Corps Security: The Series (52 page)

When I hear some loud bangs and Cohen’s battle cry of victory, I know it’s only a matter of time before our moment is interrupted. I pull back and wipe my eyes before looking into Greg’s eyes.

“You love me?” I ask again, but this time letting my happiness show, and I smile so big, it even hurts a little.

He throws his head back and his laughter rings out around us. “Yeah, I do.”

“That’s good.”

“You’re wrong, babe,” he says with a smile. “It’s not good, it’s fucking amazing.”

* * *

Since it is Sunday and Greg and I both start work pretty early, we bring Cohen home before dinner so that we can go out and have some us time before the week starts. This is also something we try to do during the week. When things get crazy at the Corp Security offices, it is sometimes past dinner when he gets home. So if we have time, we make it a point to spend special time like this together.

‘Super Co,’ which is what we have been instructed to call Cohen now, takes off into my mom’s house the second Greg parks. His cape flaps in the wind behind him, and we can already hear him starting his speech with my mom. Greg walks over and takes my hand before we head into the house.

When we make it to the kitchen, Cohen is still screaming about all his magic. “Oh my, that is some good news, baby.” My mom smiles at us and gives Cohen a big kiss before he runs off to his room to make sure there aren’t any ninjas.

“That boy is so funny sometimes,” she says shaking her head. “Meli-Kate, come here baby.” I let Greg go and walk into her arms. “You look happy today,” she whispers in my ear.

“I am,” I whisper back. “I really am.”

“That’s good, baby. You deserve that.” She pulls back and gives me a kiss on my forehead before turning to my man.

“Come here handsome and give this old lady some thrills.” And here starts my mother’s weekly enjoyment in my boyfriend and embarrassing me at every turn.

“Lilly,” he says and walks up, wraps his arms around her, and lifts her off her feet in a big hug.

She laughs loud and slaps him playfully on the arm when he lets her down. “Such a strong man! Take my girl home and show her a good night.” She giggles and I turn beat red.

“Mom! Jesus!” They both laugh, enjoying this new tag team effort to embarrass me.

We stay in the kitchen for a while before Greg excuses himself to go say goodbye to Cohen. How did I miss how much he cares for my nephew for so long?

I don’t realize that I have been looking at the empty hallway in a daze until my mother’s soft laughter curls around me. “Oh, my darling girl, you have it bad.”

I look over and smile at my mother. Her eyes are misting with emotion but sadness isn’t one of them. Her smile is huge and you can tell she is happy for me to have found this. “You have no idea just how bad I have it. He’s incredible mom and he loves Cohen. Can you believe it? He loves that crazy kid just as if he were his own. Just like we do.”

“I know that, baby. Could’ve saved you the trouble of figuring out all this on your own but I knew you would get there. He’s a keeper, Meli-Kate. I know I don’t have the best record when it comes to judging men. First with your father and then . . . well, I just don’t. But, with a man like that, there is no doubt. He is the kind of man you dream of baby. Don’t ever let your past cloud that knowledge.”

“I won’t. I love you, mama.”

“I know that, sweetheart.” We give each other a hug and sit down to chat about things happening this week while we wait for the boys to do their thing. About thirty minutes or so later, Greg comes walking back in laughing.

“He was just mid-sentence and fell asleep. We were sitting there talking about the best ways to take out flying ninjas and bam, his little head just face planted into my lap and he was out. Lilly, I went ahead and changed him into pajamas so you wouldn’t have to bother with that.”

She smiles brightly at him, leans in, and whispers in my ear, “Keeper.”

Not long after that, we leave and head downtown to our favorite burger joint. We have just sat down when his phone rang and he excuses himself to take the call outside. He has only been gone a few minutes when he comes back inside looking agitated.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just some shit from Axel but no big deal. Look, I ran into Mandy outside. Nothing happened, but let’s get out of here, okay?”

Damn. Just when you think that woman is gone for good. “Sure, baby.”

