Moonlight Moments (Steele Family Book 2)

by Emily Bowie

  “I don’t think this is the right time.” Mr. Steele’s loud, booming voice cuts through. I look up to see Kellen’s parents and Brax standing just off to the side.

  “We will bring her down once she’s had some sleep and is not so shaken up,” Mrs. Steele adds.

  I don’t feel shaken up. Tired, yes. I’m more of a pull the Band-Aid off type of gal. The cop glances from me to them, looking uncertain.

  Both Brax and his father widen their stances, crossing their arms, looking big and powerful. I can see the resemblance between the two; it’s uncanny.

  “David, what the hell are you doing?” Kellen walks into the little circle created outside the ambulance. “She’s staying here tonight, and I will bring her in.” You can hear the steel edge to his voice. If I weren’t mad at him, I would be swooning so much my panties would fall right off.

  The complete Steele family stands united, making me feel in awe of what they have. I hate to admit it, but a pang of jealously hits me hard.

  “You’re needed by Liam Walsh right now anyway,” Kellen orders David, nodding his head in the direction he expects him to leave in.

  “This isn’t right, Steele,” he mutters just loud enough for all of us to hear.

  “Is she cleared to go?” Kellen directs his attention to the observing paramedics.

  “Yes, but we suggest a follow-up with her doctor tomorrow.”

  Kellen nods seriously. I almost laugh out loud again. Family doctor? Ha! I’m fine.

  “We’ve made your bed up already, Sloan.” Kellen’s mother takes my arm, leading me toward the house. I look back at Kellen, wanting to say no, but he only smirks knowingly. I just don’t have it in me to offend his parents when they’re being so darn kind to me. It’s so much easier when I feel like I have my back against a wall. Then I don’t feel bad for snapping at people.

  What’s one night of good sleep anyway? I know I’m safe here. The thought stumps me. I’ve never felt that way at other people’s homes before.

  I’m still in my own head when I’ve been led to the bathroom. I take the warmed towel and place my face in it as soon as I close the door behind me. I hadn’t realized I’m shaking till the warmth reminds me I’m freezing. I’ve never thought to warm up my towel before a shower. It’s a good fucking idea.

  Slowly, I take off my clothes, just now seeing how bloody and dirty they are. The look of them causes a shiver to run right up my spine.

  Turning on the showerhead, I put the temperature up so that it reddens my cold skin. The air is misty with the hot steam rolling off me and the water. Tilting my head back, I welcome the spray washing me clean. I never want to get out; it feels too good.

  I hear the door creak open then Helen’s voice. “Don’t mind me. I put some fresh clothes on the counter for you, Sloan.”

  Again, that thought hadn’t even entered my mind yet. I’m glad someone is thinking ahead. All I want right now is for Kellen to hold me, and I want to push him away at the same time. The thoughts are completely against each other, confusing me.

  How can I love and hate him at the same time?

  Forcing myself out of the shower, I keep moving in a daze. I can hear the hushed voices downstairs, most likely talking about me and tonight. I don’t even have enough energy to eavesdrop to see if I am right. I head to the bedroom they had shown me, noticing it must have been Kellen’s growing up by the football trophies and posters on the wall, along with a few pictures in frames.

  I snuggle in, hating the cold sheets around me.

  That’s my last thought before sleep takes over. I stir, feeling the bed sink down behind me, Kellen’s smell telling my sleep-deprived senses that it’s him. I let him hold me, snuggling into him before I slip back to sleep in his arms.

  CHAPTER 45

  Sloan tosses and turns all night, talking angrily in her muffled sleep state. I have been watching her since the sun came up, leaving me with little room for sleep. Kiptyn is still missing. Liam Walsh is fuming that he escaped us—in one of our own cars, no less. The car was recovered before I came home, but no sign of the fugitive.

  Ace died on the way to the hospital. He lost too much blood; there wasn’t enough time to save him. Molly is confessing everything like her life depends on it, which is good, because her future does depend on it. Her name tied with Ace’s will only drag her down further. By the time I left, it looked like she would definitely be charged with something.

