She didn’t know what exactly she said that made him snap, but she could tell from the muscle she saw twitch in his jaw that she’d upset him. Good. She wanted him to be upset. She wanted to get through to him somehow.
“One,” he started. “You don’t call me Peter, okay? You call me Slade. Two, I’m not dragging you anywhere. You’re the one following me around. Three, you’re not half naked. You’re fully fucking clothed.”
“In this town, this is half naked.” She gestured to her state of undress.
His eyes followed where her hands pointed to and she suddenly felt foolish for drawing any attention to it at all. “Either way,” she continued hastily, “Josh has a life that doesn’t involve you. He has a complicated life that involves telling people his father is dead. If you show up now and stir things up, what do you think that’s going to do to his life?”
“I think it won’t matter because I’ll be around.”
He turned away and started down the driveway, leaving Liv to once again trail behind him, rolling her eyes. She wished she had her phone here but didn’t know what she would do. Call Melissa she supposed, but Melissa would never make it here to contain the volcano that was her brother. The cops could make it fast, but they would just draw more attention to her uninvited guest instead of less. Also, even though the absentee father had no immediate claim to Josh, she had a feeling some of these more caveman-like guys on the force in Laurie Falls would assume that, because he had the penis that helped create Josh, there would be no custody questions at all.
Well, Liv would be dammed if she let Josh’s entire life get tilted on its axis in the middle of a ten-year-old’s sleepover birthday party.
“Can we please just talk about this? Why are you even here? What do you want with Josh?”
“I don’t see why you have to ask. Someone just tried to kidnap him.”
“And they didn’t,” she said weakly.
“Do you know who? Do you know why? Do you have any idea how to stop this from happening again?”
“I know a hell of a lot more about Josh than you do. And if you think he’s going to let some strange man come into his life and protect him from some unknown enemy, you’re out of your fucking mind.” There. That sounded right. Except that Peter Slade—no, just Slade apparently—didn’t spend any time arguing with her. He simply continued down the street. He was smarter this time. He bypassed the Monroes’ and instead headed for the house with the three bikes scattered on the front lawn and basketballs of various inflation levels along the driveway.
Shit.
“Slade!” she called even while she tried to keep her voice to a whisper. “Please, reconsider this. What do you think is going to happen when you go in there? He’s going to run into your arms saying ‘Daddy! Daddy, I missed you so much?’ No. He’s going to be hurt and confused and worst of all, he’s going to be hurt and confused in front of all of his friends—of which he doesn’t have many, by the way. So please think hard about this before you do something....” Slade went around the side of the house and she let out a sigh of defeat. “Stupid,” she finished softly. She still followed him as he moved to the back of the house.
It was only once they rounded the corner that she realized that even in his big boots and with his massive size, he made almost no noise. She, on the other hand, seemed to hit every stick and leaf there was in the wooded backyard. In fact, she was so preoccupied with watching her step that she didn’t realize Slade had stopped moving, and she ran right into his back.
She let out an “oof” of surprise as she regained her footing. But when she looked up to see what had stopped him, her breath caught in her throat. Through the bay window of the Borrows’ was a group of five boys, all staring in fascination at a TV screen, the soft blue glow highlighting their faces. Joshy was closest to the window and utterly oblivious of the life-changing man who stood just a few feet away. Liv glanced to Slade and saw him staring with a tight jaw.
“He’s safe right now,” she said softly, moving to stand in front of him. She knew she was too short to block his view, but she finally felt as though she was getting through to him. “He’s safe and he’s happy and the second you walk in there, you’re going to destroy all of that for him. So please, take a breather and relax. We can try to work out an introduction tomorrow. I’m not trying to keep you from your son or punish you. I’m trying to keep Josh safe. All I’ve ever done is try to keep him safe. I know you don’t believe me, but can you at least believe that?”
Melissa Slade stared in horror at the man who just broke Hurley’s wrist. Well, she assumed it was broken. She wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to stuff like that, but there had been a definite snap.
She fell back from the two men. Even though she felt partly responsible for the entire thing, she didn’t want to be there when Hurley regained his composure and came after the other guy.
“Hey!” screamed Cassie from behind the bar. “Not in here, guys. I’m gonna call the cops if either of you makes one more move on each other.”
Hurley was still hunched over his now injured arm, but the other guy backed away and held up two hands in apparent surrender. “Hey, I never wanted any trouble. Just a nice cold beer.”
Cassie didn’t look as though she was in a forgiving mood tonight. “Yeah, well, consider your beer on the house. Now I’d appreciate it if you’d get the hell out of my bar.”
She could see the guy calculating the options in his mind but he finally shook his head. “Fine.” He reached over to take one deep swig of the beer before he set it back on the counter. “You have a nice night,” he said in a much sweeter tone than she expected from someone who was being kicked out. Then he started out and all Melissa could do was watch him go. She knew he had just been trying to help her, but she hadn’t asked for help, and if anything, he would only make Hurley worse. Guys like that didn’t like when their pride was wounded, especially in such a public setting.
