Chapter 10
TAYA
“How are you holding up under questioning?”
“I haven’t asked for an attorney yet. Do you think I should?”
“Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything, but I think talking without representation is a very bad idea.”
“I think Blaine and Brandt are following the rules of the Geneva Conventions, so at least I know I’m safe, right?”
“Depends on what the charges are.”
“Fornicating with a biker without knowing his real name.”
“I can fix that problem. It’s Cheval Blanchet. When I was a kid, my friends called me Chevy, and they gave me the road name ‘Chewie’ while I was in Tenillo because of my hair and fascination with Star Wars.”
“That’s a unique name. I like it.”
“Je porte le nom de mon grand-père. Lui et ma grand-mère ont quitté la France pour emmener avec eux lorsque ma mère était adolescente.”
“Is that French? Did you use Google Translate?”
“Yes, that’s French, and I didn’t need to use an app because I speak it fluently.”
“No shit?!”
“Given that my grandparents spoke English only when necessary, I had no choice but to learn.”
“Beauty and the Beast was set in France!”
“That was completely out of left field, but I’ll roll with it. I guess that’s probably why the candlestick guy has an accent.”
“You know what this means, don’t you?”
“I guess not.”
“We met in a bookstore, and that’s definitely a Belle kind of place. You’re hairy and growly like Beast too.”
“Accurate, but still not following.”
“We can dress as Beauty and the Beast for Halloween next year!”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll have the flu. I’m feeling sick already, so it will probably be really bad by then.”
“Come on, Chewie! It will be fun.”
“I think we should take a break around mid-October, but we can kick things off again on the first of November.”
“Is there any way I can convince you?”
“Probably, and you’ve got eleven months to figure out how.”
“Challenge accepted.”
During my texts with Chewie, I listened to my sons talking in hushed tones, able to multitask like that after years of experience as a mother, and overheard Blaine say, “Look at her face. When was the last time you saw her smile like that?”
“I’ve never seen her smile like that,” Brandt mumbled.
“Shit. We’re gonna have to give this guy a chance.”
“Did you hear her say he’s got a record?”
“Mom built a company from the ground up, Bry. She’s been around plenty of men who have a sprinkling of a criminal record in their history.”
It took everything I had not to laugh at that description, but Blaine was correct. The towing industry had some nefarious characters, and I had a million and one stories to tell from my years working in it.
“You’re forgetting that Dad was there, too, so at least she had some protection.”
“Dad works about as often as a McDonald’s ice cream machine, and you know it. And it’s not like she’s all alone, dumbass! She’s got us.”
“I’m glad you live out here so you can keep an eye on things.”
“If she keeps smiling like that, I’m going to stay as far away from the house as possible so I don’t accidentally see something I don’t want to.”
“You do realize she’s a grown-ass adult who is sitting right here?
” I asked. Jade barked out a laugh, and Ollie mimicked her even though he didn’t know what they were laughing about.
I smiled as I looked from one son to the other and reminded them, “I’m a woman of sound mind and body who can make big, important life decisions all by myself. ”
“Somebody needs to take care of you,” Brandt argued.
“I’ve been taking care of myself since long before you came on the scene, young man,” I snapped, irritated that my son seemed to think I was helpless and would flounder without his wisdom and direction.
“I’d like for you guys to meet Chewie, and I expect you to treat him with the respect due any guest in my home when you do. ”
“I don’t know about all this,” Blaine muttered.
“It creeps me out that you met him so long ago and just happened to run into him again far from home. It makes me think he’s been stalking you.”
I gave Brandt a bored look before I said, “I had a picture of the man in my office since we met by chance and he helped me out when I needed him. If anyone’s a stalker in this situation, it’s more than likely me.”
“You’ve got a picture of him in your office?” Blaine asked.
“It’s that guy!” Brandt said as he abruptly stood up and walked out of the dining room.
