by Jen Davis
She whirled around. “I only asked for a loan. Parents give loans to their children all the time. You were the one who put strings on it. The terms said I would date Nathan for six months, and you would grant me the fifty thousand you had for me in trust. It’s not even really a loan. It’s my money. And those six months are done. I held up my end of the bargain.”
Her father peered at his fingernails. “It’s your money when you turn thirty-five. Let’s not forget.”
“A deal is still a deal. You gave me twenty-five thousand at the beginning. I need the other twenty-five thousand now.”
He rolled his eyes. “To save your precious Charlie’s company.”
“It’s my company now,” she growled. “Mine and Mike’s. And you know it.”
“Be that as it may, I need you to stay on Nathan’s arm a little bit longer.”
Her voice rose. “Those weren’t our terms.”
“Our terms have changed!” His shout echoed in the cavernous room. He breathed deeply and clenched his jaw. “Nathan finds you a pleasant companion. He and his connections are going to support my run for governor. I can’t have you upsetting the balance of things right now.”
“But he hurt me,” she whispered, balling her fists. “The last time we were together, he hit me, and he kicked me when I was down.” She thrust a fist against her thigh. “Don’t you care?”
“Of course, I care.” Nothing in his voice indicated he was surprised by her admission. “I’m not asking you to let him hurt you. I’m simply asking you to extend your association with the man for a little bit longer. Really, what can he do to you in public?”
When she released her tense fingers, tiny half-moons marks indented her palms. She swallowed back the sob lodged in her throat. Reaching for her Ice Queen veneer, she met her father’s level stare. Her feelings didn’t matter to him. Why would she think otherwise? This was a business deal. “How do I know you won’t change the terms on me again?”
He held up his palms. “I give you my word.”
“I no longer find your word carries the weight I thought it did,” she said formally. “I suppose I inherited my sense of honor from Mom’s side of the family.”
“Honor,” he spat, and his face contorted in a sneer. “Was she honoring me when she ran off and left us? When she married another man?”
She stuffed her outrage down. Why was she even surprised? Her father had never thought of anyone but himself. Her happiness had never been his priority. Neither had Mom’s. It was the reason she’d left, and she’d been right to do it.
Her mask slipped a little. “Mom didn’t leave us. She left you. I should’ve done the same thing years ago.”
Why hadn’t she? Was she still worried he’d betray the agreement they’d made all those years ago? Or was it because she was so hollowed out, there was nothing beneath the masks she created to hide her true self?
“You’re being overly dramatic. Whether you recognize it or not, I’ve done nothing but look out for your best interests.” He walked to the fireplace and poured himself two fingers of scotch from the decanter on the mantelpiece.
“Sure. As long as I did things your way. Dated the men you wanted. My happiness never mattered then any more than it matters now.”
He slammed his drink on the mantle, sloshing the liquor over the rim. Only the thickness of the high-quality crystal kept the glass from breaking. “You are not talking about the ridiculous infatuation you had in college. We always come back to it. That boy—”
“Man.” Her voice shook, all signs of the Ice Queen melted. “That man meant everything to me. But no. I’m not talking about Kane. I’m talking about Nathan. I won’t date him anymore. I won’t sleep with him. And I won’t let him hit me ever again. I will be cordial to him and be an escort to a few more events. But I swear, Dad, in two more weeks, I’m done either way.” Empty as she was, she’d reached her limit.
“Four. And I’ll send a bodyguard with you everywhere you go.”
She considered his offer. The money was essential for her expansion plan at Cooper, and though she’d probably qualify for a bank loan, the debt would make the company look weak. The man she wanted to do business with will have done his homework, and she had to approach him from a position of strength.
“I know your stepbrother really needs that business of yours to stay afloat. Even with insurance, his medical bills must be quite draining.”
Bastard. Mike, his family, and their business were the only things left she cared about. “Fine. Four weeks. And I’ll take you up on the bodyguard.”
