by Chelle Bliss
“Why?” he asks as he slides into the truck, and I climb in next to him. “All that matters is I like you.”
I turn, blinking at him like he understands nothing about me even after everything we’ve been through. “Are you new?”
He furrows his eyebrows as he turns the key in the ignition, facing me. “Am I new?”
I nod quickly. “Uh, you know family’s important. Like, the most important thing to me. Not just my family, but yours too. If your grandmother hates me…” I pause and shake my head because the look he’s giving me says he doesn’t really understand me at all. “Let’s go.” I motion toward the windshield. “I’ll explain as you drive. We’re wasting daylight.”
“We’re only three hours away,” he tells me like that’s supposed to make all the difference in the world.
I cross my arms over my chest, pinching my lips together, and eyeball him.
“Okay. Okay.” He slings his arm across the back of my seat, pulling out of the parking spot faster than I expect.
Sheesh. Pike Moore doesn’t like being told what to do.
I lean against the door, turning my face toward him, wishing I could smack the shit out of him.
“What?” He gives me the side-eye.
I slowly shake my head, telling myself he’s going through a lot of shit, and take a deep breath before I say something I know I’ll regret. I should give him a break. Let him throw whatever fit he’s throwing to get the emotion out. I know there’s a lot he’s feeling and not sharing.
“Back to the family part,” I explain in a calm, even tone. “It’s important to me that your grandmother, and even Austin, likes me. Just like it’s important to me that my family likes you.”
“I think we burned that bridge.” He doesn’t even look at me when he says that.
“Which one?” I narrow my eyes, feeling my heart starting to race.
His eyes cut to mine as we sit at the red light, waiting to pull onto the highway. “Your family, especially your father, will never like me.”
“That’s not true,” I argue.
He’s facing forward again, checking the side mirror before the light turns green. “The conversation I had with your father yesterday was anything but friendly.”
“He’ll get over the shock of what happened and move on.”
Pike lets out a bitter laugh. “I’ve known a lot of men like your father, and one thing they don’t do is get over shit and move on, especially when it involves their wife or kids.”
I stare out the windshield, trying to relax my jaw but failing. “My father isn’t like most men,” I grumble.
“You got that shit right,” Pike says quickly. “He’s worse.”
I snap my eyes to him, dropping my hands to my lap and clenching them into tight fists. “I’ve known that man my entire life. He will get over this, and as soon as he knows you like I do, he’ll even like you too. But if you keep acting like a shithead…”
“You’re fooling yourself, darlin’.” His eyes flicker to mine. “Your dad and I will never be friends. He’ll never look at me as anything more than the guy who almost got his little girl killed.”
I grind my teeth, annoyed with the entire conversation. “I know you think you know my dad, but you don’t. Sure, he’s protective…”
“Protective?” Pike laughs. “That man is way more than that.”
“Let me finish,” I growl, glaring at him. “The one thing I know about my family is that they know forgiveness. No one will judge you for things you didn’t do or couldn’t control. What went down wasn’t your fault. My dad knows that. Deep down, he understands. He just needs some time to cool off and come to his right mind so he has a chance to figure it out for himself.”
Pike shakes his head, throwing his arm over the steering wheel like we’re out for a Sunday drive. “I know you have this need to be liked, babe, but I don’t feel the same. I’m me. I can’t change who I am. I can’t change where I come from or what happened before I walked through the doors at Inked. If he doesn’t like me, I’ll be okay. It won’t change how I feel about you.”
I take a deep breath, letting his words settle before I dare open my mouth. My entire body is stiff, and being trapped in the truck, unable to move, isn’t helping my anger either. “You think I can go through life with you and my father at each other’s throats?” I gape at him.
Pike shrugs. “Don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out.”
I run my hand down my face, groaning into my palm. “What a clusterfuck,” I mutter. “I never should’ve let you talk to him about what happened.”
“Nah, darlin’. I had to be the one to talk to him. I had to man up, and I did. He may not have liked what I said, but I said it. It’s over. We’re moving on.”
I widen my eyes. “We’re moving on, and it’s over?”
What the fuck?
Pike nods, not looking at me as he keeps his gaze trained on the traffic in front of us.
“Are you fucking serious with that?” I ask, my voice all high-pitched and full of bitch.
“I can’t control how your dad feels.”
I close my eyes and whisper, “Fucker.”
“I’m a fucker?”
I don’t dare look at him. I’m too pissed to look at his face. I just stare straight ahead and snap, “Yep. Wake me if you want me to drive.”
What the hell am I doing with someone like Pike? He’s so much like my father, it’s almost maddening sometimes. He’s moody, difficult, and bossy. Nothing has been easy since the day he walked back into my life.
Daytona was easy. We were hundreds of miles away from everyone and everything. There weren’t parents getting in our business or bad guys coming after us.
Pike’s going through some shit. Some really dark shit. He’s dealing with the death of his mother. He’s about to face his past, including a little brother and grandmother he hasn’t seen in years.