  Overall, the whole thing is a mess.

  Getting up, I head downstairs to grab Sloan some coffee. I need to wake her in a good mood if I’m going to win any extra points with her this morning. As I walk down the stairs, the smell of coffee is already in the air. Brax sits on a stool, his eyes red-brimmed.

  “What are you doing up?” I ask him.

  “I never went to bed.” He gets up with his coffee mug and goes to the cabinet where the liquor is kept for when we have company over who want a drink. Opening up a bottle, he pours a bunch in.

  “Why didn’t you go to bed?” I ask, confused by his behavior.

  “Raya saw all the cops here last night. She turned around and left.”

  I’m speechless. Fuck me, wouldn’t be the right thing to say.

  “You going to head down to see her?” I try to tread lightly.

  “She said we’re too different and this wouldn’t have worked anyway.”

  I watch him take a hefty sip of his half-and-half coffee.

  “She must have just gotten scared. She’ll come around.” It sounds like good advice to me.

  “Naw, it’s more than that. She didn’t even want me to meet her family. I pushed her too hard, too fast, and blew it all.” He takes another drink, finishing his cup. I watch as he tosses it into the sink before heading out, letting the door slam behind him.

  I make Sloan a cup, telling myself I will deal with Brax once I fix things with her.

  Walking upstairs, I open the door partway to see Sloan already up, putting on the clothes my mother washed for her last night.

  “Running off already?” My voice is low and gruff. I can’t help but admire her beauty right now. Her head turns, giving me a look. It’s a mixture of surprise, sadness, and maybe even defeat.

  “I need to get going.” Her hands pull her pants up completely, and she goes to yank her shirt on over her head.

  “At least have a cup of coffee.”

  She lets out a sigh—not a good sign for me.

  “Look, we had a fun time together, but this isn’t going to work.”

  “I thought you came here to run away?” I challenge her, not letting her off the hook.

  Her eyebrow lifts as she tilts her head. “That’s not fair.”

  “What’s not fair is you not giving me a chance to redeem myself.” I step closer, placing the mug on my dresser as I pass by. I want to toss it to the ground, not caring about it any longer. The electricity around us changes as I step closer.

  I’m pissed that she’s willing to throw us away. We’re more than just a fun time. She’s more than that. I know I’m not the only one feeling this.

  “You want to challenge each other over what’s fair? How about you lying to me the entire time is not fair,” she shoots back at me, her octave rising as she becomes angrier.

  Taking another step, I close the distance between us, and her body pushes backward like she’s repulsed by my body. I flinch, hurt by her actions.

  “I wanted to tell you.” I stress, “I did everything I could to keep you safe.”

  I refuse to move from her personal space. If she is so disgusted by me, she can step around me. I’m not going to make this easy on her.

  She steps into me, our chests pressing against each other. “But you couldn’t trust me. I don’t know how to love if I don’t have trust. Where I come from, they’re extensions of each other. You can’t have one without the other.”

  Looking down at her, all I want to do is kiss her stupid and show her how much I love her. Both of our chests are heaving.
This seems more intimate than a fight. The air still crackles around us.

  Holding on to her lower back, I take her mouth with mine, showing her how good we are. The kiss steals my breath before she bites my lower lip so that I taste metallic in my mouth.

  “Goodbye, Kellen.” She steps around me and is gone before I have any comeback.

  It looks like I was the only one kissed stupid.

  CHAPTER 46

  I rush out of the house before Kellen is able to twist my heart out of my chest once again. The sun is shining, and the wind has disappeared from last night, leaving a gorgeous, hot day ahead. I have no one to call to pick me up, and I need to escape. I jog behind the barn, hoping that if Kellen comes looking for me it won’t be here. I stay near the edge of the forest until I find a small path that looks like it hasn’t been used for some years. The trees and bushes have started to grow into the path, but other than moss and a few blades of grass, the path is still clear enough to walk easily through.

