Chapter 16

Holly

My last table of customers left The Roost just after eleven o’clock, and I hurried to tell the shift leader to lock the front doors. Afterward, I went to my till to manage my tips.

I was happy to find that I had made almost four hundred dollars in tips. It had been a busy night. Summer evenings always ended up being profitable for me. Families came to sit on our patio and enjoy our summer drink and dessert specials, and the extra outdoor space meant the servers had more tables to serve.

If most of my summer shifts went like this, I would have a decent little nest egg of savings tucked aside for the fall, and maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to find an apartment to rent for Luke and me.

It was a comforting thought. I loved living with my sister, but she needed her space back. If she met a guy she wanted to start dating, I didn’t want to get in the way. Not only that, but I wanted my independence back. I wanted to create my own little home and make it just how I liked.

I always dreamed about having a yellow kitchen. Maybe if I found an older building my landlord would let me spruce the place up, and over time, I could create the perfect little home to come back to every day.

Maybe I could land a place with other young families in the building so Luke could be close to some friends. There were tons of places in New York City that had courtyards in the middle of the building with a playground.

I liked to dream that my kitchen window would overlook the playground, and I could cook dinner while keeping an eye on Luke while he played with the other kids.

I tucked my tip money into the back pocket of my jeans and headed for the break room. I opened my locker, grabbed my clothes, and hurried to change before rushing out of the restaurant with a goodbye wave to Claire.

The bus picked me up at my stop shortly after I arrived, and I spent the ride with my nose in my book. The walk back to Kim’s apartment was pleasant. There were a few people still out and about enjoying the warm night, but everyone kept to themselves. In a city like New York, everyone had somewhere to be.

I let myself into the apartment around midnight. The lights were off, as per usual, and the only sound was the soft hum of the fridge from the kitchen as I shrugged out of my jacket and hung it on the hook by the door. I hung my keys on the miniature hook beside the ones for coats and slid my shoes off my aching feet. I wiggled my toes and headed for the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

After setting the kettle on the stove and leaving the lid off so it wouldn’t whistle and wake my sister or Luke, I went to my room to change into a pair of loose sweats and an old T-shirt. I washed my face and tied my hair up before returning to the kitchen to find the kettle boiling. I dropped a chamomile tea bag into one of Kim’s mugs and poured the water over it.

The kitchen filled with the citrus aroma, and I wrapped my hands around the mug, lifted it under my nose, and inhaled deeply.

I liked my routine of coming home after a long shift to sit with a cup of tea and my book. It was a nice way to wind down and have some time to myself. It had taken a little while for me to enjoy it, to be honest, and I chalked that up to always being with Luke when I lived with Kent because he was so uninvolved in our family.

Now, with my own job and a sister who helped me with my son, I was able to come home and take a breather every now and then and just sit with my thoughts.

And my thoughts were so much different than they used to be.

Where I used to sit and worry, I now dreamed. Back in Philadelphia being alone made me anxious because I was always waiting for something to go wrong. I was waiting for Kent to come home drunk. I was waiting for him to yell at me, to get angry, to break things.

Now, all I was confronted with was contentment and ease. I left the kitchen and walked around the dining room table toward the living room. I noticed two of the chairs from the table set were missing. I wondered what kinds of shenanigans Kim and Luke had gotten up to together. Chances were there was a poorly constructed fort somewhere in the house—Luke liked to drape a sheet over the backs of the chairs and then pile pillows underneath. He’d tuck himself away with his GI Joe action figure for hours before he emerged with a growling belly.

As I sat down in my favorite corner of the couch with my tea, I opted not to read my book. Instead, I sat cross-legged and contemplated how much my life had changed.

My son was happy and healthy and would be starting school in less than two months. My sister was back in my life, and I was infinitely grateful for her help, her love, and her advice.

Advice that had granted me a chance to be with Jax again.

I smiled into my cup of tea as I took a sip.

My thoughts always ended up back with him. I liked to close my eyes and picture that wicked smile of his, the smile that made my stomach flutter and my panties wet. He was kryptonite to me. Ever since our moment together in his truck, I’d been having a hard time focusing on anything else. If I really committed to the memory, I could still feel his lips on mine, lingering like the tingle of a plumping lip gloss.

I would call him in the morning and see when he was free next. Maybe it was time to let him meet Luke. Jax was a smart man. He wouldn’t come in and disrupt things. He would just meet Luke, and the two of them could get to know each other as friends first.

I caught myself smiling again.

When I finished my tea, I washed my mug and left it on the counter to dry. I tiptoed carefully down the hall to see Luke. His door was open just a crack, and I could see his nightlight sending dancing stars up against the ceiling.
I pushed the door open gently and slipped inside. Closing it behind me to block the light from the hallway, I turned back around, resting my shoulder blades on the door.

