The Troublemaker Next Door

by Marie Harte

  “He wants you to pick him up,” Flynn whispered. He tugged Ubie from Colin’s hands.

  She struggled under his weight but stood with him, and he immediately locked his legs around her waist. She patted his back, whispering words of comfort until his sniffles quieted.

  “Want to sit on the couch with him? He likes that. We can turn on his favorite movie,” Flynn offered.

  She nodded and sat down on the couch with the little boy in her arms. He pillowed his head on her chest, and the strangest tug of longing hit her. She looked down at his mussed black hair and stroked it, taken with the silky softness. His lashes looked long and thick against the pale lids of his eyes. So innocent, so precious.

  Flynn sat next to her. “Want me to take him?”

  She couldn’t speak. Instead, she shook her head and tightened her arms around the boy. When Flynn put an arm around her shoulders, she didn’t protest. And before she knew it, she laid her head against his chest, comforted by the surety of him. The love he had for his nephew brought tears to her eyes, piercing the part of her that secretly wished he had more to spare.

  She watched the television with a quiet joy, absorbed in the boy, the man, and the animated movie with an odd mix of affection, desire, and security. She wondered if Mike knew what a treasure he had in his family, and especially in the brother who would do anything for his nephew.

  Chapter 17

  Flynn should have felt worse about what he’d done, but he was a man at the end of his rope. For five bucks, a pack of Raisinets, and Jiffy Pop, Colin had done the McCauley name proud. He’d given Flynn just enough time to tear Maddie away from her bad mood and give him the attention he’d needed. The kid’s tears had been an added, if not necessary, bonus. That hadn’t been in the script, but trust Colin to show off. The boy had a lot more in common with Brody than Mike wanted to think.

  Now the little dork lay nestled in Maddie’s arms looking way too content with himself. Jealous, Flynn forced himself to behave. Christ, could the woman be any more perfect for him? He could tell she didn’t have a lot of experience with kids. She’d held Colin with an endearing awkwardness. God knew the kid weighed a ton for someone so young. But she’d held on tight, not letting go, showing an instinctive need to protect that called to Flynn. He wanted to be more than her lover and friend. He wanted Maddie as his wife. Good God, I mean it. I love her.

  If he couldn’t convince Maddie to give him a real chance at togetherness, he didn’t know what he’d do. He couldn’t eat. He had trouble sleeping. His brothers kept making fun of him. His mother had watched him with that knowing eye the last two Sundays. Hell, even being the recipient of Maddie’s wrath earlier hadn’t dissuaded him from caring. She turned him on. Big time.

  He grazed her neck and stroked her hair.

  She still held Colin tight, but a glance at the little faker showed him ready to rouse. Kid had a hard time missing his video games, even for a con as well played as this.

  “I’m going to put him to bed.” Seven o’clock, but hopefully she wouldn’t realize how early it was. “He’ll be more comfortable in his room.”

  Her arms tightened around Colin. Oh hell. She didn’t want to give him up. The woman who claimed to not want anything to do with a relationship held onto his nephew, looking like she’d cry if he pried the kid from her arms.

  In a softer voice, he said, “It’s okay, Maddie. I’ll take care of him.”

  She looked at Colin again before meeting Flynn’s gaze. “Oh. Right. Sure.” She pulled the little guy away from her chest and held him to Flynn.

  He lifted Colin up and squeezed him to make sure the kid remained quiet. Once down the hall and in Colin’s room, he closed the door behind them. “Colin, here’s an extra five. You earned it.”

  He noted the empty box of candy but saw Colin had half a bowl of uneaten popcorn. “Look, you have maybe another forty-five minutes before your dad gets back. If he knows I gave you this crap, I’m toast.”

  Colin nodded. He knew the score. “So did it work? My crying was pretty good, right? And freaking out about Ubie?”

  “Outstanding.” Flynn ruffled his hair. “Remember, this stays between you and me. Just play your game, quietly, and give me some time with Maddie. Then I’ll send her home and you and I’ll wait for your dad. None the wiser,” he warned.

