Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls, Book Three), page 34
Chapter 31
“What are you doing here?” Gideon pulled up short in the doorway of the kitchen.
“Gideon,” Grace said, “don’t.”
“It’s fine,” Addison said. She knew that Gideon would be angry with her. He was Preacher’s best friend, and she’d be disappointed with him if he wasn’t kind of an asshole to her.
“I came by to talk and ask you for a favour,” Addison said.
“I’m not asking Preacher to forgive you,” Gideon said. “Not when you fucked him over the way you did.”
“Gideon!” Grace’s look was half-exasperation and half-love. “I know Preacher is your best friend, but don’t be a dick, okay?”
“It’s fine,” Addison repeated. “Grace, honey, can you give me and Gideon a minute?”
Grace nodded and stood up before calling for Tank who was sitting in Addie’s lap. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”
The big dog lumbered out of the kitchen, but Grace paused in the doorway next to Gideon. She cupped his jaw and tugged his head down before pressing a kiss against his mouth and then whispering into his ear.
He nodded and while Addison couldn’t hear what Grace had said to him, the look of anger on Gideon’s face dimmed a little. He even sat down next to her at the table as Grace left the kitchen.
“How is he?” Addison said.
“Since you broke his goddam heart a week ago? Not so fucking hot, to tell you the truth,” Gideon said. “Tell me something, Addie, did you give him any chance to explain his past, or did you immediately tell him the two of you were finished as soon as your prick of a fiancé told you and the rest of the goddamn town he was an ex-convict?”
“Ex-fiancé,” she said. “How do you know he told other people in town?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the dozens of phone calls from people asking me if what Harrison said is true and if they needed to be worried about a man like Preacher in their town.”
She rubbed at her forehead. “Has it affected his business?”
Gideon laughed bitterly. “No. If anything, it’s fucking increased business. I guess for some folks, the idea of being tattooed by an ex-convict gives them a fucking thrill.”
She could see his anger seeping back into him, and he tapped his fingers on the table with a hard rat-tat-tat. “I knew it was a bad idea for the two of you to get together. I knew you’d break his heart, but I thought it was because you weren’t over Harrison. I never imagined it would be because you judged him for his past.”
“What exactly did he tell you?” she said.
“He won’t tell me shit,” Gideon said. “He’s barely fucking talking at all. He just said that you found out he was an ex-convict and that it was over between the two of you. Did you even give him a chance to explain or -”
“Gideon, he broke up with me,” she said. “I told him I didn’t care about his past and that I loved him. He said it wouldn’t work and that it was over.”
The hard rhythm of his fingers slowed on the table. “I – what?”
“Simon ended it with me,” she said.
He scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Fuck! Jesus Christ, I’m sorry, Addie. I shouldn’t have assumed like that, but I…”
“You see your best friend hurting,” she said, “and you want to protect him.”
She squeezed Gideon’s forearm. “You’re a good friend, Gideon.”
He shook his head. “Not that good of a friend. I told him repeatedly not to get involved with you.”
That stung, but she knew why he’d done it and she tried not to take it personally. “You were just trying to protect him.”
“I was, but it was still a shit thing to do. I could see how much he liked you,” Gideon said. “Did he tell you anything about his past?”
“No,” she said. “Harrison said he went to prison for armed robbery but that’s all I know.”
“He was the driver,” Gideon said. “He never went into the bank and he never had a weapon on him. He fell in with the wrong people and they convinced him to do the job with them. They were arrested a few days later. Preacher was given ten years but released after four for good behaviour. He kept his nose clean and he finished his parole. He’s a good man who made a mistake, Addie.”
“I know,” she said. “Kira told me once that Preacher told her you saved his life. Will you tell me how?”
He hesitated, a look of discomfort crossing his face. “Did Simon ever tell you why he’s called Preacher?”
“I asked him, but he avoided the question.”
