Love Restored (10 page)

She was contrary like that.

Before she could knock, Border, one of Maya’s handsome men, opened the door. He smiled at her, the expression softening the hardness of his face. He was bigger than Jake, and probably even Graham—all muscles, hard edges, and sex appeal. He’d cut his hair brutally short, but she thought he might be letting it grow just a bit.

“Hey, you’re here.” He stepped in and she followed, and then he gave her a hug, surprising her. “I’m glad. Now Maya won’t be alone with all that cake.”

“I heard that!” Maya yelled from the back. “No blowjobs for you!”

“That’s what Jake’s for,” Border called back.

Blake might have blushed at the exchange, but she also laughed hard. These three were clearly in love, and sexy as all hell.

Border winked and closed the door behind her. “Sorry about that.”

“Never be sorry for a blowjob,” Blake said dryly.

“What are you two cracking up about?” Jake said as he prowled into the room. The man seriously prowled; he was that sexy. Maya was one lucky woman.

“Blowjobs,” Border said with a straight face.

Jake put his hand over his heart and took a step back. “How are blowjobs funny? Do I need to show you how
not
funny they are right now?”

Blake held up her hands. “As sexy as fuck as that would be, I’m pretty sure no matter how strong I am, a pregnant Maya Montgomery can still kick my ass.”

“Damn straight, I can,” Maya said as she came into the room. “And don’t you forget it.” She slid in between her men and wrapped her arms around their waists. She wasn’t too tall, so she only came up to their shoulders, and it was damn cute.

“I’d never hit a pregnant woman,” Blake said. “Anyway, you promised me cake. What kind of cake is it?”

Border rolled his eyes. “Queen Maya over here craved a chocolate fudge cake, so I got that, but I also got a zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting and fruit on it from the bakery downtown that she loves since cravings change.”

Maya narrowed her eyes, and Jake threw his head back and laughed.

“And guess which kind of cake she had already?” Jake winked, and Blake held back a laugh though she smiled. “The fruity one.”

“I hate you. Both of you.” Maya growled between them before going on her toes to kiss each of their jaws. “Now, go do boy date things so Blake and I can have girl time.”

Jake wiggled his brows. “What kind of girl time? I don’t think I want you doing what I plan to do to Border later.”

The sex vibes between these three were killing Blake. Damn. She was going to have to deal with that when she got home since she wasn’t about to ask Graham for help in that area, ever.

“You three are too much,” Blake said after a moment. “Want me to leave the room so you guys can make out? Better yet, I’ll sit over here and watch. Don’t mind me.”

Maya grinned. “I knew I liked you. Don’t worry, they’re leaving.”

She smacked each of their butts, and they gave her a kiss before walking to the door. Blake held back a sigh at the sight. She wasn’t jealous, not really, but damn if she didn’t want something like that in her life. She didn’t need two men, but one who didn’t have an ex-wife that wasn’t so ex or a drug problem that threatened to take down everyone else around him would be nice.

Before Jake walked out, he gave Blake a look and sighed. “If my brother put that look on your face, let me know, and I’ll kick his ass.”

Blake stiffened. “Excuse me?” Her tone was ice.

Jake held up his hands. “I won’t interfere, but Graham has some issues because of things that he should really talk to you about. So if he put that look in your eyes, I’ll take care of it for you.”

Though his words intrigued her, she didn’t fall for the bait. “I can handle myself. Thank you.”

Jake snorted. “That ‘thank you’ sounded like a fuck you, so I’ll be going now. Just keep that in mind.”

Before she could tell him where he could stick his help, he closed the door behind him, leaving her in the room with Maya, and hopefully soon, cake.

“Well, that was interesting,” Maya said after a moment. “I need cake. Chocolate this time. Which one do you want?”

Thankful for the reprieve, Blake turned to Maya. “Chocolate, of course. If I wanted fruit, I wouldn’t have cake.”

Maya shook her head as she pulled the chocolate cake perfection out of the fridge. It looked
divine,
with two layers, fudge frosting, and little cream cheese fudge decorations. Blake might have orgasmed right then if Maya hadn’t been there. Hell, once she took a bite of this thing, she might not care if Maya were in the room.

