“Look at that backyard. It’s perfect.”
“Perfect for?” his sexy voice rumbled in my ear. I leaned back against his chest and he slid his arms around my waist. We stared out the bedroom window at the plush, green yard in front of us.
“A swing set. Or, maybe even a slide. I always wanted a slide, but Dad said no because of what happened to RJ.” The sound of his laughter reverberated through me, and I smiled.
“Do I even want to know?” he asked.
“When RJ was in the second grade he read a book where the little boy thought he could fly. In the book, the kid jumped from the top of the jungle gym. His failure to stick the landing cost him his two front teeth.”
My back shook with Gage’s laughter. “I take it he couldn’t fly?”
“No,” I laughed, “he couldn’t. RJ came up with the bright idea that the kid had simply done it wrong. So he tried it from a different angle.”
“Please tell me your brother knocked out his teeth?” Gage and my brother, RJ, barely tolerated each other.
“No, but he did break his arm…in three places.” We both burst into laughter.
“I can’t wait to have kids with you,” Gage said through his laughter.
That was just it, I couldn’t either. So what had changed? Did I really not want kids? I thought back to the day Ellie and I drove out to the quarry in one of Benny’s beat up old trucks. We’d borrowed it while Benny worked on fixing Ellie’s crap-heap of a car for the thousandth time. It was our sophomore year in college and one of the few times she’d come home with me for break. Max had been gone for a little over two years. I don’t know why we ended up parked at the edge of the quarry. I just remember us both lying on the hood of the truck and talking about life.
“When I grow up I’m going to become a detective,” Ellie announced.
“And once you find Max, what will you do?” I asked.
“I’ll quit.” We both laughed.
“When I grow up I’m going to marry a guy who really and truly loves me, flaws and all. Not that I have any flaws, because we both know I’m perfect. We’re going to have three children and live happily ever after.”
“Three’s ambitious,” Ellie remarked.
“What can I say? I like to live on the edge. When you find Max, please note I started that sentence with the word when and not if, do you want kids?”
“I do want kids. In fact, I think we’ll have three.”
Our eyes met, and we both smiled. Then, at the exact same moment, we both sang, ‘“Three is the magic number,”’ and broke into howls of laughter.
I sat up in bed, and thought, I’m such an idiot. Gage loves me warts and all. Shit happens. I knew this better than anyone. Yes, Ellie almost lost Mac and it scared the living hell out of me, and the whole body invasion thing kind of freaked me out, but the thought of losing Gage was unconscionable. There was no question in my mind. I chose Gage, and if that meant starting a family, then so be it. With that decision, I jumped from the bed and hauled my ass to the shower. I was going to find my husband.
* * *
Two hours later…
Where in the hell are you? I thought as I sat in my idling car in the parking lot of MMG. It never crossed my mind that Gage might not be at work today. But, if he wasn’t at work, then where was he? I thought about texting him, but the thought that maybe I’d gone too far…maybe he’d given up on me once and for all, kept me from doing so. Nope, I needed the element of surprise this time. Maybe he’s at Max and Ellie’s?
Max’s truck and Ellie’s SUV were both parked in their driveway, but Gage’s motorcycle was not. Hopefully Max would be able to tell me the location of my husband.
Ellie answered the door on the third knock. Her hair was a mess and she looked as if she hadn’t slept for days.
“Oh, honey, is it that bad?” I asked. In response to my question, she jerked her finger to her lips and shook her head. “You still haven’t told him?” I whispered.
“Who’s at the door, Ells?” Max called out. Ellie rolled her eyes at me, and I laughed.
“Meeeeee!” I sang out. As I pushed past my best friend, I gave her arm a sympathetic squeeze. I wasn’t the only one with problems right now. Max was sitting at the kitchen table with Mac, and sitting at the table with them was… “Holy shit,” I whispered.
“Shit!” Mac the little parrot squawked. Max gave me a stern look. “Sorry, but holy shit,” I mouthed.
“That’s Piper,” Max told his doppelganger.
