Son of a Beard

by Lani Lynn Vale

  The waitress nodded and disappeared, leaving us with a glaring grandfather standing beside the table.

  “Why didn’t you say anything, boyo?”

  Truth’s smile was fierce.

  “I thought maybe you were trying to slim me down,” he challenged, leaning back and letting his work-roughened hand trail down his taut belly.

  “Introduce me, boyo.”

  Truth grinned.

  “This is my grandfather,” Truth said, then pointed to me. “Pop, this is Verity. My woman.”

  “Nice to meet you, Truth’s woman.”

  Then ‘Pop’ rolled his eyes and walked away.

  “Your grandfather is…festive,” I laughed.

  Truth snorted.

  “I…”

  Then everything went to hell.

  The doors to the pub burst open, and two men, both carrying baseball bats, came inside bellowing about dues.

  Before I even knew what was going on, Truth was on his feet and rounding the curve of the bar and heading straight for the two men, who looked extremely upset.

  Truth arrived in front of the two men just as a large man arrived. A man dressed completely in black.

  The man in black looked like he was a freakin’ mob boss with his black hair, black clothes, black shoes, and dark eyes.

  Truth, though he had the same tall, dark and dangerous vibe going on, didn’t look like he was going to kill the two men.

  At least not until they took two threatening steps in the direction of his grandfather, then he looked murderous.

  “No.”

  Just one word from Truth’s mouth had both men halting in their steps.

  “We…”

  “This is a place of business,” Truth snapped. “You need to leave, or I’ll have you thrown out.”

  “You’re not the owner. Only the owner can do that.”

  Truth laughed in their faces.

  “My grandfather owns this bar, and I’m his beneficiary,” he told them bluntly. “There’s literally nothing that I can’t do here, besides fire people. But that’s only because Pop hates hiring new help.”

  The two men said nothing.

  The mob boss at Truth’s side, however, had something to say.

  “Get. Out,” he ordered. “Or I’ll make you get out.”

  Between Truth and the mob boss lookalike, the two men came to their senses and backed out.

  But not before he pointed at Truth’s grandfather, promising retaliation despite not saying a word.

  “Out!” Truth’s grandfather bellowed.

  Definitely Irish.

  The more upset or animated he got, the more the accent appeared.

  Noted.

  Truth walked to the door and watched the two men, while I sat in my spot and contemplated asking him if he was related to the Irish mob.

  By the time he retook his seat, I realized that he was too upset and pissed off to broach the subject.

  Maybe tomorrow when he didn’t look like he could crush the beer bottle he was holding with one hand.

  This scary, pissed off Truth was actually quite appealing. However, I didn’t continue to chatter because I knew he didn’t want to hear my overactive mouth talking. Not at that moment, anyway.

  So I sat there, in silence, while he tried to compose himself.

  Which took all the way until our food was brought over.

  “Wow,” I murmured. “You weren’t kidding. It’s huge.”

  His mouth twitched as he picked up his knife and fork.

  “I think you said that our first night together, too.”

  I snorted a laugh, and then enjoyed the most scrumptious steak I’d ever had in my life.

  Chapter 5

  I’m all about meaningful things in life: sex, ass grabs, surprise candy bars, and kisses.

  -Verity’s secret thoughts

  Verity

  You know those people who go to the gym and you just know that they’re not really there to work out?

  Those girls who prance around smiling in their cute little leggings with the perfectly cut holes in the thighs with the matching little sports bra, with their perfectly made up faces and perfectly coiffed hair?

  “You can’t trust them,” I told Randi as sweat dripped down my face. “They’re not here to work out. I don’t think I’ve seen that one,” I pointed to a brunette with tits the size of cantaloupes, “do a single thing but flirt with that guy by the bench press machine.”

  “That guy’s gay,” Randi observed as she sucked back her water in between pants. “I wonder if she knows she’s barking up the wrong tree.”

  I placed the weights down, and spun around so I wasn’t facing the mirror, scrutinizing the play-by-play between the two in front of us.

  “That woman is under the impression that she can get him anyway,” I surmised as I realized what I was seeing. “That’s Tessie. She’s a bitch and she knows exactly who that man is. I take a class with both of them, and the majority of the time he comes in with his boyfriend, Todd.”

  Randi sighed. “Why am I here with you if you take a boot camp in the morning?”

  Because I didn’t want to get fat…or fatter.

  “You know why,” I told her, spinning around and returning to my set.

  Today was arm day.

  I was doing three sets of ten on the bench press. Curls, triceps, and butterflies before I walked another two miles around the track outside that circled the building.

  “I know, but you’ve already lost a good twenty pounds since the wedding. You look good. I don’t see why you’re trying as hard as you are.”

  I didn’t, either.

  Only that working out had been the turning point that got me through a lot of lows. Canceling trips to Hawaii were hard when the trips were being utilized at the time.

  Then there was the hotel stays and car rentals. Venues and other fun stuff that I had to get my money back on.

