Chapter 22
RAELYN
“Hey, Mom!” Lucas called from the laundry room. “Where are the old towels?”
“Why do you need old towels?”
“I’m not the one who needs them.”
Curiosity got the best of me, so I got up and started down the hall. “Then, who needs them?”
“Walker,” Lucas answered like it was nothing. “He needs your keys, too.”
“Walker’s here?” My stomach did that stupid flip it did whenever his name came up. “I didn’t hear him pull up.”
“He got here a few minutes ago,” Lucas replied, already halfway out the door. “He’s been playing basketball with Thomas and me. He said he’s ready to do the oil change now.”
“The keys are in my purse.”
“Okay. I’ll get ‘em.”
“I’ll be out in a minute with the towels.”
I went to the linen closet, grabbed some old towels, and headed outside. As soon as I stepped outside, I spotted Walker standing by my Tahoe with his sleeves pushed up, revealing the tattoos on his forearms, and there were already smudges of grease on his hand and cheek.
He looked up at me with those gorgeous dark eyes, and I got all the warm and fuzzy feelings that you get when you see someone you’re smitten with.
Yes, it was true.
I was smitten with Walker. It wasn’t like he made it hard. It was just the opposite. He made it so incredibly easy. It was almost impossible not to let myself get carried away.
Thomas was talking ninety to nothing, and Walker was nodding like he was listening to every word. I made my way down the steps and offered him the towels as I said, “I didn’t know you were here.”
“Sorry about that.” He gave me a warm smile. “I got a little distracted dominating your boys in basketball.”
“Dominated?” Thomas huffed. “Not a chance.”
“What was the score again?” Walker teased. “I’m pretty sure I was up by about twenty.”
“More like two, and that’s only because Lucas missed like three shots in a row.”
“Whoa,” Lucas huffed. “First of all, I missed because I got fouled. There’s no tackling in basketball.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself.
Walker gave me a little nudge. “They get this sore losing from you?”
“Maybe. I wouldn’t know.” I gave him a smirk. “I never lose.”
“Ahh, she’s got jokes,” Walker laughed. “Now, get so me and these boys of yours can get to work.”
“Okay, okay.” I held my hands up in surrender. “But before I go, do you have plans for dinner?”
“I was thinking I could order us some pizza.” He glanced over at the boys. “If that’s alright with you guys?”
Lucas didn’t hesitate. “Can we get some wings, too?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. Pizza it is.” Before I went inside, I asked, “You need anything else?”
“We’re good. Go in and take a break.”
Walker got in the Tahoe and popped the hood, and the boys watched his every move. He talked low and steady, making sure they understood every move he made. I don’t know where he got it, but Walker was amazing with kids. Just another thing to add to my mental list of things I liked about him.
I went inside, but I didn’t go far. I lingered by the window, watching the three of them move around the Tahoe, and the boys sticking to Walker like glue. Thomas handed him a tool while Lucas held onto the towels, hoping the moment would come when Walker would need them.
Eventually, I forced myself to step away from the window and went to fold some laundry. An hour later, we were all crowded around the table with pizza boxes spread out and wings disappearing as fast as Lucas could grab them. And the boys were talking nonstop. It was chaos in the best way possible.
But something felt off.
Walker seemed tense, and that tension seemed to amplify every time he checked his phone. I wondered if it had something to do work, so I asked, “Do you have a shift tonight?”
“No, but I’ve got some things to take care of.” He glanced up at the clock. “And I should probably get to it.”
“But you haven’t finished eating.”
“Sorry. Time got away from me.”
“Okay,” I answered, trying to hide my disappointment. “I’ll walk you out.”
The second he stood, both boys said, “Bye, Walker. Thanks for dinner.”
“See you boys soon.”
I followed him outside, and when we reached his bike, he turned to face me. That’s when I saw it. It was subtle, hidden, but there was something in his eyes, like his mind was somewhere else even while he was standing right in front of me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just got a lot going on.” He let out a breath. “Thought I’d have time to get it all in, but I can’t.”
“It’s okay. I’m still glad you came.”
“Me too.”
I studied him for a moment, trying to decide if this had something to do with the boys or me, and I just couldn’t tell. So, I asked, “We still on for Saturday night?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good.”
His hand came up, brushing lightly across my jaw, and then his mouth was on mine, slow and easy. When he pulled back, his eyes lingered on mine for several moments, and then he whispered, “I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.”
With one last look, he put on his helmet, and he was gone. Even as I went inside, I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was weighing on him was bigger than he was letting on.
