The UN Series Complete Box Set

by Shantel Tessier

  “Ready to go, Missy?”

  I’m not surprised to see Braxton as he walks in and speaks to Missy. What does surprise me is the ‘go to hell’ look he shoots over at Tate.

  Why is Braxton mad at Tate? He’s the one with the girl.

  “What are you doing here?” Parker inquires, surprised by his brother’s appearance.

  Braxton stands next to Missy and looks at his brother. “I dropped her off earlier and went to run some errands.” He then looks down at Missy. “Are you not ready to go?”

  She nods slowly before she looks up at Angel. I frown when I see her eyes are full of tears. What the fuck is going on? “If you need help with anything, I will be here to help you,” she says straightening her shoulders. Her eyes glance over at Tate for the briefest moment before they are back looking at Angel.

  She smiles and pulls her in for a hug. “Thank you. I would love to have your help,” Angel says then pulls away.

  Missy waves to everyone before she turns and walks out with Braxton right behind her.

  “Well, that wasn’t awkward,” Courtney says as she turns to glare at Tate.

  “Why are you staring at me?” he asks throwing his hands up. “I was nice.”

  Courtney snorts. “Nice? You didn’t say two words.”

  “I know. That was me being nice.” He nods to himself. “I could have punched Braxton. But what good would that have done?”

  “Why would you punch Braxton? You broke the poor girl’s heart. You can’t blame his brother.” She motions with her thumb to Parker. “Can he Parker?”

  “Don’t get me involved. I don’t know what is going on between the two of them.”

  The room settles with a silence, and I pull Angel into me. With her chest pressed up against mine she looks up to me with a big smile. “Thanks for this, baby. I can’t wait to get started.”

  “It’s going to be great,” I say knowing that’s the truth.

  She pulls away when she feels my phone vibrate in my front pocket. I pull it up to see that it’s an email. I quickly pocket my phone when I see it’s from Miller—my old friend I had hired to dig around information for me on Tate.

  “Who was it?” she asks tilting her head to the side.

  I clear my throat. “It was an email that’s work related,” I tell her.

  “Who’s hungry?” Courtney asks taking the attention off of me. “Because I’m starving.”

  Angel laughs and looks at her. “I am.”

  “You two always want to eat.” Parker sighs heavily.

  Angel reaches out and slaps him in the stomach. “And you always want to drink or get laid,” she says with a smile.

  He nods. “True,” as we all head to the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  SAMANTHA

  It’s been a week since Slade surprised me with the bakery. I never imagined how much is involved in trying to open a bakery. The city told me it could take up to three weeks to get an inspection. I completed my class and took the test for a foods handler permit this morning. Now I’m back at home trying to figure out what I need to do next.

  I walk into Slade’s office and sit behind his computer. I move his mouse to turn the screen on when I see he must have checked his emails this morning before he left for work. I scroll down to the bottom of the page and see one that was sent a week ago. Tate is typed in the subject line. I find myself clicking on it.

  Slade,

  Sorry it took me so long to get the info you asked for. It’s hard to look up someone when all you know is that he goes by Tate (which his actual name is Jonathan) and that he was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

  Anyway, there is no paper trail that suggests he is in fact Jack’s son. His birth certificate says father, Jonathan and mother, Laura. He was born May 20th, 1982 at Saint Francis hospital. A woman by the name of Lacey, purchased your wife’s house, which was left to her by her father, Jack. Then Jonathan (Tate) purchased from her only days later.

  Sorry I couldn’t dig up any more info. I hope this does help you out in finding out if he is Jack’s son or not.

  Miller

  I sit there staring at the screen, my heart pounding in my chest with watery eyes. I blink a few times and the tears run down my cheeks as read it over again. Once I’ve done that two more times, I’m even more confused than when I first did it. What does all of this mean?

  Is Tate my brother? Half-brother?

  I shake my head as I close out the email. “No,” I say aloud as I stand and run my hands through my hair. “This is not possible.”

