This most definitely was not going to be all good and Travis knew it, but he was feeling the pressure from everyone else to make it seem as if it were. The information he’d managed to dig up on Stephanie was damning, and he wanted nothing more than to let the Blackfoot family know, but Stephanie had disappeared without a trace the night Christine and another worker at CRISIS had confronted her about the drug use. It was then that they’d all decided to let it go. “Whatever you say, but when this goes to shit, I’m going to be sure and let him know that I wanted to tell him the truth,” Travis hissed as Tyler made his way into the bays that housed the cars they were working on.
“Mornin’,” he called out as he approached the two men.
“Hey, my man, you look refreshed.” Rooster stepped forward, offering his hand to the man who had become a close friend. There was one thing that was a given about Tyler. You couldn’t know him and not come to care for him deeply. He wormed his way into everyone’s hearts, and that was exactly why all of them wanted to keep him happy.
“I am.” He nodded, a small smile covering his face. “It’s amazing what a little mountain air can do for your soul.”
“Did Addie have a good time?” It was important to keep him talking, to give Travis a chance to get his shit together; otherwise Rooster knew his little cousin would talk like a parrot.
“Oh man, she loved it.” Tyler became animated as he told them about taking her to the aquarium and taking her in the Ferris wheel. One night they had done the lazy river at the condo, and she’d had her first taste of funnel cake.
“I’m gonna have to see what Roni thinks about us going and taking Carter when he gets a little older.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait to take her back in a year. She’ll be able to talk more and tell us more of what she wants to do, but I know she had a good time, and that’s all that matters. Hell, I had a great time, and so did Mer. It was exactly what we needed.” He ran a hand through his hair.
Anyone looking at him could tell that he had used the time to refresh and recover from the daily things he did for the club. His face didn’t hold any lines of fatigue, and there were no dark circles there.
“It looks good on ya,” Rooster complimented. “I’m gonna go see what I need to do.” He hitched his head, indicating a car that sat in a bay. “C’mon, Trav, you can help me.”
“No wait.” Tyler held out his hands. “I meant to ask, actually I texted you a few times, but you never answered. Did you find anything out about that license plate that Meredith had you run?”
“No,” Travis answered, but his voice was weak, even to his own ears. He hated lying to Tyler. Man up, he told himself. Clearing his throat, he answered again. “No, she was just being safe. Better to be safe than sorry and all of that.” He nodded before turning around and following Rooster over to the car. The faster he got away from the probing look of the big VP of the club, the better off he would be.
Thirty minutes later, another bike pulled into the parking lot and Jagger got off, scowling as he tossed his helmet onto the back of the bike. “Traffic fucking sucks,” he yelled, obviously frustrated. “I would have been here forty-five minutes ago, had it not been for traffic. Sorry I’m late.”
They all looked around at one another, amused. Jagger wasn’t one to normally get his man panties in a bunch about anything, but obviously traffic had pissed him off this morning.
“School started,” Travis said, slowly, as if he were talking to Addie.
Jagger leveled a glare in his direction. “I know, dipshit. My wife is a teacher,” he said in the same tone that Travis had used with him. “I’m just saying it bites ass, and if any of you want to get across town in the morning, you should probably leave way earlier than I did.”
Everyone gave him a wide berth as he walked towards the coffee pot that sat in the garage bay. “Maybe he’s not had his coffee yet,” Rooster whispered to Travis.
“I hope that cup helps then, because I like to try and remain civil with him, you know because of Christine and all.” Jagger and Christine were brother and sister, and for a while, Jagger had not been okay with her and Travis having a relationship.
They were all quiet, looking at Jagger, wondering if he was going to explode. He seemed in a very pissy mood when the door to the office opened and Liam came walking out.
“What the fuck are y’all doing just standing around?” he barked, talking around a cigarette in his mouth. In his hand, he held his own cup of coffee. “Get to work! We do have a business to run here, and if you want paychecks on Friday, I better hear less girlie gossiping and more pounding on cars. You got me?”
Everyone quickly stopped what they were doing and went to work. No matter how much of a family man he was, pres still packed a punch when he needed to.
Chapter Sixteen
First day of senior year and Mandy was ready for it to be over. “Are you two even gonna walk in with us?” she questioned Drew and Dalton. She and Charity had been trying to walk in for more than fifteen minutes. It was now fifteen minutes before the bell would ring signaling the pep rally to welcome them back to school.
“I ain’t in a hurry,” Drew told her. “We’re seniors; we can do what we want.”
The two girls exchanged a look. That attitude was going to get them nowhere but in detention, and they both knew it. Charity grabbed her stuff out of the front of Drew’s truck and glanced at Mandy. “I don’t know about you, but I want to start this year off on a good foot. B’s my homeroom teacher, and I don’t know about any of you all, but I don’t wanna be pissin’ off Mrs. Stone. Let’s go.” She grabbed hold of Mandy’s arm and dragged her toward one of the entrances.
