by Zoe Hart
That’s when the back door opened. “My realtor,” I explained before we even saw him.
Roman stiffened. “Fallon,” he growled.
Fallon froze out of reach. “Roman. Good to see you.” He held out a hand to shake, but Roman crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, come on. You can’t still be mad at me,” he grumbled.
“Like hell I can’t.” Roman’s eyes narrowed.
“It has been almost five years!” Fallon shook his head in frustration.
“Well, since that’s the kind of mistake that lasts a lifetime, I don’t think it matters if it has been twenty years.” Roman loomed over Fallon.
I was afraid of what might happen next, but I couldn’t afford to have either of them out of commission over some stupid fight. “Hey, guys. What’s going on? Do I really have to get in between you?”
Roman looked me over for a minute as if he were busy contemplating what to do. “Thanks to Fallon, I can’t afford to lose any job, ever. So, I’ll be the bigger man and walk away.” He stepped back, but he wasn’t finished. “Stay away from me, Fallon. I mean it.”
Fallon nodded and tugged at his collar. “I’ll do my best. I don’t have a problem with you.”
“You do. You have a problem with a lot of guys in this town, dumbass.” Roman turned to look at me. “Sorry about this, man. Wanna meet me at the Lowe’s? We can talk materials and then I could have a quote ready for you in a couple of days.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Let me finish up here and I’ll be right there.” We shook hands and he departed. Then I turned my attention to Fallon. “What the hell was that about?”
“The condoms. I told you…earlier.” Fallon frowned.
“What about them? Maybe I should’ve let you finish that story.” I tried to lean casually on the counter so that he wouldn’t feel so threatened. I knew I made an imposing figure when I stood upright. That was part of Marine training and I figured I’d need some time to grow back into civilian life.
Fallon rubbed his forehead and I had the impression he was trying to figure out how to explain in a way that wouldn’t jeopardize our relationship. After all, I knew people, people with money, people who invested in real estate. Keeping me happy would mean a nice income boost for him.
“So, here’s the thing.” Fallon sighed. “I was dating Sabine senior year of high school. We broke up when she found me with another girl and misconstrued the situation. I wasn’t cheating, not that she let me explain. I thought she’d come around. She didn’t.” He stopped and stared at me, testing my reaction.
“Sorry your relationship went south. Skip to the part about the condoms.” My brow arched in annoyance. I still had to meet Roman at Lowe’s.
“Yeah. Basically, she showed up at my house to pick up her stuff one day before graduation while I was still at school. She was alone in my room, knew where I kept my condoms, and thumbtacked them to the bulletin board above my desk.” He groaned.
“Condoms ruined. Got it. Is that all?” The tale seemed more than a little melodramatic.
“My little brother, who let her in, checked my room after she left. He didn’t want my mom to see the condoms on the bulletin board, so he took them down, stuffed them back in the box, and hid the box before my mom arrived.” Fallon licked his lips. “And he never told me.”
“Wow. So, you had an accidental pregnancy?” I shook my head and tried not to chuckle. I somehow couldn’t picture Fallon as a father.
“Not me. Others. I packed a few condoms for the graduation party. I offered them at social gatherings. I thought I was being a good friend.” He sank down into a chair at the kitchen table. “And now everyone hates me.”
I walked over to him and clapped him on the shoulder. “Not me. We’re all good.” He opened his mouth as if to further explain, but I saw a text from Roman urging me to hurry up. He had another appointment. “Don’t worry about it. I gotta go. Thank you for everything.” Then I rushed out the door.
At Lowe’s, I was in my element. I was making Roman work for it, but I knew what I liked and I made my selections with ease. “Hardwood throughout.” I picked up a hand-scraped wide plank. “Think this will work, or is the space too small?”
He glanced at the measurements he had on his clipboard. “Nah, this can work.” He took a few notes and wrote down my choices.
“I know subway tile is boring, but it’s also classic. And I’m thinking about using the smaller tile. Oh, and undercabinet lighting is on my wish list.”
