Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
R owdy
It didn’t take me as long as I thought it would to get to New York City, but it still left me with a lot of time to think as I drove.
Traffic along I-78 moved pretty fast and, yeah, I had a lead foot. I also had a reason to get where I was going as fast as possible. I needed to be there for whatever Tressy was dealing with. Show her I’d stand by her side no matter what.
“You did take a shower before you left, right? I mean?—”
“Rainy, I know you’re just trying to distract me right now, but I still need that address.”
Her long-suffering sigh streamed through the car speakers, making me grin even as tension continued to bite at my ass. “All right, I got it. Geez, you’re grumpy. I don’t know why you just didn’t ask Mom for it before you left.”
Because I didn’t think about it. Hell, I’d almost been to the state line before I realized I didn’t know where Tressy lived, except somewhere in Chelsea. But I didn’t tell my perfect sister that. She would’ve had a plan and a backup plan before she left to do what I was going to do.
“I texted you the address.”
“Thanks, brat. I appreciate it.”
“I’d tell you not to do anything stupid, but you already did that. You let her go without telling her how much you care about her.”
“I don’t need you to rattle off my faults. And since when did you become an expert in relationships? Last time I checked, you’re not in one.”
“I’m not ready.”
I heard the ache in her voice and my hands clenched the steering wheel until it groaned. “Rain, you just say the word and I will hammer that man into the boards so fucking hard, he won’t wake up for a week.”
Another sigh. “And you’ll be suspended for the season, even in our league. I don’t need you to fight my battles, Rowdy.” A pause. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”
We’d all wondered why Rain had dated Mo Zelinsky, the captain of the Deer Run Stags. The guy was grade-A dick, on and off the ice, and not at all good enough for my baby sister, but she’d told us all to keep the hell out of her business because she was a fucking adult and could do what she wanted.
So we had. And that bastard had broken her heart. Coach was careful to keep me off the ice when he was on, because he knew I’d flatten the guy. And not in any way that would be good for our team.
“But I suggest when you get to Tressy’s place, you don’t immediately tell her you’re gonna fix everything for her.”
“I didn’t?—”
“Rowdy. I know you. Dad’s the bull in the china shop, but you’re the golden retriever whose tail wags all over the damn place, knocking shit around. You mean well, but you’re a fucking hurricane. ”
“Did you seriously just compare me to a dog?”
“Ugh. Stop. Just listen to me, okay? Don’t try to take over. Just be chill.”
“Do you know me?”
She snorted, which wasn’t as adorable as when Tressy did it. But I was a smart man and kept that to myself.
“You’re right. I do. Just be yourself, Rowdy. That’s the man she fell for.”
I mulled that over after I hung up with Rain, blasting the stereo as I cruised through Jersey and finally into New York through the Lincoln Tunnel. I fucking hated the traffic. All the cars, the buses, the taxis. All the fucking people and none of them looking where they’re going or giving a shit if they walk into the street against the lights. I swear it took me longer to drive to the parking garage I found near her address than it did to get here.
But as I walked to her home, I realized that this part of the city wasn’t as hectic. Yeah, there were more people on the streets than I think our entire arena held, but most of them looked like they lived here. Not like tourists. They talked and laughed, holding their kids’ hands while they hustled to wherever they were going. Little old ladies wheeled shopping baskets down the sidewalks. People dressed for business carried briefcases, weaving around everyone.
It only took a few minutes to walk to her building and, when I found it, I took a few seconds to take it in. It looked like money. Three stories, all brick. Decorative wrought-iron grates over the windows and a wrought-iron fence around a small courtyard in front of the building. The front doors looked intimidating. The building looked pretty as a picture, but no one was getting through those doors without a key or a battering ram.
I’d planned to call her when I got here, ask to see her. Or maybe ask to take her and Krista to dinner. Standing here now, I realized I’d leaped without first looking to see if there was anything to land on .
“Shit.”
I stood there for a few minutes, trying not to look like I was stalking the place so someone didn’t call the cops on me. I pulled out my phone and opened my texts and was just about to message her when I heard someone shout my name.
“Rowdy! Rowdy! Rowdy! You’re here!”
Turning, I grinned when I saw Krista come flying down the sidewalk, an older lady trying her best to keep up.
“Hey, Krista, did you miss me?”
The little girl held out her arms, and I scooped her up so she could hug me tight. Okay, maybe I held her just as tight.
“I’m so happy to see you!” She pulled back so she could pat my cheeks with her pudgy little hands. “ I didn’t want to leave you, but Mamma said she had something she had to do, and Mrs. Santiago took me for brunch, even though it’s not Saturday. I’m so glad you’re here. Do you want to come in and wait for Mamma to get home?”
“Krista! You can’t run off like that. I’m so sorry. She got away from me. You can put her down now. Please.”
I understood the fear in Mrs. Santiago’s eyes. I was big, and I probably looked like one of the homeless guys on the corner with the too-long hair. At least my clothes were clean.
Krista came to my rescue, her arm around my neck. “It’s okay, Mrs. S. He’s my new best friend, Rowdy. I told you we stayed with his mom this weekend.”
