“I told you where I was going tonight for a reason, Ollie. Because I trust you. Because I want you in my life.”
He grimaced but didn’t reject it before he continued, “How did that punk get your grandpa’s old car?”
A sad, slow sickness rolled through me. My grandma was sick, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with that.
My mama was worn out.
And my sister . . .
I tucked the thoughts down and focused on what Ollie was saying. “I don’t know.”
Contemplation rode heavily on the exhale from his nose. “He said your uncle was selling off some stuff . . . they needed money quick.”
Unease slithered through my consciousness.
Ollie’s voice hardened. “Tried to get in touch with you to make sure it was legit. Needed to know this kid wasn’t trying to pull some shit over on us. Bought it either way. Too many memories in that heap for it to go anywhere else.”
Heat bloomed at the center of me, a welling of memories. “I’m glad you did.”
He caressed his thumb beneath the hollow of my eye. “Yeah . . . me, too.”
My head shook. “I’m not sure exactly what’s goin’ on over at my grandma’s. What I know is things . . . aren’t good. They could very well be selling stuff off, although I’m not sure how Caleb got involved.”
Sorrow took over that confession.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“I know . . . it’s really hard.” I paused for a beat before I continued, “I’ll go over there this week and find out the details of what they’re planning. All’s I know is after my grandpa passed, Grandma went through what was left of their savings pretty fast. Wouldn’t surprise me if they’re needing to get rid of a few of her things to pay for some of the expenses. Mama said it’s been a struggle. But I’ll find out. You don’t need to worry about that. I doubt it’s a big deal.”
“Everything’s a big deal when it comes to you, Nikki. I’m sorry if I ever made it seem like it wasn’t. Like I didn’t care.”
I forced a grin onto my mouth. “Oh, I knew you cared. No mistaking it when a big, overbearing brute constantly puts his nose in your business.”
He grunted like he was exactly that.
A beast.
“That’s because you are my business.”
I traced my fingertips along the swishes of color written across his chest. “Thank you so much for being there tonight. For being there for Brenna and Kyle. Being there for me.”
“I promised you that I’d always take care of you. Right?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
I was okay with that.
He tugged me all the way on top of him.
On all things holy, he was not helping things. A tiny moan escaped my throat at the feel of his bare body beneath mine. Strength bristling as our hearts mended.
Going back to not being able to touch him was just plain cruel.
Pretending again.
But this man was worth the wait.
He deserved patience.
Understanding.
He deserved me.
And God, every part of me knew I deserved him.
20
Ollie
I woke with a start.
Un-fucking-prepared to find the girl nestled in my arms.
Unprepared for the way my heart took off racing, drumming with satisfaction.
Unprepared for that voice inside me that shouted that this was the way it was supposed to be.
Hell, only a moron would think waking up next to Nikki Walters was anything less than paradise.
Didn’t mean I wasn’t assaulted with a ton of images flying through my brain.
Sydney.
Sydney.
Sydney.
The weight of my debt.
The truth of what we’d done.
I blew it out on a harsh breath and strained to listen to the voices that filtered through the walls.
Brenna was quietly talking to her son, who was blabbering back.
So damned cute.
My insides twisted with a swell of protection.
I jerked with the shrill sound of my phone ringing from my nightstand. Reaching behind me, I swatted for it, trying to silence it before it woke up Nikki, considering we’d gotten all of three hours’ sleep.
The second I saw who it was, I peeled myself away from Nikki’s body and sat up on the edge of the bed. “Seth.”
“Hey, man, I’ve got good news.”
Relief gusted from me. “Yeah?”
“Caleb was in front of the judge this morning for his intake hearing. He willingly accepted the offer to go to inhouse rehab for ninety days, plus anger management and parenting classes. In exchange, the restraining order violation charges will be dropped. We still don’t have proof of the break-in, so none of that was taken into consideration.”
My guts curled.
That little fucker was getting off.
Still couldn’t stomach the idea that he’d been in Nikki’s apartment. Trashing it. Following her and putting notes on her car.
That he might hurt Brenna and Kyle again.
“Is that supposed to be good news?” It was close to a growl.
Seth chuckled like he was fully expecting what I was going to say. “A whole ton better than him hitting the streets this morning, don’t you think?”
I scrubbed a palm over my face, glancing back at Nikki, who’d rolled over in my bed, looking like the fucking best thing when her eyes fluttered open.
She smiled at me.
Sunshine.
“Yeah, man. You’re right. Just hope it makes a difference.”
21
Nikki
I pulled up in front of the small house. Even though I felt a huge amount of relief that Brenna and Kyle were safe, anxiety still held me captive.
My hands clammy.
Heart racing.
Stomach twisting with the kind of nausea I felt all the way into my soul.
Twilight held fast to the sky, a purpled gray that hugged the earth. The hurricane lamp hanging on the wall at the side of the front door welcomed the approaching night with a soft glow.
