“What are you talking about, Miley? It can be a front, a front that may cause Ryder Blade to hesitate the next time he considers gunning for you.”
Miley smiled, shaking her head in disbelief. “You just don’t get it, do you? No one would ever believe it, Nate. You, of all people, engaged to the town slut.”
“What the hell?” I muttered, confused. She wasn’t making any sense.
She bit her bottom lip, her expression full of anguish. A tear streaked down her cheek. Without thinking, I leaned into her gently and cupped her face in my hands. She had no other choice but to look at me now.
If I ever heard anyone refer to her as the town slut, I’d beat their fucking ass.
She drew in a deep breath, shuddering; her body trembling. My thumbs brushed away the dampness residing on her cheeks. “Shush, babe. Don’t cry.” Warm fingers curled around my wrists. With just a touch from her, my heart jerked in my chest.
“When I was in high school, I had a horrible reputation. My parents were so wrapped up in themselves; my dad with his demanding career as a prominent surgeon and my mom’s constant social engagements. There wasn’t a whole lot of time left over for Mia and me. With Matt away at school, I tried to fill in the gaps. I’ve dated a lot of guys, Nate. I’ve slept with a lot of guys. Graduation night, I attended a frat party in Hurley with Mia and her boyfriend.”
She grew rigid with those words then drew in a deep breath, averting her eyes to stare blankly at the wall. It was obvious she was uncomfortable. I didn’t need to hear this. It didn’t matter. “You don’t have to tell me anymore.” I wanted to erase that haunted expression from her beautiful face.
Her eyes met mine. She appeared almost solemn. Her lips curved into a half-way grin. “I want to tell you, Nate. So you can understand how impossible this situation is. The night of the party, I met a guy. He was charming and handsome. He kept plying me with drinks. He hung on my every word. Looking back, I realize how pathetic I really was. Just another poor, lonely, little, rich girl seeking the attention she was denied at home.”
Unease settled in my stomach. She didn’t have to say it. I knew where this was going, and I didn’t need to hear it. “It’s okay, Miley. You don’t have to tell me.” I don’t think I could stand it if she said those words.
“But I have to, Nate. It wasn’t rape, but not from lack of trying on his part. I contacted the police and filed charges. It turned out he had money, more than my parents, and he had more connections. There were six other guys who showed up at the police station that day and confessed to knowing me intimately. It was my word against theirs. The only evidence I had was a torn pair of panties and a bruise on my hip that they all claimed had happened when I fell. It was horrific. The whole town knew. My parents were disgraced and embarrassed. I’d
finally
managed to gain their attention,” she added with a bitter laugh.
“Matt offered to represent me but later turned his back on me, believing the lies of a group of frat boys over his own sister. Six months later, I met Ryder Blade at another party. By this time, I was out of control. No one cared. I had no one to turn to… not even my sister. She had her own life away from Crawley, attending college with her football god of a boyfriend who had received a full ride. I was all alone. Looking back, I think Ryder realized this and used it to his advantage. The night he burglarized my parent’s house was the same day I found out I was pregnant with Sierra. He doesn’t know she’s his. She’s mine and I plan on keeping it that way.”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks by the time she had finished. With downcast eyes she tried to move away from me, but I couldn’t let her go; not like this. I didn’t give a fuck what other people thought. I only cared about her. I pulled her into my arms. She fit me perfectly. Her cheek pillowed against my chest, and I set my chin on top of her head and held her while she cried.
Miley and I had more in common than I’d thought. We were both survivors. I wanted to say something, find the right words to reassure her, but they just wouldn’t come. I opened my mouth then shut it. My own fears weighing my words down like cement and trapping them inside of me. For now, I could hold her. I could let her know she wasn’t as alone as she thought. Her confession didn’t change a thing for me. My shoulders were more than wide enough to handle the blowback of what any asshole said and to shelter her and her child from harm.
“Don’t cry. You and Sierra are staying with me. We’ll figure this out together.”
She pulled back and looked up at me, standing within the circle of my arms. Her own arms were still looped around my waist. I wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. I hated it when she cried. Her nose was red; a sight I found adorable even though I was sure she’d disagree. Her expression softened, and with curious eyes, she stared into mine. It was as if she were searching for something.
