Wicked Whiskey Love

by Melissa Foster

  “Not too much, boo,” Sarah said, earning a wide, noodle-filled grin. As she grabbed two sippy cups from a cabinet, she noticed him washing the dishes. “Bones, I can get that. Please sit down.”

  “I think I can handle a few dishes.”

  “You’re our guest.” She filled the cups and set one in front of each child.

  “Nah. A guest dresses fancy and brings wine. I’m dressed in jeans and brought a hammer. We’re good. These hands can do more than healing,” he said with a wink.

  Scott came into the kitchen and reached into a cabinet for adult-sized plates. “Doin’ my job?” He handed the plates to Sarah and then retrieved glasses while Sarah dished out their dinners.

  Scott was a likable guy, a little rough around the edges, but he clearly loved his sister and her children.

  “Just helping out.” Bones grabbed a dish towel and dried the pots. “No dishwasher?”

  “Got this place for a song, remember?” Scott had told Bones that he’d bought the house at auction when he’d first moved to Peaceful Harbor. In the weeks before the accident he’d done a nice job of painting and fixing it up. But like a typical guy, he didn’t seem to mind not having luxuries at his fingertips.

  Scott pulled open the refrigerator. “Want a beer? Iced tea? Water?”

  “I’ll have a beer, thanks. I hear you’re doing the girls’ hair for the wedding Saturday,” Bones said to Sarah as they took their seats at the table.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Sarah said, and went on to give Scott a hard time about not letting her trim his hair.

  Scott grinned and said, “Chicks dig shaggy hair. Gives them something to hold on to.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly changed the subject. Conversation came easily. Bones enjoyed the banter between them, and he loved watching Sarah care for her children. She wiped faces, caught a sippy cup midair as it tumbled from Lila’s tray, and answered questions that Bradley seemed to pull out of nowhere—Why are peas green? If I eat dinner, can we make a cake? Can I build a motorcycle with blocks? It was a wonder she had time to eat anything at all, but if it bothered her, she didn’t indicate it. She was patient and handled it all effortlessly.

  “This is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had,” Bones said honestly. “But if you tell Red that, I’ll deny it.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’m sure the dairy-free cheese tastes different from what you’re used to, but thank you.”

  “It does taste different. Better,” he clarified. “Where’d you learn to cook like this? Your mom?”

  She shook her head and focused on Lila. “I’ve been cooking for myself forever. There are all types of recipes online for people with food allergies.”

  She was trying too hard not to look at him. He didn’t like the vibe he was getting and wanted to ask more about their family, like whether her father was still alive and, if so, did she ever see him? But knowing her guard went up when he asked personal questions, he went for a safer subject. “Scott, you said you worked on oil rigs before coming here? How did you get into that line of work?”

  Scott took a swig of his beer. “I worked on marinas down in Florida during high school, learned how to weld, do engine repair. Things weren’t great at home, and one day one of the guys told me about this job on a rig. I took off at seventeen, got certified in welding and eventually diving, and found my way to being an underwater welder. Good money, a roof over my head, just dangerous as hell. But I survived.” He glanced at Sarah and said, “It was a good move. How about you, Bones?”

  “I graduated high school early, at sixteen, and went to college, but living on an oil rig? That was a brave move at that age.”

  “Not really,” Scott said. “My sisters are the brave ones. Sarah left home at sixteen, and Josie at thirteen. I was an old man compared to them.”

  Bones’s gut seized. Graduating early was one thing, but leaving home at sixteen and thirteen? Something must have been very wrong, which was made even clearer by the angry stare Sarah was giving Scott.

  “You’re not an old man,” Bradley chimed in around a mouthful of peas.

  Sarah’s expression softened and she said, “Uncle Scott’s just being silly, honey.”

  Sarah got up and wet a dishcloth. She busied herself wiping Lila’s hands and face, her mouth set in a firm line. Bones tried to think of a way to defuse the tension, but he had too many unanswered questions—and he couldn’t think of a single potential answer that wasn’t bad. This new information made his protective urges surge even more. What had she been through?