  I reach over and pick up Slade’s office phone and call his cell. Can he give me more info than what that email just did?

  He picks up on my first ring. “Hey, Angel.”

  “Slade,” I say almost frantic. “Why are you looking into Tate?” I ask quickly.

  He’s silent on the other end, and it makes the lump in my throat grow.

  “Slade,” I say in a high pitch, “tell me. Is Tate my brother?”

  I expect him to say ‘no, baby’. Or even to ask me ‘if I’ve lost my mind’. Instead he asks accusingly, “Were you going through my emails?”

  “What?” I shout as my body starts to tremble. “That’s all you have to fucking say?” I scream, and my voice trembles. “What are you hiding?”

  “Nothing.” I hear him sigh. “Everything... I don’t know what to tell you, Angel. I don’t know enough to say anything.”

  “All you need to know is yes, he’s my brother. Or no, he’s not,” I demand harshly. “Is he my brother?” I shout. “Slade,” I plead as tears run down my cheeks. “Please,” I cry. “Just tell me. Is Tate my brother?”

  A part of me is thinking I’m overreacting. I’ve just imagined everything that I read and none of this is possible. The other part is saying please say yes. Please tell me that I have family left. A brother. Someone who I already call a great friend.

  “I’m sorry, Angel,” he says softly, and it almost has me sigh in relief. I misunderstood it. “But Tate is you brother. I didn’t want you to find out this way.” His voice is soft, and I can practically hear him running his hand through his hair nervously.

  And just like that I can’t breathe.

  I have a brother!

  “How do you know?” I choke on my words. “The email didn’t clarify it.” I still can’t believe it.

  “Tate told me, baby,” he says sounding like he has a lump in his throat as well.

  I hold onto the phone as if it’s my lifeline. My body falls into his office chair, and I stare at the blank computer screen in front of me.

  Tate told him.

  A sob escapes my mouth, and I drop the phone to try and cover it up. I hear him yell for me a few times, and I feel my anger rise. How could he not tell me this? How could he keep this a secret from me when he knows how I feel about family?

  But I shake my head. Is Slade the one I should be mad at? What about Tate? Why hasn’t he told me? Did he think I would reject him as family? As my brother?

  That thought alone has me jumping up and grabbing the truck keys, my purse, and running to the garage. I just spoke to him earlier, and he said he was off work today. I need to see him. I need to know the story. Why he kept this from me.

  As I’m driving toward Tate’s house Slade calls me. After the second time I just turn my phone off. I don’t want to talk to him. I just want to be left alone with my thoughts.

  The truck tires squeal as I pull into his driveway. I slam the truck door and run up to his front door. I can hear music coming from his house, and his truck is parked outside, but Parker’s police car is gone.

  “Tate,” I try yelling over the music when I find the door locked. My hand shakes, and my lip trembles. What am I going to say? What if he doesn’t want to be my brother? What if he never told me because he’s ashamed of me?

  “Tate,” I cry out and get no response once again.

  I walk to the side of his house and throw my purse along with my cell and keys over his
fence. I climb the short chain-link fence and run to his back door. I come to a quick stop when I find him sitting on his back porch with a bottle of tequila in his hand. He sits there and looks over the trees behind the house. He doesn’t even move to look at me.

  “Tate?” My voice trembles, and my body shakes.

  “Slade called me,” he deadpans still looking straight ahead.

  “I know about you. That you’re my….” I swallow nervously.

  He slides his head to look over at me, and my breath catches in my throat. His dark blue eyes are red and swollen. “Must be your lucky day then,” he says before turning to look back over to the backyard. He brings the bottle up to his lips and takes a drink of the tequila. He swallows as if he just took a drink of water, the burn not even having an effect on him.

  I walk slowly over to the chair next to him and sit down bouncing my knee. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask softly.

  “Would you have cared?” His voice is flat, and it makes my heart sink.

  I feel like the wind was knocked out of me. “How can you ask that?”

