Alluring Temptation (Bayou Stix #3)

by Skye Turner

  A few minutes later, Verna comes in with the coffee press and plate of cocoons, one of my favorite cookies. She sits across from me and watches the animals too as she sips her coffee.

  Finally, she breaks the silence. “What brings you all the way out here, Cha?”

  I smirk as I look at her. “Why do you think something brought me out here? Can’t I just come visit? Maybe I just wanted to see your beautiful face.”

  She chuckles. “Flattery will get you everywhere, boy. But, I know you, remember? What’s on your mind?”

  Paw looks at me and says gruffly, “It’s been a bit since you came out here. Not since before your tour and then Jude got married a bit ago, didn’t he?”

  Nodding, I lean back on the sofa and settle my hands behind my head. “Yes, sir. He did. He married his first love. Did I tell you that Jessie is engaged?”

  Paw slaps his leg and chuckles. “Jessie. He’s engaged? To who? That boy needed to settle down some. Reminds me of someone else I know.” He looks pointedly at me.

  I chuckle. “He’s engaged to Blue, actually.”

  That gets Paw’s attention. “Blue? That beautiful gal friend of yours?”

  I nod and laugh. “Yes, that one. She gives him a run for his money. It’s awesome to watch.”

  Verna rubs her chin and says, “Good for them. Marriage is a beautiful thing, if you do it right. I always hoped you and that gal would get married though. Those would’ve been some gorgeous little ones. Not that Jessie isn’t a looker himself. If I was thirty years younger, I’d give that gal a run for her money.” She pats her ample hips.

  I choke on my coffee and laugh. “Verna! Now I always thought your heart belonged to me.”

  She harrumphs and chuckles, “Now, now. All of you boys are attractive.”

  Paw says grumpily, “All of them are too pretty with those earrings and all those bright tattoos. You don’t have any of that crap, do you boy?” Verna rolls her eyes at him. “She makes me watch the singing show with that country boy and that pretty boy with them tattoos. You know that show I mean, Liam? I like some of the music, but that boy is just too pretty.”

  I’m trying to hold my smirk in at their banter and it makes my heart pang. I’d like to have that someday. After Maw Maw passed away and Paw got older, I got Verna to move in and take care of Paw. But I think there’s some romance blooming between these two. He’s an ornery seventy year old and she’s a feisty middle aged woman, but they are sweet on each other; I’m certain of it.

  Verna says, “That boy is Adam Levine and he’s very attractive. That’s a good show. Isn’t it, Liam?”

  I just nod and murmur. They don’t need me to converse with them anyway.

  After a bit, it gets quiet again and I see that Verna has fallen asleep in her chair. Paw is looking at her with a soft look on his face. He sees me looking and says gruffly, “You going to talk to me about what’s bothering you, boy?”

  Sighing, I look at him. He stands up and says, “Come on. Let her rest. I need to go put more birdseed out anyway. Walk with me.”

  I follow him out. He points to the huge cans by the back porch. I know the drill, so I open them and scoop out some feed from both the birdseed and the squirrel feed. Then, I walk through the backyard, filling all of the feeders. The birds are so used to it, they don’t even fly away as I approach. They just watch me. Paw sits on the cypress swing as I fill everything. I need to make several trips. He just watches me and calls out when I’m doing it wrong.

  After about twenty minutes, I’m done with my task. So I plop onto the swing with him.

  He looks straight ahead and says, “What’s her name?”

  I look at him in confusion. “What? Who’s name?”

  Chuckling, he sets the swing to rocking by pushing off with his cane. “You know who. The woman who had you driving across the Atchafalaya Basin in the early morning light in the middle of the week. What’s her name?”

  I laugh in embarrassment. He’s a perceptive old geezer. But this is why I came here. I need his advice. Looking into the trees, I say, “Clove. Her name is Clove. She’s Dade’s little sister.”

  This gets a reaction. He looks at me and studies my face, taking a long time to look into my eyes. I’m scared to look away. Finally, he must see what he wants to see. He grunts. “Is the issue that she’s Dade’s little sister?”

