Solitude (Cunningham Security Book 4)

by A. K. Evans

  “That’s just it,” I stressed. “It seems that everyone else can see how great of a guy he is, but he can’t. He keeps thinking back to the fact that his father wasn’t always abusive. His mom fell in love with a man who, at some point, treated her right. Lorenzo said the abuse didn’t start until he was eight.”

  She shook her head in disgust. “I feel so horrible for him. So, let’s bring this back to meeting his mom. Are you worried about it?”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I answered honestly, “I’m not sure. You know me, I’ll talk to anyone. But Lorenzo said that it was fifteen years ago when his father put his hands on his mother for the last time. He said it broke her spirit. I don’t know if I know what to say to her.”

  “Be yourself, Jojo,” she insisted. “Look, everything you’ve told me so far leads me to believe that Lorenzo is a level-headed guy. I don’t think he’d put you nor his mom through that if she was fragile. I’m not saying that the abuse she endured didn’t affect her life in a big way, but I’m sure she’s figured out how to live her life in a way that’s peaceful to her now.”

  “I don’t want to disrupt that for her, though,” I worried.

  “I get what you’re saying, but I don’t think you’ll be doing that. And if this is the man you love, then you’ve got to trust that he knows what he’s doing in this situation.”

  Kendall was right.

  Lorenzo was a very smart man. He didn’t do things that didn’t make sense and I had to trust him. He knew what his mom could handle, and he knew who I was. I resolved to put my faith in him and trust that he’d do what was best for everyone involved.

  I smiled at Kendall and announced, “You’re so smart. How is it possible that someone hasn’t snatched you up yet?”

  She rolled her eyes, “Your guess is as good as mine. I just don’t know if it’s ever going to happen for me, sis. I’m not getting any younger and it’s slim pickings out there.”

  “He’s out there. Before you know it, he’ll come crashing into your life and you’ll almost forget what it was like to live without him.”

  “Ha!” she scoffed. “I won’t hold my breath.”

  “Don’t be so cynical, Kendall. Trust me, he’s out there.”

  She shot me a small smile and a head tilt.

  “Well, I’ve got to get going. I have to be at work in thirty minutes.”

  “Yeah, I’m just relaxing today because I’m working all weekend,” Kendall shared.

  I got up off the couch and started gathering my things. Kendall stood and walked with me to the door. After giving hugs to one another, we said goodbye, and I left.

  I walked into work, made sure my room was ready for my first client, and still had ten minutes to spare. Ava happened to be working the same shift, so we used that time before our clients arrived to catch up.

  After I brought her up to speed as quickly as possible on all things between Lorenzo and me, she told me about her plans to go and visit her family for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Ava and her family were originally from Wyoming, but when Ava was going to school to become an aesthetician, her parents decided to move to Colorado and now lived in a smaller town just outside of Denver. Wyoming has always been home to Ava, but she still tries to visit with her parents regularly.

  “I bet they’re excited you’re coming to visit,” I said. “How long will you be gone?”

  “I have a lot of time saved up and it’s been a little while since I’ve seen them, so I’m going to leave next weekend and stay with them through the Thanksgiving weekend. My mom is ecstatic. Dad is too, but he doesn’t vocalize it nearly as much as Mom. But don’t worry. I’ll be available for you to vent if the meeting of his mom doesn’t go well. Are you planning to have him over for Thanksgiving with your family?”

  I tilted my head to the side, my ear hovering above my shoulder. “We haven’t yet made official plans, but now that Dom knows and he’s cool with us, I don’t think I’ll need to worry about the rest of the family. If they all see he’s cool with Lorenzo and me, they’ll all be cool too. Besides, with Hank and Gracie in the picture now, nobody can really stay mad for too long anyway.”

  Trudi walked into the back room and said, “Ava, your client is here.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll be right out,” she replied before turning her attention back to me. “I’ve got to get to it, but if I don’t catch up with you before you leave, good luck on meeting the mom.”