A single, mammoth tree stood proud in the yard. Broad branches stretched out as if they were arms of protection. Leaves green and dense and full.
Sucking in a deep breath, I cut the engine and stepped out onto the walkway, trying to keep my feet steady underneath me. Still, I wobbled as I headed up the sidewalk and climbed the steps leading to the porch.
Through the walls of the small house, I could hear the distorted sound of Penelope crying, the echo of movement around the house.
Quietly, I rapped at the door. Praying the gentle sound would let my sister know I wasn’t there to hurt her, but there was no chance I could respect her petition for me to turn a blind eye.
To pretend as if I hadn’t seen her at that meeting.
For the moment, it might have made it easier on her.
But in the end, I knew it’d be nothing less than a disservice.
Shuffling resonated from the other side of the door, the little cries getting louder the closer the footsteps came. A sheer drape covering the long, vertical window that ran the side of her door rustled. I could feel the way she froze.
Hesitated.
Debated.
The longest second passed. I knew that was all it was. But in it, all my sister’s reservations and fears pummeled me.
Stone after stone.
I was gasping by the time metal slid, the lock gave, and my sister peeked out the crack in the door.
She didn’t ask what I was doing there. She already knew.
“Sammie,” I whispered.
A tear leaked from her eye, and I could see that she was bouncing Penelope, holding her tight while the little thing fussed.
“I asked you not to come here like this. I can’t do this with you.”
A lump grew thick at the base of my throat. I tried to swallow around it, but still, the words stu
ck. “How could I ignore it? Ignore you?”
Old wounds lashed across her face. She seemed almost frantic as she dipped down and pressed a bunch of kisses to Penelope’s forehead, the tiny girl’s fussing increasing to an-all out squall, obviously hungry, little fists reaching for her mama.
Sammie bounced her a little more. “I’m not ready yet, Nikki. I’m not ready. Not yet.”
“But you went to that meeting looking for help. The last thing I want is to get in the way of that.”
A tremble ran through her, and my chest ached. God, I wanted to reach out and take it away. Hunt someone down. The hardest part was not knowing who or what I would be looking for.
I dug out the business card I’d tucked into the back pocket of my jeans and held it out for her. “Take this. Her name is Kathy. She’s been my mentor. She’s amazing. You can trust her, and I promise you that she won’t tell me a thing. Just . . . call her.”
With a shaky hand, Sammie reached out and took it, and then she wrapped her arm right back around her baby, card still in her hand.
Relief surged.
I took a step back. “I’m sorry . . . for whatever is going on. For whatever happened. But I want you to know whatever it is? I’m here for you whenever you’re ready to talk about it. You don’t ever have to be ashamed. And that is not the counselor talking . . . that is your sister, who will always, always be here for you. No matter what.”
Tears soaked her face. “Thank you.”
I nodded quickly and took a step back, letting her know I was giving her space, but that she wasn’t alone. “I’m . . . I’m just gonna go check on Mama and Grandma. It’s been too long since I stopped by there.”
Sammie blanched, but nodded.
I started for the steps before I paused to look at her over my shoulder. “Call her, Sammie. Please.”
“Soon,” she murmured, hugging her daughter close, eyes meeting mine intensely before she stepped back and snapped the door shut.
Leaving me standing there wanting to break through that wall of wood to find her. Fight for her. Hold her up.
All I could do was pray the little nudge I’d given her would be enough.
* * *
Headlights cast a dingy illumination on the secluded area as I wound down the bumpy dirt road. It was only a half-mile outside of town, but it felt like a million miles and another world away.
Trees lined the path on both sides and reached for the heavens where they had been planted along the barbed-wire fences that marked the property boundaries. It isolated the entire ten-acres from the country road that ran along the river and closed it off from the neighbors that sat on either side of the land that had been in my family for as long as anyone could remember.
Oh, my grandma could tell some stories about that. I never knew what was true or exaggerated or plain made up. What I did know was I’d spent what felt like half my childhood listening to her go on about them while my little sister and I baked and sewed and ran the property.
So many of our summers had been spent here.
Sydney and Ollie always in the midst.
How many times had we raced our bikes down this lane, shouting that the last one there was a rotten egg?
Apparently, I stunk, considering I always came up short.
Funny how I’d always had a smile on my face while doing it.
Nostalgia rippled around me like the small waves that lapped at the shore of the lake as I made it to the clearing and pulled up in front of the old house.
The historic structure oozed a vintage charm, even though it was rundown and needed a whole ton of TLC.
The porch planks were warped and worn and the paint peeling, not to mention all the junk that sat around the property—broken-down cars and machines and sheds filled with who knew what.
No wonder they were wanting to unload some of this crap.
Turning off the ignition, the headlights cut and the interior light glowed as I snapped open my car door. I climbed out and was smacked in the face with the overwhelming scent of honeysuckle and the river and decaying earth.