  I keep walking till I hit a small clearing with a large magnolia tree that sits at the edge of a pond. Taking a seat, I curl my knees into my chest, hugging them.

  “It’s okay if you forgive Kellen.”

  The deep voice startles me, causing me to jump up. Soon as I stand, I see Kiptyn walk out from behind the tree, and my eyes tear up.

  “What the hell are you still doing here?” I scold him while running toward him for a hug.

  He wraps his large arms around me. “I couldn’t leave till I knew you were all right.”

  “For a smart man, you are pretty stupid sometimes.” I hug him tighter, never being happier to see him. “How can you even say that?” I hiss at him, trying not to yell. I fully disagree; forgiveness is not the answer right now.

  “You honestly think I could escape without a little help?” His eyes pierce mine as I think about what he means.

  My mouth gapes and stays open when I realize that Kellen had helped Kip’s exit plan. “He set you up.” I’m determined to make him realize the damage Kellen has caused.

  “I should have been smarter. I got lazy. I need to take responsibility for my own.” He sounds wise and older than his years.

  I still can’t see his point of view. If Kellen never existed, Kip, the only family I have, could still be living in Three Rivers with me.

  “Like I always said, you need to make your own family,” he says, reading my thoughts. It’s true. Other than Granny, he and I were outsiders who created families, because we never had the one born to us. “Without Kellen, Ace would still be here.” He places his hands in his pockets, playing devil’s advocate. I hate when he does this. Why can’t he just agree to everything I say? It would make my life a hell of a lot easier. “You would have left this town before now too.”

  Closing my eyes, I rub my temples.

  “We are both cursed with needing to tell it how it is.” He chuckles.

  “Why do you have to sound so insightful?” I groan.

  “Do you love him?”

  I answer without thinking. “Yes.”

  “Then I think you can find a way to forgive.”

  “But how can I trust him?”

  “Only you can decide that. You just need to replay everything he has done for you, and decide if it’s enough.”

  “I’m going to miss you.”

  Kip takes a step in, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you around.”

  I watch him walk off, thinking how crazy he is for waiting to see if I was okay.

  “Why were you waiting here?” I ask as he’s almost out of sight.

  “Because I knew you wouldn’t go too far from Kellen. You’re too in tune with him now. It’s not hard to miss.”

  I stay in this spot, thinking, clearing my head, until I hear Kellen’s truck come to life and leave.

  CHAPTER 47

  Since the ranch incident, I’ve kept myself too busy to allow myself to think. Between police interviews, signing witness confirmations about Ace, working at Nelly’s, cleaning out my garage, and taking up running, I’m ready to fall asleep without thinking of anything. I refuse to think about how I sold my integrity to clear my own name. Deep down I know it’s not true, Ace deserved everything I said, but where I come from no one snitches, not even about a dead man. I find my mind wandering to Kellen, thoughts about him could eat up my whole day if I let them.

  Each morning, I wake up to find freshly picked flowers on my doorstep, another way he refuses to let me forget him. The note attached is the same each day.

  I’m sorry. Let me count the reasons why I love you. Your honesty, was yesterday’s reason. Your stubbornness, is today’s reason. I chuckle at that one. So far, it’s been ten days of notes that make my heart skip a beat.

  This may not seem like a long time, but for me, it seems like a lifetime. I want to forgive him. I do. I think I’m getting closer. I need time. The more I think into this, the more I realize I’m scared of getting my heart stomped on.

  Closing up my door, I bend down, leaving a carrot by the side of the house where I have decided a garden should be made. I’ve noticed the same rabbit sniffing around here. The last few times I’ve walked to work, I notice more and more rabbits scurrying around town that I never noticed before.

  I hear the slow idle of a truck before I turn to see that familiar, rusted, old POS truck of Kellen’s. I have to bite my lip from smiling.

  “Can I give you a ride?” he asks with his head popped out the window.

