Along Came Us (Man Enough)

by Nicole McLaughlin

  Her eyes shot open, and then she began to vibrate beneath him. He let her body settle down for a moment, his eyes never leaving her face. She stared back at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

  “I think you’re the perfect one,” he whispered in reply to her earlier statement.

  She smiled fully now, her hands reaching for him. “I want you inside of me now.”

  He was more than ready to grant that wish. Going up on his knees, he leaned over and pulled a condom from the bedside table. Working quickly, he rolled it on and resituated himself between her legs.

  She lifted her knees once again, and when his cock pressed into the welcoming heat between her legs, he knew this would be pleasure like he’d never known. Lia was his dream come true. The first woman who made him feel whole. Made him want to be better. More compassionate, more understanding, less angry at himself for all the ways he’d failed others in his life.

  He could not fail this woman.

  Looking down at those beautiful eyes staring up at him, he searched for trust. She smiled, and that was all he needed. He flexed, pulling back just enough to slip inside her. And holy shit, the heat, the slickness . . . she was so tight. He slid slowly at first, watching as her mouth formed an O.

  “Talk to me, babe,” he said.

  “Keep going.” Her lips clamped shut and she swallowed. “God, it’s so full.”

  Tyler rested his forehead on hers. “You feel so fucking good, Lia.”

  Her hands slid down to his butt and he was afraid she might still him, but instead she pulled down hard, sliding him all the way in. Tyler moaned at the same time Lia gasped.

  Her eyes went wide and he held still, not only for her to become adjusted, but because if he didn’t he might make this very unmemorable for her. That would never do.

  She lifted a hand and touched his face. “I’m so happy I waited for you.”

  Tyler felt her words like a punch in his gut, and never before had he felt like crying from pure elation. “Making you happy is the only thing that matters in my life, Lia.”

  She let out a broken laugh, her eyes glistening. Then she gave him a naughty look. “Then please finish what you started.”

  That he could do.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  A buzzing sounded, pulling Tyler from a deep sleep. He began to shift in bed and was halted by a warm body pressed up against his. Lia.

  Pulling her close, he relaxed back into his pillow. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo and reveled in the fact that she was here. In his arms. Memories of last night came to mind and he hugged her tighter. She was his now.

  The vibration started up again and now that he was more awake he realized it was her phone.

  “Lia. Wake up. Your phone.” He glanced at the clock. It was 1:26 in the morning.

  She shifted, muttering incoherent words, then jerked awake. “My phone!”

  Rolling over, she reached for it on the bedside table. “Caleb?” she asked.

  Tyler leaned up on his side, hand under his head, and listened. He could hear another voice on the line but it was not Caleb’s. It was a female.

  “Yes, this is her.” Lia’s voice sounded panicked, “He what? Oh God.”

  Tyler got out of bed. This was going to require pants, he already knew that much. Lia got out of bed also. “Where are you taking him again?”

  Tyler pulled his shirt over his head and then sat down to put on his shoes. Seeing her clothes in a puddle near him, he swiped them up and tossed them to her.

  “Okay, we’ll head there now.” She disconnected as Tyler stood waiting. When Lia turned, she was using a pillow to cover her nakedness.

  “That was a police officer. Caleb’s in custody.”

  “What for?” Tyler asked, voice level.

  “Are you not shocked? I can’t believe this!”

  “I am to a point. But, babe, it’s one in the morning. A teenage boy is only going to need to call for help for a handful of reasons, and being arrested is one of them. What did he do?”

  She sucked in a shallow breath. “Do you think they’ve arrested him?”

  “If they have him, it’s an arrest. Doesn’t mean he’s charged. What did he do?”

  “He beat someone up.”

  Tyler’s eyes widened. “Is that person okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She was beginning to look hysterical, so Tyler walked around the bed and put his hands on her. “Look at me. Caleb wouldn’t hurt anyone that badly. This was probably another fight like the last one and they got busted. It happens. Now get dressed and meet me out front. Okay?”

