12. Reese
Reese
The first part of the day passed in a blur of endless road and occasional pit stops.
I was surprised at how little Nate complained.
He fell asleep again not long after we left the motel, but even after he woke up, he stayed fairly quiet.
A long road trip could be grueling for a kid, but he handled it like a champ.
I tried to stay focused on driving. But my brain kept offering a replay of the morning’s bathroom incident.
It wasn’t that I’d caught a glimpse of her naked. I had, but I’d been moving toward her, intent on keeping her from falling, so the visual had been nothing but a flash. It was the memory of my arm around her—my hand on her bare skin, her body pressed against me. Nothing between us but my clothes.
An instant hard-on when you know a ten-year-old kid is right behind you? Not great.
I needed to keep some distance between us. Too much was happening, and it was happening fast.
Just a few days ago, I’d been minding my own business in a roadside diner. Now, I was on the run from an outlaw motorcycle club with a single mom and her kid, heading for my hometown and the family I hadn’t seen in almost two decades.
It wasn’t the time for me to even consider giving in to my attraction to her. She couldn’t pay me—and I didn’t need or expect her to—but I had to think of her as a client. Keep her in that box.
We stopped for lunch, and when we got back in my SUV, Summer gave Nate headphones so he could play games on her phone for a while.
“Do you think we’ll make it by tonight?” she asked.
“Yeah, I figure we’ll roll into town around ten. We’ll grab a hotel for the night and figure things out tomorrow.”
“About all that,” she said. “There’s a lot to figure out.”
“I know.”
“The closer we get, the more I’m starting to worry about how this is all going to work. A hotel is fine for a night or two, but I need a stable place to live. And a job.”
“We’ll have options. There should be plenty of rentals in town. My dad and brother own a bunch, and even if they don’t have anything open, they’ll know someone who does. As far as jobs, we’ll have to see when we get there.”
“I guess I’m not all that worried about the job thing. I’ve always been able to find something. I’ll be able to pay rent and keep food on the table at least.”
The undercurrent of worry in her voice was impossible to miss. And I knew exactly where it was coming from.
“He didn’t follow,” I said.
“I know he didn’t. Yet. And I know we’re going farther away. But it’s hard to believe they’ll give up. They never have. And that was when Axel wasn’t even around.”
“You’ll be harder to find this time.”
“But not impossible. It’s not like I’m in witness protection and changing my identity.” She paused for a moment. “And you won’t…”
I waited to see if she’d finish her thought, but she didn’t.
“I won’t what?”
“You won’t always be there. And the thought of being alone scares me. You could be right up the street, but if Mayhem finds us, we’re screwed.”
An idea hit me like a bolt of lightning. Witness protection. Change their identity. Stay close so no one could get to them.
We could pretend to be a family.
It would help keep them hidden—help keep them safe. Mayhem was after Summer and Nate Lewis, a single mom and her son. Not Summer and Nate Haven, part of a family of three.
But I couldn’t. It was a terrible idea. Hadn’t I been telling myself all day that I needed to keep my distance? Consider her a client, nothing more. Except…
I could keep it professional. I’d even done it a few times before. Posed as a client’s boyfriend or husband as part of the job. Granted, it was only for a day or two, and only in public.
And I hadn’t been attracted to those women.
But what if Summer and I pretended to be married? We could pass off Nate as mine, or at least as my stepson.
I’d have to tell my family the truth. I couldn’t lie to them about something like that. But they’d keep our secret. And posing as a family would add a layer of protection for Summer. And for Nate.
Once we were sure the danger had passed, we’d feign a separation. Summer could go on with her life. And I could go on with mine.
“Hear me out,” I said. “I have an idea.”
Turning to look at me, she raised her eyebrows.
I cast a quick glance in the rearview. Nate wore the headphones and seemed engrossed in his game.
It felt like a replay of offering to take her to Tilikum. As soon as I said it out loud, I’d have to do it.
Here goes nothing.
“What if we pose as a family? You’re my wife, and Nate’s our son.
Or if that’s too weird, I could be his stepdad.
But you both use my last name. We find a place to live together, make it convincing.
Mayhem isn’t looking for a family of three, they’re looking for a single mom and her son.
It’s not perfect, but it could help keep you both hidden. ”
The way she gaped at me made me feel like an idiot. Like it was exactly the terrible idea I’d told myself it was. I shouldn’t have said it out loud.