Her father’s smile was the same practiced one he’d given Nathan. “It may actually work out for you better in the end. Even if he is a bad egg underneath it all, Nathan Shaw can only help your social standing in this town. You never know, maybe some time on his arm will help you land a man worthy of the Griffin name.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Amanda
Walking through her brother’s small foyer, the weight from Amanda’s stressful day finally lifted from her shoulders. The Cooper house represented everything she wanted her own home to be one day. Never mind the fact it would fit four times over into her father’s place. She’d take warm and inviting over cold and pretentious any day of the week. She loved sinking into the plush suede sofa, and she always wanted to kick off her shoes the second she walked in, just to squish her toes inside the fluffy throw-rugs.
It’s what her niece, Aliyah, did now, standing barefoot on the thick fabric. Her pudgy, eighteen-month-old fingers held on to the coffee table for balance.
“Mana!”
She swept the little girl into her arms for a gentle hug and was rewarded with a wet kiss to the side of her face. Her heart ached. She’d held out for years, unwilling to raise a child if she couldn’t do it with a man she loved. At this point, though, she was ready to be a mom, even if she had to do it all on her own. Lots of women did it.
She could have done it with Joshua, but when he was born, it seemed easier to let him go with her brother and his wife.
A new baby wouldn’t happen while Nathan was in the picture, though. She would rather cut out her own tongue than to tie herself to a prick like him for the rest of her life.
She breathed in the lingering baby-smell on Aliyah’s light-brown skin. Soon, all of her toddler traits would vanish, leaving a rough and tumble preschooler in their wake. She’d seen it happen before with Joshua, even if it had been from a distance, more than a decade earlier.
“Is your Auntie-Manda covering you with kisses?”
The little girl squirmed at her father’s voice, and Amanda released her to toddle toward her daddy’s wheelchair. Mike looked frailer than he had the last time she’d seen him. It seemed counter-intuitive since he was supposed to be healing, but it’s not like he could hold on to his muscle mass with two broken legs, a shattered pelvis, and a punctured lung.
Her heart eased a little when he flashed her a smile. He was still here. Still Mike. Even if he couldn’t lean over to pick up his daughter.
His wife stepped from behind the chair to lift their daughter in her arms. Cindy and Mike had been together for so long, she was more of a sister than an in-law.
“We saved you a piece of pecan pie. I figured your dad wouldn’t have any at his house.”
Leave it to Cindy to remember it was her favorite. “Thanks. I wish I could have been here for dinner.” She rubbed at her forehead as Cindy sat beside her on the couch. “You know my dad. Couldn’t miss the chance to turn a holiday into a political opportunity.”
Aliyah twisted her little body in her mother’s arms, determined to get back to her daddy. When Cindy refused to let her down, she started to cry.
“It’s almost her bedtime,” Cindy murmured. “I’m going to go give her a bath.”
Mike’s smile fell as his girls left the room, and Aliyah’s cries echoed down the hall. “I’m not strong enough to hold her. She doesn’t understand.”
“How could she? She’s only
a baby. But it’s not forever. You’ll get stronger, and you’ll hold her again. She won’t even remember all this.”
She wished she could forget too. The memory of Mike so quiet and motionless in his hospital bed after his accident still took her breath away. Her brother had always been larger than life, her rock after their parents died more than ten years ago.
“Let’s talk about something else,” she said brightly. No sense in dwelling on the past. “What’s with the beard? You look like Sasquatch.”
Mike ran his hand over his scruffy cheek. “You don’t like it? Cindy says it makes me look kind of like Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy.”
A bark of laughter escaped her mouth before she could stop it. “They say love is blind. All I can say is your wife must really love you.” Mike may have had the same coloring and dirty blond hair, but no one would mistake him for a blockbuster actor. His features were far too broad and blunt. He wasn’t a bad-looking guy, but pushing forty, he looked like, well, what he was, a hard-working, blue-collar husband and father.
