He was proud of himself. That made me even more pissed than I had already been. Without another word I sat down and watched him interact with his niece. It was absolutely adorable. How was he the same man I'd met before, I wondered? He was so sweet to her. She had him wrapped around her little finger. He was up at the vending machine buying her everything she was asking for. I couldn't take my eyes away from them. How could he be so good with her but so quick to let me know there was no way he had kids?
It seemed like only a few minutes later when his parents, sister, and brother-in-law walked into the waiting room.
“They letting you leave?” he asked his sister.
“Sure are,” she said. “It ended up being nothing.”
“Don't you tell him that, Sammie,” their dad quickly jumped in. “The doctor said you need to get some rest. We need to get you home. I'll be right there for anything you need.”
“That is why I didn't want to tell you,” she said.
“You kids are going to be the death of me,” he said. “I will be there every moment. If you don't like it, quit getting pregnant.”
Sammie rolled her eyes and shook her head at her father. She thought he was a pain in the ass, but she didn't realize just how lucky she was.
“We're going to James and Sammie's,” their dad added. “We'll get food on our way over.”
“It was nice to meet you all,” I said. “I'm going to have Lance drop me off on the way. I'm glad everything is okay.”
“Oh no you don't,” their dad said. “I need to see what all the hype is about. You come over to the house with Lance. You don't need to be driving right back home. You live in Ohio, right?”
I looked over at Lance, who turned to face the other way, before responding.
“Thank you, but I don't want to interfere with your family time.”
“That's nonsense,” he replied. “You come over with Lance.”
I looked over at Lance, and he just shook his head before leaning over and hugging his sister.
“You're okay?” he asked.
“I'm fine,” she answered.
“I love you, Sammie,” he said.
“I love you too, Lancie,” she said.
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me.
“Do not laugh,” he said sternly. “It only encourages her.”
James took Jillian from Lance.
“We'll see you in a few,” James said.
“We'll be there,” Lance said.
Lance turned around and walked away, so I hurried behind him. Just before we got to the car, I couldn't hold back any longer.
“You know I live in Ohio,” I said.
He opened his door and looked over the top of his car at me.
“I didn't bother asking you how you knew exactly which apartment I live in, did I?”
Then he got in, shut the door, and started the car.
Chapter 8
Lance
I wasn't even out of the parking lot when I opened my big mouth.
“Who's Jackson?” I asked.
“I thought you didn't care,” she said.
That woman needed her ass spanked so damn hard.
“I don't,” I said.
“Take me to my car,” she demanded, trying to be tough when she said it.
“Can't do that,” I said.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Did you not see them? What do you think they'll do if I show up without you? Do you really want me to go through that?”
“I don't want to be driving too late,” she said. “I need to get home.”
“You can stay at my place tonight and head out early in the morning,” I said.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes, really,” I answered. “You don't need to be driving in the dark.”
“Is that so?” she asked. “You think you can just make that decision for me?”
“I just did,” I said, so unsure of what she going to do.
She didn't say anything for a minute, and I was glad. For once she was keeping it to herself. She didn't need to be driving again so soon after she'd gotten there. She needed sleep before she got behind the wheel of her car again.
“I can't believe you know two Pirates,” she said.
“Three.”
“What?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“I know three,” I said. “James' dad Scott.”
“Damn, I totally forgot about Scott being his dad. Wasn't there some big story there or something?”
“Not really,” I said. “Scott isn't his biological father. He was with James' mom before, but they'd split up for several years. When they got back together, he raised James as his own. He doesn't know anything about his real dad. His mom doesn't like talking about it. I guess he was a real jerk.”
“What's the story with your dad freaking out on your sister?” she asked.
“When Sammie was born, he was worried about her dying. As soon as he knew she was going to be okay, something happened to my mom and she almost died. It scared him so bad. When Sammie was pregnant the first time, he had a really hard time her entire pregnancy. He was so afraid. He was up her ass every second. That's why she didn't tell him this time. She wanted to wait until she had to. Now that she was in the hospital with that scare, he's probably going to move into the bedroom next to hers.”
“I'm sure he's not that bad,” she said, defending him. “Was he like that when you were born?”
“He didn't have the chance,” I said, and she gave me a strange look. “They adopted me right after I was born. My dad fought my mom for years. She wanted to have another baby, but he didn't want to lose her. He was too afraid.”
“Your dad afraid,” she whispered to herself.
“He's not always that tough guy you saw. He can be pretty emotional too,” I said.
“So, you're adopted,” she said. “That explains a lot.”
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said.
“Lauren,” I said sternly.
“You don't look like your parents or your sister,” she said quietly.
“I can't help that I'm better looking than they are,” I said with a laugh.
“And cocky too,” she said sarcastically.
“You think I'm cocky, my dad is so much worse. That was just a small taste back there. He's really bad sometimes. The man has no filter.”