“He got the nickname in prison. His cellmate was an old man who went by Preacher. He used to be a pastor back in the day, I guess. He got into drugs, did some robberies to pay for the drugs, and in one of the robberies, a man was killed. He’d been clean for years by the time Simon met him, and he ran the church group in the prison which is how he got the nickname Preacher.”
Gideon leaned back in his chair. “One of the other prisoners started after the pastor. No particular reason why, just decided he could make his life miserable, so he did. Eventually, it turned to physical violence. He went after the old man and Preacher stopped him. Beat the shit out of the guy and threatened to kill him if he ever tried to hurt the pastor again.”
“Simon didn’t get in trouble with the guards?” Addison said.
“None of the other prisoners ratted Simon out. This guy was a real shit and Preacher said he’d had the beating coming to him for a while. Anyway, they started calling Simon the preacher’s son because of the way he looked out for the old man.”
“What happened to the pastor when Simon got out of prison?” Addison said.
“He’d died two years before, colon cancer. After he died, Simon went from the preacher’s son to just Preacher. One of his fellow inmates got out on parole around the same time as Simon. They actually worked at the same tattoo place together until the guy went back to prison for drug trafficking. But he called Simon by his nickname at the shop and it stuck. He’s been Preacher ever since.”
“How did you save his life?” She knew Gideon wanted to avoid the question, but she needed to know.
“He’s a good man, Addie. He just made a bad decision, okay?” Gideon said.
“I know. Tell me the story,” she said.
“He wanted his own shop and couldn’t get a business loan because of his criminal record. He,” Gideon hesitated, “took a job again. As the driver.”
“What happened?” Addie whispered.
“I stumbled onto him by stupid luck while out patrolling and talked him out of it. Told him to drive away and he did. I arrested the other guys. They tried to say Preacher was there too but there was no proof, it was their word against Preacher’s. I said I never saw Preacher at the scene and my partner, Martin, backed me up.”
“Why?” Addie said.
“Because I asked him to back me up,” Gideon said. “Martin knew Preacher was a good man who made a mistake.”
He glanced at her. “That’s all it was, Addie. A stupid mistake born out of desperation.”
“I know. Do you know about Jorge and Maria?” Addison said.
“Yeah. Preacher doesn’t talk much to them anymore. I thought it was because they rejected him, but I met them once and Maria said it was Preacher who stopped talking to them. They took him in, gave him a career he loved, and he believes he disappointed them by going to prison. Maria said they tried to tell him it didn’t matter, that they loved him and were still proud of him, but…”
“But he wouldn’t listen,” Addie said. “At least we know it’s a pattern with him.”
Gideon sighed. “I tell him every fucking day that he deserves to be happy, that he’s not below me or anyone else in this town, but it’s like talking to a brick wall.”
“He is pretty stubborn,” Addie said. While she was glad that she had talked to Gideon, glad to have gotten even a small piece of Preacher’s history, she was feeling depressed and sick to her stomach. If Preacher had abandoned Jorge and Maria, two people he loved and admired, what chance did she have? None. He had never said he loved her.
“You okay?” Gideon said.
“No. I miss him and I’m worried about him. He’s all alone in that tiny apartment and…”
Her eyes watered and she cleared her throat before dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favour and return his car to him? He gave it to me to use because I didn’t have a car, but it’s just been sitting in my parking spot. It doesn’t feel right to use it. I’d return it to him myself, but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to see me again.”
“Yeah, I can return it to him,” Gideon said. “I’m sorry, Addison. Sorry for being a dick, sorry it didn’t work out.”
“Thanks, Gideon.” She squeezed his arm again. “Can you make sure he knows that I won’t be going to Kira and Connor’s barbeques? He won’t go if he thinks I’m there and he needs our friends, you know?”
“You need them too,” Gideon said.
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s more important for him to have the support right now. I have my family, he only has us… I mean, you guys.”
She set the keys to Preacher’s car on the table before standing and kissing Gideon’s cheek. “His car is parked outside on the street. Thanks, Gideon. Take care of him for me, okay? Make sure he, like, eats and doesn’t spend all his time alone, all right?”