Mrs. Santiago looked like she wasn’t buying it, but she didn’t look ready to call the police just yet. So I gave her my most charming smile and watched her consider it for a second, before maybe giving me the benefit of the doubt. But probably only because Krista looked absolutely thrilled to see me. At least someone was happy. I really hoped her mom would be too.
“Hello, ma’am. I’m Rowdy Lawrence. I met Krista and Tressy last Thursday, and yes, they stayed with my parents over the weekend.” I considered my next words carefully. “And to be honest, as soon as they left, I missed them. And I knew I needed to see them again.”
I put every ounce of sincerity into my voice that I possessed. Maybe the fact that every word was true helped because I could see Mrs. Santiago softening. “I really appreciate the fact that you’re looking out for Tressy and Krista, and I will be happy to wait at a coffeeshop until Tressy comes home. Or I could take you and Krista for ice cream? I saw a shop just down the block.”
Krista immediately began to do a happy wiggle for ice cream, and Mrs. Santiago finally succumbed.
“I suppose we can do that. Just let me text Tressy and let her know what’s going on.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll wait right here.”
As Mrs. Santiago got out her phone and texted Tressy, Krista told me about her day, how she missed everyone back in St. David, especially Miss Raffi and Rainbow and her new best friend, Mandy. Her rambling conversation soothed something in my chest that I hadn’t known was causing the ache until now.
I’d happily let this little girl wrap me around every one of her fingers if her mom gave me another chance.
“Well, you’ve been vetted.” Mrs. Santiago stowed her phone in her purse and finally smiled. “And apparently, she’s looking forward to seeing you. You must have made a good impression on her. It usually takes Tressy a few weeks to trust anyone into her little circle.”
I offered my arm to Mrs. Santiago—my mom did not raise a heathen, contrary to popular belief—who took it with a knowing grin.
“Let me tell you how I met Tressy and Krista.”
Tress y
Rowdy was here. In the city. Apparently, taking my daughter and neighbor for ice cream.
Good thing we’d left Feeney’s office, which had turned out to be his apartment in a rundown building in Hell’s Kitchen. Feeney was still an asshole, but he’d gotten even sleazier the past few years, if that was possible. He was a few years older than me, which made him early thirties, but he came off with the cynical bite of a seasoned pro.
Until my mom started in on him. I had to admit, she’d had the right approach. I would’ve come at him differently. I would’ve attempted to reason with him. Mom went straight for the jugular. Told him flat out she had the contacts to ruin him if he so much as intimated on his site that I had a child, much less mentioned her name. But, if he played nice, she’d be more than happy to help a struggling entrepreneur grow his business. The gossip sites thrived on clickbait headlines, a lot of which were given to them by media relations for the so-called stars. It was a tight ecosystem that thrived on mutual support. And my mom played the game so well.
She impressed the hell out of me. It’d been a while since I’d seen her work, but I don’t think I’d ever seen her work like this. She took names and got shit done. I know I’d never given her enough credit for being the badass she was when it came to doing the dirty work behind the scenes.
“Tressy, everything okay? You look a little flushed. I don’t want you to worry about anything with that guy. If he even dares to look in your direction again, I’ll handle it.”
“I’m fine.” I motioned to my phone. “Mrs. Santiago just texted. Rowdy’s here.”
My mom’s brows rose. “Huh. Guess you gotta give the guy props for being persistent. He’s not a stalker, is he?”
A week ago, that question would’ve pissed me off. Now I laughed because I understood my mom a little better. She always thought the worst of people. And sometimes, she was right. Most people in the business were only out for themselves. Friendships were rare, like the friendship Denee and I had had.
Laughing and shaking my head, I said, “No, Mom. He’s not a stalker. He’s actually a really nice guy. Like, one of the nicest people I’ve ever known in my life.”
“Sounds like he’s in the friend zone.”
“He’s also one of the sexiest men I’ve ever slept with.”
Her mouth pinched like she’d just sucked a lemon. “I’m still your mother, and I don’t need to know all the details of your sex life, but I’m glad you found someone. So what are you gonna do about him?”
He was here. He’d come for them. “I think I want to keep him.”
“Well, he did come to the big city to track you down and all.”
My eyes rolled. “He’s not a mountain man, Mom. It’s not like he’s never been to a city.”
“I think I’d like to meet this guy.”
“I think I’d like you to.”
I knew exactly where he’d taken Krista and Mrs. Santiago. It was one of Krista’s favorite places. Their huge and unusual topping bar had drawn national attention a few years ago, along with their strange flavors, like dill pickle, rosemary and chives, and my favorite, barbeque chips and dip.
The taxi dropped us off a few doors down from the shop, and I slid out of the car, heart racing and a knot in the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t tell if it was from nerves or excitement. Probably both.
“Tressy? You okay?”
I looked up and caught sight of myself in the window of a flower shop .
“I look like I got cast as the virgin librarian in a slasher movie. Do I always dress like this?”
“I guess the question should be why do you dress like this?” Mom waved a hand at my reflection. “You’re young and beautiful. It’s beyond me why you don’t flaunt it.”