“Not like you, right?” she said with a laugh. “I can't imagine.”
I pulled up Sammie's driveway and parked the car. When I swung my door open, I heard Lauren say something.
“It's not what you think.”
“What?” I asked unsure of what she'd really said.
“Jackson,” she said. “It's not what you think.”
“None of my business,” I said, before getting out, shutting my door, and walking over to James' car.
Jilly jumped into my arms as soon as I opened her door, and I couldn't help but laugh. That little girl made me so happy. I saw Lauren get out of the car and turned to her just as Jilly wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tight.
“Come on,” I said. “We need to get you inside, Baby girl.”
There was something in Lauren's eyes, but I couldn't tell what it was. It almost looked like sadness.
“You coming?” I asked.
She nodded her head but didn't move.
Chapter 9
Lauren
I was feeling confused and shocked with everything going on around me. Why didn't he tell me Lance was his dad? Did he think that would make a difference? It couldn't have been the money. He'd made his own living. Why didn't he throw it back when I was giving him crap about his name? He didn't seem like the kind of guy to put up with that, but he did, and for no reason at all.
His family was definitely loud. They each dished out their share of shit, but I could also see how much love they had for each other. It was pretty amazing to see. I'd never experienced anything even close to
what they had. Don't get me wrong, my grandma and grandpa were amazing to me. It was different though. His family was definitely one of a kind.
He was adopted. I hadn't seen that coming. He didn't look like his parents, but sometimes people don't. I was shocked when he spoke so openly about it. You'd never know it from watching them all interact. They loved him as much as they did Sammie, you could see it. You could tell that they treated him the same. He was so lucky to have two parents that cared so much about him. Neither of mine gave a shit about me.
I wasn't sure why I hadn't been open with him about Jackson. He had no problem telling me about his life. There was no reason for me to hide it. My boy was my life. For some reason, I was still having a hard time. I wasn't sure if it was seeing his reaction earlier or if I was just afraid he'd judge me on that too. What was I so worried about? I already knew that he couldn't stand me. It wasn't like telling him was going to make it any worse. My mom had said that no man would want me because of Jackson. Was she right? What did it matter? I didn't want Lance anyway. I just wanted to clear the air with him so I could concentrate on my work. All I wanted was a truce. I had work to do. I needed to solve the damn puzzle. It was driving me out of my mind.
I watched him hug his niece tight. He had the biggest smile on his face when he spun around with her. Then he started laughing. I could hear him through the car window. When I got out, I stood there for a moment watching all of them. They were talking and joking. Even his dad was laughing. The pissed off mood surrounding him was gone just like that. How did they do it? I'd never seen anything like it.
Lance's dad leaned in Sammie's side of the car and scooped her up in his arms. He was definitely still just as big as when he'd played ball. The man wasn't old at all. She shoved his shoulder and shook her feet as he carried her to the house. That man had so much love for his daughter, and I couldn't help but feel it in my heart. When I felt a hand on my arm, I jumped.
“You okay?” Lance's mom asked.
I quickly shook away the choked up feeling I had and looked over at her.
“I'm fine,” I said. “Thank you for having me here, Mrs. Smith.”
“Oh no,” she said. “Call me Lucy. I'm still way too young for Mrs. Smith.”
When she laughed, I couldn't help but laugh too.
“I know we can all be overwhelming,” she said. “You'll get used to it.”
“Oh no,” I said, as I put my hands up. “I just came to talk to Lance. Then I'll be going home and be out of his hair.”
“You drove hours just to talk to my son?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, and without thinking continued on. “He was being an ass, and.”
I stopped myself as soon as I realized it.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“That's okay,” she said. “He is his father's son. I'm sorry about my husband back there. He loves his kids more than anything in this world. He's also very passionate about the way he feels. There is no filter there. He says exactly what pops into his head. Her being pregnant scares the shit out of him. Her holding that information back sent him over the edge. He can be a tough guy, but deep down, he's just a big marshmallow. Don't tell him I said it though. I'll deny it.”
“I know,” I said with a chuckle. “Lance told me on the way here. Not the marshmallow part, just about her being pregnant.”
“He did?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “He also told me he was adopted.”
“He told you that,” she said, more as a statement than a question.
I nodded but didn't speak.
“Come on in,” she said. “I bet you're just as hungry as we are. Those damn kids are going to turn all my man's hair gray. If we don't get in there, who knows what they'll do.”
She linked her arm in mine and nudged me to move.
“You sure have my boy a mess,” she said, as we walked. “He even moved out over that job. It's really messing with him, but I really have to wonder if it's just the job that's got him going.”
We walked through the door, and she released my arm.
“He's not the only one,” I mumbled to myself.
As soon as we walked in, James was running up the stairs to get pillows. Lance's dad was gently setting Sammie on the couch. He sat down right next to her and hugged her tight.
“I'm going to be right here for everything, Sammie,” he said, as he kissed her forehead.
