Lucky 13 (Deadlines & Diamonds) (4 page)

He jogged down the front steps and rounded the back of the truck
to
yank the back door open. The doors on the cab opened and closed then Matt and
Eddie
appeared.

“Is my mom okay?”

Ricky forced a smile. “Yeah, kid, she’s under a lot of stress and sometimes women just need a good cry.”

The shake of his head said he didn’t buy that
. “Not my mom. Not in fr
ont of anybody anyway. She’s um…
private.”

Well, she was good and pissed
off, too. And horny, apparently
.

Eddie
cleared his throat. “We ready to get moving some boxes?”

Ricky tried not to meet his brother’s questioning expression, but
refused to cower
.
He looked up…
and
whatdyaknow, among the
expected
irritation
concern loomed
.

“Yeah.” He nodded and put his hand on Matt’s nape. “Come on, kid, let’s get you moved.”

Ricky had to admit; he was impressed. He didn’t move a lot of
people, but the ones he had
made his job a cluster with odd shaped boxes or dresser drawers full of clothes to move. Shayne had everything organized and labeled.
The little bit of furniture she had went in easily.
Filling in the holes with the boxes
took no time at all.

“All done.”
Eddie
tugged the back door down and locked it into place.

Shayne stood on the front lawn with her arms wrapped around her middle. She looked so fragile, like she kept from splintering into a million pieces by force of will alone. Ricky wanted to go to her, but knew his comfort wasn’t welcome. He did have some pride left.

Matt raced out the front door,
leapt
off the porch. “Can I ride in the truck?”

Eddie
and Ricky exchanged a look.
Eddie
tipped his chin in a nod. Ricky jerked his in a silent no.
Eddie
grinned and Ricky bit his tongue to keep from cursing.

Eddie
wa
ved at Matt. “It’s okay with me
if
it’s okay with your mom. There’
re only two seat
s
, though, so—”

“Ricky, you can ride with my mom.”

So much for his pride.
Ricky glanced at Shayne in time to catch her look of disgust before she hid it behind a smile.
An unladylike snort
accompani
ed the eye roll. “Whatever.”

He had to knock on the window to get her to unlock the door. When her hand hesitated, he wondered if she’d l
et him in. Who was he kidding? S
he might let him into her vehicle, but never into her life. She didn’t need him.

And why the hell did he even care?

Damned if he knew.

But he couldn’t ditch the intense desire to protect her.  
 

He quickly learned t
h
e frigid temperature of her
SUV had nothing to do with the air-conditioner and everything to d
o with her opinion of who currently rode
shotgun.

Staring out the passenger window, Ricky inwardly groaned. This was going to be the longest hour and a half of his life.

***

Enrique
hadn’t said a word to her since… W
ell, since she’d all but ripped his clothes off in her kitchen. As the condescending proposition came out of her mouth, she’d wanted to slap herself.

As if falling apart and sobbing like a freakin’ idiot wasn’t bad enough, she’d asked him to scratch her itch.

Mental face-palm.

Good grief! What the heck
was wrong with her?
Never mind
, she told herself,
don’t answer that
.

Minutes ticked by. She tried not to think about Ricky, which meant she thought about the direction of her SUV.
She hated crossing the bridge that meant Arizona filled her rearview. This time, especially, because she also left her life behind. No, that wasn’t true. She watched the big box truck cruising along in front of her and realized her life was in that truck. Matt and his happiness were the only things important to her.
Just the way it’d always been.

Ricky cleared his throat and shifted in the passenger seat. She chanced a glance out the corner of her eye. His eyes were closed, dark lashes resting on olive-toned cheeks. The muscles of his biceps flexed under his white t-shirt
as he situated himself
.

She focused on the road and cleared her own throat, mostly to push her heart back into her chest where it thumped painfully. Before she lost her nerve, she blurted, “I’m sorry.”

His barely noticeable nod accompanied his grunt. And that pissed her off.