  Laying my head back on the swing, I watch the clouds through the branches as I answer. “Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s complicated.” I sigh. “She’s young and innocent. Nothing like me, Paw.”

  The swing stops rocking. I jerk and look at him. He’s scowling at me. I sit up. Pointing at me, he growls out, “What are you talking about boy? You don’t think you’re good enough for her?”

  I look away from him and at the ground. “She’s innocent and just good… I’m not.” Looking back up at him I mutter, “She’s been with like two people in her entire life and both were assholes. I sleep with a different woman every night, Paw.” He flinches. “You know I do. I live the rocker lifestyle. I’ve never even wanted to be with the same person regularly. I like the no strings, no commitments life.”

  “You sure about that, boy?” He asks.

  “Sir? What do you mean?” I ask him in confusion.

  He chuckles. “You seem awfully confused about one woman, yet you say you don’t want the same person regularly. I know you flit around from one woman to another. I’ve told you before, that’s no way to live. You just said you live the ‘rocker life,’ and you do, to a point. But, you’re also a good man.” I look at him intently. “I raised you to be a good man. You learned well. You take care of me and Verna. You love your friends. You send money to the VA in town to help the veterans.” I look at him sharply. He laughs. “What? You think I don’t know you do that, boy? I know a lot about you. I raised you.” He starts rocking again and he continues. “And it seems Dade’s little sister may be just the woman you need.”

  Shaking my head in rebuttal, I chuckle. “Clove.” He looks at me with a smirk. “Her name is Clove. I don’t need her. I’ll only break her heart. She’s not the woman for me.”

  Pa chuckles and sighs. “That right there tells me she’s exactly the woman for you. If you’re worried about breaking her heart, that says plain as day, she’s opened up the door to yours.”

  I decide to tell him everything. After all, that’s why I came here. He always gives it to me straight. I spot a cardinal in the tree and as I watch it, I tell him the rest. “She always makes me feel something. We fight constantly. We are always screaming at each other and when we aren’t, we are avoiding each other. She pushes my buttons.” He chuckles. I tell him the part that worries me the most. “She’s pregnant.”

  The swing jerks to a stop. I almost slide off with the force. Paw’s enraged voice makes me jump as he hollers, “You got that girl pregnant, boy?!”

  What the hell? Oh my God, no. He thinks I knocked up Clove. Holy shit.

  When I break out of my shock, I manage to sputter out, “No. What the hell? No, Sir. I didn’t get her pregnant! She’s pregnant, but it’s not mine!”

  Oh my God. Clove is not pregnant for me. I don’t have any kids. I’ve always wanted them, but was never sure they were in the cards for me with my life and all. I do want them though. And Clove is pregnant. But not for me!

  Paw sighs in relief. “I was about to teach you a lesson, Liam Christianson. Well, where’s the fella who got her pregnant?”

  Rubbing the back of my neck, I answer him. “In jail.” His eyes pin me in place. “He was Jude’s property manager in Los Angeles. He dated Clove, but he also apparently had a habit of screwing our fans that found the house. Clove lived there, too. And he cheated on her regularly. The last one he cheated with was with a barely seventeen year old fan of the band. Clove caught him. And the girl’s parents pressed charges. He also stole money and things from Jude.”

  Paw looks at me incredulously. “Seems to me that if I was that girl’s parents, I’d have beat h
er tail for disrespecting herself like that. And I’d have taken a club to his knees. Shame that happened to Clove. And now she’s pregnant…”

  “Yeah.”

  Paw nods and we sit in silence for a while. Then he speaks again. “I’m going to give you my take on things. I recon that’s why you came here today. You wanted my advice and you knew I’d give it to you straight.” I nod in agreement. He nods again. “You have feelings for this girl. You’re scared because you know you could hurt her, but you are also scared because she could hurt you.” I look at him sharply. “Yes, when you have feelings, you can hurt and be hurt, but that’s the beauty of it. You’re also thinking that it’s not just about her now. She’s pregnant and that means a whole other person is in the mix.” He asks me, “Are you ready for that? If you become involved with this girl, it’s not just her. You will essentially be this baby’s father. That’s nothing to play at. So, you need to think about that one. Whatever choice you make is going to affect a lot of people. You, her, the baby, the band, your friends, etc… This is not something you make a rash decision about. Mull it over and decide if you’re willing to invest in it. Because this is a life changing thing. There’s a child involved now. And children need stability. You know that more than anyone. If you aren’t in it for the long haul, then don’t start anything. But if you’re willing to take the risk and put in the work, you could have a beautiful thing that’s yours for the taking.”

