Marked
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That sounded delicious. Way better than the turkey sandwiches I’d planned on doing. Though, it also sounded like the kind of meal that required you to be rolled out afterward like Violet Beauregarde.
“Don’t worry,” he tacked on as he exchanged the canister in his hand for plastic to temporarily wrap me in. “Mom always serves something green, too. House rule.”
“That might be a battle,” I admitted. “I want to say I’m one of those amazing moms that got their kid to love vegetables early, but I’m pretty sure that requires a sacrifice to some minor god. I never learned the secret.”
“Mom made me choke them down for eighteen years, and every time I’m at her table since, and I still don’t do it without a fight. And I turned out all right.”
“Good enough, I guess,” I sassed.
He leaned back to give me an over-acted aggrieved look. “And to think I got you a ticket to the table when there’s mashed potato casserole on the menu. I could have saved the leftovers for myself.”
“Your loss.”
His eyes dipped to my lips, and I realized I was smiling without noticing it.
“Nah. Not in the slightest.”
Chapter Thirteen
Liam
Step one after leaving Sailor’s Grave was getting Owen. Kate explained that one of the brothers, Doc, was watching him. She’d had to call to see where they were, explaining, “Doc’s feet itch. He’s not great about staying in one place all day.”
Most men Doc’s age—the man was in his late sixties—were slowing down, to say the least, but the man still rode with an MC; he wasn’t the typical nine-to-five in a dress shirt type guy anyway.
Doc had Owen at the Disciples’ clubhouse, which was conveniently not far from my mom’s. On the drive over, Kate was quiet. At a light, I looked over to find her head turned away, eyes out the window, and her leg bouncing. I waited a few blocks before glancing again. Still going.
“You doing okay being in the car?” I checked in.
Her head swung back my way. “Yeah. It’s never my favorite thing anymore, but I’m all right.”
Either she was downplaying how nervous it made her, or she was being honest and was freaking out about dinner. I wanted to know, wanted to reassure her that whatever it was, everything would be fine. The day had been filled with enough of me pressing my way into her thoughts, though. For the moment, I let it slide.
When we rolled up to the clubhouse—a converted warehouse the club had tricked out for their use—Doc was out front with Owen and Tank, another of the older members. These days, the Disciples was a three-generation family. Tank’s daughter, Cami, had even married a brother and they had a son around Owen’s age. There were some guys younger than Connor trying to earn their way in. It’d be easy to wonder how the older guys like Doc and Tank kept up, but I’d been to enough parties at the clubhouse to know it wasn’t a struggle.
Kate hopped out once I was parked, and Owen came right for her. She was so focused on his approach, she didn’t notice the assessing looks I was getting from the men behind him, but I did. I should have anticipated the change in reception, but I hadn’t given it much thought. Kate had a way of distracting me that way.
I lifted my chin, acknowledging them both, but I didn’t begin to back down. I knew they’d be hesitant with anyone sniffing around Kate, and I didn’t begrudge them that at all. In fact, I liked knowing just how much they all cared. I liked that Kate had the whole club at her back for more than just her relationship to Daz. Sketch had shown me the same thing earlier. They’d claimed her, and they’d claimed Owen. The message was loud and clear that no one was fucking with either of the two people between us, and that was fine by me. I had no intention of hurting either of them, and the brothers would all see that for themselves.
After a minute when some of the tension eased, even though I knew I would still be watched with assessing eyes, I closed the gap to Kate and Owen.
“It’s so loud!” Owen was gushing about something. His eyes came to me over his mom’s shoulder and got big. “Liam!” He darted around Kate to wrap his arms around my legs in a quick hug.
I ruffled his dark hair. “What’s up, bud?”
“I got to go to the shop!”
It was safe to assume he meant Savage Restorations—the club’s garage. It’d certainly explain the loud comment. The Disciples did work on all kinds of cars and bikes there, and testing those engines out was loud as hell.
“Awesome.”
“They had paints that you spray out of these cool guns. They paint the whole cars.” His face was awestruck like this was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen.
“I’ve seen it. It’s pretty amazing, huh?”
“Yeah,” he breathed. “Doc says I can do that when I grow up.”
“It’s all art, little man.”
He nodded like that was some sage shit from a spiritual guide or something, and the force of the laugh that wanted to come out made me cough to cover it.
Kate jumped in like the pro she was to cover my ass. “You ready for dinner, bug?”
“Yes!”
“All right, let’s get your seat in Liam’s car,” she said, standing and following Doc, who was already going to retrieve his car seat.
“Are we having pizza?” Owen asked.
“Not tonight. Tonight, we’re having the best meatloaf in the world.”
Taking me at my word, his eyes got huge. “Wow.”
“Exactly. Pretty awesome.”
Kate came back lugging the big car seat with ease, but I still reached out to take it from her. “You got him, I got this.”
She smiled in gratitude. Funny how the simplest shit got responses from her that made me feel ten feet tall.
“Thank you for watching him,” Kate said to Doc, who just raised an eyebrow back at her. She rolled her eyes. “I know, anytime.”
