by Jenna Jacob
Fuck. He had to stop thinking about her, but god help him, he didn’t know how.
CHAPTER TEN
Don’t kiss me if you’re afraid of thunder. My life is a storm.
-Anita Krizzan
Once back home, he and Greg made a bed for his mom on the couch while Gran fixed a light lunch of soup and sandwiches. Once Sky was confident Brooke was settled in, he kissed her cheek. “I’m going to walk Gran home and pick up Nina. I know she’ll be anxious to see you.”
“I’m anxious to see her, too. I hope it didn’t frighten her that I didn’t pick her up,” Brooke lamented.
“She’s fine, mom. Katie’s got her under control. Don’t worry,” he assured her as he turned to Greg. “Can you stay with Mom until I get back?”
“Of course I can. I’ll be happy to.” Greg replied, seemingly nervous.
Sky wanted to give the man his blessing, but with an audience present, it felt awkward. His mom and Greg didn’t need to feel as if Sky were meddling in their love life any more than he needed them weighing in on his. Well…if he still had a love life. The thought of not having Katie in his life sucked, but he mentally steeled himself before extending an elbow to Gran and leading her out the front door.
As they drew closer to her house, his heart began to speed up. With a scowl, he inwardly berated himself for letting Katie affect him in such ways. He felt like a damn pussy-whipped weakling, and as Gran opened the screen door, Sky clenched his teeth.
The house was quiet, too quiet. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Finding the kitchen empty, he turned to see Gran go toward the family room. He followed to find Nina sound asleep on the couch and Katie sprawled out in Gran’s recliner, sound asleep, computer open on her lap. Colorful cartoons flashed across the television screen, but the sound had been muted.
“I’m not sure who wore the other out first. Looks like a draw to me,” Gran whispered with a playful grin. “Let’s give them a few more minutes to rest. Come on, I’ll make us some tea.”
“Sounds good. I’d like to talk to you about…”
“Greg?” Gran smirked as he followed into the kitchen and sat down.
“Yes. How long have they been… I mean, when did it all start?”
“Several years ago, but they’ve been in a holding pattern for a while now,” Gran explained cryptically as she handed him a glass of iced tea and sat beside him.
“Holding pattern…what do you mean?”
Gran paused, seemingly gathering her thoughts. “How much do you know about your real daddy?”
“Not much, really. It’s never seemed important.” He shrugged. “I know he and mom split up before I was born. She called him Clutch… Hell, I was never interested enough to ask his real name. He was some badass biker she got mixed up with when she was young. But he obviously didn’t want to be saddled with a wife and kid. Didn’t want to be responsible or own up to being a parent, so he left Mom to deal with her mistake…me.”
Gran scowled and raised her chin. “Is Nina a mistake?”
A wave of anger slammed through him. “She might not have been planned, but she’s no mistake.”
“Exactly.” She nodded with a stern expression. “You weren’t any more a mistake in your mom’s eyes than Nina is in yours. Are we clear about that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sky replied, duly chastised.
“All right, then. I’ll tell you a few things because I love you. Some of it you’re not going to like, but if you start going off half-cocked or swimming in a sea of guilt, you and I are going to tangle. Are we clear about that, too?”
Gran didn’t bother candy coating anything. It was one of the many reasons he loved her so damn much. Her candor and spunk were the reason Katie had been such a strong-willed woman, at least at one time.
“Yes,” Sky replied, readying himself for a slew of butt-ugly truths.
“Your momma loves you…and Nina with every breath in her body. When you were little, Brooke worked like a dog at that factory to make sure you had a roof over your head and food in your belly. When times got rough, I’d sneak a few dollars into her checking account.” A melancholy smile tugged Gran’s lips. “That used to piss her off something fierce, but she always thanked me. You have your mom’s mean streak of pride, just in case you’re wondering who you got it from.”
Sky chuckled. “I got a lot of qualities from her.”
