Heartbreaker

by Anna Brooks

  “It’s okay. I wasn’t looking.” She steps back, face flushed. “I tend to do that a lot.”

  The first time I had my hands on her was when that car sped out of the parking lot; the split second it took for me to yank her out of the way has fucked with my emotions ever since. I barely even knew her at the time and I don’t know her as much as I want to now because she won’t let me. “How have you been?”

  “Good. You?”

  I’m about to answer when Olivia tears into the hallway, giggling and pulling a stroller behind her. “Hi!” She skids to a stop in front of me, and I crouch down.

  “Hey, short stuff.”

  “Are you coming to my party?”

  “What party?”

  “I’m gonna be four!” God, she’s cute.

  I laugh at her enthusiasm and bob my head as I watch her jump up and down.

  “I’m sure Ryan’s busy, sweetie. He probably can’t make it.”

  “Oh, no. Please. Can you come?” Olivia reaches out for me and grabs my cheeks between her itty-bitty hands. “Pleeeeeease?”

  “How can I say no to that face?” I pinch her nose and stand. “When’s the party?”

  Opal clears her throat. “This Sunday at the new Fun Center. Two o’clock.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Yay!”

  Olivia continues tearing through the house, leaving Opal and me alone in the hallway again. “You really don’t have to come. I know you—”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to?”

  She crosses her ankles and bites her lip. “Because I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out with a four-year-old.”

  “Oops, I almost ran into you.” Liv holds a beer out for me. “Here ya go. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you two.”

  Damn, this is a busy hallway.

  “You didn’t,” Opal rushes to say. “We’re about to get going anyway. It’s almost Olivia’s bedtime.”

  “Sure, okay.” Liv backs away. “I’ve just gotta…” Her voice fades as she disappears around the corner, and if I wasn’t so damn infatuated with Opal, I’d find her sister trying to discreetly leave us alone hilarious.

  Opal drops her head and follows Liv, but just as she passes me, I grab her wrist. She looks at me over her shoulder, question and confusion written on her face, along with desire and need. If it wasn’t for the latter two, I’d think I was a glutton for punishment, but I see her. I just need to wait for her to notice. I rub my thumb along her pulse point and then drop her arm. She scurries away, and I take a swallow of my beer before heading into the den where Jay is screaming at the TV.

  “Hey.”

  “What’s up, man?” He half stands, and we shake hands before I plop down on the opposite end of the couch.

  “Nothin’.” I take a large swallow and unintentionally release a pent-up breath as I lean back.

  He kicks his feet up on the coffee table. “Nothin’, huh?”

  I don’t get to answer because Olivia comes running into the room. “Bye, Uncle Jay!” She throws herself at him, and he grunts when she lands on him.

  “You’re leaving already?”

  “Yep. I need to go take a bath.”

  He kisses her cheek and sets her back down on the wood floor. “You do need a bath. You’re stinky.”

  “I am not.” She crosses her arms.

  “You’re right.” He sets his beer on the table and then leans closer to her and takes a big whiff. “You smell like bubblegum.”

  “That’s ’cuz I ate some.”

  I can’t help but laugh at her. Freakin’ adorable. I love kids, always have, but something about this little girl yanks at my heart. Just like her mama.

  She either just notices I’m in the room or just remembered I was. “Hi.” She jumps up into my lap. “Are you still coming to my party?”

  “If you still want me to be there.”

  She nods. “I do.” And then she yawns.

  “Then I’ll be there.”

  Instead of hopping down, she twists the leather bracelet on my wrist. “Where’d you get this?”

  “My niece made it for me.” Olivia twirls the black beads on it and rests her head on my chest. A minute or two go by, and before I know it, her little body becomes heavier.

  “Dude, is she asleep?” I whisper-shout.

  Jay tears his eyes away from the TV for a split second, then nods before turning back.

  My sister has triplets, all girls. And my brother has a stepdaughter and a son. I don’t get to see them nearly as often as I’d like to since I’m always so busy with work. I hate being so far away right now, but I took the original assignment as a favor for an old boss of mine and never expected to be gone this long.

