by Ali Parker
I sighed, my eyes snagging on how my toes looked peeping out from under the skirt. Nope, this is not me. Undoing the belt and letting it drop to the floor, I hurried to the dresser and started looking for something else.
The bed was already strewn with my clothes while a few more outfits lay discarded on the floor. My stomach was a tight ball of nerves. When I grabbed another shirt, I noticed my hands were shaking slightly.
You can do this, Niki. It was silly to be so nervous to meet another one of Sonny’s brothers, but it felt different this time. I’d met Jeremy and Tyson in one way or another because of the case. Evan was coming to dinner with the sole purpose of meeting me. On top of the whole meeting the family anxiety, the reality was I’d never had a large family. I didn’t even have a single sibling. The idea of getting to know Sonny’s family seemed overwhelming. What if one of them didn’t like me?
It’s only one brother. That’s it. You can manage.
Sonny walked into the bedroom just as I was tugging off my shirt and paused to survey the contents of my dresser scattered all over the room. Our eyes caught when he looked over at me with a puzzled expression on his face, then his gaze dropped to give a long, thorough once-over, the heat of his look searing me and sending sparks under the surface of my skin.
When his eyes met mine again, they were smoldering, his gaze darkening as he held mine. The way he was looking at me made it feel like he had forgotten where we were, what we were about to do, everything but me. He walked up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and bumped the tip of his nose to mine.
“Did the dresser explode?”
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips despite the nervousness pinging through my body. “It did. It rejected all those clothes because they weren’t good enough.”
His forehead creased in disbelief. “Not good enough for what?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted dejectedly, sliding my eyes away from his. “Are you sure you want me to meet Evan? Meeting Tyson and Jeremy was because of the case. You don’t have to introduce me to your brother.”
A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head. Cupping my cheek in his hand, he brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. “Look at me, Niki.”
I couldn’t do it. I knew I sounded like an insecure whiner, but I couldn’t help the nerves. He didn’t say anything, waiting for me to look at him. His chest rose and fell gently with mine, his familiar scent enveloping me.
Laying my head against his chest, I whispered, “Are you really sure you want to do this? You can have dinner with him. I’ll just go out. Somewhere.”
He sighed, pulling back from me to look into my eyes. “There’s nothing I want more than to introduce you to Evan. I thought about inviting Beau too, but he and I have some stuff to talk about first. I want you to know my family, Niki.”
His melodic, measured voice was edged with determination. I felt some of that determination and confidence seep into me, decided to stick to the outfit I had on, and planted a kiss on the underside of his jaw before stepping away from him.
“Okay, but then you’d better let me finish getting ready before he gets here.”
Sonny’s lips curled into a warm smile; then he surveyed the fallout from my bout of insecurity. “You do that. I’ll help you clean all this up later. For the record, Evan’s not going to care what you’re wearing. You look beautiful in everything anyway, but he better not notice that.”
“Oh yeah?” I teased, feeling much lighter and better now that Sonny was here. “What if he does?”
“I’ll kick his ass.” He smirked, but he also looked kind of serious. Boys. Deep down inside they’re all cavemen, every last one of them.
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at him. On the other hand, no one had ever been possessive of me before. It sent a thrill through me.
I patted his bicep, about to assure him he had nothing to worry about, ever, when the doorbell rang. “Crap. Please get that. I’ll be right out.”
He snapped his fingers to his forehead in a salute and walked to the door, flashing me a smile. “Take your time. We’ll be out back.”
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my hairbrush from the dresser and walked back to the mirror. Sonny was right. I wanted to make a good impression. I might not know much about men, but I was pretty sure what I wore was going to be less important to Evan than who I was.
He wanted to meet me, and Sonny wanted me to get to know him. It was something I wanted as well since I knew how important Sonny’s brothers were to him. That was what I should be focused on.
I heard Sonny speaking to Evan in the kitchen. They were joking about there actually being fresh food in Sonny’s refrigerator as they got some beers. Evan’s voice was deeper than Sonny’s with a calm timbre to it I immediately liked.
Squaring my shoulders, I dug deep to shove my nerves aside and went out to meet brother number three. Evan and Sonny were on the patio, just about to sit down at the table when I got there.
It was still early, and the sun was only just starting to dip down the horizon when I stepped outside. I’d set the table earlier and added a vase with simple white flowers from Sonny’s garden. It looked nice, even if I had to say so myself.
The guys turned when they heard me. Sonny walked to my side, draping an arm around my shoulders with a proud grin spreading on his lips. “Ev. This is Niki. Niki, Evan,” he said, gesturing between us.
Evan smiled warmly. Even if I didn’t know him to be one of the Lovett brothers, I would’ve been able to pick him out of a line-up as belonging to the family. He had the same muscular build, sharp, handsome features, and oozed their easygoing confidence.
I held my hand out to shake his. He took it, but instead of shaking he tugged me gently out from underneath Sonny’s arm and into a giant bear hug. “Niki. It’s so good to finally meet the woman who puts up with my little brother. On behalf of our entire family, I would like to apologize for him. He’s a brat.”