The boys finished eating, and after we cleaned up and put the leftovers away, they slipped off to their rooms. I was tired, so I decided to do the same. I read a bit and went to bed early, hoping the extra sleep might help me survive another day of inventory.
I have no idea what time it was when I was awoken by a strange noise. The boys had been asleep for hours, so I thought I’d just imagined it.
Then, I heard it again.
I sat up in bed with a jolt. I held my breath, and for a moment, there was nothing. Just silence.
Just when I was about to lie back down, there was a loud thud in the hall. Seconds later, I heard a man’s voice grumble, “Dammit, Milo! Move your fat ass.”
I was out of bed before I even realized I’d moved. I opened my bedroom door and charged down the hall. Whoever was here knew Milo. But that didn’t matter in the least, because whoever it was had broken into the house. And that had my adrenaline rushing through me so fast I was literally shaking.
I rounded the corner and stopped dead in my tracks when I found Dan sprawled out on the floor by the front door. Milo was perched a few feet away with his tail flicking proudly. “Are you kidding me right now?”
My fear was replaced with anger, and it was all I could do to keep my voice down when I snapped, “What the hell are you doing?”
Dan looked up at me like I was the problem, and he hadn’t just broken into my house in the middle of the night. “You need to put that damn cat on a diet.”
“You need to tell me what you are doing here before I call the police.”
“And tell them what?” Dan pulled himself off the floor and brushed himself off. “That I broke into my own house?”
“You broke into my house, Dan,” I argued. “Not yours.”
“Might as well be,” he huffed. “I’m the reason you can even afford to keep it.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m the one who lives here with our kids, and you don’t get to just bust in here any time you like. And you know that!” I was struggling to contain my anger when I hissed, “What exactly were you planning to do, Dan? Were you going to kill me in my sleep?”
“Oh, dear God. Don’t be so dramatic,” Dan groaned. “I just wanted to talk.”
“About what?”
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, “I saw him here today.”
“Saw who?”
“Don’t do that,” he snarled. “You know I’m talking about your little boyfriend. He was playing ball in the driveway like he thought he owned the place… like he had the right to be around my boys.”
And just like that, something inside me snapped. “First of all, they’re not just your boys, Dan. They’re mine, too. And you don’t get to decide who I let into my home.”
“I’m their father.”
He stepped closer, crowding into my space as another way to intimidate me.
Only it didn’t work this time. “You’re also the one who thought it was okay to break into their home in the middle of the night.
If you wanted to discuss this, you do it the right way and come talk to me at a decent hour. And you knock!”
His nostrils flared, and it was clear he was fighting to keep control of his anger. His voice rose as he barked, “You don’t know anything about him… Guys like him…”
“Guys like what?” I cut him off. “The kind who show up? The kind who helps? The kind who changes the oil without asking and brings dinner? The kind who spends time with the boys because they want to?”
“That’s not his place.”
“And that’s not up to you. Not anymore. You lost that chance when you decided to play house with my best friend.” I perched my hand on my hip. “Speaking of which, does she know where you are?”
For a second, just a fleeting second, there was something in his eyes that resembled guilt, but it was gone as fast as it came, replaced with that same stubborn glare I’d spent years fighting. “You’re making a big mistake with this, Rae.”
“Get out, Dan.”
“Rae…”
“Get. Out.” I pointed at the door, not even trying to hide the anger. “You don’t get to do this anymore. Not to me. Not to them.”
He shook his head and turned. When he reached for the door, I gasped, “Wait!”
When he looked back to me, I asked, “How did you get in here in the first place?”
“I used my key.”
“I’ll be needing that.”
“I need to be able to get to my boys.”
“Give me the key or hear from my lawyer in the morning.”
His face turned red with anger as he pulled his keys from his pocket and removed the house key. He placed it in my hand, and before he could say anything, I said, “Go.”
For a second, I thought he was going to argue and try to twist things like he always did, but to my surprise, he just turned and opened the door. Milo let out a low, annoyed merrrow from behind him, and Dan shot him a look. He grumbled something under his breath as he disappeared into the dark.
I closed and deadbolted the door before letting out a long, frustrated breath. “Un-freaking-believable.”
A soft weight brushed against my leg, and I looked down to find Milo staring up at me with his big green eyes. I reached down and scooped him into my arms, kissing him on the top of the head. “You did good tonight, buddy.”
He meowed, and I laughed. “That’s right. You’re such a good boy. You deserve a treat.”
He purred like he knew he’d earned them.
And in truth, he did.
So, fat or not, my boy was going to get that treat. Maybe even two.