Nova
NOVA
J une was eating her off-brand Lunchables with no complaints. looked at her daughter and wanted to weep. She shouldn’t be eating processed lunch meat, crackers, and something that passed for cheese as her Saturday dinner. The store had them on sale when she’d managed to find a few dollars in her spare purses, and they didn’t require cooking. Plus, they kept pretty well in a cooler.
“I’m sorry it’s not what you’re used to, baby. I promise. It’s getting better.” Her daughter deserved so much more. More than a rental that was littered with eviction notices and no power. Of course, June thought it was a grand adventure.
“It’s like living in Little House on the Prairie, Mommy. If Daddy were still here, he wouldn’t let us have a picnic inside.” She spoke like it was all fun and games, but could hear a twinge of understanding in June’s voice. Understanding beyond her years.
Brent was a grade-A asshole, but refused to put all the blame on him. June was half him, no matter how much she wished it weren’t so, it was a fact. would do whatever she had to do in order for her daughter not to hate herself or even half herself. If that meant biting her tongue on what a waste of flesh her father was, then so be it.
While she wouldn’t badmouth him to her daughter or anyone unless he forced her hand by trying to contact June or her ever, to date, he had yet to give them even a second thought. Once he left, he’d changed his number, and that was that.
June may only be seven, eight in two weeks, but she was far too perceptive for her age.
“Honey. Your daddy loves you, and I bet he would’ve loved to be here and have a living room picnic with you. He left because of me, not you, baby. Never you. You mean the world to him.” She almost choked on the words.
should feel guilty for flat-out lying to her daughter, something she promised herself she wouldn’t do. But she just couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter realizing she meant nothing to the man who fathered her.
“No, I don’t.” June looked down at her hands and crumbled the cracker she was holding. “He told me so.”
“What?”
She breathed, shocked. Brent wasn’t father of the year by a long shot, but to tell her she wasn’t his world? Brent was a cheater and an emotionally distant husband, but when she even thought there was a possibility of him being cruel to June, she’d grilled June over and over.
Still, guilt assaulted her. sent him packing the very first time she saw him being not so nice to June. It was the kick in the pants she needed to leave the loser. But apparently, she hadn’t protected her in time, and that killed her soul.
“Daddy said I—” Her words were cut off by a clanging outside, but ignored it. The earth could be hurdling into the sun, and it still wouldn’t be more important than her daughter.
Fucking Brent.
“What else, baby? What else did he say?” She was already planning to spin it so as to preserve her daughter’s tender heart. Maybe tell June he was joking or anything but whatever caused her precious child pain.
How could she have been so blind as to not see the monster under their own roof?
braced herself and hoped it wasn’t too bad, but June didn’t seem too phased by whatever it was, just resigned to it. Resigned to the fact her father was an asshole.
But that was no way for a little girl to live, damn it.
“June? What else did Daddy say?”
But June’s attention was already diverted to the front window.
Once her daughter was focused on something else, it was almost impossible to pull her attention back until she wanted to give it.
June abandoned her dinner and went to the window. She pulled back the curtain and gasped. “Our car is going for a ride. I wanna go.” With that strange pronouncement, June bolted out the front door before could even process what was happening. Her brain was stuck on Brent and what he’d said to her daughter.
could hear it now—sounds coming from in front of the house. It started to click, June’s words coupled with those sounds.
“Shit,” she cursed as she stood from her crossed-leg position on the blanket they spread on the floor for their picnic.
was prepared to beg, borrow, or steal to save her piece of shit van. It may be on its last leg, and she would never pay off that stupid title loan Brent took out, but without it, she didn’t have a job. Without a job, she couldn’t provide for her little girl and get her the hell out of that rental and somewhere Brent would never know about.
So, anything beyond beg, borrow, and steal was now on the table too. She wasn’t proud of what she’d be willing to do for her child, but she was resigned to it.
