Long Way Home

by HelenKay Dimon

  And what he could do with those hands. It was almost criminal. Soon she’d probably gain enough weight that getting naked might not sound so great, but right now she couldn’t get enough of him. She’d stayed one night at the house so far and hadn’t even thought of trying the guest room bed. Put her suitcases right in his big room at the top of the stairs.

  “Looking like that is one of the few positive things they inherited from their father. Of course, Kim looking as good as she does didn’t hurt either,” Leah pointed out as she traced a finger over the window.

  Grace assumed Leah was lost in thought over the sight of Declan moving wheelbarrows around, since her gaze moved as he did.

  “That guy was an asshole,” Grace said, because she felt like it needed to be said.

  Leah snorted. “No kidding.”

  Just mentioning Charlie’s name made half the household tense. Thinking about him made her angry. All those victims. All that wasted time. The head games he played on Callen that she now got stuck trying to unravel.

  Grace wanted to be respectful because he was their father and all, but really, the man was a monster. He scammed everyone. Stole money from lonely wealthy widows, set up fake investment accounts and pocketed the proceeds. Exchanged car titles and grabbed silver and pretty much any expensive thing not bolted down that was worth stealing.

  He worked his way across the country, using alias after alias, and changing the scam to make it harder for law enforcement to tie all the crimes together. He’d finally been caught and was headed for trial when he died with almost no assets to his name. Many FBI agents still believed he’d faked that, too, but after Callen left she checked the records. Saw the photos.

  No, Charlie Hanover was definitely gone. But the fallout lingered on.

  Thinking about one patriarch brought another one to mind. Segueing into this topic probably wasn’t a great idea, but Grace did it anyway. “Speaking of fathers, I had a run-in with your dad.”

  Leah rested her head against the window frame. “I heard.”

  Not feeling the need to say more, Grace went back to staring at the man who filled her every thought. Tom walked over and the three of them worked in unison down there, but she definitely had a favorite.

  Music blared on the radio, and every now and then one of them would go over and switch the station. Seemed their tastes didn’t match at all.

  “Did he call me names?” Leah asked as the hard rock beat echoed in from outside.

  Without meaning to Grace sucked in a large gasp of air.

  Leah made a rough noise in her throat. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” She moved so that her back balanced against the wall and she faced Grace. “He spent so much of my life being angry, I thought because my mom left him to run away with Charlie and Charlie stole the town’s money. I made allowances and excuses and got wrapped up in his hatred for Declan and his brothers.”

  Grace tried to remember the specifics from the file after spending so many months purposely trying to forget them. When Callen left she spiraled. Despite being gone from the FBI, Walker handed her the official file on Charlie. She’d heard bits and pieces on the news, of course, but he’d never been part of her caseload.

  Her interest spiked when she fell for Callen, but then she tamped down on it, wanting to know him for him. That all crumbled when he walked out, and she was willing to look at anything, uncover any bit of information to track him down.

  Nothing pointed to Marc Baron or his wife. His name was likely on the long list of victims, but Grace didn’t even try to memorize that.

  “I think the hardest thing was figuring out my dad wasn’t who I thought he was. The decency I believed in was an illusion.” Leah turned her hands over and stared at the backs. “He acts one way and makes all these grand statements, but none of that matches with his past or his present.”

  “I can’t imagine.” Her father had always been the same person. No trauma or game playing.

  “I think that’s why I love Declan so much.” A smile played on Leah’s lips as she glanced out the window in Declan’s direction again. “He is exactly who he seems to be.”

  “I like him.” Grace meant that. She also liked how he looked at Leah and how they were together.

  “Me, too.”

  The more she thought about Leah’s comments, the more she realized her description of Declan worked for Callen, too. “Callen is the same way. His past is messed up, but when everything is on the line he steps up. So long as you don’t cross him.”

  “Nah, he talks tough, but he forgives.” Before Grace could ask how she could get that treatment, Leah continued. “We had a run-in and there was no reason for him to trust me, but he fought for me to stay with Declan.”

  Regret and a bit of jealousy twisted in Grace’s stomach. Leah forgave Mallory for hiding the truth about her relationship with Walker. Sounded like Callen forgave Leah for something. Grace wondered what she had to do to take a turn.

  “He’ll fight for you, too, you know.”

  Leah wasn’t wrong. Deep down, Grace knew that, which was why she risked it all and came after Callen as he ran. “Because of the baby.”

  “Oh, please.” Leah snorted. “He has no idea what to think abut the baby. Don’t get me wrong. He will love the baby and protect it—he’ll be an excellent dad once the kid is here. Until then, if he can’t see it and understand it, he’ll fumble around.”

  Grace wasn’t sure if that was supposed to make her feel better or not. “Not exactly what I want to hear about the man who’ll help me through labor.”

  “He’s rock solid.”

  “I know that. I really do.” His stability wasn’t the issue. Him wanting her back was. “My fear really is that he’ll stay because he thinks he has to, which isn’t exactly wrong. I did threaten him and will get really violent if he tries to run.”

  “And I’ll help you, but my point is he’ll be there for you . . . because he loves you.”