  “Why are there so many rabbits?” I ask to avoid his question.

  “Shay let her pet one go, and this is the effect it had on our town.”

  I keep walking, his truck matching my pace. It’s a reasonable answer. Chancing a glance at him, I see him smiling that sexy, cocky grin of his.

  “What’s with the smile?” I ask, trying to pretend I’m annoyed.

  “This is the first day in ten days you’ve answered me.”

  Did I mention he’s been in Nelly’s every day, sitting in my section? I pretended he didn’t exist, yet he still keeps trying. I’m softening against his attempts.

  My heart clogs my throat, and I try to clear it out of the way.

  “I am sorry for hurting you, Sloan.” I look up to see his eyes igniting with sparks of compassion and understanding. “In my mind, I had time to tell you the truth. I never realized how my actions could have hurt us both. To be honest, I never thought deeper than the surface about our future.”

  I don’t know how to take what he’s telling me. It feels like a slap across the face.

  “Let me finish before you jump at me.”

  His hand is out, and I wait.

  “The last ten days made me realize I took you and our relationship for granted. I’ve never had to work at anything in my life, because everything comes naturally. You are my number one, my priority. Nothing matters but that.”

  His hand runs through his hair as he tries to explain himself. He did say he wasn’t good at expressing himself out loud. But I think he’s getting the hang of it.

  “Tell me what to do, and I will do it,” he pleads.

  “Kiss me.” My voice is unwavering as I finally decide to forgive him. I watch the shock light up his face before he jumps out of the truck and I’m molded into his body as he delivers one hell of an “I’m sorry” kiss.

  My hands grip onto his hair as his lips devour mine.

  CHAPTER 48

  Sloan and I walk hand in hand around my family’s ranch. Everything feels like its slowly falling into place. I want to make our lives here in Three Rivers and am nervous about bringing up an idea to her.

  “Where are we going?” she asks, looking around as we head closer to the old, unused ranch driveway. I can see her eyes go in the direction where she had originally parked her car the night Ace decided to take his revenge.

  My large hands squeeze hers before I tuck her under my arm. “I want to bring up an idea I have.”

  She glances up at me, looking nervous when sh
e has no reason to be.

  Bending down, I kiss her on her forehead. “I want to do something with teens who have nowhere to go after school.”

  She nods, now understanding. Sloan and I talked, and I decided the FBI is no longer what I want. I need a new start with her by my side.

  “I’ve seen you with your cat and how you look at other animals.” She opens her mouth to say something, but I raise my hand. The conversation of how I cost her the job at our only vet still eats at me. But I can’t fix stupid, and that is what they are being. Even as word got out that I was working for the FBI, there is still part of the town who thinks it is all conspiracy theories and still believe I’m the bad guy. “So I thought I would start an animal therapy program that deals with teens somehow.”

  I want nothing more than to mesh both Sloan’s and my life together. The last week, I have been thinking of nothing but how I could make this a reality.

  “I think that’s a great idea!” Her beautiful green eyes widen and sparkle at the idea.

  “Would you be willing to help me with it?” I ask her. My heart pumps as I wait for her answer. “I know you love animals and want to work with them. I thought this could be a good fit for both of us.”

  I see her eyes watering, and I pull her in tight, thinking maybe I’m moving too fast.

  “Oh, Kellen, I love that idea.”

  “Why are you crying?”

  A snuffle escapes her, and I hold her tighter. “Because you are so darn sweet. I don’t know what I ever did without you.”

  The smile grows on my face, knowing I did well. I want to keep her happy. When she is happy, so am I.

  CHAPTER 49

  “How many boxes do you have?” Sloan teases me, as I carry my limited amount of items into her house as I move in.

  Placing the box down, my eyebrow lifts in question as I decide what to do about her teasing.

  She watches me and takes a slow step backward with a smug grin on her face. “You can put your stuff in the spare bedroom.” Her face can’t hide her grin as she taunts me to pick her up over my shoulder.