Next thing I knew, we were looking at paint swatches and I was practically giddy. “I guess this is the first sign of adulthood, getting excited about homeownership,” I joked.
“Lucky you. My first sign of adulthood was nearly becoming a father.” He rolled his eyes. “That’s why I left town. Wasn’t mine. Couldn’t watch her raise a kid with someone who wasn’t me.”
“Who?” I paused. “Sorry, I was just curious. You don’t have to tell me.”
“Oh, no one you know. This chick from Bessemer Bay High.” Roman shook his head. “We haven’t spoken in five years. I’ve only been back a week or so. My father wanted to retire, so I came back to run the company.”
We exited Lowe’s several hours later. We had yet to pick paint colors or tiles for the kitchen backsplash and bathrooms, but we had a good start. I felt really good about things as I sat in my truck and started responding to all the calls and text messages I’d missed while I was talking with Fallon and Roman. Then a new text came across my screen. The number was unknown but local. And the message was succinct: Please come to the Bessemer Bay Animal Hospital to claim Bishop before the adoption event tomorrow at 10am.
Before tomorrow morning? I glanced at the clock. It was after five. I was about twenty minutes away and according to their website, which I’d immediately looked up on my phone, they closed at six. I’d do one better. I was going to rescue Bishop now.
I gunned the truck and rushed to the veterinary clinic. After I parked, I hopped out of the cab and raced through the front doors. The woman at the desk squeaked when she saw me.
“Hawk. Um, Mr. McKenzie.” She smiled. I read her name tag. Leslie. I didn’t know her, but she clearly knew me. She stood. “Let me show you to the room. Our vet tech will bring Bishop to you.”
I followed her down the hall. She opened the door to room two. There was a bench seat, but I wasn’t interested. All I wanted to do was pace, but I knew that looked bad. I had to be calm and hold it together for my dog. He’d been without me for the better part of two days. He had to be losing his mind about now.
The door opened and I could see him pushing through. As expected, Bishop was anxious. Still, the minute he saw me, he froze for a split second. “Come here, boy,” I urged as I knelt on the floor. He raced over, hurled himself into my arms, and rested his head on my shoulder for one of our hugs.
Only then did I look up to thank the person who had brought him into the room. That’s when I saw her. “Taryn,” I murmured.
8
Taryn
“Remember to make sure that the dog recognizes the owner,” Dr. Kate urged. “Otherwise, this could be a really expensive mistake. You know how much these dogs go for during the adoption events.”
I nodded. “Will do.”
I tried to keep myself busy all afternoon, which wasn’t hard considering there were so many patients and still so many dogs to check before I could go home. At one point, I peeked out to talk to Leslie. “Any word on Bishop’s owner?”
“You mean on Hawk McKenzie?” She grinned. “Nothing yet. I’ll send him a text next.”
I frowned. “Is there any system for this communication that I’m not aware of?”
“No, silly. But if I reach out from my phone, he’ll have my number.” She tapped her temple. “Always thinking.” Then she laughed.
Leslie was desperate for a boyfriend. And I have to think that’s why it was so hurtful to find one. This annoyed me for some reason. And then I realized that my frustration probably had
little to do with the fact that she wanted a boyfriend, and more to do with the realization that I really could be running into Lark’s dad today. After all these years of wondering when or if I’d see him again, now it was nearly certain that I would.
“He’s here.” Leslie had peeked into the back where I was still checking in dogs.
“Excuse me?” She was incredibly giddy and that’s when it all clinked. Hawk arrived. And though I’d had hours to prepare, I still had no idea what I was going to say to him, or if I should say anything at all. Maybe I just let him take the lead. “Okay, which room?”
“He’s in room two. He seems pretty anxious to see his dog. You should probably hurry.” Leslie let out a little squeak and then rushed back to the front desk.
I took a deep breath, hoping to calm my nerves, but it didn’t seem to be working. My hand shook as I opened the kennel where Bishop was waiting. He eyed me warily, and I hoped to reassure him while I attached the leash to his collar. “Ready to see your daddy, Bishop?”
