Off Course, page 3
Countdown begins in three … two…
Becs locked her gaze on her computer screen when Evan pushed his chair back from his desk. She skimmed her email while he stretched and waited another minute when he went to the back of the barn where the restroom was.
Once she was alone in the space, she began running through what she wanted to say to him.
Hey, Evan. Your mom and I thought it would be best if I stayed the night and helped with the birthday party.
Hmm. No, that sounded like it had been Kaye’s idea. Since it hadn’t, she figured it was best not to blame Evan’s mother.
Hey, Evan. I talked to your mom the other day. I was thinking maybe I could spend the night and help with the birthday party.
No, that wouldn’t work. Without a direct question, Evan would likely shrug her off.
Hey, Evan. What do you think about me staying the night to help with the birthday party?
Maybe that was too forward.
Shit.
No matter how she worded it, she could imagine the look on his face. It was almost a foregone conclusion that he was going to stroke out when he thought she was inviting herself to stay the night. Of course, she wasn’t thinking she would spend the night in his bed. She figured the girls could build blanket forts in the upstairs game room, and Becs could sleep in Sophia’s room.
Hey, Evan. Mind if I camp out in your daughter’s bed this weekend? I’d like to help with the party.
God, she sounded like a moron.
Becs cleared her throat when she saw Evan coming toward his desk.
It was now or never.
“Hey, Evan.”
Before he fully turned toward her, his cell phone rang. Because he was always worried that something had happened to Sophia, he went to his desk and squinted at the screen.
He held up one finger, signaling he needed a minute.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
Becs did her best not to eavesdrop. Or to look at him. Neither was easy for her. First of all, they were in the same room, so she couldn’t very well tune out his conversation when no one else was around. Not without putting in her earbuds, but then she risked him leaving before she realized he was finished. And two, she really liked looking at Evan. Over the past couple of months, she’d noticed a few changes. When he first started working with the task force, he was one of those guys who seemed to blend with the background. With his light brown hair and dark brown eyes, he looked like a lot of guys one might see on a daily basis. At six feet tall, he’d been a little overweight, although he’d looked even bigger than he was because he wore suits that were too large for him.
She knew for a fact he’d started spending time at the gym. He’d lost twenty-two pounds, or so she had heard him telling his mother. And now that the weight was gone, so were the suits, which was a good thing. They would’ve swallowed him whole. She got the feeling Slade had worn off on him because Evan’s wardrobe had shifted from cheap suits to jeans and casual shirts that were cut to accentuate his muscular physique.
The interesting thing was it hadn’t been his physical changes that had drawn her to him. Becs had liked Evan just the way he was before he’d undergone the physical transformation. This version of him … well, he was hot. That’s what he was.
“All right, Mom. I’ll ask her, but I can’t imagine she’d say yes.” He paused for a moment before saying, “Yep. I’ll be home by five. Tell Sophia to relax. Her birthday weekend’ll start when it starts.”
Evan disconnected the call and tucked his phone in his pocket before grabbing his wallet and keys.
“Was that Kaye?” Becs asked, aiming for casual.
“Yeah. She’s got it in her head that I should ask you if you’d like to hang out this weekend to help with the party.”
“Hang out?”
His gaze shifted to the floor. “Stay the night or whatever.”
God, he was cute.
“I’m more than happy to help,” she said.
“You’ve probably got plans.”
“Nope,” she blurted a little too quickly. “I mean, you know. There’s the grocery store. But I can do that anytime.”
Evan met her gaze again. He nodded. “It’s up to you.”
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll hang out this weekend.”
For a brief moment, they stared at each other, and Becs felt the heat building somewhere deep in her soul. She knew she needed to ignore it, but by God, she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to do so.
Chapter Three
Reese stood at the grill, in charge of the food for the night’s festivities, while everyone else chatted and chilled. They’d been having these Friday night cookouts at the house for most of the summer. It hadn’t been intentional, but Reese enjoyed how the team came together outside the office as much as in it. It allowed them to socialize and talk about something other than work. It had become routine at some point, something Reese looked forward to at the end of a busy week.
“You need any help?”
“I’m good for now,” Reese told Baz as he rolled the line of sausage links on the grill. “I’ve got JJ’s burger almost done.”
“Has anyone else noticed how much we spoil her?”
Reese laughed, staring down at the grill as though noticing for the first time that there were sixteen sausage links and one hamburger patty.
Baz was right. They’d all been spoiling JJ for quite a while now. Sometimes, they were running out to get her something she was craving. Other times, they pitched in at her house when she wanted something moved or changed completely now that they’d moved in. Sure, Baz was doing most of the work, but everyone else did their best to help simply because they wanted to.
Reese wanted to say it was because of the pregnancy—which was partly true—but he knew it was more than that. Considering all JJ’d been through over the past year and a half, she deserved to be spoiled by all of them. First, she woke up to a grizzly scene in her house because her ex-boyfriend had staged his own kidnapping and used JJ to make it look real. Later that day, things had gone from bad to worse when her house blew up because that idiot ex-boyfriend had trusted the wrong people to help him. Thanks to Juliet Prince’s psychotic need to punish Travis Walker, they’d all ended up with targets on their backs. Then there was the guilt JJ still felt because she hadn’t been able to find Juliet before the unthinkable happened, and they lost a good friend.
