Solitude (Cunningham Security Book 4)

by A. K. Evans

  We all exchanged Thanksgiving wishes and hugs.

  “Can I help?” I offered, seeing Lena in the throes of preparing her feast.

  “Everything is just about done, except for the potatoes. I’ve boiled them, but they need to be mashed. If you want to do that while I work on turkey carving, we can get the food on the table a lot sooner.”

  “Do you have a special recipe for your potatoes?” I wondered.

  She shook her head. “No, I usually just put some butter and salt.”

  “Are you open to me mixing it up?” I asked.

  “Of course, dear. Need anything special?” she returned.

  I grinned. “Do you have cream cheese?”

  She practically jumped for joy. “I do! I picked up a couple so I could make some pumpkin roll, but still have one package left. Will that be enough?”

  I looked over at the potatoes in the pot. “It’ll be perfect,” I declared.

  Lena handed me the cream cheese and I got to work on making my world-famous mashed potatoes. They weren’t exactly world-famous, but they were certainly a crowd pleaser. As I worked on potatoes and she carved the turkey, Lorenzo and Rocco talked about hockey. I could have easily joined the conversation, but I wanted them to have their time together.

  Before we sat down, Lena stated, “Lorenzo, I made my cider punch yesterday so it would be ready today. Would you mind pouring some for me and Jolie if she’d like it?”

  I didn’t know what cider punch was, but it sounded good. “I’d love some, babe,” I chimed in.

  He smiled.

  Then, he got glasses and poured cider punch.

  Rocco grabbed lagers for Lorenzo and himself.

  Ten minutes later, the four of us were sitting around the table diving into a delicious meal. When he first told me about everything that happened with his father when he was younger, Lorenzo mentioned that Lena’s cooking was almost always the start of an argument. He also said that his mom was a great cook. He wasn’t kidding.

  “The food is excellent, Lena,” I praised her.

  She beamed a beautiful smile at me before she replied, “Thank you.”

  Lorenzo squeezed my thigh under the table. When I looked up at him, I found a warm expression on his face. He was letting me know that he appreciated my kind words to his mother.

  I knew Lorenzo and I would be thrown into chaos when we left to visit with my family, so it was nice having a quiet, yet utterly enjoyable afternoon. We weren’t starved for conversation either. Lena was so extremely proud of both her boys, so talking about anything happening in their lives made her happy. Of course, since I was a huge hockey fan, I enjoyed that part of the conversation. Given that I loved Lorenzo, any discussion pertaining to him interested me. Even though it was a small, intimate setting, I loved spending my afternoon with Lorenzo, Rocco, and Lena.

  By the time we were ready to leave, I was feeling sad, though.

  Rocco couldn’t stay late because he had a morning skate session since the Summits had a game tomorrow night. Lorenzo and I were leaving to visit with my family and Lena was going to be home alone with just the dog. It wasn’t that I thought she couldn’t be happy with just Daphne, but it upset me to know she’d be spending the holiday without anyone else to talk to.

  Pulling Lorenzo aside, I whispered, “I think I’d like to invite your mom to come with us to my parents’ house for dinner. I feel awful that she’s going to be here alone. Would you be alright with that?”

  Lorenzo engulfed me in his arms and said softly, “I love you so much, Jolie. Thank you for thinking of her. It really means a lot to me that you care about my mom.”

  We walked back out to the kitchen where I found her pouring herself another glass of cider punch.

  “Lena, I was just talking to Lorenzo and I told him that I’d like to invite you over to my parents’ house for dinner. Would you like to join us?”

  She shook her head and a bashful look came over her. “Oh, no that’s okay. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine here.”

  “It’s really no trouble at all. I have a big family and there will be plenty of food.”

  “Thank you, Jolie. It’s really very sweet of you, but I can’t go.”

  My brows pulled together, but before I could ask why, Lorenzo stepped in.

  “What’s going on, Ma? Rocky’s getting ready to head out soon and it’s still early. It’d make me feel better knowing you weren’t spending the holiday by yourself.”

