5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The sky was the color of bluebirds when I crossed the border from Louisiana and into Texas on a sunny June afternoon. Just a couple more hours, and I’d be at my cousin Cam’s house in Dallas.
It had been nine months since I’d announced I was planning to move to Texas, and it had been a constant battle with my mother. She did everything she could think of to change my mind. Begged. Cried. Threatened. Oh yes. Lots of threatening.
She tried it all, but nothing worked, and I had never felt stronger in my life. Or more free.
Or more scared.
I’d lived a relatively sheltered life. My days had consisted of school and dance since I was a little girl. My mother had homeschooled me so I could have more time for dance, so even my social interactions were limited.
When I went to college, it was the first time I’d really had the chance to hang out with people other than other dancers. I could feel myself blossoming and had absolutely loved it .
It was also the first time I’d had a boyfriend. Curtis. Ugh! He’d called when he heard I was planning to move and asked me to stay. Said he wanted to get back together.
But I’d pushed him away too. I was sick of other people dictating the path of my life. I was in control now.
My phone rang, and I pressed the button on the steering wheel of my red Honda Accord. “Hello, favorite cousin!”
“I’m totally telling Collin you said that,” Cam said with a grin clearly evident in his voice.
“It’s okay. I saw him a couple weeks ago and informed him he was the handsome cousin.”
“What? There’s no way that scruffy bastard is better looking than me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Despite living so far apart, Cam and Collin were as close as brothers. Their banter when they got together was top notch.
“Okay, I guess you can share the title.”
“Are you getting close?”
“I’m in Texas now, on I-20.” My body was practically shaking with excitement. I was moving to a new state to start training for my dream career, and I felt like I finally had a firm grip on my own future now.
“Cool! You’ll be here soon, We have your room all ready for you.”
“I hope you didn’t go to any trouble,” I fretted.
“Whatever, little cuz. We’re excited you’re coming.”
“I may be a few extra minutes. I thought I’d stop at that big convenience store I’ve heard so much about. The one with the beaver?” A billboard came into view for the mega store, and I added, “Buc-ee’s. ”
“Oh hell yeah! I fucking love that place. Would you pick me up a couple packs of their Bohemian Garlic beef jerky? I’ll pay you when you get here.”
“You got it.”
“All right. Be safe and call if you need me, okay?”
“I will.”
“We’re really glad you’re moving here, Mal. I’ve missed you.”
Tears welled in my eyes even as my lips turned up into a smile. “I’ve missed you too, Cam.”
“What the—where is all this water coming from?”
I scrunched my forehead in confusion. “What water?”
“Hold on, Mal. Bella!”
I heard a sloshing sound and then a tiny voice said, “Daddy! I gave Smooshy a baff.”
“You gave your bear a bath?”
“Uh-huh. Come see.”
More sloshing sounds.
“Bella Fitz! Did you put your bear in the toilet?”
“Him was dirty.”
“Jesus fu—” Cam cut himself off and called, “Shiloh, can you help me?”
I tried to suppress my giggles without much success. Cam’s little girl was what my dad called a ring-tailed tooter.
“Is everything okay?” I asked into the phone.
“Shit. Motherfu—No, my spawn has flooded the damn house. Let me handle this. I’ll call you back, Mal.”
And the line went dead .
An hour later, I stopped for a bathroom break and checked my phone. There was a message from Cam’s wife.
Shiloh: I am so sorry, but Bella tried to flush her stuffed animal and flooded the downstairs half of the house. Including your room. Don’t worry about a thing though. We’ll figure it out.
Crap! I really didn’t want to waste money on a hotel room, but I guessed I was going to have to. The Texas sun warmed my skin as I entered the humongous store and paused.
“Welcome to Buc-ee’s!” a young woman said brightly. My eyes flitted around the space. There seemed to be home decor items to the right and all manner of items to the left, all with the signature beaver logo on them. Coolers, pool toys, pajamas, T-shirts, and even swimsuits.
After using the extremely clean restroom, my phone pinged with another message from Shy.
Shiloh: Okay! I’ve got it figured out. We have a friend that has plenty of room. You can stay there until we get this mess cleaned up. I’m so sorry about this. Know anyone that wants to buy a kid? Asking for a friend.
Mallori: LOL, it’s fine. I appreciate you finding me somewhere to stay. I’m sorry to be so much trouble.
Shiloh: Girl, hush your mouth. It’s no trouble at all. I made one phone call and got it settled. Hold on, and I’ll send you the info.
As soon as I found the wall—yes, an entire wall —of beef jerky, the text message came through with a name and an address.
I stared at the name and smiled.
Tate Gentry.
