Love and Darkness (Small Town Secrets Book 7), page 8
First and foremost, though, I was a mother, and when I noticed his tie was crooked, there was no stopping myself. Walking over to him, I took the knot of that tie into my hand and adjusted it so it was straight. In that brief moment, I was overcome with the overwhelming urge to instead use my grip to pull his face into mine. So why I looked in his eyes then, I’ll never know, because my own could easily give me away and possibly scare the hell out of him.
Instead, the clarity of his gaze communicated that something else was happening here. For mere seconds, it felt like just the two of us existed in some kind of bubble, away from the world, away from our problems. It would be so easy to close that gap, to touch my lips to his…
“He looks great, mom. Geez, I don’t know why you guys look like we’re going to a Christmas party or somethin’.” JR’s words shocked me awake, helping me feel grounded. With a weak smile, I patted Brandon’s jacket next to his lapel as if urging myself to step away. “Me? I’m dressed like I’m going to a concert.” When I turned to find JR in his Anthrax t-shirt and faded blue jeans, he made the metal devil’s horn sign with one hand, banging his head—as if he were going to attend a rock concert, not a school one.
“There’s no mosh pit at the high school, JR.”
“Yeah, but there’s room for one. I could just start doing it. I bet a ton of people would join me.”
“I’m sure they would. Let’s go.”
We walked out to the car in darkness, the porch light acting as a beacon to the front door. As I pointed my key fob at the car to unlock the doors, Brandon asked, “Do you want me to drive?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t driven my family somewhere. Although I’d taught Annabel to drive the year before, it didn’t feel the same as being able to give the keys to someone else, to entrust him to take care of me and my family. With a smile, I handed Brandon the keys. “Sure. That would be nice.”
“Cool. Maybe we can crank the music, man,” JR said, yanking the back door open.
“Nice try.” I opened the passenger door as Brandon walked to the other side of the car. That he hadn’t offered to open my door for me set my fluttering insides at ease, reminding me instantly that my infatuation with this man was one-sided, despite the weird exchange in the house.
The ride to town was uneventful, allowing me to fully relax as we got closer. I had to direct Brandon, telling him which roads to turn on to get to the high school, home of the Winchester Bulldogs, and the only high school for miles and miles around. As was always the case when it came to any extracurriculars, the parking lot was packed—not quite as full as the attendance for a football game, but it was nothing to sneeze at, meaning we had to walk a little way across the dark asphalt. As the cool breeze touched my shoulders, I wished I’d put on some sort of jacket, but the dress looked better without one.
Once we entered the auditorium, we managed to find three seats together near the front. As was usually the case, all the prime spots in the middle had been snatched up early, and so most of the available seats were in the extreme areas that would require either squinting or craning the neck. I didn’t mind it because, at least from where we were, I’d be able to see the details in my daughter’s face.
JR was looking around, and when he turned back in his seat, I could tell he’d seen someone he hadn’t wanted to. When I cocked my head in question, he gave a slight shake of his head and a half smile before opening the program on his lap, pretending to become absorbed in it. I looked up at the stage, bare for the most part, wondering how long this concert would last. Annabel had been in choir every year, and every concert had been a minimum of two hours but usually three. I wasn’t tired, so I wouldn’t mind any length…and if JR had been telling the truth about only a little homework left, we’d be okay. When I glanced over at Brandon, at first I guessed he was deep in thought. He held his chin in his hand and was glancing down, but, after a moment, I became convinced he was staring at my knee.
I had to ask myself if that was significant in any way while my body grew warm at the mere thought.
For one magnificent second, I allowed myself to believe he was looking at my knee on purpose, in a way only a desirous man might, and I closed my eyes to let the sensation wash over me. When had been the last time I’d felt wanted, needed, desired? Far too long. So long that the sensation felt foreign but not unwelcome.
What might a man be thinking when he gazed upon a woman’s smooth, shaved knee? I could only imagine, but I knew the kind of things I’d thought when glancing upon Brandon’s bare torso weeks ago, and those ponderings hadn’t been innocent, any more than the way he might be looking upon the bend in my leg.
But he didn’t shift his gaze in the short time I allowed myself to feel a thrill, leading me to believe that his glance was absentminded, a reminder that there was definitely nothing covetous nor desirous about it. I tried to will away the flushed feeling to no avail, at last experiencing relief as the house lights dimmed and the stage grew bright, taking my attention away from my inappropriate—and unfounded—emotions.
Chapter Ten
As I’d suspected, the concert lasted for close to three hours and, following our tradition, we all met at the local ice cream shop on Main Street. It stayed open extra late on nights when the high school had goings on—a smart business move financially but also a great way to be part of the community. The previous tension between Liam and Brandon seemed subdued, although there was no ignoring the sneer that crossed Liam’s face when he saw the suit.
Had he chosen to say anything, he would have had to deal with me.
But things went well as we ate our dishes of ice cream and let Annabel chatter about behind-the-scenes goings on during the concert.