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  Something was wrong.

  “I won’t be alone, Lorenzo.”

  Rocco, having been listening from the living room, walked over to where we were standing.

  We waited for her explanation.

  She took in a deep breath and blew it out before she blurted, “I’ve met someone.”

  Lorenzo and Rocco instantly went on alert.

  Lena continued, “His name is Michael and I’ve been seeing him for about eight months now.”

  “Last name,” Lorenzo clipped.

  “What?”

  “What’s his last name?”

  Lena grew visibly uncomfortable.

  Yep.

  Something was very wrong.

  “Lorenzo, darling, I need you to relax and sit down a minute. You don’t need to look into this man. He’s a good man.”

  “I realize you might think that and I hope to Christ he is, but I’m still going to look into him,” Lorenzo insisted.

  “Who is he, Mom? Where did you meet him?” Rocco chimed in.

  She looked back and forth between her boys. They were both wound tight, anxiously awaiting her reply. “Well, I decided to go to Windsor State Park one day with Daphne. We’d walked along the lake trail there and I sat for a few minutes on a bench to just clear my head. While I was sitting there, a nice man came up and sat next to me. We started talking, we had a very nice conversation, and before I left, he asked me if I’d like to meet up for coffee sometime.”

  Lorenzo shook his head and blinked his eyes. Throwing his hands out to the side, he ranted, “You just started talking to some random guy at the park and then agreed to meet him for coffee? You know what I do for a living and all the bad stuff I see and you didn’t even think it might not be a smart idea?”

  Her eyes narrowed and she scolded him. “You need to watch your tone. You might be all grown up now, but I’m still your mother. I realize I didn’t always make the right choices years ago when you two were little. I’m sorry, I can’t change that. But I’m still young and I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life.”

  “We don’t want to see you alone either,” Rocco started, his voice soft. “But you could at least give Enzo his name so he can make sure there’s nothing bad about this guy. It would help put our minds at ease.”

  “I didn’t do that because after we met for coffee and had a really great time, we made plans to go out on another date. Between our coffee date and our dinner date, we talked a few times on the phone. I enjoyed having someone to talk to, someone to ask about my day. In fact, he was so interested in me and I had been missing having anyone interested in me that it wasn’t until we went out to dinner that I learned I’d never have to have you check up on him.”

  “What?” Lorenzo asked, very little patience left in his tone.

  Lena remained silent a minute, looking back and forth between her boys. She finally settled her eyes on Lorenzo and shared, “His last name is Drake.”

  Lorenzo’s jaw clenched.

  Michael Drake.

  I knew the name Drake sounded familiar, but I just couldn’t place it.

  “Fuck,” Lorenzo hissed.

  “What am I missing here?” Rocco asked.

  “Bright side,” Lorenzo started as he turned toward Rocco. “We don’t have to look into this guy.”

  “What? How do you know?”

  “Downside?”

  Rocco nodded.

  “He works with me.”

  Rocco’s head jerked b
ack. My mind scrambled trying to think of all the guys that worked at Cunningham Security. I didn’t recall a Michael Drake.

  “Babe?” I called.

  Lorenzo turned toward me.

  “Who’s Michael?”

  “Luke Townsend’s father-in-law.”

  Then it hit me. Luke Townsend was a professional snowboarder. His wife was Nikki and her maiden name was Drake. I didn’t know all the details of the story, but I recalled hearing through the grapevine that her father had been wrongfully imprisoned back in California and lost a lot of years with his daughter.

  Lorenzo looked back at his mother and stated, “I’ve been walking into work for the last eight months and he never let on that he even knew you existed.”

  “He probably knew I should be the one to share it with you.”

  “So, why didn’t you tell us?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t want you to worry about me any more than you already do.”

  “He’s coming to see you today?” Rocco asked.

