From Smoke To Flames— Amazon: A West Brothers Novel

by A. M. Hargrove

  Pearson didn’t say anything for a while. But then the words gushed out of him. “I now realize how much time my job took up. I didn’t even have time to see my family or get to know my nieces and nephews. It was ridiculous how much my job stole from me.” He sat there shaking his head as though it filled him with distaste. “I don’t want to be that person anymore and at the time, I thought it was what I wanted. My parents would call and invite me out for their weekly Sunday dinners, and I’d make up excuses every week. And that was before I was using. And what good did it do? Fill my bank account? Allow me to drive a fancy car? So what? I was so empty inside.”

  I listened to the words spill from him. It’s funny when you hear this side of successful people’s lives. Like they say, money isn’t always everything. Yes, it pays the bills, but it won’t buy you happiness. Pearson is a hard example of this. A guy who had everything at his fingertips and look where it landed him.

  Leaning closer to him, I touched his hand. “Pearson, the greatest thing about this is you understand. It’s brought you in touch with what you want and don’t want. And it’s made you realize how important your family is. We go through life, taking things for granted. You’ve been given a second chance, a chance to show everyone how much you love and appreciate them. So now all you have to do is take those next steps and do it.”

  He jumped to his feet, holding his hands in front of him. “Hey, I have to go to my apartment in the city tomorrow to get some things. Would you like to help me? Bring Muffin too?”

  “Yeah, we can come.”

  “Great.” And he walked away. I was getting ready to go into the kitchen to see if I needed to go to the store for dinner food, when he came back in. “Would you like to come with me afterward to my parents’ for Sunday dinner?”

  “Um, dinner at your parents’?”

  “Well, that’s what we call it, but it’s really a lunch. We eat around one thirty or two.”

  Shit. Would it be awkward? I’d only met his family once.

  “The whole family usually goes, unless someone is sick or something. I’d really love it if you and Muffin could come.”

  “Okay, why not?”

  “Great. I’ll text Mom.” He tapped the message into his phone, then smiled at me. My knees almost caved in. “What’s wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?”

  “Something … no, why?”

  “You’re staring at me.”

  “Oh.” I blinked. I’d have to go into ogle control around this man. I left the room and went into the kitchen to check for dinner items. He followed.

  “What are you doing?”

  I told him. “Why don’t I take the two of you out?”

  “You don’t want a home cooked meal after eating at the center all month?” I figured after all that cafeteria food, he’d be all over this.

  “Wow, I hadn’t thought about it. Okay, I’ll go with you to the store, but I’m buying all the groceries. By the way, how much is your mortgage?”

  “Why?” That was a real personal question.

  “Because if I’m going to be paying you rent, I thought I’d ask so I could write you a check.”

  That made sense so I told him. It was embarrassing because it wasn’t huge, but it still strapped me each month.

  He nodded and went to his room. When he came back, he handed me a check. The amount on it was far too much. “I can’t accept this.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s too much. It’s half of my mortgage.”

  “True, but you have utilities to consider.” Then he grinned. “Besides, I’m a lawyer and you’ll never win this argument. Just take it. You’re doing me a huge favor by letting me stay here. And don’t forget, I’ll be using your counseling services too.”

  He did make more than one good argument. “Okay, but I promise to cook.”

  “That’s fine. I’m fair on the grill, but that’s about it unless it’s a salad or baked potatoes. Getting back to the store, are you ready to go?”

  “Let me get the kiddo.”

  Montana made a fuss, but Pearson bribed her by telling her he’d buy her a surprise.

  “What kind of surprise?” she asked.

  “If I tell you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  She crinkled her forehead and then said, “Oh yeah.”

  “Let’s go.”

  We rode in Pearson’s car after putting Montana’s car seat in the back. We’d be taking it tomorrow too, so it made sense to do it now.

  As we walked through the store, Pearson kept adding things, sweets and snacks. “You’re going to make us fat.”