I laughed, returning his hug before going back to Sonny’s side. “He’s not so bad. I think I’ll keep him for a while.”
Evan’s eyes were lighter than Sonny’s, Tyson’s and Jeremy’s. They were an almost sage green shade. Not as unique as Sonny’s, but certainly unusual. They were lit with amusement, but still seemed guarded somehow.
He shrugged, giving me a quick wink as he grinned. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I won’t,” I assured him. It was amazing how comfortable I felt joking around with him so quickly. I took time to warm up to people, but the Lovetts all seemed to be an exception to that rule, though none more so than Sonny. “Should we have a seat?”
“Let’s,” Sonny said, placing his palm on my lower back as we walked to the table. “Before Evan finds another excuse to hug you.”
Evan chuckled, shaking his head at Sonny. “Got it bad, haven’t you bro?”
Sonny must’ve done something from behind my back, because the next second Evan’s eyebrows shot up, and he doubled over laughing. I swiveled my head to see what Sonny was doing, but he smiled innocently and pulled a chair out for me. “Have a seat. I already brought out a beer for you, unless you’d rather have something else?”
“Beer is great,” I told him, reaching for one of the three beers he set down in the middle of the table. He’d already opened them, so I brought the bottle to my lips for a long swig as I watched the two in some kind of silent exchange while they sat down. “So Evan, you have your own mechanic shop, right? Is that what it’s called?”
“I call it a garage.” He grabbed a beer of his own and let it hang between his fingers as he sat back in his chair. He was the picture of ease and masculinity. I was kind of jealous of them all, so graceful and gorgeous and totally comfortable with who they were despite everything they’d been through.
“Sonny tells me you’re a librarian. I would ask how a nice girl like you got caught up in the Lovett drama, but I already know.” He grimaced and looked at Sonny whose expression sobered. It loo
ked like Sonny was waiting for Evan to take some kind of dig at him, but then Evan’s shoulders relaxed and his smile was back. “Another thing I feel like I should apologize to you for, this fucked up situation.”
I had to give it to him; he was straight up about things. I liked that. “No need to apologize. It’s not your fault half this town is corrupt.”
“True.” He inclined his head and tipped his beer my way. “That being said, it’s still admirable you were willing to help with it at all. Most people would’ve turned and run as far as they could in the opposite direction, yet here you are.”
“I’ve liked being able to help. Not only for the sake of Sonny and your family, but also because it’s the right thing to do. People shouldn’t get away with criminal activity because they’re in positions of authority.”
Evan looked satisfied by my answer. He nodded slowly. “I agree with you. If you’re guilty, you should serve your time no matter who you are.”
Feeling like I’d passed some kind of test, I gave myself a mental pat on the back. I sensed Evan’s last remark was aimed at Sonny as much as he was agreeing with me. I knew he didn’t support Sonny’s theory that their father might be innocent and had made peace with him serving his time.
I figured time would tell whether Roy was innocent or guilty. In the meantime, his guilt or innocence didn’t absolve others of their guilt.
Apparently ready to change the topic now that he had my view on it, Evan started telling me funny stories about Sonny growing up. The brothers laughed at the memories and filled me in on inside jokes. As the sun began to set and the sky was streaked with orange and red, they fired up the grill while I brought out a salad and some other side dishes I’d made earlier.
I found myself enjoying their camaraderie. With their effort to make me feel included, I felt like I belonged there with them—almost like I was part of the family. It made me feel warm inside, the sense of belonging.
Hours ticked by while we talked. It was late by the time Evan stood up and announced it was time for him to leave. “I’ll be dead on my feet tomorrow if I don’t get going.”
“Wouldn’t want you banging around in cars half-asleep,” Sonny joked. “Although it would be interesting to test whether you really could fix an engine with your eyes closed.”
“Bring your truck round tomorrow. I’ll be happy to put it to the test for you,” Evan quipped in return.
Sonny’s eyes widened, and he shook his head emphatically.
“Leave my baby out of this. She’s innocent,” he said, walking Evan to the door. We said our goodbyes when he suddenly cursed. “Speaking of our trucks, Jeremy gave me a fuse from his he wanted you to test. Hang on a minute.”
He disappeared into the garage, leaving me alone with Evan. His eyes darted to the door closing behind Sonny. “I’m glad we have a second to talk without him. I’ve been wondering how I was going to pull you aside.”
“What’s up?”
He shifted on his feet, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I told Sonny to go speak to our dad. He has all these theories and suspicions, but the only person who can really help is Roy, unfortunately.”
“He’s been struggling with the decision over whether to go see him or not, I think.”
Evan nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know whether it’s a good idea. I sure as hell am not lining up to go visit the old man, so I understand his hesitation. But I do think he needs to do it if he’s serious about being part of this investigation.”
“You might be right.” I sighed. I wished there was a way I could make it easier for Sonny, perhaps go speak to his father for him, but that wasn’t really a viable option. He had to do it himself.
Evan breathed out a heavy sigh. “He’s going to need you after he’s been there. I wanted to make sure you knew how much he’s going to need you. It’s not going to be easy on him.”
“I’ll be right here,” I assured him.