When the eviction notices came, she wasn’t to that point yet. When the power got cut off, she still wasn’t at that place of desperation. And when she’d gotten a job, she foolishly thought she’d never have to go there, but goddammit, the car was the line. She had to have it, so if that meant giving a hand job to some beer-bellied sweaty mechanic, well…
“For June. For June. For June,” she repeated under her breath as she headed toward the front door. She gagged at the very thought, but she wouldn’t let the courts come and get her daughter or, even worse, find Brent and give him custody.
Hell no.
June was in school on the weekdays, which meant she was safe and fed. just had to worry about the weekends. Those were getting better now that she had a job, and things were looking up.
The neighbors, Carl and Linda Griffith, watched June while worked. They always made sure June had a warm bath and hot food. just needed to hold on a little longer, and things would pick up. It was imperative that she have transportation to keep her job.
Resigned, she stepped onto the porch and froze at the sight before her. The tow truck driver was squatting down with his back to her, and her daughter stood in front of him, talking animatedly. just took in the sight. Her daughter had retreated inside herself the last few months Brent was there. In the months since he’d been gone, she was slowly coming back out of her shell. Her little heart seemed to have lost all trust in the male of the species. Who could blame her?
Been there, done that, got the shitty T-shirt and emotional baggage to prove it.
She heard the man’s deep, rich laugh, and June dropped her gaze to her feet and twisted the way little girls did when they were enamored with someone. Shit, her daughter was almost her old self, and was loath to interrupt it.
The man stood as June rushed into the overgrown grass to pluck a dandelion. It made her heart ache even more when she cupped her little hand around it, protecting it from any wind on her painstakingly slow walk back to the man, who crouched again at June’s approach.
June thought dandelions were magical.
They were all wishes waiting to be had, just scattered on the lawn. laughed and placed her hand on her stomach. It was fluttering for her daughter. And for a moment, possibly the worst moment because her car was getting fucking towed, her daughter was just being a normal kid.
The same normal kid she’d raised her to be. The kid who still believed in magic.
Slowly, stepped down to the first step, then the second. Approaching slowly, allowing her daughter to extend that normalcy as long as possible. She got as close as she dared without disrupting the moment, but wanting to be a part of it. Who knew how many more they’d have, especially with her job and their salvation slipping away.
“What’s this, sweetheart?” the man asked in a raspy voice. It seemed somehow familiar, but not at the same time.
“It’s magic.” June extended the weed to him. “Make a wish. Then blow. If you get all the flower feathers in the wind, it’ll come true.”
“Why give it to me? You keep it and make a wish.” The man didn’t take it and didn’t make a move to touch her daughter in any way, which relieved her mother’s heart. He was a stranger, after all.
“No. You look like you need a wish. Besides.” She dropped her voice conspiratorially. “If someone gives you one, it makes the magic stronger than if you pick it yourself.”
“Okay then, sweetheart. But under one condition. I’ll take this wish, but you have to make one too. And I don’t know if you know this about me, but I am a professional dandelion hunter. I’ll pick you one so perfect, the magic will be off the charts. Deal?”
“Deal,” her daughter agreed gleefully and extended the dandelion again. The man must’ve taken it, she couldn’t see from her angle, but her daughter clasped her empty hands in front of her, hopeful.
The man was still a few seconds from making his wish, no doubt, then blew the dandelion. had to assume that’s what he did because her gaze was riveted on her daughter. She clapped her little hands in pure joy as flower feathers flew by her face.
Pure, unadulterated joy.
wanted to weep.
“You got ’em all. Your wish will come true for sure.”
“Now it’s your turn, sweetheart. Let me see.” He stood and took a few steps onto the lawn and plucked a dandelion. June followed, getting in front of him once again, and he kept his back to . A tattooed hand extended it to her daughter. “Make your wish, little lady.”
Still not looking at the man, she watched her daughter hug the dandelion to her chest very gingerly, close her eyes, and whisper her wish. But the wind carried her words to ’s ears. “I wish Mommy could be happy and that Daddy never ever comes back because he makes us sad.” Her daughter’s brown eyes closed, as was her way when wishing.