  “Say a prayer for me!” I called out to her departing backside.

  A few minutes later, my client had arrived, and I got myself focused on my work. The hours passed and, with each massage I gave, I found myself becoming more and more relaxed. Between Kendall’s words from earlier that day and the words Lorenzo said to me over the weekend, I had no reason to believe that meeting his mom wouldn’t go well.

  Since I worked until closing, I didn’t get home until a little before eleven o’clock. After locking up and setting my alarm, I climbed the stairs, took a shower, and crawled into bed. Reaching out to grab my phone off the nightstand, I sent a quick text to Lorenzo.

  Hey, I didn’t want to call so late. Hope you had a good day.

  Not quite a minute later, my phone rang.

  Smiling into the phone, I answered, “Did I wake you?”

  “I can’t fall asleep until I hear from you and know that you’re home safe, so no, you didn’t wake me.”

  Warmth spread through me.

  “How was your day?” I wondered.

  “Relatively uneventful, all things considered. Yours?”

  I laughed. “The complete opposite. I visited with Kendall for a while this morning. Then, I chatted with Ava for a bit before my first client came in. I had a full schedule tonight, so there wasn’t much downtime for me.”

  “Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked.

  I wasn’t going to lie to him. “I’m nervous,” I admitted.

  “About meeting my mom?” he questioned me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Baby, she’s one of the kindest women you’ll ever meet. I promise you.”

  I loved that he was worried about me like that. “It’s not necessarily her liking me that I’m worried about, boss. I’m concerned that I’ll do or say the wrong thing and make her uncomfortable.”

  “If I were there right now, I’d kiss you,” he stated. “Jolie, if you just be yourself, you’ve got nothing to worry about. My mom’s been through a lot, but she’s a strong woman. And she’s really excited to meet you.”

  “Okay,” I accepted his promises.

  Silence settled between us.

  I eventually broke it when I whispered, “I miss you, boss.”

  “Miss you too, baby.”

  “I like falling asleep with your arms around me,” I divulged. “I’m lonely now.”

  Lorenzo didn’t respond, but I heard him rustling around.

  When too much time had passed without a reply from him, I called, “Lorenzo?”

  “Right here.”

  “I didn’t know where you were. You didn’t say anything,” I explained.

  “I was getting clothes on. What’s your code?”

  “My code?”

  “For your alarm. I can get in without the key, but I need the code.”

  I wasn’t surprised he could pick my lock, but I didn’t expect him to drive to my place at this hour. “You’re coming here?”

  “Do you miss me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You said you’re lonely, Jolie. I’ve spent a lot of my life living in solitude. My woman is in her bed right now feeling sad because she’s alone. I know what that’s like, so I’m coming over to keep her company.”

  This was why I loved him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea that he came over tonight.

  “Lorenzo, that’s not necessary,” I advised. “We both need to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.”

  “I’m already in my truck. Are you going to give me the code or are you plan
ning to wake your neighbors when your alarm goes off?”

  “Zero, two, one, nine,” I rattled off.

  “Okay, I’m on my way. See you soon, baby.”

  Just over ten minutes later, I heard his footsteps on the stairs. A few seconds after that, I saw him walk into the bedroom. I heard his shoes thud when they hit the floor followed by his clothes. And a moment later, I felt the bed depress with his weight.

  Climbing under the blankets with me, he brought his mouth to my bare shoulder and kissed me there.

  “Lorenzo—” I started before he cut me off.

  “Shh, let me give you what you need, Jolie. You have a big day tomorrow; let me be here with you tonight.”

  “Love you, boss.”

  “Love you too.”

  Minutes later, tucked tight to Lorenzo’s body and no longer feeling lonely, I fell asleep.

  “You’re a dream come true.”

  “What?” I gasped.

  Soft, kind eyes met mine. “I’ve prayed for years that he’d find you.”

  I was sitting next to Lorenzo’s mom, Marilena, inside her quaint little home in the suburbs. Lorenzo and Kendall had been right. Apparently, being myself was all that was necessary because Lena, as she asked to be called, wasn’t holding anything back.

