic, he knew, but there it was.
“Are we ready?” Bobbi said slowly.
He stepped back and gave her a critical onceover.
Her hair shone, the silky length of it, now a few inches past her chin, thick with health. Her makeup was minimal, some gloss, and stuff on her eyes that made them pop mysteriously. She wore an ice-blue top in some silky kind of material that clung to her in ways he wished his hands could. Hel
l, it drifted over her breasts and nipped in at her waist, before riding her butt down to mid-thigh. Black tights tucked into knee-high boots completed her outfit and she twirled around.
“Do I pass Mr. Gallagher?”
His eyes were glued to her butt and he grabbed her close for one more kiss. “Please tell me you’re wearing panties.”
She nipped his nose and whispered, “Now why would I do that,” before running back inside to grab her coat.
Shit, Shane thought, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. This was going to be one hell of a long night.
Travis Barker surprised him by stepping outside. The man had aged. A lot. And though Shane had seen him a couple of times over the last few months, it was still shocking. Travis was young…younger than his own father.
“What are you doing here?” Travis asked gruffly.
Surprised, Shane didn’t answer at first. Bobbi’s father had never been a fan, but then, most fathers with daughters had given Shane the stink-eye when he’d arrived to take their girls out. The difference was, Shane’s relationship with Bobbi hadn’t been a few dates, it had been a tumultuous two years and the man standing in front of him was more than just aware of their past. He’d lived it.
Travis glanced behind Shane, a frown on his face. “Where’s Gerald?”
“Daddy,” Bobbi said softly coming up behind him and gently leading him back inside. “Gerald and I aren’t together anymore, remember?”
Confused, Travis refused to budge. “But you’re getting married.” His gaze swung back to Shane and he frowned. “Aren’t you?”
“No Daddy, I’m not. Not anymore.”
Uncomfortable, Shane didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. He watched Bobbi lead her father back into the house, her expression pained. Betty was there. She waved—a half-hearted sort of thing—and the two of them disappeared.
For a few seconds, Bobbi said nothing, her eyes shiny and then she whispered. “It hasn’t been a good day for him. I think the trip to see Doctor Newley did him in, you know?” She smiled, tremulously. “But he’ll be better tomorrow. A good night’s sleep will do wonders.”
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