“Why, Nate?” she asked, and I couldn’t explain it. My heart contracted; a painful knot tight and expanding within my chest. There was no logical explanation or reason. Nothing made sense as to why I felt so strongly about this woman. Seconds stretched into minutes as we stood silently staring back at one another.
“We’ll stay,” she finally whispered, and, with those two words, it felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. “But don’t you dare say you weren’t warned, Nate Lucas. It’s almost time to pick Sierra up from school. I better wash my face. I don’t want her to know I was upset. She notices everything.”
I watched her walk to the stairs, unable to take my eyes off her. There was something there, something unexplainable between the two of us that denied every truth I knew about myself. Something that made me want to ignore every rule I’d set for myself. Whenever I looked at Miley… I saw all of my missing pieces. We were the same, and that thought scared the absolute shit out of me, but I couldn’t walk away, even if it meant when all of this was over, she may very well end up destroying what remained of my heart.
SIERRA HAD BEEN
a bundle of energy ever since we’d picked her up from daycare. She ran through the entrance of The Eight Ball ahead of us. Miley’s eyes met mine and she smiled while shaking her head in regard to her daughter. As much as I disliked Cecil, I planned on asking him to help keep an eye on the two of them. It was time to swallow my pride. Since Miley insisted on working and her sitter wasn’t available until tomorrow, this evening was going to be either an adventure or a fucking disaster. I’d agreed to babysit Sierra. As long as we both survived, I’d consider it a success.
I pushed the kitchen’s swinging door open and observed Cecil in all of his glory. The grill was loaded with beef and seafood. The Eight Ball’s menu was pretty simple; otherwise, there was no way in hell Cecil could have handled it all by himself. When we arrived, I’d been surprised to find the place packed.
“I need a word with you,” I told him when he glanced my way.
“Go ahead,” he said, and then focused his attention right back on the grill
. Fucking asshole
. He wasn’t going to make this easy. He began flipping the sizzling patties with precision. Every damn thing about this guy rubbed me the wrong way. For Sierra and Miley’s sake, I would try to get along with him. For some strange reason, he seemed to matter to her.
I dreaded to say the words out loud, but it was past time to swallow my pride. This wasn’t about me. It was about Miley and Sierra, and keeping them safe. “I need you to keep watch on Miley.”
Cecil’s eyes jerked from the grill meeting mine. Beneath his bushy eyebrows, his beady eyes were slightly widened with surprise. Sweat ran down his brow and soaked into the blue bandana tied across his forehead. Even though the AC unit was cranked, and a fan whirled on high beside him, the temperature in the kitchen had to be in the mid-eighties. I was sure he’d be just fine, though. Everyone knew that the Devil liked it hot.
“I always keep an eye on Miley,” he informed me smartly, then simply turned back to the grill dismissing me.
His cocky ass attitude had me gritting my teeth and, silently, I counted to ten before continuing. “That’s good to know.” The bastard had the nerve to look at me and grin. “She’s going to start back working her regular shifts. It makes me feel better knowing you’ll have her back if I’m not here.”
“Sure thing, boss man,” he said snidely.
He was such a fucking asshole
.
My hands clenched. Nothing would feel better than running my fist through his flat face, but instead, I chose to be the bigger man at that moment and turned and walked away. At the bar, Miley was talking with another waitress. Hell, I couldn’t remember her name, but the sight of the smile on Miley’s face held me spellbound.
Good god, she was so beautiful.
All of a sudden, a hand grabbed mine, taking me by surprise, and I glanced down to find Sierra beaming up at me. Her cheeks rosy, her ponytail half up and half down. There was a huge yellow mustard stain on the front of her shirt.
“Can we go now? Pretty please.”
Since Miley’s regular sitter wasn’t an option this evening, Sierra was stuck with me. The funny thing was that the kid actually seemed excited about it; at least one of us was.
“Yeah,” I said with a smile. She immediately tried to pull me along behind her since she couldn’t be still for more than five seconds. “We have to talk to your mom before we leave,” I informed her. Sierra looked over her shoulder at me and nodded her head, her eyes sparkled lively. I knew then, I was in for one hell of an evening.
“Come on,” she squealed, and I allowed her to lead the way.
