False Security

by Evan Grace

  We head toward her place, and I’m surprised when she invites me inside. I follow Shayla in. I glance around, and it’s small, but quaint. A meow pulls my attention to the couch, where a huge orange tabby cat sits on the arm. Obviously happy his mistress is home, the cat bumps his head into her hand until she bends down and kisses the top of his head.

  I reach out to let him smell me, but he turns away from me, giving me the cold shoulder. Shayla laughs softly beside me, and I love that sound. At the office, I’m always catching her laughing with Delilah or one of the guys. I hate it, but not really—I just want to be the one who makes her laugh…wait, what?

  “Have a seat.” She signals to the couch. “I’m going to go change real quick.”

  I watch Shayla disappear down the hall. Instead of sitting, I walk over to some pictures hanging on the wall. A gorgeous little boy with dark hair and dark eyes smiles widely at me from the frame. Moving to the next one, it’s Shayla with her boy on her lap. They’re not smiling at the camera; they’re smiling at each other.

  “That’s Grant when he was younger,” she says from behind me.

  Turning, I smile at her. “He’s beautiful, like his mom.”

  “T-Thank you.

  I take her in and see that she’s in a pair of leggings and an off-the-shoulder t-shirt the color of raspberries. My dick immediately twitches in my jeans, but I will it to go down.

  “Do you want something to drink? I don’t have much—just water, apple juice, and iced tea.”

  “I’ll take a glass of iced tea. Thanks.”

  I sit down on Shayla’s overstuffed couch and sigh. This thing is like sitting on a firm cloud. I cross my ankle over my knee, and then thank Shayla when she returns with our drinks and hands me mine.

  “How long have you worked at Rogue?” she asks.

  “About two years. After I left the Marine Corps, I wanted to do something where I still protected people in a way, but didn’t want to join the police force. I met Jack when he was just starting his company, and he hired me on the spot. While I got my license as a private investigator, I did some minor surveillance work and helped put together the rest of our team. I’ve been the head of surveillance for a year now.” I take a drink of my iced tea.

  “Were you ever deployed?” I know she’s just curious, but I honestly don’t like talking about it, at least not to people who haven’t experienced what I have. Most people don’t want to hear about the ugliness we see. Shayla puts a hand on my arm. “I can tell you don’t want to talk about it, and that’s okay.”

  I can only nod, because how did she read me—how could she tell I didn’t want to talk about it? When I reach out my hand, she takes it and lets me pull her into my side. “Thank you for understanding. It’s not always the easiest thing to talk about.” I clear my throat. “So, uh, do you need to go get your son?”

  She nods. “He’s asleep already, but I want to get him into his own bed. Do you want to wait here?”

  I stand up. “I’ll go with, if you don’t mind.” After following her out the door, we walk side by side upstairs to the lone door. A beautiful blonde with twists and braids in her hair opens the door, smiling. Shayla hugs her, and that’s when the blonde notices me.

  “Oh my,” she blurts out, causing Shayla to giggle—yes, I said giggle.

  “Luna, this is Erik. Erik, this is my neighbor/good friend/babysitter, Luna.”

  I hold my hand out and she takes it excitedly as she looks between the two of us. “It’s great to meet you, Erik. Shayla’s my girl,” Luna says while wrapping her arms around Shayla. It’s very clear that the two women really care about each other a lot.

  We step inside and I meet Rocco; he’s got more of a straight-laced look, but he tells me it’s because he’s a CPA and works for a nonprofit. The kids are all asleep in the living room—Grant is on the couch sleeping, and Shayla picks him up with practiced ease.

  Heading back downstairs, I hold the door open as she walks through with the boy wrapped around her like a spider monkey. I shut, and lock, the door. “I’m going to go put him in bed real quick,” Shayla says and then kisses the top of her boy’s head.

  I can’t take my eyes off them together. “Okay, babe.” I sit down in the same spot on the couch from earlier.

  Shayla comes out a few minutes later. “He’s out,” she says with a smile as she sits down next to me.

  “Your friends seem nice,” I tell her honestly. In my line of work, you learn how to read people, and I can tell Luna and Rocco really care about Shayla and her son.

