I leaned in and pointed a finger at his chest. “You make her cry and I’ll hurt you, got it?”
He knocked my hand off his chest. “I’m not the one who makes her cry.”
I nodded. Then I gave in and twisted his nipple until he screamed. “Shut it, asshole. I’m working on it.”
“Don’t touch him!”
Cece seemed to come out of nowhere and yanked my hand away from her boyfriend. She pummeled my chest with her fists until I grabbed them both in one hand and held her back.
“Take a pill. I gave him a titty twister. No big deal.”
She scrunched up her face and wriggled out of my grasp. “Are you ever going to grow up?”
“No. And I’m okay with that.” I looked over at Gwen. “Some people need a person like me to make them feel more . . . adult.”
Gwen’s eyes widened, and she pressed her lips together to stop from laughing.
I smiled at Cece and ruffled her hair. “I was just giving Xander my blessing to date my sister.”
“Like he needs that.”
“Oh, he did. Trust me.” I bent down to meet her at eye level. “Because if he ever hurts you, I will put him in a full-body cast.”
She slapped my forehead and pushed my head away. “Stop acting like you care.”
I pulled her closer to my chest and held her wrist in my hand. “Stop acting like I don’t.”
She stopped struggling, and then her eyes welled up with tears as she looked into my face. “Since when?”
“Since always, I guess. So if I can stop being an asshole and you can stop being so bitchy, maybe we can sit down one day and talk. Get stuff out. Work through it.”
Cece took a small step forward. “You’re so resentful, and I don’t even know why.”
“You’ll never know until we talk, right?”
Gwen brushed her hand against mine, and my fingers twitched. She made me want to be a better person, and it was killing me.
“You should come home for your birthday,” Cece said. It was a challenge.
Gwen shifted next to me. “When’s his birthday?”
“Weekend after next,” Cece said, never dropping her eyes from mine.
Gwen nodded. “That would be perfect.”
Did she just agree for me?
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
“Gwen!” Tess shouted, finally noticing us, and Ian craned his neck around. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with Kyle?”
I opened my mouth, but Gwen was a second ahead of me.
“He stood me up.”
Tess narrowed her eyes. “Impossible. Kyle would never.” She pulled out her phone and pressed a few buttons. “He didn’t call or leave any messages. No texts. Are you sure? How long did you wait?”
Gwen shrugged. “Thirty minutes?”
Tess’ face grew grim. “I’m calling him to find out what happened.”
She dialed his number, then plugged her ear and listened as the phone rang. Her lips were moving, but her voice was too low to hear in the loud bar. Finally she dropped her phone back into her purse.
This was it. I was going to get busted for dangling my dick in front of another guy.
“He said he’s sorry for bailing but he’s ‘confused about his situation.’ ” She shook her head. “I have no idea what that means.”
I did. It was the power of the Don. I resisted the urge to pat him like a good puppy for doing his job. But he was mad at me anyway for playing more games of solitaire that morning.
Xander and Ian looked at me with raised eyebrows, and I pursed my lips to keep from smiling.
Tess hugged Gwen and patted her back. “I’m sorry. But I have plenty of guy friends to set you up with.”
Not if I had anything to do with it.
Cece, Gwen, and Tess grabbed their drinks and moved further down the bar, huddled up and talking about who-knows-what, but I smiled when Gwen looked back and gave me a wave.
Xander leaned in and yelled in my ear. “Jimmy hooked up with one of the waitresses—that girl, Rae?—like, the day after he took Gwen out. Apparently he told Rae about their date. She’s got one hell of a jealous streak. Gwen might need to watch out for the claws.”
“Did you hear about the kids drenching Jimmy with water balloons?”
Xander pressed his fist to his mouth and laughed. “No. You’ll have to fill me in on that. How’s it going, anyway?”
“I’m good with kids, go figure. They make me responsible.”
Ian laughed and clapped a hand onto my shoulder. “The guy who took the manny job to get his inheritance—and get in his boss’ pants—is claiming to be responsible now?”
I widened my eyes. “Would you keep your voice down?” I hissed and looked around frantically, but the only person I saw who might have been within earshot was Rae the waitress, who was rinsing out some glasses at the end of the bar. Her hair hung covering the side of her face like a curtain, and she gave no sign of having overheard, so I turned back to Ian. “How do you know about that anyway?”
Ian waved a dismissive hand. “Our friend Xander here is a Gossip Girl.”
“Do you actually watch that show?” I asked.
He averted his eyes and took a swig of beer. “No . . .”
“Well, lock it up, both of you,” I said, my voice low. “Besides, it’s not like that anymore.”
“Relax,” Ian said, grinning. “I was just messing with you, man.”
Xander smiled and patted my back. “I think this job has been good for you. They’re good for you.”
I watched as Gwen and Tess swayed to Ian’s music. An okay-looking blond guy approached Gwen and spoke into her ear, but she shook her head and he walked away, dejected.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” I said.