  He ignores my question. “Why didn’t you call me?” he asks not looking over at me. “When your…Jack died and your mother pushed you away. Why didn’t you call me?”

  His question catches me off guard but I answer in hopes that he will answer mine. “I hadn’t seen you in years, Tate. What did you want me to say? I have no one? Please come and save me? What could you have done?”

  He stands quickly and turns to look down on me. I can see it in his eyes, the hatred that he feels. I just don’t know who it is directed to, me or himself.

  “I could have helped you. I would have come running to you. Been the big brother I should have been way before then,” he yells. “I wanted to.” He sighs as if his anger is fading at that thought. “I wanted to help you out.” He shakes his head. “Instead I got a call from your mother.” He laughs bitterly. “She had a dying wish. A wish that I stupidly agreed to. I thought that was the only way I was ever going to see you again.” He turns from me and takes another swig of the bottle. “You know, you once asked me why I didn’t call you. That’s why, Sam. I was keeping so many secrets they were eating me alive, and you weren’t ready to hear them.”

  “I’m here now. You can tell me anything, Tate.” I plead for him to understand how sorry I am. I know how secrets will eat you up inside. They can control you.

  “Oh my little sister has come to save the day,” he spits out.

  “Why are you being such a prick?” I ask standing from my chair. “I’m the one you have been lying to.” My hands fist down by my sides. “I’m the one who has been left alone, pushed away.” Tears threaten in my eyes, and my throat starts to close once again. “Where were you when you knew I had no one?” I ask angrily. “When you knew what I was going through?” The words spit out of my mouth.

  He spins away from me and the bottle dangles in his hand down by his side. It makes my anger rise. “I’m here, Tate. How many lies does our family have to have?”

  I place my hand on his shoulder and spin him around. “Tell me what has you holding onto that bottle as if it were your lifeline. Tell me what makes you shut everyone out. Me, Missy….”

  “Don’t bring her into this,” he growls tightening his hand on the bottle.

  I rub my hand over my cheeks, wiping the fresh tears off of my face.

  “I’ve already hurt her enough,” he whispers.

  I release a sigh. “Talk to me, Tate. Haven’t we missed too much of each other’s lives already? I’m not going to say what I feel and then run away.” I shake my head. “Not this time. Not like I did with my mother.” I turn and face the backyard that is covered in various trees and hills. It reminds me of the backyard of our father’s house back in Oklahoma. “I would have given you Dad’s house if I had known…”

  His body stiffens. “I know,” he growls interrupting me. “I don’t want a hand out, Sam. I’ve worked hard for what I have, and I didn’t need my little sister handing me things,” he says flatly.

  For the first time since Tate has come back into my life, I feel like he resents me. I don’t know how long he has known that he is my brother, but it has obviously been a while.

  I don’t know what to say so I just sit back down and look down at my fingers knotted together. Is that why my mother always offered to look after him? Because she knew that he belonged to the man she loved?

  “Why didn’t Dad help you?” I ask angrily as tears sting my eyes. “Why didn’t he pull you away from that life?”

  “He didn’t know about me,” is all he says before taking another drink of his liquor.

  My head snaps to him. “Never?” I ask shocked.

  He shakes his head. “Why would he?” His voice has me cringing. So hard and full of hate.

  “I just thought…”

  “Well stop thinking,” he snaps at me. “Quit trying to figure shit out, Sam. You don’t know anything, so stop pretending that you do.” His words hurt. Why wouldn’t I want to know?

  “Why won’t you tell me?” I cry.

  He runs his head over his cropped hair as if he’s getting irritated. “What do you want to know, Sam? The part where my childhood was spent watching the man I thought was my father beat my mother and me? Or the fact that my mother was such a coward that she couldn’t walk away from him?” he snaps.

  My breath catches in my throat at him mentioning his father hurting him. I knew his father beat on Laura. I had no idea he ever laid a hand on Tate.