  Bradley wiggled down from his chair. “Can I go play?”

  Sarah was still busy with Lila, so Bones snagged Bradley around the waist and pushed to his feet. “How about we wash those hands first?”

  “Dude, you’re lightning fast,” Scott said as he got up to help. “Want me to get him?”

  Sarah lifted Lila out of the high chair and said, “I can do it, Bones. You came over to help with the basement and got wrangled into dishes and everything else.” She looked at Scott.

  “Hey, I offered,” Scott said. “The doc wants to help. Who am I to tell him no?”

  Bones turned on the sink and set Bradley beside it. “We’ve got this, right, B-boy?”

  Bradley nodded and stuck his hands under the water. “Can we work more?”

  Bones looked at Sarah, who was busy stripping off Lila’s dirty shirt, and said, “That’s up to your mama.” He finished washing Bradley’s hands and dried them with a towel.

  She glanced over with an apologetic smile. “Only if it’s okay with you guys.”

  “Totally cool with me, little dude.” Scott scooped him off the counter. “Bones, we’ll meet you downstairs.”

  The tension when Scott left the kitchen was as tangible as another person in the room. Bones played over a dozen things to say, but when he went to Sarah’s side, the wariness in her eyes told him there was only one thing he needed to know.

  “Just tell me this. Are you in danger? Is your husband or your father looking for you?”

  She swallowed hard, her eyes wide and watchful. She shook her head and said, “I’ve never had a husband, and I don’t think my father looked for me when I was a teenager. I’m sure he’s not looking now.”

  “Sarah,” came out as a tortured growl. He reached for her, wanting to ease the pain in her eyes.

  She pressed her hand to his chest, pushing him away. “Don’t. I’m fine. We’re fine. We don’t need saving.”

  “I don’t want to save you. I just want to—” Help you? Be with you? Fuck. Everything sounded like he wanted to rescue her. What the hell was wrong with that? There was no changing who he was, but just because he wanted to take care of her and protect her didn’t mean she was just like everyone else he’d ever helped. He didn’t want to get her to safety and be her friend. He wanted to be the man she didn’t fear, the man she knew she could count on, the man in her bed. He wanted to be hers.

  “We’re fine, Bones.”

  She started to walk out of the kitchen, and he gently grabbed her wrist. “I’m not trying to save you. You’re not one of my patients, Sarah. But I’m here, and I heard those things. That’s not going to change.” He glanced at Lila, anger and heartache intertwining. How long had Sarah been raising her kids alone? How had she managed? Did her children have the same father? And where the hell was her sister?

  “Mommy?” Bradley hollered, his footsteps stomping up the basement stairs.

  Bones reluctantly dropped her wrist, but he continued holding her gaze. “Let me in, Sarah. You won’t regret it.”

  “Mommy, I need Bones to bonk the nail,” Bradley said as he walked into the kitchen, looking completely put out by the delay in his plans.

  “Okay, baby,” Sarah said as she gazed down at Bradley, absently brushing her fingers through his dirty-blond hair. Then she looked at Bones for a long, silent moment with an expression hovering somewhere between a plea and a warning.

  Bradley grabbed Bones
’s hand and dragged him toward the basement.

  Bones looked over his shoulder at Sarah. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. A troubled and somehow also appreciative smile lifted her lips, and she mouthed, Thank you.