“I don’t get it.” She slapped the steering wheel instead of him.

His eyes opened, but made no other motion. “And what don’t you get, sweetheart?”

“What do you want from me?”

He
stared
out the windshield,
completely motionless except for
the muscle
jumping in his jaw
. “Is it so hard to believe that I find you fascinating, that I want to get to know you better, that I want to see if I could fall in love with you?”

She gasped, unable to stop it
.

He turned to look at her. His hands dropped down onto his thighs, his palms rubbing against his knees. “
Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic. Got your attention though.” He grinned. “
Can’t you consider for one second that you might come to like me?”

“I do like—” 

“Am I such a horrible guy?”

She didn’t mention that her brother thought so. “I don’t know you.”

“But you’d let me
screw
you? Nice, real
frickin’
nice.” His fingers curled into fists.

“
You
don’t know
me
.” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, turning her knuckles white.

“That’s exactly the point, Shayne.” His breath sounded like a gale force wind in the quiet car. “I want to get to know you. Look, give me one date. That’s all I ask. Give me a chance. One date.”

His honesty floored her
,
yet
felt like a breath of fresh air
.
In the past, h
er
limited
experience with guys included lies and crude come-ons.

“Okay. One date. Give me a week or so to get settled, okay?”

His smile
soften
ed her heart, warmed her from the inside out and when he reached over to take hold of her hand, she welcomed the contact.

In that moment, she approached the edge of the cliff, her toes digging into the loose gravel
. She had no intention of taking the free-fall, but she might like looking over the edge.

4

Had it really been a week and a half since
they’d
made the move
to Las Vegas
?
Sh
ayn
e had to admit she liked living in the city. Matt had already made a couple of friends, so he was happy as a clam. Her brother and Frankie had been great, giving her space when she needed it, being the supportive, loving family when she needed that.

Enrique hadn’t called. She didn’t concentrate too much on the disappointment in the pit of her stomach when the ringing phone wasn’t him.

“Hurry, bud!” s
he yelled down the hall toward Matt’s bedroom.  “Frankie expects us for dinner in an hour.”

Matt sauntered down the hall, grin in place. “Is Uncle X barbecuing tonight?”

“I don’t know. W
hy?”

“I was hoping he could teach me how.” Matt grabbed his
Rockets
hat off the counter and slapped it on his head. “Hurry, Mom, we’re going to be late.”

She laughed. “Somebody should really kick your butt.”

He put his hand on the top of her head. “Too bad you’re
so
short.”

She reache
d out to smack his behind, but he hop
ped out of the way and raced toward the front door, leaving it wide open.
“Come on!”

Her giggles chased him down the hall. She met him at the elevator and shook her head when he stuck his tongue out at her reflection.

They got into the elevator and he pushed the button for the parking garage. The doors opened and a wave of heat enveloped them. She groaned.
Matt took off across the garage. All gangly arms and legs, he
jumped to slap each support beam.

“Come on, Kobe
.”

The taillights flashed as Shayne pressed the
key fob
to allow him to get inside. She slid into the driver’
s seat, turned the key and cranked the air. Not that the scorching blast did much to cool them off.

Matt
buckled his seatbelt
then
took control of the radio, punching buttons until he found an acceptable song. He drummed on his thighs, murmured an off-key phrase here and there. Shayne’s heart swelled. She loved this side of her son. Heck, she loved every part of him, but it was carefree moments like this she savored.
He sang
through the entire drive.

When t
hey pulled into X’s—
s
he had a really hard time calling her brother by a single letter, the one letter that went along with por
n, but it was what he preferred
—circular driveway,
Matt was out of the car as soon as she had it in park. He raced up the steps and right through the front door without so
much as a knock.

She got inside just in time to see Frankie and Matt heading down the hallway
. “Come on, Mom.”

The smell of fresh paint assaulted her nose and the further down the hall she went, the more intense the stench. They walked into what used to be X’s office and Shayne’
s eyes bugged out of her head.

