She tips her face to mine. “She might be the smartest woman I’ve ever known. And Jen Montgomery is my sister, so that’s saying something.”
I give her a squeeze. “Let’s finish the closet at least. The faster we get this done, the sooner we can move in permanently.”
She looks back to the closet. “There’re boxes up high I can’t reach.”
I let her go and head for the rest of my mom’s junk. We can go through it another night. I’m anxious for some more unprotected sex. “This is the biggest of the bedrooms and it has its own bathroom, I figure Griffin will appreciate it when we give him siblings.”
“I love you,” she offers freely, just like she used to.
I look back and tell her the truth. “Love you, too, angel.”
26
The Hardest and the Easiest
Keep the ones you love close and an eye on the rest, ‘cause who’d want them closer anyway?
Trig
My mom cleaned houses when I was growing up. She graduated from high school, but my dad did not. Somehow, he got his hooks into my mom when they were young. Maybe he wasn’t the asshole he is now … or even ten years ago … hell, even thirty-two years ago because I don’t remember him being anything other than the lying, cheating, thieving, son-of-a-bitch he’s always been.
When it comes to him, I have no memory of a time I wasn’t conditioned to being alert when he was around. It started when I was little and I’d hide when he came home drunk or high. It kept on later, but I did my best to stay away. He was never violent nor did he raise a hand to my mother. If he had, I probably would’ve killed him. But he did everything else and how he evaded the law as long as he did is beyond me. He’s a slippery fucker.
The only time I was able to breathe easy was when he was in prison. Even then, the first thing I did when I got a real job was find someone on the inside who could keep tabs on him. It was worth the price I paid, even when I could barely afford it. What happened to Ellie that day will haunt me until I die. Knowing my father’s every move was the only way I could sleep at night.
That’s why, for the last three weeks, I’ve kept a closer eye on him than normal.
He’s been quiet.
Eerily quiet.
Since Ellie is back in my bed—or in the guest bed at my mother’s house—I thought I would’ve at least calmed down, but no. Knowing she and Griffin are under my roof and aren’t going anywhere has only made me more alert. As long as Ray Barrett is breathing free air, I’ll obsess and stalk the shit out of him. The restraining order went through within a day and included her McMansion, studio, and my mother’s home.
Pettit told me that his parole officer wasn’t happy about the order and my dad has to check in more often because of it. My dad goes to work and sometimes he hits the same shitty-ass bar he used to go to all the time back in the day, but he always heads home after. He hasn’t done anything shady.
Until today.
“Your dad met with someone.”
My eyes angle up to Anderson. He works for Eli and has been tailing my dad. When I got a call straight from him and not Pettit, I knew the quiet was over. I’m so on edge, I’m ready for a fucking earthquake. “Who?”
“I don’t know. Truck windows were tinted and I wasn’t in a position to get a read on the tag to run it.” Anderson brings the screen of his big-ass camera to life and hands it to me. “I got some shots, but like I said, it was dark. He drove up, your dad got out of his truck, and talked to him through his window. I don’t have many pictures and Eli said to come straight to you, see if you recognized anything. I got what I could, which isn’t much.”
I zoom in as far as I can, skimming through the pictures. It’s so dark, I can’t see who’s in the car. As much as I appreciate the information, this is no help.
“When was this taken?” I ask, not looking away from the camera as I flip through the rest of the pictures of the man driving away in a generic Ford truck that’s maybe a few years old.
“About thirty minutes ago.”
“Can you send those to me?” I pick up my cell and call Ellie because I’m late.
“Yeah.” He takes back the camera and starts pressing all kinds of buttons.
“Hey, you,” she answers. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to this. Her voice hits me deep in my gut and I’m fucking thrilled to have it back. “I thought you were busy all afternoon.”
I scribble my email address on a notepad and rip it off, handing it to Anderson. “Where are you?”
“The studio.” She laughs, happy, and it’s so good to hear her like this. She almost sounds like she did when I met her. Griffin screams and babbles in the background. She’s been taking him to work with her every day. “Trig, I think he’s going to walk soon. He’s so close.”
“Good.” I pack up my Mac and paperwork as I speak. “You ready to go home and start the weekend?”
“Yes, I’m exhausted. Between getting ready for the opening and juggling Griffin, I’m wiped. Griff and I are heading out after I gather a few more things.”
“I appreciate you stopping by,” I say to Anderson on my way out of my office before turning my attention back to Ellie. “I’ll meet you at home?”
She pauses and when I get her voice back, it turns soft. “Yes, home. I’m starving.”
* * *
I pull out and roll her to her back. Her objection comes through a moan when she pushes her light hair out of her face to look up at me. “Why did you stop?”
“Want to see your face when I come.” I hike her leg high and thrust back inside.
She’s orgasmed twice—my Ellie, so perfect and sweet. Once on my face and the next when I rolled her to her stomach and had her on her knees. I could watch her come all day and never get used to the beauty of it. Now, she’s out of breath as she arches her back, pulling her knees up high, her pussy swallowing my cock, as hungry for me as I am for her.
We’ve fallen into a routine. Dinner, time to bond with Griffin, getting him ready for bed, then, us.
