12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Evie
F our days. That’s how long the Bradshaw brothers had been “protecting” me, and if something didn’t change soon, I wasn’t going to need protection because I’d be in jail for murdering one of them. Probably the hulking brute glowering from the corner where he’d parked himself the moment we entered the bridal boutique.
What was really strange was, despite the fact that he clearly hated having to watch out for me, Levi had been following me pretty much nonstop since yesterday morning. I didn’t know if it was because he was pissed Mason let me drink, or if he’d heard about me fooling around with Mason and Tucker, but it definitely wasn’t because he wanted to be near me.
He’d been his usual sarcastic asshole self pretty much every time he opened his mouth. When his mom was around, I at least got a break from that, but he still glared at me like I’d done something to offend him.
“Evie, what do you think about these shoes?” Jenna asked.
I turned my attention back to her, where it should’ve already been. I was here for her and Levi could go fuck himself.
“Let me see.” I took the shoe and studied it more closely than I really needed to. “I like this one better than the other one. If you want me in something that high, I’m going to need this thick of a heel or I’ll end up falling on my face and probably flashing everybody, since you’re also insisting on strapless dresses for the bridesmaids.”
A growling sound came from Levi’s corner.
“You all right over there, big brother?” Jenna asked, the sweetest smile on her face. “Do you want to weigh in on Evie’s heels? Don’t you think these are going to look great on her? Show off those legs.”
An image suddenly flashed through my mind. Levi kneeling in front of me and taking off those heels. His hands sliding up my calf to my knee, and then higher…
Nope. I wasn’t going there. My feelings were already conflicted enough with my attraction to Mason and Tucker. I didn’t need to add the one Bradshaw brother who’d never shown the slightest interest in me.
His kiss in front of Randall didn’t count.
“He doesn’t care about my legs, Jenna. Let’s just focus on why we’re here.”
“Right.” Jenna smirked at me. “You do know that your face is bright red, right?”
“Leave the poor girl alone,” Sue said. She patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry my children aren’t better behaved.”
The ring of my phone saved me from having to figure out how to respond without thinking about how “well-behaved” her other children had been with me.
“Sorry, I have to get this,” I said. “It’s my mom.”
I ignored the surprise on everyone’s faces as I grabbed my phone from my purse and headed for the far side of the store to have at least a semblance of privacy.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Evelyn Hayes?”
The man’s voice sent a flood of adrenaline coursing through me. “Who are you? Why do you have my mom’s phone?”
“I’m sorry. My name is Detective Newman. Am I speaking with Evelyn Hayes?”
I closed my eyes and put my hand on my chest, unsure what I needed to be bracing myself for. “Yes, I’m her. Is my mom okay?”
“Yes, Ms. Hayes, she is, but her home was broken into, and she told us that her daughter actually owns this house.”
“That’s correct.” I walked back over to my purse. “But she wasn’t hurt?”
“No, miss. She wasn’t home at the time.”
“Okay, well, I’m on my way and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.”
He thanked me and ended the call, but I was already stuffing my phone back into my purse.
“What’s going on?” Jenna asked.
“Mom’s house was broken into.”
“You mean your house.” Levi pushed himself upright.
I shot him a glare but spoke to Jenna and Isabel. “I’m so sorry to cut things short today, but I need to go. The cop on the phone said she wasn’t home when it happened, but I still need to see for myself.”
“Of course,” Jenna said.
“You do what you need to do,” Isabel added.
“And if you need us for anything, you just let us know.” Sue came over and gave me a hug. “Don’t let your mom use this to guilt you into anything.”
I nodded, loving that she understood how my mom was, enough that she wanted to look out for me.
“Mason’s on his way here,” Levi announced. “He’ll take the three of you home when you’re done. We need to take the car.”
“And where are you going?” Jenna asked.
Levi’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going with Evie.”
I wanted to say like hell you are , but I couldn’t deny that I liked the idea of having him with me for this. My mom was a lot to deal with on her own. Add in the cops and a burglary, and I was starting to feel like I was in over my head. Even though Levi could be a total bastard sometimes, he was the sort of solid presence that I needed with me.
“You—” Jenna started.
“No, it’s okay,” I interrupted. “I shouldn’t go anywhere alone, and it makes sense for him to take me instead of waiting for Mason or Tucker.”
“Ready?” Levi asked sharply.
“Text us if you need anything,” Jenna said as I followed Levi outside.
As he started his mom’s car, I said, “We’re going to—”
“I know where we’re going.”
I waited until he pulled out of the parking lot to ask the question. “How do you know where my mom lives?”
He shifted in his seat like I’d asked something that made him uncomfortable. Suddenly, a conversation with Sue came back to me.
“You’re the one who’s been helping your mom check in on mine.” I made it a statement rather than a question.
“Yeah. So what?” His tone was harsh, but for the first time, I could hear something underneath it. Something much softer than I’d ever thought could come from Levi.
“Thank you.” I didn’t make a big deal about it, knowing it would bother him, but those two words didn’t seem like enough. Despite all of the shit between Mom and me, I didn’t ever want her to not be okay.
Neither of us spoke for the rest of the ride, but something had shifted between us and I didn’t know what it meant. When we pulled up in front of the house, we had to park on the road because the driveway had two cop cars filling it. Bracing myself for the chaos that was Trudy Hayes, I hurried up the driveway toward the front door and the cop standing next to it.
“I’m Evie—Evelyn Hayes,” I told the young officer. “Detective Newman is expecting me.”
The officer reached for his radio, but just then, the door opened and my mom was there.
She looked thinner than the last time I’d seen her, and I hoped that didn’t mean she was using drugs on top of her usual alcohol. Not only would that be bad for her health, it could also mean her going to jail if the cops found anything while they were gathering evidence. Her brassy blonde hair was pulled back into the sort of messy bun that wasn’t for style but convenience, and her green eyes were bloodshot. I didn’t smell any booze on her, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been drinking. With Mom, it was generally better to assume she had been.
“If I would’ve known getting robbed would be enough to get you home, I would’ve faked it years ago.” Her eyes turned from me to Levi. “If it isn’t Mr. Bigshot. What’re you doing with my daughter?”
“Levi gave me a ride, Mom,” I said. “How about we go inside so I can talk to Detective Newman?”
“What about him?” She jerked her chin in Levi’s direction. “You’re here. He don’t need to stay.”
“Where she goes, I go,” Levi said, meeting Mom’s gaze with a hard one of his own.
“Levi, it’s okay,” I said.
“I’m not leaving you with her,” he said stubbornly. “You want to talk, then talk. You want to see the detective, that’s what we’ll do. But I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Well, this was going to be fun.