Protect Me Page 6

  She gives me a nod and places the key inside of the front pocket of her jeans. “Thank you,” she whispers.

  “I want you to call me if you ever need me,” I say.

  “I don’t have your number,” she replies with a slight curve of her mouth.

  I reach for my phone and pull up a new text message. “What’s your number?” I ask, keying it in as she recites the digits. As soon as I hit send and return my phone into my pocket, I reply, “There. Now you have it.”

  Her phone dings within her purse. She gives me a small knowing smile, leans up on her tiptoes, and brushes those soft, sweet lips against mine. I close my eyes and just absorb the feel of her mouth against mine. I soak it up like a dry sponge. Man, do I love her lips.

  She pulls away before I can even respond to the kiss. “Thank you.”

  “You already said that,” I respond as I feel myself being sucked into those stunning eyes.

  “And I really mean it,” she says.

  “Good night, Lia.”

  “Good night, Nate,” she says as she steps away and gets into her car. I watch her start her car and eventually pull out of the empty parking lot. She gives me one last glance and a little wave over her shoulder as she pulls onto the road.

  I watch until her brake lights completely disappear before I slide back in my car. I head towards home, only thinking about supple, warm lips and deep, intoxicating eyes. I adjust my pants one more time before pulling into my driveway.

  Contentment washes over me as I stroll up my stairs to the front door. Something felt right about taking Lia to my place. Knowing that she knows about the safe place and can go there whenever she needs to brings me a little comfort. I’ll get another key tomorrow from my dad.

  Tonight, it’s a cold shower and dreams of the first woman to get under my skin since Jill. Every time I close my eyes, I want to see the sway of her hips, the curve of her neck, and the feel of her body pressed against mine.

  Tonight, I will dream about Lia.

  Chapter Four

  Lia

  I’ve talked myself in and out of going to the Stevens family dinner about two dozen times already today. Right now, I’m going. But there is still thirty minutes left before I am scheduled to be at their house for their weekly Sunday dinner. Plenty of time to change my mind. Again.

  My family – if you can really even call a grumpy old man who resents my existence family – well, it sucks. I’ve spent most of my entire life being quiet, blending in, and trying to survive. My mother was a seventeen year old high school dropout who found herself pregnant with an unwanted child. And the best part – she has no idea who my dad is. Joe? Jack? Dominic? Bill? Take your pick.

  My grandmother died before I was born. Apparently, home life was fairly normal before Sylvia Bryant’s death. My mom was a flourishing high school student and my grandpa, Stan, was devoted to his wife and child. He worked full time providing for his family, ensuring that there was plenty of food, a roof over their head, and all the necessities they could possibly need.

  Then tragedy struck. My grandmother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and almost lived long enough for my mother to complete the last three months of her freshman year of high school. My grandpa turned to booze to cope with her death, leaving my mom to fend for herself. Mom, apparently, turned to drugs and sex. Grandpa wasn’t home, Mom partied, and nine months later, I arrived.

  I have no baby photos. I have no mementos of my childhood. I have memories of my disappointed grandpa telling me how much my mom and I ruined his life. I guess I should be grateful that Mom stuck around until I was almost two, but I’m not really. And to make matters worse, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen her since she walked out that door and hopped on the back of some dude’s Harley.

  I was raised by my grandpa. I learned to scavenge for food from the measly contents of the fridge and cabinets, do the wash, and pick up the house by the time I was in grade school. Grandpa left for the factory at six-thirty in the morning and headed straight to the bar after work. He pissed all of his money away on alcohol and whatever quick fix he could get his hands on while I was at home getting whatever assistance I could get from the after-school specials on television.

  I have no clue if the old man actually loved me. He never said if he really did. I assume he did not. I have never felt like I was loved, only a burden to others. My mother left her mess at his doorstep and never looked back.

  But, I adapted. I was strong enough to get by. I survived.

  I glance up at the clock on the wall and realize that it’s already four-fifteen. Fifteen minutes until I’m supposed to be at the Stevens. I grab my small purse and head towards the front door. After locking the door and heading down the steep stairs, I contemplate talking myself out of going…again.