  Colin nodded, too happy to play his video games and eat in his room to object. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

  “Stick a needle in my eye,” they said together with a grin.

  Flynn turned to the door. His hand on the knob, he paused when Colin called his name. “Yeah?”

  “I like Maddie. She’s soft. Not like Gramma. Different.”

  The kid had no idea. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “So you think I should try to keep her?”

  Colin nodded.

  “Then you can’t tell, okay?”

  Colin crossed his heart again.

  Flynn put a finger to his lips, waited until Colin nodded, then walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He rejoined Maddie, who stared unseeingly at the television.

  “You okay?”

  She gasped. “Oh wow. I didn’t see you there. Is the little guy all right?”

  “As rain.” He sat down next to her. “I can’t thank you enough, Maddie. He seemed to calm down with you here.”

  She gave him a shy grin, and his heart tumbled and broke at her feet.

  I am so fucked. “So, um, I know you’ve been busy and all, but would you like to play cards tonight?”

  “What kind of cards?”

  “Ever played cribbage? It’s fun and perfect for two people. It’s mostly a numbers game. Runs and pairs, numbers that add to fifteen.” Or my personal version of sixty-nine, if I get really lucky.

  “Sure.” Her enthusiasm pleased him. “I guess I should let you go.” She stood. He stood with her.

  “I’ll bring the cards and the cribbage board over when Mike gets home.” He stepped closer. Without asking, not wanting her to say no, he kissed her. Her lips felt so soft, so welcoming. The breath they shared meant everything to him. More than sexual, her touch soothed him, filling that void he hadn’t been aware stood empty. He caged her in his arms, feeling protective, unsure about their future yet wanting it with his last breath.

  He let her go when she stepped back. Their eyes met. Hers light brown, questioning. He could only imagine what she saw in his. Likely a nightmare.

  She took a deep breath and let it out. “I’ll see you soon.” She walked to the door, looked at him again and waved, then left.

  Half an hour later, he and Colin waited for Mike on the couch. They watched some lame show while debating Colin’s aptitude for the theater. Three more times the kid had cried on command, put on an angry face, or looked pitiful. Mike really had his hands full with this one.

  They’d finished the popcorn and some juice. Colin didn’t need to go to bed until nine, so Flynn wasn’t breaking any rules by letting him stay up. Mike entered the house at eight-thirty looking majorly pissed.

  He gave Colin a hug and a kiss on top of his head. “Colin, buddy, go put your PJs on. I need to talk to Uncle Flynn.”

  Colin glanced from his dad to Flynn and made a face.

  Flynn snorted. “Go on, you monster. Let your dad yell at me without an audience.” He knew damn well the kid would linger in the hallway eavesdropping.

  The minute Colin left, Mike hauled him to his feet by the collar of his shirt. “Hey.”

  “What the fuck did you say to Mom?”

  “Ah, what?”

  “Don’t pull this shit with me.” Mike lowered his voice. “Mom just spent the last hour grilling me about Abby. What the hell? She told me you had second thoughts about the last time you’d talked to her. The last time? That you had fucking concerns about my relationship with women and that with Abby here, I might be confusing the past with the present.”

  The truth—Flynn was concerned. Okay, it hadn’t exactly been fair to sic
their mother on Mike, but if she’d gotten him to open up, the tiny lie had been worth the effort. Not to mention Flynn had gotten some quality time with Maddie, as well as an invitation to her place. A win-win.

  He dodged Mike’s fist and shoved his brother back. The ox. “Look, I thought I was sharing some personal feelings with Mom. I had no idea she’d narc on me and pull you into this.” Well, at least the part about her telling on Flynn.

  “For the last time, I loved Lea,” Mike rasped. “She’s dead, and no one’s bringing her back. Abby is nice, she’s our neighbor, and that’s all she is. I know it. Colin knows it. Abby knows it. Now leave it alone.”

  It felt good to hear Mike admit it. He never said Lea’s name unless pressed. But Flynn had the smallest niggle of doubt that maybe Abby’s resemblance hurt Mike more than he’d let on. But no, his older brother just looked mad as hell, not hurt.