Ugh, she couldn’t believe she’d gotten into this mess. “I’m going to take a rain check on that Long Island,” she said solemnly as she backed away from the embarrassed Hurley. “I’m going to head home.”
Cassie glanced down to Hurley and back to Melissa. “He’s not going to stay here for long,” she warned.
Melissa understood completely. Cassie had some measure of control while here in the bar; once Melissa was out, she was on her own. No mysterious strangers to protect her or Cassie to offer her bartender brand of justice. But staying here, under the prying eyes of so many members of the town, seemed like an unbearable option right now. Besides, if she waited for Hurley to leave, she’d never know whether he was right outside the door waiting for her. At least for now, she knew where he was.
“I’m good,” she lied. “I’ll see you later.” Melissa managed to walk calmly out the door when all she wanted to do was run. Even though she’d hoped to get some peace and quiet for at least these few moments before she was home, she knew from the glowing bud of a cigarette that she wasn’t alone.
Melissa squinted to make out who was in the shadows of the outside of the bar.
A moment later, the stranger stepped into the soft parking lot light. “Everything okay in there?” he asked. His tone was casual, as if she hadn’t just seen him break someone’s arm right in front of her.
She would never understand the thug mentality.
“Okay? My date is on the ground in there crying and he’s probably going to take all that frustration out on me. So thanks for that.”
The guy took a deep drag on the cigarette before he blew out a cloud of smoke that dissipated well before it reached her. “Then maybe you shouldn’t date dipshits like that anymore.”
Melissa’s mouth fell open at the sudden judgment from this stranger who, so far, had been drinking, picking fights, and sucking on a cancer stick in front of her. But sure, let him judge her taste in men. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“All right,” he said simply.
“Y
ou started that fight in there. Hurley wouldn’t put a hand on me.”
“If you think so.”
“I do! I wouldn’t go on a date with someone who I thought would hurt me! I wouldn’t do that to—” She broke off before she mentioned her nephew. This stranger already knew too much about her. She didn’t need to give him any more ammunition.
He took one more drag before he tossed the cigarette on the ground and used his foot to stomp it out. She glared at him as he littered on her hometown, but then, to her surprise, he bent down to pick up the now put-out cigarette and walked it over to the trash bin. “Do you have a car or do you want a ride back to your place?”
The question was casual and he must’ve known there was no way in hell she’d accept a ride from him. “I can walk home, thanks.”
“Maybe it’s not safe to walk home alone,” he pointed out. His eyes went to the bar and back to her, silently reminding her of the very pissed-off Hurley.
When he finally exited the bar, he was going to be pissed, and considering he had a car and she didn’t, he’d more than be able to catch up to her on her walk. That’s it. The next time she had a date, no matter how well known the guy was, she was going to drive to the stupid restaurant herself. That way she’d be able to drive right off if needed.
Or maybe it would be better if she took a page from Liv’s book. Just give up on dating altogether. Obviously the members of the opposite sex were proving to be more trouble than they were worth.
“I’m going to go home,” she said finally. “You were stupid to get in the middle of that, but I guess I appreciate the thought.” She turned to leave, but then the sound of his footsteps approaching had her stiffening. Oh great, what did he want now?
“Don’t I get a name at least?”
She rolled her eyes and turned to face him. “What do you need my name for?”
“Well, I’ll be in town for a bit and a pretty face like yours is something worth seeing again.”
She raised a brow and had to give him points for charm. No. No dating, she reminded herself. Especially not crazy men who were just passing through. Even so, she could still give him a name at least. “I’m Melissa. Melissa Slade.”
The calm exterior slipped away and the man took a physical step back. “Damn it,” he muttered. “I knew you were too good to be true.”
Liv walked back with Slade in silence. In some ways, she was still so surprised that she’d gotten him to do anything that she’d wanted him to do that she was too worried to say anything and change his mind.
Of course, the other reason she didn’t know what to say was because she really didn’t know anything about this man. He was supposed to be dead for over ten years now. That was what Melissa had told her when they’d first met. Had Melissa lied or had Slade been the one who had fooled everyone?
“Who are you?” he finally asked as they approached her little house. Well, not her house. It was Melissa’s house. After years of living there with Melissa and Josh, it had felt like home. Actually more like a home than anywhere else she’d ever lived, including the four walls where she’d grown up. But now, walking up that driveway with Slade, everything seemed cast in an uncertain light.
“I’m Liv.”
“Not your name,” he snapped. The tension of the past few minutes crept through his voice. “Why are you here? What’s your relationship to Josh? To Melissa?”
She swallowed and tried to collect her thoughts. She’d explained her strange position to people hundreds of times before, but the stakes right now seemed higher. What if Slade decided to become a part of Josh’s life? What would her position really be then? Where would she fit into the new family unit? No matter her fears, Slade deserved an answer. “I’m a friend of Melissa’s. We knew each other at college. I was a freshman and she was a sophomore when her brother unexpectedly died in a car crash and she received guardianship of his young son. Around that time, I dropped out of school, and since I needed a place to stay and Melissa couldn’t take care of a baby on her own, I moved in. Kind of a live-in nanny in exchange for a rent-free room.”
