by Anna Paige
Shit. I’d forgotten. No wonder he was freaking out.
“Baby…” I began, faltering when I couldn’t find the words.
“If I lost you, too…”
“You won’t,” I supplied quickly.
“You can’t promise me that. Not when you’re willingly putting yourself at risk.”
“I’m not trying to look for danger, Brant, and I don’t want to die. I want to live. That’s the whole point. It’s time I stop letting people fight for me and start fighting for myself. It was different when I was a kid, but I’m a grown ass woman now. It’s time I start living like it. Please understand.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t even seem to blink for long minutes. We moved at the same speed, he kept the truck perfectly centered between the lines, and he never took his attention away from the road for a moment.
He didn’t look at me at all.
Not once.
Instead of trying to engage him in further discussion, I left him alone. He was processing, trying to wrap his head around what I was asking of him. Fighting his every protective instinct as he held a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. He’d been strong for me all these months, from the first day we met and through every crazy moment since.
But it would take every bit of strength he possessed to give me what I needed now.
He had to be strong enough to let go.
•••
We parked outside the darkened diner, the day having waned into early evening as we’d approached the Denson city limits. It was Sunday, the day the diner closed early, so it was deserted. I just needed to go in and check it out. Walk the kitchen and inspect the freezer to be sure everything was in order. Not that I didn’t trust Ali and Talia to handle the job. Hell, they knew better than anyone how things were supposed to go, having run the diner once already. I just needed to be there. I needed to see the place and smell the smells and try to feel Teach’s presence there like I always had.
We parked in the side lot and I unlocked the door, waiting for my overprotective boyfriend to enter ahead of me and get the lights.
“Surprise!”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, blinded by the flood of light and startled by the sound of so many shouting voices.
Ali and Clay, Talia and Spencer, Marilee, the staff, and the entire cast of regulars from the ‘bullshit’ table were all in attendance, along with a few others who I knew to be friends of my uncle’s. Jacob was there beside his grandfather, Ray, who was one of Teach’s dearest friends. I couldn’t help noticing the way he stared at Brant’s hand holding mine as he offered a strained smile.
Brant spun and joined everyone in applauding as they started a chorus of ‘for she’s a jolly good fellow’ that had me laughing my head off by the time they finished. Unlike Brant, not everyone in attendance could carry a tune.
Spencer in particular was hilariously off key. Though, this could have been intentional. I really hoped it was, for Talia’s sake. It was that bad.
I stepped my red-faced self into the middle of the gathered crowd and thanked everyone for coming, determined not to cry despite how touched I was. I’d never had a surprise party before. Actually, I’d never had a birthday party at all.
Marilee came forward first, pulling me tight against her thin frame and squeezing for all she was worth. “Happy birthday, baby doll. I’ve missed you.” She held on and rocked back and forth for a moment, sniffing softly in my ear before leaning back and giving me a pale version of her once winning smile.
“How have you been, Mar? Ready to come home yet?” I wanted to ask if she’d had enough of Bonnie’s controlling bullshit but it wasn’t the time and I didn’t want to heap more stress on her. The dark circles that her makeup did little to hide told me that she was having a rough enough time as it was.
She chewed her lip a moment, the crepe-like skin surrounding her mouth crinkling as a torn expression passed over her face. “Not yet…” she hedged, looking relieved when several other guests started in our direction. “We’ll talk about that later. You enjoy your party, sweet girl. I know your uncle would have loved to see so many smiling faces here to share in the celebration.” She thumbed a thick lock of my hair. “And I’m glad to see the old you is back. Red is a good color but you were already stunning. It’s nice to see you finally realized that you were perfect just the way you were.”
“I’m not the old Lauren, not anymore. I’m hoping to be the Lauren I was always supposed to be, though. I’m working on that every day.”
She cupped my face in her hands, smiling. “Your Uncle would be so proud of you, sweet girl. He always said you were meant for greatness, and the way you look tonight, so happy and surrounded by people who adore and support you, I know it’s only a matter of time until you prove him right. Truth be told, you already have just by being you. Go out there and show the world the woman Parker always knew you to be. You’ll knock ‘em dead.”
She turned to move away and I snagged her hand. “You’ll be at the house tonight, right?”
She shook her head. “No, Bonnie is there now getting a few things I need. I can’t go back in there yet so I asked her to do it.” She leaned closer and dropped her voice, giving me a knowing look. “And I didn’t want her here for this. I know how she can be and I’ll be damned if I let her ruin your night with her grouchy ways. This is your night, honey. You enjoy it. She’ll pick me up in an hour or two and we will head back to her house.”
I wanted to argue, to tell her to send that old crow home alone and come back to the house with me, but she was doing what she needed to do to get by, and I had to respect that. Just like Brant was respecting my need to do things my way.
Mar gave me a quick peck on the cheek and moved to talk to a few of Teach’s friends, who were standing toward the back of the room. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, but she was trying.
We all were, and that was all any of us could do, I decided.