  Lorenzo and I had arrived about two and a half hours ago. After introducing his mom and me, we all fell right into an easy, light-hearted conversation. Lorenzo took the lead, guiding it for all of us and making sure things never got awkward. We had just finished up lunch and Lorenzo left his mom and me there alone while he took her dog out for a walk. Lena was now taking that opportunity to tell me how she really felt about me.

  “You prayed he’d find me?” I questioned, not sure I understood.

  Her shoulders sank.

  “My boys are the lights of my life. I know they’re grown now, but they’ll always be my babies. Rocco hasn’t let anything get him down. He’s so resilient, you’d never know what he endured as a child. He owes that to his brother; he was lucky he had Lorenzo there for him.”

  She paused a moment, composing herself.

  “Lorenzo took it all in, shouldering that responsibility, shielding his brother from it. I’m so proud of him, but I saw what it did to him. We all went into therapy as soon as I could make that happen, but so much damage had already been done. And over the years, I saw my boy go inside himself.”

  My heart was breaking. I wanted to hear everything she had to tell me, but I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.

  “When he started working as a private investigator, I knew it was about more than just needing a job. He needed to feel like he was doing something to right wrongs. But he also found a job that would allow him the opportunity to work alone. And that’s okay; he’s really good at it.”

  She slowly began shaking her head back and forth, seemingly disappointed. “But as the years went on, he never talked to me about anything personal. His life always seemed to be about work, the guys he worked with who became his closest friends, or his brother. Never a girlfriend, never a female friend. And I knew that was my fault. I should have gotten him out of there sooner. I shouldn’t have let it get to the point that it did because it made him seclude himself. Seeing what his father did to me broke something in Lorenzo.”

  Tears were welling up in my eyes.

  “Whatever it was, it was broken until you. He came to see me a couple weeks ago and, the second he walked in the door, I knew. I knew he’d found you. Or maybe it was you who found him. It doesn’t matter how it happened; all that matters is that it did. He was so lonely. I knew it and I didn’t know how to get him to see that it didn’t have to be that way for him. He’s got so much love inside him. It would be a shame for him to never share that with someone.”

  As the tears spilled down my cheeks, I finally spoke. “Lena, he’s worried he’s going to become his father. He fears that one day down the road he’ll hurt me.”

  “Jolie, he won’t. He’s such a gentle, protective man who loves so hard he couldn’t possibly ever hurt you. I promise you that he would never raise a hand to you.”

  I smiled at her and assured her, “I know that. I knew that from the moment I met him. I just wish he could see what everyone else sees in him.”

  “Give him time, dear. You might not see it because you didn’t see that change in him over the years, but I do. He’s slowly coming back. I saw it a couple weeks ago just barely there. But today, I see it even more. Lorenzo has had a massive weight lifted off his shoulders. He’s still working on trusting in who he is deep down, but I know he’s going to get there. And seeing him today with you, I feel like I didn’t completely fail him as a mother. Now I feel like I’ll be able to finish healing.”

  I don’t know what prompted me to do it, but I blurted, “He told me he loves me.”

  She let out a little laugh. “You don’t need to tell me that, Jolie. I can see it. A lot of mothers worry about their sons growing up and finding a good woman, wondering if she’ll take care of him the way he needs. I don’t have a single doubt in my mind that you are perfect for my son. You’ve taken that loneliness from him. He smiles more now. And the way he looks at you…I just know he’s fallen so hard for you.”

  Her words were slowly killing me. I had been so worried about how this meeting of his mom would go, but I clearly had no reason to be concerned. She was seeing a positive change in him and that was helping her. I had a feeling that the broken spirit Lorenzo spoke of when he talked about her had little to do with what his father did to his mother and more to do with what Lorenzo witnessing that did to him. Lena had been holding on to guilt that her choice to stay in that home with that man for as long as she did took something away from her child. Now that he was getting that back, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before Lorenzo started seeing a change in her.