My eyes shot to Ellie and she explained how Cole had shown up at the house a few days ago with documentation claiming that he was Malcolm McLellan’s son, which would make him Max’s half-brother. She went on to explain that they were waiting on a blood test to confirm it.
“You actually doubt it? I mean, look at him. He’s a mini Max.”
“Piper is my best friend,” Ellie told a confused looking Cole.
“She has a big mouth,” Max added. I pretended to rub my eye…with my middle finger, and smiled when Cole burst into laughter.
“Yes, but she has an awesome disposition,” I informed him. He smiled again and I fought back the urge to hug him.
“What brings you by?” Max asked.
“Oh, I’m looking for Gage.”
“It’s about time,” he muttered.
Instead of telling him to go fuck himself, I asked, “Have you seen him today?”
“He’s at MMG.”
“No, he’s not. I just came from there and the doors were locked.”
“Did you try calling him?” Ellie asked.
“No, I kind of wanted to talk to him face to face.”
Max pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Where are you?” he asked. After a short pause, he said, “Thanks. They were supposed to deliver those yesterday. Where did you put them?” After another short pause, he said, “I’ll see you Monday.” He hung up and said, “He’s at home.”
“Thanks, Max.”
“He loves you, Piper. Never doubt that.”
“I know he does, and I love him, too. I just needed a minute, or four.” Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I nodded my head at mini Max. “You do realize he looks just like you, right?”
Max gave me a wry smile. “So I’ve been told.”
Whatever.
I quickly said my goodbyes and headed home to face my husband.
* * *
Gage
For some reason Piper had decided that she no longer wanted children. The way I looked at it, I had two choices. Either I accepted her decision or I didn’t. If I refused to accept it, I would lose her. Last night, instead of going home after work, I raided the office’s liquor cabinet. In the midst of my drunken binge, I came to the conclusion that I could live without kids, but I couldn’t live without Piper. I wanted to drive home then, but I was drunk and couldn’t find my keys.
I hung around MMG this morning long enough to accept the parts delivery. Then I decided it was time to go home and face the music. I was beyond disappointed to find an empty house.
As I made my way through our home I felt my shoulders begin to relax. I was confident I’d made the right decision. My life would be shit without Piper O’Connell Blackwell in it. Everywhere I looked were pieces of the beautiful life we were building together. I reached the entry to our bedroom and smiled at the clothes on the floor and the unmade bed. It felt so damn good to be home. Before hitting the bed, I stripped out of my clothes. The last thought before I fell asleep was Piper will be home soon.
The sound of the front door slamming woke me. I checked the clock and was surprised to see that I’d only been out for thirty minutes. When I heard my wife muttering about the hinges on “the damn front door,” I couldn’t help but smile. I’d been holding off on getting a new front door for about six months now. Maybe it was finally time to do something about it.
“Gage! Are you home?” Piper shouted.
“In the bedroom!” I called out.
She
stopped in the doorway to our bedroom and her eyes roamed wearily over the bed. I held my arms out, and, after a short pause, she tossed her purse on the floor, kicked off her shoes, and bounded for the bed. I braced for her approach and grunted on impact.
“I’m sorry,” we both said at the same time. Before I could talk, she slapped her hand over my mouth. I hated when she did this.
“I was wrong,” she quickly said. “I do want kids, but I’m scared.” I opened my mouth to ask what she was scared of, but she stopped me by saying, “Let me try and explain.” I patiently waited for her to gather her thoughts. “For the past two nights I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what had changed. When did I stop wanting kids? Do I really not want kids, or is it something else?” As she animatedly recalled her thoughts, all I could focus on was how lucky I was to have her in my life. “Either way, I think it started after I was shot. The whole time we were in that God forsaken house, I kept thinking please don’t let Ellie lose the baby. I could die, but if Ellie or that baby had died, I would never have forgiven myself. I was the reason we were in that mess in the first place. I was the reason she was going to lose that baby. Me.” She slapped her chest and her beautifully haunted eyes flayed me. “How can I bring a child into the world when I can’t even take care of myself or the people I love?” Her words made my stomach clench. How could I be so dense? It all made perfect sense now. Piper had watched her best friend almost lose her baby. I was such a dumb ass. “Anyway, I think that’s when the fear first started, but there’s more, and before you laugh, believe me, I know it sounds shallow. I don’t want you to think I’m fat, and you know how much I hate to throw up.” Last year when Piper had a stomach bug, she lay in bed like a dead woman for two hours for fear of throwing up. “But I want your babies, Gage. I’ve always wanted your babies. Never doubt that.” She lifted her hand from my mouth, and said, “Now you can talk.”
