by Claire Adams
She closed the book and smiled at me in a way that had my body reacting, yet again.
"Thanks for today. I wasn't sure if you were going to get the boot this morning when you snubbed me again at the track or not. I'm glad you didn't." She stood up and chuckled.
My eyes moved up the line of her body, enjoying the way her hair hung around her shoulders and framed her beautiful face.
"Me, too. I swear I must be PMSing. I'm not usually so damn emotional." I stood up and checked my phone before walking down the long stairs in front of the library toward my bike. "I'm driving, if you're okay with a bit of wind."
"A bit? It's freezing out here." She gave me a look before pointing across the street. "Let's just grab a sandwich at Barney's. It's close and delicious."
"Alright. That works." I shoved my hands into my pockets in hopes of not reaching out and taking her hand like I owned her. Doing so at the party was appropriate, but not now. "So, if you're nothing like your dad, then are you like your mother?"
"Ha!" She rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh. "God, I hope not. My mother leaves everyone feeling suicidal. The woman has a way of making sure no one in the room looks, feels, or is better than her."
"Ouch. That has to be hard during the holidays." I opened the door to the sandwich shop and held it open for her.
"It's hard every day. My folks stay quite involved in my life." She picked up a menu and moved to stand beside me, pressing her shoulder to mine as she shared the menu. "To say that I'm ready for college to be over with would be an extreme understatement."
"I am, too, but for different reasons." I pointed to the club sandwich. "That looks good."
"You wanna share it?" She smiled up at me.
"Nope, but I'll eat what you don't eat of yours." I pulled out my wallet. "And, it's my treat."
"No, it's mine. You got last time."
"And? I'm the man, remember?" I smirked at her and tried not to fall in love with the way she studied me. Her expressions ranged from serious to cute to fucking hot within a matter of minutes, and I enjoyed her openness a lot. It was refreshing.
"You've yet to prove that you're a man." She wagged her eyebrows and caught me off guard.
I started to tell her that I'd be happy to whip out my proof right there in the sandwich shop, but she moved up and started to order. The way she leaned forward left her ass sticking out at me. Had we been dating, I'd have reached out and touched her, ran my hands along her, just to remind her I was there and quite attentive to her subtle invitations.
"And for you, sir?" The lady behind the counter turned her attention to me.
"I'll have the double club with chips and a drink." I shouldn't have been spending money on lunch, but it was hard as hell to try and take a girl out and not spend anything.
"That's twenty-one even." The woman smiled as I handed her my card.
"It's my turn." Val put her card up there, too.
"Stop it." I lifted my eyebrow at her and wagged my card at the woman. "Please. Show the girl that it's a guy's place to pay for lunch."
"You two are too cute." The woman took my card and swiped it. Much to my horror, she glanced up and gave me a weary smile. "It's not going through. Let me try it again."
"Or just let me get it." Val bumped me with her hip and gave the woman her card as my card was denied again. "Just call the bank later today and see what's up. It was my turn, anyway."
I try to let it go, but I knew what was wrong. I was broke. I don't know why the hell I thought there would be enough in the account for anything. We could barely cover our bills. There was no such thing as extra in my life.
I'd have to skip class a few times in the coming week to get in more hours. If I didn't have twenty bucks in the bank for a sandwich, then I didn't have it for gas for the bike, either. Worry ran through me as I tried to remember how much gas I actually had.
"Hey, you okay?" Val handed me a straw and sat down in the booth closest to us.
"Yeah, just thinking about my damn card not working." I shoved it in my back pocket. "Well, next time it's my treat, and I promise to have the money to pay for it."
"I don't care who pays for it, Tate. I'm just glad we're here." She reached across the table and touched my hand, which surprised me a little.
I lifted her hand to my mouth and breathed in deeply before kissing her knuckles.
"Be careful around me, okay?" I winked and pulled out my phone.
"Why is that?"
