Wicked Whiskey Love

by Melissa Foster

  One thing was for sure. If these kids had a single deadbeat father or two separate loser fathers, he’d wish he was dead if Bones got ahold of him.

  He carried Bradley back to the bedroom and found Sarah gazing down at Lila again. She looked up as they walked in, her gaze sweeping over Bradley’s bare back, and covered her smiling lips.

  “We brushed his teeth,” Bones explained.

  “You didn’t have to do that. I would have warned you. He can’t spit without dribbling down his front.”

  She tossed Bradley’s dirty pajama shirt into a hamper in the corner of the room and grabbed a clean shirt from the dresser.

  Bones held Bradley as she put his pajama top on. Then he laid him in the bed and covered him with the blanket. He looked tiny and vulnerable in the big bed. “Does he get a stuffed toy?”

  She shook her head. “He doesn’t have a favorite. He likes to cuddle his blanket.”

  “Night, B-boy.” He brushed his fingers over Bradley’s forehead. “Sweet dreams.”

  They left the door open a crack as they left, and Sarah walked Bones to the front door. He didn’t want to leave, much less leave her alone without Scott there. Hell, he wanted to lay his emotions on the line, ask the questions he needed answers to. But he had a feeling she’d shut him out completely if he tried, and he wasn’t about to risk that.

  “When’s Scott going to be home?” he asked.

  “Soon. He texted while you were in the bathroom. He’s on his way.”

  Bones nodded, still reluctant to leave. He gathered the candy from the stroller and the baby bag she’d hooked over the handle and set them inside the door. Sarah yawned, looking adorable and exhausted. He saw so much in her beautiful brown eyes—love for her children, secrets, warnings—and even though she looked away quickly, as she’d done so often when he felt the buzz of electricity sparking between them, he hadn’t missed the desire brimming in her eyes.

  He touched his fingertips to hers, and her eyes flicked cautiously up to his.

  “You asked me earlier if I noticed as much about others as I do you,” he said softly. “I’m not sure of the answer. It’s hard not to notice little things about you, like the way you blush when I touch you and the way your love for your children and your strength as a woman radiate like the sun.” Her cheeks flushed, and he said, “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I want you to know you have friends here. Friends you can trust. And I hope one day you’ll see more than that in me.”

  Her eyes skirted nervously around the room before finally returning to him. The haunted look in them was undeniable.

  He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, and since that wasn’t enough, he drew her into his arms and said, “Thank you for letting me help put the kids to bed.”

  He reluctantly released her and stepped onto the porch before he took the kiss he so craved. And holy fucking hell, she wore the most conflicted expression, like she was turned on and frightened at once. “Sarah…” Who the hell hurt you? Tell me so I can slaughter him.

  She swallowed hard, and he thought better of it and said, “Don’t forget to lock up behind me, okay?”

  She nodded, flashing an almost smile as she closed the door. After he heard the lock sink into place, he sat on the porch step waiting for Scott to arrive.

  Chapter Three

  THURSDAY EVENING SARAH hung up her black hairdressing apron in the back room of Chicki’s salon and gathered her things, mentally ticking off items on her to-do list. She loved working at the salon, and took pride in earning a living and showing her children that being self-sufficient was a good thing. It was also a great opportunity to get to know people in the community. Every time she picked up a pair of scissors, she filled with a sense of accomplishment for how far she’d come.

  “Hey, baby girl,” Chicki said as she walked in the back door. “Heading out for the night?”

  Chicki, Red, and Babs had called her names like baby girl since the first time they’d met. While it had felt strange coming from women who barely knew her, now Sarah found herself tucking those endearments away alongside other small reminders—like their hugs and the love the three women lavished on her babies—that even though her mother hadn’t been loving or even kind, she was worthy of both.

  “Yes. I wasn’t expecting you tonight. Are you shorthanded? Do you need me to stay?”

  Though Chicki owned the salon, she worked only a few hours each month. Regardless, she always looked perfectly put together, from her coiffed hair to her crimson lipstick and smoky eyes. She wore her hair down today, parted on the side. It fell in soft waves, skimming her shoulders and giving her a youthful appearance. Her black wrap shirt was belted around the waist, accentuating her ample bosom and rounded hips. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans and heels that Sarah would topple off of with her first step.