Blaine followed him out, and as soon as they were gone, Jade asked, “Have they always been this pushy?”
“It started during the divorce and mellowed out over time, but it’s apparently come roaring back since they figured out that I’m not going to waste away all alone in this house forever.”
“I know Blaine has worried about how secluded you are out here.”
“I’m not secluded! You’re here all day, he pops in and out, and I’ve got friends that I spend plenty of time with.”
“But this is a man friend,” Jade teased.
She leaned forward and whispered, “And holy shit, the sight of him shirtless was almost enough to stop me from running out of here screaming like I was in a slasher film. The fact that he was still shirtless when you convinced me to come back in was a treat I won’t forget. Thank you for that.”
“Don’t thank me, thank God. That man’s body is a gift from above.”
“It’s as if they think this is the first man you’ve been interested in since your divorce!”
“I was very careful to keep my dating life separate from my mom life. They had a revolving door of women at their father’s house, and it upset and confused them.
It seemed like every time they got to know one, she was suddenly gone and soon replaced, and then they would have to start the process all over again. ”
“Blaine has mentioned that. We ran into a lady at the grocery store, and I was surprised when he gave her a hug and she gushed about how much he’d grown.”
“That must have been Geneva. We loved her, but I was secretly happy when they broke up because I had been in her shoes and knew she could do better.”
“You’ve never introduced them to anyone you’ve dated or been intimate with?”
“It’s not like the list wraps around the block, Jade!”
“I know that! But they think you’ve got a secretive smile because you’re finally crushing on somebody. I know better.”
“You think so?”
“That’s the smile of a woman who is sore in all the right places and can’t wait until the next time she gets to do it all again.”
“You’re right! As soon as all of you get out of my hair, I’m going to his house to do exactly that.”
◆◆◆
“I’m happy to see that you survived the interrogation,” I said as I opened Taya’s door.
Once she slid out of the SUV, I pulled her into my arms and gave her a kiss, not willing to admit how much I’d missed her in the few hours we’d been apart.
It made sense after spending six days by her side, only being apart when one of us went to the bathroom, but now that I was home, I should be able to get back into my routine without my mind being flooded by constant thoughts of her and what she might be doing.
Taya smiled at me and said, “I have a feeling my interrogation wasn’t nearly as intense as yours is going to be.”
“You’re going to let me meet them?”
“You’re not my dirty little secret, Cheval.”
“Si vous comptez utiliser mon vrai nom, alors nous devrions commencer à parler en francais.”
“Oui, monsieur,” Taya purred.
“Tu parles francais?”
“Um . . . oui, monsieur?”
I snorted with laughter before I choked out, “You probably shouldn’t agree to something if you don’t understand it.”
“I trust you.”
“Je t'aime plus que les crêpes, Taya.”
“I understood part of that sentence!”
I kissed her on the end of her nose before I laughed and said, “Your name doesn’t count, sweetheart.”
“Can I call you Cheval?”
“I’d rather you called me Chevy. The only people who ever called me Cheval were my grandparents and the cops.”
“Where are your parents?”
“My mom is out there somewhere, I’m sure. She pops up now and then before she disappears again. I’m not sure who my father was since she’s told me several names over the years.”
“And your grandparents?”
“They passed while I was in prison. My mom was a surprise. That’s why there’s sixteen years between her and her brother and even more years between her and the rest of her siblings, so my grandparents didn’t raise her like the rest of their kids.
She got away with a lot more than the others, and I think that’s why she is the way she is.
When I came along, they were retired. My grandmother was 82 and Grandpa was 85 when I was incarcerated. ”
“Oh my. So, if I’m doing the math right, that means your mom is . . .”
When Taya hesitated, I said, “She’s 66 this year.
All of her siblings are gone now. I really wasn’t close to any of them because of the age gap, but I keep in touch with some of my cousins and their kids and grandkids.
This is a pretty heavy conversation to have in the driveway. I’m glad it’s not raining.”