Once she’d moved away, everyone stepped up and hugged me, wishing me a happy belated birthday and commenting on my new hair color before settling into small groups who chatted happily between glasses of champagne that had seemingly been conjured out of nowhere. Brant left my side only once, and that was to go over and give Marilee a huge hug and whisper quietly in her ear for a moment. After that, she seemed more at ease, smiling easier, and even laughing once or twice at something one of the elderly guys around her said. I wondered what Brant had said to her but just as quickly decided it didn’t matter. He helped her, whatever he said, and that was no surprise. It was what he did, who he was. And one of the reasons I loved him so, so much.
Ali and Talia came over and wanted to hear about the concert and what I’d thought of Kade’s mansion, since they’d never seen it or met the band. We laughed and talked for a long while, leaving the guys to do what they always did, talk about work.
Milly’s Mountain was progressing nicely, despite several weather-related delays. The main building was close to completion and the surrounding cabins were well on their way. Once the framework was done on each structure, Brant would be extremely busy wiring everything up. There would be lots of special features that required his expertise—high-tech accommodations for the children—and I knew he was anxious to get started. His mind was always going, always working through even the smallest detail well in advance. I’d seen him doodling on napkins a lot in recent weeks, drawing small schematics and photographing them to send to Clay.
Despite his hesitance to leave my side, I knew he’d be glad to be back at work. He needed it just like he needed food, and sleep, and me.
For the second time in two days, I was presented with a beautiful homemade cake for my birthday. This one was devil’s food with thick, pillowy vanilla frosting that made me moan with pleasure. Talia was an absolute genius in the kitchen, God love her.
Marilee had just finished her piece of cake when headlights flashed across the front windows, bathing the counter in near-blinding light. She sighed and shoo
k her head, knowing only Bonnie would park directly in front of the windows with her high-beams on. The old bitch had found a way to get a jab in without setting foot inside the diner.
Figured.
Mar hugged me, Brant, Ali, and Talia, and was headed for Clay and Spencer when the first long blare of a car horn hastened her departure. One last harried goodbye and she was gone. The guys from the bullshit table took off soon after that, most of them looking ready for an early night after all the champagne and sugar. I got lots of hugs and well wishes as they shuffled out, promising to see me the next morning for breakfast, as was their ritual.
Jacob lingered as long as he could, but Ray goaded him into leaving with him, which was fine by me. I could tell Brant wasn’t happy he was there but he never let on, smiling pleasantly whenever they had the occasion to speak. But I knew better. I knew Brant.
I’d never been a fan of jealousy, never understood it really, but that was before I fell in love. Now, I was pretty sure I’d cut a bitch over him so I couldn’t exactly scoff at his male posturing around Jacob. I actually found it kind of funny, which was a huge departure from the first time he’d gotten territorial with Jacob after Teach’s funeral.
Funny how much can change in the span of a few months.
When it was just the six of us, we all gathered at the bullshit table like we had before. Talia and Spencer told us hilarious tales of their research on gender announcements, which were apparently a popular new thing for expecting couples. Some of the reveals were hilarious, some just plain wrong. It was like the pregnancy announcements but far, far worse. Seriously, some of the ones they described made me fear for those unborn children.
Ali gave me a rundown on all the exciting events from around town and gave me the gossip from the diner, mostly accounts of arguments among the older crowd who had just left. They tended to be hot-headed sometimes, and it usually ended up being solved in the maturest of fashions.
They threw shit at each other.
Not kidding.
There was still a pickle slice stuck to the ceiling in the far corner from one of their famous brawls.
Ford guys versus Chevy guys.
Every. Damn. Time.
It was infuriating and hilarious in equal amounts.
It was home.
We wrapped things up and cleaned up the mess, the four of them heading to their shared cabin as Brant and I set off for my house. Well, Teach’s house. Or rather Marilee’s house now, I supposed.
No matter whose it was, it was home. And I wasn’t letting Isaac scare me away from it anymore.
Brant walked me inside, after making me sit in the truck while he walked the entire perimeter of the house to check for footprints in the flowerbeds or trampled flowers or whatever the hell he thought he would find. When he was satisfied that no one was lurking in the bushes, he returned to the truck and helped me with my bags.
I unlocked the door and watched Brant go through the surprisingly complicated process of deactivating the new alarm. Great. I’d need him to draw me a freaking map just to get in and out of here without setting it off. Although, I had to admit having the cameras linked to my phone was a handy little feature. I could lie in bed and monitor every camera and every access point in the house without moving a muscle. One less worry, and for that I was grateful.
I briefly wondered if Bonnie had struggled with it and smiled to myself as I mentally pictured her cursing up a storm trying to get in to retrieve Mar’s stuff while we were all at the diner.
I took my things into my room, dropping everything unceremoniously to the floor at the foot of my bed, turning to take the last of the bags from Brant and catching that same look of worry in his eye. “Okay, Weirdo. That’s enough. You’ve checked the house yourself. It’s going to be okay.” I walked over and gripped both his shoulders as I rose on my tiptoes to kiss his soft, unsmiling lips. “Thank you for an amazing birthday. Both in New York and tonight at the diner.”
“Shit.” He snapped his fingers. “I need to go back to the truck. Time to practice setting the alarm.” He tugged my hand and set off for the front of the house as I protested.