  “No. I just came in to get something from the office. Your babies need their mama, and your feet must be killing you.”

  “Not really, and I had a great day. Isla came in for a trim.” Isla was one of Chicki’s daughters. She was in her early twenties and ran their family’s flower shop, Petal Me Hard. She was also about as rebellious as a girl could be. Sarah envied women like Isla. Women with normal families and normal lives, where they chose to rebel instead of being forced to find a way out.

  Chicki scowled. “That little rascal made sure to come in when I wasn’t here. She’s on my shit list at the moment.”

  “Uh-oh,” Sarah said. “What did she do this time?” She’d seen Chicki and Isla knock heads on more than one occasion, but no matter how much of a hard-ass Chicki was, she never let her daughter walk out the door without a hug and an I love you.

  “What hasn’t she done? That girl has been skirting lines since she could bat her pretty, long lashes.” Chicki pointed at Sarah and said, “You should hope you’re having a boy this time. Girls can be snarky, secretive, and so emotional they can make you crazy, while boys might be visceral, but at least they don’t keep you guessing. They tell you when you piss them off.” She shook her head, going off on a tangent in Spanish that Sarah couldn’t understand. Then she blew out a breath and said, “Right now baby Lila is as sweet as can be. But one day she’ll discover boys, and then your whole world will be turned topsy-turvy. You’ll go from worrying about whether she’ll find friends at school to hoping she doesn’t get herself pregnant.”

  Sarah thought back to her childhood. She’d never even had the chance to discover boys. From the time she was twelve and had gotten her period, her parents had called her horrible names, as if they’d assumed she’d been sleeping with every male within a hundred miles. She pushed those thoughts away as she left the salon and drove to the grocery store. She considered herself lucky for somehow innately knowing she wasn’t the cause of her parents’ hatred. She didn’t know the sex of her unborn child, and she didn’t care. She knew it was a survivor, and whether it was a rebellious girl or a headstrong boy, it would never know anything but love. She hoped that was enough for all of her children to keep them from ever being cruel to others, despite sharing their father’s genetic makeup.

  After making a quick stop at the grocery store, she picked up Bradley and Lila from Babs and headed home, listening to Bradley chatter about playing at the park with Babs and Red. Bones’s motorcycle was parked out front. She should be used to seeing him, since he was there almost every evening helping Scott with the basement. Still, her pulse quickened as memories of the other night rushed back to her. She slung her purse over her shoulder and climbed from the car, trying to distract herself. But there was no distraction big enough to sway her overzealous pregnancy hormones, which had been on overdrive from the moment he’d followed her into the house on Halloween night. She could still feel his fingers brushing against hers and could smell his virile maleness. Her heart beat faster as she thought of the way he’d looked at her babies, like they were the most beautiful creatures in the world. When he’d thanked her for allowing him to help
her put them to bed, she’d gotten all choked up. Their own father had seen them as an imposition for so long, so she’d always been prepared for the worst. Her body heated with memories of Bones imploring her to trust him, the feel of his warm, soft lips on her hand. She’d been struck mute, unable to do more than nod. It didn’t help that Scott had told her that Bones had sat on the porch until he’d come home just in case she’d needed anything.

  “Bones is here!” Bradley yelled as she opened his door to help him out. He tugged at the straps of his car seat. “Hurry, Mommy! Let me out. I want to help Uncle Scott and Bones!”

  She drew in a deep breath to try to clear her mind as Bradley wiggled out of his seat and sprinted across the yard. “Don’t get in their way,” she called after him as she went to get Lila, who was waving her arms and kicking her feet excitedly.

  “I’ve got ya, Lila boo,” she said as she lifted her into her arms. “Do you want to see Bones, too?”

  Lila leaned forward in her arms, as if she could propel her mother to walk faster.