He joined in her laughter, then rubbed at his chest. “Are you trying to kill me? Don’t make me laugh.” When he caught his breath, he rolled closer. “What happened at the meeting with the board?”
Reliving the failed coup killed any urge to laugh. “They tried to force me out.” She held up her hand when he started to sputter. “They tried and failed. I had proof I was your proxy. Guess all our planning paid off.”
“Fuck them for even trying,” he growled.
“They didn’t even let me pitch the plan.” Suddenly, she was very tired. All she did anymore was fight losing battles.
“Have you brought it to Xander yet?”
“What? No. You and I haven’t officially decided to move forward yet.”
Mike rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and folded his hands beneath his chin. Despite his lighter hair, he looked so much like Charlie right then, it was almost like her stepdad was in the room. “Bullshit. You were afraid of running into Kane.”
“Fuck you. I saw Kane the last time I went to one of Xander’s sites. I’m still standing. Things have been over with us for a long time.”
Her brother always saw straight through her bullshit. “Things will never be over for the two of you. I still don’t understand why you broke things off.”
No way. They weren’t going there. “You want me to talk to Xander? Fine. I could see Kane a hundred times, and it wouldn’t change ancient history.”
“You’re not happy,” he said solemnly. “You haven’t been for a long time.”
“Being here makes me happy. Spending time with Joshua these past few years has made all the difference…and now Aliyah.” She cleared her throat against the rising tide of emotion. “You’ve always made me feel like a real part of this family.”
“Because you are.” He wrung his hands, his eyes fixing on a spot behind her shoulder. “Sometimes I think you regret giving him to me.”
“Never.” Her answer was immediate and unwavering. “I love him, but I could never have done the job you and Cindy have. God, Mike, I was such a wreck back then, and I was alone. The two of you had so much to offer him. You still do.”
He flicked his eyes to hers then back over her shoulder. “He knows Cindy’s not his mom.” With her dark skin next to Joshua’s pale white complexion, it would have been a tough sell. “We’ve told him the truth. It was past time, really. I’d always planned for you to be there, but when he asked, I couldn’t put him off. I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you about it.”
Her heart froze. She should have been there. But Mike was right; they should have dealt with this ages ago. But it hurt so much. “If you thought it was best, you know I support you. It doesn’t have to change anything. You’re his parents in every way that counts.”
Heart heavy, she forced herself off the comfortable couch and rose to her feet. She spoke carefully, infusing her voice with a lightness she didn’t feel. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch him before he went to his buddy’s house. Tell him I love him, and we’ll talk soon.” She kissed her brother on his scruffy cheek. “I’ll meet Xander on Monday, but you’d better shave before I see you next. You know how much I hate kissing a man with a beard.”
***
Kane
As much as it irritated him in the summertime, Kane was grateful for his heavy beard in falling autumn temperatures. Though Atlanta wasn’t known for cold weather, it did get chilly a few months out of the year. And riding a motorcycle, the wind could be a sharp slap in the face. He arrived bright and early at the build site in Decatur and switched out his helmet for a hard hat.
Robby waited with his clipboard in the shell of the double garage, ready to start the new workweek. The kid wore his regular khakis and a button-down shirt, but an Incredible Hulk T-shirt peeked through underneath.
He warmed to the kid despite himself. Robby looked younger than his twenty-three years, with his floppy dark hair and guileless puppy dog eyes, and the superhero shirt made Kane want to take him out to a baseball game or—no, not that—a strip club and load him up with dollar bills.
Shit. Maybe a male strip club. Robby was batting for the other team.
Whatever. The kid needed somebody looking out for him. He was pretty sure Robby had no one except Brick, who’d become his surrogate big brother.
“Love the T-shirt, kid.”
Robby gaped as he looked down over his white Oxford. Obviously secondhand, the fabric was thin from too many washings. His cheeks colored. “Oh no. You can see it?”
“The Hulk? Yeah, but don’t sweat it. Who isn’t into Marvel?”