Holy p
urple. Lots and lots of purple. Not exactly Barney purple. But the lavender walls and lilac baseboards
made
Shayne’s retinas beg for
mercy.
Until she looked at her brother. His white t-shirt held battle scars as did his blue jeans and the tips of his dark hair. But it was the satisfied grin on his face that kept her from
losing her composure
.

Matt, however, did
not get the
memo and busted up. X turned around and his face lit up with a smile. He walked over to Frankie and tugged her into a hug. He kissed her hard on the mouth and Shayne barely resisted the urge to clamp her hand over Matt’s eyes.

X released his hold on Frankie only long enough to wrap an arm around her waist. “You think she’s going to like it?
It’s her favorite co
lor and I—” He looked around
the room, satisfaction on his face. “I think she’ll like it.
”

Frankie sighed and Shayne noticed the glistening approval in her eyes. “I think she’ll love it. You did good, Matthias. Real, real good.”

X nodded and looked back at the walls. “I think it’ll be ready for her to move in next week. Have you convinced her yet?”

“Christian offered to
d
uct
t
ape her and toss her in the trunk if we need him to.”

X
chuckl
ed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Listening to them talk about Frankie’s best friend and her mother made Shayne feel
like she and Mat
t were intruding. She
took a step toward the door. Matt
, however,
felt the need to go sightseeing. He walked around
the room, disappearing through the archway that led into an
e
n
suite bathroom.
Thank heaven, he didn’t jump his way through it.

There was only silence for a few moments before the flushing of a toilet sounded from the other room. X and Frankie laughed and looked at her.

She shrugged, rolled her eyes. “
I try.
”

Soft snickers
filled the
excruciating silence.
Frankie laid her head against X’s shoulder. “You did such a great job painting this room.”

“Thanks.”
He
kissed the top of her head.

“
Ya know,
I’ve been thinking it’s time to paint the one next to our room.”

All the blood drained out of X’s face. He jumped away from her, grabbing her by the upper arms. His eyes scanned her body from head to toe, coming to rest on her belly. He swayed a b
it, his foot moving back to steady him.

Frankie shot a smile at Shayne before asking
her husband, “What do you think? P
ink or blue?”

“How? When? Holy shit!” He let out a whoop, clutched her to his body an
d spun around. “I can’t believe…I never thought
…
o
h
, Frankie! You have made me the happiest man in the world!”

Shayne really
felt like she didn’t belong
. This was the kind of a moment that should just be theirs and theirs alone. She slinked toward the door, only to be stopped by X’s booming voice.

“Where are you going, Shayne?”

Busted!

Shayne turned and entwined
her fingers in front of her. “I…ah…
I thought you guys would like some privacy.”

Frankie smiled. “I wouldn’t have told him with you here if I didn’t want you to be a part of it. You’re family, Shayne. We love you.” She ran her hands over her belly. “This is your niece—”

“
Or nephew,
”
X injected.

Frankie grinned. “
Or nephew
in here.”

“What’s all the yellin’ about?” Matt came back into the room
,
wiping his hands on the hem of his t-shirt.

X’s loud guffaw cracked like lightning. “Looks like I’m gonna be a dad.”

Matt clapped his hands and whooped his own approval
, jabbing a fist into the air
. “That’s awesome! Is it okay for me to say I’d prefer a boy?”

Frankie giggled softly. “You can prefer whatever you want, but the choice has already been made.”

“
Boy.
”
X’s nod expressed the
non-negotiable confirmation.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I gotta feed my baby-mama.”

Frankie elbowed him in the gut. “You call me that again and you’ll regret it.”

He rubbed his side. “I already do.”

While her brother and his baby-mama continued to tease and celebrate, Shayne’s thoughts drifted to the moment she found out about the tiny life growing in her belly.

Her throat tightened. Her eyes stung.