  “Hold your horses, little lady.” Little lady. Had she spent so much time with hugely helpful Bones that she was picking up his vocabulary? She had noticed how much she liked the way it sounded when he said it, like Lila was special to him. She kissed her baby girl on the cheek. “Too much love is never a bad thing, right, boo?”

  She grabbed the plastic grocery bags with her free hand and bumped the door closed with her hip, steeling herself against the wave of anticipation she was trying so hard to ignore.

  Inside the house, she heard Bradley’s high-pitched voice floating up from the basement, followed by Bones’s hearty laughter. She set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and then set Lila down on the floor with her toys in the living room so she could put up the baby gate at the top of the basement stairs. Lila wasn’t walking yet, but she crawled like Speed Racer and she loved to pull herself up to her feet.

  As Sarah toed off her shoes and gathered Lila’s toys, she heard Bradley telling Scott and Bones about his day. Her remarkable little boy had settled in nicely to their new world. She wondered how much of their old life he remembered, but she was too afraid to ask, for fear of stirring up unpleasant memories. He hadn’t seen her ex push her around, but there was no escaping the nastiness in his voice or the horrible, unfeeling things he’d said toward the end about the kids.

  They had a good life now, and that’s what she focused on.

  “Come on, boo. Time to make dinner.” She gathered a few of Lila’s toys and brought them, along with her sweet girl, into the kitchen to play while she cooked.

  Her nerves got the better of her as she made dinner and thought about Bones. It was silly, really. She was sure she had read too much into that kiss on the hand and the look in his eyes. God. Why was she so nervous? Because you want the hand kiss to have meant something.

  Ugh. Did she? No. She’d been through too much to even entertain the idea of a man like Bones being interested in her. He was probably one of those guys who liked to rescue women, and she did not need rescuing, thank you very much.

  She hoisted Lila onto her hip and headed downstairs.

  Every step caused her stomach to dip like she was on a roller coaster.

  Stupid pregnancy hormones.

  As she descended the steps, voices became clear. They had been working on the basement for a few weeks, and the framing was already up for a bedroom and a recreation room. Scott was working on hanging drywall in the recreation room, while Bones was crouched beside Bradley in what would become the bedroom. Her pulse sped up, the way it always did at her first glance of the handsome man whose big body made her son seem even smaller. His hair was brushed away from his face, and he was totally focused on Bradley, who wore the toy tool belt Scott had bought for him and clutched a hammer in his right hand.

  Bones placed his hand over Bradley’s and said, “Remember how I taught you to hit the nail?”

  “Square on my head,” Bradley said proudly.

  Bones chuckled. “Square on the head.” He showed Bradley the head of the nail and patiently explained what he meant.

  “Square on the head,” Bradley repeated.

  She watched as they banged the nail into the drywall, her heart filling with happiness for her boy.

  “It’s coming along, huh?” Scott said, jarring her from her reverie.

  “Yeah. How’s your leg?” Sometimes she worried that he was pushing himself too hard.

  Scott made a face that told of his irritation at being mothered. She couldn’t blame him. How crazy must it be for him after more than a decade of living alone to suddenly have a sister he barely knew anymore and her family move in with him? When the basement was finished, Scott was moving downstairs and giving up the master bedroom for Sarah. She hadn’t asked for it and had fought him on the idea, but he’d insisted. He’d never once made her feel like an imposition, but he made no effort to hide the fact that he didn’t need to be mothered.

  “A better question is, how are you?” Scott asked. “You’ve been on your feet all day.”

  “I’m fine.” She’d always loved being pregnant, even the first few months when she was tired all the time. She hadn’t experienced that fatigue with this pregnancy, which was probably because she had been so busy trying to scrape together enough money to stay off the streets with her children. Slowing down hadn’t been an option. “Dinner’s ready. I came down to get Bradley.”

  “Dinner!” Bradley tore out of the bedroom. “Come on, Bones! Dinnertime!” He bolted up the stairs.

  “Slow down and wash your hands,” she called after him.