  “No, I’m not. We’ll work it off. I run every day. What about you?”

  “Um, I do meditation and yoga.”

  He roared. His deep laugh was sexy and made me tingle in unmentionable places.

  “Wait a minute. That’s not funny! Have you ever tried yoga? It’s hard.”

  “True, but how about some cardio?”

  I knew that was important, but I couldn’t do it all. “I don’t have time for that.”

  “You do now. I can watch Montana while you work out.”

  Damn. Now I’d have to, and I hated cardio.

  “Or we can use the gym at the center,” he suggested.

  That wasn’t a bad idea. “I like that thought.”

  “I can come right after my meeting every day.”

  I agreed because it did make sense. Then I spied him tossing in a can of whipped cream. I raised my brows. “You’ll see. It’s for the little one.”

  Later he grabbed beef tenderloins. “Will she eat this?” he asked.

  “She eats everything.”

  “Do you have a grill?”

  “I do. You cooking?” I asked.

  “I am tonight. Do you have potatoes and salad?”

  “Yes, I’ll handle that if you handle the steaks.”

  “Done,” he said.

  When we got to the frozen section, he threw in some popsicles but did it when Montana wasn't looking. I grabbed a carton of vanilla ice cream.”

  “Hey, what about the chocolate?” he asked.

  “I have hot fudge at home.”

  “That’ll work.”

  “Mommy has sprinkles. Do you like sprinkles?”

  “Love the sprinkles,” he said.

  We checked out and when I went to pay, he slid his credit card in before I had a chance. Then he smirked.

  “You weren’t supposed to do that.”

  “We never established grocery shopping rules,” he said, winking.

  The cashier gave us an odd look as she handed him the receipt. He pushed the loaded cart out and Montana and I followed. When we got home, I unpacked the items, but he wanted to help so he knew where everything was.

  “Where’s my surprise?” Montana asked.

  “Close your eyes,” he said. Then he took the paper off of a popsicle and said, “Open your mouth. When she did, he stuck the tip of the popsicle in. “Can you guess what it is?”

  “A popsicle!”

  “What kind?”

  “Cherry!” She opened her eyes and he handed her the popsicle.

  “Montana, what do you say?”

  “Thank you, Mister.”

  “You’re welcome, Muffin.”

  She giggled up a storm, then ate her popsicle with gusto. When she was finished, Pearson said, “I have another surprise for you.”

  “Another surprise?”

  “Yep, but you have to lay down on the floor.”

  “Okay.” She did as she was told.

  “Now close your eyes real tight.”

  When her eyes were closed, he went to the refrigerator and grabbed the can of whipped cream. “Are your eyes closed?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Keep them closed and open your mouth real wide.”

  When she had her mouth open, he shot a stream of whipped cream into it. “Now close.” Her cheeks were bulged out and it was hilarious. “You can swallow it.”

 
After she did, she hollered, “Whipped cream!” Her eyes twinkled.

  “Did you like it?”

  “Yeah, can I have some more?”

  “Okay, but keep your mouth open real wide.”

  “Can I keep my eyes open?”

  “Yep.” He was about two feet above her when he shot it out of the can and missed her mouth entirely—I’m pretty sure on purpose. He sprayed it on her nose and cheeks as she laughed and laughed. I was cracking up. She was a mess.

  “Mommy’s turn now.”

  Pearson turned to me and wiggled the can in front of my face. “Okay, but if I go then so do you.”

  “Fair enough.”

  I dropped to the floor next to Montana and opened my mouth. A stream of whipped cream hit my lips and filled my mouth until he shifted to my nose and cheeks. I was a young girl again before things got super shitty at home with my parents, and I laughed and laughed as though I didn’t have a care in the world.

  “Isn’t it good, Mommy?”

  “The very best.”

  “Now it’s your turn, Mister.”