"I'm highly bipolar around you, it would seem." I chuckled and dropped my phone back into my pocket. "I'm just checking for a text from my mother. She's all I have."
"Where's your dad?" Val leaned toward me as she took a drink of her coke.
"Actually, I'm an orphan." I dropped the first bomb, not knowing what to expect from her, but quite relieved when the sympathy that passed across her face quickly disappeared.
"Really? And the woman that raised you is who you're referring to as your mom?"
"Yeah. Sarah. She's all I've ever known. She's a good woman, but chooses the worst men in the universe to get into relationships with." Was I really opening up about this shit? I was.
"That's not good. My mom and dad have a good relationship by most standards, but I've never once in my life seen them hug, kiss, or say that they love each other."
My turn to not overreact. "Wow. Seriously?"
"Yeah. It's really sad, actually." She glanced down as they called out our number.
I started to get up, but she stood and pushed at my shoulder. "I'll get it for us. I want to."
Turning to watch her walk to the front, I swore to myself that if she and I ever decided to get together in a long-term relationship, I'd be sure to show her what love looked like. I was well aware of the importance of showing someone I loved them, as well as telling them. If it hadn't been for Sam's family, I'd not have really known what a healthy relationship between a man and a woman looked like, either.
Val sat my plate down in front of me and then took her seat again. The sexy smile that lifted her lips caught my attention, and I couldn't help but stare at her for a few minutes.
"Valentine." She surprised me by jerking her head up as if she'd been scolded. "Why are you here with me? I'm not your kind of guy at all, from what I can tell."
"I think that's exactly why." She opened my chip bag and then her own, taking care of me, whether she realized it or not. "I'm tired of living my life. I want to live someone else’s."
"Have your parents ever told you that they love you? Are they just standoffish to each other or to you as well?" I shouldn't have been digging, but I wanted to know so damn bad – mostly from curiosity, but there was a part of me that wanted to understand where the sadness in her eyes came from.
"No, but it’s okay." She shrugged and picked up her sandwich. "Tell me more about Sam."
I smiled, understanding her need to divert the conversation. "He's been my best friend my whole life. His parents half raised me. He's going to UMN right now, but will be leaving soon for med-school in Boston. I'm going to miss his ass like crazy, but I figure I'll have to keep in touch until he comes back home."
"Is he coming back here?" She nibbled at her sandwich as I took a large bite of mine and nodded my head.
"Yeah, I think so. This is home for both of us." I wiped my mouth as my phone buzzed in my pocket. "What are your plans after college?"
She shrugged and glanced down at her food. I could tell I'd hit a sore spot.
"I don't know. My degree is in business, but I've always seen myself as a basketball player or a coach for UMN." She shrugged, and I stopped myself from reaching over and squeezing her hand encouragingly.
My phone buzzed again, and I pulled it from my pocket to see that it was my mother.
"Not again," I grumbled and stood up. "I need to take this."
"Yeah, sure." Val's eyes filled with concern, but I ignored it and walked outside.
"Mom, what's up?"
"Tate. I meant to tell
you that I've been getting threatening texts from Daniel for the last few days. His hearing is tomorrow, but the texts are getting worse and he's out on bail. I think I should go stay with my sister for a few days." Her voice was tight with fear.
"I think that's a good idea. Stay there and I'll come home and help you get packed up. It might be best for me to drive you over there and then bring your car back. That way he really has no clue of where you are." Terror raced through me, and I let out a long sigh. This shit was nonstop as of late.
"Okay. Hurry. I'm scared he's on his way again."
"Okay, Mom. Go if you think you need to. Just be safe. I love you."
"I love you, too, baby." She dropped the call.
I turned and walked back into the restaurant as Val glanced up. "Everything okay?"
"No, I need to get home. My mother’s ex is a crazy bastard and he's likely to head out to the house, which is never good." I started to wrap up my sandwich. "I'm sorry to cut this short."