  Lena nodded. “Yes. We talked about it and decided to do things this way. He’s spending his morning and afternoon with his daughter and her family while I spend mine with my boys. He’s coming over here tonight and we’re making dinner together.”

  I started to feel the tension leave Lorenzo’s body. He took a step toward his mom. His voice was gentle when he wondered, “Does he make you happy?”

  Her eyes got wet as she nodded. “Yes, darling. I’m happier than I’ve been in a really long time. He’s a good man.”

  “I know he is,” Lorenzo returned quietly. He paused a moment before continuing, “I’m happy for you, Ma.”

  “Thank you, Lorenzo.”

  “Does he watch hockey?” Rocco asked.

  Lena grinned and shared, “I watch every single one of your games and unless he’s working late or there is something going on with his daughter, he watches every game with me.”

  Rocco gave her a nod of approval and tossed out, “It’s a home game tomorrow. I can probably still get a box or seats. If you want to invite him to a game and Lorenzo and Jolie want to come, I’ll make it happen.”

  Her eyes widened. “He’d love that. I’ll ask him tonight and let you know.”

  Lorenzo looked at me. “You up for it?”

  I made an angry face at him and asked, “What kind of question is that? Of course, I’m up for it!”

  At that, Lorenzo gave his mom a hug before Rocco did the same.

  The four of us said goodbye to one another before Lena walked us to the door.

  We had been driving for about five minutes when Lorenzo sighed, “She’s going to get it back.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Her spirit,” he clarified. “My father took it away from her. She’s going to get it back. Hope like hell it’s Michael that does it for her, but even if it’s not, at least I know she wants to fight for it. Now that I think about it, the last few times I’ve seen her these last two months or so, she’s been happier.”

  “Lorenzo?” I called softly.

  “Right here, baby.”

  “The day I met your mom, and you took Daphne out for a walk, I talked with her about a lot. While I won’t deny the fact that what happened to her at the hand of your father was not easy, I don’t think that’s why she’s been so upset or depressed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was you,” I started. “She told me that you had done such a good job of shielding Rocco from what was going on that he doesn’t seem to suffer from the lasting effects of it that you do. Her biggest worry was you being alone, secluding yourself. Now that we’re together, I think it’s helping her let go of some of the guilt she’s felt for a really long time. You said it yourself. You’ve noticed the change in her over the last two months. We’ve been together nearly that long.”

  Lorenzo kept his eyes forward, focused on the road, but I knew he was hearing everything I was saying to him.

  “She just wants you and Rocco to be happy. She knew he was trying to get it. You weren’t and that hurt her. It hurt her to know that her choice to stay and endure what she did instead of getting out of there impacted you to the point you wouldn’t try to be happy.” I paused a moment, but eventually ended, “You’re both well on your way to finding happiness, Lorenzo. It’s all good now.”

  Lorenzo remained quiet, but he reached across the center console and wrapped his hand around mine. He held it all the way to my parents’ house.

  When we arrived, we found that everyone was already there, except for Dom, Ekko, and the kids. We went in and mingled with my parents, Kendall, Colton, and Memphis after I made official introductions. Everyone already knew Lorenzo through his working with Dom and, obviously, the wedding, but this was different. He was no longer just Dom’s co-worker and a private investigator. He was dating their sister and, in my parents’ case, their daughter.

  Colton and Memphis had met Lorenzo a long time ago through work. Even though they worked for the Rising Sun Police Department and Cunningham Security was located in the neighboring town of Windsor, sometimes it was inevitable that cases crossed over the towns. Regardless, working on a case together and finding out that the guy was dating your sister were two different things. Somehow, though, my brothers managed to surprise me and welcomed Lorenzo with open arms.

  Kendall loved him. I already knew that, and I was thrilled she had no problem letting him know just how much she loved him for me.

  Mom and Dad didn’t require a whole lot of convincing either.

  “Dom has always spoken highly of the guys he works with,” Dad said. “He’s had plenty of good things to say about you. The fact he had you stand up for him at his wedding tells me everything I need to know. Take care of my girl.”