When Miley saw us, she grinned. “Hey, you two.”
“Mommy, we’re leaving,” Sierra announced, her voice filled with excitement.
Miley’s eyes flickered from Sierra landing on me; her expression somewhat anxious. “You sure about this?” she asked. I glanced down to find Sierra staring up at me. She was smiling.
Hell no, I wasn’t sure, but how could I tell her no?
“Yeah, I got this.”
Miley laughed at my words, noting my expression. The sound of her laughter made my heart speed up.
Hell, everything about this woman gave me palpitations.
“Let’s go,” Sierra demanded impatiently. Miley bent down and pointed at her cheek.
“I think you’re forgetting something.”
Sierra released my hand, wrapped her arms around Miley’s neck, and nosily kissed her cheek. “Good, Mommy?” she asked.
“Perfect.” Miley eyes landed on me. “Good luck,” she said, and my lips curved into a grin that made my cheeks hurt.
“Sweetheart, I don’t need luck. I need a miracle.” She burst out laughing. I glanced down at Sierra, who was waiting impatiently. “You ready?”
“Yes,” she squealed, grabbing ahold of my hand.
“We’ll be back at the end of your shift,” I told Miley, and she nodded in reply.
“Have fun,” she called out as Sierra and I walked toward the exit.
Once we were on the road and headed to Hawk Mountain, I silently wondered what in the hell I’d gotten myself into. Sierra sat buckled in the seat beside me singing along with the radio. Every time it reached the chorus, she screamed the lyrics of the song. My head was already starting to pound.
What did I know about taking care of a kid?
Nothing, absolutely nothing. Silently I reassured myself, I could handle a four-year-old.
It was just one tiny, little person. How hard could it be?
For the past three hours I’d been laying new lumber, replacing the boards I’d torn out earlier. An hour ago, I had started on the steps. They were almost finished. It was past time for those damn concrete blocks to go. They were an accident waiting to happen. When we’d arrived at the house, you couldn’t have pried Sierra from my side. She’d followed every step I made like a lost puppy. This lasted maybe an hour tops before I heard a little voice whine,
“I’m tired and hungry.”
After grabbing a bite to eat and getting her settled in, I’d left her with Hank inside the house busy with a new coloring book. Hank had been lying underneath the table happily snoring. With a glance at my wristwatch, I realized forty minutes had passed without a peep from either one of them. I’d kept the door open just in case, and had been poking my head inside the house every fifteen minutes to make sure she was all right.
Shit! I’d forgotten all about her.
I hurried and hammered the last board in place. When I walked inside, they were nowhere to be found. Apprehension and the wrath of Miley added a quickness to my steps as I headed straight for the kitchen. The coloring book still open on the table, but there was no sign of them anywhere. I hurried back down the hall.
Shit! If something had happened to her…
“Sierra,” I yelled, and ran up the stairs. My heart was pounding. After receiving no answer, I bypassed my room and headed straight for Miley’s. What I saw inside brought me up short. Hank sat in the middle of the floor wearing a makeshift cape. It was tied around his neck and covered his shoulders ending halfway down the middle of his back. That cape seemed familiar. It looked exactly like one of my plaid shirts. Hank’s ears were cocked, and at hearing my approach, he turned his head to look straight at me. Electric blue eyeshadow rimmed both of his sad, puppy dog brown eyes. Red lipstick was smeared all along his muzzle. I stifled a laugh.
Poor bastard
, I thought smiling. Sierra stood at the far wall armed with a pack of crayons. She was oblivious to my presence, and was drawing on my wall while she hummed. Miley’s makeup lay scattered all over the bedroom floor. Tiny electric blue fingerprints were smudged along the hardwood where Hank sat. It looked like a bomb had been set off.
“What’cha ya think, Hank?” Sierra asked, and when she turned around holding the box of crayons and saw me, she smiled. Her lips were the exact same shade as Hank’s muzzle. “Nate!” she squealed. “Hank and I are making a play.”
“I see that,” I said, staring at the wall where she’d managed to draw what I’d assumed was a backdrop for her play. There was an irregular square for the stage, a tree and a round circle that suspiciously looked like the sun. She’d accomplished a lot in the last forty minutes I’d left her unsupervised.