Jimmy’s voice filtered through the speakers, announcing Ian’s set, and Ian left us to go take his spot on stage. Tess meandered up front, pulling Gwen and Cece with her. I gave Xander a grin and patted him on the back before I joined Gwen in front of the stage.
She smiled as I stepped next to her, and then she jerked her head, beckoning me closer. I dropped my head to lean in to hear her over the music.
“Why do you say Cece the way you do?” she asked. “You know, you draw out that first S sound. It’s cute.”
I shook my head ruefully. “I had a lisp like Brady. That’s why I understood when he wanted to call me Dee.”
Her eyes softened. “There are so many layers to you, Andrew Lyons.”
I stared at her lips and bit my cheek. “Want to peel back one or two later tonight?”
Her lips parted and she inhaled sharply. “Stop it. We’re being good from here on out. We already decided on that. Remember the kids.”
“Suit yourself.” I turned toward Ian and smiled as she stared at me, clearly questioning her moral decision.
Gwen was quiet on the drive home, listening to the radio and smiling out the window into the darkness.
I glanced over at her as the lights of the street bounced across the glass and illuminated her face in the darkness. It was becoming more apparent that I was falling for her and falling fast.
I wanted her, and I didn’t want anyone else to have her. Now that she was backing off, I wanted her even more. I was frustrated, and it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since I’d last tasted her lips. I itched to kiss them again.
A part of me wished I could be the selfish prick I’d pretended to be for so many years—that I could use her for my own physical release, like I’d always done. But there was something about Gwen—and the kids—that made me think twice about all my actions.
I pulled the car into the garage, cloaking us in darkness and silence. Once again, the pull was there. I wanted to take her hand and lead her down to my bedroom. I wanted to have her beneath me, calling my name and begging me. Only me.
That was where things weren’t lining up.
So I exited the car and, instead of giving her a chance to stall in the garage a
gain, I went ahead and opened the door to the house. She thanked me and walked inside.
“Thanks for getting me out of the house,” she said when we cleared the entryway. “I hope you didn’t feel like you had to bring me along.”
I shook my head and pocketed the car keys. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do, Gwen. You’ll figure that out soon enough.”
She smiled and tilted her head, thoughtful. Then she opened her arms and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and inhaled before leaning away.
She kissed me on the cheek. “Good night, Andrew.”
I stepped all the way back and blinked, trying to clear my head of the haze her body heat had created.
“Good night, Gwen.”
I turned slowly and walked to the stairs.
“Oh,” she said, “and for the record?”
I twisted to see her over my shoulder.
“I think you did the right thing tonight. You should be proud. You’re a good brother, Dee.” She smiled again and nodded for emphasis before walking upstairs.
Chapter 17
Don’t Let Me Down
Gwen called in the morning asking if I could bring her badge to her at work. She’d left it at home and had had to wait on someone to let her into the building. After getting the kids off to school, I did as she asked.
I was prepared for her to say “thank you.” What I wasn’t prepared for was the ass-shaking she was doing in her office. Clearly she hadn’t heard me knock.
“Um, I can come back if you want me to.”
She twirled around and slapped her hand to her chest, gasping.
“Did you win a super hard game of Fruit Ninja?” I asked, and she laughed in spite of my douchey sarcasm.
“Oh no, I’m a Candy Crush kind of girl.”
I opened the door wider, stepping in and closing it behind me. “I brought your badge.” I dangled the lanyard from my finger as a reminder of why I was there.
“Thank you.” She stepped around her desk and held out her hand, but I lifted what she wanted just out of her reach.
“Don’t be a jerk,” she said, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping.
“What? I’m not. I drove all this way to bring it to you—how am I a jerk?”
“You’re using my height against me. Just because I’m vertically challenged doesn’t mean I can’t get that from you.”
I pursed my lips. “Is that so? And how would you go about getting it from me when you look like a kitten swiping at a ball of yarn?”
She looked down at the floor, then back up at me, her eyelids half-open. “Hmm, I’m not sure . . .” She batted her eyelashes and lifted a hand to her blouse, playing her fingertips along the edges of the buttons. With a sigh, she touched the exposed skin of her neck and slipped her fingertips lower, brushing along the subtle exposure of her cleavage. My eyes followed the movement, and I focused on her chest.
With a flick of her wrist, she threw her other hand out and snatched the badge from my grasp. I hadn’t even realized I’d lowered it.
I shook my head and glared. “Tease.”
“Sucker.” She laughed and slipped the badge around her neck.
I leaned against the door and raked her over from head to toe with my eyes. “Tess gave me the ol’ fish eyes when I came through the office.”
“She’s just looking out for me, that’s all. We talk about this situation between you and me sometimes.” She gave me a small smile and adjusted the badge around her collar. It got stuck, and she tugged on it.
“Here.” I stepped toward her and bent down to untangle the cord. I brushed her hair off her back and settled the lanyard under her collar before letting her hair fall and smoothing my fingers over her shirt to fix it.
“She doesn’t have to protect you from me,” I whispered.
