They told her it wasn’t serious. They told her they would be fine. But Eve still couldn’t tear her gaze away from Lind, even now as they watched TV on her couch. Lucas was stretched out on the other end of it, past the 90-degree corner. He had insisted he would be fine on his own, but Eve had flat-out refused to let him out of her sight, too.
“Really, he’s a bit of a third wheel,” Lind said, glancing over at the sleeping young man. For all of his protests, there was a smile on his face.
“Get over it,” Eve said, hitting his arm playfully. “He has done so much for me, it’s only fair that I repay the favor.”
“So you’re really just friends?”
Eve laughed. “Shut up.” She moved around until she could find a more comfortable position.
“Do you want me to move?” Lind asked. He was settled back against her chest, his head on her shoulder.
“No way,” Eve said before she could help herself. “You stay right where you are.”
Lind looked up at her and smiled. “I’m fine, you know.”
“I know,” Eve said. “But I was really scared for a while.”
Lind took her hand and entwined their fingers together, bringing them up to his lips to kiss the inside of her wrist. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s over now.”
“How does that feel?” Eve asked after a moment’s hesitation.
Lind shrugged without thinking and hissed in pain at the movement.
Eve tightened her hold around his hand in response. “Watch out,” she said.
He grunted and nodded. Once the pain died down, he settled back against her again. “I’m relieved to know that it’s over and that you’re safe,” he said. “But I can’t help wondering how things would have turned out if I hadn’t done…what I did and drove Douglas insane.”
“You can’t blame yourself forever,” Eve said gently. “For him to spiral like that, Douglas mind was probably already fragile. If it had not been Margaret’s death to set him off, it probably would have been something else eventually.”
“Yeah, probably,” Lind conceded. He sounded unconvinced, but just the fact that he was willing to consider the possibility was a big step. “Do you really enjoy this show?” he asked, reaching for the Supernatural boxset that Eve had gotten for Lucas as a thank you present.
They were currently re-watching Season One for Lind’s benefit—although he had not asked for it.
“Yes,” Eve said, watching as Dean Winchester smashed mirrors on the fifth episode of the show. “I think it’s fun.”
“And it’s not at all because the actors are hot?” Lind asked with a grin.
Eve smirked right back. “Possibly,” she said. “But I’ve got a very hot man right here.” She leaned down to capture Lind’s lips into a deep kiss.
She relished his taste and his closeness. They settled back to watch yet another episode, of which Lind only caught the first scene; he was asleep before the head credits could even come in.
Eve only half-watched after that. As interesting as the show’s storyline was and as hot as the actors were and as developed as the characters were revealing themselves to be, she had something far more interesting. She ran her fingers lovingly through Lind’s dark hair and allowed herself a few minutes to just breathe. How long had it been since she had done that? How long since she could breathe easy?
She was reluctant to allow herself the luxury to think along those lines, but she really was beginning to think that everything would be okay now. They had been through too much not to have earned their own spot in the sunshine. Things just had to get better now.
As if on cue, her cell phone went off.
“Shit!” Eve cursed softly and made a wild grab for it from where it was stuck between the cushions. “Yeah,” she all but barked into the microphone, taking the call without even checking the display. She threw a look at Lucas and Lind and was relieved to find that neither had been disturbed by the shrill, intruding ringing. “Oh, hey Dad.”
She cringed. She loved her family, but she had drawn back from them ever since quitting her job. She needed time away from her old world in order to figure out how she wanted her new one to be shaped.
“Hey sweetheart,” her father greeted her warmly from the other end of the line, and only then did Eve come to realize just how much she had missed them. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, Dad,” she said, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she really meant it. “How are you? How’s Mom? And Junior?” Junior was actually her older brother, but she called him that in order not to confuse him with her father, seeing as how they both bore the same name.
“We’re all doing fine,” Harold Robinson said. “We miss you, though. I know, you have to do your own thing,” he said before Eve could protest. “I get it. You could still come visit from time to time though.”
Eve sighed. It was a gentle accusation, but it stung nonetheless, especially considering that she did feel guilty about neglecting them like she had. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “I’ll come by sometime soon.”
“How about tomorrow?”
Eve blinked. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes. For dinner. We’ll cook all your favorites.”
Eve hesitated. She wanted to see her family, but she was also reluctant to leave Lind’s side after the big scare he had given her. “I don’t know…”
“You could bring your new man along.”
Eve froze. Wait, what? “Dad, what are you talking about?”
Harold Robinson laughed. “I just assumed, there’s got to be a man in the picture for you to disappear like you have, even while trying to figure out what your next move is going to be.”