  He handed the can to me and our fingers brushed. An electric shock ran through me from my hand to my toes. What the hell was that? He stared at me as though I’d shot him. At least I hadn’t been the only one who’d felt it.

  I watched him lie down, and his shirt rode up slightly, so I saw a thin ribbon of skin above the waist of his jeans. I wanted to cover it with the whipped cream and lick it off until it was gone. I clenched the can as my mind raced to more inappropriate thoughts of him.

  “Mommy, hurry.” I jerked myself away from my fantasy, and back to the can I was holding. Bending down, because I would never trust my aim, I squirted the can and watched him open his mouth. His tongue probed the mess I made on his lips and was it ever hot. So I squirted some more, only this time, I intentionally missed. I circled his mouth several times so he’d have to lick it off. I wanted to lean over him and help him. His eyes were locked onto mine the whole time, never moving at all. If Montana hadn’t been there, I’m pretty damn sure, there would’ve been more whipped cream play, only she said, “Mommy, more.”

  I leaned back on my heels and then moved over to her so I could give her shot. This had shaken me to the core. I knew I was attracted to him, but this went beyond that. He was more than just an attractive man. There was a lot of substance to Pearson West and I was falling for him. Was I setting myself up for a gigantic heartbreak? It was too soon to tell and right now, I didn’t care.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Pearson

  * * *

  After dinner, which was delicious, Rose tucked Montana into bed. She yelled from her room, “Hey, Mister, come and give me a goodnight kiss.”

  She had a voice that could carry for miles. By the time I got there, which took all of twenty seconds, she scolded me. “What took you so long, slowpoke?”

  “I’ll have you know I can run fast, Muffin. We’ll have to race tomorrow so I can prove it.”

  Her stick-sized arms reached out from under the covers. “Okay, but I gotta sleep first.”

  I hid a smile as I bent over the bed and hugged her. She smacked a big kiss on my cheek and said, “Good night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bugs bite.”

  I said back to her, “See ya later alligator.” Before I could finish, she added, “After while crocodile.” We fist bumped and I left so Rose could do the final tuck in. She sure was precocious, and cute as hell.

  I was already channel surfing by the time Rose joined me. “She really likes you, Pearson.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious. She’s so damn cute, the feeling is mutual. She sure has come out of her shell since she’s been here.”

  “This is what she’s always like around me. That’s why I was so worried about her. There is something really bad going on in that house.”

  Taking her hand in mine, I said, “You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

  “When do you think my court date will be?”

  “I’ll call Miles on Monday and check on things. But I’m sure your ex will have a struggle getting out of jail this time. The second offense won’t make it easy for him. The private investigator we hired couldn’t find anything. I wasn’t too pleased with him though, so we released him. With Greg in jail, it doesn’t matter now anyway.”

  “I don’t trust the system and he’s such a snake, he’ll be able to slither his way out of this.”

  “Even if he does, he won’t be able to slither his way back into Montana’s life unsupervised.”

  She studied me and the weight of her gaze was pressing. Then she nodded, saying, “I trust you.”

  “Good, now pick out a movie for us to watch. I’ll even cave in to a chick flick.”

  After a playful swat, she took the remote and scanned the channels. She put on a murder mystery.

  “No chick flick?”

  “Nah, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “I think I love you.”

  She chuckled. “Don’t say that. One day I’ll force you to watch a chick flick marathon.”

  “I rescind those words then. If you do that, I’ll force you to watch a football marathon.”

  “That’s great. I love football.” She gave me a saucy wink.

  I tugged on the hand I still held and drew her closer to me. “I’m loving this arrangement, and you, more and more every day. A woman who loves football. I thought I’d never meet one. Tell me who your team is.”

  “I have a few. I’m a home girl fan. I love the Mammoths and I wish they’d get their crap together. I also love—and don’t even ask me why, but I love the Wildcats. There are a couple other teams I follow, but those are my main ones.”

  “We’ll have to go to some games then if you’re such a fan.”