  “Good to hear, buddy.” He ducked another punch. “Hey. I was concerned. And you never talk about her. Colin asks stuff, you know?”

  Mike paused. “He does?”

  “Yeah. Like what Lea was like, how the two of you used to act, how you met. I tell him the truth. About how annoying and gross it was when you were kissing. Or how much he reminds me of her sometimes.” Flynn knew none of this was easy on his brother. “He needs to hear it from you too, Mike. The picture on his bed stand is great, but the kid misses his mom.”

  “He never knew her.” Mike coughed and looked away, and Flynn felt like an ass for forcing this. But hell, someone needed to talk to Mike about his avoidance. He didn’t know why his mother never pushed it.

  “Yeah, but you knew her. Show him it’s okay to laugh about her. You say you’re over her passing, but it’s been almost six years and you still aren’t. Maybe talking about her will help.” He couldn’t imagine what Mike had gone through when Lea had died, and he’d been there. What if it had been Maddie? Flynn had this huge ball of tangled feeling for her, and they were still in the infancy of their relationship. Not married yet, not with a child on the way.

  The thought struck him between the eyes.

  Not married. Yet.

  “Dude? I’m not going to hit you again,” Mike said gruffly. “You look ill. Relax. I’m not that mad. Anymore. I’ll talk to Colin,” his voice rose, “who should be getting ready for bed.”

  They both heard scrambling and a door slam.

  “Bed, right. Hey, I need to borrow the cribbage board. I’ll see you later. Sorry about Mom.”

  Mike sighed. “Yeah, right. But don’t think I don’t know you’re scamming on the redhead. I’ll take it out of you later.”

  Not willing to risk his good fortune, Flynn grabbed the board and the cards and bolted.

  ***

  Maddie typed in the office she presently shared with Abby, comfortably ensconced at the small desk now organized and outfitted with her own all-in-one printer/fax/copier, laptop, and electronic filing system. She had a stack of books in the bookcase behind her, as well as a rolling file cabinet holding receipts, schedule books, and other odds and ends.

  Empowered, organized, and overworked. Pleasantly tired from the many jobs she’d been working on the last three weeks, she couldn’t have been happier with her new life. Hampton’s Designs had become a distant memory, especially since she’d given her version of her treatment at the place to a lawyer needing testimony on behalf of another woman Fred had apparently harassed.

  She no longer feared losing money with her staging business. She had her own crew, a rhythm of sorts, new contacts through Linda, and a few other real estate firms looking to take advantage of her services. Apparently, Grace, her Howe Street client, had a big mouth, and she’d told all her friends how well Maddie had worked on her house.

  Keeping busy wasn’t a problem. Managing Flynn was. They spent all their time together.

  Sometimes in the evenings they took walks through different parks, always holding hands. They’d gone miniature golfing. Watched a few movies. She’d laughingly enjoyed bowling with him and his idiot brothers. And one Saturday, she’d given up a spa day with her friends to go to a ball game with him. Even more shocking, she’d had fun listening to his witty remarks and watching the game.

  He was constantly surprising her by bringing her coffee or lunch when he had the chance, making her whole day brighter with just a glimpse of his smile. She’d never been with a man who seemed to like her so much, who made her like herself so much. With Flynn, Maddie saw herself as a strong woman worthy of admiration—for more than her looks.

  And their relationship showed no sign of slowing down. He didn’t react if she had to cancel on him, other than to show regret. He’d been busy himself, getting more work because of the jobs he’d done up north. She didn’t like him spending so much time away from her, and that worried her.

  Oddly enough, the times spent at her house, they didn’t have sex. Whether he thought she might be embarrassed around her friends or he was, she didn’t know. She only knew it bothered her that they had boundaries between them.

  Boundaries you put up first.

  “Hey, anybody home?”

  Her heart raced. Flynn had arrived. She had butterflies thinking about taking that next step with him. For now, best to keep to what she and Flynn did best. Have fun and have sex.

  “In here.”