We pay the bill and get our meals boxed up. On the way out, I see Mandy standing next to a few girlfriends. Doesn’t bother me to see her, but what does bother me is the look she gives me. She might fool others, but I can see the pure evil behind that carefully crafted mask. And I just know she isn’t done with us.

* * *

That night, after three mind-blowing orgasms, I lay wrapped in Greg’s arms and asked him about his call with Axel. I had forgotten that when he mentioned Mandy that he looked upset, more upset that he normally is when seeing her face. I don’t like knowing he is bothered with anything if there is a chance I can help it.

“Baby?” I question, lifting my head off his chest.

“Hmm,” he responds, still running his fingers across my back. His eyes are closed and his face is blank but peaceful.

“What did Axel want tonight?”

His eyes snap open, and a look that I don’t like at all replaces his blank expression. He’s hiding something and doing a shit job at it. “Nothing Beauty. Just some shit we have been discussing for a while now.”

I could press, and my gut is telling me I should, but my pride is stopping me. I know him, and whatever is bothering him is cutting him deep. He’ll tell me when he’s ready, but I hate thinking there is a secret between us.

“Okay. If you want to talk, just let me know.”

His eyes flash but whatever it is that was there is gone before I can figure it out, “I know. Love you, Beauty.”

“Love you too.”

For the first time in weeks, my sleep isn’t peaceful.

CHAPTER 20

Greg

I have been lying in bed with Melissa draped across my body for the last two hours, unable to fall asleep. Today had been a perfect day, but when Axel called, and two seconds into the conversation asked me if I had told her yet, my mood quickly went to shit. When we weren’t doing this back and forth debate over why it was so important that I do it right now. It turned heated before I could stop it.

I know he is right. I need to tell Melissa my connection with Simon Wagner. And I needed to do it yesterday. The more time that goes by, the more the ball of worry grows in my gut. I don’t think she would have taken it so bad if I told her sooner, but now that we are both solidly invested in this relationship and our feelings are finally put out there, well . . . I don’t think this is going to go well.

Turning around after biting out, “I’ll fucking tell her about Simon tomorrow; just shut the fuck up about it,” and seeing Mandy standing behind me is not a welcome site. There’s no telling how long she has been there but any amount of time is too long. I have stupidly just let it all out and if she has been there long enough, she knows the one thing that I am keeping from my girl, the one thing that might have the power to come between us.

I don’t even spare her a second of my time. I walk in, grab my girl, and get the hell out of there.

And not once since that phone call has my heart calmed down. I need to tell her and then deal with the fall out. I can tell when she questions me about Axel’s call that she doesn’t completely believe what I have to say. With good reason too, since she knows me well enough to know I am keeping something from her.

* * *

The next morning isn’t much better. We both oversleep, so by the time we make it downstairs, we have just enough time for a quick kiss before we head to work. I follow behind her, and watch her pull off into her office before continuing down the street to Corps.

Things around here have, thankfully been quiet over the last few weeks. Luckily, the gold sidewalk seems to keep Sway in a good enough mood that he doesn’t mess with us nearly as much as he used to. I did catch him sprinkling glitter on Coop a few times, and that is enough to keep us all laughing for a week, at least.

Emmy is doing better, but I can still see some pain in her eyes. She has decided it is best to distance herself completely from Maddox. I don’t know if that is something she is consciously doing but he isn’t happy about it.

I have just sat down to start looking over emails when my door opens and Axel walks in.

“You still have that stick up your ass?” He says and sits down in front of me.

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, so I see, not only is the stick still there, but you might have just shoved that shit a little higher, huh?”

“Jesus Christ. What? What do you want me to say? No, we didn’t talk last night because once I got off the phone with you, which was already interrupting our dinner, I had to walk right into motherfucking Mandy. So no, by the time I got home and loved my woman good, I wasn’t in the mood to taint that shit.”

He leans back and lets out a long huff. “I get you man, I do, but that shit is not going to be pretty.”

“You don’t think I already know this? I’m not looking forward to not only opening those old wounds, but rubbing salt in them when I tell her. You don’t think I feel guilty enough? I could have stopped him, Axel! I could have stopped him, but instead of sticking around, I took off for years of booze and pussy to try and forget. I let him slip through the cracks and in turn, the man who killed my sister married hers. Oh, pretty fucking hilarious move by fate there. Throwing us together finally, only to have
that
between us.”