“I will. Bye, Addie.”
“Bye, Gideon.”
Preacher swallowed down the last of his beer as the group of tourists sitting across from him made a loud and raucous cheer. It was Friday night which meant the Thirsty Beaver was busy as fucking hell with tourists and locals. It was noisy and crowded and hot, and coming here had been a huge mistake.
But sitting in his apartment alone wasn’t exactly a fucking walk in the park either. He’d thought being at the Beaver where it would be crowded and loud, and drown out the sound of his inner thoughts, would be a relief.
It wasn’t. He could sit in the middle of a fucking tornado and his inner voice would still be talking about Addison Moore and just how badly Preacher had fucked up.
He pushed back his chair with a loud grunt and stood. He needed to get out of here. If he had to listen to the assholes at the table across from him talk about baseball for one more minute, he’d lose his fucking mind.
He strode across the pub, people automatically stepping out of his way. The don’t fuck with me look on his face worked great as a people deterrent. Just before he reached the door, his steps slowed, the jostling and shouting to his left drawing his attention.
He watched the two men shout and shove at each other before, with a harsh sigh, walking toward them. The idiot was gonna get himself fucking killed, or at the very least have his ass handed to him on a fucking tray.
Just as he reached them, the bigger man cocked his hand back to throw a punch. Preacher caught him by the wrist, grinning at the man when he whipped around and glared at him. “What the fuck do you…”
The man trailed off. He was big, at least 6’3”, but whether it was the grin on Preacher’s face or the aforementioned don’t fuck with me vibe, he didn’t try to do something extraordinarily stupid like punch Preacher.
“There a problem here?” Preacher said.
“This asshole insulted me and my friend,” the man said.
“The fuck I did,” the smaller man said. “It’s not my fault you stink like beef and cheese, and your friend looks like Captain Kangaroo on a bender.”
“Shut up, Daniel,” Preacher said without looking at Addison’s brother. He squeezed the bigger man’s wrist before dropping it. “The idiot’s drunk. Walk away, brother.”
“He needs to be taught a lesson,” the man said. “His fucking mouth is gonna get him in some real trouble some day.”
“You think you’re the one to teach it to me, you smelly little leprechaun?” Daniel taunted. “I’ll kick your ass so hard you’ll be tasting my fucking boot in your throat.”
The man surged forward. Preacher shoved his way between them, pushing the man back. “Get the fuck outta here.”
“What are you, his fucking boyfriend?” the man spat.
“I said leave. Now,” Preacher said. He grabbed Daniel’s arm, squeezing it hard when he tried to move past Preacher. “Keep your fucking mouth shut, Daniel.”
When the man continued to stand there, his chest puffed out like an angry raccoon, and his nostrils flaring, Preacher said, “Walk away, asshole. Last chance.”
“You’re lucky your boyfriend showed up, you fucking dickhead,” the man said to Daniel.
Daniel flipped him the bird and laughed, swaying on his feet as the man and his friends walked away. “Nice, Preacher. Pound it, baby.”
He held his fist out to Preacher. Preacher ignored it and, still holding Daniel by the arm, started toward the door. “Let’s go.”
“I’m not done my fucking beer,” Daniel slurred. “Preacher, lemme go.”
“Move,” Preacher said. He half dragged, half-carried Daniel out into the warm night air.
Daniel slung his arm around Preacher’s shoulders and grinned up at him. “Hey, who’s the firefighter here? I should be carrying you.”
Preacher rolled his eyes as Daniel said, “Can you give me a ride home, man? I’ve had a bit too much to drink and shouldn’t drive.”
“Like you could even stay on my fucking bike,” Preacher said. “Give me your keys.”
Daniel handed him his keys. “It’s the red truck over there.”
Sighing, Preacher headed toward the truck, dragging Daniel with him.
Chapter 32
“Where the fuck is your housekey?” Preacher said. He had leaned Daniel against the house, and he prodded him in the chest. “Daniel, wake up.”