“I don’t think it’s a heavy conversation at all. Obviously, you’ve got friends that are more like family and your daughter, of course, so you’re not alone.”
“And now I have you.”
“Until you get tired of me.”
I shuffled us out of the way and shut the door before I asked, “Did you bring an overnight bag?”
“It’s in the back seat.”
“I’ll get it while you tell me about your family.”
“There’s not much to tell. My brother lives in South America and visits once a year. My parents live in California, but they’re planning on moving here next year. They’re currently looking for property nearby, but I’m trying to convince them to just add on to my house.”
“They’re not interested?”
“I’m going to win the argument. They just don’t know it yet.”
I pulled her bag out of the back and shut the door before I took her hand and walked toward the porch. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
“I like it. You’ve been here ever since you moved back to Oregon?”
“I have. I moved in with Samara and Vincent to help her take care of him with the understanding that I’d stay until she got out of school and was ready to either sell the house or settle down in it.
It was a little run-down when I moved in because Vincent had been caring for his wife for a while before he got sick, but I think I’ve managed to get it into pretty good shape. ”
“Is Samara here now?”
“No. She’s out with her girlfriends at some party. I don’t really keep tabs on her, but we communicate pretty well.”
“That’s good. It took a while for me to get used to not knowing where Brinn was all the time, probably because she was my last baby to leave the nest.”
“Is she living in the dorms?”
“She does for now, but she’s been talking about moving in with some friends. I’m not sure if that has fallen through or if she’s still planning on it. It would be a helluva lot cheaper to pay rent on a place than to pay for the cost of living in the dorm, so I’m all for it.”
“Would you secretly rather she moved home?”
“Actually, I wouldn’t. We get along a lot better now that she’s moved out. I’m sure part of that comes with her growing and maturing, but I think it would be hard for us to live together again.”
I opened the front door and waited for Taya to go in before I followed her and then locked the door behind me. The house wasn’t in the worst neighborhood, but one couldn’t be too careful around here, so I said, “Make sure you lock your car.”
“Oh! Thanks for the reminder. I’ve gotten out of the habit since I usually park it in the garage at home.”
Taya pulled her key fob out of her purse and hit the button before she dropped it back in the side pocket and said, “Show me around your castle, Chevy.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No. I ate at home.”
I slung Taya’s bag over my shoulder and then swept her up in my arms before I started up the stairs. She squealed and wrapped her arms around my neck, and I laughed before I said, “The first thing I’d like to show you is my bedroom.”
“I can’t wait.”
◆◆◆
When Chewie’s phone buzzed on the nightstand, the sound woke me up, but I fell back to sleep as he answered the text. I was surprised when I felt the bed shift and Chewie pressed up behind me. I gasped when I felt his cold hand touch my hip and then slip around and delve between my thighs.
“You’re freezing!”
“Make me warm again,” Chewie ordered.
As if following his commands was already second nature, which I didn’t seem to mind doing when we were in the bedroom, I lifted my leg over his hip to give him better access.
Within seconds, I was more than ready for him to push inside me and moaned in ecstasy at the stretch that followed.
It was a different angle than I was used to, although we’d been in this position several times as we lazed around the cabin.
With Chewie’s hand on my clit and his mouth on my neck, it didn’t take long for me to come apart, yelling his name when the orgasm crested and listening to his hoarse shout when he came to completion too.
While he got a towel for me to clean up with, my mind drifted to the thought of how much I enjoyed sleeping and waking up next to him. After more than a week together, I was used to it and didn’t even want to think about how empty my bed would feel if I had to sleep alone again.
That could certainly happen. It was too early to tell if what we had would last, but a girl could dream, right?
As my eyes fluttered closed, that was on my mind, and when he gently cleaned his release off of me with a warm washcloth, I thought that he might just be the perfect man.
The rational side of me knew such a unicorn didn’t exist, but the dreamer in me knew I’d already found one.