  “Or the fact that I thought I didn’t deserve you as a sister? How could I protect you, when I couldn’t even protect myself?” He throws his hands out to the side as if at a loss. He points the bottle at me, and he swallows hard making his Adams apple bob. “Do you know how much I wanted to strangle your mother for what she put you through?” He spins away from me. “And then I realized I was no better. I wasn’t the big brother coming to save the day. I didn’t want you to know about me. It was just easier that way. I’d always been the secret. It felt right to continue on that way. And it meant you wouldn’t leave me when you found out.”

  “I wouldn’t…”

  “Stop,” he yells making me jump. “That’s what you do, Sam. You did it as a kid, and you still do it now. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have run from me. From this.”

  “I did,” I cry out, my vision blurry from my tears. “I did run. Right to you, Tate. I just found out not thirty minutes ago you are my brother, and I ran straight to you. Doesn’t that count for something? I’m tired of losing the ones I love.” I sit down in the chair and cover my face with my hands. I cry loudly as he just continues to stand staring down at me.

  “I never wanted to hurt you,” he says softly. “That’s why I haven’t told you.”

  I remove my hands from my face, and he squats down in front of me. “I didn’t think you would want me as a brother. I wasn’t there for you when you needed someone.”

  “But you’re here now.” I try to give him a small smile. My eyes fall down to his tequila bottle. “And it looks like you could use someone.”

  He sighs and I can smell the tequila on his breath. “I thought I had lost you. Slade called me and said you knew. That you had hung up on him and wouldn’t answer any of his calls. I grabbed a bottle. I thought I had lost you altogether.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. We need to stick together.”

  He shakes his head. “I’m not a good person, Sam.” He pulls away and stands up. “I was a better friend than I could ever be a brother.”

  My hands fidget in my lap. “How do you know that? We haven’t even tried to be a family.”

  He tilts the bottle up to his lips and takes a good size gulp. “I’m not strong like you. I can’t overcome my past.”

  I stand quickly. Fuck our past. “I want to be your sister.” Just saying that has tears filling my eyes. “Don’t you want to be my brother?” I ask the loaded question, and I hold my breath as he looks out over hi
s backyard again.

  He turns to face me and runs a hand over his cropped dark hair. “That’s all I’ve wanted since I found out you were my sister, Sam.”

  I let out a breath and the tightness lessens as I wipe the tears off of my face. “I’m sorry,” I say, and my voice cracks. “I’m sorry for not knowing about what Jonathan did to you.” I rub my eyes frantically trying to wipe the tears away. “I’m sorry you had to go through it all alone.”

  “Shh.” He walks up to me and wraps his arms around me. “It’s okay, Sam. You couldn’t have known.”

  But I did know. The older I got the more I noticed the bruises on his mother. “I should have said something, to anyone, about…”

  “No, Sam.” He tightens his arms around me, and I feel the liquor bottle against my back.

  I pull away and look up to him. “Why are you drinking, Tate?”

  He sighs. “It helps my nerves.”

  “Your nerves?” I ask frowning.

  He steps away from me and sits down in his chair. “I told you I’m not a good person, Sam.”

  “Drinking doesn’t make you a bad person, Tate,” I state sitting down next to him.

  He shakes his head. “The real reason we moved away from Tulsa…” He pauses. “I did something that I don’t regret. I did something so bad that could have cost me my life, but I don’t care.” He shrugs as he looks down at the bottle in his hands. “I’d do it again without even thinking. And that makes me a bad person.” He finishes looking over at me.

  I know he means something to do with Jonathan. I choose my words carefully. “I don’t know what you did, Tate. But I can tell you, it’s okay to defend your mother.”

  He snorts. “I wouldn’t call it defending anyone. More like getting even.”

  He sits back in his chair and slowly takes another drink of his tequila. We sit in silence as I think about what all of this means. My father had a son, a son he didn’t know about. “I have some questions, Tate,” I say softly.

  He gives a laugh but it holds no humor. “Hence the alcohol.” He lifts up the bottle of tequila.