She lifted her face toward mine, her eyes searching. “I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Good.”
Taking a much needed step back, she turned toward the desk again. “Do you know what you want for your birthday?” She looked over her shoulder to catch my unrelenting gaze.
“I do.”
She twisted back around so the backs of her legs were against the desk. Then she leaned back, planted her hands on the ledge, and cocked her head. “Care to share?”
“Nope.”
Her eyes glazed over for longer than a few seconds.
“Gwen?”
“Sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“Those must have been some intense thoughts.”
She hung her head and smiled before looking back up. “I called my boss, Caroline, this morning. That’s what I was dancing about when you walked in. She’s agreed to let me work fewer hours over the summer to spend more time with the kids.”
“They’ll love that.”
“And you,” she added.
A quick knock on the door made us both jump. I stepped to the side and cracked it open. “No thanks, we already bought some Thin Mints.”
My sister pushed me in the stomach and then smiled like the Cheshire cat as she passed me by.
Her face grew solemn as she turned to face Gwen. “Bree’s school is on the phone. She’s in the counselor’s office. Line five.” She turned and flicked me on the tip of my nose, and I swatted at her hair as she walked out.
Gwen rushed around the desk and picked up the line on speakerphone. Counselor Jones explained that Bree had been in a verbal altercation with another student and was too upset to stay for the day.
“Okay, I’m on my way,” Gwen said.
I waved my arms and pointed to my chest.
“Actually, Andrew Lyons will be by to get her. Yes, he’s on the list. Thank you. Tell her he’ll be right there.” She hung up and rubbed her hands together. “She’s upset about something.”
“I’ve got her, Gwen. When she’s calmed down, I’ll call you and let you know what happened. Just be home by six for spaghetti, okay?”
“Thank you.”
I gave a small smile in return before stepping out the door.
Chapter 18
Little Child
“I hate her,” Bree said from the passenger seat. Her little fists were clenched, and she was gritting her teeth in anger.
“It’s okay. Just breathe.”
“But Sasha’s so mean!” Her little voice was shrill. “She said I was an orphan. Like Annie. That I don’t have any parents like everybody else.”
“She’s just being mean, Bree. You know that—”
“I don’t know anything!” She hung her head, pressed her hands to her face, and sobbed.
I pulled up in front of the park and sighed. “Come on. Let’s go to the lake and talk, okay?”
She sniffled and unbuckled her seat belt, then kept her eyes on the ground as we walked. When we reached the park, she crawled halfheartedly onto the steps that faced the water.
“I don’t want to be different.”
“It’s okay to be different, you know,” I said.
“But I don’t have a mom and dad.”
“True. But you have me and Gwen.”
She hugged her knees to her chest and stared off. “Gwen’s always gone.”
I nodded and squinted toward the sun. It was a pretty day, and the sky was an endless row of cloud after cloud trailing lazily above our heads. “She’s fixing that, Bree. She talked to her boss and asked to be home more. She loves you so much, you know.”
She pressed her face into her knees. “Are you going to leave us?” Her voice was smothered into her lap, but I heard her loud and clear.
I pulled on her elbow, and she looked up at me with blotchy eyes and a red nose.
“I’m not leaving you. No matter what happens, okay?” I squeezed her arm, and she sniffled.
“I want you to stay forever, Dee.”
“Then that’s what you’ll get.”
I let go of her arm and leaned back, closing my eyes to the warmth
of the sun as I thought about the unbreakable promise I’d just made. No matter how things turned out between Gwen and me, my promise was to the kids.
I finally understood why Gwen was being so cautious. In a perfect world, we’d be a family. I’d be the one caring for all of them. Bree and Brady would have parents again. Gwen and I would have each other.
But all of that would require me to be a father. And I had no idea how to do that.
Chapter 19
I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
After picking Brady up from Pre-K, we went to Monkey Joe’s so both kids could jump and exert some energy. But after fifteen minutes, Bree turned quiet and pouty. Brady could tell something was wrong and reverted back to his old silence, and the only thing I could think to do was take them somewhere they could just get lost for a while.
So we went to the movies.
A seven-year-old and a four-year-old at the movies on a Monday afternoon was a bad idea. Lucky for me, we were the only ones there. Brady asked a lot of questions before he got quiet again and fell asleep. Bree sat rigid, unmoving, and grown-up as usual. I had this insane urge to send them running up and down the aisles or to start a popcorn-throwing contest. I’d never been around two kids in so much need of fun.
When we got home, we started the usual rituals of school work and chores, and finished just before Gwen arrived at five thirty—early by her standards any day of the week. She grimaced, and her eyes darted around, looking for Bree. I jerked my head toward the stairs, and she took them two at a time.
I craned my head to listen, but they were too quiet to hear, so I turned back to my pot of boiling water and grabbed a box of noodles from the cabinet, emptied the remainder into the water, and added some olive oil and salt.
A loud thumping started from upstairs, and it shook the walls. I dropped my wooden spoon and ran up at full speed.
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