  So yes, it’d been a trying few months, and working out had been the balm that soothed my soul and kept me from eating when I got frustrated.

  Though, I had a lot of appreciation for my trainer, Emily.

  She was the bomb and encouraged me to try my hardest even when I didn’t think I had anything left.

  “Whoa,” Randi said in surprise. “The best-looking beard I’ve seen on the continent of North America just walked in here. Oh, and look! Your girl just left the gay dude. She’s in hot pursuit.”

  I turned, ready to see this beard, and froze.

  “That’s Truth,” I murmured softly.

  Softly enough that I wouldn’t bring attention to my position.

  Maybe if I didn’t move, he wouldn’t notice my bright neon green yoga capris that were likely stained with sweat around my ass.

  “I know it’s the truth,” Randi said. “I called it first.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Randi and I played a game. It was simple, really. The first one to call the beard—kind of like a game of slug bug—got to punch the other.

  I held up my hand when she reared back.

  “No,” I stopped her. “That’s Truth,” I hissed. “The man I slept with.”

  Her eyes widened, and she threw a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream.

  “Oh, my God,” she gasped. “The man that rocked your socks off?”

  I nodded my head.

  “That’s the one.”

  She moved to stand in front of me, and gestured for me to finish my set with a wave of her hand.

  I laid down and picked up the bar, thinking about the man who was likely getting the brunette gym bunny’s phone number.

  Maybe he’d at least call her back.

  I couldn’t say the same consideration had been afforded to me.

  He hadn’t responded to any of my calls or messages. In fact, this was the first time I’d seen him in a week. He was a wham, bam, thank you ma’am kind of man, I supposed. Appare
ntly, he just didn’t feel like talking. Whatever the case, I would ignore him.

  “Does my hair look terrible,” I breathed through a rep.

  Randi looked at my hair, then lied like the good friend she was.

  “It looks perfect.”

  I snorted.

  I could feel the sweat causing my hair to stick to my forehead, and I could see the colored strands of my purple highlights in my peripheral vision every time I moved my head a certain way.

  It was apparent that my braid was coming undone whether I wanted it to or not.

  And Truth was going to see me.

  There was no way around it.

  The gym we were in was small, and one of the only ones in the city of Mooresville.

  It was either work out here, or at home, and I hadn’t seen any weights in Truth’s small house or workshop.

  I should’ve known that he’d be here at some point; especially with the amount of time I spent here.

  “You have four more, and then we can go, right?” she asked.

  Randi knew all about Truth.

  I’d told her all about our first time, and then again seven days ago when it’d happened for the second time.

  Randi, of course, had informed me that I needed to drive over to his house.

  I, on the other hand, told her that had he wanted me there, he would’ve answered one of my many phone calls or texts.

  I nodded my head at my best friend, then pushed myself to finish my last four reps.

  By the time I was finished, I had even more sweat all over my face, and I was fairly sure I was about to die.

  “Ohhh,” Randi breathed. “Here he comes.”

  Then she leaned forward and covered my face by standing with my head underneath her thighs. Inches away from her vagina.

  “Uhh,” I said to her vagina. “I don’t think this is necessary.”

  She reached between her legs and placed her hand over my mouth. “Shhh, it feels weird when you’re talking to my vagina and not me.”

  I started laughing then and pushed her away.

  “Go,” I said. “Breathing in your vagina fumes crosses all kinds of boundaries that are best not crossed.”

  She smacked me just as Truth stopped what he was doing, which was curling a fifty-pound dumbbell.

  The minute he realized that one of the two weirdos was me, he re-racked the weights and turned to face me.

  “Where, exactly, have you been?”

  My brows rose.

  “I’ve been here. Where have you been?”

  He tilted his head.

  “Working,” he answered again. “But, if I had your number, I would’ve at least tried to call you once I got off of work.”

  My brows rose.

  “I did call you…and text you,” I said. “Though, I can see how I might’ve forgotten to give you my number.”

  “You might’ve forgotten…” he repeated. “And you never told me where you lived. How, exactly did you expect me to get into contact with you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “How about answering one of the texts I sent.”

  “Were you the one who sent those one word texts four times, once each day, over the last few days?” he guessed.

  I nodded my head.

  “Four times,” he said. “One phone call, and four texts, each of which just said ‘hey.’”

  I grimaced.

  “Well, that was more than I got from you.”

  He snorted.

  “I was working,” he said. “And I have been for the last week because a new semester started. Not to mention it’s kind of hard when I don’t know it’s you that was texting. Would it have killed you to say ‘hey, it’s Verity?’”

  My brows furrowed at his words.

  I sighed.

  He was right.

  Randi, however, was tired of being silent.

  “I’m Randi.” She held out her hand. “Do you have any friends with nice beards?”

  I smacked my friend’s arm.

  “You have a husband with a nice beard,” I chastised her. “And I’m pretty sure he’d take exception to you asking some stranger that.”

  “He’s not a stranger,” Randi countered. “He’s obviously more than friends with you. So, about those friends.”