June blew, and before she ran out of breath, a tattooed face leaned close to the stem and blew the remaining feathers loose. “You did it, sweetheart. Now your wish will come true.”
gasped.
“You?” She spoke aloud without intention.
Tattooed Ass Weasel turned his gaze to and stood upright. She didn’t miss the shocked look on his face as his gaze shifted from her to June and back again.
“Me.”
“Mommy, me and Jeremy made wishes, and they’re both going to come true.” didn’t bother correcting her grammar. She wouldn’t ruin this moment for her daughter.
She couldn’t understand how Hook or Jeremy or TAW had managed to gain her daughter’s trust so fast, but he did, and any minute he would destroy it by taking their van.
Another man June trusted who would leave them in worse shape than he found them. When he towed their car, and he would, they would be totally fucked.
The seduction ploy was out of the window. When he was a nameless, faceless entity, she thought she could do it, but it was Hook. He was tied to her job, so it was all kinds of fucked up now.
She turned to her daughter’s happy face, backlit by the setting sun.
“That’s awesome, Bug. I hope you made the biggest, bestest wish ever.” June didn’t need to know that had heard or that the wish broke her heart.
“Jeremy’s too.”
“Yep. Jeremy’s too.”
“So?” Hook asked and slid his attention to her car on the truck. It seemed he was as weirdly uncomfortable about the situation as she was.
“Yeah.” She didn’t want to get into details. Not with a member of the club who was her employer, and not in front of her daughter. But maybe she could get him to take an advance on her pay from the bar to leave the car.
“June. Why don’t you go inside and get your stuff packed for Mrs. Griffith’s?”
“Okay, Mom.” She watched her daughter rush to Hook and throw her arms around him in a hug before running toward the house. If she was shocked by her daughter’s actions, he looked doubly so.
Once June was out of earshot, cleared her throat and drew in her courage. “Look, Hook. I know we got off on the wrong foot, and you don’t owe me shit, but can you please leave the car? Maybe you could call Croon and get an advance on my pay to cover the costs or whatever.”
When his expression didn’t change and his eyes drifted toward the house like he was bored, she soldiered on. “Please. I’m begging you.”
She was on the verge of offering the date he’d asked for in exchange for the car, but she just couldn’t force the words out.
Hook ignored her and walked toward the house. She heard him mutter something about that should be on so the little one could see where she’s going as he passed her. He opened the front door and stuck his arm inside while keeping his gaze on the porch light.
Hook stalked back toward her with barely leashed fury radiating off of him. It was intimidating. “Do you not have power?”
“Maybe the bulb is just out?” She crossed her arms over her chest in defense. Who was he to judge her?
“Really. Then I’ll change it for you while I’m here.” He headed back toward the front door. “Where do you keep your bulbs?”
The asshole. He knew it wasn’t the bulb, but would it kill him to allow her save face?
“Stop,” she called. “It’s not the bulb.” There was defeat in her own voice.
Hook returned and looked at her almost tenderly, but with that fury still pulsing from him. So, he wasn’t judging her for allowing her daughter to live the prairie life after all.
dropped her head when he continued to stare through her into her soul with soft eyes. They were striking and filled with compassion. It was the first time she noticed their color. Most people would probably call them hazel, but they were more on the green side. Not the typical green, though, they reminded her of the old military green uniforms from back in the day. They disarmed her. Hell, Hook disarmed her. This version of him anyway.
She sighed and admitted some truths. “Just like the check for the car payment isn’t lost in the mail, or the water heater out, or sanitation just forgetting to collect. I am the worst mother ever. I failed my daughter, and now I’ll lose my job because I can’t get to work.”
She started crying and hated herself for it. The last thing wanted was for anyone, especially the tattooed ass weasel, who wasn’t so bad in the light of day, to see her as weak.
