Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set (5 page)

“You’re feeling better!” It wasn’t a question but a statement followed by a little squeal.

I couldn’t help but smile at Teagan’s excitement as she slid into my cubicle and sat on Matty’s filing cabinet. My headache was gone. For the first time in days, I was listening to music while I caught up on my typing. I hit the save button, pulled off my headphones, and turned to face her. Teagan Murphy-Jones was one of my favorite co-workers. She had been a caseworker here for all of her adult life, had seen it all, and was one of the women who had terrified me when I first started. Not only did she have a great physical presence, but she also had a bullshit monitor that could detect a lie from ten miles out and had no tolerance for anyone who even tried to get one past her.

Teagan was tall, almost six feet, with legs that went on for miles and shoulders that were wide enough to carry the weight of the world. But it was her hair that made her stand out. Curly and naturally mahogany, it was breathtaking and the envy of every woman around. She once told me that she had gotten her looks from her dad, who got his from his Celtic warrior grandfather. Seemed legit, but sometimes a person had to take what Teagan said with a grain of salt. That BS gauge worked well for a reason.

“Is it that obvious?” I smiled at her.

She grinned, nodding. “Yeah. Your color isn’t all pasty.” She wrinkled her nose and made a face. “And you don’t look like you might start crying at any second.” She tipped her head sideways. “Basically, you don’t look like shit.”

Coming from anyone else, it might have been an insult. But Teagan always told it like it was.

“Thanks,” I said, laughing.

She looked over Matty’s empty desk. “Where’s Biker Boy?”

“Court.”

Her dark brown eyebrows raised in question.

“Contested TPR,” I said.

“Ugh. He’ll be there all day.” The disappointment in her voice was barely masked, but I nodded.

Terminating a parent’s rights to their child was a hard decision for a child welfare team to make and an even harder court hearing for a caseworker to testify at. After over a decade at this job, I still didn’t know what was worse: a contested hearing where a parent lost their child against their will or a parent voluntarily giving up their child. I couldn’t imagine the pain of having to do either.

“So,” she continued, “since he’s gone, want to do lunch with me? We can catch up!”

“Absolutely. When are you leaving?”

She stood. “Now.”

I turned to my computer and locked it before standing up next to her. “Where are we going?”

We settled on a favorite local pub and set out on the bright warm summer day. The restaurant was on the second floor and had a covered deck that overlooked the river. We sat out there, enjoying the unusual break from the rain.

Teagan always had the best stories. As a single mom with two teenage girls, she had just entered the dating scene again, and the troubles she was having would be the perfect comedy relief in any movie. When she told me about her latest date failure, I laughed until my sides hurt.

"Have you or Billy talked to the kids recently?" She took a bite of her sandwich and waited for me to catch my breath.

"I talk to them every night." I smiled. "They're having a blast—getting spoiled by Grandma and keeping busy." Smiling, I relayed Lily’s stories of meeting the fairies and Belle at Disney World, and Ben’s excitement over seeing St. Augustine. I looked up, meeting her eyes. "I miss them though. I wish I could be there with them." I'd been so focused on my problems with Will that I hadn't realized how much I missed them.

She snorted. "Enjoy the break, kid. Right now you can go home and nap, or read a book, or go to the beach and actually lay in the sun without someone annoying you every five seconds. Before you know it, they'll be back and driving you nuts. You'll be up to your eyebrows in laundry, running to football practice and field hockey, and mediating fights. And telling them they're too young to date." She sighed. "I'm jealous. Do you know what my two heathens are up to now?"

The girls' shenanigans made me laugh again. My company was as good as the food, and lunchtime flew by. As we walked back to the office, I realized that life was finally getting back to normal.

I was surprised to see Matt at his desk when I got back.

“Court on lunch?” I asked after I greeted him.

“Nope. We won. Dad's case was weak, and Judge G saw right through it.” He smiled, and I could see the relief in his face. That case had been a rough one for him. “I drove out to the Smiths’ right after court to give them the news in person. They are beyond excited. Pam cried.”

Teddy and Pamela Smith were some of the best foster parents I had ever worked with. When Matty placed Todd, a two-year-old who had been severely physically abused, with them almost two years ago, they had fallen in love. Of course they had—the blue-eyed blond was so small he was mistaken for a child half his age and stole your heart the moment he smiled at you. As a result of their gentle guidance and constant love, Todd was now a feisty little four-year-old.

Matty had worried about this TPR hearing for weeks. Dad had made some great progress over the last several months and there was no doubt that he loved his son, but he hadn’t completed any anger management classes and was still failing random drug tests. If Dad won and the court didn’t terminate his rights, Todd’s adoption would be delayed and Matty would have to start facing the possibility that Todd might have to go back to live with the man who had hurt him. Todd loved his biological parents and still saw his mom, who had voluntarily terminated her rights last year, but to Todd, they were only people he visited with once in a while. The Smiths were his parents. I was glad it was finally over, for all their sakes.

“If I’d known, I would have waited for lunch,” I said.

“I’m actually headed out early, but why don’t you come over for a celebration dinner tonight?”

That actually sounded fun, and I nodded. “What time?”

“Let’s say six. Sound reasonable?”

“Yep. What can I bring?”

“Um… preferably not Will.” He gave me a small smile when I laughed. “Just bring you, Jo.”

5

I was a few minutes early, but I didn’t think Matty or Taylor would care. There weren't any other cars in their driveway, so either I was the first one there or the only one coming. I parked behind Taylor’s Audi; the silver TTS coupe was gorgeous. I had to give it to her—her taste in cars was as good as her taste in men. For a brief second, I allowed myself to be jealous of both of the beautiful things that belonged to Taylor.