As though that hadn’t been enough karmic injustice, throughout all of it, JJ’d had to sit back and watch when Baz thought he was having a baby with a one-night stand.
So, yeah, JJ deserved for them to treat her like a princess. And because she was pregnant, they could disguise it as merely helping out because she needed to take it easy. There was no way JJ would’ve sat back and accepted their help any other way.
“Did you crumble the bleu cheese into it?” Baz asked, looking over Reese’s shoulder.
Reese flipped the turkey burger once more. “Yeah. Just like she asked.”
Baz lowered his voice, a slight hint of fear in his tone. “And the pickled okra? Was someone able to find that?”
Reese grinned. “Elana has it all taken care of.”
“Thank God,” Baz huffed.
It was safe to say Baz was a good man, and he was good for JJ.
“Grab a plate,” Reese told him.
When Baz presented it, Reese set the turkey burger stuffed with bleu cheese on it.
“Lifesaver,” Baz muttered. “That’s what you are.”
Reese wouldn’t go that far, but he grinned. He grabbed his beer and took a sip while shifting the sausage links again. His gaze strayed to Brantley, who was in the yard, standing by Slade and Atticus, throwing the ball for Tesha while listening as Atticus told one of his animated stories.
Reese had stopped keeping a close eye on Atticus when he realized the kid only flirted with Brantley when he was around. No one else knew that he was aware of the ruse, and he maintained his defensive, jealous stance when the moment called for it, but not because he wanted to wring the kid’s neck. He didn’t. Not anymore.
No, Reese kept it up because he knew Brantley enjoyed it. The Navy SEAL who’d been hardened by life enjoyed that Reese was possessive. And he was. Brantley was his, and after all they’d been through, nothing and no one was going to come between them. Now that he knew Atticus was on the up and up, Reese liked him more.
“Dinner’s ready,” Reese announced, directing the statement at Luca, Elana, and Holly, who were inside, setting out everything they’d pitched in to buy for the meal.
“Feels kinda thin this week, huh?” Luca said, taking the plate of sausage links from Reese.
It was thin. Decker was off doing whatever assignment he’d been called up for. Charlie and Jay were still in Chicago finishing up so they could return home for a while. Darius was enjoying some family time at his sister’s wedding. Evan and Becs were also doing the family thing at Evan’s daughter’s birthday party. That left only nine of them. But it was exactly enough.
When everyone slipped inside to get food, Reese grabbed another beer from the cooler and walked over to where Brantley threw the ball to Tesha.
“You gonna eat?”
Brantley turned to him and smiled. “I figured I’d let them get theirs.”
Reese passed Brantley the beer.
He took it, but not before he leaned in and kissed Reese, lingering for longer than he normally did when people were around. Reese didn’t mind anymore. It no longer mattered to him where he was or who was around. Provided he had the chance to kiss this man for the rest of his life, he didn’t give a shit who witnessed it.
He’d come a long way in the past two years, and he wouldn’t change a thing.
Except maybe for Atticus to shift his attention to someone else’s man.
And fine, maybe it did still bother Reese.
Just a little.
***
“Carly’s here!” Sophia yelled. “Carly’s here, Dad! She’s here!”
Evan nodded at his daughter, doing his best to conceal his reaction. If Carly was there, then her mother was also there, which meant Evan’s weekend with Becs was about to begin.
Not that it was a weekend with Becs. She would merely be there. In the house. With him.
Why the hell did he agree to this again?
Evan should’ve told his mother that they didn’t need the help. Between him and Kaye, they could easily handle everything half a dozen eight- to nine-year-old girls could need. Seriously, how hard could it be to ensure they were fed and not running amok?
Oh, who was he kidding? He was outmaneuvered when there were only two. Multiply that by three, and he was in way over his head. At least with Becs there, they stood a chance.
As for whether he would survive the weekend … well, that was anyone’s guess. If Becs mentioned Luca even once, he would likely hide in his study until Sunday afternoon when the kids’ parents would return to get them.
A loud squeal sounded from the front of the house. It was followed by another loud squeal. That was how little girls communicated. Somehow, those squeals translated to “You’re here!” and “Yep! I am!” and “Let’s get this party started!”
“You’ll survive,” his mother said, patting him on the shoulder.
“They’re barely four feet tall. Of course, I’ll survive.”
Kaye grinned. “Sure. Let’s pretend you’re worried about the little girls.”
Evan frowned. “What?”
His mother chuckled. “I’ve seen the way you look at Becs.”
“You’ve seen no such thing,” he muttered, taking a sip from his coffee to keep from having to continue the conversation. It was six thirty in the evening. The last thing he needed was coffee, but he figured the girls would stay up until at least ten, and since his bedtime was nine at the latest, he needed the caffeine if he was expected to make it.
“Hey,” Becs greeted when she walked into the kitchen. Her pretty blue eyes shifted between him and his mother. “Are we the first ones?”