Daniel cracked open one eye. “Wha? Whassup?”
“Where’s your housekey? None of these keys are working.”
Daniel squinted at the house. “Wha’ the fuck? This ain’t my house, man.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? This is the address you gave me,” Preacher said.
“Nah, couldn’t be. This isn’t my house, this is my -”
The porch light turned on, nearly blinding Preacher, and Daniel lifted his hand to block the light. “Jesus, turn down the sun, would ya?”
The front door opened, and Preacher stared at the auburn-haired woman standing in the doorway in a silk robe. “Oh, Daniel,” she said.
“Hey, Ma.” Daniel waved at her. “What’s happening? You got any toast. I’m hungry.”
She sighed and stepped back. “Can you bring him inside?”
Preacher hesitated before helping Daniel into the house. He leaned Daniel against the wall as a man came down the stairs, belting a robe around his waist. “Belinda, who is… Daniel, is that you, son?”
“Hey, Dad!” Daniel stumbled forward, laughing when his Dad caught him around the waist. “You wanna make me some toast?”
His dad brushed the hair out of Daniel’s eyes. “Son, you’re drunk.”
“Nah, just a little tipsy.”
His father slid his arm around his waist. “C’mon, kid, let’s get you into the bed in the spare room.”
“Yeah, sure, okay. Hey, thanks for the ride home, Preacher.” Daniel waved at him. “You’re all right, man.”
As Addison’s father helped Daniel up the stairs, her mother smiled at Preacher. “So, you’re our Addie’s Preacher. I’m so happy to meet you. I know it’s late, but will you come into the kitchen and have some tea?”
He stared blankly at her. Addie’s Preacher? What the hell was happening.
He had no idea but having a cup of tea with Addison’s mother was number one on the list of very bad ideas. “Oh, uh… I should probably get going.”
“Just one cup,” she said. She walked down the hallway and disappeared into the kitchen. After a moment, feeling like a very large sandbag had been dropped onto his head, Preacher followed her.
She’d already turned on the electric kettle and put tea bags into three mugs. “I guess I should ask if you like tea,” she said.
“I do.”
“Good,” she said. “Sit down, Preacher.”
He sat, or rather his knees unhinged and he mostly fell into the chair. He watched in stunned disbelief as Addison’s mother set out a delicate porcelain cream and sugar set and a plate of ginger cookies before pouring hot water into the mug and handing it to him.
She smiled when she caught him staring at the cream and sugar set. “Isn’t it divine? I bought it at a flea market in this little town in England. Clark and I went to Europe for our fifteenth anniversary. Have you ever been to Europe?”
“No,” he said.
“Have a cookie,” she said and pushed the plate toward him.
“Mrs. Moore, I appreciate the cookies but -”
“Call me Belinda,” she said. “Thank you so much for giving Daniel a ride home. Clark and I do appreciate you looking out for our boy.”
“It was no problem.” He shifted in his chair. “He, uh, he gave me this address by mistake.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “He seems to have had a terrible lot to drink.”
She sipped at her tea. “So, it really is lovely to meet you. Addison has told us so much about you.”
“She has?”
“Yes. She hasn’t stopped talking about you since we got home. It’s a shame that it didn’t work out between the two of you. It’s clear that Addison is very taken with you. Why, she wasn’t this upset when she found out that dirty dink Harrison cheated on her.”
“I… she… what?” he said.
Addison’s father walked into the kitchen. Preacher stood and shook his hand when he held it out to him. “Clark Moore.”
“Simon Wells,” Preacher said.
“Good to meet you,” Clark said. “Are you a friend of Daniel’s?”
“Honey, Simon is Addie’s Preacher.”
“Oh, right, of course!” Clark pumped his hand a couple more times. “Real nice to meet you then. Addie hasn’t stopped talking about you since we got home. Have a seat. Did you try some of Belinda’s ginger cookies? They’re delicious.”
