by K. C. Lynn
After watching me for another moment he decides to give in and play along. “Okay, fine. Metallica.”
“Metallica is a heavy metal band that was formed in 1981, with members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. ‘The Unforgiven’ is my favorite song of theirs. The band has won nine Grammy Awards and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200.” I pause and smile smugly at his shocked face. “Shall I keep going or do you have another for me?”
He glares at me challengingly, while he tries to think of one that I won’t know. Oh, he really has no idea who he is challenging… “Guns N’ Roses.”
“Hmmm,” I muse and tap my lip with my finger as I pretend to think about it. He smiles when he thinks he has stumped me.
Taking a deep breath I recite, “Guns N’ Roses is a hard rock band that was formed in 1985. Its members consisted of Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff Mckagan and Steven Adler. Today though, Axl Rose is its only remaining original member. My favorite song of theirs is ‘Paradise City’. They are one of the world’s best selling bands of all-time, selling over 100 million copies worldwide.” I pause and smile again, “Next.”
He gapes at me with his mouth hanging open. “Holy shit. How does someone like you know that? You’re like a walking, talking, breathing music dictionary.”
My smile vanishes and I shake my finger at him. “First off, watch your mouth when you’re in here. It’s disrespectful.” He rolls his eyes, but nods.
“Secondly, I told you, I know all music. I have loved music since I was a little girl, and I love all genres, though my favorite is country and oldies. Like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley or the Beatles.” He quirks a brow at me. “Hey, no dissing Johnny, Elvis and Lennon or you and me are going to have some major problems.” He grunts, not fearing me in the least.
“Have you ever listened to any of their songs?” His ‘you have got to be kidding me’ look says it all. “Well then, you can’t judge. I tell you what; I will bring in my iPod and let you take it home. I want you to listen to my favorite songs for one night and give them a chance. If you don’t like them, then okay. But I have a feeling, Christopher, you know good music when you hear it.”
His easy demeanor suddenly vanishes, and his eyes narrow suspiciously. “You’re going to give me your iPod to take home?”
“Yes,” I answer slowly, wondering what I said wrong. He shakes his head and he mutters something I can’t understand… Oookay, so maybe no iPod then.
I decide to change the subject, and try to get him back in a good mood again. “I’m going to be starting a Friday night youth group when the church opens. You should come. There will be…”
He interrupts me with a bitter laugh, “No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
He looks at me like I’m a total idiot. “Face it, Faith, this isn’t the kind of place where I fit in.”
“What do you mean? Of course you would fit in. All the kids are around your age, and I know you probably think I’m not cool but I can assure you, once you get to know me I’m actually pretty. Darn. Cool.” I say the last few words slowly while nodding.
He doesn’t smile like I had hoped for him to. His eyes narrow suspiciously again. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Why are you being nice to me?”
I rear back in shock by his question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because, in the entire year that I have been here, no one else ever has.” My heart literally breaks at hearing that. “They only see what they think they know.”
“And what is it they think they know?” I ask quietly, a little scared to hear his answer.
“That I’m the bad guy. That when anything bad happens in this town or the school, they automatically blame me.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you are here because you were blamed for something you didn’t do?” If that turns out to be the case I need to talk to Cooper.
“Oh no. I definitely punched that guy out, but he deserved it. I’m tired of the people in this town running their mouths because I don’t have the money they do, or because of who I come from.”
I tread carefully with my next question, wanting him to continue talking to me. “Who is it you come from?”
He looks at me, surprised. “What, you haven’t heard about my old man yet? Well that explains it then. Just wait, you will, and when you do you will be just like the rest of them.”
I shake my head. “No, I won’t, because I don’t care who you come from.”
“Whatever,” he mumbles, not believing me.
“It’s true. Christopher, if…”
“Look, forget I said anything all right? Let’s just get back to work so I can get out of here.”
I let out a defeated breath, knowing the conversation is over. “All right. But can I just say one more thing?”
“What?” he grinds out annoyed.
“It doesn’t matter who you come from or how much money you have. Everyone is welcome in this church. And I know you probably don’t think I understand how crappy life can be, but you’re so wrong. I actually understand more than you will ever know. So if you ever want to talk, or if you need anything, you can come to me. You can trust me, Christopher.”
I can tell by this expression he doesn’t believe me. Sighing sadly, I pick up my paintbrush before continuing where I left off. As we finish the rest of our time in silence, I decide I will make it my mission to prove to him that he can trust me.
CHAPTER 8
Cade
A few days later I’m at the gym, trying not to lose it on this annoying chick who keeps pretending she doesn’t know how to work any of the equipment, and is constantly shoving either her ass or tits in my face.
“Am I doing it right?” she asks with an annoying giggle, while bending over the weight bench with her ass in the air, doing triceps kickback.
“Sure,” I reply with a bored tone before walking away.
I hear her offended scoff at my back as I head to the front counter. Whatever. If she’s only here to get laid then the bitch is barking up the wrong tree. Because unless she has green eyes, red hair and flawless skin with a light dusting of freckles, then my dick does not want it… Stupid fucking dick.