“Yes. Thankfully you did. Well, when you two first moved here, there were plenty of men interested in making a move on your mom. Good men. But she ignored them all. She was so focused on raising you right and protecting you from the narrow-minded bigots around town that she put her own womanly needs on the back burner. She’d convinced herself that she was unlucky in love and didn’t want to try and prove her theory wrong.”
He wasn’t simply like his mom…Sky was a carbon copy.
“She truly loved your daddy, but when he left her, it crushed her far worse than being disowned by her parents when they found out she was pregnant with you.” Gran stared at him intently. “This is the beginning of the guilty part, but we’re not having any of that today. Remember?”
“I know.” Sky exhaled heavily, unable to stave off the anxiety pumping through him.
“When you joined the Marines, she didn’t know what to do with herself. For the first time in her life, she was alone. Lost, in a way. I did what I could to help make her feel better, but she changed…seemed to grow tougher…harder. Kind of like you when you came back from the desert.”
His heart grew heavy. He’d been so wrapped up in his own heartbreak he hadn’t thought about how his leaving would affect his mom. He’d been a selfish bastard. Sky dragged a hand over his face.
Gran tsked and shook her head. “Stop that, or this conversation ends here and now.”
“I’m fine. Keep going.” He wasn’t fine. Guilt hammered through him like a gavel. But he masked his shame. He had to hear the rest of her story.
“One day, the radiator hose on your mom’s car broke. She was outside on the driveway with the hood of the car up when Greg drove past. He pulled into the driveway, got out of his truck, and offered to help. Of course, Brooke hadn’t asked him to, and ten minutes later, they were screaming at each other like a couple of banshees…kind of like you and Katie used to do,” Gran teased with a wink. “Well, I rushed over to see what the commotion was about and found them both puffed up like a couple of banty roosters…spurs drawn and ready to start spilling blood.” Gran cackled at the memory. “Greg kept insisting that he’d buy Brooke a new hose and install it, while your mom refused to accept anyone’s charity. Finally, after she told him she’d fix the damn thing herself and for him to leave, Greg stormed back to his truck. She stomped back inside her house, and I went home. I knew the battle was just beginning.” She cackled softly.
“What happened after that?” Sky asked, unable to stop grinning. He knew how prickly his mom could get…Katie and his mom shared the same temper from time to time.
“Well, the next morning, there was a red bow on the hood of your momma’s car. Greg had come back in the night and replaced the hose. He also left her a thank you note for her kindness. That poor boy didn’t realize he’d just tossed a match down an outhouse full of kerosene. When Brooke found that note, the proverbial shit hit the fan.”
“Oh, god, what did she do?” he asked with a chuckle.
“First she drove over to Carol’s Bakery and bought the biggest cake box she could find. Next, she stopped at Clarence Higgenbottom’s farm and scooped up a fresh, green cow pie. When she got home, she wrenched that radiator hose off her car and arranged it on top of the manure inside the cake box. She used the big red bow that Greg had put on her car, then charged up the road and set the box on his front porch. The next morning, she found a bouquet of red roses on her doorstep with a dead skunk tied to them.”
Sky covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. He could see his mom’s expression of horror, as clear as day.
�
��This zany gift exchange went on for a solid week. Your momma dressed a male mannequin in some naughty women’s underwear. She shoved a big pole in Greg’s yard and arranged the mannequin’s arms and legs around it in a sexy pose and then stuck a sign next to him that said: Free pole-dancing lessons. Sign up inside.”
“She did not.” Sky choked on his laughter. He didn’t know his mom possessed such a creative and downright evil streak.
“Oh, yes, she did. Evidently the stripper was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Greg called me, practically begging to help find a way to call a truce. I told him to come over at seven o’clock that night, and we’d discuss it over dinner. When I hung up the phone, I called your mom and invited her to come for dinner, too. Greg got there first, and when your mom arrived, I handed them each a rolling pin and told them to have at it.”
“What?” Sky barked in disbelief. “He didn’t hit her, did he?”
