Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set (61 page)

My injuries weren’t that bad. I was sore, yeah, but my ribs weren’t broken. My lip was a little swollen, but I could easily cover it with dark lipstick. My cheek was the worst. The crack in my skin was bright red and stood out on my pale skin, even though it looked worse than it felt. Concealer was an option, but the cut was too sore to touch, so I bought big sunglasses that covered it instead.

Matty refused to go anywhere with me. Well, he insisted on going everywhere with me, but he wouldn’t hold my hand or cuddle me in public. He said my face made me look like a battered woman and that people would assume he’d beaten me. I rolled my eyes and asked what kind of idiot would automatically come to that conclusion, considering I could have had an accident of some sort. The look he gave me made it clear that
he
was that kind of an idiot. So whenever we left the apartment, he was more like an annoying shadow who would shake his head when I tried to talk to him. If Secret Service agents were like that, I felt bad for the president and his family.

It was actually nice having Matty around all the time. When he’d told me he’d taken a leave of absence from work, I panicked. I didn’t want to be the reason he lost a job he loved, and I was worried about being with him twenty-four, seven. The last time we’d lived together hadn’t exactly ended well. Not to mention the fact that we’d gone from barely talking on the phone to engaged and living together in a little over a week. Really? Who did something that rash?

Matty and me.

We spent every second we could together. I had class and my one-on-ones with Nick, and Matty had to drive back to Maine to meet with his boss and go to Sammy’s games, then he had a ton of meetings at the clubhouse, but other than that, we were together. Sometimes he’d just sit and hold me while I studied. Other times we’d sit on the roof, enjoying the sun while catching up and laughing like we used to, and others he’d pull me out to the bikes and we’d ride for hours. If possible, I’d fallen in love with him a little more every day.

The need for answers was always in the back of my mind. Every time I thought about suggesting we sit down and have a serious conversation though, something important came up, or Matty would smile and I’d talk myself out of it. What would a few days really hurt? I wanted to think that we were strong enough to handle anything, but an engagement ring on another woman was a big thing to forget to tell your current fiancée. But maybe we needed the extra time to fortify our relationship. Pushing the nerves away, I focused on our happiness.

The days merged into a blur as time flew. We were cuddling on the roof, Matty lying with his head on my lap and feet dangling over the edge of the couch, enjoying the late afternoon sun on Thursday, when reality hit. As much as I was looking forward to seeing my kids—and I missed them more than words could explain—I didn’t want to leave Matty.

I brushed the hair off his forehead and pressed my lips against his skin. “I’m gonna miss you.”

He opened his eyes, looking at me sleepily. “When?”

“Tomorrow’s Friday. I’m headed home.”

“Shit!” He sat up abruptly and turned, looking at me. “I forgot.” He swallowed and chewed the inside of his lip. “It’s vacation week.”

I nodded, confused. A shit-eating grin transformed his face, and he turned and lay back down.

“Matty?” I’d missed something.

He smirked. “You don’t have to go home. We’ll go up tomorrow, get the kids, and bring all three of ‘em back for the week. Ten days with my girl and our littles? I can’t think of anything better.”

“All three…? Do you have Sam next week?”

He shook his head. “No. But Bex will let me have him.” He opened his eyes, looking into mine. “Come on, babe. It’ll be a blast! We have the room, plus it’ll show us what our future will be like. And that way, I don’t have to worry about how I’ll sleep without you.”

I smiled back, his enthusiasm catching. “Okay. I’ll tell the kids tonight.”

My kids were ecstatic. There was a Jack and Annie light show going on at the planetarium that Ben “just had to see,” and Lily asked if we could visit the aquarium so she could see her beloved Rockhopper penguins. Even Will seemed happy about it—but that might have been because he had the next two weeks “off” and had something planned with his girlfriend.

Unlike most divorced couples, I didn’t have to get his approval to bring the kids down here. Part of our parental rights and responsibilities agreement specified that since neither of us had full custody, during the two weeks we had the kids, we did not have to ask the other parent’s permission to take the children over state lines. Our PR&R was pretty in depth, but we felt it would protect us from having to go back to court and argue over the kids. We’d fought enough over the last few years and were done. At least until he found out that I was marrying Matty.

I promised the kids I’d be at the house when they got home from school the next afternoon, told them I loved them, and hung up. Glancing up, I found Matty leaning in the doorway, watching me.

He smiled and sauntered across the room, climbed onto the bed next to me, and pulled me close. “We’ll pick Sam up on the way back here, and I promised Becky I’d have him home by seven next Sunday. For the next week, we get to be a real family. I can’t wait to tell them we’re getting married!”

I didn’t think I’d ever seen Matt that happy. Hopefully this time we could make us last.

Chapter 27

Jo

“No! Not happening!” I seethed again.

Matty simply crossed his arms and tipped his head back slightly. “Get in the fucking car, Joes.”

“No.”

“Look”—he leaned in close, growling—“you promised the kids you’d be there when they got off the bus. If you don’t get in the car this fucking instant, we’re gonna hit Friday traffic and be late.”

I took a deep breath, torn between not being home when I promised and standing my ground. I glared at the man I loved. “I’ll call T and have her go up. Tell them I got stuck in traffic. Get him out of the car, and I’ll get in.”

Matty shook his head. “He’s coming too.”

Dean opened his door and gave us both an annoyed look. Then he turned his icy gaze on me. “I don’t want to be here either, Jo. But my president gave me an order to stay with you, and I have no choice. The quickah you accept that, the fastah we can get on the damn road. You wanna take the train up instead? Fine, I’ll get my shit and take the damn train too. Just make up your fuckin’ mind already!” He slammed his door as if to accentuate the last word.