“I don’t know why they have to act like they’re the hottest things at this school. I miss when they didn’t think so highly of themselves,” Mandy grumbled. She missed when things weren’t so serious, when it wasn’t all about feelings and stolen kisses and sex. There was something to be said for being able to be friends and have a good time.
“I know, I do too.”
“You should never have had sex with my brother.” Mandy clapped her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud, and looking at Charity’s face, it was obvious that she couldn’t either.
“What I do with your brother is really none of your business.” She shook her head. “Damn, Mandy, I thought you and I were friends.”
How the hell did she get herself out of this? “We are, you’re my best friend besides Layla.”
“Oh, and Layla’s perfect, just like you, because she hasn’t slept with Dalton’s brother yet, I’m sure. Just like you haven’t given it up to Dalton.”
People were too involved in who she was giving it up to, and it was really beginning to annoy her. “No,” she hissed. “I haven’t given it up to anybody, and that’s the problem.” Her cheeks burned a hot red.
That was it, then. Something was wrong. “C’mon.” Charity directed her towards the bathrooms in the back of the school. “Fuck the pep rally; you obviously need some girl talk with people who aren’t older than you and aren’t connected to your parents.”
Mandy wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she let Charity lead her down the hallway. Once they got to the back bathrooms, Charity grinned at her and pulled a key from her pocket, locking the gate that shut them off for cleaning.
“Where did you get that? And you’re a cheerleader, aren’t they gonna notice you aren’t at the pep rally?”
“Don’t ask questions, this gives us a little time by ourselves.”
They spread their backpacks out on the ground and had a seat. Since it was the first day, the bathrooms were probably the cleanest they were going to be.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Mandy asked, playing with a string on her blue jeans.
“I don’t want to talk to you about anything, but obviously you have a problem with me hanging out with Drew, so go ahead and get it out. You’re his sister and he loves you deeply. I don’t want there
to be drama.”
Mandy inhaled and then exhaled. “I feel like I’m being left behind,” she whispered. “People want me to do things, and then other people don’t want me to do things. I want to make the right decision, but I don’t know what decision that is. Should I sleep with Dalton, should I not sleep with Dalton? I’m so damn confused.”
“Let me ask you this, and it’s a serious question. What do you want to do? Whatever we talk about, I will not tell Drew, I won’t tell your mom, I won’t tell Dalton. What do you want?”
Running her tongue along her bottom lip, she raised her head and looked at Charity. “How was it? I mean forget the fact that you’re sleeping with my brother. How is it?”
It was Charity’s turn for her face to turn red, and she squirmed, but she also knew she had to see this through; she was the one who’d started it. “Honestly, to begin with, it sucked. Drew said it was the best thing ever, like he bragged to everybody. He shouldn’t have bragged.” She rolled her eyes.
That made Mandy grin before a full giggle rumbled up inside of her chest and came pouring out. “Oh, I know, it’s all I heard about, and I didn’t even want to hear about it.”
“But I’m not gonna lie,” Charity continued. “It’s gotten really good. I can understand the things I’ve heard women who work with my mom talk about now. There’s a lot to be said for the pleasure it can bring you. I know from talking to other people that not everyone feels that pleasure, but I do. I think it’s because I truly love Drew. I know I’m leaving next summer, but I whole-heartedly love everything about him. He’s much different around me than he is with everybody else. When we’re by ourselves, I can’t believe he’s the same person.”
Mandy saw the dreamy look in her friend’s eyes and wondered if she got that look herself when she talked about Dalton. She wondered if people could tell that she did want to be with him in that way. Sometimes when they were alone and he was kissing her like he never wanted to stop, she badly wanted to know what all the fuss was about. “Did it hurt?”
“Remember me saying it wasn’t that great to begin with? Yeah, it did, but you get over it, and if you have a good partner, you learn what the other person likes. Be aware though, when people say that it changes everything, it does. It’s like the moment you decide to cross that line; your whole life is different. I know what Drew looks like naked; I know what he feels like inside of me. I don’t know that about anyone else in this world. He’s touched a place in me that no one else has. He held me when I cried the first time, and he’s right there with me when I tell him how much I like it now. It’s intimate and it’s not a joke. It means something. He tells me he loves me and I believe him.” She stopped, blinking back tears. “Make sure what you feel for Dalton is worth it, because once you give it away, Mandy…you can’t take it back. And it should be given to someone who will cherish it. I made Drew work for it, so I know exactly where you’re coming from.”
“To hear him tell it, you fell at his feet.” Mandy rolled her eyes.
An unladylike snort sounded from Charity. “Uh no, that didn’t happen at all. He worked for it, trust me. Especially after the steroid situation, I didn’t know if I wanted to be with him anymore. He reminded me too much of the men my mom hangs around, but he worked hard to prove to me that he’s different. I believe that he is, and my heart is going to be broken when I leave next summer.”
“Do you two talk about it?” She needed to know, she needed to be there for her twin, no matter what happened.
“Sometimes, but we’ve both agreed that it does no good. I can’t change who my mom is, and he can’t change his situation either. Both of us believe if it’s meant to be it will come back around.”
