“All I can ask,” she said with a self-satisfied grin before giving me a smacking kiss on the cheek. “And would you look at that? Your aura’s already looking brighter.”
Jensen
This was the first visit I’d had with my boy where I didn’t have Shane’s uncle watching over my every single thing I did with murder in his eyes the entire time, and it was the most fun I’d ever had with him. I’d take time with Brantley however I could get it, but there was something to be said for not having to watch your every move for fear of being shot or stabbed.
Don’t get me wrong, Scooter wasn’t a bad guy. But when it came to protecting the people he loved, he wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty, and I had no doubt if I stepped out of line with Shane, they’d never be able to find my body.
“Dad!” Brant yelled as he raced across the driveway on his neon green and black bicycle, complete with training wheels. His matching helmet bobbed as he turned his head in my direction to make sure I was watching. “Check out this super cool trick I can do!”
“Show me what you’ve got, buddy.”
He hit the end of the driveway and circled back around, pumping his little legs as fast as they could go. Once he got in front of me, he gave a little hop, jerking on the handlebars like he was trying to do a wheelie, only the front tire never left the ground. “Did you see? Did you see?”
I smiled big, my chest feeling tight as I stared after him. “Sure did, kiddo. It was awesome!” That wasn’t me lying or patronizing, that was the God’s honest truth, because there wasn’t a damn thing on this planet that my boy did that didn’t leave me mesmerized.
In all the years I’d been away, I’d missed my son—the tiny little creature I’d helped create but had never officially met—like I was missing a limb. There was a hole in the center of my chest I could never fill because it had been dug out with the sole purpose of holding all my memories of him.
I thought I knew what it meant to love someone unconditionally. Truth was, I hadn’t really understood until the first time I laid eyes on him. All those feelings, all those emotions swelled and grew until I wasn’t sure I had room inside of me to contain them all. If his mother was the love of my life—and I didn’t have a single doubt she was—he was my reason for existing. Protecting him, being his dad, it was the most important job I could ever have.
The loud, obnoxious creak of Shane’s screen door opening pulled my attention back to the house. From the many passes I’d made shortly after returning, I’d known it was small, but today was the first time I’d been inside, and I hadn’t been prepared for what I’d find. It was clear that Shane took care of the place. She decorated it to give it warmth, to make it feel like a home, but there was no hiding its age and the damage that came with that.
Now, more than ever, I questioned why she lived the way she did when she had better options. I might have done the worst thing I could possibly do by walking away, but I’d made damn sure she had those options first. Those questions plagued me worse than they had before, but after what had happened inside, I knew pushing her for answers would just lead to her building up those walls so they’d be even higher than they already were.
Blinking away those thoughts, I watched as Caroline descended the rickety stairs on the postage-stamp-sized front porch. For the most part, the woman was just as I remembered her. She wore a long, flowing skirt in multiple colors and patterns, and her burnt-orange tee had a faded Harley logo on it. Her wrists and neck were covered in rows of random bracelets and necklaces that jingled when she walked, and on her feet, beneath the skirt that nearly reached the ground, were a pair of worn, scuffed biker boots. Her dark brown hair—now streaked with silver—was styled the way she’d always worn it, long and wild, held back by a fringed scarf she used as a headband, the ends tangling with the loose locks. None of it should have worked together, but it all did. She was mostly hippy, sprinkled liberally with the biker chick that matched her hulking, intimidating husband.
The biker babe in Caroline had rubbed off on her niece, but none of the hippy. For the most part, Shane had always lived in tight, well-worn jeans or cut-off denim shorts, tanks, and T-shirts that always showed her incredible figure. The only times she’d traded out her boots was when she decided to go more casual, usually with flipflops or Converse tennis shoes.
My girl had always been low maintenance with things like hair and makeup, keeping it to the bare minimum, which worked for me in a very big way, seeing as she didn’t need any of that shit to be beautiful.
Caroline’s eyes were pointed toward Brantley as she said, “All right, peanut. I’m headin’ out. Come give your Aunt Caro a hug.”
Brant jumped off and rushed to her, giving her hips a squeeze before skipping back to his bike.
She looked to me, the smile on her face falling, but I took it in stride, knowing I’d earned the hatred of not just Shane, but also her family. I tilted my chin in her direction in a silent goodbye, expecting her to move past me, but she surprised me by coming to a stop at my side.
Keeping her eyes forward, she spoke quietly enough that Brantley couldn’t hear, and what she said shocked the hell out of me at the same time it gave me hope.
“I’m rootin’ for you. Jury’s still out on whether or not that’s a smart call, but I’m doin’ it anyway ’cause I think it’s what’s best for her.” I slowly turned my head to look at her to find her attention was already on me. “This is your last chance. You screw this up, there’s no comin’ back. You understand me?”
Unable to form words since her declaration had stunned me speechless, I nodded.
“Good. ’Cause my girl in there can’t take a lick more disappointment. Don’t prove me wrong for havin’ faith in you, Jensen. You hurt her again, I’ll dispose of your body in a way there’ll be nothin’ left to find, but I’ll get very creative before that. You get what I’m sayin’?”
“Loud and clear,” I replied, fighting back the smile straining against my lips. “You’ve got my word.”
She narrowed her eyes and let out a harrumph before declaring, “Damn well better.” She gave me a long look from top to toe, studying me in a way that made me feel like she was seeing something that wasn’t even there, saying, “You should really try meditating. Your chakras are all backed up.” Then, without another word, she moved to the older model Caddy parked behind my bike, started her up, and backed out of the driveway.
I hung with Brantley a little while longer before deciding I’d pushed my luck enough for one day and guided him back inside.
The house was filled with the delicious smells of whatever she was preparing for dinner, and my mouth instantly started to water. That was another thing about her that I missed in a list of millions. She was talented when it came to cooking. She wasn’t into all that fancy shit, she liked good, old-fashioned stick-to-your-ribs comfort food, and it always tasted incredible.
Her head lifted and turned in our direction, her gaze going straight to our boy, and as soon as it did, her lips split in a smile I felt in my chest and dick. Most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen. “Hey kid. You have fun?”