  Grace wondered how it felt to have that knowledge and hug it close. Leah clearly had that comfort level with Declan. Anyone looking at them could see the love.

  Grace didn’t have that comfort. “He’s never said it.”

  “Fear.”

  She was getting tired of that emotion. “Is it wrong that I sometimes want to hit him with that shovel?”

  “Lord, no.”

  They both laughed but Grace spoke up. “I knew I liked you.”

  “Then trust me. He’s all about doing the right thing, but it’s not an obligation to him. It’s who he is. As if his DNA rebelled against Charlie’s.” Leah nodded to the yard dotted with holes and dirt piles. “That’s what this stupid yard project is all about.”

  Somewhere Grace lost the connection. “What?”

  Leah’s eyebrow rose. “He didn’t tell you?”

  “Clearly not.” Though, to be fair, he’d barely shared anything with her, so it wasn’t a surprise he had skipped over the strange holes.

  “I’m thinking it’s time for Callen Hanover to learn some communication skills.” Leah was halfway across the room before she glanced over her shoulder and motioned for Grace to follow. “Come on.”

  ***

  Callen glanced up in time to see Leah and Grace step off the back porch and head toward him. Watching Grace walk trumped any other activity. He’d work at midnight if that’s what it took to free up time like this.

  With her hair swinging in the breeze and her black skirt tightening with each step, she looked like a woman on a mission. That appealed to him, though his confidence did falter when he realized she’d brought reinforcements. Taking on Grace in any argument proved tough enough. Grace plus Leah could be lethal.

  Callen glanced over at Declan. The appreciation for Leah and her slim jeans was tough to miss. The smile gave
him away. So did the way his gaze traveled all over her.

  Rolling out that charm that came so naturally to him, Declan nodded in welcome. “Ladies. Enjoy the show?”

  “I knew you knew we were watching.” Leah walked straight into Declan’s arms and kissed him. Forget the dirt and filth. She either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

  “Thought about doing a little striptease but I didn’t want to make Callen look bad.” Declan kept an arm around Leah.

  “I’m holding a shovel.” Callen thought pointing it out wasn’t a bad thing. With his size and training, Declan could outmaneuver and outshoot him, so Callen stuck with empty threats.

  “I like your boots,” Declan said with a nod in Grace’s direction.

  Callen followed his gaze and recognized the motorcycle boots. Black and scuffed, she’d worn them around for weeks before declaring them perfectly broken in. When a neighbor suggested they were too informal for dresses and skirts, Grace started wearing them every day. Passive-aggressive, maybe, but the memory made Callen smile.

  Grabbing on to his arm for balance, Grace lifted a leg and wiggled her foot around. “Cool, aren’t they? Callen bought them for me.”

  Declan’s smile couldn’t get any bigger. “Did he now?”

  “Where did Tom go?” Leah asked.

  That seemed to suck the amusement out of Declan. “In the house. Probably to call mom.”

  “You poor thing.” Leah snuggled in closer to him, wrapping her hands tighter around his arm. “Your beautiful young mother is dating.”

  Not ready for a second round on his mother’s dating life, Callen tried to move them along. “Find another topic.”

  “Fine.” Leah glanced at the dirt pile next to his feet. “The holes.”

  She already knew, and he wasn’t ready to fill Grace in. With their history, he didn’t want her having free rein of everything at Shadow Hill, especially the information they were collecting.

  But he’d learned enough to know saying that out loud might get his ass kicked, so he went for stalling. “What?”

  Leah looked around, her gaze jumping from one dirt mound to another. “If she’s going to live here, she should know.”

  Not necessarily. Callen sure didn’t remember making that agreement at the breakfast table before Grace moved in. He looked to Declan for reinforcements but his brother kept his expression blank. No help there.

  “I sense a lack of trust.” There was nothing blank about Grace. The anger sparked in her eyes and threaded through her shaking voice.

  Leah shook her head. “And a heavy dose of stupidity.”

  Finally snapping to attention, Declan lowered his arm from around Leah and let his gaze wander from person to person. “Maybe we should wait—”

  “No.” Too late and the wrong tack. Callen knew better. He looked to Grace. “Is this a test?”

  “Do you need to take one?” she snapped back.

  “You’re having a baby together and living together but you can’t trust her with the information about what’s happening in the yard?” Leah stepped between Grace and Callen as she delivered her speech.

  Declan caught her arm and brought her back to his side. “Leah, ease up on this.”

  “Callen doesn’t need to tell me.” Grace crossed her arms over her stomach. “He’s made it clear his tolerance of me has limits.”

  This was not the time and place for this argument. And that shot hit lower than Callen expected. “That’s not fair.”

  “Then tell her about the holes.” Leah glanced at Declan. “Do not look at me like that. You Hanover boys have serious trust issues. Sometimes you have to be dragged back to reality.”

  “I have a reason to be wary.” There, he said it. Not that it was the first time. Callen had been really clear on this point.

  “I was out of the FBI before we met. I never passed information to Walker.” Grace ticked off the information without breaking eye contact with him. “What else do you want to know?”