  Chapter Four

  SARAH LOOKED OUT Bullet and Finlay’s bedroom window toward the fenced-in pond in their backyard Saturday afternoon, trying to catch sight of her children as she put the finishing touches on Finlay’s hair for her wedding. They’d gotten lucky. Early November in Maryland could be cold and rainy, but the sky was clear and the air was crisp. Rows of white chairs faced a beautiful wooden wedding altar Bones, Bear, and Truman had built for Bullet and Finlay. Between Bones’s job and how often he helped Scott with the basement, she had no idea when he had found the time, but the altar was breathtakingly beautiful. Pink and white roses adorned the top, and fall-colored flowers overflowed barrels on either side. The same flowers filled planters throughout the yard. Glass lanterns hung from tree limbs with white candles inside and pink, white, and peach roses around the top. The yard was packed with members of the Dark Knights and their families. Children ran around with balloons tied to their wrists, dodging adults who were mingling on the lawn. Finlay had planned the wedding perfectly. The enormous white tent they’d set up for the reception had space heaters just in case they needed them. A makeshift stage for the band and a dance area had been set up at one end. Round tables had pink and white tablecloths and beautiful floral centerpieces in vases in the shape of a motorcycle with a pink banner that had Bullet’s and Finlay’s names written in black. Sarah scanned the grounds, trying not to let her nerves get the best of her. She finally spotted Chicki and Red holding Lila and Lincoln beneath a big tree, chatting with Finlay’s mother and her husband.

  Sarah threaded more flowers into Finlay’s hair and took another quick glance outside, searching for Bradley. Her pulse quickened as her gaze landed on Bones standing by the fence around the pond with Bradley and Scott. Scott was busy ogling Cassie, the caterer, as she came out of the reception tent, which was fine, because Sarah took a moment to ogle Bones, standing tall and broad, with one strong hand resting protectively on her son’s shoulder. Like the other men, he was strikingly handsome in jeans and a black dress shirt, with a pink tie that matched the flowers in Finlay’s bouquet, and his biker vest and boots. But unlike the other men, Bones took her breath away. He could make sweatpants look like a million bucks. Bradley had insisted on wearing the boots and vest Bones had given him. He was gazing up at Bones, and in that moment Sarah wondered if she was letting her children get too close to him. She’d spent a lifetime being disappointed in others, and the idea of anyone having the power to shatter her children’s happiness worried her.

  She focused on Finlay’s hair, listening to the girls talk about their lives. As Gemma told them how often Kennedy emulated her, waving her little hands and fluttering her lashes, Sarah feared her worries that the other shoe was about to drop would somehow wear off on her children, no matter how much she tried not to let it.

  She was tired of living every moment on guard, preparing for the worst. Just for one day she wanted to allow herself to be a normal twenty-six-year-old woman and enjoy the afternoon without those looming concerns. Lord knew Bones and his family had earned her trust.

  If only her past would stop casting shadows over her present.

  “Isn’t everything gorgeous?” Gemma said as she came to Sarah’s side, appreciation sparking in her green eyes. She looked beautiful in a knee-length mauve dress with shimmery sleeves. She had long legs for a woman of only five two or five three, a slim waist, and curvy hips.

  Sarah placed her hand over her baby bump, trying not to be envious of the other girls’ figures, but hair envy was another thing altogether. She had major hair envy for the girls’ shiny, bouncy hair, from Gemma’s natural array of browns and golds to Dixie’s thick, flame-red waves cascading down her back. She knew stress could wreak havoc on skin and nails, and she swore her dull, sandy tresses were proof that it was hell on hair, too.

  “Look at Bullet pacing like a caged tiger,” Gemma said. “He’s driving poor Tinkerbell crazy.” Tinkerbell paced with Bullet, but kept stopping and looking toward the house.

  “I begged him to let Tink stay with me,” Finlay said as Sarah secured the last of the flowers into place. “Bullet worried she’d get in the way, but I know that’s not why he kept her with him. Bullet needs Tinkerbell like other guys need a stiff drink.”

  Finlay pushed to her feet and gazed dreamily out the window. She was stunning in the white satin and lace wedding dress Crystal had made for her. It was long in the back, knee-length in the front, with two white satin bows at her waist. The skirt had a layer of floral lace that began as white and faded into gradients of pink as it reached the hem. The plunging neckline was shielded with pretty lace that matched the long lace sleeves. She wore her hair down. The way Bullet likes it best. Sarah had French braided the sides into a pretty horizontal braid across the back, which looked gorgeous with baby’s breath weaved into it. She’d added little flowers to each girl’s hairstyle.

  Finlay turned around and said, “I love that about him. Bullet feels everything so deeply. I swear he’s got the biggest heart of any man I’ve ever met.” Her eyes glistened with tears, and she fanned her face.