  Going to the Stevens house for dinner does not mean I’m opening myself up. It does not mean I’m opening myself up, letting people in, or will be found. It means I’m hungry and Mrs. Stevens offered me dinner. That’s it. Simple. End of story. The end.

  As I slide down into my hot seat, I know that I’m making more out of this dinner invite than necessary. My new boss and her family invited me to dinner. I will go and enjoy their company for a couple of hours and then return to my quiet, safe little apartment above the bakery. I throw my beat-up, used car in reverse and head towards the Stevens’ house.

  I wonder if Nate will be there.

  I pull into the long driveway, following the directions that Mrs. Stevens wrote down, with one minute to spare. As I turn off the ignition, I close my eyes and take a deep calming breath. In and out.

  It’s now or never so I slide out of the car and head towards the front door. The noise assaulting me is the sounds of family. Sounds I’ve never really heard before nor understood. I hear laughter and children playing.

  As I walk up the stairs, the front door opens as if the person opening the door was waiting on me.

  “Hey, you must be Lia?” I hear as the screen door opens for me.

  The man before me is tall and well built. He has blond hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. Eyes the color of the ocean reflecting off a tropical beach. He’s muscular, yet nowhere near the Popeye I-eat-all-my-spinach muscles that Nate sports. Nate. Now there’s a man who can get my blood pumping with just one passing glance from those striking blue-green eyes.

  “I am,” I reply as I step inside the cool air, shaking off the mental images of Nate and his eyes. This house is magnificent. Not overly huge, but large enough for a family. It spews warmth and laughter. The warm walls are filled with photographs and it smells of home-cooked goodness and sugar. This place is nothing like the small house I grew up in.

  “I’m Will,” the man says as he reaches out his hand. It’s large and warm and envelopes mine completely. “Nice to meet you finally. Mom and Avery talk about you all the time,” he added with a smile. No dimple.

  “Avery has mentioned you as well,” I tell him as he leads me towards the back of the house.

  “I hope you don’t mind the heat. Mom set up the kiddie pool and sprinkler for the kids so we’re all out back watching them play,” Will says as he opens the back door just off the kitchen.

  “I don’t mind,” I say as I step back out into the August heat.

  “Lia,” Avery says, drawing my attention towards the small pool nestled underneath a big shade tree.

  I toss my boss a wave and head towards her. She’s squatting next to the pool, splashing the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen.

  “This is Ryder,” Avery says with a huge, proud smile.

  “What a sweetheart,” I say, smiling at the toddler who is splashing in the shallow water.

  “Oh, don’t let his charming face fool you for a second. He’s one hundred percent his father. He’s bossy, pushy, and loud,” Avery says with an adoring smile. Her baby may be all of those things, but I can tell she wouldn’t change a thing about him. Or his father.

  I laugh and splash a
little water at Ryder. “Well, he sure is a cutie,” I tell her.

  “The blond girl over in the sprinkler is Brooklyn. I think I mentioned this at the bakery, but everyone calls her Bean. And the other little guy is my nephew, Grant.”

  I gaze over at the two kids frolicking around in the sprinkler and give them a smile.

  “Trav, can you come over here and watch Ryder? I want to introduce Lia to everyone,” Avery says to another impossibly tall man, relaxing in a chaise lounge.

  The guy gets up and walks over to Avery. “This is my brother Travis,” she says.

  “Hi, Travis,” I say, extending my hand.

  “Pleasure, Lia. My wife, Josselyn is the brunette over there,” he says pointing to two women sitting under an umbrella table.

  “Come on, Lia. Let’s go meet the girls,” she says as we head towards the two women. “Thanks, Trav,” she calls over her shoulder. I turn back around to see Ryder splashing and laughing in fits of tiny giggles as he tries to soak his uncle.

  “Ladies,” Avery starts as we approach the women at the table. “This is my newest employee, Lia Walker. Lia, this is my sister-in-law, Josselyn,” she says as she points to a stunning brunette with long brown hair and hazel eyes. Her smile is easy and warm.