That scene couldn’t have been further from this one. No loving father cuddled her close, his large palms rubbing over her abdomen. Instead panic had overwhelmed her. The need to flee sent her racing to Kingman, to her grandparents.

“Mom?”

She blinked and forced a smile. “Yeah.” 

Many times she’d been grateful her son resembled her brother instead of the monster who’d deposited a few sperm. This was one of those times. And as he cocked his head to the side, a smirk tipping the corner of his lip, she saw Xavier. Matt hooked an arm around her neck and guided her down the hall. “I get to man the grill. Isn’t that great?” 

An hour later
,
the four of them
sat
around the table finishing up dinner. Matt
bent
over. “How was your steak, Mom?”

“Great.”

He leaned in close to examine the remnants. “Are you sure it was done the way you wanted it?”

She stabbed one of the few final pieces and popped it into her mouth.
He
scrutinized her every expression while she chewed. She closed her eyes and moaned. “It’s perfect, Matt.”

“Well, it was my first time.” He shot a look down the table. “Uncle X was there to make sure I didn’t screw it up, but I wanted to make sure. Ya know? ‘Cause I can barbecue for us at home now.”

Home. It amazed her how quickly X’s penthouse had become
home
. Matt
had friends, liked school,
was happy. With the exception o
f the mixed up emotional crap
making her head spin, she was pretty content too. She hadn’t found a job yet, but that would take time.

Her cell vibrated in her pocket and three sets of eyes
curiously
watched while she ignored it.
She didn’t want them to see the excitement if it happened to be Enrique or the disappointment when it wasn’t.

It beeped with a voicemail and her heart skittered. Waiting to see who had reached out to touch her might be the worst kind of torture. Her fingers itched to swipe across the screen and reveal her missed call.

X steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on the table
.
With one brow high, a smirk quirked his lip. “You expecting that call?”

She shook her head.

“You’re still a horrible liar,
baby
sister.”

She loved when he called her that.

Frankie playfully slapped his arm. “Leave her alone, Xavier. She doesn’t have to tell you anything she doesn’t want to.”

His grin annoyed her. “Yeah, ‘cause she’s a grown ass woman.”

She scratched under her eye with her middle finger and X burst out in a laugh that shook the chandelier. He looked at Matt. “You know anything about that phone call?”

Panic made her heart jolt. She didn’t have time
to send Matt a warning glare. T
hankfully, her son was a smart one. He shook his head, his mouth pulling a frown.
She wasn’t sure if she should be proud or mortified when he looked his uncle in the eye and said,
“
Nope, no idea.” His eyes met hers. “But it might be important. You should probably check the message.”

“I’ll help clean up and then I’ll—”

Frankie stood and began to gat
her the dishes. “Go ahead. There
’ll still be dishes to do when you get back.” She smiled and pointed down the hallway to the purple paradise. “You can use Mom’s room for some privacy.”

“Thanks.”

On her way out of the room, X hollered, “Just don’t breathe too deep or you’ll start killing brain cells.”

She went into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub before pulling her phone out of her pocket. She swiped a finger
across her phone and it came to life. The number was one she
didn’
t recognize
.
Her heart hammered in her throat. Her fingers shook and it took three stabs before she hit the correct icon.

“Hey. Shayne. It’s Santiago, er- Ricky. Hey. So, um, I guess you’re busy.”
Long pause.
“It’s been a week…
and a couple days. I wanted to make sure you had the time you needed to unpack and whatever. I’ve been thinking of you. Call me.”

She listened to the message again. And again. By the end of the fourth time
,
all she could
do
was stare
at the screen as it dimmed. An overwhelming desire to call him consumed her. She’d thought of him too. More than she was comfortable admitting to herself, let alone anyone else. Absurd as it sounded, she’d missed him. She kept telling herself she didn’t even know him, not that the rationale mattered. Her body ached for the comfort of his hug. Her soul craved the strength of his embrace. Her heart yearned for the steady beat of his.