We got home close to eleven, and I shooed JR off to bed immediately—or tried. Annabel, tired, ambled up the stairs, but JR found one excuse after another to hover, mainly because he was trying to talk to Brandon. He’d been denied a lot of that tonight, being stuck in a stuffy auditorium all evening. Finally, Brandon said, “Tell you what. I’ll tell you a story while you brush your teeth if you promise to go to bed right after.”
“A story? What am I? Five?”
“Not just any story…a story about me and your brother.”
“You’re on.” As JR started walking toward the stairs, he said, “What’re you waiting for?”
When Brandon smiled at me, I could have kissed him right then and there, and I decided that he and I were going to have a little reward once JR was in bed. Opening the pantry door, I got on the floor to reach behind the canned goods to find my stash of wine. By the time Brandon rejoined me a good ten minutes later, I had already poured two glasses and was sipping on mine.
“You drink wine?”
“On occasion.”
He picked up the glass and took a sip. “This is good stuff.”
Instead of talking, we sat in the quiet of the kitchen enjoying each other’s company without saying a word. As we got to the bottom of our glasses, my head had filled with so many naughty thoughts, it was brimming over. Brandon was smart, though, removing temptation from me when he said he wanted to turn in for the evening.
Probably a good idea.
Before he got to the kitchen door, he said, “This suit probably can’t go in the washing machine, can it?”
“Right. We can wash the shirt but not the suit. But as long as you didn’t sweat in it or spill anything on it, it’ll probably be okay another time or two as long as you hang it and let it air out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And then you’ll want to have it dry cleaned when it gets dirty.”
After a pause that could have felt uncomfortable but didn’t, probably thanks to the wine, he said, “Thanks for helping me feel like I’m part of this family. It’s—”
The lump forming in my throat was as big as the one in his sounded—but I still had to fight it to say what I needed to say. “Thank you for joining our family. I think…we needed you.”
A small wistful smile turned up his lips. “Good night, Kimberly.”
“Night, Brandon.”
Before he could make it out the door, we heard a noise outside that sounded like something heavy hitting the porch or crashing into the wall. Our eyes locked as we both held our breath, listening for something else. After several long seconds, I was sure it was nothing and almost shrugged—but then we heard something else, this time a noise that sounded like a scratch on a screen window.
Brandon raised an eyebrow and loosened the tie, pulling it off his neck and over his head in one swift motion, followed by pulling off his already unbuttoned jacket and handing them both to me. “I’m gonna check it out. It’s probably nothing.”
As he rolled up his sleeves, I followed him toward the front door, considering making what would have been an unhelpful comment about not having any bears around our property. But he had already flipped on the porch light and opened the front door to survey the landscape. Peeking his head back in the house, he asked, “Do you have a flashlight?” But then he switched the light off. “Never mind.” Before I could say a word, he stepped onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind him.
What the hell was he doing?
Deciding a flashlight was a good idea, I raced through the house toward the back porch and grabbed one, but maybe I could do more. If there was some kind of creep checking out the house, flipping on a lot of lights might be a good idea. I even considered calling the cops, but I wasn’t sure what was happening yet. It might be a false alarm.
Then I wondered what if, despite what I thought, I’d been wrong? I’d heard rumors of bears being sighted in lower elevations. What if Brandon was running out to meet his doom as a victim of a wild animal?
Rushing out the door after flipping the porch light back on, I hesitated, looking and listening, trying to figure out where he was, because he wasn’t anywhere in my line of sight. My ears perked up, straining to hear animal sounds. Instead, I heard human scuffling and guttural noises on the side of the house where my bedroom and office were situated.
As I rushed over there, I turned on the flashlight because, at the moment, I was all but blind. I shone a beam as I made it to the side of the house and I waved it around, searching until I caught sight of what I knew I was looking for.
Two people were involved in some kind of skirmish, one of them Brandon. Although the other person was standing, Brandon was on top of the guy’s back, almost as if he were riding piggyback, except Brandon had one arm wrapped around the guy’s throat in a sleeper hold. As I got closer, the look on Brandon’s face was unmistakable, that of a soldier—cold and focused. The man suffering under his grip was taller than Brandon, but not by much, and as I tried to figure out how to help with this intruder, I realized he was none other than my ex-husband Melvin.
“Brandon,” I said, trying to get my young friend’s attention. But he wasn’t quite present. Instead, his conscious mind seemed to be shut off, his only purpose to harm or kill the man in his grip.
It was frightening.
“Brandon! Brandon!” In all the movement and commotion, I still managed to grab one of his arms. His flesh felt like pure steel under my hand. I kept the flashlight in the other, waving it toward his face, until I saw something register in his eyes, something conscious and alert, less robotic. Then his expression changed to one of confusion, of question, and I seized that opportunity to speak again. “Brandon, let him go.”
Even though he seemed to be more aware of what was going on, he kept a relentless grip on my ex—and the man seemed about ready to pass out. His eyes were fluttering, threatening to roll to the back of his head. I kept my grip on Brandon’s hard forearm, trying to exert my own pressure. “Brandon, this is my ex-husband, Annabel and JR’s father. Please let him go!”
Brandon seemed to respond not to my actual words but to the panicked tone in my voice, and he tilted his head slightly before his arm relaxed under my hand. I stood back while Brandon untwined his arms and slid off Mel’s back.