  She nodded, her chest heaving up and down. Tyler headed into the living room, grabbed his keys, and then got them a bottle of water for the road.

  Fifteen minutes later they were pulling up to the Riley County Police Department. As soon as the SUV was in park, she was hopping out. “Lia. Hold on.”

  Tyler grabbed her hand and held it in his. The parking lot was far from empty for so early in the morning. But it was late Saturday night. Early Sunday, technically, but it was still the night after a big football win so there was a lot of celebrating, probably some bitter rivals, and a lot of drinking going on in town.

  They stepped inside and Tyler led them to the front desk. As soon as they were told where to go, he realized Lia had gotten very quiet. Pulling her to the side of the hall, Tyler looked down at her.

  “Whatever we hear in there, I want you to understand, it’s going to be okay. I’m here with you. You and Caleb will not have to deal with this alone.”

  * * *

  This was Lia’s worst nightmare.

  She’d failed. Failed as a caregiver. Failed as a sister. The one thing she’d wanted more than anything was to keep Caleb safe. Protect him. Not only from violence against him, but from becoming a violent man himself.

  She’d known letting him learn to fight had been a bad idea, and now she hated herself for allowing Tyler and Caleb to convince her otherwise.

  An officer met them in a hall, introducing herself as Officer Simpson.

  “Caleb is a minor. Why is he here?” Tyler asked.

  “Our JIAC—or juvenile intake—is closed on the weekend. We’ve contacted the on-call officer and she’ll be here soon to make her assessment. In the meantime, why don’t I take you to him?”

  “Yes, please.”

  They followed her down one hall to another wing, and then into a small room where Caleb sat slumped in a chair. The minute he saw them his expression became a mixture of relief and guilt.

  “I’m sorry, Lia” were his first broken words.

  She immediately went over and wrapped her arms around his upper body, arms and all. He didn’t hug her back but she felt his muscles relax against her.

  “What happened, Caleb?” she asked. “Same guy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And that kid is here right now?” Tyler asked, looking ready to go find the punk himself.

  “I think they took him home.”

  “What?” Lia screeched. “That’s not fair. Did you tell them that he’s been giving you trouble? That he has jumped you twice?”

  “Yes. I told them everything. They said we’ll have to tell all that to the person when they come.”

  Just then there was a knock immediately followed by the door opening. A young woman came in. She couldn’t be any more than thirty. Smiling at them, she put out a hand to Tyler first.

  “Hi, I’m Beth Roseman. I’m an intake staff at the Riley County Juvenile Department. I’m here to do Caleb’s assessment.”

  Tyler shook her hand and then Lia stuck out hers. “I’m Lia, Caleb’s sister and guardian.”

  “Nice to meet you.” She turned to the still-slumped-over teenager. “You must be Caleb. You can call me Beth.”

  Caleb quietly said hello and shook her hand.

  “Have you had some water?” Beth asked.

  “No.”

  Walking back to the door, Beth stepped ou
t for a moment and then came back with a bottle of water for Caleb. The small gesture helped Lia to relax and like the woman a little bit better just for the small fact that she seemed to be on their side. Then again, she hadn’t said much yet.

  After sitting down at the table across from Caleb, Beth put out a hand, welcoming Lia to join them. Tyler remained standing off to the side, his large body a heavy presence behind her.

  “Well, I’ve had a chance to discuss a little bit of what went on with Officers Simpson and Rogers. But why don’t you tell me what happened?”

  Caleb glanced nervously at Lia, and she nodded for him to go on. “Well . . . I was staying at my friend Cole’s house. We uh . . . we snuck out after his mom had gone to sleep.”

  Lia’s heart began to pound, but she remained quiet. Where was Cole anyway? And was his mother still sleeping soundly in her bed? Caleb was sure as hell never going there again.

  “Did your sister know you were at Cole’s?” Beth asked.

  “Yes, she did. She dropped me off there.”