  “They’re the best. We’ve been friends since pretty much the day we moved in. They look after Grant, and I look after their girls. Our neighbor downstairs keeps to himself, but he’s a nice enough guy.”

  Shayla turns on the TV, and the Cubs are playing. I hold up my arm, and she scoots over to me, snuggling into my side. We watch the game, talking during the commercial breaks. I’m out of my comfort zone here. By now I’d have already fucked her twice, and would either be gearing up for another round or getting dressed and preparing to make my escape.

  I’m not sure how much time passes before I notice Shayla’s eyes drooping. I kiss her forehead, and she settles against me. “Come on, lock the door behind me. Get some sleep.” We stand up and she walks me to the door. I open it and turn to her. “I had a good time tonight.”

  “I did too. I still think you could do better than me. I’m a mess.” Shayla looks up at me.

  Reaching out, I cup her cheek. “I told you earlier, and I meant it. Easy is boring, and lucky for you…” I lean in until our lips are almost touching. “I like messy.” I kiss her chastely before standing to my full height. “I’m out of the office most of the day tomorrow, but I’ll see you in the afternoon.”

  “O-Okay. Thank you for the leftover pizza. Grant will gobble that up for dinner tomorrow night.” She closes the door, and I wait until I can hear the deadbolt click before walking out and heading to my apartment.

  ***

  It’s been crazy lately, and we’ve been so busy that I’ve really only seen Shayla at the office, but I have brought her breakfast or lunch most days. Carrie’s back and Shayla is now covering for Delilah, the poor girl.

  Fuck me, her own mother had been behind her attack and harassment, and then she kidnapped her. Afterward, her and her boy toy induced Delilah—the plan was to deliver her baby and sell it. I’ve never seen a baby be born before, but when Jack asked for my shirt, I looked down and watched that baby start to slide right out of her momma.

  I’ll never forget the sound of Delilah’s screams as they tore through the night, followed by the sweet cries of little miss Charlotte.

  Delilah had some severe emotional issues after the whole ordeal, understandably, but she’s doing better now, and is a damn good mom to little Charlotte—or Charlie—who has all of us men wrapped around her teeny, tiny finger.

  I get off the elevator and find Carrie behind the front desk. “Hey, beautiful.”

  She beams at me. “Hey, yourself. How are you, handsome?”

  “Living the dream. Gretchen is coming tomorrow to spend the weekend with me.” They all know my sister. That’s why I love my team—because we’re a family and treat each other and our relatives as such.

  “If you want, bring her over to see the baby,” she says.

  “Okay, we may do that.” We already have plans to see Charlie. I knock twice on her desk before heading into the back. Shayla is coming down the hall from the break room and greets me with a smile. “Hey, babe.”

  I hold up a white pastry bag, and she looks at it and then at me. “What’s this?”

  “I got you one of those chocolate croissants you love, and a cup of fruit.” I hand her the bag and she looks inside.

  “Thank you, but you don’t have to keep buying my meals.”

  I follow her into her temporary office—Delilah’s. “I know I don’t, but I want to.” I sit down in the chair across from her. “My sister is coming to spend th
e weekend with me. We’re going to go see Delilah and Charlie, and maybe to Navy Pier, or the zoo. Why don’t you and Grant come with us?”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t want to intrude on your time with your sister.”

  “Trust me, you won’t be intruding. My sister loves kids, and she’s the neighborhood babysitter. Come on, we’ll have a great time.”

  Shayla sighs. “Okay. That sounds fun.”

  I don’t even bother trying to hide my pleased smile. It’s time to start upping my game. I know she’s still a little hesitant, but if I can just get past the wall she’s got up, then I’m golden. I’m hoping my sister can help. I want her to see I’m so much more than what she saw on our blind date. The connection that I felt is still there, and since we haven’t had sex since the first time, it’s clear it’s not just sexual.

  She smiles. “I won’t keep you—it’s okay, you can go now. Thank you again for breakfast.”