“Oh, heavens no. They both started laughing so hard tears poured down their cheeks. And all through dinner, they bantered back and forth, teasing one another unmercifully and laughing like a couple of school kids. I hadn’t seen your mom so happy in…well, forever. The next night, Greg took her to the movies in Marshalltown, and they started secretly courting after that. At least for a little while.”
“Why did they stop? What happened?”
“You came back home with Nina. Brooke loves you, honey. She’s a mom…she’s going to do whatever it takes to protect her young. You know that feeling. She wasn’t about to flaunt her lover in your face. And she especially didn’t want Nina growing up thinking her Gramma was the town floosy, like Misty down at The Alibi.”
Ouch. Gran’s final comment stung, but Sky knew it was the truth. He’d made a bad choice taking Misty to bed. But his regret over that indiscretion paled in comparison to the guilt he felt over his mom putting her life on hold for him.
“That’s crazy. Nina was just a baby. And me? I would have understood. Hell, I would have encouraged her to stay with Greg if he made her happy…which I see now, he does.”
“Are you sure about that?” Gran challenged. “You didn’t seem very accepting at the hospital today. You looked downright pissed.”
“I was…in the beginning, but only because they blindsided me. It felt as if she were hiding some dirty little secret from me. It stung.”
“And you think the secrets you’re hiding from her don’t sting like hell, too?”
“I’m not hidin—” Yes. He was, and they both knew it. “We’re discussing Mom and Greg, not me,” Sky insisted vehemently.
“God. You’re just like Katie,” Gran replied with a shake of her head.
Sky scoffed. “I’m nothing like her.”
“Oh, yes, you are. Neither one of you have a chance in hell of cleaning out your closets because you’re both too busy hauling all your excess baggage around.”
Sky wasn’t sure how the conversation had veered to him and Katie, but it was a path he didn’t intend to take. “Let’s stick with Mom and Greg. All right?”
“That’s all there is to tell. It’s good that the cat is out of the bag and that you can accept Greg and your mom being together. They’re good for each other.”
“I see that. Mom deserves all the happiness she can find. But I don’t want her putting her life on hold anymore…not for me, Nina, or anyone else.”
Gran smiled softly as she patted Sky’s hand. “I’m glad you feel that way, honey. No one should waste time pining for love. Life’s too short. You have to go after love…even if you have to fight tooth and nail for it.”
She ambled a gaze toward the family room. Sky shook his head. The old woman had played him like a fiddle…snagged him like a fish…hook, line, and sinker. Sneaky old girl, he snorted inwardly before issuing a heavy sigh.
“She needs you in her life again, son. More than you’ll ever know,” Gran softly whispered.
Sky knew she wasn’t talking about his mom anymore. “I’d only be a Band-Aid, Gran. Katie will rip me off and toss me away soon, and we both know it.”
Sky stood as the uncomfortable feeling inside continued to grow. The need to snag Nina and leave thrummed all the way to the soles of his feet.
“I’m sorry for what she’s going through. But I—I can’t put my neck back on the chopping block…no matter how much I still love her.”
“No, honey. I’m sorry. I have no right to ask you give your heart to her again. I’m just grasping at straws here…hoping to find an easy fix for her. But then, I suppose there really isn’t any. I just pray she’s not too broken to mend.”
Tears swam in Gran’s tired blue eyes, and her hand trembled as she lifted the glass of tea to her lips. He bent and kissed her cheek. “She’s not. You’ll find a way to bring Katie back. You will.”
And damn if he didn’t want to help.
Ambling back into the family room, Sky stood, watching Nina and Katie sleeping…they owned his heart and seemed so sweet and angelic, though diverse as night and day. The little one with her golden halo…the bigger one with her prickly horns. But he loved them both equally and knew he always would.
The conversation he’d had with Gran echoed in Sky’s head. All his life, he’d viewed himself as a mistake…not that his mom didn’t love him, but his birth had definitely not been planned. As he stared at Nina—his own little miracle—he now knew he was a blessing to his mother, just as his own daughter was to him. Sky realized he’d never needed his sperm donor father. Clutch wasn’t the badass his mother had imagined him to be. He was a coward…weak and afraid…afraid of commitment and the joy of being a father. It wasn’t Sky’s loss. He’d had a lifetime of unconditional love and wouldn’t trade a second of it. Understanding, long overdue, spread through his system and brought a newfound peace of mind within him.