  “This isn’t the time.” He wanted to lose himself in her, enjoy her. Take care of her. Trusting her was a much harder road.

  “It’s never the time. That’s the point. I’ve tried to talk and you’ve pushed me away.” She hesitated, clearly going for a dramatic pause. “Well, when you bother to talk at all. You don’t seem to have any trouble doing anything else with me.”

  That struck too close. “Grace, that’s enough.”

  “Ask me any question.” She turned away from him then. “Declan? It’s your turn.”

  Leah grabbed his arm again. “Don’t you dare take her up on that offer.”

  “It’s okay.” Tension vibrated off Grace now. She moved around, looked from person to person. It was as if coming outside had unleashed all the frustration she’d had tied up inside her. “If I’m carrying your child and your niece or nephew, you have a right to know things. So, ask.”

  Declan finally stepped up, literally and figuratively. Putting Leah at his side, he finished off their tight circle. “Okay, let’s take a breath.”

  “Only child. Father was in law enforcement, but he died. Mom is gone and has never really been in the picture.” A wild energy spun around Grace now. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks bright and pink. “Sexual partners? College jobs? What else do you need?”

  The breeze blew and somewhere nearby a building creaked, but they were all frozen. It was the sort of horrified silence that came when a person unraveled. Not that she was out of control. Quite the opposite. She threw out the pieces without missing a beat. She had their attention and wasn’t relinquishing it.

  The seconds ticked by until Leah mumbled under her breath. “Callen, say something.”

  “She’s trying to prove a point.” Callen might not have a bunch of fancy degrees, but he understood that much.

  Declan scoffed. “I think she did.”

  “Forget it.” With an eye roll and a noise that sounded like a groan, Grace turned. “I’ll be upstairs working. If you want to check my papers later and verify, let me know.”

  Then she left, treating them to the perfect exit. Callen had seen it before. Her anger built and exploded, and any sane person ducked.

  Declan cleared his voice. “That was impressive.”

  “Her fit?” One of her better ones in Callen’s view.

  “I think your brother was talking about the way she put you in your place.”

  “Leah, I’m not in the mood right now.” He wasn’t.

  In the last five minutes Leah and Grace had managed to ruin the one thing that gave him peace—working outside. He knew the yard looked odd and that Leah wanted to confide in her new friend, but he wasn’t there yet. This project impacted all of them, and turning the information over meant putting them all at risk.

  “Callen, take the shovel out of your ass.” At Leah’s comment, Declan stayed quiet, but did a shitty job of hiding his smile.

  Callen didn’t try to hide anything. His fury raced through every cell. “Excuse me?”

  “If you don’t, one of these days she’s going to wake up and be so exhausted from fighting with you that she gives up.”

  “She’s not leaving.” The thought hit him like a body blow and had him yelling.

  Leah didn’t back down. “If she does, you lose the woman you love and the baby you don’t even know you want yet.”

  The words shot through him, burning and tearing until he had to put a palm against his stomach to hold the pain in. “I can hear you without all the shouting.”

  Declan rested a hand on Leah’s shoulder, and that fast, the fire seemed to bank. Leah nodded and her mouth snapped shut.

  “We’re trying to save you from yourself.” The words came slowly, as if Declan wanted to draw out the moment and calm them all down.

  Callen still didn’t get it. “I don’t know what that means.”


  Declan nodded. “That’s why we’re frustrated.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  After the huge afternoon battle with Callen, Grace considered heading back to the motel. But that meant running, and there was already one person too many in this relationship who fell back on that response. No, if he wanted to drive her out, he would have to try a hell of a lot harder than that.

  The guest room seemed like a possible alternative for the night until Declan made some lame excuse about a problem with the floor. Looked like he was running interference for his big brother. She’d rather Callen fight his own battles.

  Exhausted from grumbling and thinking and slamming into a giant Callen-sized wall of stubbornness at every turn, she settled on an early shower and crawling into bed. She’d left the house for dinner and spent some time with Leah and Mallory. The whole day and the emotional roller coaster had worn her out.

  Wearing an oversized T-shirt—one that happened to be Callen’s from way back—she slipped between the sheets and snuggled into the down comforter. The man might prefer the outdoors and working all the time, but he had a good bed. Nice and firm, but not too firm. King-sized, with soft sheets and a fluffy duvet. She had pillows stacked under her head with her legs curled up under her to ease the gnawing soreness in her lower back.

  Then came the harder part. Actually drifting off. She forced his image out of her mind as she tried to fall into a deep sleep. One that would give her a few more hours before having to confront him again. She had to rally her arguments and buff up that shield against his verbal assaults. And all of that had to wait until she could sit up without her eyes drifting shut.

  She was humming to herself when a few minutes later she heard the door open and shut. Facing the window, she kept her eyes closed and cut off the song. If he didn’t get a flashing warning sign from that then the man was even more clueless than she thought . . . and that was saying something.

  He liked the room cool, so a chill moved through the room. She burrowed deeper in the covers, hugging them around her and trying to fight off the weird case of the shakes that just took over her body.