“Fuck, Princess, I’m a dumb ass. Instead of taking off, I should have connected the dots. Of course you’re afraid. Hell, I would be, too, if I was you.” Her gorgeous blue eyes flared with surprise. “I want you to take the job at Dragonfly,” I told her, “and I also think you should talk to someone about what happened, because baby, it wasn’t your fault. Dooley Shane was a psychotic fuck-nut. It wasn’t your choice to get caught in his crosshairs.”
“I’m not taking the job,” she cut in. I placed my hand over her mouth and she glared at me.
“I spoke with Dillon and Kurt. They suggested that both you and Polly take the management position. This way you can show Polly the ropes, and, when we’re ready to start a family, she can take over.”
“Oh my God, that’s brilliant!” she mumbled under my hand.
“I want kids, Piper, but not at the expense of our marriage.” She incoherently muttered something, and I lifted my hand from her mouth.
“I want kids, too. I really do,” she repeated.
“Then you’ll talk to someone?”
“I will.” She shifted her hips and smiled when she felt my erection poking out from under the bedspread. “Someone’s ready to play,” she said in a cute sing-song voice. Then she pulled back and glared at me. “Wait, did you know Max has a brother?”
Something told me if I answered yes, the game would be over before it even started, so I answered her question with a kiss.
When we came up for air, she said, “Remind me to tell you about it later.” She let out a cute little squeal when I flipped her over onto her back and slowly stripped her clothes from her body. Then I showed her exactly how much I loved her.
* * *
Monday morning…
“Did you get everything straightened out with Piper?” Max asked. He stood in the doorway of my office holding a large thermos.
“Awww, did Ellie make you soup?” I teased.
“Fuck you. Are you and Piper good or not?”
“We’re good. Has Ellie confessed, yet?”
“Nope.”
“Great. Have you heard anything from Garrison?”
“Nope.”
“Happy Monday,” I muttered. Max raised the thermos into the air in a silent salute. Then he strolled down the hall toward his office.
Two hours later he was back at my office door with a strange look on his face. “What’s up?” I asked.
“Three police cars just pulled into our lot.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“I shit you not. Something tells me this little visit has something to do with Garrison.”
“Fucking hell. He played us.”
“Looks like it,” Max responded.
Fucking hell was right. Somehow, the fucker had managed to plant three boxes of stolen parts at MMG. As Max and I sat in a grungy jail cell that smelled of piss and vomit, waiting on one of the boys from LASH to bail us out, we put two and two together.
“When the guy said Carl was sick, I should have called the main office.” Carl was our regular delivery guy. In all the time I’d been working at MMG, Carl had always been the one to make the deliveries. On Friday, when a guy wearing the same uniform as Carl pulled up to the delivery dock, I thought it was odd. When he told me Carl was sick, I didn’t think to question it. “I should have questioned him.”
“Your head was in another place. Chances are I would have missed it, too,” Max consoled.
“Bullshit. You would have drilled his ass.”
“Okay, maybe I would have, but only because Carl is my guy,” Max agreed. “And who knows, if the guy had good acting skills, I might have let it pass. Either way, what’s done is done. There’s no use beating yourself up about it.” A commotion exploded in the outer room and Max and I smiled at each other. “Sounds like the cavalry have arrived,” Max said right as the door opened and in walked Garrett, Cas, Bobby, and a guy in a suit.”
“J.D., you wily son-of-a-bitch, it’s damn good to see you,” Max said.