  As if on cue, the door opened and Daphne, Lena’s Great Dane, came charging in. Lorenzo walked in behind her, took one look at his mom and me, and sighed, “Something told me not to go. I knew I was going to come back and find at least one of you crying.”

  I stood and walked over to him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I promised, “It’s all good, boss.”

  His arm came around my shoulders and curled me into his side. We managed to get about two seconds of cuddling in before Daphne was barking at our feet. I immediately gave her my full attention with a few scratches behind the ears. That turned into her rolling to her back, demanding some belly rubs. I obliged her by not only rubbing her belly but also talking to her the entire time.

  Thirty minutes later, Lorenzo suggested, “We should get going, Jolie. We have to be at Dom and Ekko’s soon and you insist on stopping to buy gifts for the babies.”

  “Babies?” his mother wondered.

  “My niece and nephew,” I explained. “Today is my sister-in-law’s birthday and my brother wanted to take her out for the first time since she gave birth to twins at the beginning of last month. Lorenzo and I are watching the babies for them tonight.”

  Lena’s eyes began to sparkle. Suddenly, I think she had visions of her son giving her grandchildren one day. It was still way too early in our relationship for something like that, but I knew I wanted children one day. And the thought of having those kids with Lorenzo filled me with warmth.

  To get the visions of Lorenzo as a dad out of my mind, I bent back down to Daphne. “Next time I visit you, I’ll bring you something fun to play with, girl. I didn’t know you were here or I would have brought something this time.”

  “Jolie, you don’t need to bring toys for the dog.”

  I scowled at Lorenzo. “Yes, I do.”

  He shook his head and rolled his eyes at me.

  After giving one last round of scratches and rubs to Daphne, Lorenzo and I said goodbye to his mom, promising to visit again soon.

  Twenty-five minutes later, we’d ended up at the mall so I could buy things to spoil Hank and Gracie. While I was there, I managed to find someth
ing for a lovable Great Dane, too.

  If he really had a problem with it, Lorenzo never gave me a hard time about it.

  “What do you think about French bulldogs?” I asked Lorenzo as I looked up at him from where I had my head resting on his chest. I was curled up next to him on the couch at Dom and Ekko’s place and both babies were asleep. We had a hockey game on the television, but it wasn’t Rocco’s team. As a result, my mind wandered and my thoughts drifted to a dog.

  “I’m sorry?” Lorenzo returned.

  “French bulldogs,” I repeated. “What do you think of them?”

  “Why are you asking?”

  I grinned. “I think I want to get a dog. Frenchies are so cute. They’ve got flat faces, wrinkly heads, and they aren’t big.”

  “You want a dog?” Lorenzo asked.

  Nodding my head, I added, “He’d be good company for those nights you can’t be there with me.”

  “What did you do before I was in the picture?”

  “I guess I didn’t realize just how lonely I was until I had you,” I admitted. “When you’re not there, I really miss you.”

  Lorenzo’s face softened. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead before running his fingers through my hair.

  After the silence stretched on for a while, Lorenzo finally explained, “A Frenchie isn’t going to be a very good guard dog. A German Shepherd or a Rottie might be a better choice.”

  I pushed back from his chest and countered, “But I’m not looking for a guard dog. I want a cuddly dog.”

  Lorenzo just laughed at me.

  I didn’t get a chance to discuss a dog with him any further because one of the babies started stirring.

  Bolting up off the couch, I said, “I’ll be right back.”

  I took off to the twins’ bedroom and found Gracie was staring up at me, happy as a clam. “Hey, baby girl,” I whispered as I lifted her up in my arms, not wanting to wake Hank. “Auntie Jojo missed you while you were sleeping.”

  I looked over at Hank, who was still sound asleep, and decided it was best to take Gracie out into the living room to change her diaper. My niece did not like being naked, so it was a sure thing she’d cry as soon as I changed her. I figured we’d have greater success of keeping Hank sleeping if I moved her out of the room.