With that, she started leading Owen to the car, not noticing once again the expression on Doc’s face. This time, it was of surprise. That smile she’d had, the teasing tone in her last words, they were real. The reaction they got from him told me she hadn’t had the wool over the man’s eyes all this time. He gave me a look, then jutted his bearded chin my way. I understood. Conditional though it might be, I had approval.
I didn’t wait around after that, just gave both him and Tank a nod and followed my woman.
At least, I seriously fucking hoped she would be in time.
After watching Kate install the car seat with ease, we all loaded in and got on the road. It only took Owen until we were pulling back onto the street to jump in with more to say.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to my mom’s house,” I answered, stealing a peek at him through the rearview mirror.
“Oh.”
“We’re going to meet Liam’s family. His mom and his brother, Connor,” Kate added.
Owen didn’t respond right away, but when he did, I was glad I didn’t shock enough to jerk the wheel and freak either of them out.
“You don’t have a dad either?”
I heard Kate gasp, felt the tension radiating off of her. I had to take this one. After the day she’d already had, she couldn’t add this conversation on.
“I don’t,” I told him the truth. “We lost my dad a long time ago.”
“Me, too,” Owen said, and I felt like he’d reached right into my chest and ripped my fucking heart out.
“I know. I’m sorry, Owen.”
“Do you miss your dad?” he asked. The question was so matter-of-fact it made the pain that accompanied it—pain for their loss as much as my own—all the more acute.
“I do.”
“Me, too.”
When I felt strong enough to handle it, I risked a look at Kate. Her head was tilted toward the window, her hand up in a fist at her mouth. It was so tight her knuckles were white and her arm was trembling. There was red on her cheeks from the sheer force of the emotion that she was holding down.
By the time we made it to the house, though, she had collected herself. It didn’t take long to realize she’d also shut down. I wanted to say something, to push the issue, but I knew it’d only make things worse.
“Are we here?”
“Yeah, buddy,” she said, already getting out. “You hungry?”
“Yes!”
God, the kid was like fucking Teflon.
I waited at the front of the car for her to get him out. Where things had been comfortable, I was now worried about crowding her. Shit, it was like traversing a minefield. Before I could figure out a game plan for dealing with this upheaval, I heard the door opening behind me. Connor wasn’t supposed to open the door, and he knew it. That meant it was Mom, coming to be a good hostess and be nosy—the latter more her real motivation than the former. I turned to see her eyes all but bugging out as she took in our guests.
Jesus, maybe all of this was a mistake. I’d jumped at the opportunity without thinking any of this through. Not that I could backtrack now. At this point, all I had left was damage control.
I jogged up the front steps to the door. Mom glared at me since it was rude to leave Kate and Owen trailing me, but this was necessary.
“Keep your cool. Yeah?” I whispered to Mom.
She opened her mouth, ready to argue, but my expression must have told her how important it was, and she shut it again. I turned away, making a flourish of opening the screen door for Kate, like that was the reason I’d gone ahead.
That fake smile was plastered all over her face, and I fucking hated it. Owen’s smile though, that was all real.
“Welcome,” Mom greeted warmly. “I’m Margot. Come in, come in.”
“Hi, Margot, I’m Kate, and this is my son, Owen.”
“Hi!” Owen tacked on, not a shy bone in that kid’s body.
Mom was already in love, it was all over her face. She loved kids, it was why she’d had three of her own and was on Tracy and my asses about grandkids. I wondered sometimes if she would have had more if it weren’t for the accident.
Another, just as exuberant “Hi!” came from behind Mom as Connor came up. He was having a good day, I could tell just by the smile on his face, so that was at least one less thing to tackle in this scenario.
“Introduce yourself, honey,” Mom reminded him.
He nodded. “I’m Connor. It’s nice to meet you.” There it was. He had a full grasp of the manners thing, he just needed a reminder sometimes.
Kate, who I swore lost some of that bullshit in her smile and warmed up, introduced herself and Owen to him.
“Connor, why don’t you show them around while Liam helps me get dinner set?” Mom suggested.
Kate’s eyes flew to me, and I gave her an apologetic look that I could tell she understood. Mom had questions, and they were going to be answered without delay.
“That sounds great,” she went with it. “Lead the way, Connor.”
Excited for a task he deemed important, Connor led them right into the living room, telling them all about the things they could see around them. Meanwhile, Mom was already walking toward the kitchen. It was bad, but I half debated grabbing Kate and Owen and making a run for it. I wanted Mom’s cooking, but I’d take pizza and none of the mess.
She was waiting for me when I rounded the corner, jumping in on a hush, “Are you kidding me? First Tracy, now you?”
“It’s not like that.”
She ignored me. “How long have you been seeing her and keeping this from me?”
“Mom, I’m telling you, we aren’t seeing each other.” Unfortunately.
“Why the hell not?” she demanded. “She’s gorgeous and that boy of hers is adorable.”
“So it’s all just about looks? I thought you said beauty was only skin deep?”
She gave me a droll look.