  Bones sauntered out of the bedroom, his eyes locked on her, and all her nerves flamed. Should she thank him for sitting guard outside her house the other night, or tell him she didn’t need protecting? That would sound bitchy…and maybe untrue in some regards. There was no denying the comfort that Bones and his family had given her, embracing her the way they had. She’d have been in debt forever had they not hosted the fundraiser. But still, she didn’t want to be seen as a damsel in distress. She hadn’t survived all these years having others take care of her, and she was proud of that.

  “It’s nice to see you, darlin’,” he said in a low voice as smooth as silk.

  She felt her cheeks flush. What is wrong with me? She was acting like a ridiculous girl who had no experience with men. She knew how to flirt and seduce like a pro, but around Bones all the skills that had gotten her through the most difficult situations flitted away.

  She shot a look at Scott to see if he’d picked up on the intimate sound of his voice. Scott flashed a knowing smile. Oh God, you heard it, too?

  Scott turned back to the drywall, and Bones stepped closer, making her even more flustered. “How’s this pretty little lady?”

  He tickled Lila’s foot, and Lila buried her face in Sarah’s neck, giggling. Bones dragged his gaze down Sarah’s body and said, “You look nice tonight.”

  She glanced down at her maternity jeans and white scoop-necked shirt. She’d gotten a long flowery blouse at a consignment shop, and she wore it open over her T-shirt, adding color to her outfit—and hoping to draw Bones’s eyes away from her belly. It was a cute outfit, and she realized he was probably just being nice, not flirting. She was a little disappointed at that. “Thanks. Do you guys want some mac and cheese?” How many women would offer Bones Whiskey macaroni and cheese? Their schedules varied so much, their paths didn’t usually cross at dinnertime, but what else could she do but prepare enough for all of them?

  “One of my favorite meals,” Bones said.

  He must be a really good liar, because she believed him.

  “But you’re allergic to dairy,” he added. “Aren’t you eating?”

  Just another thing to set her apart from normal people. She was allergic to dairy, gluten, nuts, and eggs. She never went anywhere without her EpiPen. “Yes. Even though my kids got lucky and they don’t have food allergies, it’s easier to cook for them using only foo
ds I can eat, instead of making separate meals. Then there’s no chance of contamination.”

  “It’s delicious, dude. You should stay,” Scott said.

  “You sure you have enough?” Bones asked with that hopeful smile again.

  She nodded, and Bones set down his hammer.

  Lila leaned toward him, arms out. “Bababa.”

  “May I?” Bones asked as he reached for her.

  Sarah handed him Lila as Scott set down his tools and glanced over, watching them intently. Could he tell Sarah was melting inside and at the same time telling herself to get the hell out of there? Or was Scott just happy that Lila was so loved?

  “You look mighty good with that baby in your arms, Doc,” Scott teased. “Better watch it. I hear they’re contagious.”

  Bones scoffed. “That would take a female participant.”

  “What? No special lady in your life?” Sarah slammed her mouth shut, unable to believe she asked the question that had been burning in her mind for weeks.

  Lila patted Bones’s cheek. “Babababa.”

  Holding her gaze, he said, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”

  BONES COULDN’T RESIST putting a hand on Sarah’s back and nudging her toward the stairs. She was fucking adorable when she attempted to hide her nervousness. He followed her upstairs, trying not to stare at her gorgeous ass.

  The minute they were in the kitchen, she took charge, settling Lila in her high chair and removing Bradley’s plastic dinosaur from his plate. “Let’s eat, then play,” she suggested with a pat on his head.

  Scott disappeared into the bathroom down the hall.

  “Mind if I wash my hands here?” Bones motioned toward the kitchen sink.

  “No. Go right ahead. Sorry about the mess. I usually do dishes after the kids are down for the night.”

  “No worries,” he said as he washed his hands. “I’ve babysat Kennedy and Lincoln. I know you need eight arms to do it all at once.”

  He began washing the pots as she moved gracefully and purposefully, doling out peas and carrots onto Bradley’s plate and Lila’s tray and then scooping mac and cheese onto each. She set a tiny pink fork next to Lila. Lila blew bubbles as she grabbed the fork in one hand and a fistful of noodles with the other. She shoved the noodles into her mouth, pleasure washing over her tiny face.