All I can do is be there for him and hope the guy I knew back in Daytona, the funny asshole who caught my eye, comes back to me.
I close my eyes, wanting nothing more than to get away from him for a little while. Since it’s impossible, I do the next best thing. I go to sleep.
“We’re here, darlin’.” The backs of Pike’s fingers brush against my cheek so softly I barely feel them.
I moan as I try to move. “Already?”
“Afraid so.”
I blink a few times, trying to clear the haze from my mind. Gone is the endless gray of the road, replaced by an explosion of colors—lush green grass and a yellow-orange sky as the sun sets behind the mountains.
“Here they come.” Pike dips his head toward the windshield as I stretch.
My gaze follows his to an older woman and young man as they walk out of a white house with a beautiful wraparound porch. I reach for the visor, pulling down the mirror to make sure I don’t look as shitty as I feel.
“You’re beautiful,” Pike says as I wipe the mascara smeared under my eyes.
“You should’ve given me a heads-up,” I whine in a panic.
“I tried, but you wouldn’t wake up. Based on how fast Granny’s walking, you still have a minute or two.”
“Fuckin’ men,” I mutter, flipping up the visor, knowing my face is as good as it’s going to get.
That is when I get my first real good look at his brother, Austin. He’s a younger version of Pike, but with darker hair and no tattoos. He’s holding his grandmother’s arm, helping her down the walkway in front of her house like a little gentleman.
“Man,” Pike says, taking in his granny and brother. “I never realized how long I’d been gone until right now.”
I reach across and grab his hand, locking our fingers together. Sure, he was a shithead, but I came here to support him, and support him I will.
“You ready for this?” I ask him, rubbing his wrist with my thumb.
“Don’t have a choice.” He shrugs.
“I’m here for you,” I tell him, wishing we were here
under happy circumstances.
There’s a faint smile on his lips as he squeezes my fingers and reaches for the door handle with his other hand. “I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side.”
I slide out of the pickup truck, following Pike, and I hang back as he walks toward his grandmother.
Austin’s gaze moves from Pike to me. When our eyes lock, a smug smirk plays on his lips before he throws me a wink like I’m going to kneel down at his feet and profess I’ve fallen for the wrong Moore.
Lordy.
I raise an eyebrow and stare at the kid. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s freakishly good-looking, but he’s a baby.
“Granny, this is Gigi,” Pike says, drawing my attention away from Austin.
I smile at the cute old woman with a bloom of white hair and soulful dark brown eyes. “It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am,” I declare with a big smile on my face, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
She steps forward, the wrinkles around her mouth deepening as she smiles. “Come closer, honey. I can’t see so good with these old eyes.” She motions for me, and I step forward, closing the space between us. I glance at Pike, who only gives me a nod.
She grabs my hands, holding them tightly, and peers into my eyes. “Such a natural beauty,” she whispers. “I like a girl who doesn’t have to put on a mountain of makeup to be seen.”
I don’t want to break the news to her that most of my face wore off somewhere between Florida and Tennessee. I’ve never worn a ton of makeup, but rarely do I leave the house this naked either.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Connie, please.” She pats my hand, making me feel welcome during such a difficult time.
“Connie,” I repeat as Pike strides toward his brother, leaving us alone.
Connie doesn’t let go of me as her gaze follows Pike, watching the brothers exchange words neither of us can hear. “My heart is happy now,” Connie confesses, smiling at her grandsons. “It’s nice to see them together. It’s a shame it had to happen because of their mother’s death.”
“Yeah,” I whisper back as they embrace each other for the first time in years.
“They need each other,” she tells me. “Siblings are never complete when they’re apart.”
I get what she’s saying. After I left home and headed off to college, I felt funny without my little sisters around. My entire life had been filled with them. I rarely had a moment alone, and then overnight, I had all the silence in the world.
“Maybe out of all this tragedy will come a bond stronger than they’ve ever had before. They really only have each other left,” she says.
I turn my gaze toward Connie, our hands still connected. “They have you too.”
“Honey, I’m an old woman. I don’t have many days left on this earth, and it would give me peace knowing I’m not leaving them alone.”
Sadness comes over me as she speaks. I don’t often think about time. Death and dying are something I barely put any thought into. But standing with Connie, listening to her dreams for Pike and Austin, my mortality hits me square in the face.
“I’m sure the boys will get closer now that they’re older,” I reassure her, but who knows how Pike feels.
He’s barely spoken about his brother. It’s like they’re strangers even though they spent years under the same roof. I couldn’t imagine feeling the same way about my sisters.
“Let’s give them some time together. Sweet tea?” she asks, pulling me gently toward the house.
They’re so deep in conversation, neither of them notices as we walk away, leaving them alone. I hope whatever they’re saying, they’re finding a path back to each other.
“Please.” I glance at Pike and Austin one last time before I follow her inside.
We’re nothing without our family, and right now…they need each other.
4
Pike
Austin nearly collapses against me as soon as he’s in my arms. “I’m so happy you’re here,” he whispers, holding on to me like I’m the only thing keeping him upright. “I feel so alone.”