The suit smiled, which looked more like a grimace if you asked me, and pulled out his phone. “Smile for the camera,” he said, and started snapping pictures.
“What the fuck?” I growled.
“I owe him one,” J.D. responded through his laughter. “Anyway, time to roll gents. You are free to go…that is unless you’ve grown to like your digs.
On the way back to LASH, Max told the story of how he and J.D. had come to be friends. Apparently, J.D. was a senior in high school when Max was a freshman. One night after a football game, J.D. and his friends were hazing some freshman, two of which were Max and Kurt. Not only did Max and Kurt manage to kick the upperclassmen’s asses, but they took pictures to show to all their friends.
“Max told me he wouldn’t show the pictures to anyone if we promised to leave him and his friends alone for the remainder of the year,” J.D. said.
Max laughed. “I was surprised when you agreed.”
“Hell yeah, I agreed. We had a reputation to uphold.”
“Somehow we ended up friends,” Max told us.
Adam and Tut were waiting at LASH for us. Once we were all seated around the conference table, Garrett asked us to explain what happened.
“This has Garrison written all over it,” I said.
“Maybe so, but you don’t have proof. The boxes have no return address and apparently the police didn’t find any fingerprints or other evidence identifying the origin of the stolen parts. For the same reason, I convinced the police that they didn’t have enough to successfully prosecute you. I also challenged their lack of probable cause for the search, so this whole incident should go away without charges,” J.D. explained.
“Do we know who ordered the search?” Bobby asked.
“We do not,” J.D. answered.
“We ran the serial number on a few of the parts and they are definitely stolen,” Cas stated.
“Can we all agree on it being Garrison?” Max asked. Everyone nodded, yes.
“That is all well and good, but without proof, mere suspicions won’t stand up in a court of law,” J.
D. explained.
“Garrison’s making money he’s not reporting and we can tie him back to Dooley Shane, who we know was dealing low end parts and fobbing them off as high grade. I, for one, assume Garrison probably is doing the same thing,” Garrett said.
“These parts were stolen,” Max stated.
“Stolen or not, we have nothing to work with unless we can link those parts to Garrison,” J.D. repeated.
Cas smiled. “It just so happens we’re in the truth finding business.”
“Camera?” Bobby asked.
“Camera,” Garrett and Cas agreed.
“Where do you want it?” Bobby asked.
“You can set it up nearby, but make sure the camera is not on Garrison’s property or it will be more difficult to use whatever you find,” J.D. advised.
“I’m on it,” Bobby said.
Max and I smiled at each other. One way or another, Neel Garrison was going down.
Chapter Thirteen
Polly and Harry
‡
Polly
Ever since Harry had saved my ass at Dragonfly, he was all I could think about. He’d asked me to call him the next day. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because I wasn’t sure if anything had really changed. Sure, he’d lost weight and looked amazing, but Harry looked good to me before I walked away. It wasn’t about the weight. I might have used that as an excuse to leave, but that’s all it was…an excuse. I knew this then. I just wasn’t willing to admit it. However, after six months of dating jerk after jerk, I was officially done. I would rather be alone for the rest of my life than to turn out like my mother.
My parents divorced when I was five. Shortly after, my mom married Russ. All I remember about Russ was he liked to watch television in his underwear, and did it a lot. Russ was gone by the time I was eight. Right after I turned nine, Mom married Stanley. Stanley liked to cook and play dolls with me. He and Mom used to fight a lot. They divorced after only sixteen months. When I was twelve, Mom married PT. She divorced him when she found out he wasn’t going to work every day, but was instead going to the bar to drink beer. After PT there was another, and then another after him. The one thing they all had in common was their inability to hold down a job. When I was fourteen, Mom got laid off from her job. Instead of finding a new one, she joined stepdad number five, or maybe it was six, on the sofa, and sent me to live with my dad’s parents. Grandma told me that my mother had what was called low self-esteem. She called her a “loser magnet.” Well, whatever my mother was, I knew I didn’t want to be anything like her. I refused to hitch my star to a loser, even if it meant walking away from a man I might love.
The Last Call (MMG Book 5) Page 11