This.
Just her and me. I’m not sure we’ll ever make up for lost time but we’re doing our damnedest to give it a go. I never thought I’d have her back, let alone let my mind go to the absolute fucking utopia of it becoming a reality.
Her breathing becomes as erratic as mine. I slide my hand under her ass and lift, needing more of her and her taking every inch. “You gonna come again, baby? I’m close.”
“Harder,” she breathes and I squeeze her ass, pounding and grinding, not holding back. Again … again … again … “Yes, more,” she begs as she constricts around my dick and I can’t hold on any longer. Every muscle in my body tenses and I press into her, planted deep.
I don’t pull out but I do lower myself, smothering her small frame and loving it. She doesn’t object and runs her hands down my back. “I’d say we need a bigger bed, but we hardly use half of this one.”
I lean up on my forearms and look down at her. “The rest of our stuff will be here tomorrow and we can move into the master. But we’re going to have to let some of my mom’s things go. It’s too much.”
Her fingertips dance over my bottom lip and she gives her bare shoulder a lazy lift. "I see something of Faye in everything here. What are we supposed to get rid of?”
I lean in to kiss her. “We’ll put it all in storage for now and think about it later. I’m ready for this shit to be done and get settled once and for all.”
She yawns and I pull out, rolling to the side as she climbs out of bed and walks naked to the bathroom. I can’t take my eyes off her. When she disappears around the corner, I grab my phone that’s been lighting up the dim room for the last forty-five minutes.
Notifications from the tracker on my dad’s truck. He’s not quiet anymore. His Friday night has been busy. I’m sure he’s no doubt been killing his paycheck since he’s been back and forth from his shit property to the even shittier bar where he used to be a regular. They no doubt welcomed him back wi
th honors that would make a soldier’s homecoming look pathetic. But what’s interesting is the last place he’s been. I sit up in bed, leaning against the headboard as I study the map. I swear, it’s the ex-sheriff’s place.
Why the hell would he be visiting Logan?
Ellie comes back into the room, yawning as she shrugs off her silk robe and climbs back into bed with me, just as naked as she was when she left. I toss my phone to the nightstand because Ellie doesn’t need to be bothered with the whereabouts of my father as long as he stays far away from her.
“Griffin okay?” I ask as we settle in.
She nods and presses herself up against my side. “He’s out.”
I kiss her forehead.
“Trig?” she calls for me as her body starts to relax.
“Hmm?”
“Jen called me again today. She said my mom is starting to make a fuss and blaming my father for my refusing to see them.”
I tilt her face to me. “Then you should see them. Don’t keep yourself away from your parents on my account.”
She shakes her head as her lethargic lids melt over her blues. “I just can’t. I’m so angry at him for how he’s treated you. I know I’ll get past it eventually but he needs to get used to the fact we’re together. Nothing he can say or do will change it, not this time around.”
“As many years as I’ve spent hating your father, no one can argue the fact he loves his family. He might not have gone about it the right way, but I guess, in his own twisted mind, he thought he was doing right by you.”
Her eyes are closed when she mumbles, “I’m naked and tired, Trig. Not the time for you to take my dad’s side.”
I lean in and kiss her temple. “Griff doesn’t need to be in the middle of the movers tomorrow. I’ll handle everything at your house and you stay here with him.”
I feel her smile against my bicep. “You just don’t want to change his diaper.”
I grip her bare hip and slide my hand around to her ass. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She sighs, and when she does, she sounds happy. “You love us.”
“You loved me first.”
“Probably,” she agrees, masking another yawn. “But you came along pretty quick.”
I did.
“Loving you has proven to be the hardest and easiest thing I’ve ever done, angel.”
She doesn’t say another word as her weight settles into me.
27
Long Lost
Ninety-five percent of people are good. It’s the other five percent who are noisy and create havoc. It’s basically the law of everything.
Trig
“We’re almost done.”
I look up from the email I’m typing and wonder if those words will ever ring true. I’m anxious to get this shit over with. Combining Ellie’s mansion-sized house and my condo into my mother’s home is proving to take for-fucking-ever and the more we move there, the bigger mess we’ve got because Ellie doesn’t want to get rid of any of my mom’s things.
I’m sitting on the last of the furniture—a barstool at the kitchen island in the middle of Ellie’s mostly empty space. It goes on the market next week.
“Everything out of the rooms upstairs?” I ask. Griffin needs his bed and toys. Ellie was right, the kid could walk any day now and I wouldn’t be surprised if he just takes off running. He’s proved over the last week he can climb out of that portable crib whenever he wants.
“Yes’sir.” The guy looks at his watch. “Should be done in another thirty minutes, tops. Then we’ll head on over to the other place to unload it all.”
“Thanks,” I say distractedly, looking over the mover’s shoulder at the uninvited guest who just waltzed in.
“Trig.”
I set my phone down and stand, but don’t move to shake his hand. “Kipp. This is a surprise. Ellie’s not here.”
He crosses his arms and looks around the empty house. “I know. Jen told her mama you were having the last of Ellie’s things moved today. I know this is Griffin’s naptime and there’s no way she’d interrupt that if she didn’t have to. Was hopin’ to find you here alone.”