“Okay, fine. I want it to be like that, but she’s not ready.” Here went nothing. “She’s a widow, Mom.”
I watched as she paled, the familiar sorrow coming into her eyes, but this time colored with empathy for Kate.
“Recent?” Her voice was rough as it wrapped around the word.
“About three years.”
She turned her head as if she could see Kate and Owen through the walls. “He was so young.”
I didn’t know if she was talking about Owen or Joel. Either way, she was right.
“She loved him?”
I nodded. “From what I’ve gotten, he deserved that from her,” I added.
Her hand, shaking a bit, came up to rest on her chest like it physically hurt her heart. I knew the feeling all too well.
“I’ve made some progress, gotten her to be comfortable with me. Right now, she knows the ball’s in her court and I’m ready to make us a thing the minute she says the word, but she’s not there yet. Maybe she won’t ever be.”
Mom’s attention snapped fully to me. “Don’t you give up on her,” she ordered, losing hold on the whisper a bit.
“Not a fucking chance,” I assured.
Mom didn’t even call me out on the swearing. “Good.”
“But you need to know, Owen asked about Dad on the way here. He caught on that I’d only mentioned you and Connor. It didn’t go well for Kate, and it’s not the only rough moment she’s had today. She’s raw right now, so she might not be all there through dinner.”
Mom put her hand on my arm, rubbing a bit to stop my blathering defense. “I get it.”
She did. Better than I could. Better than just about anyone. It was part of why I thought dinner would be good. I wanted Kate to meet her, to see Mom as she was now knowing how similar their stories were. I wanted to show her there was a horizon to reach for.
I pulled Mom in for a hug. “Thanks, Momma.” I hoped she knew that it wasn’t just about Kate. It was about everything she’d done for us, every morning she’d woken up and put us kids before her own pain. It was a thank you for all the years past and all the ones to come.
“I love you, sweetheart."
Chapter Fourteen
Kate
“And that’s it,” Connor summed up his tour. Since he’d led us away, he’d been chattering almost nonstop. It was sweet and reminded me a lot of Owen when he got going. Connor told us all about every room, even candidly talking about the safety features in the bathroom for him. It was all pride that he had a family and a house that was all about what was best for him, and the fact that they’d given him that confidence was as beautiful as any of the rest.
My favorite part had probably been seeing Liam’s childhood bedroom, which still looked like a teenage artist lived in it, if cleaner. It was particularly amusing to hear Connor talk about how Liam had lived in there again when he’d first moved back to Hoffman. That he’d spent two months in there without updating anything—including the twin bed that I’m surprised he managed to sleep in—amused me.
Margot’s house was, in a word, comfortable. It felt like a home, not some kind of showpiece. That said, it was all clean and organized—the two boys’ rooms being a level of exception to the rule—and clearly decorated with a mind to looking nice. There were no tacky decorations or overly bright colors, but there was life. A lot of this coming from the pictures of her family artfully displayed at every turn. You could see all three kids grow up through those photos. You could also see what they’d all lost.
Liam’s dad wasn’t missing in those pictures, not until it couldn’t be helped. He was still on display, still a part of their lives. At first, I thought I wouldn’t be able to stomach images of Joel around. When we’d packed the basics to come to Hoffman with Daz, I’d only grabbed one from our little courthouse wedding, and I’d packed it in its own pocket of the suitcase where I wouldn’t see it by accident. The movers boxed up the rest, and it had been my intention to leave them there.
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br /> When we’d gotten to the farmhouse, though, the old ladies—the club name for girlfriends and wives—had decorated rooms specifically for Owen and me. And in them, they’d put pictures of us and Joel. The moment I’d seen them, after days of attempting to block out the face of the man I loved to no avail, I realized I needed them. I needed to see him, even if pictures were all I could have, and so did Owen to keep his father’s memory alive.
I’d unboxed more over time. It hurt to unearth them, to see them every day, but it hurt more to pretend Joel hadn’t been one of the most important things in my life. The evidence was all around me that Margot felt the same way.
“Can you say thank you to Connor for giving us such an awesome tour?” I prompted Owen.
“Thanks, dude!”
Dude? Where had that come from?
Connor smiled hugely, and I remembered Liam saying it was impossible not to love him when you met him. He was right. Connor’s happiness was infectious, even for me. I hadn’t thought about what happened in the car the whole time he’d been leading us.
“Come on, we should wash up for dinner. Mom said it was ready when you guys got here.”
Like that. He was derailing the bad thoughts before they managed to get traction. Owen did the same for me; it’s what made it easy to throw myself entirely into taking care of him.
“Good idea,” I told him, then looked down at Owen. “When’s the last time you washed your hands?”
“I dunno.”
Yeah, that sounded about right.
Connor led us back to the kitchen, which he’d passed over before, explaining we could wash our hands there. Owen started telling him about the car painting that he’d witnessed earlier, which Connor knew all about. Apparently, his big brother’s career in art got him interested, too. When we made it to the kitchen, Connor didn’t hesitate to go grab a step stool for Owen to get up on to wash his hands.