A year after Iraq, when we finally got out of the rehabilitation clinic, Evans and I had gotten shit-faced at the local bar close to our apartment. Like always, I had plenty of opportunity to go home with someone and I was so close to doing it. I wanted to fuck the country girl who was constantly plaguing my every waking thought out of my head. But when it came down to it, the entire thought of touching anyone else made my dick limp. It still does. Especially now after seeing her again…
I shake my head before letting my thoughts go any further. Yeah it’s going to be me and my right hand for a while, until my dick starts cooperating again.
Feeling agitated now, I’m just about to ask Benson if he wants to go a round when Evans bolts through the door like his ass is on fire. “Are Cooper and Jaxson here yet?”
I look around the place. “No. Are they supposed to be?”
“Yeah, I just sent them a text.”
At that Cooper walks through the door behind him. “All right, Evans, what the hell is so important that I had to fucking leave work for in a hurry?”
“Trust me, you will be glad you did.”
Before he can elaborate, Jaxson comes walking in and I literally do a double take, not believing what I’m seeing. A bright flash of pink is strapped to his chest, which happens to be his baby girl, and he carries a fucking diaper bag in his right hand.
“What the hell is going on, Evans? If you dragged my ass in here for something stupid I’m going to kick your ass.” Everyone is silent as we stare at him. “What the fuck are you all looking at?”
Sawyer responds first. “Dude, you look fucking ridiculous.” He and Cooper both chuckle while I try to hold mine back, but I have to agree with Evans o
n this one. Seeing my friend decked out in his usual attire, his tattoos on display, and his ‘don’t fuck with me’ expression while a baby is strapped to his chest is pretty damn funny.
Jaxson glares at him, and I swear, if he didn’t have his daughter strapped to him right now he would have taken Sawyer to the ground.
“Don’t worry, Annabelle,” Sawyer coos and bravely walks up to her, “you don’t look ridiculous, just your dad does. You are pretty, just like your mom.”
Jaxson shoves him in the chest. “Shut the fuck up and don’t kiss my kid.”
The three of us have a good chuckle at his expense before Cooper breaks in, “All right, out with it, Evans, why the hell did you bring us here?”
He gets a shit-eating grin. “You guys are never going to believe what I stumbled upon. Follow me.” He heads toward the door then stops and looks back at me, “You too, come on.”
I stare at him like he’s an idiot. “We can’t all leave the gym.”
“Yes, we can. Holly is here.”
We look over at our shitty receptionist, who we agreed to let work here for a month for her work experience at school. She snaps her gum and gives us a smile before continuing to file her nails. I look back at Evans and give him a ‘you have got to be shitting me’ look.
“She’ll be fine, we aren’t going to be gone that long and it’s just down the street. Trust me, you aren’t going to want to miss out on this.”
Shaking my head, I reluctantly follow. I have to admit, I’m a little curious to see what has him so worked up.
He leads us down the street and stops directly across from the park, where there is a group of girls doing yoga in the open field. “See, what the fuck did I tell you. It’s beautiful, right?”
Are you fucking serious? I’m just about to slap him across the head, but my hand halts mid-air when my gaze lands on red hair. All the breath gets sucked out of my lungs as I take in the one girl I’ve been dying to see again since she ran into me a few days ago.
Sawyer claps Jaxson and me on the back. “Have a seat boys, and let’s enjoy the view of our beautiful women, in tight as fuck clothing, while their bodies bend in every position known to man.”
I sit down on the street bench next to him and ignore his “our women” comment. All their women might be over there, but no matter how much I wish differently, Red is not my woman and never will be. Is she someone else’s woman? My blood pumps with a violent rage at the thought. Shit, don’t go there, Walker, or you’re liable to give yourself a fucking aneurysm. I glare over at Sawyer, pissed at him for bringing me here when I’ve had a hard enough time trying to keep my thoughts straight the last few days.
He smiles at me smugly. “You’re welcome.” I punch the arrogant bastard in the arm, which only makes him chuckle. “Whatever, don’t act like you aren’t happy I dragged your ass here,” he replies, then rips my beanie off my head. “And what the fuck is with you still wearing this damn thing like it’s winter out? It’s eighty-five degrees out here for fuck’s sake.”
Yanking it out of his hand, I put it back on then shrug, not knowing what to say. I’ve grown attached to the damn thing for some reason. If I don’t wear it I feel like I’m walking around without fucking pants on or something.
“At least go buy a fucking summer one if you want to wear it so damn bad. I’m sweating my balls off just looking at you.”
I look over at him annoyed. “Who the fuck are you, the fucking fashion police? Why don’t you shut the hell up, and go put on one of your woman’s waitress dresses and bake a fucking pie, sexy fucking Sawyer.”
Jaxson and Cooper bust into a fit of laughter while Evans grins back at me, not offended in least. “You should see what I do in that bakery to my woman when everyone is gone, and she’s wearing her sexy dress uniform.”
I roll my eyes. “Fucking spare me the details.” I swear that all the guy does is stop in at that bakery, day in and out, to fuck the girl to death.
The sound of laughter draws my attention to the girls and I can instantly pick out Faith’s from the rest. The sweet, soft sound of it, along with the beautiful smile on her face, hits me like a powerful blow to the chest.