“Not alone,” I note. “There are witnesses.”
He glares at me even though his heart doesn’t seem into it. “Jen’s on my case. Hattie’s on my case. Hell, even Cam called and told me it was time to pull my head out of my ass.”
I hitch a brow but don’t utter a word. Agreeing wouldn’t be conducive to Ellie speaking to her parents again but it’s the only reason I hold my tongue.
“Ellie’s an adult. I can’t tell her what to do,” he adds.
That, I can’t and won’t ignore and cross my arms to mirror his stance. “She was an adult ten years ago when you basically blackmailed her.”
His jaw goes hard. “She was barely eighteen.”
“But she was. And by strong-arming your own daughter, I almost went down for shit I didn’t do. Then you tried to pay me off to leave her. My mother would have my ass for not forgiving. But trust? That’s a whole other beast I’m not ready to take on yet.”
“It’s not easy,” he goes on. “When you have kids, you’ll understand.”
My face, my gut, and hell, my soul, hardens. “Fuck, Kipp. Did you really just say that to me?”
He exhales and runs a hand down his face. “I came here to make peace.”
“You mean, you were forced to come here and make peace?”
He stuffs his hands in his pockets and drops his eyes to the wood floor in front of him. When he looks up, his tone is different and I finally learn what desperation looks like on Kipp Montgomery. “Miss my daughter and grandson. Hattie’s madder than a wet hen and told me not to come home ‘til I made this right. You know me and know that I don’t apologize. But hindsight is a bitch and it kicked my ass this time around. I made a mistake with you—hell, with my own daughter. I set her on a course that hasn’t only been bad, it’s been deadly, and has only given her heartache.”
I want nothing more than to tell him to fuck off for what he’s done. To me, to Ellie … and for what we should’ve been.
“It was my father who’s at fault for what happened to her and our child. But it was you who took me away from her at a time when she needed me more than she needed anything. You did that because of my last name and you know you did.”
“Your daddy—”
“Don’t fucking call him that,” I bite out.
He takes a beat before he continues. “I blame Ray for the road my sister went down. He might not’ve ushered Silvie down it, but he sure as hell gave her a shove. I did your mama a favor, gave you a job, and you stabbed me in the back—stole my baby right out from under my nose.”
“No, Kipp. I did no such thing. She fucking stole me. And she’s had me ever since.”
He says nothing.
I take advantage of his silence because I’m sick of listening to him. “Never loved anyone but her. I’m going to marry her, make Griffin my own, and give him some brothers and sisters—sooner rather than later. He’ll carry my name as soon as I can draw up the papers.”
Kipp stays mute but I see something working in his eyes. Something I can’t read. Finally, he gives me a single nod.
“Ellie hasn’t said it but she doesn’t have to, Kipp. She’ll pick me over you. I know she will.” I pause, making him meet my eyes. “I’m willing to set our past aside—but know I’m only doing it for Ellie. She deserves everything and I want to give it to her. She needs me but she also needs her family. Don’t make her choose because you’ll lose your baby. Trust me, you do not want to experience that. I have and it fucking hurts more than anything in the world.”
He shakes his head and answers in an instant. “I won’t lose her. I can’t.”
“No.” I agree. “You can’t.”
He looks around the mostly empty, vast space that Ellie will never walk into again if I can help it. “Jen tells me Ellie and Griffin are moving into your mama’s house with you
.”
I lift my chin because there’s nothing else to say. I don’t give a shit what he thinks.
“Jen told me Ellie’s happy.”
“She is,” I confirm. “So is Griffin. He and I are getting to know each other, which is not a hardship. The way I see it, it’ll be an honor to be his dad. You stop being an asshole, you can come by and see for yourself.”
He looks at me a beat. “Just like that?”
I nod. “For Ellie, just like that.”
He drops his head to stare at his feet. When he looks up, his dark eyes, the color of dirt, catch mine. He says nothing more but takes the three steps separating us and offers me his hand.
For no other reason besides Ellie and Griffin, I take it.
And just like I said, all the shit he put us through is done.
For Ellie.
His tone is heavy. “I’ll be over soon. Miss my girl and grandbaby.”
I cross my arms. “Open door for you, Kipp.”
And with that, he’s gone—the man who will inevitably be my father-in-law, sooner than later if my sperm has anything to say about it. For Ellie, it was easy to forgive.
My phone vibrates on the counter and I pick it up. “Angel. You’ll never guess who just left—”
“Trig.” My gut clenches when I hear my name spill through the phone in a desperation so deep, it cuts into me like a nightmare. “Come home. Now.”
* * *
She wouldn’t tell me over the phone—she couldn’t. She was too upset, begging me to get to her as fast as I could.
I left the movers and told them to pull the door shut behind them. There’s nothing left we want and it’s not like the neighborhood isn’t gated anyway.
Breaking every traffic law to get to her, I rush through the garage door to find her sitting on the floor, legs crossed, with boxes littered all around her—papers, books, more of my mother’s shit that we’ve been going through for weeks.
Broken Halo: The Montgomery Series, Book 2 Page 25