  Her hand covers her chest. “Oh, that would be amazing. I’ve never been to a pro football game.”

  I pulled out my phone and ordered up season tickets. “We’re definitely going.”

  Her face brightened like a full moon. “Oh, my God! Now I can’t wait for football season.”

  “You’ll have to since it’s only the beginning of May.”

  “Yeah, but it’ll be here before we know it.”

  She squeezed my hand and thanked me over and over.

  “Stop. You’ve done so much for me already, and who knows how much I’ll need your help in the coming months. It’ll be my pleasure to take you. Now let’s watch the movie.”

  It turned out to be good, but Rose didn’t make it through. She fell asleep on my shoulder, and it was the perfect chance for me to admire her lovely face. Smooth skin, beautiful full lips, and hair that tempted me way too much framed her beauty. I wanted to pull her against my body and hold her tightly. I’d never wanted this before. Not physically, but emotionally. I wanted whatever was between us to grow. She was kind, loving and honest. I’d observed her with Montana and love streamed out of her like a river. This was a woman who didn’t want anything but the best for her child. She didn’t use people, like the women I was used to. Rose was pure. And the best thing about her was she knew me, knew all my dirty secrets, so I could be myself around her.

  When the movie ended, I picked her up and put her to bed. She sighed as I tucked her in, but barely woke. As I crawled between the sheets of my own bed, I fell asleep for the first time, content, and not craving the drugs that usually haunted me every night.

  I was in the place that was neither sleep nor awake, where you’re floating in the comfort of your bed, when something stabbed the tip of my nose. I swatted it, thinking it might be a bug.

  Dozing off again, the damn thing came back. I was lying on my side so I opened one eye and Montana was only inches from my nose. Her finger was extended, homing in for another attack. I intercepted it before she had a chance. She let out a squeal of surprise, then bubbles of laughter spilled out.

  “Why are you poking my nose?”

  “I was wondering when you were gonna wake up. Mommy’s making
pancakes and you don’t wanna miss ‘em.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Uh huh.” Her head bobbed with her answer. “Hey Mister, whatcha got those for?” She pointed to the tattoos on my chest. Then her tiny fingers outlined the large rose over my pec.

  “Because I like them.” I made a move to get up, but then I remembered that I was naked beneath the covers.

  “I like the flower. You like flowers too?”

  Before I could answer, Rose tapped on the door and asked, “Is trouble in here?”

  “Not trouble. But I did hear pancakes were in the works.”

  “Yes, there are, but did she wake you up?” There was a bit of a warning in her tone.

  “You might want to ask Muffin that.”

  “Montana, did you wake him?”

  “I didn’t want him to miss out, Mommy.”

  Rose crossed her arms and wasn’t happy. “What did I tell you?”

  A sad Montana answered, “I’m not supposed to ever come in here unless I’m invited.”

  “That’s right. And did Pearson invite you?”

  “No.” She sure looked pitiful with that lower lip poked out.

  “Then no whipped cream on your pancakes.” Now she was absolutely crushed.

  I started to say something, but Rose’s hand flew up, so my mouth slammed shut. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll allow you to get up, Pearson. Come on, Montana.”

  She dutifully followed her mother out the door, allowing me to throw on some clothes. When I reached the kitchen, the aroma of pancakes was like heaven to my nose.

  “Ah, it smells delicious.”

  “Mommy makes the best pancakes in the whole wide world.”

  “I don’t know about that, but they aren’t bad. You ready for coffee?”

  “Please.” She pointed to the coffee maker and I hurried over and grabbed a cup.

  “How’d you sleep?” she asked.

  “Great. It was my first night with no cravings.”

  “Really? That’s awesome.”

  “Yeah, I thought so too. Must be the environment.”

  I observed her as she finished cooking. There was a huge stack of pancakes in the oven that she pulled out and added the last batch to. The table was already set with all the necessary items.