Eve hesitated. “Well…uh…there is,” she finally admitted.
“Splendid,” Harold said, and it sounded like he meant it. Could he finally be getting over her breaking things off with Alan? “Bring him.”
“Dad, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“He’s not exactly…huh…he’s not what you’d expect.”
“Even better,” Harold said. “You know I love surprises.”
Since when? Eve wondered, dumbfounded. She figured this was her father’s way of reconnecting with her, but it still threw her. “I…uh…I’ll ask him,” she said, feeling dazed.
“Great. We’ll see tomorrow at seven. Love you, sweetheart.”
Harold disconnected the call, and Eve couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just been summoned.
Still speechless, she put the phone back down and stared blankly at the TV screen, where a shape-shifter was climbing out of Dean Winchester’s skin.
“Who was that?” Lind asked. He moved around sleepily and yawned, stretching gingerly.
“Sorry,” Eve said. “I didn’t meant to wake you.”
“It’s okay. Who was it?” Lind asked again, curious.
“My Dad.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. He invited me for dinner…” Eve hesitated. “Well, us,” she finally corrected herself. “He invited us for dinner.”
Lind pulled away from her and sat up straight. He worked a few kinks in his neck and finally turned around to face her. “Us?” he repeated. He looked surprised, but not as petrified as Eve would have imagined.
“Yes,” she said.
“You told him about me?”
“Not exactly,” Eve admitted. “He figured it out on his own. He wants to meet you. You don’t have to come,” she hurried to reassure. “I’ll tell them you were busy.”
Lind looked curiously at her. “Why?”
Eve frowned. “What do you mean, why?”
“You don’t want me there?”
“I…” Eve blinked. Apparently, all the men in her life were out to shock her. “Are you really telling me you would have dinner with my family?”
“Why not?” Lind said, so easy and carefree that it actually floored her. “Unless you don’t want me there, of course. I mea
n, I would understand.”
“I want you there,” Eve said immediately. “I’m not embarrassed by you, Lind,” she said, guessing his thoughts. She made sure their eyes locked then, so that her words could really sink in. “I’m proud to have you in my life.”
He actually looked bashful for a moment. “Really?”
“Yes,” Eve said forcefully. “Really.”
The smile Lind gave her then was the brightest and most beautiful thing Eve had ever seen. “Then, I would love to come to dinner with your family.” He hesitated. “We may just have to find a way to justify this,” he said, nodding to his shoulder cast.
Eve cringed. “That could be tricky.”
“Nah,” Lind said, pulling her in for a quick but thorough kiss. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”
Eve smiled, feeling lighter than she had felt in ages. Soon, they were back in their original positions, Lind asleep against her, and Eve cradling him in her arms. It was domestic and ordinary, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
She wondered if she should be terrified about the evening that awaited them the next day. How would her family react? She had meant it when she said that she wasn’t embarrassed to call Lind her man, but she had to admit that it would most probably be a shock to her parents, possibly even to her brother, for all of his open-minded qualities.
She spent the next two Supernatural episodes coming up with possible scenarios in her mind. She was overthinking, as usual, but she really couldn’t help herself. A couple of days ago she had been on the verge of breaking up with Lind, and now she was going to introduce him to her family. She wondered if perhaps that was too abrupt a transition. She wondered if she—they—should take it easier. After all, wouldn’t it have been wiser to find their pace as a couple before they went parading in front of the world?
Then again, she reflected, Lind’s own family knew her. She had seen his world, had lived and breathed in it. Perhaps it was just time for him to meet her kin and see her world.
But what if it turned out to be a disaster? What if her family reacted badly to such an unusual presence as Lind’s? What if Lind couldn’t stand it?
Eve shook her head and took a few calming breaths. This was insane. She couldn’t really be spending her evening going in circles in her head over something that might or might not be. Hadn’t all of her experiences with the Diamondbacks taught her the importance of living in the moment?
She held Lind a little tighter, careful not to jolt his shoulder. If she really wanted this to work—and she really did—she knew she would have to learn to let go. Doubts, fears, insecurities. She would have to let them all go and learn to be in the here and now.
Here and now, things were pretty perfect. She was safe. Lind was safe. They were in love. They were willing to work hard at their relationship, harder than they ever had. They were appreciating each other’s presence in a way that they had never done. However, extreme danger will do that to a person.
Eve wanted things to get better, and one way to ensure that they would was to get past her fears. That included introducing her very unorthodox boyfriend to her very orthodox family.