Not one part of me wasn't shaking from seeing the two of them together.
“You sure you're okay?” Lucy asked me.
“I'm fine,” I said. “I'm just not used to this.”
I was so relieved when she grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the kitchen without acknowledging my answer.
“We should see what Sammie has in here to cook. Do you cook?” she asked.
“Not really. My grandma does most of the cooking at home. I'd love to learn though. She always says a little of this and a little of that. It's not worked for me so far.”
As soon as we walked through the kitchen door, the first thing I saw was Lance's ass sticking out from the fridge with Jillian at his legs.
“Ice cream,” he said. “Okay. If you come home with me tonight, I've got your favorite ice cream.”
“Okay,” she said with a laugh. “I love you, Lancie.”
“Lance,” he said, as he stood and turned around.
When he saw his mom standing there with me, his eyes widened.
“Don't tell Sammie,” he told his mom. “What we do at my place is our business.”
“My lips are sealed,” Lucy said.
Jillian reached up and grabbed Lance's hand.
“Movie, Lancie,” she said in the sweetest voice.
I let out a laugh, and he glared at me. Little Jillian pulled on his hand, and he followed behind her.
“That's so cute,” I said with a smile I knew was covering my whole face.
“He doesn't think so,” Lucy said. “Sammie has called him that his whole life. When he heard Jillian say it, he was not happy. It wouldn't be so bad, but Sammie says it just to embarrass him in front of people.”
“He should just be happy he has a sister that loves him,” I said. “I would have given anything for that growing up.”
Lance's dad came into the room and wrapped his arms around Lucy. She snuggled right into him. There was no missing the love between the two of them. They'd been together for years, and they still looked like two teenagers in love. I knew he felt just as protective of her as he did his kids and instantly felt bad for calling him old. The retired part was true, there was no feeling bad for that.
“What are you two doing, Firecracker?” he asked.
“We're looking for food,” she said. “I'm starving.”
“You're not cooking,” he said. “I'll order some pizza. You go out there and rest. I know that news came as a shock to you too. It did, right?”
“Of course, Hotshot,” she said with a smile. “I know better than to hide shit from you. Those three obviously haven't learned yet.”
“Scott, Carrie, and mom will be here any minute. They left when James called them on the way to the hospital. If I find out any of them knew, they'll all be getting an ass chewing.”
He kissed her and then walked out of the room with his phone in his hand.
“Mom?” I asked.
“We both claim Carrie's mom as ours. Lance's parents sucked, and so did mine. She took us on as her own, and she will never know how much she's done for both of us. You're going to love her.”
“Wow!” I said without thinking. That seemed to be happening a lot.
She gave me a confused look.
“You said both of your sets of parents sucked,” I said. “You can see how much you two love your kids. It's pretty amazing. I guess it gives me hope for my future.”
She gave me a strange look but didn't question me.
“Yeah,” she said. “It's a long story. I didn't exactly like Lance when I met him. I was fighting so m
any things. She was right there through it all. Now look at us. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. I honestly don't think I could live without him.”
When we got to the living room, Jillian was cuddled up on Lance's lap. I couldn't believe he was the same man. How many sides were there to him, I wondered? There was the grumpy competitor, the sexy as fuck lover, and the super sweet family man. All of them jumbled my mind.
Lucy walked over to Jillian and held her hands out.
“Come sit with grandma,” she said, and Jillian shook her head no as she snuggled closer to Lance.
Lance's dad reached out and pulled Lucy onto his lap.
“We're going to grandparents again, Firecracker,” he said. “What do you think about that?”
“I'm excited,” she answered. “Maybe this baby will like one of us.”
Lance let out a laugh and squeezed Jillian tight.
“We'll see about that,” he said.
Lance's dad pulled Lucy close and gave her the sweetest, most loving kiss.
“You guys are so cute,” I said.
“Do not encourage them,” Sammie said quickly. “They'll be like two teenagers over there before long.”
I heard the front door open. Then I heard an older woman's voice.
“Sammie Reid,” she shouted. “I'm going to kick your ass. How could you keep this from me. Me! James knows better too.”
“Lancie knew too,” Sammie yelled out.
When she moved to get up from the couch, her dad let out a growl that had me shaking.
“Sit that ass right there,” he said. “They'll be in here in a second.”
“Are you going to believe her, Grandma?” Lance asked.
A short, white-haired woman walked into the room, and I couldn't believe it was her voice. She looked so quiet, but I quickly found out that she was just like the rest of them.
“You're full of shit,” she said to Lance, as she leaned down to hug him and Jillian.
“What?” he asked.
“Don't lie to me,” she said. “You knew you could have told me on the down low, but you didn't. I'm not so sure how I feel about that.”
“Down low, Grandma,” he said with a laugh. “Really?”
“Don't tell me you don't know what that means. Don't you do that hacker hooey?”
Hacked by Love, Part 3 Page 4