"Then don't." She got up and wrapped up her sandwich, too. "I'm coming with you. I want to meet your mom, anyway. She sounds great."
"Now is really not the time, Val. It gets ugly, fast." I shoved my sandwich and chips into the empty bag on the table. Much to my surprise, she grabbed the bag and put her food in there, too.
"I'm strong and have had enough self-defense classes to take your big ass to the ground or anyone else who threatens me. Let's go. Seriously. I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone." She pushed at my chest and smiled. "Besides, you promised me a date and you've yet to come through. We'll just consider this part of the adventure."
I rolled my eyes, but followed her out. "It's not like you think. I'm poor, okay? Like dirt-floor poor."
My heart constricted painfully as she turned to face me. Her fingers brushed by my cheek, and the look in her eyes echoed the truth of her words before she spoke them.
"I don't care. I've never met someone more giving. Don't shut me out when I'm just starting to find my way in. A friendship is good, but I want more." She brushed her fingers over my lips as her eyes moved down to my mouth. "Lots more."
"Fuck," I growled and leaned down, kissing her hard before moving toward the bike and taking her free hand in mine. "You women know exactly what the hell to say to get your way, don't you?"
She laughed and got on the bike behind me, wrapping her arms tightly around me. "I was just telling the truth. If you'd rather hear lies..."
"No, but don't say I didn't warn you." I handed her my helmet and pulled on my own. We'd barely gotten to know anything about each other, and here I was being forced to take her out to my mother's house. She would get a full view of the shitty life I lived if Daniel actually did show up. Nothing could have frightened me more.
What if he tried to hurt Valentine? What if the bastard brought a gun this time or friends?
So many what ifs, and yet I couldn't deny her request to be with me. I'd protect her and my mother. It seemed impossible, but maybe I was over thinking things. Daniel wasn't likely to be out at the house, unless he was high.
Val's arms tightened around me and she lay flush against me, causing goosebumps to break out all over my body. I wanted her so damn badly to be a part of my life, but the fact that my want was turning into need was far more terrifying.
My heart dropped into my stomach when I pulled up to the house. Daniel's rusty old Buick was sitting beside the house.
After turning the bike off, I threw up the kickstand and ripped off my helmet.
"Fuck. He's here. Call 911, Val, and don't come into the house. Okay? Please." I took off toward the house, taking the stairs two at a time. The only comfort I had was that my mother wasn't screaming, but maybe that was because she was already dead.
Please God, no.
*
I raced into the house, not thinking about anything but saving my mother. I made it to the bedroom in time to see Daniel crawl on top of her and sit on her chest. A scream left me as I launched myself at him, ripping him backward and pressing his face into the ground.
"Mom, tell me you're alright." I pressed my knee into the back of his neck and tried to get a hold of myself.
"I'm okay. I'm just glad you're here." She moved to the edge of the bed as Daniel threw himself around on the floor.
"Good. I have a friend outside. Her name is Val. Go out there and talk with her while I deal with this creep. Okay?" I looked up, half expecting her to look bloody again. She didn't.
"Okay." She was crying as she ran from the room.
"You're such a piece of shit. You're lucky I have something worth living for or I'd kill you right now." I pressed my knee into his neck harder, and he gave a strangled sound.
The echo of the cop siren coming down the street caused me to pull back a little, which was a mistake I should have been smart enough not to make.
Daniel turned over, taking me with him before slamming his body on top of mine. Something glimmered as the light caught it, and I realized that he had a knife.
I didn't have time to move, but I didn't need to. The look on his face as the baseball bat hit him in the shoulder was priceless. I was shocked to see Val standing behind him with terror on her pretty features.
"Give me that." I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the bat from her as the cops walked in.
"Drop the bat, son. Now!" one of the cops yelled as he lifted his gun toward me.
Of all things I didn't want the girl beside me to see, this had to be at the very top of the list. I dropped the bat and lifted my hands into the air as one of the cops moved in and pulled my arms behind my back.