  I nod. He’s right. It’s not just about me. It’s not about Clove. Whatever we do could affect everyone and there’s now a baby to think about as well. Is that something I want to do? Can I handle a baby? A baby that isn’t mine?

  He’s watching me process his words. He adds one more thing. “Liam, all this you’ve told me has been about you. What about her? Is she even open to a relationship with you? All this will be null and void if she’s not willing to take the same steps as you.”

  Yeah, what about her? In three days, she’s seen me with multiple women. Over the past few months, she’s seen me with slews of women. She hates me. Or does she? She kissed me back.

  I’m so confused.

  I look at Paw and he sees the confusion on my face. He sighs and smiles. “Why don’t you take some time to think about it? Verna will have some lunch ready in a few hours. I think it’d be a good time to go visit your brother.” My eyes widen. He smiles. “Yes, boug. I know about that too. I know a lot of things. Go on. Go talk to your brother and then come back. We’ll have some lunch.”

  He’s amazing. He’s always been so amazing. I swallow the lump that’s trying to form in my throat and follow him to the house. Grabbing my keys off the doily on the hall table, I head to my truck and out to my spot. It takes a while to get there, but it’s been too long. I need to talk to John. He never answers, but I know he hears me.

  On my way out to the water, I grab a six pack. Parking my truck next to the levee, I head out onto the pier overlooking the Basin and bring two beers. As I sit down on the edge and drape my legs over the side a breeze ruffles my hair. I smile as I pop the top off of both beers. Setting one next to me on the pier, I clink the necks of the bottles and take a swig. The breeze is nice today and the sounds of the water, the birds, and the marsh are familiar and relaxing.

  Taking another swig, I look at the water and start talking. “Hey, man. I know it’s been awhile. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been busy with touring and Jude got married. Jessie is getting married now, too. He’s actually marrying Blue. Can you believe that shit?!

  It’s so crazy, but they are a great couple. He’s a different Jessie with her. I mean he’s still Jessie, and we don’t want him any other way, but he’s just better. You know? He’s happy. I love that they’re happy.

  My own life is a mess. I am just a typical rocker. Screwing faceless women all the time. But, well, now there’s a complication… Clove… Dade’s baby sister. She’s living in Dade’s house now and I live there, too. We fight constantly. She’s so different. She’s beautiful, but not like because she works at it. She’s naturally beautiful and she’s smart. She can cook. Oh my God, can she cook. She’s perfect. Like something on a damn Hallmark movie. I hate it. Well, that’s not true. I don’t hate it. I actually kind of dig it. She makes me think. But she hates me. She thinks I’m a disgusting jerk. And I kind of am. She’s caught me with women multiple times now. I repulse her.

  I thought I hated her, too. I mean she annoys the shit out of me. But I don’t hate her. I actually like her. I like that she doesn’t fawn all over me. Isn’t that some shit?!

  While most women look at me and their eyes light up… she looks at me and it’s like she wants to punch me in the face. Why is it that the one woman I kind of want to fawn over me doesn’t? The universe is cruel, man.

  Anyway, there’s more. She’s been dealt a bad hand and life is kind of laughing at her. I hate that. She doesn’t deserve it. She lived in Jude’s house in L.A. and dated the property manager who was an ass. A real creep. He cheated on her and did some bad shit. Some criminal bad shit. She’s also now pregnant. For the said creep. I want to beat his face in. What kind of man does that?

  I don’t understand how a man with someone so perfect could throw them away.

  I’ve realized lately that the annoyance I feel for Clove… well, it might not be that. Oh, she annoys me plenty. But it gives me a thrill. I like her. I really like her. I think about her in ways that I shouldn’t. She’s so innocent and pure. I mean other than the being pregnant for a criminal thing. And I’m just not. I’m not innocent and I’m damn sure not pure.

