“Boxing,” Beckett winked at her. “He wasn’t just afraid, he was angry. We’d get in the ring and beat the shit out of each other. We both had some anger built up so we fought it out.”
Gia closed her eyes. “I can’t imagine you two fighting. It’s so … barbaric.”
“Says the woman with a heavy bag in her shed.”
“A heavy bag doesn’t have a face. Why were you angry?”
Beckett weighed his words. “First and foremost, you don’t hurt a Pierce without incurring the wrath of the rest of us. And, at the time, I guess I was still pissed that the path he chose, the path that took him away from our dad in his last years, was the thing that almost got him killed.”
Gia nodded. “And you felt guilty about being mad at him.”
“Of course.”
“What did your mother say? About the boxing, I mean.”
“We never told her,” Beckett said. “We’re not stupid.”
“Neither is your mother,” Gia said dryly. “She had to know. Besides, you can’t do anything in Blue Moon without the entire town talking about it.”
“Fitness Freak has a ring in the back with its own entrance. Doesn’t get a lot of use, but Fran — you know Fran?”
“You mean the coolest woman on earth?”
“Yeah, that’s Fran,” Beckett laughed. “Anyway, she gave us the key and asked no questions. So we’d sneak in once or twice a week, whenever things got bad for Carter. I held back at first. He had fucking bullet holes in him. But that just pissed him off more.” Beckett shook his head.
“Now, that I can see.”
“He called me a pus—” Beckett shot her a sidelong glance. “Uh, a name and I just snapped and put him on his ass. It was the first time I’d seen an honest-to-God smile since he’d come home.”
Gia stared out her window, a smile playing on her lips. “Men are idiots.”
“We’re not idiots,” Beckett countered. “We’re blunt instruments. We walked around with black eyes and cuts on our faces for a few weeks, but since it seemed to be helping, everyone — including Mom — knew better than to ask about them.”
She rolled her head on the seat and shot him a smile. “I really like you, Beckett.”
She watched the rush of feelings her words conjured sweep across his face.
“You like me because I punched my wounded-in-combat brother in the face?”
Gia nodded. “Yep.”
Beckett shook his head. “Women.” He turned off of the highway and onto a dark country road.
“We are going to a restaurant, aren’t we? You aren’t just taking me to some rural gas station for candy bars and beef jerky, are you?”
“Gianna, Gianna, Gianna,” Beckett sighed. “You should have specified where you wanted to go,” he teased.
He made another turn, this time at a wooden placard that said Horseshoe Lake. Gia peered through her window but couldn’t see much beyond the soft glow of lampposts and trees that lined the drive.
“How’s Evan doing with everything? He seemed pretty quiet when we told him about us,” Beckett said, followed the road as it meandered through trees.
“He’s very private about how he processes things. The most I could get out of him was that he wasn’t surprised.”
“He knew your dad was going to tell you he was dating when you came to dinner that first night.”
“He did? God, that kid is smart. I didn’t see that one coming. A happy surprise, thankfully.”
Beckett remained silent and Gia held her tongue. Sooner or later he’d either have to get used to his mother dating her father, or blow up and spill his guts on why he disapproved.
The tree-lined drive opened up to reveal a sprawling lodge that spread out on the lake’s edge. Its cedar shingles and heavy navy shutters gave it a classic New England look. Beckett pulled into the gravel parking lot cordoned off with a split-rail fence next to the building.
“Wow,” Gia said, gripping her bag.
“I haven’t even taken my pants off, yet.”
Gia slapped Beckett on the arm. “Funny guy.”
“Let’s get you fed so I can take you home and find out what you have on under that dress,” Beckett said, his fingers tracing her thigh just under the hem.
“Just consider it dessert,” she said, leaning closer and licking her lips. She gave him her best sultry look.
“Evil woman,” Beckett said blowing out his breath and getting out of the driver’s seat.
They were seated immediately in a cozy corner near a crackling fireplace. Their table offered a view of the moonlight as it sparkled on the lake’s dark waters.
“Very, very nice, Beckett,” Gia said after the server, a young man with a slight French accent, took their drink order.
Beckett took her hands on the crisp white linen tablecloth. “I’m glad you approve.”
“You’re very good at dating, aren’t you?” Gia said, raising an eyebrow.
“Aren’t you?”