"Wait. He didn't do anything. This creep attacked his mother!" Val wasn't going to be quiet, which was so fucking endearing that I almost told her then that I was going to marry her one day, but I didn't.
"We'll sort it out. Get outside now, miss, or we'll cuff you, too." The cop glared at her.
"No the fuck you won't." Her chin lifted, and I couldn't help but smirk.
"Her daddy will shut your whole force down. She's David Scott's daughter." I laughed as one of the cops gasped.
"Alright, I don't care who you are. Out!" The bigger of the two pointed to the door, and she finally turned and walked out.
The two cops mumbled about how ridiculous the night had already been, and now this. I was beyond trying to hold in my emotions. Laughter bubbled up out of me, and I was sure it was because I was cracking. I'd have to tell Sam the next day, and he'd know that there was no way I could make this shit up. My life was just this weird at times.
They hustled me outside, and my mother walked up, trying to explain everything to them. Valentine pulled her back and walked with her to the house before looking over her shoulder at me.
"I'm okay," I called out to her and winked. Val was nothing like I expected. I was in far more trouble than I imagined possible.
Chapter 17
Val
I sat down across from Tate's mother and let out a long sigh. I'd been in a few odd situations, but nothing like the one I'd just gone through. When she had come out of the house crying, my first inclination was to pull her into my arms.
She'd tried to explain what had happened, but something inside of me broke open, and I didn't care about anything but helping Tate get out of there, too. The baseball bat was sitting by the couch as I made my way down the hall, and from that moment on, I simply acted on instinct. Now that it was over and the cops had Tate's mother's boyfriend with them, I was suddenly exhausted.
"He's a good boy. He just loves me and wants to protect me. To save me – or all of us, really," the pretty older woman across me from spoke up.
"I like that about him." My heart fluttered in my chest as I glanced around the small kitchen. It was dilapidated to some degree, but it was homey and smelled like vanilla.
"He seems quite taken with you, too. He rarely brings anyone out to the house. I think it's because of us being poor." She laughed, but the sound fell flat. There was nothing funny about it.<
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"I don't take anyone home, either." I shrugged as I shared my own situation. "My parents are horrible and usually leave me feeling like I'm nothing by the time I leave. They don't care who's there to witness it, either."
Tate walked in as we both stiffened, like we were caught in the middle of something.
"You girls okay?" He glanced from me to his mother.
"Yeah, I think we're okay." I got up and moved to stand in front of him. "You?"
My eyes moved across him as I tried to assess if he were hurt. Everyone happened too damn fast to figure out what really went down.
"I'm good. I'm so sorry, Val." He reached out and touched the side of my face as sadness brushed across his. "I told you it was going to be bad."
"It's my fault." His mother let out a long sigh before getting up from the table.
We turned to watch her as she pulled a few things from the fridge. "You guys go hang out in the living room and talk. I'll warm up something good for dinner."
"You wanna stay? I can take you back home if you want. I know this has probably been too much." He looked over at me. A part of the tough guy had softened, and I wanted to stay to see where the night led.
"I'm good. I can go home after a while, but I think I would feel better hanging out with you, if that's cool?" I slipped my hands into my pockets and turned to face him again. He was handsome and rugged, so intimidating in appearance, but there was a softie under all of it. I'd seen that part of him and honestly wanted to see it again.
It was insanely inappropriate standing there in the kitchen, but I couldn't help but wonder how he was in the bedroom – if he was sweet and caring or rough and demanding.
"Yeah, that's cool." He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. "You shouldn't have come in this house, you hard-headed thing."
"He would have stabbed you if I hadn't. A thank you would go over well." I smiled and pulled from him before walking into his tiny living room. There was only one couch and no TV. The pictures on the wall were all of him, and I couldn't help but walk around and look at each of them.
"Oh shit," he growled as he stopped beside me. "Come on, let's go outside for a little while. You don't need to look at these."