Luke was wide-awake and sitting up in bed. He was propped up on the headboard and had his hands in his lap. He was looking at me, and as soon as we locked eyes, I knew something was wrong.

Luke looked to the far corner of the room.

I followed his gaze to find two people sitting in chairs.

The missing dining room chairs.

My heart started hammering in my chest. My mouth went dry.

Kim was sitting beside a broad-shouldered man with a head of thick blond hair. He was looking at me with eyes that I knew were piercing blue. His arms were crossed over his burly chest. Kent.

“Look who decided to show up.” Kent’s voice was as dark and mean as I remembered. A chill wove down my spine, and I could taste my own fear in the back of my throat. “Mother of the fucking year.”

“What are you doing here?” I wanted my voice to sound strong and assertive. Instead, it came out in a weak whisper.

Kent laughed at me. “I’m here to get my son, you bitch. What do you think I’m here for?”

“Leave.”

He laughed again. “I don’t think so. Kim and I are just catching up. And Luke has been telling me all about the time he and his auntie have been spending together. Imagine my relief at finding out my son is being raised by your self-absorbed sister instead of you.”

“I’m not self-absorbed,” Kim said venomously.

Kent’s head swung to her. “All the fancy shit in this place and your thick face of makeup would suggest otherwise.”

Kim rolled her eyes. “That’s called successful. Do you need a definition?”

“Kim, stop it,” I said, sensing the anger radiating off Luke’s father as he glared daggers at my sister.

“Mommy,” Luke said nervously from his bed.

“It’s all right, Luke.” I lifted my chin but never took my eyes off Kent. He was unpredictable, and if history was any indication, he was drunk. “The adults are just talking. Everything is okay.”

Kent got to his feet. I had almost forgotten how big he was. With thick arms and a wide frame, he towered over me as he approached. When he was in front of me, he peered down the length of his crooked nose, broken from several altercations in bars and at work as a bounty hunter, and sneered at me. “We’re just talking, huh?”

“Back up,” I said stiffly.

Kent snorted, and I smelled the booze on him. “Give me a fucking break, Holly. You think you can tell me what to do? Get your shit. We’re going back to Philadelphia.”

Fuck that. And fuck him. I wasn’t going anywhere with him ever again. I was home finally, and I was going to fight to stay here.

Slowly, I clasped my hands behind my back. I found my phone jutting out of the top of my back pocket and worked at sliding it out without Kent noticing.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Neither is Luke.”

“Like hell you’re not.”

“I mean it,” I said, retreating a step back from him. “I’m sorry I left without saying anything, but I knew you would never let me go if I tried to talk it out with you. I was miserable, Kent. We both were. And that’s not fair to our son. He deserves more than parents who fight all the time and a father who comes home drunk every day. Please tell me you understand where I’m coming from.”

I knew he wouldn’t understand. I knew it was like talking to a wall. But that didn’t matter. My words had bought me enough time to try to send a message to the only person who could help me and my family right now.

I had no clue if what I had typed out made sense. I didn’t even know if I had successfully sent it. But I needed to get word to Jax somehow that I was in trouble, and I hoped he would see it sooner rather than later.

“Luke is my boy, and you’re my woman,” Kent said, jabbing his thumb into his chest. “You don’t get to just up and walk away from me and come live here.” He spun around, gesturing at the extravagance of Luke’s new bedroom. “Your sister was always trying to get between us and break us up. You know that as much as I do. She doesn’t want what’s best for you, baby. She’s just jealous. Come home with me. I can take care of you both. You know I can. Just give me another chance.”

I internally pleaded with Kim not to say anything. She would only make it worse. I had to handle this on my own. I was the only person in the room who had any chance of keeping him calm.

“This isn’t about Kim. I made the decision to leave all on my own. She didn’t even know I left until I called her when I was already in New York City.”

Kent’s upper lip peeled away from his yellowed, liquor-stained teeth. “Oh?”

His anger pulsed in the air around us like a ticking time bomb.

“Listen to me,” I said calmly, “I want to work this out with you. Luke still needs his father in his life, and I don’t want to exile you. Why don’t you go and get a hotel for the night and sleep this off? We can go for coffee in the morning or something and make some arrangements for you to spend time with Luke. This doesn’t have to be a battle, Kent. We can stop this right now from getting out of hand. Meet me halfway here. Please?”

“Halfway?” Kent hissed. “You missed your chance for that bullshit, sweetheart. You shouldn’t have run from me. You shouldn’t have taken my son from me. And no, we won’t talk this out over coffee. Fuck that.”

“Kent, please.”

“No!” He roared, my imagination making the floors and walls vibrate around me.

I hated that I screamed and covered my ears. I hated that I cowered from him and pressed myself against the wall.

I hated that everything felt exactly as it had in Philadelphia.