It gave her a shock when he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. Even more shocking was his murmured, “Let it out.” He didn’t try to shush her or blow smoke up her ass about how everything will be all right. It wasn’t all right, and it wouldn’t be all right just because someone said it would be. Especially not without a car.
Normally, would’ve pulled away, but she found his embrace more than comforting. His embrace with…deliciously strong arms.
Oh god, why was she noticing his finer points all of the sudden? Like the smile he aimed at her daughter that was absolutely knee weakening. Or the way the ink on his face gave him a hard edge, but his kind eyes smoothed those edges some. Or how their bodies seemed to fit together like two puzzle pieces.
Get a grip, girl.
Maybe she could offer to go out with him in exchange for unhooking her car. If the way he was looking at her the other night and holding her today was any indication, he’d be down for it.
And if she were being honest with herself, it wouldn’t be a hardship. She found him wildly attractive, especially after seeing her daughter’s reaction to him and his to June. There was nothing sexier than a man who humbled himself with a child.
Before she got a chance to suggest just that, her daughter came bounding down the steps with her backpack in tow. “I’m all packed, Mommy.”
Reluctantly, she pulled from his embrace and wiped her eyes. “Okay, Bug.”
To Hook, she asked, “I’ve gotta take June next door. Can you please wait for me to walk her just over there?” She pointed to the next house down the road where Mrs. Griffith already stood on the porch waiting for June.
She waved, and returned it. didn’t want him to take her car while she was gone. hoped she could convince him to just leave it.
When Hook didn’t respond, she drew her gaze from her neighbor to see him tapping his phone screen before he placed it to his ear.
“Prez, is Heidi’s apartment available?” He paused in his speech and met her gaze, but he quickly dropped it to her daughter. When he did, he winked. The smile that followed was breathtaking.
Him and that damn wink.
“New bartender at the Shop and her daughter.” ’s ears perked up at the mention, but she didn’t have time to analyze what was going on.
“I’ve got it handled. I’ll explain when I get there.”
Hearing a one-sided conversation about herself and her daughter was frustrating, to say the least. Before she could ascertain what needed explaining, Hook dropped the phone in his front pocket and spoke to her daughter without breaking eye contact with her.
was falling into his intense gaze when his words rocked her to the core.
“Why don’t you go inside and help your mom pack, Flower?”
“Flower?” she and her daughter asked the tattooed man, who had apparently already won June’s heart.
“Yeah, Flower. It was either that or Dandelion, Dandy for short.”
“I like Flower better than Dandy.” June dropped her backpack on the ground and took ’s hand. “Come on, Mommy.”
“Pack for where, Hook?” She said his road name with a bite, hoping to remind herself that the man who was charming the hell out of her daughter was the same man who flirted with her while his girlfriend hung on his arm.
“My place. I’m not leaving you here like this.” He waved a tattooed hand toward the house.
was flabbergasted.
“We can’t stay at your place,” she said emphatically.
“Why the he…” His eyes shifted to June. “Heck…” He drew out the word. “Not?”
“Because…” There are a million reasons. One, I don’t fucking know you. Two, I practically work for you. Three, my daughter, no elaboration needed. Four, you tempt me like I haven’t been tempted in years, maybe ever, and five ? —
“You have a girlfriend,” she blurted out. Of all the valid and rational reasons to not move in with someone she barely knew, that was the one she went with. The man disconcerted her.
If she thought she was flustered before, the twinkle that entered his gorgeous army green eyes—yeah, that’s the color she settled on—elevated that agitation to epic levels.
He widened his stance and rounded his shoulders, looking her right in the eye, placing his tattooed hands on her hips. She felt the warmth of his touch through her well-worn Overkill T-shirt.
“Hear me, , and hear me good. I. Do. Not. Have. A. Girlfriend.” Then he winked. Fucking winked. Again. It annoyed her to no end. Not because he seemed to do it a lot, but because she thought it was absolutely adorable. And that pissed her off even more.
Before she could step back, he dropped his hands and gazed lovingly at her daughter. “Unless you count Little Miss Flower here.”