  He opened the screen door she’d kept unlocked for him and eventually found her in the office. “Hey, beautiful.” He smiled at Abby, then turned a feigned surprised look her way. “Oh, and you too, Maddie.”

  She poked him in the stomach.

  Abby snickered. She twirled in her chair to face them. “I told you he had taste. Now shoo, you two. I’m working and I need the quiet. Go pal around outside or upstairs. Whatever.”

  Flynn dragged Maddie from her desk. As if he had to try that hard.

  “Where’s Vanessa?” He wore that wary look on his face he usually had regarding her cousin.

  It didn’t help that Vanessa had nearly bashed his head in with a baseball bat the first night Flynn had slept over. But in the dark, she’d had a right to be afraid.

  “She’s hanging with Cam, I think,” Abby called from behind them.

  “Cam?” Flynn frowned. “I thought he was out of town.”

  “I guess not.” Maddie didn’t pull her hand from his, warm at the feel of his calloused fingers cupping hers with a gentleness he seemed to hold just for her.

  “I don’t know if I like the thought of your cousin corrupting my brother.”

  She laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Vanessa’s tough, but I doubt anything can scare a McCauley.”

  The intense look he gave her scalded her to her toes. “You’d be surprised.”

  She increased the wattage of her smile, pleased when he blinked. “Speaking of surprises, I have a few for you tonight. Want to go for a walk first?”

  He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Together?”

  “Yes, together, you moron.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Do I have to let you go?”

  “Do you want to?” she teased, feeling very unlike herself.

  He pulled her in close and kissed her with one of his trademark bone-melting embraces. She shivered when he pulled away, as always, aware of the powerful muscles that surrounded her. Part of the thrill with Flynn was that he could so easily dominate her. Physically. Yet he left the control in her hands, unless they made love.

  Not made love, had sex, Madison. Get it right.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She shook off the pathetic emotional whiner within and nodded. “Yep. Let me get my shoes and we’ll enjoy the sun before it goes down.”

  They walked down West McGraw Street to Queen Anne Avenue and mingled with the other evening walkers. The foot traffic had thinned, and they spent their time laughing and enjoying one another’s company. He bought her an ice cream cone that he ended up eating as well.

  “I love chocolate.” He kissed her, then stole another lick of her cone. “
But it tastes better on you.” His gaze wandered over her lips to her breasts, and she could almost hear him thinking.

  “Uh-oh. Too cold, no matter how you try to lick it off.”

  He grimaced. “Don’t say things like that out in public. It’s embarrassing to walk around with wood.”

  “With what?” She frowned then blushed when understanding dawned. “Flynn. You’re so crude.”

  “Well, yeah. I’m a guy.” He yanked her with him, and they passed a few people Flynn and she knew.

  “Did you see that?” he asked, sounding way too satisfied.

  “What?” All she’d seen, and tried to ignore, was the way the women had been ogling Flynn. Hell, they were holding hands. Just as friends, but those women didn’t know that—or did they?

  “They were looking at us. At you and me, together.”

  “Really? Looked to me like you had some fangirls checking out your ass. Or maybe it was your wood, hmm?”

  Flynn had just taken another bite of her ice cream and sputtered. “Jesus, Maddie. Keep it down.” His cheeks turned red, which she normally loved. Except she noted yet another woman’s gaze lingering over him. Used to ignoring the way women watched him, she suddenly found herself irked.

  “Take your own advice, studly. Well?”

  “Well what?”

  “Is there a reason women around here seem to think you’re available? All those late night plumbing jobs? Are you doing more than fixing sinks, Mr. McCauley?”

  “What?”

  She lowered her voice, suddenly annoyed. “I’m talking about sex, dumbass. You have women checking you out all the time, but those last two were practically foaming at the mouth. Is there something I should know?”

  He stared at her wide-eyed. “Oh my God. You’re jealous.”

  “I am not.” Good Lord. Could she have been more obvious?

  His grin made her feel two inches tall. “Madison Gardner. You. Are. Jealous. Green with it.”

  “Shut up, Flynn.” She pulled her hand from his and stalked away with her ice cream. She tossed the melting mess into the trash and found a new route home.