“Sorry,” I said, hoping it wasn’t too late to retract it all. “It’s probably a stupid idea. I just thought setting things up so it’s not what Mayhem expects might help.”
“It’s not a stupid idea at all.”
“No?”
“It’s smart, actually. Sort of like witness protection without the feds.”
“Do you think Nate would go along with it?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “That won’t be a problem. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he looks at you like you’re a superhero.”
“I’m no hero.”
“Are you sure about that? You’ve been awfully heroic the last few days.”
I shook my head. I didn’t know what else to say.
“But how will this work? My ID says Lewis, and so does Nate’s birth certificate. That might make us easier to find. It’s one thing to say we’re Havens, but what about things like work and school? I’ll need documentation.”
“Don’t worry about that. I know a guy who can get us everything we need.”
“You know a guy? Does he owe you a favor, too?”
“Not him, no. But he’ll give me a discount.”
“I think the less I know about this, the better.”
I glanced at her with a hint of a smile. “Probably.”
“What about your family? That seems like a big secret to keep from them.”
“I’ll tell them the truth.”
“That’s good, but… Will they go along with it?”
“Yes. They absolutely will.” It had been a long time since I’d been a part of their lives, but I knew they would.
Hesitating, she rubbed her lips together. “So you’re sure about this?”
The hope in her voice made my chest feel tight. “Positive.”
She twisted in her seat and reached back to tap Nate on the knee. “Hey, buddy.”
He pulled off the headphones. “Yeah?”
“I need to talk to you about something. Reese and I are thinking we’ll be safer if we pretend that the three of us are a family. If Axel and his club keep searching, they’ll be looking for a mom and her son, not a family of three.”
“So, like, you and Reese are gonna get married?”
“Oh, no. We’ll pretend to be married. Just until we know we’re safe. Does that make sense?”
“Why don’t you just get married for real?”
The corners of her mouth lifted in a subtle smile. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s not how it works.”
His eyebrows drew in, like he was confused. “But we’ll be lying.”
She sighed. “I know it seems like that. Don’t think of it as lying. Think of it as pretending for a good reason. It’s like we’re going into hiding.”
“So I’m going to pretend you’re my parents?”
She nodded. “We can say Reese is your stepdad if that makes you more comfortable.”
My eyes flicked to Nate in the rearview. His expression was pensive, like he was really pondering what this would mean.
“And he’ll live with us?” he asked.
“Yes, exactly. We’ll all live together, like a family.”
The way his eyes lit up tightened my chest again.
“Reese has family in Tilikum, and we’re going to tell them the truth,” she continued. “They’ll know about Axel and the club and why we’re hiding. But to everyone else, we need to pretend. Do you think you can do that?”
He nodded emphatically. “Yes.”
“And we’re going to say your last name is Haven.”
“Nate Haven.” His smile grew. “I like that.”
She laughed. “Good. Let’s practice. Hi, I’m Summer. What’s your name?”
“I’m Nathaniel Haven.”
“Oh, your full name,” she said. “Do you want to start going by Nathaniel?”
He shrugged. “Nate’s fine. It’s easier to say. If you guys have more kids, do I still get my own room?”
I swallowed a laugh and looked toward the driver’s-side window so Nate wouldn’t see my expression in the mirror.
“Buddy,” she said. “We’re not really married. We aren’t having kids together.”
“I’m just asking in case you do. I don’t want to share my room with a baby. Especially if it’s a girl.”
She turned forward in her seat and shook her head. “I have no idea what to say to that.”
I met his eyes in the rearview. “You’ll have your own room no matter what, chief. How’s that?”
He smiled. “Okay.”
Summer laughed softly. I tried not to look at her. If I did, I’d get a glimpse of those mesmerizing eyes. Maybe start imagining a baby girl who looked just like her.
But from the corner of my eye, I noticed her steal a glance at me. She nibbled on her lower lip, and for the second time that day, I had an unexpected and very inconvenient hard-on with her kid only feet away.
Damn it.
I shifted in my seat, hoping she hadn’t noticed the effect she was having on me. It was going to take some serious discipline to pose as her husband without letting things get out of hand.
But I was a professional. It was all part of the job.
A volunteer job, but a job nonetheless.
The tires ate up the miles, bringing us closer to Tilikum. Closer to people who were not going to be happy to see me.
Things were about to get very interesting.