His eyes widened, he stood, and stepped out of the kennel. Then he danced around a little bit. I could see him sniffing the air and glancing about, looking for Hawk.
Walking him to the back door for room two took absolutely no convincing at all. I grasped the handle and looked down at him. He looked up at me impatiently. “Let’s do this.”
I turned the handle and pushed the door open. My eyes immediately found Hawk. He had been pacing, but stopped immediately and stared expectedly at Bishop. He didn’t notice me at all, but I couldn’t stop checking him out.
Hawk was tanned and looked healthy. He was more muscular than he had been five years ago, fresh out of high school. He seemed more self-assured and focused. All in all, it was a great look for him. And after all this time of not knowing where he was or how he was doing, I settled into the idea that he might actually be home.
Even though it would’ve been absolutely inappropriate, I was struck by the urge to throw myself in his arms, just like Bishop had done. The dog’s head was over his shoulder and Hawk hugged him close. “Did you think I forgot you?”
That’s when I realized, he was looking at me. I couldn’t be sure whether he was addressing his dog or not. Bishop whined and I guessed this was all about their bond. After all, they had spent far more time together than Hawk and I. We had one night where he had my back. They had had roughly five years. I never thought I could be jealous of a dog.
I started to back out of the room, but Hawk stood and grabbed my wrist. I glanced up at him and then down at his fingers touching my skin. He must’ve thought that I meant this as a warning, since seconds later he released me and stuffed his hands in his pockets, like he was afraid he’d touch me again.
“I was talking to you, Taryn.” He bit his lower lip and I could tell this was trying to figure out what else to say. He looked down and Bishop was scratching at his pocket. He smiled. “Right.” Hawk took a deep breath and pulled his phone from his pants. I watched as he opened the photo app, looking for some picture in particular, obviously.
He scrolled by loads of images from a life I’d never been a part of, but that he’d obviously never forget. Finally, he stopped and selected one. He seemed to be considering whether or not he should share it when Bishop scratched at his leg again.
“He recognized you.” Then he turned his phone to face me. And that’s when I saw a picture of me asleep in his arms. He was kissing my forehead. While I studied it, he spoke some more. “I never forgot you. I printed out this picture and laminated it.” He laughed. “I carried it with me through boot camp, through the Crucible, through the dog training school, and through all my time on foreign soil.”
I licked my lips, unsure of what to say. Everything felt so important and yet my words were so insignificant. “I had no idea. You made it seem like you weren’t the kind of guy to get attached to, and yet for some reason it looks like you got attached to me.” I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear.
Almost as if he couldn’t help himself, Hawk reached out and cupped my cheek. “I didn’t mean to. I don’t know how to explain that in one night I had a deeper connection to you than I had to another living soul all the previous years of my life. Sounds strange, right? Maybe if you knew my family, it would make more sense.” He looked down at his dog and patted his head. “I talked about you all the time to Bishop. I showed him your picture. You haven’t changed one bit.”
I know he meant it as a compliment, but to me it felt like he’d picked at a scab. In some ways, he was absolutely correct. I was still working the same job I had been at five years ago. In other ways, he couldn’t be more wrong.
There was a knock on the back door, and Dr. Kate looked in. “Is everything okay in here? Did we manage to unite a dog with his happy owner?” She smiled.
“You did. I was afraid I’d never see Bishop again.” He smiled at Kate, but the look he gave me was something else.
Before I could even consider what it might mean, Dr. Kate added, “Good. Well, it’s about closing time.” She looked at me pointedly. This was where I was supposed to walk him out.
“Okay. I’ll see him to the front.” I smiled.
“Good. And I thought I should let you know that Braxton and Lark are out front waiting on you.” Dr. Kate backed out of the room and disappeared.
My cheeks flamed. There was no way that they weren’t going to cross paths. And I wasn’t ready to dump this on him in front of an audience.