I raised an eyebrow at Matty, who looked as if he was going to laugh. Then he shrugged. “You heard him.”

I groaned, rolled my eyes, and stomped to the passenger seat. We were taking Rocker’s Expedition, because it could fit all three kids, their gear, the two of us, and apparently Dean. I slammed my door, mimicking Dean’s behavior, and closed my eyes as I leaned back into the seat. Our fun family trip had just turned into a nightmare.

Until fifteen minutes ago, I’d thought Matty and I were going alone. Matty had gone to get the car, leaving me to pack us a lunch and some snacks, and I had been singing along to the radio as I looked forward to a great day with my favorite people. Then Dean had walked into the kitchen with a duffle bag and given me the evil eye. Rob, it turned out, had decided that with the three new additions, we needed another Bastard to keep a watch out. And out of all of the Bastards, he’d picked Dean. Awesome.

“Come on, babe,” Matty had crooned as Dean settled into the SUV. “He really isn’t that bad. He’s great with kids, and he’s one of my best friends. It’ll be fine.”

I heard Matty get in and start the car, then we were moving. His hand moved to my thigh, and I clutched his fingers. I wasn’t angry with him, just the situation. But that didn’t mean I was going to sit up and make small talk with someone who hated me. I was asleep before we made it out of the city.

I woke up a few hours later to the two of them laughing uncontrollably. I listened for a few minutes instead of sitting up. The conversation was about fishing and how afraid of the fish Sammy had been.

Dean surprised me when he sobered and said, “Can’t wait to see him, man. It’s been what? Three or four months? I miss that kid.”

The way he talked about Sammy surprised me, but then again, Sam was an amazing kid. Even so, hearing a total douchenozzle talk about a little boy that I adored as if that little boy was the coolest thing in the world wasn’t something I expected. Dean gave off a certain vibe, and it wasn’t one you’d expect from someone who liked women or children. If I was going to be stuck with him, I might as well make the most of it.

***

“
Mom! Mom! Mom!” Lily screamed as she ran off the bus and straight into my arms. “You’re here!”

I laughed, hugging her little frame tight. “I’m here, Lily-Belle.” I leaned down and kissed her curly blond head. “You ready for a week in Boston?”

She nodded vigorously, tipping her head back to see me. Her smile faded. “What happened to your rock star hair?”

I laughed, running a hand through my curls. “Yeah. Mommy needed a change.”

“Hmm.” She crossed her tiny arms. “I liked it. I didn’t think it made you look like you were trying to recapture your youth like Nana said. I agreed with Daddy—it was fun and you need fun.”

I raised my eyebrows as she talked, trying not to laugh as she parroted a conversation she’d obviously overheard. Pushing my sunglasses to the top of my head, I contemplated her words. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that and wondered which Nana had commented on my hair: my mom or Will’s? Thankfully I was saved when the last of the neighborhood kids filed off the school vehicle.

“Mom!”

I looked up as Ben jumped off the bottom step and shuffled away from his friends.

“Did you get a new car?” he asked as he got closer to me, eyeing the Ford parked in front of our house.

“That’s the first thing you wanna say to me after two weeks away?”

My mini-me shook his head and threw his arms around me.

“It’s not mine. It belongs to a friend of Uncle Matty. We’ve got it for the week in Boston. Nice, right?” I hugged him tightly. Hugs from him were few and far between now, and I never got one in public. “Geez, did you grow another two feet while I was gone?”

He might look just like me, but he got his height from Will. At eleven, he was only an inch shorter than me.

“I did actually.” He giggled, a rare sound that reminded me of his toddler years. He pulled back, and his laughter died instantly.

The look he gave me was another thing he’d obviously gotten from his dad. It was horror mixed with rage, and though I hadn’t seen it in a few months, I almost took a step back.

“What happened to your face?” His voice had gone ice cold.

Out of my peripheral, I saw Lily squinting at me to see what he was talking about. Instead of letting him go, I tucked him under one arm, pulled Lily under the other, and turned them toward the house. Ben hesitated, obviously irritated that I hadn’t answered him.

“She’s decided to learn how to box.”

The voice from the doorway had them both glancing up. When they realized that their favorite uncle was standing there watching us, they forgot all about me and ran to him. I couldn’t decide who I enjoyed watching more: the kids or the love of my life. He greeted them the same way he always did—kneeling down and pulling Lily into his arms, then picking her up while ruffling Ben’s hair before pulling him in for a hug while dropping a kiss on the top of his head. The scene would have made a beautiful portrait, one that reflected the love a father gave his children. There was no doubt in my mind that they would never feel unloved or unwanted by their stepfather.

“As in Muhammad Ali?” Ben asked, awed.

I laughed as we ushered them inside, trying to answer all of the questions they kept throwing at us while directing them to get their school bags to their rooms and grab anything they might want. Within ten minutes, we’d loaded them in the car, locked the house, and were on our way to get Sammy and Dean.

The ride took a little longer than the normal half hour, but with the two chatterboxes in the backseat, it passed quickly. Ben talked about his upcoming science fair and how he still wasn’t sure what he was going to do for a presentation, while Lily kept interrupting to tell us all about her drama club and how they were going to be performing
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
. Matty jumped right into the conversation, never missing a beat, and corrected the kids when they were mean to each other. I sat back and watched the three of them. Life with Will had never been this laid-back or exciting. I was one lucky girl.

Once we pulled into Becky’s, the kids jumped out and ran around back, headed straight for the playground, Matty hot on their heels as soon as the car was in park. Before I’d had a chance to make it to the front door, laughter and shrieks of enjoyment filled the air. I fought the urge to join them. There would be plenty of time to play over the next few days.