  “Olivia, come on. I said it’s time t… ” Opal stops at the doorway and frowns at me. “Sorry, I didn’t realize she fell asleep.”

  “She’s fine. I’ll carry her to the car for you.”

  “Oh, no.” She rushes into the room. “You don’t have to do that.”

  I ignore her and stand with Olivia, who barely stirs. “Are you ready?”

  She doesn’t respond with words. Her eyes soften as she looks at her daughter snuggled up against me. A level of pain surrounds Opal, whether she thinks she’s giving off the vibe or not. A sadness in her eyes that has me wanting to know why and, in turn, do everything in my power to make it better.

  “Opal?”

  She blinks. “Yeah, sorry. I’m ready.”

  I follow her out to her car and don’t look at her ass once. I do it about twelve times.

  When she opens the back door to her little sedan, I set Olivia in her seat and then buckle her up. Again, she barely stirs, even when I slam the door shut.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” I take a step closer to her, and she doesn’t move. “She’s a heavy sleeper.”

  “Yeah, she’s just like me.”

  I could think of so many ways I’d like to wake Opal up. If I thought she was the type of girl who’d be up for some fun, I’d tell her exactly what I’m thinking, but not only is she Jay’s family, she’s also shy. And sweet. And beautiful. Everything about her calls to every part of me. And every part of me wants every single part of her; the good and the bad, especially the hurt. I want to take whatever’s hurt her and beat it to death so it doesn’t haunt her anymore. “Are you good to get home?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it’s like nine at night, dark, a storm’s heading in, and you’re alone with a baby.” Which reminds me that I need to leave if it does rain. I should have driven the truck, but I don’t want to miss an opportunity to be on my bike. I like to ride too much.

  “Oh, then yeah. I’m fine.”

  She walks around to her side, but I call her name, so she stops. There is no way in this universe that I’m okay with this scenario. No woman who is in my life drives in the dark and goes home to an empty house alone. Not my mom or my sister, and now… definitely not Opal. “I’m going to follow you home.”

  “We’re fine, Ryan.”

  “I’m sure you are, but I won’t be able to sleep until I know for sure that you guys are locked in safe for the night.”

  When she crosses her arms, I thank the Lord for giving me amazing peripheral vision because I’m able to get a glimpse of her cleavage while still looking into her eyes. “I have an alarm system.”

  “Not good enough.”

  “Wha… why are you being like this?”

  “Like what?”

  Instead of answering me, she shakes her head. “We’re fine, Ryan. Thank you for the concern, but I’m fine.”

  My sister tells me that all the time, too. Even though she’s married—and to a sheriff nonetheless—I still worry. “At least call me. Or text me when you get home.” It’s the biggest compromise I’m willing to make.

  “I don’t have your number.” She yawns but shakes her head. “I’ll just text Jay when I get home.” Then she leaves no room for argument
when she gets in her car and takes off.

  Once she’s out of sight, I head back inside. My beer’s warm, but I drink it anyway. “Olivia wake up?” Jay asks.

  “Nope. She was out like the dead.”

  “She’s a crazy heavy sleeper.”

  “That’s what Opal said. She also said she’d text you when she got home. I don’t like that she’s going to an empty house by herself.” Then it occurs to me that maybe she lives with someone. A man? That thought makes my damn brain hurt. I know Olivia’s dad isn’t in the picture, but if she had a boyfriend, surely, I’d have seen him by now. She doesn’t have a ring on her finger; I checked that the first time I saw her. I don’t know why the hell it just now occurred to me that she might have a man. Probably because she looks at me like I’m the only man in the world.

  Jay leans back into the armrest and gives me a knowing stare. “You don’t like it, huh?”

  “Do you?”

  “Not even a little. But after arguing with her about it every single night, she finally conceded and got an alarm system. I have the app on my phone, so I know when she gets home and then resets the alarm.”