  Beth nodded and made a few notes. “Okay, you said you sneaked out. What was your plan for when you were out? Do you have a car?”

  “Cole does. We didn’t really have a plan.”

  “Just hanging around?” Beth scratched more notes.

  “Pretty much.”

  “Okay. So how did you run into Brooks and his friends?”

  “We saw them at Sonic and they just started . . . talking sh—trash I guess. So, we followed them to that empty parking lot.”

  After writing a few more notes, Beth looked at Caleb. The young woman was incredibly calm and sweet-looking considering the context of the visit. “So, what kind of trash talk were Brooks and his friends doing?”

  Caleb’s eyes darted to Lia again, his fingers wringing. “Just . . . normal stuff.”

  “What kind of normal stuff? Were they threatening you? Making fun of you?”

  “They were . . . making fun of me.”

  “Can you give me an example?”

  He hesitated a long while, and the look of frustration on his face broke Lia’s heart. She couldn’t imagine what anyone could say about Caleb. He was so kind and smart. And he was a handsome guy. Were they jealous? She knew how mean kids could be for really no reason. But why wasn’t he telling her about it?

  “Just tell her, Caleb. We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on,” Tyler said calmly.

  Caleb blew out a hard breath, his lips pursed. Lia swore he was shaking. “They uh . . . they called . . .” He swallowed and looked at the ground. “They called my sister a slut.”

  His voice broke on the last word, and the room spun around Lia’s head. The next few seconds were a fog. Beth’s calm and unaffected voice continued like Caleb hadn’t just dropped a bomb in their world.

  “Have they said that to you before?” Beth asked.

  “Yes.” Caleb wiped at his eyes. He was no longer looking at Lia. Or anyone for that matter.

  “Do they know your sister?”

  “No. Not really. I guess, uh . . . Brooks’s brother has seen her before.”

  Lia’s eyes burned and she began to suck quiet breaths into her nose. She felt a warm, heavy hand on her shoulder, but there was no way she could look at Tyler right now.

  “So . . . maybe you felt the need to defend her?” Beth asked.

  Tyler stepped closer to the table. “Shouldn’t he have an attorney right now?”

  “I’m not a police officer,” Beth said, looking over her shoulder at Tyler. “Nothing he says here can be held against him.”

  She turned back to Caleb. “So, they egged you on, and then what? You threatened them?”

  “I don’t really remember how it happened. Just . . . we decided to fight.”

  “Officer Rogers feels like there is some reason to believe that maybe the two of you had planned to have this fight. Is there any truth to that?”

  “What?” Lia whispered. Caleb’s red eyes flashed at her and then were gone.

  “We’d sort of threatened each other, I guess.”

  “Okay. I understand how Brooks’s words would upset you. You live with your sister, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you tell me where your parents are?”

  For the next twenty minutes, the intake officer asked Caleb personal questions about his past, his home life, his grades, how much time he spent alone, and even his eating habits. That was when it occurred to Lia what was happening. Beth was trying to determine if Caleb’s living situation was fit or if they needed to intervene.

  She continued to sit there in a stunned silence as Caleb answered the questions. At some point Tyler had sat down beside her and taken her hand. He slowly stroked his thumb back and forth over her knuckles. It wasn’t helping, she was so scared out of her mind. It occurred to her that maybe this punk Brooks had gotten to go home because he had a mother and father. A normal living situation. Not Caleb.

  “What will happen now, Caleb, is that I will give you what’s called an NTA—a notice to appear.” She glanced quickly at Lia. “Our office isn’t open on the weekends, so both of you will need to come into the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center on Monday. I would suggest coming maybe after lunch, so by that time hopefully the DA will have had some time to both read the police report and have a decision made on whether he wants to file charges.”

  “What if he does?” Caleb asked.

  “If he does, you’ll be given a date to appear in court. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Getting a court date still doesn’t mean you’re found guilty. Understand?”