  I kissed her. I don’t know why and I didn’t plan it, but I kissed her. I kiss a lot of people. This kiss was… different. It actually… meant something. And before she freaked out, she kissed me back…

  What do I do, John? I could really use some guidance. I could really use my big brother. And it sucks ass that you’re not here.

  It sucks that you died! This is the shit I need you for. You’re supposed to be here. You’re supposed to offer me words of wisdom because you’ve already done all this. But, you aren’t here.

  I need your help. I need to know what I need to do. I need to know if I should go after Clove. It’s a big decision and it affects so many people. I just don’t know what to do. I want her, but is it selfish of me to want her? I think I’m bad for her, like I’d taint her or some shit. What if she loses her goodness?

  Goddammit, John! Why did you have to die?!”

  I don’t get an answer, but then again, I didn’t expect to. It felt really good to get all of that out. Just then the new Luke Bryan song comes on the radio. I read somewhere it was about his brother. I smile as I clink our beers together and finish mine. Then, picking up the trash, I pack it all in the truck, and head back towards town.

  Thanks, John. I guess you gave me an answer after all. I miss you, man.

  Chapter Ten

  Clove

  Shopping with Bradi and Blue today was so fun. They spent so much money and refused to let me pay for anything. I have maternity clothes, nursery stuff, and even some neutral baby clothes. They did let me spring for the manicures though and they talked me into a funky pink and lime manicure that is not really me, but I do kind of like it.

  I offered to cook them some dinner, but they are both missing their men and decided to head on home after helping me bring all the bags into the house. We stored them in one of the guest rooms near mine. Thank God Dade said I could use one as a nursery; this stuff will never fit in my room.

  I also got a call from James Black’s manager this afternoon and he said he heard about my hospital stay and very much wanted to schedule another meeting. I have another interview tomorrow.

  I made Blue stop by the grocery store on the way in so I could grab a few supplies. I want to make a few gluten-free chocolate cherry brownie bites and some mini-fruit tarts to take tomorrow. They are both low fat and delicious. I’d like to bring an actual dish, but I don’t know what James’ preferences are yet, and
I don’t want to make something he doesn’t like.

  I Googled James from the car and found a GQ article where he said he has a sweet tooth, but it was hard for him to find things to satisfy it that weren’t detrimental to his rigorous fitness routine. That’s where the idea for the brownie bites and fruit tarts came from.

  I grab my Bose from upstairs and plug my phone in to have some music on while I work in the kitchen. Selecting my playlist, the best of the eighties is soon playing as I dance around while I mix my batter. Once the brownies are in the oven, I slice my fruit before making my custard.

  I’m dancing to the music of Top Gun and singing into my wooden spoon when I hear clapping from the doorway to the kitchen. I jump with a start. Dropping the spoon onto the floor, I turn and see Liam standing there. He’s smirking at me and clapping.

  I streak across the kitchen and turn the volume down. My heart is racing and not just from the exertion. Turning back around, I look at him. His shoulder is propped against the door frame and he’s watching me.

  Why is he watching me? What the hell? Is there something on my face? What is he doing? And why does he keep sneaking up on me!?

  He gestures to the Bose. “So, you like Tom Cruise?”

  Um, what is this? Is he talking to me?

  Smoothing my shirt down, I say tentatively, “Um, what? No, not really. He’s kind of weird. He goes crazy on couches… But I love this movie. I love eighties music. It’s my favorite.” Shit, Clove. Shut up. Stop rambling.

  He chuckles. “I heard that. Sorry for interrupting. I called out, but I guess you didn’t hear me over your jam session.”

  My face burns with my mortification. Oh my God. He saw me dancing and heard me singing. Please God, let the floor open up and swallow me right now.

  It doesn’t.

  “Yeah. Um, I’m sorry. I was home alone, so I probably had it too loud.” I say in shock as I realize that Liam is talking to me. Not cracking insults and not being rude. He’s talking to me. What the hell is this about!?