  “No tears!” Isabel hurried over from across the room. She was Finlay’s best friend and one of her two maids of honor. Finlay had been unable to decide between her sister, Penny, and Isabel, so they were both walking down the aisle with Bones, Bullet’s best man.

  “No, no, no.” Penny rushed over with Crystal and Dixie on her heels. She took Finlay by the shoulders and said, “Look into my eyes. If you ruin your makeup before the wedding, we have to start all over.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just so happy. Bullet is…” Finlay fanned her face faster, blinking rapidly. “He was so gruff and such a dirty-talking, shameless flirt when I met him. And now all those things make me fall harder for him by the second. I just love him so much.”

  Penny pulled her into a hug. “When you marry a big, burly, tatted-up biker, you get the best of everything.”

  “Careful of my hair,” Finlay said.

  “I’m just glad you love Bullet for who he is,” Dixie said as she looked out the window. She wore a short forest-green backless dress, with lace sleeves and sky-high heels. She was so tall and willowy, she could have been a model. Well, a tattoo model, considering she had so much ink. “I worried that he’d never let a woman into his head or his heart. I’m happy for both of you.”

  “He’s so lovable, Dix,” Finlay said. “I never stood a chance.”

  “Dixie is happy for you,” Crystal said with a smirk. “But she’s happier because one more of her brothers has another female to watch over besides her.”

  Dixie thrust out one hip and crossed her arms, amusement filling her keen green eyes. “There is some truth to that rumor.”

  “Why does that make you happier than Bullet and Finlay getting married?” Sarah asked.

  “When you were growing up, did Scott scare off every guy who looked at you?” Dixie asked.

  Sarah’s nerves prickled. “I didn’t really have guys looking at me back then.” She’d done everything she could to avoid it so she didn’t get a beating.

  “Oh please. Look at you.” Dixie waved her hand toward her. “Even after two babies—and with one in the oven—you’ve got Bones all tied up in knots. And he never goes out with women from around here.”

  Sarah. Couldn’t. Breathe.

  “Oh yeah, that man’s totally into you,” Gemma said. “On Halloween even Tru noticed it.”

  Unsure of what to say, Sarah went with, “He’s just being nice.”

  “I don’t know,” Finlay said. “Kennedy and Lincoln have been coming here for a long time, and suddenly Bones decided the pond was a danger to little ones. He hired Crow, one of the Dark Knights, to put up that safety fence around it, and then he showed up at t
he crack of dawn every morning this week before going into work to make sure it got done.”

  “He’s just cautious, and maybe spending time with Bradley lately has made him think more about kids in general,” Sarah said.

  “I think your kids have gotten to him in a big way,” Dixie said. “Well, you and your kids, really.”

  Happiness bubbled up inside Sarah, but just as quickly the familiar dread of what he might expect in return tried to chase it away. She struggled to hold on to the positive feeling.

  “It’s not like that,” Sarah said, but even as the words came out, his voice whispered through her mind. Let me in, Sarah. You won’t regret it. She put her hand on her belly, thinking about her life. Women often looked at her like she had an enviable life, with two children and a baby on the way. They had no way of knowing what she’d been through. But men? When she wasn’t pregnant, on the rare occasion she’d gone out without her children, she’d noticed a few glances, but now she was invisible to almost all of them. Why she wasn’t to Bones she had no idea, although their friendship had definitely developed an electric charge lately. She blamed her desires on pregnancy hormones. But for him? It had to be some kind of passing attraction.

  “Bones can have anyone he wants,” she finally added. “I’m like a walking baggage terminal. He’s a protector, like the rest of your family, and we’re just new people to look out for.”

  Dixie and the others exchanged a look that loosely translated to Has this girl lost her mind?

  “Fin!” Cassie’s voice floated up the stairs. A minute later she appeared in the doorway. Her brown hair was piled on her head in a bun, and she was all smiles in a pretty peach dress. “If you don’t hurry up, I swear Bullet’s going to come in here and haul your heinie out over his shoulder!”