  Makes sense. I knew from the first time I talked to Jay that he was the same kind of man as I was. One who takes care of who’s important to him even if he can’t be there.

  And Lord help me, but somehow, she’s become important to me without even so much as a kiss. I’m legit afraid of what’s gonna happen to me when I finally get my mouth on her.

  “Don’t fuckin’ think about it,” Jay practically growls at me.

  “What?”

  “She’s been through a lot, Ry. The last thing she needs is a complication of a guy whose nickname is Heartbreaker.”

  I want to kill whoever came up with that ridiculous fuckin’ name. “It’s a stupid name that doesn’t mean shit.”

  “You break a lot of hearts, Ry?” he jokes.

  It’s bad enough he heard it when he was at the office a while ago, but he’s not about to get the actual history behind it. The reason for that name is not what he thinks, and quite honestly, the only good thing about being away from home is I don’t have to hear that stupid fuckin’ name all damn day.

  So I ignore his question and ask instead, “What am I up against?” He doesn’t need to know that I’ve already extended my visit because I can’t stand the thought of not being in the same city as her.

  “A lot.”

  “Not gonna make it easy on me, are you?”

  He shakes his head. “Opal and I are tight. Almost as close as me and my sister, Mellie. She went through a lot, Ryan. Under the fake independence and attitude is a lonely girl with a heart of gold, though. She’s strong, and it’s gonna take a lot to break through. There’s one thing specifically, and if you figure it out, guarantee it’ll be worth it.”

  Cryptic bastard. I dangle the bottle between my fingers.

  “You’re solid, Ry. Hate to admit it, but you’d be perfect for her, but it goes without saying… you fuck her over, I will fuck you up.”

  I don’t tell him that I figure however this plays out, I’m gonna be getting fucked either way. I just hope it’s the way that involves my cock.

  MY LITTLE GIRL HOLDS MY hand and can barely contain her excitement. Olivia practically pulls me as we walk into the Family Fun Center.

  “Slow down, sweetie.” I juggle the cake on my arm and the balloons wrapped around my wrist. “Can you help me with the door, please?”

  She drops my hand, and I shift the cake over and flex my arm, letting some feeling back into it. “Wait for me, young lady,” I warn Olivia when she tries to take off once we’re inside. The girl never stops running. After I get us checked in, we’re led to a party room where I put the balloons and cake on the table.

  This is her first party with friends, and the only reason she’s having it is because she begged me. Apparently, preschool is the age when these things start. I had family parties until I was like ten, and after that, we didn’t get to go to cool places like this. We had friends over to the house to play games and stuff.

  Before long, the girls from her class show up, and I love watching her run around and have a great time. My fear of failure temporarily silents as she laughs her little head off.

  She’s off with her bestie, and I try not to be too obvious when I look around to see if I can find Ryan. Olivia doesn’t remember she invited him, I’m sure. But I have to admit I am a little disappointed he didn’t show.

  I’m relieved too, if I’m being honest with myself. He makes me nervous and fidgety. The first time I met him, he pinned me with a look hot enough to make my panties melt. I hadn’t had that kind of reaction to a man… ever. And when I saw how good he was with Olivia, it made those feelings even worse… or better, depending on how I look at it.

  I haven’t tried or had the desire to date since I had Olivia. I’ve been too busy busting my ass to provide the best life for me and my daughter while also saving money to get out of my parents’ house. We’re finally on our own, and I have money in savings and a roof over my head that I gladly pay rent for each month. Jumping back into the dating pool with Ryan would be a tragic mistake.

  Not that he’d want to date me.

  “Great party.”

  I look over and smile at Greg, the dad of one of Olivia’s friends. She and Amelia are in the same class and also took the same dance class together. “Thank you. Is Amelia having a good time?”

  “She is.”

  “That’s great. I’m sure they’ll sleep really well tonight.”

  He chuckles. “Yeah, I bet Amelia will fall asleep in the car.”