  With a downward jerk of his chin, Lorenzo indicated he would do just that.

  No sooner did we make our way through everyone when Dom and Ekko arrived.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone,” Ekko announced, holding Hank in her arms as they walked in. “Sorry we’re late. Getting out of the house to get anywhere on time these days is virtually impossible.”

  “You brought my little munchkins,” Mom acknowledged as she made her way over to Ekko. “Waiting an extra couple minutes is not a problem.”

  Taking Hank from Ekko, she immediately doused him with kisses. The same happened with my dad and Gracie. While the rest of my family made their way over to kiss and cuddle the babies, I looked at Lorenzo. He had his eyes focused on the scene in front of us, longing in his face.

  I reached my hand over and wrapped it around his. After giving him a gentle squeeze, his eyes came to mine. “You want to hold her?” I wondered, even though I already knew the answer.

  He hesitated to answer, but eventually said, “It’s okay. Let her family have their time with her. I can wait.”

  “Well, you’re much stronger than me. I can’t wait any longer,” I declared as I walked over to cover my niece and nephew in kisses.

  Once Dom and Ekko had a chance to come in and get settled, we started moving the food to the dining room table. The babies had fallen asleep, despite all of the commotion around them.

  It was during dinner though when my heart swelled with love for the man sitting beside me. Everyone had started eating and chatting. Lorenzo was about halfway through the food on his plate when the crying started.

  Ekko’s head dropped forward. “One day,” she started. “One day I’ll make it through dinner.”

  Everyone laughed.

  That is, everyone but Lorenzo.

  As Ekko put her napkin next to her plate and started to stand, Lorenzo pushed his chair back from the table and instructed, “Stay and eat. I’ve got her.”

  Ekko was stunned, but she still confirmed, “Are you sure?”

  He returned a nod and insisted, “Positive.”

  As he walked out of the dining room, Gracie’s crying only got louder. It was mere seconds later when her crying ceased and I
saw Dom and Ekko both fully relax. A few minutes later, Lorenzo walked back in the dining room, with Gracie tucked safely in the crook of his arm. Everyone’s gaze went to him, but he didn’t seem to mind. It was mostly because he wasn’t paying attention to anyone but the little girl in his arms.

  He sat back down next to me.

  I put my hand on his thigh and asked, “Do you want me to take her so you can finish eating?”

  He shook his head. “I’m good,” he answered.

  Sure enough, it wasn’t more than another five minutes, when Hank decided he wanted to be part of the action as well. Colton stood and went to get him.

  And it was when he brought my nephew back in and sat with him at the table that I realized just how much I had to be thankful for that year. Looking around the table, I found everyone caught up in their own conversations, but it when I looked at Lorenzo that I stopped searching. Gracie’s hand was wrapped around his finger and she was clearly flirting with him. Feeling my gaze on him, he looked up at me and smiled.

  “Love you, Jolie,” he whispered softly, only for me to hear. “Best Thanksgiving of my life, baby.”

  I leaned closer and promised, “It only gets better from here.”

  When I pulled back to look him in the eyes again, I could see that I wasn’t the only one appreciating just how blessed I was.

  “How was Colorado?” I asked Ava.

  “It was so nice,” she answered. “I enjoyed the time off, my parents loved having me there, and I really had an opportunity to unwind. How were things here?”

  It was Monday the week after Thanksgiving and I was just now getting the opportunity to catch up with Ava. She arrived back in Wyoming yesterday afternoon and this was the first chance we were having to talk to each other. We’d texted while she was away, but since I wasn’t having any major life incidences that required my best friend’s advice, I tried to give her the time to be with her family uninterrupted.

  Of course, that now meant that we were making up for the lost time here at work, where my shift had ended and hers was just about to start.

  “Great,” I sighed. “I mean, you know everything went well with meeting Lorenzo’s mom. Things between the two of us have been wonderful. My family loves him, especially my niece. I only have one issue.”