  I come around Shayla’s desk, stopping next to her and squatting down. I’m so much taller than she is that even when I’m squatting I’m still towering over her. Her brown hair is down in loose waves, and I reach out to finger them. I don’t miss the way her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink.

  “I’ll see you later.” I lean in, kiss her cheek, and whisper against her ear, “Bye, babe.” Inside, I do a fist pump when I feel her do a full-body shiver.

  Without another word, I stand up and head out. I find Jack standing in the hall outside his office. “What’s up, Grandpa?” The guy smiles widely whenever we talk about his granddaughter. I feel bad, though, because Charlie’s never going to be able to date. With Reece for a Dad, Jack for a grandpa, and the rest of us as pseudo-uncles, no man is ever going to hurt her or even get close enough to try.

  “Not much. Check out this picture of Charlie smiling.” He holds out his phone to me. My sister is really the only kid I’ve been around, especially as a baby. But Charlie is a beautiful little girl, and in the picture she’s sleeping with a tiny smile on her face. “Isn’t she just the prettiest baby? Just like her momma.”

  “She is—she’s gorgeous. How’s Delilah doing?”

  He takes his phone back. “She’s better. Since she’s nursing, she’s using more all-natural remedies for the anxiety. When she comes back, she’s going to work from home two days a week and the rest she’ll be here. I know a part of her is scared to leave the baby, but Reece’s mom is going to come up and help with the transition.”

  “That’s great. Laura’s a good woman.” Reece’s mom reminds me a lot of mine—very maternal, funny, and doesn’t put up with any bullshit. I know it was hard on Jack after everything went down with his daughter, especially since it was his ex-wife who was behind it all.

  “She is. I’m just glad Del’s got a woman in her life like that. How’s your family? Is Gretchen finally giving Tad gray hair?”

  Shaking my head, I mutter, “I’m already getting them. Do you have a second to talk about the case I’m working on?” I follow him into the office and shut the door.

  ***

  “Is this girl your girlfriend?” Gretchen asks from beside me as we drive across town to Shayla’s place.

  Gretchen was dropped off by my mom and Tad last night, and then I took them out for dinner at Mom’s favorite sushi place. After they left, Gretchen and I went to the movies. Luckily, my sister picks some sort of teen dystopian action movie.

  Then for the rest of the night, I had to hear about how hot the actor playing the lead was and how he’s the greatest because he does charity work. My sister also shared that she thought his ex was an idiot and he could do better.

  By the time she passed out on the couch, I was ready to smack my head against the wall. Thankfully I still had a bottle of bourbon on top of my refrigerator, and drank two fingers…swiftly.

  I love that girl, but she’s exhausting. When we got up this morning, we ran to get donuts before we vegged out on the couch and pigged out. I skipped out on my morning run, but it’s an easy sacrifice.

  Now, we’re on our way to pick up Shayla and her son. I’m nervous, and I’m never nervous. I want her boy to like me. Shayla and I are so new, and if he doesn’t like me, she could easily tell me to take a hike.

  I glance at my sister before turning back to the road. “No, she’s not.” I don’t add that I’m not sure what I want. All I know is that I want to at least see if what I want is with her.

  After pulling up in front of her place, Gretchen and I hop out as Shayla and her boy come walking toward us. She’s carrying his booster seat. “Hey,” I say, and she smiles nervously.

  My sister goes right up to Grant and squats down in front of him. “Hi, I’m Gretchen. The big guy behind me is my big brother Erik. What’s your name?”

  He hides behind Shayla’s legs. “His name is Grant, or Grunt, which is what I call him.” Shayla smiles warmly at my sister. “He’ll warm up to you, I promise.”

  Gretchen gives Grant her biggest, brightest smile. “I think I’ll call you Grunt.” She takes the booster seat from Shayla and puts it in the back seat before leading Grant to the Explorer and helping him in.

  I turn to look at Shayla, and her eyes are wide. “What?” I ask as I walk toward her.

  “He’s never met her before, and he let her just lead him away—that’s insane.” She smiles up at me. “She is absolutely gorgeous.”

  “Thanks.” I motion to the SUV. “Shall we?”

