Safe in His Arms (28 page)

“Disappeared?”

“Yes. Never touched her bank account, never made another phone call, never even came to the funeral. I never saw her again until today.”

Casey closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Lon had gone through. His parents and sister dead, his brother arrested for their death, and his sister walking out on it all. From a family of six, to being alone with no one. “Fucking hell. How the hell did you cope, Lon? Give me a sick rapist any day.”

Lon responded by drawing him nearer and dropping the book over the side of the chair. “Don’t think like that. I used the love that they gave me as a base, and I got through it. None of them did anything to deliberately hurt me like your father did to you. Yes, it was hard. There was the funeral and the missing person’s report. My parents’ will was all fucked over twenty times before Sunday. The lawyers couldn’t work out how to divide up the estate—it was left to the four of us, but now one was dead, one was in jail for their murder, and one missing. Olivia couldn’t be found. And then one lawyer argued that Ronnie wasn’t even legally their son and had no right to a portion. Then there were court cases and lawyers for Ronnie, but we couldn’t use any of Mum and Dad’s money for that, so it all came out of my pocket. We couldn’t use the estate to hire private detectives to search for Olivia.

“Ronnie was a mess but he was the only family I had left. People ask me all the time how I can forgive him. It’s not a matter of forgiveness. It’s understanding. I understand what he was thinking and what happens to him when he’s off his medication. I don’t blame him. It was simply a tragedy. Not an accident exactly. But he didn’t mean to do what he did. He wasn’t thinking straight, and things just spiraled from there. But no matter what’s to blame or not to blame, it doesn’t change the fact he’s my brother.”

“So you still see him?”

“Every Friday when I’m home. Acacia Prison is well known to me now. I know most of the guards by their first names.”

“And Olivia?”

That got a smile. “I’m still processing that information.”

“Tell me?”

“My sister is… oh, wow. She’s alive. I really, truthfully, thought she was dead. You told me she was pregnant, but I didn’t actually think about it until I saw her at the park today. She stood up, and I swear my jaw dropped. She laughed at me. I’ve got to go and tell Mum and Dad. They’ll be so excited to know they’re grandparents.”

“Uncle Lon, huh?” Casey teased.

He chuckled. “And there’s more. God, I needed you there today. I wish you’d taken the day off work and come with me to pick me up off the floor.”

“Yeah?”

“Hell, yeah. Literally. You should’ve seen me, love. I was so buzzed about my sister, and I’m giving her hugs and staring at her stomach, when she says to me, ‘Just you wait, Lonnie.’ Then she points over to the playground and there are two kids running toward me. A little girl with blonde hair and green eyes. Her name’s Rachel, and she’s five. I can see her resemblance to Livvy straightaway. But then I look at the other kid. I tried to sit down on the chair and missed because my knees went. Fuck, man, they just turned to jelly, and next thing I’m on the ground on my arse. This boy comes running up to me and says, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ I was staring at him like he was a ghost. If you rewound the clock by twenty-five years, you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between this boy and Ronnie.”

Once again the jigsaw pieces all moved, and what you never thought would fit together, suddenly matched up. “Ronnie? She had Ronnie’s baby?”

“Yeah.” His grin was as wide as the ocean. “She had him. His name’s Stuart, and he’s seven. He’s the reason she ran. She knew she was pregnant and didn’t want her child growing up knowing that his father was a madman and a murderer. But she found something worse—a man who hits those weaker than him. She says she never stopped loving Ronnie, and now she can see that she should’ve stuck around. She’s had years to reflect and forgive. Forgive Ronnie, forgive herself, and to forgive our parents.”

“Does Ronnie know?”

“No. I’m going to see him on Friday to break the news to him. I don’t know if he’s going to be pleased or mad. Probably both. I rang him this afternoon and told him Olivia had surfaced. She needs my help, love. The guy she’s been with is abusive. She finally left him but she’s on the run. He’s followed her all the way from Queensland. We went to the police this afternoon and we’re starting paperwork to have a restraining order put on him, but I truthfully think this guy needs a little bit more than that. A not-so-friendly visit from Olivia’s tough big brother, maybe? Do you think that would be enough?”

Casey laughed. “If you wear all black and those badarse boots of yours, he’ll be shivering in his little-boy pants.”

Chapter 21

T
HE
NEXT
week Casey began calling him “Whirlwind-Lon.” When he wanted something, he got it done.

And half the time he dragged Casey along with him.

They visited his parents and Lon told his family all about Olivia and her children. Lon was still excited over the news and couldn’t stop grinning the whole time. As they were leaving the cemetery, Casey leaned over and whispered, “I still think your sister is smokin’ hot.” Lon chuckled and threw his arm around Casey’s shoulders.

On Thursday evening, Casey “officially” met Olivia and the children and instantly became “Uncle Casey.” He watched as Stuart gazed at his huge Uncle Lon with worshipping eyes and knew that this was the missing part of Lon’s life. He’d been the big brother his whole life and fell easily into this additional role, guiding and protecting Livvy, playing with the kids, and providing that anchor for them to attach to.

Unfortunately, even with the restraining order in place, Olivia’s nasty ex was still hanging around. Olivia spotted him twice and received several “breather” phone calls. The police were helpful, but couldn’t provide twenty-four-hour protection, so Mr. Ex received a visit from a man all in black with bulging biceps.

“I didn’t touch him,” Lon protested when Casey chewed him out about visiting the man on his own. “I knew what I was doing. I just marched up to his car and informed him I was Olivia’s big brother and I was watching out for her now.”

Casey rolled his eyes and knew that there was more to the story, but then he thought of Lon going all macho and sprang a boner, which of course Lon noticed. That led to other things, and the subject was dropped. Not that Casey minded that at all.

