Chapter 36 Lawson
LAWSON
I stalked out of my house and down the stairs, rage pulsing through my veins. Luke was calmer now but drained. There wasn’t a single person I would’ve trusted him with more than Hallie right now. And I had to. Because if I didn’t fix this, I would put my fist through a wall.
Jogging down the stairs, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I didn’t trust myself not to yell, so I needed distance. I wasn’t about to traumatize Luke any further.
I strode toward the guest cabin and unlocked the door.
Stepping inside, I slammed the door behind me.
Scrolling through the apps on my phone, I found my digital file folder.
I didn’t keep tabs on Melody, but I’d asked Holt to.
I wanted to have a current phone number and address for her wherever she was.
Easy as pie for my brother with the security company.
Pulling up the file with her name, I grimaced. Her address was listed in Seattle—only a few hours from here. A cell phone number was noted below the address. I tapped it.
It rang twice before a familiar voice came across the line. “You’ve got Melody.”
Her voice was bright, cheery. It didn’t fit with a woman who’d put her kids through hell. Nothing about her had.
“This is Lawson, and I need you to listen—”
“Law, how are you?” she chirped.
“Shut up.”
“Excuse me?” That familiar hostile tone took over.
“I just had my sixteen-year-old son crying in my arms for the past hour because the woman who was supposed to be his mother has been fucking with his head.”
“I am his mother,” Melody snapped back. “You’re the one who kicked me out—”
“Bullshit. We both know what happened. So does the State of Washington. And now, Luke remembers it, too.”
Melody was silent for a moment. “You blew it out of proportion. So, I took them to a party. They were upstairs the whole time. Totally fine.”
“Melody.” Rage made my voice shake as if someone had me by the throat.
“Our kids were terrified. People were killed. It could’ve been one of them.
” Just saying the words had ice and fury surging through my veins.
“You have a no-contact order from the state. I could report you now, and you might do a little more jail time—”
“You can’t do that!” The whiny little girl was back.
“I’m going to give you one warning. Do not contact my children again. You’re blocked on Luke’s social media now and on his phone, too. I’m going to have Holt running checks on you regularly. You even blink in our direction, and I won’t be so forgiving.”
“Fuck you, Law!”
Melody hung up before I could get another word out. But I knew her. She wouldn’t risk seeing the inside of a cell again. Especially for kids she couldn’t pull her act together for anyway.
I let myself sink to the couch and dropped my head into my hands.
Pain and regret swept through me in angry, choppy waves.
I couldn’t have made more of a mess of things if I’d tried.
All I’d wanted to do was protect my boys.
The beings that were my whole world. I’d thought them forgetting what had happened was a good thing.
Instead, it had only built secrets and lies between us.
The door to the cabin squeaked, but I didn’t look up. It was as if my head was too heavy to even lift.
Light footsteps sounded, and then Hallie lowered herself to the coffee table in front of me. I smelled her before I saw her, that orange-blossom scent wrapping around me. She dipped low so my head dropped to her shoulder, her body taking the weight. Then she simply held me.
How long had it been since I’d had this? Never, I realized. I’d had elements of it when I was a little boy, and my parents would soothe a nightmare or illness. But that wasn’t the same. That wasn’t this.
I breathed Hallie in, letting her scent wash away the worst of everything that had happened. “Luke okay?”
Hallie’s fingers ran over my scalp, stroking and massaging. “He passed out hard. Adrenaline dump.”
That was good. He needed to sleep off whatever he could.
“Did you call her? Or someone who can talk to her?” Hallie asked.
She knew me so well. Knew I’d instantly need to try to fix this mess to the best of my ability.
“I called. Haven’t spoken to her in five years.
” The same year I’d rescued Hallie. Thinking back on it, she’d been a reminder that, as humans, we can handle far more than we think we can. She’d been a beacon of hope.
“How’d it go?” she asked cautiously.
“She told me to fuck off, but I think she got the message.”
Hallie pulled back so she could meet my eyes. “I try not to let myself hate people, but I’ve got some strong dislike going for her.”
My mouth tried to curve but couldn’t quite get there. “You’re damn cute, Little Minx.”
Hallie’s cheeks blushed that pretty shade of pink. “I’m scrappier than I look. I could take her in a fight.”
“I have no doubt. But I think one broken nose today is enough.”
She winced. “You might have a point there.”
We were both quiet for a moment.
“Are you going to keep Luke’s punishment in effect?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t want him decking kids, but I understand where he was coming from.”
“We could split the difference. No cell, but he can use the house phone to talk to friends. No video games, but he can watch TV or movies with Drew and Charlie once they’re home.”
I reached out, wrapping a strand of her silky blond hair around my finger. “How’d you get so good at this?”
A smile tipped Hallie’s lips as she shrugged. “Guess I’m learning from the best.”
“Don’t feel much like the best right now,” I grumbled.
Hallie leaned forward, cupping my face with her hand. “You’re the best man I’ve ever known.”
Her lips ghosted across mine, featherlight, but a buzz lit beneath my skin, embers stoked somewhere deep.
I leaned into her, and Hallie’s tongue stroked mine. The moment her flavor exploded on my tongue, I was lost. I could’ve drunk Hallie dry and would still be starved for her taste.
She let out a mewl, and my dick pressed against my zipper. I forced myself to pull back, not to frighten her.
I lay my forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “I want you so bad it scares me sometimes.”
“I feel the same way,” she whispered against my lips.
“I don’t ever want to scare you.”
Hallie pulled back. She lifted a hand, her fingers tracing the line of my lips. “You don’t. What I feel does.”
Those gray eyes swirled, sparking silver. “But maybe that fear is good. It means I’m alive. I’ve been frightened for so long, but I’ve felt the bravest since I came here. Since you reminded me of everything I’m capable of.”
My rib cage gave a violent squeeze. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever known. The bravest.”
Hallie’s chest rose and fell, the swells of her breasts peeking out of her sweater with each move. “I want to be brave now.”
My mouth went dry. “Brave how?”
Hallie’s tongue parted her lips. “I want you to touch me.”