“You’ve never had the Spring Fling cake if you think it’s just fruit. That’s okay for now, but one day, we will bring some into the shop, and you will bow before me, knowing you have found the one true cake in all its glory.”

Blake stared at her blankly. “You take cake seriously.”

“I’m a woman, and I’m a Montgomery-soon-to-be-Gallagher since we’re taking Jake’s name. Of course, I take cake seriously.”

She cut two large slices of chocolate nirvana and set them on the plates that had already been on the kitchen island. “Do you want milk, booze, or something else to drink with your slice?”

“As that looks like a mini cake and not a mere slice, I think milk sounds good. I need to drive, so no booze for me.”

“Sounds like a plan. Glasses are in the cabinet next to the sink if you don’t mind helping.” Blake shook her head and went to get the glasses before finding the milk in the fridge. Anything to keep her hands busy and her mind off the fact that she’d had Graham in her life for a moment. But then it had gone haywire, and now he was gone. She couldn’t help but be a little angry about it.

They took their dessert into the living room and sank down onto the large couches that had clearly been bought with the men in mind.

“So, what’s going on with you, Blake?” Maya asked before eating a big bite of cake. The other woman’s eyes rolled back, and she moaned.

Blake shrugged and took a bite herself. She paused, letting the chocolate settle on her tongue before swallowing. Her mouth watered, her mind whirled, and she let out a moan herself.

“Oh my God.”

“I know,” Maya said. “I’m kind of sad my guys aren’t here for this, but you know what? I’m going to eat my cake and then have them, too.”

Blake barely stopped herself from choking on cake as she swallowed the next bite. “Should I leave you alone with your cake now?”

Maya waved a fork at her and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t get all pure and mighty over there. I saw you shuddering and moaning in your seat with that bite. You’re just as in love with the chocolate goodness that is sugar sex manna as I am, thank you very much.”

“You’re so weird,” Blake said once she’d stopped laughing.

“Well, duh. Don’t know why you didn’t see that before. Anyway, what the hell is going on in that head of yours right now? You sounded off on the phone, and there’s something in your eyes that tells me you have a story you need to tell.” She held up her hand. “You don’t have to tell me about your life or your past because I know you’re cagey about that, but what happened tonight, Blake? You can talk to me. I know my brothers joke that I gossip, but I don’t. Not when it’s important.”

Blake set down her plate, not that hungry anymore. And frankly, she didn’t want to associate the tumultuous thoughts in her mind with the glory that was that kind of cake.

Could she talk to Maya? Could she lay it all out there? No, not everything. It wasn’t safe to tell the other woman everything, but she could talk about Graham. Even mention Rowan. Because it hurt like hell to keep her baby girl hidden for so long, away from the rest of the world.

She’d taken countless risks in her life, made more mistakes than any one person should make, but maybe, just maybe, she could let someone else in on the world that pounded on her day after day, minute by minute.

“I was at Graham’s tonight.”

Maya’s eyes widened. “No shit? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”

Blake tilted her head and studied the other woman as Maya put her plate down on the table. “No, he didn’t hurt me. Is there a reason you thought he did?”

“No, no. Sorry. My sisters were hurt in the past because of men, and now that’s what my brain goes to first. And that’s a sad state of affairs that it does. What happened with Graham?”

Blake sighed and told Maya the whole timeline, starting with meeting Graham at the jobsite, though she didn’t go into details there. Maya’s eyes sparked at that, clearly interested, but Blake moved on to the shop with Murphy’s piercing, the Avalanche game, and the grocery store.

“That’s kind of sweet that he asked you out like that. Unique, anyway.”

Blake sighed. “Yeah, kind of. I guess. I mean, I said yes to going out again because of it, so it worked. But then we were texting tonight, and he asked me over.”

“For sex?”

Blake shook her head, remembering the comments about riding his dick. “No, it was explicitly stated that that would not happen. And it wasn’t even for food. He just asked me over to hang I guess, and I couldn’t help myself. I stopped by.”

“I get it. I’m marrying his brother. There’s just something about those Gallaghers.”

Blake shook her head at the wicked gleam in Maya’s eyes. “When I got there, though, there was a woman standing on the porch.”