Jesus she’s beautiful. I watch as her tight, lithe body bends into positions that are every guy’s fucking fantasy. Images start running through my head, of the night I was lucky enough to get to love every inch of that body, with my hands, my mouth and my…
“Hey, what kind of snacks do you have in that diaper bag? I’m hungry,” Sawyer asks, thankfully pulling me from my thoughts. Jaxson looks over at him, wondering if he’s serious. “What? Chicks pack food in those things all the time for their kids. Julia probably has tons of shit in there.”
“She’s five weeks old, you fucking idiot. She only has formula.”
“Well how the hell am I supposed to know that, daddy fucking daycare? Jesus, you’re in a real mood today. What the hell crawled up your ass?”
“It’s because he hasn’t gotten laid in five weeks.”
Jaxson swings his glare from Evans over to Cooper, not appreciating his chuckled response.
“Ah, well that explains it. How much longer do you have to wait? Jesus, I think my dick would fall off if I had to go that long without Grace.” I shake my head. The guy just doesn’t know when to shut up.
“She sees the doctor in a few days… Three to be exact,” Jaxson mumbles, before pressing a kiss to his daughter’s head.
Before anyone can say more, the sound of a speedy little motor cuts through the air and draws my attention to the left. I watch a little old lady race toward us, like a bat out of hell, in her motorized cart that’s filled with groceries in the front basket. She slams on her brakes so hard she skids to a stop in front of the bench.
“Perverts,” she spits out angrily, clearly knowing what we are doing here. Then she shakes her finger at Cooper. “And why am I not surprised to see you doing this, Sheriff? You all should be ashamed of yourselves.”
“Hey!” Evans breaks in, “those are our women out there, and we can perv on them if we want to.”
Did he seriously just fucking say that?
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Haywood,” Cooper responds calmly, “we are just waiting for the girls. I promised Kayla I would take her out for lunch today.”
She silently glares at us all, and I swear, if looks could kill we would be ten feet under right now. “Well, you should wait in your vehicles,” she harrumphs before speeding away. I have to admit that thing packs some real power behind it.
“Jesus, what a fucking hag. She sure doesn’t seem to think much of you, Sheriff,” Sawyer sneers, trying to imitate the old lady.
Coop grunts, not seeming offended in the least. “It’s because she busted me pissing in her rose bushes one time, when I was like fourteen fucking years old, and she still hasn’t gotten over it.”
Jaxson is just about to add something, but ends up getting cut off by a bunch of high-pitched squeals. “Oh my goodness, my baby girl is here,” Julia gushes and runs over with a pack of chicks following behind her. She picks Annabelle up from Jaxson and starts raining kisses all over the baby’s face. “How’s mommy’s sweet girl doing?” she coos. Then she leans over to give Jaxson a quick kiss, but he ends up grabbing the back of her head and mauling her like he hasn’t gotten any in five weeks.
When I don’t spot Faith in the group of girls, I glance over to the park, and my chest pulls tight when I see her hanging back hesitantly. She looks away when our gazes meet and starts packing up her mat, clearly feeling she isn’t welcome, which makes me feel like complete shit.
“What are y’all doing here?” Grace asks, pulling my attention back to the group.
“Evans texted us when he spotted you girls out here,” Cooper responds, before picking up Kayla and kissing the shit out of her too.
Christ, get me the fuck out of here.
Grace giggles and shakes her head, “Why am I not surprised to hear this was your idea, Sawyer?”
“Because you know me so well, baby.”
Standing, he picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. She squeals and tries to squirm away. “Sawyer Evans, put me down right now you’re embarrassing me!”
“Sorry, Cupcake, but I have plans for you before you head back to the bakery.”
“See you later, Grace!” Kayla and Julia laugh as he starts hauling her away.
She waves back, embarrassed, then I hear her grumble, “I am seriously going to kill you, Sawyer.”
“Don’t worry, baby, you can take it out on me in a minute.” Before he gets too far he stops and glances over at the park then back at me. I know what he’s going to say before he even says it. “Don’t be an asshole, Walker.” He continues on to his truck before I can tell him to mind his own fucking business.
Realizing it’s suddenly quiet, I look over to see Katelyn glaring at me while everyone else shifts uncomfortably. She hands Annabelle off to Julia then walks back across the street to her cousin. Everyone watches me expectantly.
“I know, I’m going,” I mumble, before heading across the street. I was planning on talking to her the whole time, because there’s something I’ve wanted to talk to her about, but I don’t need a fucking crowd watching me while doing it.
Faith is kneeling on the ground with her back to me, as she helps Katelyn pack everything up. As if she can feel my approach, she suddenly freezes then glances behind her. Shock registers in her eyes as our gazes meet, and so does something else… something I don’t want to acknowledge, otherwise it will suck me in and I’ll never come back out. It’s that same goddamn pull she always had on me.
I watch her mumble something to Katelyn before standing up to face me. Katelyn quickly follows suit and takes a protective step in front of her. I find it amusing that, for a girl who used to be scared to even look at me, she now glares me down every time she sees me and seems ready to brawl if the need arises.