“You are,” Kaye answered. “Shelly’s mom called a few minutes ago. She’s on the way.”
Evan focused on breathing while Kaye ran through the list of girls who were coming and the status of their arrival. He did his best not to look at Becs, but she made it damn near impossible. She was wearing a black tank top with white shorts, both of which showed off her silky alabaster skin. Her shoulders were sprinkled with freckles, as were her nose and cheeks. He’d never found freckles sexy until Becs.
“I’ve made finger foods for dinner,” he heard Kaye say. “Little sandwiches. Bologna, turkey, ham. I figured they could have a selection. I’ve also got carrots and celery. Ranch dip and peanut butter if they want it. Would you like some tea? Or I made a pot of coffee for Evan if you’d prefer that.”
“Tea would be great,” Becs answered.
“Why don’t the two of you take a breather before the other girls arrive,” Kaye suggested. “Enjoy the calm before the storm.”
Evan sipped his coffee, staring out the back window to avoid looking at Becs.
“Evan?”
Frowning, he looked at his mother. “What?”
“You. Becs. Find a quiet place for a little while.”
“I don’t need quiet,” he said petulantly.
“Go. Now.”
As he had growing up, Evan reluctantly did as his mother instructed.
“Is everything okay?” Becs asked, following as he led her toward his study.
No. No, it certainly was not.
He wouldn’t tell her that, of course, so he grunted, hoping she would take that as a positive response. Why ruin her weekend, too?
He stopped at the door to his study. It was more of a man cave than an office. A place for him to escape when Sophia or Kaye (or both) took over the living room. It didn’t matter that there was a game room upstairs with a television, Sophia preferred to be downstairs most of the time. And since their choice of television programs differed dramatically, he’d made a space for himself so he could watch sports while she binged the Disney channel.
Becs chuckled when she walked into the room. “I love the sign on the door.”
No girls allowed, it read. Handmade by his daughter. Sophia had declared the space his, and so far, she’d abided by the rule.
Not that he cared whether she joined him. When Evan was home, spending time with his daughter was all he cared to do. With her around, he could keep his mind from wandering to other things.
Looked as though Becs’s presence had the same effect because now that she was here, his full attention was in the present, not lingering in the past where it drifted often.
Evan gestured toward the black leather sofa that faced the television.
She paused in front of him. “Are you okay?”
He nodded, answering with another grunt.
Her voice softened. “I can go if it bothers you that I’m here.”
When her gaze shifted to the wall, Evan looked over. She was checking out the eight-by-ten of him and Gayle. It had been taken when Gayle was pregnant with Sophia, the two of them smiling at one another. A happier time, for sure.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he told Becs.
It did, but not the way she was thinking. This house had no memories of his dead wife. Gayle had never left Florida. She was buried there, along with the happy life Evan had once had. Back before a serial killer shattered his very existence.
And while Evan had never imagined that he would find a woman who could capture his interest for more than a minute, it wasn’t because he was still in love with Gayle. He loved her, sure. He always would. But if he’d learned anything in his job, it was that life was fleeting. And getting attached to something never ended well. The only exception to that rule was his daughter. Evan would move heaven and earth for Sophia, and that would never change.
Everything else … well, he ensured that was temporary.
***
Becs could tell her presence was bothering Evan. He claimed it didn’t, but he was far too tense.
Perhaps she would’ve believed it was because he was about to have six little girls descending on his domain for the next forty hours or so, but if anyone could handle a slumber party, it was Sophia’s dad. Becs was convinced he was born to be a father. It was in the way his eyes lit up whenever Sophia walked into a room, in the way his smile remained in place whenever she spoke.
She knew his discomfort had to do with her because Becs had noticed it before. Not only in the office but also here, in his home. If Becs were here picking up Carly when Evan came home, he would make a beeline in whatever direction would lead him away from her.
Figuring it might be good to clear the air, Becs took a seat on the sofa, attempting to get comfortable. Kaye came in to give her the glass of iced tea she made. On her exit, she closed the door, sealing her in the room with Evan.
“Would you please sit down?” she asked when Evan continued to pace near the small desk in the corner. The man wasn’t known to pace. He was the sort who made as few physical movements as necessary, which was another clue that he was uncomfortable.
His eyes snapped to her face, and his feet stopped moving. She noticed the way his Adam’s apple bobbed slowly. Knowing him, he was wondering what she would do if he ran from the room.
Nothing, probably. Becs wished she could say she would follow him and force him to talk to her, but that was bullshit. She didn’t have an assertive bone in her body. Not when it came to men, anyway.
It took a minute, but Evan finally sat on the opposite end of the sofa. There was only a single cushion between them, but it felt like there was an ocean.
“Did I do something to offend you?” she prompted.
“Why in God’s name would you think that?” he asked, his voice gruff with surprise.
“Because you’re purposely ignoring me at work.”
“I am not.”
“Don’t,” she said firmly. “Don’t do that, Evan. I’m not an idiot. I get that from Luca all the time. His purposeful attempts to keep me at a distance because he doesn’t want to risk me liking him. Then he acts surprised when I mention it. I expect that from him, but I thought you were better than that.”