He grinned and gave me a quick hug as we heard Sonny open the garage door. “I know. I’m glad he has you, Niki. It’s going to make all the difference.”
Chapter Nineteen
Sonny
“Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure you want to do this?” Niki asked me. She sat cross-legged on my bed, watching me get dressed.
I pulled a black t-shirt over my head. “I have to. Evan’s right. I’ve put off going to see my father for long enough. I should’ve done this ages ago.”
“Exactly,” she reasoned. “It’s been this long. Why not wait until Jeremy goes again? He said he was going next month.”
“I’ll drive myself crazy waiting another month,” I replied, fastening my jeans and brushing my damp hair back with my fingers. “Besides, Jeremy goes all the time. It’s not really such a big deal.”
“Jeremy doesn’t go to talk to him about what you need to talk to him about,” she pointed out.
Shrugging, I walked over to the bed to kiss her. “The only way to know if he’s guilty is to ask him myself. This is long overdue.”
“Okay.” She looped her arms around my shoulders and pressed her lips to mine. “As long as you’re sure.”
“I am.” I groaned when she lay back on the bed, taking me with her. Her lips were soft against mine, her kiss slow and lingering. “I’d better go. If we keep doing this, I’ll miss visitation time.”
“Good luck,” she told me, sitting back up on the bed. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“I’m counting on it.” There were about a thousand things I would rather spend the day doing than what I was about to do. Most of them involved pushing Niki’s shoulders back onto the mattress and crawling into bed with her, but if I did that, there was no way I was leaving anytime soon.
Now that I’d decided to go see him, I wanted to get the visit to my father over and done with as soon as possible. I grabbed my wallet, keys, and phone off the nightstand and went back for one last kiss. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
The drive to the prison dragged on and on. Nerves hummed in my blood, setting me on edge. About halfway there, my phone rang through the truck’s speakers. “Evan calling.” The disembodied voice announced.
Hitting the button on the steering wheel with my thumb to accept the call, I leaned my head back against the neck rest. “I’m not there yet.”
“Yeah. I wanted to catch you before you got there,” he said, resigned. In the background, I could hear machines going and people yelling. The sounds muted after he must’ve closed himself in his office. “How are you doing?”
I frowned, shaking my head. “You and Niki teaming up on me or something? She’s asked me the same thing at least five times today.”
“Great minds.” He chuckled. “You’re lucky to have her standing by you through all this. Fuck knows it’s not every woman who would stick around for our shit show.”
“Truer words…” I trailed off. I was glad Evan called. To have some company on this dreary road but also because him checking up on me meant he wasn’t still pissed as hell over my getting involved in investigating a case to do with our father. “What’s new with you? Anyone worth a damn in your life?”
I knew there wasn’t, but I wasn’t ready to hang up the phone yet. Talking to him helped keep the nerves at bay.
Evan chuckled. “I’m a lone wolf, little brother. You know that. I’m happy you and Jeremy have found these girls, but that shit ain’t for me.”
“I used to say the same thing.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been at it longer than you.”
“You’re only four years older than me,” I argued.
“Which makes me four years smarter. Anyway, I just wanted to check in. Call me when you’re done if you want, okay? I know I told you to go and all, but shit man, this is big.”
“You thinking of making the drive yourself sometime?”
“Fuck no,” he answered without hesitating for a second. “Good luck. If you want to get drunk or go shoot at stuff later, let me know. I got your b
ack.”
“You always do.” I appreciated that about him. No matter what happened, Evan was an unwavering supportive force field who was always there.
We talked for a few more minutes before he was needed in the shop and hung up.
The Cypress Creek Penitentiary loomed in front of me once I parked. An ugly, gray block of a building I never imagined having to visit my father in. Birds circled overhead, probably from the dump nearby.
Gravel crunched under my feet as I headed to the gate. A rusted sign hung over it, welcoming me to the penitentiary.
A uniformed guard stood at the heavy gate. His thumbs were tucked into his pockets, his jaw working on a piece of gum. He looked bored. “Identification please, sir.”
I handed it over. Easy enough, since this was the third time I had to present ID and I wasn’t even in the building yet. The guard’s eyes flicked between my ID card and face. Nodding, he handed it back and waved me in.
I’d been here before for work stuff, but it felt different this time. Every slam of the metal gates behind me as I made my way inside seemed louder. The air seemed stuffier, the smell of bleach attempting to cover up stale body odor burned my nostrils.
I shuffled forward with the other visitors. A few of the guards recognized me from official trips and joint training sessions. They greeted me awkwardly, their eyes drawn to the “Visitor” badge around my neck. It gave away what I was here for this time, and the guards knew it wasn’t work.
One of the guards on duty showed me to a visitor’s booth. The chair on my side of the thick glass partition was uncomfortable, bolted to the floor like everything else. The guard motioned to another one on the inside, and a buzz sounded when the door opened, and my dad appeared.
It had been years since I saw him last, not since he was put in here. His eyebrows jumped higher on his forehead when he spotted me waiting for him. Ambling toward me, he assessed me as I did him.
The lines on his face were deeper than I remembered, his skin more sallow and pale. It was drawn tighter over his features than it used to be, but he still looked like my dad.