  A gaggle of girls runs past us, screeching and laughing. I can’t help the swell of pride that courses through me as I watch my little girl live a happy life. I have always been so worried that not having a father would mess her up. Jay and my dad have been instrumental, but a part of me always wonders if it’s enough. If I’m enough. If I could be doing more.

  Whenever I see a happy family with both parents, I question everything about myself as a mother. And a young one, at that. I was just seventeen when I had Olivia, and being a twenty-one-year-old with a now four-year-old daughter is daunting enough, but doing it alone is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and will do in my entire life.

  “So I might be kicking myself in the ass here, but if I don’t ask you this now, I know I’ll regret it. Even if you say no.” Greg’s voice interrupts my thoughts.

  I turn to him with a smile on my face. “What’s that?”

  “I’d like to take you out sometime. Just dinner. No pressure or anything,” he rushes to add.

  Heat burns my cheeks as I stutter to answer. “Uh, I-I don’t know if I’m in the place for dating now, Greg. I honestly haven’t even thought about it with how busy I am with Olivia.”

  “Sure, sure. I understand.” He shifts on his feet, and I hate that I made him feel awkward. He’s really a handsome man. His hair is short and dark, his eyes are brown, and he’s toned without being too muscular. “If it ever changes, let me know, okay? Or don’t. I haven’t thought about it much either since Amelia’s mother left.”

  “I’m sorry, Greg.”

  He waves me off. “Don’t apologize. This single parent thing is hard and—”

  “It is.”

  “Mommy, Ryan is here, and he brought me pink flowers!” Olivia screams at me from across the room. I lock eyes with him as he’s walking over to me… or more like being tugged over to me by Olivia. She’s carrying a large bouquet and has the biggest grin on her face.

  He brought her flowers. Nobody has ever given her flowers before. He’s ridiculously sweet, and it makes me ridiculously happy to see that huge smile on Olivia’s face.

  I can’t get over how at ease he is with Olivia or how quickly she took to him. Everything about him is easy, actually. The way he walks, the way he talks, how he takes in any situation with calm confidence. And right off the bat, he treated Olivia like she was precious. Which she is,
but most men see a single mom and her daughter and stay as far away as they can.

  And that’s been fine. I don’t have the time to date. I’m finally on my own, happy in my own home with my daughter and making it without any help from my parents or using Jay as a crutch. I can’t let anything distract me from that. Not even a six-foot US Marshall who treats my daughter like she’s his world.

  “You made it,” I breathe as he stops in front of me.

  “Yup.” He grunts, his eyes darting over to Greg. And it’s right now that I notice the look. It’s the same one Jay gives any man who looks at Liv. It’s a look I’ve always dreamed somebody would use on my behalf. One where it’s clear as day that someone loves me enough to have an entire conversation with just his eyes. A threat that he would do anything possible to keep me safe.

  A very awkward couple of seconds pass before Greg clears his throat. “I’m going to find Amelia.” Then he drops his head and walks away. Not that I want a boyfriend, but if I had been considering Greg’s offer, this would change the way I looked at him anyway. He’s exactly the type of man I don’t need. Some coward who takes one look at some competition and darts away with his tail between his legs.

  Ryan isn’t even intimidated by Jay, who, for all intents and purposes, is my protective big brother. That in and of itself is a miracle.

  “Will you play with me?” Olivia, completely oblivious to the tension, tugs on Ryan’s hand.

  He squats down. I love that he does that. There aren’t many people, let alone men, who get down on a child’s level to talk to them. “That’s why I’m here. Lead the way, birthday girl.”

  She squeals and pulls him up, then runs—first to put the flowers into our party room and then back into the chaos—but he stops and turns around. His eyes find mine immediately, and he lifts his chin at me. “You coming?”

  “Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess.” I walk through the crowd, dodging the rambunctious kids and hoping my nerves aren’t on display. “This game again?” I sigh when Olivia reaches the same game she’s been at almost the whole party. Only so much a mom can take, and after hearing the damn frogs croaking for what feels like forever, my patience for this particular activity is pretty much gone right now.