Frowning, Robby plucked at his button-down. “You’re missing the point. Graphic-T’s aren’t very professional.”
“So why did you wear it?” He’d never seen Robby dress down, even the one time they’d been out at the same bar.
The kid toed at the sawdust residue on the concrete.
He was sure an answer wasn’t coming when Robby finally looked him in the eye.
“For Brick. I, uh, I think about him like the Incredible Hulk sometimes. I’m worried about him. I miss him, you know? The shirt…” He shrugged. “I guess it’s my way of rooting for him to get better. Guess it sounds kind of stupid.”
If Brick were here, he would have lifted his eyebrow the way he did when he was trying to look badass, but Kane suspected Robby’s words would have chipped one more layer of ice from the man’s frozen exterior. It had been melting a little bit more every day since he met the love of his life.
Love.
Relationships.
It always seemed to come back around to the same shit.
“It doesn’t sound stupid at all. In fact, I think it would mean a lot you’re rooting for him. I saw him over the weekend, and I think he’ll be able to come back to work soon. Maybe next time I go, you can come with me.”
The hope shining in Robby’s eyes reminded him of a character he’d seen in a Japanese cartoon. “Really? You don’t mind? You don’t think he would mind?”
“I think it might be exactly what he needs.” He dropped his palm on Robby’s shoulder. “In the meantime, we’ve got work to do. Who am I with today?”
“It’s only you and Cyrus.” Robby frowned. “Brick and Will are still out, and Matt has some kind of family emergency.”
The way Robby rushed through the last part…even if he didn’t already know about the guy’s king-sized crush on Matt York, he’d sense something was up. But Robby clearly wanted to keep those feelings under wraps, so he resisted the urge to tease him. Instead, he focused on the impact of what he was being told.
“How in the hell are we going to get the work done with just the two of us? We’re already behind on this house. Cyrus is good, but it’s going to take more than two guys to do all this sheetrock.”
“Only the two of us?” Cy had moved in so quietly, he hadn’t heard him approach.
“We’re not on the battlefield, brother. Make a little n
oise when you come up behind somebody.”
The slight lift to the corner of Cy’s mouth was the closest he had ever come to seeing him smile. “I’ll take your suggestion under advisement.”
Robby lifted his hand in greeting before peering down at his clipboard. “I know it’s not really fair to put all this on you, but we don’t have a lot of options. If it helps, Xander is here today to be an extra set of hands. He’s already working out back.”
Cyrus nodded, his placid demeanor already back in place. “We should probably get started.”
Several sheets of drywall were already piled in the garage, giving them a head-start. They set up the small scaffold, and he held the first sheet in place against the ceiling joists as Cy screwed them in with the drill. The labor made his arms burn, but the strain felt good. He and Cyrus worked in companionable silence, taking turns switching off throughout the morning, one bracing the plaster, while the other secured it.
Back aching, he called for a break around eleven, and Cy offered to grab some water bottles from the ice chest. He pulled off his hard hat and yanked out the elastic from his hair. The cool air was a welcome relief after working up a sweat.
He sensed her before she said a word.
“Kane.”
His name on her lips still made his chest tighten and expand at the same time. It was a silken caress—and broken glass shredding his soul. He closed his eyes and let her nearness sink in for a heartbeat before he turned around.
“Twice in one month. Before you know it, you’ll be sending me fruitcake at Christmas.”
The tiny lines around her eyes tightened. “I’m here to see Xander.”
“I figured. He’s out back.”
Indecision flitted across her features.
He smirked.
That’s right. You either have to walk past me or tromp around in the mud in your fancy high heels. What’s it going to be?
She pursed her lips as though she could read his thoughts. Lifting her chin, she moved toward him. To a casual observer, she would seem completely unaffected, but he recognized her moves when she was faltering inside. Time hadn’t dulled his memories of Mandy Griffin. They were sharper than ever, which made sense, considering how often he’d taken them off the shelf of his heart and examined them over the years.