EPILOGUE
Try as she might to let things go, Eve did indeed spend most of the night and much of the next day obsessing over what would happen once they got to her parents’ place for dinner. But none of the scenarios she had come up with in her mind came even close to what she was witnessing right now. In fact, reality was rapidly surpassing even her wildest dreams and imaginings.
Lind was wearing plain but spotless (and, mercifully, non-ripped) blue jeans and a black shirt that made his eyes pop in a way that should have been illegal. He had polished his boots until they shone, and he was shining himself in that outfit. But it was more than that. It was more than his appearance. He was polite and charming, and he was brilliant at conversation.
Eve had never expected Lind to embarrass her, but she also never expected him to move so easily in her world. She thought he would be out of his depth, but as it turned out, he swam gracefully in those waters.
Eve watched, stunned and impressed and happier than she had ever thought she could ever be, as Lind charmed her parents and brother one by one and then as a whole. She watched as they fell for him the way she had fallen for him—well, maybe not exactly in the same way. Still, they loved him. Lind’s shoulder wound had been passed on as the result of a car accident, and after that it was all easy.
Now, as they all sat around in the patio, Lind and her brother smoked a cigarette, her father enjoyed a cigar, and Eve and her mother had one more glass of delicious red wine. Eve felt almost like she was in a dream. It was simply too good to be true.
Stop it, she berated herself sternly. Stop waiting for something to go wrong. Nothing is going wrong here.
Indeed, nothing was.
“Really, Eve, where have you been hiding this gentleman?” Jennifer Robinson, her mother, asked, smiling brightly over at Lind.
Eve shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. “I was waiting for the right time. We were finding our feet.”
Lind reached out to put a hand on her thigh. They sat next to each other on the small outdoor wicker couch. “It was rocky there for a bit,” he admitted. “But we pulled through.”
Eve was surprised at how comfortable Lind was with discussing such a topic with her parents. Alan couldn’t even kiss her in front of them.
“I’m damn glad you did,” Junior said, toasting them with his beer.
Lind smiled and returned the toasted. “Thanks, man.”
Man? Eve shook her head in wonderment. Lind and her brother had quickly clicked over their mutual love for motorcycles. Lind had shown Junior a few pictures of his beloved Harley (which he couldn’t drive for obvious reasons, and so they had come with Eve’s car), and her brother had gushed all over it. Lind had promised to take him to the garage sometime and give Junior’s own wheels a makeover.
Harold cleared his throat. “Eve, sweetie, could I have a moment?”
Eve frowned in confusion. “Sure, Dad. Excuse me,” she said to Lind. She kissed him briefly and stood, following her father back inside. Her stomach clenched in apprehension. Was the moment she had been dreading finally coming? Was he going to tell her that Lind was not good enough for her? Were they going to fight after having been apart for such a long time?
“I just wanted to tell you,” Harold said, “I’m very happy for you.”
“Dad—” Eve cut off her automatic protest once her father’s words registered. “Wait, what?”
Harold smiled. “You heard me. You did good, sweetheart. I like him. I can tell he’s a good man.”
“He is, Dad,” Eve said, looking at him in surprise.
“I’ll admit, it was hard for me at first, getting used to idea of you not being with Alan anymore. And of you not working at the real estate agency anymore,” Harold said. “It threw me. I thought those were both things you wanted.”
“I thought so, too,” Eve admitted. “But it turns out, it just wasn’t me.”
Harold nodded. “I understand. And I wanted to tell you that I respect you so much for having the guts to get out of a life that you didn’t feel fit you. I’m so proud of you, Eve.”
Eve felt a sudden lump grown in her throat. “Thanks, Dad,” she choked out. She threw her arms around him, composure be damned, and smiled when she felt him return the embrace.
It was just what she had needed to hear, she realized. Her family being okay with who Eve really was—whoever that was. It was still a work in progress as far as she was concerned, but it was the last piece of the puzzle. Now she really could leave all the bad things that had happened behind and move forward.
They stayed like that for a few moments, relishing each other’s presence and the comfort it gave them. Eventually, they pulled back, and Eve could have sworn her father’s own eyes were a little wet.
“Let’s go back outside,” Harold said. “I can’t wait to hear more of Lind’s st
ories. That man has a unique view of the world.”
You don’t know half of it, Dad, Eve thought, but of course she didn’t say anything out loud. She just smiled.
What Lind had to say next, it turned out, was nothing that Eve would have ever expected. He had finished his cigarette, and once he saw her walk back towards him he held out a hand to stop her.
“Wait,” he said, “don’t sit down yet.”
Eve frowned. “Why? What is it?”
Untouchable: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Page 47