The dirt was rich and heavy, as heavy as the air and the overhead canopy of the darkened sky that was smattered with twinkling stars.
In the distance, a dog barked and bugs trilled in the trees.
Inhaling deeply, I held the warm familiarity of it all in my lungs and ambled up the creaking steps and onto the porch.
I didn’t knock at the door, I just turned the knob and poked my head inside. “Hello, anyone home?”
My mother appeared at the top of the stairs. “Nikki. What on earth are you doin’ here?”
“Thought I’d stop by and check in.”
“Well, it’s about time. Think it’s been an age since the last time I saw you. I don’t even recognize you.”
Light laughter filtered free.
This was exactly the reason I’d come here.
For the warmth.
After everything that had been happening, I just needed to see my mama and grandma. The two women who had been there for me through thick and thin.
There had been so much upheaval in my life.
I started for the wide set of stairs. I slid my hand along the railing as I climbed. “Now, don’t go exaggerating. It’s been a whole two weeks since you’ve seen me. Not all that much has changed.”
That was a lie.
It felt like everything had changed. Ollie and my sister and my world. I was struggling to make sense of it.
She sent a playful smile my way. “Two weeks is like an eternity when it comes to your kids.”
“So, you’re saying you missed me?” I teased as I mounted the last step. “Guess people really just can’t get enough of me. I am kind of amazing, aren’t I? My being around just makes everything better.”
I leaned in and dropped a kiss to her cheek.
She reached out and cupped mine. “Totally amazing.” Then she hitched up a grin. “You are my daughter, after all.”
I laughed. “My, my. Someone is full of herself.”
She swatted at me. “Just tellin’ it like it is, just like you. No reason to be coy when everyone knows it anyway.”
My heart squeezed. Love overflowing.
The truth was, my mama was amazing.
Through and through.
And she was a load of fun, too, always laughing and joking and teasing.
Taking life by the reins and leading it where she wanted it to go.
But Ollie was right about some things.
Sometimes, life didn’t give us the choice, and tonight, there was no missing the strain that lined my mother’s face.
“How’s Grandma?” I whispered.
Mama smiled. “Ornery as ever. Why don’t you go see for yourself?”
Buoyed, I grinned and moved down the narrow passageway for the master bedroom at the end of the hall. The door was open, and the television blared as it blipped and threw colors across the room.
Affection pulled tight across my chest, thick with nostalgia. Pausing in the doorway, I tapped at the wood. “Hey, Grandma,” I called.
She snapped her head my direction. She was sitting propped against a bunch of pillows in her bed. Frailer than she’d once been, but all that vigor still glinted in her eyes. She grabbed the remote and lowered the television volume. “Well, there’s my knockout of a granddaughter.”
I made a scoffing sound. “Which granddaughter is that you’re talkin’ about?”
A wide grin pulled across her wrinkled face. “What? You think I’m senile and blind like the rest of this bunch does? Don’t go writing this old lady off just yet.”
I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. I kissed her forehead. “Never.”
She wrapped her hand around mine. “As if I wouldn’t recognize you. Tell me you’ve been tearing up the town and bringing all those boys to their knees.”
A soft giggle slipped out. “Oh, you know that I am. None of them know what hit them.”
Her eyes narrow
ed. “And how’s the boy?”
A quiver rolled down my spine, belly tipping and my pulse giving an extra kick. “I have no idea what boy you’re talking about,” I said, just as innocently as I could.
Probably about as innocently as the day Ollie’d brought over a bunch of firecrackers and we’d accidentally set the back lot on fire.
“I think you know exactly what boy I’m talkin’ about. Your boy, trouble maker that he is.” She reached up and cupped my cheek. “Tell me he hasn’t been causing trouble in your world.”
Well, hell.
Was it written all over me?
Guessed it must have been because heat went rushing across my flesh and rising to meet with the hand she held on my face.
“Who, Ollie? No,” I defended a little too quickly.
Amusement danced across her face. “Think he’s always been the one causing all your troubles, hasn’t he?”
I attempted to suck down the emotion that followed the blush and painted a big smile on my face. “No, Grandma. He’s just a friend. That’s all he’s ever been.”
She patted my cheek. “It’s always the one who causes the biggest commotion inside us who leaves the biggest mark. Isn’t that right, Megs?” She turned to look at my mom, who was watching us just inside the room.
She started our way. “Sure is. And that boy has been nothing but a commotion since the day Nikki met him.”
I waved them off. “You two are ridiculous. He wasn’t anything of the sort.”
“Ha,” Mama said, starting to clear up Grandma’s dinner things that were on a tray. “You were the shyest thing in the world and then those Preston’s came in and shook you up.”
I frowned, and she continued, “Now don’t go looking at me like I said that was a bad thing. Those two had you soaring. Not a lot of us get to say we had friendships like that.”
“That they did,” Grandma agreed before she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “Bet that boy sends you soaring now.”
She winked.
Fight for Me: The Complete Collection Page 89