Because I hadn’t wanted anyone to notice me. Not in the past few years. I’d worried about someone recognizing me and then noticing Krista and maybe taking too close a look at her. At her features. She was practically a replica of her mother, except for the nose. That she must have gotten from her father, whoever he was. Denee had never told me. And it’d been better that way.
“I have to tell him about Krista.”
“Do you think it’ll make a difference to him? Honestly, at this point, I don’t know that I’d bother. You just never know with some people. It could all go bad at some point and blow up in your face.”
That was the thing, though. “I trust him. I’ve never trusted anyone like I trust him.”
Mom shrugged. “I’ll back your play, but if he gets out of line, I’ll be waiting to cut him off at the balls.”
I laughed so hard I started to snort, which made my mom laugh, too.
And that’s when Rowdy walked out of the shop.
That knot in my gut loosened and all my muscles felt like goo. And I couldn’t stop smiling.
I think my mom might’ve rolled her eyes and huffed out a laugh, but honestly, I wasn’t sure of anything but Rowdy.
His smile was all I saw, his eyes crinkled at the corners. He lifted one hand to shove back the thick waves as he walked closer.
“Hi.”
I had to unstick my tongue from the top of my mouth before I could answer.
“Hi. ”
“I’m sorry to show up like this but?—”
“I’m glad you did. I’m glad you’re here. I…”
…didn’t know what else to say. I missed you. I want you. I’m so glad you’re here. Please don’t go. Please take us home with you.
My mom elbowed me discreetly then stuck out her hand.
“Hi, I’m Bebe Meyers. Tressy’s mom. It’s nice to meet you. And now I’m going to go see my granddaughter while you two…do…whatever.”
My mom disappeared, leaving Rowdy and I alone. On a busy Chelsea sidewalk. I realized now that people had to walk around us, and we were getting a few dirty looks.
“Why don’t we walk back to my condo, and we can talk there.”
“Can we talk while we walk?”
Rowdy gave me another one of those smiles that made my core clench. I think at that moment, I might have agreed to anything just to have him here with me.
“Of course.”
We turned and headed back toward my apartment. I expected him to start talking right away, but he stayed silent for those first seconds, and I couldn’t take it.
“I’m sorry I left the way I did. I owe you an explanation and –”
“Tressy, you don’t owe me anything. Would I like to know why you hustled out of town like you did? Yeah, but I hope it wasn’t because of anything I did. I know it seems fast, but you fell into my life and my arms, and I’m not ready to let you go. I love you. I know you probably need a little more time but I –”
“I don’t need more time. I had a whole night to think about it.” I smiled, but I wasn’t joking. I was so not joking, and I needed him to know that. I grabbed his hand and squeezed, and his smile widened as his hand engulfed mine. It felt right. This felt right. Us. Together.
And trusting him with my biggest secret felt right.
“I love you, too, Rowdy. And yeah, it’s way too fast, but it also feels right and?— ”
He turned on his heel, put his hands on my cheeks and kissed me. And not just a closed mouth, public kiss. This was full tongue and meant to make a statement. I rose up on my toes to put my arms around his neck and clung to him, my lips parting for his tongue to slide along mine. He kissed me with a hunger that was so familiar and so exciting and so wild that I wanted to have him pin me up against a wall and kiss me even harder.
I heard a few whistles from down the street, but I didn’t care who saw us. I just wanted to devour him. Or have him devour me.
My hands moved into his hair, rough silk against my skin. I tugged him closer, kissed him deeper and forget where I was.
Until he pulled back, both of us breathing hard and fast.
We didn’t speak, but we smiled. Then I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to my home.
I hurried to open the door to my condo, with his hands on my hips and his mouth kissing a trail from my shoulder to just below my ear. Shivering with heat, my core clenching and needy, I finally got us through the door and locked it behind us.
His head popped up to look around, but we didn’t have all day. My mom would keep Krista entertained for at least another half hour, but it was close to dinner and my daughter would need to eat.
And I wanted him.
Crooking my finger at him, I led him to my room. Not bothering to turn on the lights or close the shades, I started to strip, kicking off my sensible pumps and throwing my boring professional clothes all over the floor.
Grinning, he watched me with heat in his eyes while I got naked and sprawled on my bed. I propped myself on my elbows as he pulled his henley over his head and dropped it then unbuttoned his pants and shoved them down his legs with his underwear.
The next thing I knew he was naked and on top of me, his lips on mine, his hands stroking my body anywhere and everywhere he could reach. And mine were doing the same. His skin felt hot to the touch, sleek and muscled. Every place he put his hands, my body arched to give him more access.
But I needed him to give me what I wanted. He didn’t make me wait long. He rolled onto his back, handed me a condom. I rolled it on as fast as I could then swung one leg over his hips and took him.
He groaned and reached for my hips, his fingers pressing into my flesh, helping me, though I was doing pretty well on my own.
We moved together, like we’d been doing this forever, like we were made for each other. And maybe we were.
I rode him hard and fast and made him groan out my name as he came, while I convulsed around him and fell forward onto his heaving chest.
“Come back with me, Tressy. To stay.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”