  “And this is my almost sister-in-law, Erin, who is marrying my oldest brother, Jake, in just a couple of weeks,” Avery says as she motions towards the redhead. Her curly hair is up in a high ponytail and her intense green eyes are warm and friendly.

  “Hi,” Josselyn says and motions towards the two empty seats.

  “Hello,” I reply, smiling at both women.

  “So, who are you being set up with?” Erin asks with an ornery smile.

  “Excuse me?” I ask, confused all of a sudden.

  Avery and Josselyn laugh on either side of me.

  “Nate or Will? I’m assuming Will since he’s here today and Nate isn’t,” Erin says with a raised eyebrow.

  “I thought the same thing for a moment, but nope. Definitely Nate. You should have seen the smoldering glances between these two,” Avery says as she fans herself. “If there was newspaper in the kitchen, it would have burst into flames,” she adds as the other women at the table laugh.

  “I don’t think I follow,” I reply, more confused than ever, but not able to hide it behind my full-fledged blush. Seriously, like my face just burst into those flames Avery was referring to.

  “Well, Elizabeth has a way of meddling into our love lives and bringing us all closer together,” Josselyn says with a smile.

  “I do not meddle, ladies,” Mrs. Steven says with a smile as she walks up from behind me. “Sometimes my children need a little ‘nudge’,” she says with a motherly smile as she pulls an extra chair up to the table. “It’s so nice to see you again, dear,” Mrs. Stevens says.

  “Thank you for having me,” I reply with a grateful smile.

  “My oldest boy, Jake, was in desperate need of Erin to step in and shake up his bossy, orderly little world. And Travis over there was on a crash course by working too much. He needed to see what was really important in life. I just gave them a gentle little push,” Mrs. Stevens says with a smile.

  Erin laughs across the table. “Well, I for one am grateful for your pushing. The wedding is less than 3 weeks away. I’m so excited,” she says with a wide grin filled with excitement.

  “Lia, where are you from, my dear?” Mrs. Stevens asks.

  “Oh, here and there,” I mumble without making eye contact. I hate talking about it. I don’t want to talk about it. I feel like I’m evasive and everything is a lie by omission.

  “Well, no matter where you are from, we are just so glad that you ended up in Rivers Edge,” she adds with another warm smile. It’s the smile I imagine my mother would have. If my mother was a part of my life.

  “Did you meet William?” Mrs. Stevens asks as she glances over her shoulder towards the grill. “That’s my husband, Michael, and our middle child, Will.”

  “Yes, he let me in the house a bit ago,” I tell her.

  “So, tell us: Will or Nate?” Josselyn asks Mrs. Stevens with both eyebrows raised to the sky.

  “Oh, hush, my girl. I didn’t bring Lia here to set her up,” she smiles back at all the faces staring at her. My face, mind you, is still flaming red. I probably need to hop in the pool with Ryder in an attempt to cool off. Or drown myself. That might work too.

  “You didn’t?” Avery, Josselyn, and Erin all say. At the same time. Their faces are stunned, yet their eyes are filled with mischief.

  My God, kill me now.

  Mrs. Stevens laughs again. “No, I did not. I brought her here to introduce her to you ladies since she doesn’t really know anyone in town yet.”

  The ladies all glance around the table at each other, looks of disappointment evident on their faces.

  Hello! Sitting right here.

  “Of course, if Lia and one of my two remaining single boys happen to hit it off, who am I to stop it?” she adds with a serious look on her face.

  All eyes fall on me as laughter breaks out from around the table.

  “And I’m shooting for Nate,” Mrs. Stevens adds under her breath.

  “I think it’s the perfect time to use the restroom,” I say as I stand up, ready to make a run for the next state.

  “It’s just past the kitchen in the hallway,” Avery says between fits of laughter.

  Dinner proves to be a wonderful reprieve from my normal routine. Mrs. Stevens places me next to Will, but I have a feeling there is more to that. Will is very friendly, in a shy and reserved kind of way. He’s polite and generous with his smile. He’s very good looking and has a stable job. He’s everything a girl could possibly want in a man. If a woman was looking for a man, that is. He’s, also, not Nate.