“I don’t need the alarm for the thirty seconds you’ll be at the truck.”
“No, but you need the practice and I need to know you can do it quickly.”
“I can do it from my phone, if you would have let me have two seconds to grab it before you dragged me down the hall, crazy man.”
“You might not always have it in reach, like now.” He smirked as he stepped to the front door and waited for me to disarm the damn thing, watching like a hawk the entire time and making me nervous.
The unit beeped and I stuck my tongue out at him in defiance. “I got it, you turd. Now get out so I can rearm it.”
“Move fast because I’m counting to three and trying to jerk that door back open.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You’re irreplaceable.” He countered, absolutely serious. “If I’m ever going to sleep tonight—which is already highly unlikely without you in bed beside me—I need to know you can do this quickly and effectively. It’s important.” He gave me that damn wide-eyed puppy dog look that was sure to guarantee my compliance.
Dammit. Guilt trips all around tonight.
“Fine. Get your ass out,” I mockingly glared. “And maybe I’ll let you back in when you’re done at the truck. Maybe.” I emphasized the last word.
“Ready?” His hand was on the knob.
I nodded and he jerked the door open, slamming it shut behind him and loudly counting from the space directly beyond. “One! Two!…”
My fingers flew over the access panel and just as he hit three, the locks engaged and the unit beeped to indicate it was armed.
I stuck my tongue out at the closed door as he twisted the knob unsuccessfully.
A minute later, he was back. Tapping on the door as I stepped back out into the hall, having retrieved my phone so I could taunt him while watching the video feed.
He looked up at the camera, a huge, rectangular white box tucked under one arm. “Okay, now disarm and let me in.”
I drew close to the door, still watching him on my phone. “I’m not sure I remember how.” I called through the door pleasantly. “All this pressure to perform has got me all mixed up and I can’t remember the sequence.”
“Uh huh.” He quirked a brow at the camera. “You forgot in less than a minute. Right.”
“I might be able to remember if I was able to relax a while, get rid of some of this tension that’s blocking my thought processes.”
“Lauren…” There was a warning in his tone.
I sat on the floor with my back to the door, watching his frustration levels rise.
“Disarm the damn alarm and let me in.”
“I can’t concentrate. I need something to calm my nerves, I think.”
“Oh, I have something that will calm you, just let me in and I’ll give it to you.” He was playing the only card he had. Seduction. I had a card, too.
“How about a little preview?”
He frowned at the door and shot a look at the camera. “Huh?”
“Strip.”
“Lauren…” He growled.
“Slowly.”
“I’m not going to strip on your front porch. Your extremely well-lit front porch. Not. Happening.” He squared his jaw and glared at the camera, irritated. “And if you want what’s in this box,” he held it up. “Or what I plan to cram into your box, I’d suggest you open the door.”
I debated for all of two seconds before setting to work disarming the system. It wasn’t the gift I was after, it was the clearly visible erection he was sporting.
Damn, I should have tested out the zoom feature on that camera while I had the chance. Ah, well. Next time.
For now, I wanted the hands-on experience.
And my hands were on him the moment he was back inside.
•••
“It’s nearly midnight,” I muttered
against his chest, sated and sleepy but unwilling to set a precedent he might take advantage of by letting him sleep over. Maybe in a week or two but not on the first night.
“I see. You’ve had your way with me and now you’re kicking me out. I feel used,” he joked, but didn’t make any move toward getting out of bed.
“Sorry, Weirdo,” I laughed. “I’ll let you use me and toss me out next time.”
“I’d never toss you out. You’d be in more danger of being locked in.”
“Hmm…” I kissed his chest. “Your willing captive.”
“If I had my way.”
“You just had your way with me, remember?” I teased, trying to keep the mood light as I pulled back and moved to get up.
He grudgingly did the same. “What if that was only the first half? Maybe I was giving you a little intermission before I went back to pleasuring you.”
He reached up from his spot beside me and tugged my hair back behind my shoulder so he could plant a trail of scorching kisses along my neckline. “Come on, baby. Let me stay and I’ll lick you ‘til dawn.”
“You don’t play fair,” I breathed, shamelessly pressing closer to his hot mouth.
“Don’t you want to get in the game?” It was his standard reply, and it had always worked. Until tonight.
With much effort and definite protest from my nether regions, I managed to get to my feet and remove myself from his grasp. “No more playing tonight. I need sleep and so do you. We’ve been on the go non-stop for days and we both have to go back to work in the morning.”
He huffed and pouted the entire time he was dressing, and then proceeded to grope and fondle me all the way to the front door, trying to get my willpower to falter. He really didn’t play fair.
The box sat unopened in the entryway, forgotten in the onslaught of lust that left us both panting and racing to the bedroom hours before. Brant reached down and scooped it up, holding it out to me. “One last present for the birthday girl.”
“It’s not my birthday anymore but I’m not about to turn it down,” I laughed. “I’ve seen how seriously you take gift giving.” I shook the surprisingly heavy box. “Wonder what it is…” I moved to open it but Brant held out a hand to stop me.