“Seriously, G? That’s what’s been eating you? How in the fuck do you feel like it could even remotely be your fault that he ended up with her sister? You didn’t introduce them, you didn’t pull the fucking trigger, so I just don’t understand how you are adding one and one and getting five.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees before continuing. “Brother, that isn’t on you so don’t hold it there.”

“But it is, Axel. It is.”

And that is the root of the problem. After Grace died, I was too torn up to stick around and deal with anything. My mother lost her damn mind and spent the years I disappeared slowly letting her heart wither away. By the time I had my head pulled out of my ass and got back to her, she wasn’t doing well. She made it another year before I lost her too. My head wasn’t in the right place to deal with Simon Wagner.

By the time I started my business in Atlanta and finally tracked him down, I was shocked to learn he was just a few counties over and had remarried. That was when I started to keep an eye on him when I could. And when I couldn’t, I had Derrick. What a fucking joke.

“You need to get it done but you also need to stop blaming yourself for shit that is not your fault.”

“Hear you, brother, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with you right now.”

After a few minutes of silence, he leaves me to my silent brooding.

Melissa calls a little while later to let me know she is going to go out with Izzy and the girls for dinner tonight. Hopefully that means she will have a few glasses of wine and come home in a good mood. But, this also gives me a chance to work up my nerve to have the talk with her that I have been putting off for weeks.

“Hey, Greg,” Emmy says as she walks into my office and puts some files on the desk. “Did
she
talk to you?” By the way she stresses the word ‘she,’ I know she isn’t talking about Melissa. They have become thick as thieves recently and unless I’ve missed a major fight, they still are.

“Uh, she would be who?” I ask.

“Seriously? God, I can’t stand that woman. Mandy. She was here about an hour ago. Walked past while I was on the phone so I couldn’t stop her. I think you were talking with Axel. Anyway, she was right back and out the door a few minutes later so I just assumed you had kicked her out of here.”

“Fuck,” I hiss. “She was here?”

“Uhmm, yes?” I can tell she looks slightly worried that I am this pissed about Mandy showing up. She has already started backing out of the office when I shake myself clear of the fury raging.

“Emmy, not upset with you. Next time you see her, do not let her past those doors. Drop the phone if you have to. Hell, throw the damn thing at her, but she doesn’t make it two steps into this building, yeah?”

“Sure, okay, Greg.” She furrows her brow and makes a hasty retreat out the door.

Goddammit. This is not another kink that I need in my day . Who the fuck knows what Mandy wants now, but I know one thing, no good is going to come with finding out.

* * *

The day gets worse and then worse again as it goes on. There isn’t a damn thing except Melissa’s lunchtime hello call that is bright and happy about it. By the time I get home, I’m in such a shit mood and exhausted from my mind running wild all day that I crash on the couch and pass out within a few minutes of clicking on the TV. Which is unfortunate for me, since I am sleeping, I miss all of the phone calls from Izzy, then Dee and Emmy and finally Axel a few hours later.

The one call I don’t miss is from Melissa. And that is because it never came.

CHAPTER 21

Melissa

Work has been typically normal. Dr. Roberts is in a good mood so it’s easy to follow his lead. I am still a little worried about Greg and what is bothering him but I am determined to make today a good one. I make sure to call him a few times during the day just to make sure he’s okay and each time his voice sounds more and more troubled. I hate knowing he is hurting even if it’s something he is keeping from me. It still hurts to know he feels like he needs to.

When Izzy calls with the idea for an impromptu girl’s night, I am all over that. I’m not avoiding going home but I’m still not eager. I get off work early and run home to change out of my scrubs before heading over to Heavy’s to meet the girls. I pass Greg on the way out, but he isn’t watching the other lane and doesn’t see me, I consider calling but figure I won’t be gone long so there isn’t a need. When I get home, I will sit him down and ask him to talk to me.