Then I imagined trying to fit both kids and all their gear in the sporty little two-door that barely had a backseat. I could see it now, very similar to a game of phone booth, where I had to buckle in each child then pack their backpacks and sports equipment on and around them. I laughed picturing a field hockey stick hanging out of the passenger window and Lily’s little face peering at me from the backseat, the rest of her buried underneath stuff while I tried to pacify her by saying it was okay because at least Mommy had a cool car.

Nope, I’d stick with my Dodge. I unbuckled and grabbed the plastic shopping bag from my passenger seat before I opened my door. Matty had told me not to bring anything, but I refused to show up empty-handed. So I’d stopped at the local bakery to pick up some flowers and a package of Matty's favorite cannolis. It was a celebration, after all. I'd thought about buying wine, but I knew nothing about it. Taylor would definitely have some sort of alcoholic beverage if Sam wasn't here. Sam! I hadn't even thought about him. I couldn't remember if it was Matty's weekend to have him. The idea made me perk up a little. I adored that kid.

I stopped for a second, smiling at the adorable house in front of me. It was a little T-shaped ranch with an attached two-door garage. It had come a long way in the two years since he’d bought it. The first time I saw it, I had actually been afraid to go inside. The white shingle siding and blue trim were peeling and half of the shingles were falling off, the metal roof looked as though it would barely keep out the rain, the storm door on the front was hanging by the top hinge, and the front steps were rotted away. The backyard was filled with weeds and grass taller than me, giving it an eerie
Children of the Corn
feeling. I’d looked at Matty, shaken my head, and told him that I was sure someone had been murdered there.

He’d taken my hand, promised me that he’d protect me in that patronizing tone of his, and followed his realtor inside, pulling me behind him. The inside hadn’t been much better, but I watched, fascinated, as Matty walked around, oblivious to the destruction in front of us. He tugged me from room to room, pointing out the solid structure and explaining what his plans were, which walls weren’t supporting walls and could be knocked down, what he could do with the back porch. When we left an hour later, I no longer saw the shabby little run-down shack but instead the home he’d be creating.

And he had created it. The shingles had been replaced with light brown vinyl siding, the metal roof exchanged for black shingles, and a beautiful front porch added. Out back, he’d not only cut the weeds, he'd transformed it into a wonderful fenced-in yard with gardens and a swing set. The outside wasn’t all he’d changed. It had taken us weeks, but we’d gutted the entire home, then Matty had built it back from scratch. He’d created the open floor plan he wanted, laid hardwood floors in every room but the bathrooms, installed gorgeous cabinets in the kitchen, and created a sunroom. It was a perfect home for a man and his little boy. I loved it here.

I stopped on the front porch, about to knock, when Matty pulled open the door and stepped out to greet me. He smiled warmly then, seeing my bag, asked what I brought. I smiled back, handing it to him. He laughed when he saw the cannolis and pulled me in for a hug. 

“Matt! Don’t maul our guest before she even gets through the door!” Taylor’s voice, although casual, definitely held a note of annoyance.

Matty stood back, winking at me. “Look, Tay, Jo brought desert!”

Taylor scowled at the container as I walked into the kitchen. “Isn’t that nice?” Her tone told me it was anything but. “You’ll have to go for a super long run tomorrow if you eat one of those. One has more calories than an entire meal.”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I smiled instead. “Yeah, but it’s a celebration.” I looked from her to my best friend and couldn’t help myself. “I can totally come run with you if you’re going to go for a long one. Or”—I smiled as I saw his lips twitch—“we can go for a run in the morning and then a hike in the afternoon.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow and smiled one of her fake smiles. “No need. We have plans, but I’ll make sure he gets plenty of exercise”—she turned away from us, taking the container over to the table—“tonight.”

Matty looked from her to me, as if not sure what to say, before deciding a change of subject was in order. “I’ll go throw the steaks on.”

He grabbed a covered plate, which I assumed had marinating steaks, and headed out the back door.
Great. Leave me with the beast.

I smiled at his girlfriend. “What can I do to help?”

“Nothing.” She moved her hand as if to sweep away my question, and my eye caught the glint of a ring on her hand. She giggled at my questioning stare. “Oh, okay.” She slid up next to me, holding out her left hand. “I know I’m not supposed to be wearing it, and Matt wanted to keep it on the DL around you because of the whole Billy thing, but isn’t it beautiful?”

It was. I’d never seen a diamond that large on a real person before. Her fingers were as tiny as the rest of her, but it took up the whole finger.

I looked up, meeting her eyes, not sure what to say. “Congratulations?” I knew my voice didn’t sound as though I was happy for her at all.

She pouted. “Oh, Jo! I know this must be hard for you, but come on. Be happy for us!”

“You mean because of the Will thing?”
Or because it's a shock since I didn’t know that he was going to propose to you so soon? Or because I was hoping he’d realize who you really are and leave?
I grabbed the bouquet out of the bag and walked to the cupboard where Matty kept his vases.

She waved dismissively. “Well, yes. That and—”

I interrupted her. “Actually, I talked to Will on the phone earlier.” I smiled. “And I think we're going to be okay.”

“You did?”

I hadn’t heard Matty come back in. I turned toward his voice. He was leaning in the doorway, one foot propped over the other.

I gave him the happiest smile I could fake. “Congratulations!”

He didn’t move, his eyes glancing to Taylor. “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t wear that tonight?”

She only beamed back at him.

His eyes came back to me. “When did you talk to Billy?” He looked pissed, but I couldn't tell if he was mad at Taylor or me.

“Earlier.” I smiled again, thinking about the call.