We sat in the very back with her friend and Jace in front squeezed in next to Chad. I kept my voice low so no one could hear what was being said. "Did you know when you put that dress on tonight that you were gonna snag the father of your children?" She started to grin but when she got a look at my face in the dim light of the car and saw that I was dead fucking serious, that shit died on her lips.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"What am I doing to you?"
"You know." That head went down again and she tried hiding from me. "I just got away from a very ugly … "
"Not here, we're gonna talk about that but not here not now." No, when we have that particular talk I wanted her attention only on me because as I told her, I was sure that shit wasn't over.
Whether or not he would back off now that there was a man in the picture remains to be seen, but either way I wasn't done with him. "Like I was saying, I don't know what plans you had for your life, but I can tell you I plan on being a big part of all of them."
"Is this your usual ammo? Do you always meet strange women in bars and sell them pipe dreams? I might've been stupid once but I learned that lesson."
"I don't believe for a second that you've ever been stupid a day in your life, and whatever lesson you learned ain't had shit to do with me. I'm me, whoever the fuck you dealt with before is not my problem so get that shit out your head."
"I'm more than willing to hear your life story and help you work through whatever and heal whatever scars are left behind, but I'm never gonna cash somebody else's check. Whatever you learned, whatever you thought before forget it. I'm me you deal with me got it?"
She didn't have anything to say to that so I just took her hand and raised it to my lips as the car ahead of us turned into a parking lot. "You live here?" I looked around at the surroundings taking in the dark spots and the wooded area around the building.
She lived in a condo complex with three buildings to a row. There was no real lighting to speak of in the parking lot and the walk to the door was a good fifty feet. Not acceptable. I pulled my phone as the rest of them went ahead. While she dragged her feet her friends seemed more sure and relaxed as they led the guys inside.
"Ma, we're not gonna be back until tomorrow afternoon and we're gonna have company." My eyes were glued to her ass again in that damn dress that I was gonna be sure to burn as soon as I convinced her that I wasn't crazy.
"What what're you talking about?" The other woman in my life screeched on the other line. Ma takes her holidays very seriously so I knew there was only one way to calm her down before she set my dad on my ass and this shit turned into a circus.
"I think I met the mother of your grandchildren tonight." What do you know? That shit didn't burn a hole in my tongue.
"You what where is she who is she?" She rattled off questions faster than I could keep up with and I waited for her to wind down. "When can I meet her?" I was scared as fuck after those words sunk in, what had I just done?
I'd just told the fucking grandbaby monster that I might have a direct line to what she wanted most in life. One more reason to kick Chad's ass. It was his fault that I was standing in a parking lot the night before Thanksgiving having this fucked up conversation about a woman that I hardly knew.
But even as I was about to panic at the thought of my freedom going out the window, the memory of her feel, her scent, made me smile. This was right, it felt right, like every time I got into the ring and knew I was gonna be a winner. So what if she was gonna make me work for it? I'm tough I can take one pint size little girl. What an ass.
Ma was still cackling away in my ear about meeting my Traci. "I'm working on that ma. Ma she blushes, and she's shy and sweet and she has the greatest a-I mean uh she's pretty ma." Damn you idiot, you can't tell your mother that you're jonesing for this girl's ass.
"Huh, nice save son, you're just like your dad."
"Too much information ma really." At least I'd taken her mind off the fact that I wouldn't be home when I knew she was expecting me there in the morning for her famous Thanksgiving breakfast. Or maybe …
Suddenly, I couldn't wait to see Traci there in my family home around the breakfast table, in the little nook where my family and I had made some of our best memories. Thinking of that made me wonder about her own family life, what was it like? Did she have plans for tomorrow? Fuck that she's coming home with me. She seemed like she could do with some of ma's special brand of nosy.
" We'll be there for breakfast ma, but ma, she has a little baggage that we need to take care of."
"What kind of baggage son are you in trouble?" I knew I could talk to ma about this stuff. Somehow I knew instinctively that my girl might need a woman like ma in her corner. A strong no nonsense woman who didn't take shit from anyone and wouldn't let her future daughter in law either. Her daughter in law, this shit was really happening.
I'd just met this girl and already I was mapping out her life for her. Poor thing she has no idea what she did when she shook her ass at me. And I have no doubt that that little dance show was all for yours truly, it better the fuck have been. I had to reign my shit in and get back to ma.
"No ma, don't start worrying, everyone's safe. I'll tell you all when I see you tomorrow."
"What about your brother where is he?"
"He's here and so are the others but you know them, they're gonna be stuck to my ass like leeches." I didn't even have to ask to know that they weren't going anywhere if I wasn't. Two fights in one night didn't sit well with any of us.
I finally caught up with the others by following their voices after ma let me loose from her million and one questions. I'd finally got rid of her by telling her she wasn't gonna get those grandkids anytime soon if she didn't let me get on with it.
"That prick know where you live?" I cornered her against the wall out of earshot of the others. She seemed a little more at ease here on her turf. As she looked up at me under the light I saw that she was even more beautiful than I first thought in the dimly lit bar or the confines of the truck. Damn! I never stood a chance.
"He found out somehow." Fuck, stalking ass.
"Who is he, what's his name?" I couldn't resist running my hand down her cheek as we talked. It seemed like I needed to have some kind of contact with her at all times. "Your skin is so soft." There goes that blush again and my cock was on the rise.
"His name is Carl Brennan. I met him months ago when I was out for my morning run. He started showing up every morning after that and seemed nice at first. I agreed to go out with him once just to get him to stop asking I guess. But when I told him I wasn't interested in a relationship he got strange. I didn't think anything of it at first, I was too busy with finals and stuff, but then he started showing up places where I'd be, making a nuisance of himself and then the phone calls started."
"You call the cops?" I could feel my blood starting that slow boil and was once again regretting not kicking his ass. I stashed the name for later and let her carry on with her tale, but there was no doubt I'd be visiting old Carl soon.
"No I didn't I didn't think it was that serious at first. Then he got kinda grabby once, won't let go. Pushed me around a little and I thought he was going to hit me, he got so mad. My friends ran him off that time so again I didn't do anything but it scared me enough that I got careful after that. " She seemed genuinely surprised that anyone would lose their head over her. I could tell her that I was suffering the same issue, only I wasn't fucked in the head like the asshole.
I looked over her head to my brother as I made up my mind. "Go with your girls give me a minute."
Chapter 3
Traci
"Trace I have a good feeling about this one."
"You're just saying that because he's pretty Cris."
"No she's right Trace, we did a run on him in the car over here, this guy is the real deal." Melissa, one of our more levelheaded friends was finally heard from. The truth is, I was already feeling more than a little comfortable with him, but having their stamp of approval made a world of difference because I trusted them not to steer me wrong. Still, I had to be careful. I couldn't forget that he was a pretty boy who probably had women lined up around the block.