Casey swapped his Friday shift for one on Saturday and went to visit Ronnie with Paul and Lon. He was nervous about going to a prison, but Paul joked with him until he relaxed. Lon had forewarned the prison that he had some potentially distressing news to impart to Ronnie, so they were given a private room instead of the normal visiting area. A guard had to be present in the room, but that was better than telling Ronnie that he was a father with fifty sets of eyes watching him.

A guard led Ronnie into the room. Casey immediately liked him. He was jovial and had a large smile for Lon as they hugged. They were introduced, and Casey blushed as Ronnie checked him over and said, “Bro, you’re totally robbing the cradle with this one. Well done.”

It was approval, and Casey beamed. Then Ronnie asked about Olivia, and the brothers turned serious. The existence of Stuart shocked the man into silence for a good two minutes before he quirked one side of his mouth and said, “Yeah? A boy? Who does he look like?”

“A spit of you.”

“Shit. Poor fella.”

However, the news of Olivia’s violent ex didn’t go over so well. Ronnie got really still and asked, “He did what to her? Did he lay a hand on my boy?”

“I dunno, bro. Maybe. Olivia seemed to think it was her fault that he hit her. She told me that he hated her for giving him a black son, even though she’d told him before they got together that she was pregnant with your baby. She didn’t think to tell him that you were part Aboriginal. It didn’t make any difference to her.”

“Why the hell did she stay with him, then?”

“Who knows? Grief? Desperation? I think she thought it was her punishment. He left her with no cash and no friends, so she was trapped. Only the imminent arrival of this new baby pushed her enough to try to make a run for it. She had a clipping she’d kept secret for years. It was put in the papers by the private investigators and listed my address. Maybe she thought her punishment was through?”

Ronnie stared with hopeful eyes at Lon and asked in a really soft voice, “Do you think she’ll come and visit me, Lon?”

Lon smiled. “I think so. If you want her to, she will. The baby’s due in three weeks, so maybe next weekend if we can swing it.”

“Good.”

On Sunday Lon dragged Casey around to view seven houses that were for sale. “Do you like any of them?”

“I like them all,” Casey admitted.

“But which one is your favorite?” Lon insisted.

“Which one is yours?”

“Whatever one you like.”

“But I like them all.”

They couldn’t pick a favorite so they agreed to keep looking.

On Monday Lon went to the lawyer’s office to organize the paperwork to release some of the money from his parents’ estate. With Olivia home, the estate could be finalized because all three interested parties could be represented. The money had been accumulating interest for eight years and was no idle amount. Olivia wanted to pay Lon back for the money he’d spent on private investigators, but Lon refused. They signed the paperwork to have the funds split three ways and left it for the lawyers to organize.

On Tuesday Olivia’s brutal ex received a visit from five very large, tough men, and was “escorted” to the Perth Domestic Airport, where he immediately paid for a flight home to Brisbane and flew to the other side of the country without even collecting his clothes from his hotel room. The funny thing about the whole deal? The five men had all served time in Acacia Prison in the last eight years.

On Wednesday Lon flew back to Newman for three weeks, promising to ring Casey every night.

On Thursday Paul delivered a brand new iPad (that Lon had paid for) to Casey and showed him how to Skype.

On Friday Paul and Casey visited Ronnie with Olivia, while Casey’s grandmother babysat the kids. It was rather uncomfortable to witness the two of them sitting and holding hands for nearly an hour, barely talking since they were happy just to be in each other’s company. But there was one thing that was patently obvious—these were two people deeply in love.

On Saturday and Sunday, Casey dragged Ash and Devon along to look at some houses. Devon insisted that any house of a gay couple
must
have a hot tub and brought a measuring tape along with him to see if one would fit. Ash pointed out the renovation needs of each abode and seemed to have a dislike of pale-colored carpet, declaring them too hard to keep clean. Casey had no idea what each real estate agent thought of the trio as they viewed the houses for sale.

On Monday RJ called Casey and told him two pieces of news. First, that their father had been injured in prison after being badly cut on the face with a prison-made shank. Second, that the man had suddenly dropped his appeal to his sentence. Casey went numb as he remembered Ronnie’s farewell hug on Friday. He had whispered, “I hope you get some good news soon.” At the time he thought it could’ve been about Lon’s real estate ambition, but what if it wasn’t?

The next day Casey had dinner with Olivia and the kids in the new rental house that Lon had set up for them not too far away from the caravan park. She told him that when the lawyers released the estate, Ronnie and she were going to buy a house together. Something small that wouldn’t need a mortgage, but with enough bedrooms for at least four kids.

“I love kids,” she confessed. “Ronnie’s eligible to apply for parole in fourteen months. I’m hoping to give him another baby then.”

Wednesday was devoid of any sort of excitement, which made Casey uneasy until the phone call came through at 5:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

“Casey! My waters just broke and the contractions are coming on fast.”

He was the honorary brother-in-law, in charge of the family while Lon was away. And that made him the only family Olivia had to call on.

So he did what any man does in an emergency. He called his mother. But since his mother was on the other side of the country, his grandmother stood in for her. He tipped the old woman out of bed and made her drive him to Olivia’s house. Then he shoved Olivia in the front seat and drove to the hospital, even though he didn’t have his driver’s license. He left Grandma with the children, who needed to be dressed and walked to school.

The maternity hospital took one look at Olivia’s face and hustled her straight into a birthing suite. Olivia grabbed his hand and clung tightly, determined not to let go and looking so frightened that Casey gave in without protest and stood at her side. He suffered with her through every contraction but never once glanced down the business end. So a mere fifteen minutes after arriving at the hospital, when a naked, squalling baby girl entered the world, Casey got to cut the cord and quickly use his phone to snap pictures of mother and baby having their first cuddle.