I used to dance with a girl named Tatum, but everyone always called her Tate. She was an absolute sweetheart, and I couldn’t help but think maybe this was a good omen.
I’ll bet Tate and I will be great friends.
Okay, I’d spent over an hour in that damn Buc-ee’s store. I’d grabbed several flavors of beef jerky, including the one Cam wanted. I’d also purchased something called Buc-ee Nuggets, which were these puffy snacks covered with some kind of evil caramel glaze. I’d eaten half the bag while driving.
As I crept down the oak-tree-lined street in a nice Dallas neighborhood, my GPS informed me that my destination was ahead on the left, and I slowed my Accord.
“Let’s see… where’s number 215?” I muttered to myself, dipping my head to read the numbers on the mailboxes.
I found the house, a one-story red brick with a perfectly manicured lawn and pretty red and yellow flowers on either side of the porch. It was large and had a homey feel to it.
A three-car garage sat to the left side, and I parked in the driveway. If Tate needed me to move my car, I would.
Hitching my purse over my shoulder, I made my way over the stone path that led across the bright green grass to the porch. I wondered if Tate did her own lawn work or if she hired a service because everything was impeccable.
Raising my hand to knock, I let it fall when the door swung open. My jaw also fell, and I was surprised it didn’t smack against the white boards that made up the porch.
Holy freaking shit! A huge man took up the entire door frame. He was tall and wide, his hair an inky black that matched the full beard covering his face.
My eyes flitted to the numbers nailed beside the door. 215. Right house, but was I on the wrong street or something?
Realizing I was standing there like an idiot, I put on a bright smile. “Hi! I’m not sure I’m at the correct address. I’m looking for 215 Mabel Lane.” My gaze found the numbers again before returning to his dark eyes— are his irises actually black? “This is obviously 215, but am I on the wrong street? Maybe I’m on Mabel Avenue? Or Circle? Perhaps a long time ago, a group of rogue Mabels decided to name all the streets in Dallas after themselves.”
God.
Shut. Up.
The big man’s lips twitched. Am I amusing you, sir?
“This is 215 Mabel Lane.”
Oh. Okay.
“Fantasculous!” I chirped, like that was a real word. This guy had me flustered as hell. He looked like he could gobble me up in one bite. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to form words that actually belonged to the English language as I tilted my body to the left a hair to see into the house. But I couldn’t see anything around the damn grizzly bear blocking my view .
“I’m looking for Tate. I’m supposed to be staying with her. Just temporarily until the flooding situation is resolved at Cam’s house. Do you know Cam?”
A nod. “Yup.”
“Okay, ummmm, is Tate here?”
“Yup.”
“Can I talk to her, please?”
“I’m Tate.” Mr. Beard twitched as my eyes widened.
“You’re a guy,” I blurted out.
“Thanks for noticing.”
Yeah. Not difficult.
“Sooooo, I’m, uhh…” What is my name again?
“Mallori,” the man, who was apparently named Tate, filled in, his lips quirking up on one side.
“Bingo,” I said, tapping my nose before pointing at him. Why don’t we see how fucking awkward we can be, Mal? Won’t that be fun?
He backed up to allow me inside, and I entered a spacious living room with a black, sectional couch arranged in a semi-square around a silver and black coffee table.
The T-shirt he was wearing matched the furnishings and the man himself. Large and dark. It stretched across his chest, and the seams of his short sleeves seemed to be straining with the effort to contain his biceps. They were so big, I could probably use one of them as a recliner.
“Welcome to Casa de Hawk,” he said.
Something niggled at the back of my brain, and I took a closer look at Tate. “Wait a minute! You’re Hawk, Cam’s old Navy buddy.” He gave a brief nod of assent. “I saw pictures of you from years ago. You were less hairy in this area,” I told him, circling my index finger toward his face.
“Yep, pretty much everyone calls me Hawk now, but Tate is my given name.”
“Ah, you can say more than a few words at a time. I was becoming concerned,” I babbled. “Tate, huh? Anyone ever call you Tater?”
“No,” he said flatly, though I think his beard twitched again.
“How about Tater Chip?”
“Nope.” Yep, his furry chin definitely moved that time.
“I’ll just call you Tater Tot.” Whyyy? Why can’t I shut the fuck up?
Bright white teeth shone through the dark beard, and ohhh, my! The smile totally transformed his face, and his black eyes sparkled, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. Tate “Hawk” Gentry was devastating when he smiled.
Then he warned, “Yeah, you do that and see what happens,” and the grin on his face did nothing to suppress my shiver.
Holy hell, I’m going to be living with this very attractive beast of a man for the foreseeable future. Lord help me!