Would Mandy ever be able to put that much trust into Dalton? That was the question, wasn’t it? How much did she trust him, how much did she love him, and how much did she want him? It was time to stop being a little girl and time to start being the grown up she preached to everyone that she was.
“You’ll be there for him, won’t you?”
“He’s my brother; I’ll do whatever I need to do to help him through it. I know he has to care deeply to let you walk away.”
The edge of Charity’s mouth tilted. “It’s my dream to be a lawyer, and Duke has already offered me a full ride. I can’t turn it down; I’d be crazy to do that.”
Mandy realized in this moment that this talk was about more than her having sex with Dalton, it was also about Charity needing to know that Drew was going to be okay. She needed to know that someone was going to be there to look out for him when she couldn’t be.
“You go do your thing, and when you’re ready, c’mon back. Drew will be here. He might be broken, but he’ll be here,” Mandy reached over and hugged her tightly. “He doesn’t love easy, and when he does, it’s forever. So if he says he loves you, and I know that he does, he means it.”
“The both of you are something else, you know that, right?”
“People have been tellin’ us that for years. It’s ’cause we’re twins and we’re both stubborn. Thank you for having this talk with me.”
They got up, and Charity grabbed the key to unlock the gate. Before she did so, she turned around and smirked at Mandy. “So what’s it gonna be?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a freakin’ home run.”
They giggled before exiting the bathroom and making their way to the gym. Like she’d always been there, Charity slipped into her spot with the cheerleaders, and Mandy slipped into the spot between Drew and Dalton on the bleachers. Dalton glanced over at her then leaned in, kissing her on the cheek.
“Where’d you go?” he asked, slinging an arm around her shoulder.
“Nowhere.” She shrugged. “Just had a little girl talk with Charity.”
“Was it a good talk?”
She winked. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.”
Chapter Seventeen
The Blackfoot family had settled into a routine since their vacation in late August, but October had come roaring in like a lion and thrown them completely off track.
Meredith sighed, she was tired. So very tired.
“Is she down for the count?” Tyler asked as he walked into the living room, towel-drying his long hair.
“God, I hope so.” She smiled ruefully.
Adalynn was always a force to be reckoned with. Even sick with the stomach flu, she’d managed to run them ragged. “I kinda do too,” he whispered. “I don’t want her to puke in my hair ever again.”
She giggled, holding her arms out for him. “She didn’t mean to do it.”
“I know.” He collapsed on the couch next to her. “But if I ever have to deal with getting that out of this hair again—it will be too soon—and I might be forced to cut it.”
Meredith shot him a look. “The hell you will. I love your hair.” She ran her fingers through it, getting the tangles out as she did. “It’s one of the main reasons you get lucky,” she flirted.
His dark eyes heated as he glanced over at her. “Is that right?” He threw the towel on the floor, and within seconds, he had her spread out on the couch, her body underneath his.
“Completely right,” she breathed as she circled her arms around his neck.
The words he whispered were laced with dark promise. “Then we’ll just have to see if I can give you better reasons besides my hair.”
“As much as I’d like to make you prove that, I am so freaking tired right now.” She sighed, lying back against the couch. “I already called CRISIS and let them know I wouldn’t be in for the next couple of days. I still have a ton of vacation time.”
“There was a point where I don’t think you ever took a day off from that place. I know that it helped tremendously in your recovery, but I’m glad to know it isn’t what your life is about anymore. Certain things about that place worry me,” Tyler admitted as he had a seat on the couch, lifting her head into his lap. With lazy strokes, he ran his fingers through her hair.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with the initial bout of sickness by yourself,” he apologized, laying his head back against the couch.
Denise had been watching Addie for the day, and when Meredith had dropped her off, she noticed she wasn’t as lively as normal, but it was early in the morning and sometimes that was how Addie was. Three hours into her workday at CRISIS, Denise had called and told Meredith that she thought Addie had a stomach virus.
This was the first time since she’d come to live with them that Addie had ever been sick. Worried, Meredith called Tyler and explained to him what was going on but told him she’d be fine on her own, and he could keep on working. This was how normal couples did it; when you were mom and dad, you made things work. He’d lasted a total of two hours before she’d heard his bike coming up the driveway, and she’d almost cried with relief. Addie had been repeatedly sick, and she’d cleaned up more puke than she ever thought possible.
“It’s okay. I’m glad you showed up when you did though, and I’m really sorry that she got your hair.” She grimaced, reaching up to grab a strand of his hair that brushed her arm.
“Me too.” He laughed.
When he’d stomped up the front porch, he’d been like a savior, carrying crackers and Sprite. They’d managed to get some of both into their little girl, but it had still been a few hours before the puking had stopped. “I called the doctor’s office to make sure we didn’t need to bring her in,” Meredith told him, her eyes getting heavy. “They said it’s a virus going around, and there’s nothing they can do about it. As long as her fever doesn’t last and she can keep liquids down, then we shouldn’t worry.”
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