Slowly, he slid a gaze over Katie. Longing leapt from deep inside him. Longing for the same peace of mind knowing they could work out their differences if she would stay.
Fucking pipe dream, man. Reality doesn’t work that way, and you damn well know it.
Gran stepped in behind him, startling Sky. He sucked in a deep breath as he dragged his gaze off Katie. “I’m going to gather up Nina and take her home. Tell Katie thanks for me, please?”
“Of course,” Gran replied with a smile.
“Sky?” Katie blinked and jolted in the chair, grabbing her laptop as it slid from her lap. Placing the computer on the floor, she stood, anxiety written all over her face. “How’s Brooke?”
Her green eyes still held a haze of sleep. Sky wanted to tuck her against his chest and kiss her fully awake. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. “She’s fine. A cyst on her uterus ruptured. She has to take it easy for a couple of days.”
“Oh, thank god,” Katie exhaled in relief.
“Was Nina upset when you picked her up instead of Mom?” On purpose, he took a step back to keep from gliding his fingertips over her soft cheek.
“No, she was happy to see me, but when I explained that Brooke had a bad stomach ache, she got a little upset. But I—I bribed her with ice cream after lunch. By the time we ordered our cheeseburgers, Nina was giggling with Grace and me. She did fine.”
Focused on her mouth, he watched Katie’s lips move. He could still feel them stretched tight around his cock…feel her tongue bathing him. Fuck! He couldn’t shove away any of the mind-blowing sensations of last night. He needed to get the hell out of there before he did something stupid, something he’d regret, like kiss her or drag her upstairs to her bedroom and fuck her like a wild animal.
“Daddy?”
Nina’s tiny voice extinguished the visceral battle raging inside him. Sky turned and strode to the couch before crouching down beside her. Suddenly, her dark eyes grew as wide as saucers. She sucked in a gasp of horror.
“What’s wrong, muffin?”
“Doesn’t that hurt?” she asked, eying him suspiciously.
“Does what hurt?” he asked, ut
terly confused.
“Scooching down like that.”
“No, honey. Why would it?”
Nina darted a worrisome glance toward Katie, then back to Sky. “Miss Katie told Grace at the café that you had a stick up your as…err, your bottom,” Nina whispered. “Why did you shove a stick there, Daddy?”
He jerked a glance over his shoulder. Katie’s green eyes doubled in size as her mouth fell open in shock. Gran chortled and quickly pinched lips together before moving like an Olympic sprinter to the couch. Clutching his daughter to her chest, Gran quickly sobered.
“I’ll take Nina home so she can visit with Brooke. You two stay here and see about working that stick out, but keep your hands off my rolling pins,” Gran warned with a saucy smile as she turned to leave, snagging Nina’s book bag off the couch as she hurried out the front door.
Katie managed to snap her mouth shut, but the look of shock and embarrassment remained etched over her face. “Oh, god, Sky. I’m sorry…. I didn’t know Nina heard me. I—I’d given her a quarter for the gumball machine. There’s no way I would have said that if I’d known she… I swear, I didn’t know she heard me.”
“Obviously she did,” Sky snapped. He wanted to feel vindicated by the mortified expression crawling over Katie’s face but couldn’t. He was too busy fighting to hold back his anger. Crossing his arms over his wide chest, Sky glared at her. “Next time you have some smartass remark to say, tell it to my face instead of behind my back. You got that?”
“I—I’m sorry, Sky. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“Oh, no. You never mean to hurt my feelings, do you, Katie? Just like you never meant to hurt me when you left, right?” Sky bit out as he stomped past her, heading toward the door.
Katie issued a long, low growl. “Goddammit, Sky. Don’t you dare walk away from me again,” she screamed from the family room.