The story sounded so clean and simple when it had been anything but. She had been homeless and hopeless. When Melissa had offered the olive branch of a clean room, it had meant more to Liv than she could ever admit at the time. But Slade didn’t need to know the mess her life had been in back then. Not now when everything was going so well. At least, before he showed up....
“And since when do nannies get the master bedroom?”
“Since the master bedroom used to belong to Melissa’s parents. She didn’t want to share that same space. Back then, the wounds were too fresh. She’s better now, though,” added Liv hastily. She didn’t want him to think that Melissa was some weak girl still shattered from a messed-up childhood. They’d both grown so much since Josh came into their lives. Slade needed to see that they were capable guardians for Josh.
It wasn’t as though she didn’t want Slade to be a part of his son’s life. She just wanted him to be careful not to upset the delicate balance they’d managed to create.
“I think we both want the same things,” she said cautiously. “We both want what’s best for Josh, right? So why don’t you try to defer to my judgment here. You’re his father”—assuming he was who he said he was, and she still had her doubts about that, to be honest—“but I helped raise him. I know him better than you, and I know he’s been through so much stress in the past week. Adding this on top of everything will just make things worse.”
“So I should just ride out of town and assume you can handle everything? I don’t even know you.”
She had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying the first less than pleasant thoughts that came to mind. “No. I think you should give me a chance to ease Josh into meeting you. He’ll want a father, so that’s not a problem. But he’s not going to be happy that he was lied to for his entire life. I’m not even happy about it. So you better have a damn good explanation for staying away for all these years.”
“I don’t.”
She blinked in surprise. She had to have imagined that, right? He wouldn’t have just blankly said that he had no reason whatsoever to stay away from his own flesh and blood. “Well, you better come up with a good lie. Say you’re a secret agent or something, for God’s sake. He’s going to go to school on Monday and the kids will know you’re back because the parents here gossip worse than high school girls. When they point at him and tell him that his father faked his death because he didn’t want anything to do with his son, Josh had better not believe them for one second. Do you got that? I don’t care what you tell him, but he’s never going to feel unwanted.”
Slade looked over at her, and for a moment, she thought she saw a flash of guilt in his dark hazel eyes. But just as quickly, it was gone and he was back to a hard, blank expression. “You really do care about him, don’t you?”
She widened her eyes. Had that really been a question? If Slade never knew anything else about her, it should be that she loved Josh. “You broke into my bedroom and instead of calling the cops, I followed you out to reason with you so we wouldn’t draw attention to ourselves and embarrass Josh. Yeah, it’s safe to say I care about Josh.” And Slade was a dumbass for ever thinking otherwise. Who the hell was he to come in here out of the blue and then think he could take better care of Josh than her and Melissa? Than the cops? “What was the plan, anyway? Take Josh away from the town forever?”
“Away from anyone who would hurt him.”
“Well, that would be pretty hard since not even the cops know who was behind the kidnapping attempt.” Hell, if she knew who the threat was coming from, she would’ve been the first person to cart Josh to safety. But running from what they didn’t even know didn’t seem the most advisable. Especially considering the bank account currently had about three hundred bucks in it. There was only a finite distance they could run.
She glanced over at Slade out of the corner of her eye. Now that things had calmed do
wn, she could really study his features. He did look like Melissa and Josh. One more fact that added credence to his claim that he was who he said he was.
Josh’s hair was still a lighter brown, but ever since he was a baby, it had been growing darker and darker. She was convinced that by the time he was a teen, it would be as dark as Melissa’s and Slade’s.
Once they reached the house, Liv wanted to tell Slade she’d talk to him never, but knew that if he was out of her sight, he might go back after Josh. So instead, she forced herself to hold the door open for him and watched him step into her house. His house? It would’ve been left to him, but he was supposed to be dead, which was why Melissa had inherited it from her parents.
Damn it. His return just made everything more complicated.
It was a three-bedroom house, and between her, Melissa, and Josh, each and every bedroom was accounted for. Which meant.... “I can make up the sofa for you if you want....” She made the offer as unenthusiastically as possible, hoping he would get the hint.
“I can get a place at the motel outside of town. They’re not going to ask a lot of questions.”
She didn’t know why he didn’t want to answer questions. He should’ve known that coming back here would raise a ruckus, especially in a place like Laurie Falls.
Liv crossed her arms over her chest, trying to give the scant tank sans bra as much modesty as possible. “I think that might be for the best. I can give you my number and we can arrange—”
“I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Early.”
Giving her no time to prepare Josh for any of this. “You need to talk to your sister,” she warned.
“I’m going to. When I get here tomorrow morning.”
But right then, the door opened and in walked Melissa.
Slade knew his sister was there before he turned around. He didn’t want to see her. He didn’t want to face the person he never should’ve abandoned.
But he reminded himself that Josh needed this and forced himself to turn around.
The Vengeful Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 5) Page 4