Hawk studied me, obviously waiting for an explanation, but I had none. In a minute, he’d see firsthand my biggest change of all. Now, I was a mother.
We walked out to the front and the minute I was visible Lark squealed and ran over to me. “Mommy!”
I squatted down and hugged her close. As usual, she had one arm wrapped around my neck and the other around Dolly Mama, her stuffed doll. Her face peeked over my shoulder and she began to giggle. That’s when I realized that Bishop was licking her forehead.
“Oh, Lark, meet Bishop.” I stood and watched as my daughter smiled at the big black dog. Then I looked up at Hawk, trying to decipher his reaction. His brow had furrowed. I wondered if he was mentally doing the math. If so, I wouldn’t have to figure out how to tell him. In my mind, I was cheering him on. Come on…you seem like a smart guy! Figure it out.
“I’m surprised,” he murmured.
I held my breath.
Hawk continued. “Bishop isn’t usually that good with children.” He squatted down until he was eye level with Lark. “You must be really special.” He smiled at her.
Lark blushed. And my ovaries exploded.
“Mommy says I’m super special. I’m Lark. Nice to meet you.” She held out a hand. My heart raced. Braxton took a step closer, ever the protector.
“I’m Hawk.” He grinned and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you too.”
“Hey, we’re both named after birds. You must be special too.” Lark beamed at him.
He glanced at me. I was biting my bottom lip. He studied me for a moment. And somehow, I knew that if we were alone, Hawk would be kissing me. We still had it. The chemistry between us wasn’t simply about alcohol or one magical night.
“I’d like to think so,” he agreed. “We’ll have to ask Mommy about that.”
She whipped her head around and looked at me. “Is he? Do you know Hawk?”
I nodded. “A long time ago. He’s definitely special.”
Braxton cleared his throat. “I have to go.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll call you later?”
I stood slowly and nodded. “Yeah. We’re just going home after this.”
Braxton puffed out his chest some. “Braxton,” he announced as he held out his hand for Hawk.
“You played football for Bessemer Bay High, right?” Hawk’s smile had been replaced with a serious look.
“Yeah. And you played for St. Thomas. You’re fierce, man.” My brother nodded.
Hawk chuckled. “And so were you. Good seeing you again.” H
e looked at me a moment, and I knew he had questions only I could answer. “Well, I’m going to go get some supplies for Bishop. I’ll see you around, I guess.” He stared at me, waiting for an answer. I knew I could make a move here, but it was so complicated, and I had so many eyes on me.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
His shoulders sagged as he looked down at Bishop. “Time to go, boy.” And together they walked out of the office. Once again, Hawk had walked out of my life and I hadn’t even tried to stop him.
“You okay?” Braxton asked after I returned from grabbing my coat and purse.
“Yup. I thought you were leaving,” I grumbled.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just realized something. And I might have done it on purpose.” He gnawed on his cheek.
“Then you should say ‘sorry,’” Lark coached.
I smirked as I quickly looked down at her. Then I met my brother’s anxious gaze. “What’d you do, Brax?”
“Well, I didn’t let him know that I was your brother. Did you? Earlier…in the exam room?” He stuffed his hands in his pants.
I groaned. “No. I didn’t. So you think…”
“I think he thinks we’re together. And I kinda let him think that because of what happened between you. I don’t want him just thinking he can roll back into town and…” He nodded at Lark, rather than say something in front of little ears.
“I swear, Brax. Sometimes I could just…” I made a motion like I wanted to throttle him.
“That’s not nice, Mommy.” Lark crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at me.
I licked my lips as I tried to control my anger. “No, it’s not. And Mommy should be nicer, but so should Uncle Brax. I know he wants to protect us, but he has to let us live too.” I glared at Braxton. “I’m not pushing you out of our life, but I think you know what I really need to do. There are things he needs to know. And now, I still have no idea how to reach him, how to tell him, or how to explain that you’re my brother.” I sighed. “Okay, that last part will probably be easiest.”