After the men had regained their footing, I asked, “Mel, what the hell are you doing here? And why are you creeping around the house like a peeping Tom?” When a dog barked in the distance, I knew we couldn’t stay outdoors because the ruckus would disturb the neighbors. “Get inside,” I ordered before he could even answer.
While we walked around to the front of the house, Mel found his voice. “I wanted to see Annabel and congratulate her on a job well done.”
“And you couldn’t use the front door like a normal person?”
“Am I welcome inside nowadays?”
It was like he’d gotten stupider as he aged, but I wasn’t going to say anything else until we got inside. A big part of me loved how Brandon still seemed bristly and aggressive. It was a side of him I’d never seen before and it wasn’t helping my undying crush on the young man.
Once we’d closed the front door, I didn’t let Mel in any farther. “I’m glad you came to see Annabel. I am. But explain to me why you chose to sneak around the house.”
Cocking an eyebrow, he glanced sideways at Brandon who was acting like he was just waiting for Mel to get out of hand. “The last time I saw you, Kim, you weren’t exactly happy to see me.”
My jaw stiffened but I tried so hard to stay calm. “The last time you saw me, Mel, you were getting a blowjob from your Barbie wife in your car while waiting to pick up our children.”
“That was a long time ago.”
I just raised my eyebrows because he knew as well as I that his position was indefensible.
So, of course, he changed the subject, shifting his weight to the other foot, cocking his head. “Who’s this?”
When I turned my head to the man I now considered my official hero, I relished the fact that one of his lovely eyebrows was arched in judgment at my ex-asshole. I tried to keep the disgust out of my voice as I answered Mel. “This is Brandon Abbott. He was a friend of Gabriel’s while they were both in the Marines. I invited him to stay here with us until he gets on his feet.”
Mel’s expression grew darker. “And did you know he’s been fucking our daughter?”
Brandon said, “Where did you get that idea?”
“When I saw you just now—which was why I was being sneaky.”
In all fairness, I’d had my suspicions that Brandon had half an eye on Annabel, but his denial at that moment seemed so sincere, I couldn’t doubt his word. Even if I did, that was my problem, not Mel’s. He didn’t have the right to play father for forty-eight hours a year and steamroll over me. “Do you even hear yourself, Mel?”
“When did I supposedly sleep with your daughter?”
“I just saw you in her bedroom.”
That was when I knew the man had lost his mind, because Brandon had been with me the whole time—well, all except for when he’d gone upstairs with JR.
Had something happened then?
Mel moved so quickly, I didn’t see it coming, pinning Brandon against the wall. I’d already seen how ferocious Brandon could be, but Mel had the element of surprise working in his favor at the moment. Bringing his fist back, Mel prepared to pummel Brandon’s beautiful face. I wasn’t as strong as he, but I grabbed his arm just the same. If nothing else, I could soften the blow, slow him down.
Mel growled. “Goddammit, Kim.”
JR ran out of his room and stood at the top of the stairs with a dumfounded look, but Annabel came running down in her tiny pink nightie. “No, daddy!”
“You and I will be talking next, young lady.”
I loved how Mel had been gone for years but felt the need to lay down the parenting law when he no longer had the right to use that power. Annabel now stood on the tread above her father, and I began to wonder if perhaps she did care about Brandon more than she should. Then, though, Liam appeared next to JR, and I figured it out.
Annabel’s flight down the stairs, however, had distracted Mel enough that Brandon was able to get loose, and now I feared he might unleash on my ex. He restrained himself, though, and Mel wasn’t sure what to do. Shifting his eyes from his daughter in thin nightclothes that left little to the imagination to his son and her boyfriend at the top of the stairs, he said, “And who the hell is that? Are you taking in every stray you can find?”
Annabel said, “That’s my boyfriend, daddy, the person you’ve accused of raping me.”
“Raping? Is that what he was doing?”
My daughter’s cheeks were flushed, her pupils enlarged with rage. “First of all, father, I am an adult. Second of all, what I do with my boyfriend is my business. And, third, where the hell do you get off, pretending to care?” Mel opened his mouth, ready to speak, his finger in the air, but then he lowered it, as if his balloon had deflated. “That’s what I thought.” Annabel marched back up the stairs vehemently, grabbing Liam’s hand at the top. “Come on.”
“Uh…Liam, you need to get home now.” I didn’t quite know how he’d gotten in her room in the first place and, although I was shocked by what was going on, now was not the time for twenty questions. Liam rolled his eyes, but Annabel frowned, obeying me and leading him down the stairs. “JR, honey, why don’t you go to bed?”
My son nodded and turned around, but instead of sleeping, he was probably going to simply lie in bed, listening to the proceedings so he could ask about them the next day. I shifted my eyes from him toward Brandon who kept a sharp focus on my ex.
Annabel shut the front door quickly and darted past us and up the stairs, having sent her boyfriend off. When Mel’s nostrils flared, I said, “Let’s go to the kitchen.”
Soon, the three of us stood behind the door and Mel was a ticking timebomb once again. “Is this how you parent, Kim? Letting our daughter gallivant around in flimsy nightclothes with her boyfriend like a common whore?”