Maya’s eyes went fiery. “Excuse me? He was with someone else when he asked you out? What the hell? That’s not the Graham I know.”

“That’s not the Graham I thought I was getting to know either. It turned out it was his ex-wife, Candice. Though when I introduced myself to her—since Graham wasn’t doing it—she didn’t bother to shake my hand and called herself his
wife
, sans ex.”

Maya stood up and paced. “That bitch. I hate calling women bitches because we use it to degrade them and shit, but that fucking bitch.”

Blake sighed. “I didn’t even know he’d been married. I mean, I suppose that might be why he was such an asshole to me before? Because he’s broken over her or some other shit, but I don’t know.”

Maya shook her head. “It could be that, but it could be because he has the hots for you and he’s never been good at figuring out what to do with that, too.” She sighed again. “I can’t tell you his secrets, Blake. He’s my man’s brother and a good friend. But I can tell you he’s been through shit and back and has come out somewhat whole. Or at least as whole as you can be after that. As for Candice, he’s not with her. I know that. She’s been gone, out of state for a couple years now. If she’s back, it’s probably because of the—” She shook her head, sadness filling her eyes. “I can’t say. It’s not my place, and even though others call me a gossip, that’s something he should tell you.”

Worry settled over Blake’s skin. What could be so bad, so hard, that Maya wouldn’t dare speak of it?

Blake didn’t say anything for a moment while she tried to get her thoughts in order.

“What did you do when you saw her?” Maya asked quietly. “What did Graham do?”

“He told me to get inside while he dealt with her, but I left. I don’t need that, Maya. I have so much crap on my plate. Crap I can’t tell you. Crap that needs to stay between me and mine. But no matter how good Graham’s dick is, it can’t be worth the drama.”

Maya bit her lip. “Sometimes, it’s not about the dick, Blake. But you’re old enough and have lived long enough to know that.”

Blake looked at her cake, trying to think. Instead of thinking too hard, however, she blurted, “I have a kid, Maya. Rowan’s ten years old and the light of my life. Everything I do is for her. It’s why I needed to work at your shop because you guys know what you’re doing. It’s why I never go out unless I know she’s safe. I keep her close to me and out of other’s lives for reasons I can’t get into. I’m only telling you now so you get me. I can’t risk her, Maya. I can’t risk myself because of her. And the drama surrounding Graham is too much. I need…I don’t know what I need, but I know my baby girl deserves the world, and I’ll be damned if I let anything else touch her.”

Maya kept silent during all of that, and Blake was happy for it. If the other woman had interrupted her, she’d have broken down or stopped speaking. Something lifted off her chest, forcing her to take a deep, ragged breath.

“I’d love to talk about your baby girl. Maybe even meet Rowan one day. I didn’t know you were a mom, and might not have even guessed it if you hadn’t mentioned something about my pregnancy before.” Her eyes brightened, and Blake winced. “I remember you saying something about cravings or new babies, and I wondered how you seemed to know. As for why you keep her a secret? If it’s to keep her safe or to keep things separate, I get it. But Blake? We Montgomerys take care of our own. And hell, so do the Gallaghers. You need us?
Any
of us? We’re here. You’re not alone now. Not unless you want to be or feel you have to be.”

Emotion clogged Blake’s throat, and she forced herself to swallow. “Maybe,” she whispered. “I…Rowan’s my everything.”

“And if that’s the case, let her
be
everything.” Maya paused, worry clouding her face. “If you and Graham talk again and things work out—” She held up her hand as Blake opened her mouth to say that wouldn’t be happening. “You don’t know that, Blake. You don’t know what’s going on exactly, and things could shift. But if you get close to him, you need to tell him about Rowan. I can’t tell you why, I can’t tell you how you should do it, but I’m telling you that he needs to know.”

Blake frowned. There was so much secrecy between them. Surrounding him. And yet she knew she shouldn’t get closer.

But the world had already put them in each other’s orbits over and over again. Graham Gallagher wouldn’t be easy to forget, but in the end, it might be better if she tried.

Graham needed to bang his head against a wall, but that wasn’t about to happen right then. Everything had gone to shit with just one knock on the door, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it now.

Candice was now in his living room—he’d relented and let her in after closing the door on her earlier—and Blake had walked out of his life.