  I sighed.

  “You’re off the hook. You can go eat now.”

  She looked torn.

  I knew how much she detested the gym, and only came because she was a nice, supportive friend.

  However, she’d been telling me about the tacos her husband had started making since we’d started the workout, and I knew she was ready to get home and eat them.

  Hell, I was ready to eat them and I hadn’t even been invited.

  “Fine,” she finally settled on. “But I’ll be hearing everything there is to hear tomorrow, understand?”

  With that she left, leaving the two of us standing in an uncomfortable silence.

  “What else do you do besides working on your bladesmith stuff?” I asked him, circling one finger around the braid of my hair and twirling it as I waited for a response.

  “I’m a firearms instructor and police academy instructor,” he answered. “How much longer do you have until you’re done?”

  I hadn’t known.

  I thought that he only worked on his blades. It was news to me that he had another job on top of that one.

  “Umm,” I hesitated. “I was going to go walk outside…to catch Pokémon.”

  His mouth twitched. “How long will that take you?”

  I looked at my watch. “About an hour or so. Why?”

  He nodded once.

  “That gives me enough time to finish up here, and then you can go with me to dinner.”

  I pursed my lips.

  “What makes you think I want to go to dinner with you?” I asked.

  He leaned in close, and was about an inch away from touching his mouth to mine when we were interrupted.

  “Um, excuse me,” a hesitant, sugary sweet voice called from behind us. “But would you mind showing me how to use this machine?”

  I turned.

  Truth, however, was not deterred from his goal.

  His hand hooked around my chin, turned my face to his, and then I could taste him.

  He’d had something pepperminty, and I could taste it on his tongue.

  His beard tickled my jaw, and it took everything I had not to collapse in a puddle of goo at his feet.

  Then he released me, and went back to his weights.

  I stood there, watching him with a dumbfounded expression on my face, and ogled while he lifted.

  He’d gotten to the number ten when he said, “Those Pokémon won’t catch themselves.”

  I jumped.

  “I’ll be outside.”

  Then I ran away, trying not to let my vagina do the thinking.

  Because if I did let her out to play, I’d be doing him in the freakin’ locker room, and he was right.

  Those Pokémon wouldn’t catch themselves, and I had an egg about to hatch.

  ***

  He found me outside an hour later, and I was staring at the screen of my phone with a determined look on my face.

  “Come on, you little fucker,” I grumbled, tossing another ball at the piece of shit that refused to stay captured.

  Hands grabbed my hips, and I gasped and spun, coming face to face with a sweaty and amused Truth.

  “I called your name three times,” he said, explaining why he’d scared me.

  I grinned and closed my phone, shoving it into the pocket at the back of my capri pants.

  He watched me do it, and grinned as he gestured toward the parking lot.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  I followed him, resisting the urge to grab his hand, and walked side by side with him through the small garden that was outside the gym, stopping only once when the ducks f
rom the pond tried to demand food from us.

  “Where do you want to go to eat?” he asked.

  I pursed my lips.

  “Sushi?” I offered.

  If I was going to break my diet, I might as well break it thoroughly.

  He nodded once and came to a stop in front of my car.

  “You can ride with me if you want,” he offered.

  I looked around for the familiar looking bike with no seat, and furrowed my brows.

  “What are you driving?” I asked.

  He pointed to another bike, this one with a seat, and I frowned.

  “Did you get rid of the old one?”

  “Nope,” he denied. “Still sitting in the same spot I parked it after leaving dinner with you.”

  “Did you have this one?” I continued.

  He handed me his helmet and I took it, pulling it on over my messy braid while continuing to hold eye contact.

  “Yes,” he answered. “But I’d sent a few pieces of the engine in to get fixed, and just got them back yesterday. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to drive the other one.”

  I tilted my head to the side.

  “Destiny and Kenneth are bad people,” I told him. “So they did it on your bike…who cares? Just put the seat back on and ride it. It’s not like you had any responsibility in why they cheated.”

  He gestured for me to get on, and I did, waiting for him to answer.

  Reaching forward to strap my helmet on tighter, he said, “It’s tainted. Everything about that bike was mine. I’d built it from the ground up. To have them do that on my bike…it left a bad taste in my mouth. It is a signal of my failure, and I didn’t want to continue to see that, and be reminded of that. The bike, although it was my baby, is replaceable. Why continue to use something that doesn’t make me happy anymore,” he smiled evilly then. “Plus, wouldn’t you stop sleeping in your bed if you found out that she was fucked by your man in it?”

  I paused, my lips pursing, and sighed, “Well, actually, I did have to replace my bed. So, I do understand.”

  He nodded once and took his seat in front of me.

  When he sat down, it was on top of my thighs, so I scooted back as far as the seat would allow me, which sadly, wasn’t much.

  With the two of us on this bike, I was unsure of the power.

  However, the minute he started it, and I felt the power of the motor between my thighs, all doubts fled my mind.