My heart aches for the first time since hearing about my mother’s death. I’m not sad for the wicked woman, but I’m torn up for my little brother.
“I’m here for you.” I hold him tighter, giving him the strength he needs.
“You don’t know what it’s been like.” He pulls back, eyes glassy and swimming with tears. “No one knows.”
He’s no longer the little kid I’d left behind when I drove away from this small-ass town and the life I had here.
“I’ve missed you,” he blurts out before I can reply.
I’m still soaking in the realization that my brother is a grown man and not a little boy anymore. “I’ve missed you too,” I confess for the first time in my life.
My parents may have never treated me well, while they smothered Austin, but I never held any animosity toward the kid. He didn’t rub it in my face or do anything to earn my hatred. That shit all fell on my parents. He was the only one in the house who was nice to me and paid me any attention, which I know drove my parents crazy.
“Stick around for a few days, yeah?”
I nod, unable to find my voice as the guilt of all the years I’ve missed washes over me. All the moments I wasn’t here for him. All the milestones I didn’t get to see. Memories I should’ve been a part of but wasn’t and never will be.
“You look…” Austin’s voice trails off as he rocks back on his heels.
I raise an eyebrow with a small smirk, hoping to lighten the dark mood. “Like shit?”
He runs his fingers through his dark hair, glancing down at his feet to hide his smile. “Your words, not mine.”
There’s an awkward pause. I’m not sure what to say after so many years, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same.
I glance toward the patio where Gigi and Granny just were, but they’re gone. “Life has a way of wearing on our skin. You’ll learn that as you grow older.”
“If that were true, I’d look like an old piece of leather.” He grimaces. “I ain’t ready for all that.”
“You’re only seventeen, Aus. Your skin’s too new to show the wreckage.” I knock him on the shoulder, trying to be playful even when it’s not the time.
“Thirsty?” he asks, finding his footing and straightening his back.
I nod. “I could use something to drink.”
“Granny grabbed a six-pack from the corner store, but she said I can’t have one.” He rolls his blue eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s absolutely no fun, brother.”
“You don’t need fun in your life right now. Fun around here means bad shit and even worse people.” I point my finger at him. “The last thing you need is that kind of fun.”
Austin smacks my finger away and throws his arm around my shoulder. “A drink with my brother isn’t the bad type of fun. I just want to kick back, shoot the shit over a beer, and find out where the hell you’ve been for the last ten years.”
“You don’t want to know,” I argue.
“Sure I do. You just disappeared. Poof. Gone.”
I wince as more guilt floods my belly.
He turns his head, giving me his eyes, and I brace myself for his next words. “It was like you were the one who died, but you were alive, forgetting all about me.”
The confirmation I’d abandoned him cuts me deep. I had never put much thought into how my leaving town would affect him. He was seven when I left, and I didn’t think he’d even notice.
I mean, we barely saw each other. At least not like most siblings. My parents made sure of that. They did everything to keep us apart from the day I moved in with Granny.
“Let’s get that beer and go down by the river, yeah?” I ask him, figuring Granny won’t put up too much of a stink.
“You get the beer, and I’ll meet you down at the spot?” He moves his head toward the path still cut in the thick brush lining the driveway. “It’ll be easier,” he says as his h
and falls away from my shoulder.
“Be there in five,” I tell him before he disappears into the woods, and I go into the house. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here. It’s like time stood still in this place, while I moved on with my life.
“Where’s Austin?” Granny asks, leaning over the kitchen island where two glasses of sweet tea sit in front of them.
“He’s down by the river, waiting on me,” I say, glancing at my girl, who looks comfortable sitting in my granny’s kitchen.
Granny raises an eyebrow, knowing exactly what happens down by the river. “He’s only seventeen, Pike.”
I shrug before walking behind Gigi and putting my arms around her shoulders. “I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be the first beer he’s ever had.”
Gigi glances over her shoulder at me, grabbing on to my hands. “Don’t drink too much, okay?”
I kiss the top of Gigi’s head as Granny eyes me. “I won’t. Just a few, darlin’. We’ll be back before you know it. Are you okay staying here with her?” I ask Gigi.
Granny crosses her arms, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes. “I’m a her now?”
I laugh. “Granny, I know how you are. I just want to make sure you’re being good to my girl.”
She shakes her head and wrinkles her nose. “She’s the first woman you’ve ever brought home. You can bet your ass I’m going to be on my best behavior, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have some questions about my grandson or the beautiful girl in my kitchen.” Her lips slide into a smile. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Just go,” Gigi agrees, trying to hold back her giggles at the ridiculousness of the conversation. “I think your granny and I will get along perfectly, babe.”
“We’re just going to have a little girl time. You need to go have some boy time with Austin,” Granny tells me, leveling me with her gaze.
“We’re hardly boys,” I correct her, “but we do need to have a man-to-man talk.” I kiss Gigi’s cheek before heading toward the fridge. I open the doors to the mostly empty refrigerator and grab the six-pack, turning to find both women studying me in sheer fascination. “What?”