  I can almost guarantee that Will doesn’t have any tattoos snaking up his bicep and around his back. Will doesn’t have a lone dimple in his right cheek that makes you want to stroke it with your thumb and maybe stick your tongue in the little divot. Will definitely doesn’t have those intense, all-knowing, all-consuming eyes that stare straight into your soul. No, those panty-dropping qualities belong solely to his older brother, Nate.

  I quietly watch the dynamics of this family around the dinner table. They are loud and caring and entertaining even though they are missing three key family members. But most of all, they are supportive and loving. They are the true definition of family. Hell, if you look up family in the dictionary, you’ll probably see their group picture.

  “Lia, so I know we just met, but I’d love it if you would join us at the wedding,” Erin says from across the table.

  “Oh, thank you so much for the invite. I’m not sure of my plans, but I will definitely try to make it,” I reply uncomfortably as I shift in my seat.

  “Well, if you have nothing else to do, just know you are welcome to come. I would love to have you there,” she replies with a friendly smile.

  “Thank you,” I say, choking out the words in a quiet whispering sound.

  It’s been so long since I’ve had friends. I had friends in college. Not many, but a few. That was years ago. Before Garrett. Before Garrett ran them all off.

  “How do you like working at the bakery?” Will asks, breaking me out of my sad little stroll down memory lane.

  “I love it. I actually worked in a bakery for a few years, back in college,” I tell him.

  “It’s one of the reasons I hired her,” Avery chimes in. “With Sandra taking a step back to care for her mother, I needed someone with experience and who wasn’t afraid to jump in with both feet. I could tell Lia was my girl about thirty seconds into the initial conversation that turned into a job interview.”

  I blush at the compliment, concentrating hard on the peas I’m moving around on my plate. I’m not used to being paid so many compliments. Between Nate, Avery, and Mrs. Stevens, it’s almost too much for me to take.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Brooklyn scoop peas fro
m her plate and place them quickly and quietly on Travis’s plate next to her. I try hard to not smile - really, I do - but I couldn’t help the full-watt smile that breaks out. Just when I’m about to let loose the giggle I’m struggling to contain, the front door bursts open in a rush. Two of the biggest men I’ve ever seen rush inside. Cops. My breath quickens in my chest as I gasp for air, dropping my fork onto my plate with a clank. No one seems to notice, though, as all of the attention is drawn towards the doorway. The way the entire room lights up, I realize quickly that this must be Avery’s husband and brother.

  As the two men stroll aggressively into the dining room like they are on a mission, Brooklyn jumps up and takes off running. “Daddy!”

  The dark haired one that I assume to be Avery’s husband, Maddox, dips down and scoops the little girl up. “Hi, princess. Are you being a good girl?” he asks before placing a big kiss on her cheek.

  “Yep! I’m almost done eating my peas,” she tells him innocently.

  “Good girl,” he replies, placing another kiss on her forehead, before depositing her back into her chair.

  The tall blond walks over to Erin, bends down and places a passionate kiss on her lips. She seems stunned at first, but eases into the kiss affectionately. It doesn’t take but a few seconds and I find myself looking away with red cheeks.

  “Get a room,” Will states from beside me.

  “If I had time, I would,” he replies with the barest of breaks in the kiss.

  “Lia, this is my husband, Maddox,” Avery says, just before Maddox places an equally passionate kiss on her lips.

  “Knock it off,” the blond growls as he rises to his full six foot, three inch height.

  “I’ve been married to her for a year and a half, dude. We have a son. It’s time to acknowledge that we kiss,” Maddox says earning another menacing growl from the other.

  “Ignore the testosterone in the room, Lia. That’s my oldest brother, Jake,” Avery says as Maddox tries to keep Ryder from smashing more peas in his nose.

  “Hey. Nice to meet you, Lia. Are you here with Will?” Jake asks with a raised eyebrow, earning a slap to the stomach from Erin.