  Caleb nodded, and Beth turned to Lia. “If you don’t mind stepping outside a minute?”

  A sense of dread and shame came over Lia as she stood.

  “Do you want me to stay in here?” Tyler asked.

  She could barely stand to make eye contact with him after what Caleb had said. Her brother obviously knew where she was employed. There was no other explanation. “Could you come with me?”

  His answer was to immediately stand and put a hand on her back as they walked into the hall. Beth greeted them with a smile and handed Lia a paper.

  “This has the address of where you need to go on Monday and your case number.” She paused for a moment and then looked at both of them. “Do either of you have any reason to believe that Caleb would have arranged to fight someone?”

  Lia’s heart sank. How could she admit that she’d given permission for her little brother to learn to fight? She wasn’t sure if she felt relief or annoyance when Tyler spoke up.

  “I’ve been teaching Caleb mixed martial arts at my gym for the past several weeks. For self-defense reasons only, because this boy attacked him twice before. But never has he been encouraged to start a fight.”

  Beth appeared unsure of how to respond to that. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Are you the gym owner that used to be a fighter?”

  Tyler sighed. “Yes.”

  “My boyfriend goes to your gym.”

  Lia glanced up at Tyler, who gave a close-mouth smile. “I’m glad to hear it. But you should understand, I don’t promote violence there. MMA fighting is a sport and Caleb is not a criminal.”

  “I understand that Mr. . . .”

  “Cavallo.”

  “Mr. Cavallo. But I think you can agree that for a teenage boy that could send a mixed message.”

  He blew out a breath. “Possibly. Yes. But Caleb is not a violent boy.”

  Lia interjected. “Doesn’t it matter that these boys have been bullying Caleb? He had his face cut open a couple months ago, because of this Brooks person. Which is the only reason I allowed him to learn to defend himself in the first place. That doesn’t make him a bad kid.”

  “I agree with you, Ms. Hanson. You’ll have a chance to discuss this further on Monday.”

  “I’ve done the best I can to take care of my brother. He’s a good boy.”

  Beth cocked her head to the side. “None of this is a judgment on
that, Ms. Hanson. Believe me, I’ve seen some things you wouldn’t believe in this line of work, and your situation seems very mild. Caleb appears to be doing very well. I don’t want to give you false hope, but there is a strong possibility this will be dismissed, depending on what this other boy and his parents say.”

  “Could he go to jail?”

  “That is incredibly unlikely. He’s a first-time offender here and no one was seriously injured. But I do recommend he not get into any more trouble.”

  She gave them her card, informed them they were free to go, and then said her goodbyes.

  Immediately Lia covered her face and began to cry.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Tyler whispered, putting his hands around her.

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine, Lia.”

  She shook her head. “This is all my fault.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “You heard what he said,” she choked out.

  Tyler pulled back and looked down at her, hands on her arms. “Lia, you know that’s not true. Those were some stupid kids who didn’t know what they were talking about.”

  “Obviously, they, and now Caleb, know where I work.” She looked around frantically and lowered her voice. “He couldn’t even look at me. And what if someone tells this Beth lady, or the DA. They’ll take him from me.”

  “It’s not against the law to work at a strip club,” he whispered.

  “No, but it’s not well respected either. The fact I work there has him fighting other kids to defend me.”

  “Other kids who are dicks.” Tyler looked around and then whispered. “Kids who needed the shit beat out of them. You’re not gonna like hearing this, but I respect the hell out of Caleb for defending you. And they’re not going to take him from you. You’ve taken good care of him.”

  “Oh God,” she said, turning around and releasing his grip on her. “What if she’s right? What if they planned this fight?”

  “I can’t imagine that being the case.”

  “Why not? A few weeks ago, you took him to a real fight. He thought it was awesome. Talked about it for days.” She held out her hand at him. “And listen to what you just said? You’re proud of him. He worships you and you used to do it for a living. He watched you autograph some girl’s chest for God’s sake.”