  Nodding her head, she lets me lead her to the Explorer. I help her inside and then walk around to the driver’s side and climb in. I look in the rearview mirror and see that Gretchen is showing Grant something on her phone.

  The drive to Reece and Delilah’s is uneventful, and Gretchen talks to Grant the whole time. Shayla is turned slightly in her seat, watching the kids in the back with a soft smile on her face. When we pull up in front of the couple’s house, I grab the gift that Gretchen brought for the baby out of the back.

  Delilah meets us at the door with a huge smile on her face. “Hey, guys.” She sees Grant, who is glued to his mom’s side. “Oh my gosh! Are you Grunt?” I watch the boy nod his head. “Well, come on in. Charlie can’t wait to meet you.”

  We follow her into the house, and Gretchen grabs the gift she brought for the baby and hands it to Delilah. I have no clue what it is, but Delilah wastes no time opening it. It’s an adorable little dress and sandals that are so freaking tiny.

  When Reece gets back from what looks like a diaper run, he and I head outside. “She’s going to be a beauty,” I say. “You look happy.” The man looks tired as fuck, but he’s smiling.

  “I never wanted any of this. I liked being single, but that all changed. I know I sound like a lovesick fool, but fuck me, I am one. That baby girl in there and her momma are everything to me.” Reece is quiet for a moment before he makes me laugh. “Charlie is never going to date.”

  We talk about work for a little bit before we head back inside. The sight I see when I follow Reece into the living room causes my heart to start pounding. Charlie is in Shayla’s arms. My sister is snuggled up next to her with Grant on her lap as they coo over the baby girl.

  Shayla looks good with the baby in her arms, and it makes me feel something foreign. I can’t tell you what it is because I honestly can’t even name it. All I know is I want to identify it and explore it. She looks up and shoots me a smile.

  I walk farther into the room and notice that Grant is watching Reece and me. His eyes are bright and fearful. That sends me on high alert. Shayla told me that Grant’s dad isn’t in the picture, but we haven’t talked about why. I’m hoping she’ll tell me as we get to know each other better.

  Chapter Seven

  Shayla

  I love Erik’s sister. For one, she looks like a real-life Tinkerbell, and she’s the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. She’s immediately latched onto my boy, and he’s eating it up. I’ve been able to just sit back and watch him smile, chatter happily, and laugh.

  After we left Reece
and Delilah’s, we took the kids to lunch at Shake Shack, and of course Erik refused to let me pay…again. He kept talking to Grant even though my son stayed tucked in between Gretchen and me. The sight made my heart ache and the guilt came roaring back.

  Erik would catch the look on my face and reach out, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. But what would he say if he knew I stayed too long with my abusive ex, and that my son witnessed one of my beatings…what would he say if he knew that’s the reason he doesn’t like men? Yes, Erik may be hot, and women may fall all over him, but the way he is with his sister warms my heart. You can just tell that he’s sweet and loving. Imagining the look of pain on his face when I tell him the truth about my past makes me want to lock everything away. The last thing I want is for him to pity me—I don’t want anyone to pity me when they hear my story. I want him to see the strength that I had in me to leave.

  After lunch, we head down to Navy Pier. I’ve never been down there since I moved to Chicago, so I’m kind of excited. I know there are some fun things to do for the kids, and I hope that Grant has a good time.

  First up we ride the Centennial Wheel; a few older couples ride it with us. I’ll admit I’m completely in awe of the view. Grant sits with Gretchen…again, and she points stuff out to him as he asks questions. I sit next to Erik and feel his arm around me.

  An older woman with a white-haired pixie cut gives us a blinding smile. “You have a beautiful family,” she says. “You should be very proud.”

  I open my mouth to correct her, but Erik speaks up first. “Thank you. We’re very proud.” He smiles down at me and hugs me into his side. Erik doesn’t let go of me until we’re stepping out of our cart, or whatever it’s called.

  Next, the kids and I ride the carousel. Grant isn’t tall enough to ride alone, so he and Gretchen ride together. I ride the horse next to them and take a quick picture of them both smiling at me. As we start to go around I look into the small crowd, spotting Erik easily since he’s so much taller than everyone else.