“Yeah. Gary threw in some extras, said he was feeling generous. He’s really just an old softie, and he likes and admires you a lot,” Kimber answered.
“Gary’s all right. You guys going out to lunch?” Hawk changed the subject. He didn’t feel comfortable when people paid him a compliment. Maybe it was because his father never uttered a kind word to him, or the fact that his mother abandoned him. That’s just the way it was.
“Did you come here to take me out to lunch?” she asked, stroking Throttle’s cheek with the back of her hand.
“Yeah.”
“You can be such a sweetie.”
A deep ache throbbed in Hawk as he watched them. He missed Cara and the kids like hell. He stood abruptly. “I got some stuff to do. I won’t be back, so I need you to close, Kimber.”
She climbed off Throttle’s lap. “Sure thing. Do you need me to stay here? I mean, Throttle and I can order out.”
“Nah, go get some lunch. Patrick, Dwayne, and Bill are here. Anyway, it’s slow. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He and Throttle fist bumped, and then he left the shop.
When he opened the garage door, Cara’s maroon Land Cruiser was parked inside and warmth radiated throughout his body. Switching off the motor, he closed the door and went into the mudroom. Braxton’s squeals and Isa’s small voice made his heartbeat race, and he shoved his keys into his pocket and went into the kitchen.
From where he stood, he saw Cara cross-legged on the carpet next to Braxton, who knelt while he figured out a train floor puzzle. Isa sat next to Cara, putting colorful balls into a muffin pan. As he watched them, a grin he couldn’t contain spread over his face. I missed them so damn much.
After several minutes, he crossed the length of the kitchen, his boots thudding on the hardwood floor. All eyes turned to him.
Braxton scrambled up with Isa following him and they ran over to him, Braxton grabbing hold of his leg while Isa raised her arms, saying, “Hold me, Daddy!” Hawk picked her up easily and pressed her close, and she nuzzled her face into his neck. “How’s my sweet princess doing?” He kissed her.
Braxton tugged at his pant leg. “Daddy, come over and see the number train I’m doing. There’re three dragons in the train car.”
Hawk went over and knelt, setting Isa down on the floor. “Great job, little buddy. How many cars do you have in your train?”
Braxton held up five fingers. “And I have a hiptamanus, two monkeys, and… I have to see again.” He bent over, looking at the puzzle pieces.
Picking up a red ball, he handed it to Isa, who put it in the muffin tin. He glanced at Cara who sat mutely, her head down and her fingers pulling at the fibers in the carpet.
“And four tigers.” Braxton held up the piece. “See?”
Hawk took it from him. “How can four tigers fit in this small train car?”
Braxton took the piece back and stared at it, a small frown knitting his brows. He shrugged. “I don’t know. But they do.”
Hawk laughed and hugged him. Isa handed him a yellow ball and Hawk put it in one of the spaces in the tin. Cara still sat mutely, pulling at the carpet.
“Why didn’t you come to Nana and Noni’s with us?” Braxton pushed a puzzle piece into a space. “I did it, Mommy. See?”
“I was busy. Did you have fun?” Again he looked at Cara, and again she avoided him.
“Uh-huh. But I missed my bed.” He yawned. “I finished.” He clapped, then covered his mouth.
“Who was hanging out in the fifth car?” Hawk ran his fingers over Isa’s hair as she lay on her side with her head on her arm, her eyelids drooping.
“Seals,” Braxton laughed, rolling around the floor.
For a few seconds, it was quiet, and a strained tension crackled between Hawk and Cara. Braxton yawed again.
“Are you getting sleepy?” Cara said, uncrossing her legs.
“Yeah. I think Isa already fell asleep.” Braxton kept rolling.
Hawk stood up and shrugged off his jacket as Cara picked Isa up and extended her hand.
“Come on,” she said to Braxton, reaching for him. “Let’s go to your room for your nap.” Braxton held her hand and she climbed the stairs. Not once had she looked at him.
“Come down afterward, Cara. I wanna talk to you.”
Without looking at him, she continued climbing the stairs, then headed down the hallway.
Hawk narrowed his eyes, knowing there was no way in hell she was going to listen to him. Shaking his head, he went upstairs and into their bedroom. I’m not dealing with this shit anymore. Standing by the window, he looked out at the falling snow clinging to the bare branches of the oak and maple trees. A group of neighborhood kids went by, dragging sleds behind them. Across the street, a few children threw snowballs at each other.
Warm, sweet vanilla drifted over to him. Cara.
“Oh,” she muttered.
He turned around just as she started walking out of the room. Sparks of anger sizzled in his blood and he stalked over to her. Grabbing her arm, he yanked her to him as he pushed the door closed with his foot.
“Let me go,” she said breathlessly, struggling in his arms.
“Don’t you ever fuckin’ take my kids away from me again.”
She stopped struggling and looked at him. “What did you expect?”
“For you to act like a goddamn adult and talk about what the fuck’s bothering you. We’re together. This is our life, and if you’re pissed at me, you need to talk to me about it, not run home to your mom and dad like you’re a damn child. And you take my kids away from me? That fuckin’ shit doesn’t ever happen again.”
“You cheated on me. How could you?” Her voice quivered and she looked down.
“Who told you that? That’s right Doris, the club gossip, called you early Sunday morning to give you the fuckin’ news.”
“How could you do that to me… to us?”
“I didn’t do shit.”
“Ha! You’re telling me you’re the victim?”
They were standing so close he could feel the anger emanating from her. Her face was flushed, her eyes glimmered, and her nipples were hardening under her tight T-shirt.
“I’m telling you it was a setup. And if Doris would keep her goddamn mouth shut long enough to think with her brain, she would’ve known that. I was fuckin’ wasted, went to my room and forgot to lock the door. One of the club whores concocted this shit, and when I found out, I threw her ass out.”
“You didn’t do anything with her? Not even touching?” Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and he wanted to slip it into his mouth and suck it gently.
“Nothing. When I woke up, I was shocked she was there, and then I got pissed.”
For a long while, she was silent, but then she whispered, “You should’ve still called me and told me you weren’t coming home. I was so worried.”
“I fucked up. I own it. But you fucked up too by running away instead of hashing it out with me.”
She lifted her chin and looked him right in the eyes. “Honestly, I couldn’t stomach being in the same house with you.”