At Peace

“No,” she said immediately, “they’ll understand.”


Yes, my girl wanted to come home.

It was now confirmed. Dane was a good kid and I was forced to like him, even love the guy.

Shit.

“Dane can um…” Damn! I looked back at Joe and widened my eyes at him but he just lifted his brows and then I said, “If his parents’ll let him, we’ll look out for him. I know he’s seventeen but he can stay with us, sleep on the couch and I’ll keep him fed.”

“Seriously?” Kate breathed.

I stopped looking at Joe, dropped my head to my knees and said, “Seriously.”

“I think they’ll be cool with that,” she told me and she sounded genuinely happy now.

I turned my head, putting my temple to my knee and saw Joe was smiling at me.

There it was; I’d done the right thing.

“Good, honey, but enjoy today. Get your fill and then come home tomorrow.” I told her, “but do it safe and slow, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Call me before you leave so I know when to expect you.”

“Okay.”

I decided to give her more to look forward to and shared, “Your Gram and Gramps are comin’ down next weekend.”

“Killer!” she cried and I smiled, my eyes dropping to Mooch who was going to town on Joe’s hand and, not thinking, Kate at my ear, I spoke to Joe.

“Joe, your hand is not a chew toy.”

“Baby, he’s fine.”

“We don’t let him chew our hands like that.”

“He’s fine, Vi.”

“Stop him.”

“Honey, I said… he’s fine.”

The way he said this made me look at him and clamp my mouth shut. He was definitely done telling me Mooch was fine.

“Is Joe with you?” Kate asked, sounding beyond happy now, sounding freaking thrilled.

I jerked my eyes from Joe and realized I was naked in bed with Joe and Mooch, talking to my daughter, who was thrilled Joe was with me.

God, total slut.

And also, totally screwed.

“Um… yeah.”

“He’s stayin’ with us, you know, while his house is renovated. Did he tell you?”

“Yeah.”

“Keira and I think it’s great.”

“Keira does?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

The hundred dollars.

“How much of Joe’s money she have left?” I asked and Kate laughed.

“We gave Dane’s folks the money you gave us for food and stuff but we haven’t had time to go shoppin’ or anything so all of it, I think.”

“You get back, whatever you have left, you return it.”

“What?” Kate asked.

“What?” Joe rumbled.

I ignored Joe and told Kate, “When you get back –”

I didn’t finish because Joe sat up, reached in, pulled the phone out of my hand and put it to his ear.

“Money’s yours, girl. Don’t listen to Vi.”

“Joe!” I snapped.

He nodded and said, “Yeah. Everything’s good here. Tell Dane to remember the speed limit and that he’s got precious cargo. No screwin’ around.”

My anger vanished, my body stilled and my mouth dropped open at listening to Joe sounding just like a Dad.

“Right, see you tomorrow. Later.” Then he slid my phone shut.

I stared at him then at my phone then my eyes went back to him. “I would have liked to say good-bye.”

“Yeah, and you would have liked to say other shit,” Joe said as he turned and tossed my phone on my purse.

“Like what?”

He turned back, his brows drew together and he got that sinister look when he asked, “Givin’ my money back, Vi?”

“Two hundred dollars is a lot.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is!”

“No, it fucking well isn’t.”

He was getting pissed but I figured I was getting more pissed.

I turned to him and declared, “Joe, you can’t buy my girls.”

His body went still and his face got hard and he didn’t speak for long seconds, seconds I didn’t realize he was using to gain control.

Then, low and angry, he told me, “I’m not buyin’ ‘em, I’m takin’ care of ‘em.”

“They’re not yours to take care of,” I snapped and immediately he moved. Mooch jumped away and I found myself plucked out of the bed and planted astride him, my knees in the bed, his arms locking me close.

“It was a shit time for you, the worst, but you were there and you saw ‘em doin’ it. They crawled into this same fuckin’ bed with me, so did you, and when you did, you all became mine.”

“That’s insane,” I informed him.

“That’s the way it is,” he shot back.

“Joe, we were beside ourselves with grief.”

“Yeah, and when you are you don’t lock tight to some guy you don’t know or some asshole you hate. You lock tight to what’s yours to remind yourself that it is and that you need it.”

“That wasn’t what was happening.”

“Buddy, you’re naked in my lap, your girls want me in the house, you’re pissed at me, tellin’ yourself it’s over and all I gotta do is kiss you and you turn wild. This shit gonna sink in?”

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