Chapter Three
THURSDAY EVENING SARAH hung up her black hairdressing apron in the back room of Chicki’s salon and gathered her things, mentally ticking off items on her to-do list. She loved working at the salon, and took pride in earning a living and showing her children that being self-sufficient was a good thing. It was also a great opportunity to get to know people in the community. Every time she picked up a pair of scissors, she filled with a sense of accomplishment for how far she’d come.
“Hey, baby girl,” Chicki said as she walked in the back door. “Heading out for the night?”
Chicki, Red, and Babs had called her names like baby girl since the first time they’d met. While it had felt strange coming from women who barely knew her, now Sarah found herself tucking those endearments away alongside other small reminders—like their hugs and the love the three women lavished on her babies—that even though her mother hadn’t been loving or even kind, she was worthy of both.
“Yes. I wasn’t expecting you tonight. Are you shorthanded? Do you need me to stay?”
Though Chicki owned the salon, she worked only a few hours each month. Regardless, she always looked perfectly put together, from her coiffed hair to her crimson lipstick and smoky eyes. She wore her hair down today, parted on the side. It fell in soft waves, skimming her shoulders and giving her a youthful appearance. Her black wrap shirt was belted around the waist, accentuating her ample bosom and rounded hips. She wore a pair of black skinny jeans and heels that Sarah would topple off of with her first step.
“No. I just came in to get something from the office. Your babies need their mama, and your feet must be killing you.”
“Not really, and I had a great day. Isla came in for a trim.” Isla was one of Chicki’s daughters. She was in her early twenties and ran their family’s flower shop, Petal Me Hard. She was also about as rebellious as a girl could be. Sarah envied women like Isla. Women with normal families and normal lives, where they chose to rebel instead of being forced to find a way out.
Chicki scowled. “That little rascal made sure to come in when I wasn’t here. She’s on my shit list at the moment.”
“Uh-oh,” Sarah said. “What did she do this time?” She’d seen Chicki and Isla knock heads on more than one occasion, but no matter how much of a hard-ass Chicki was, she never let her daughter walk out the door without a hug and an I love you.
“What hasn’t she done? That girl has been skirting lines since she could bat her pretty, long lashes.” Chicki pointed at Sarah and said, “You should hope you’re having a boy this time. Girls can be snarky, secretive, and so emotional they can make you crazy, while boys might be visceral, but at least they don’t keep you guessing. They tell you when you piss them off.” She shook her head, going off on a tangent in Spanish that Sarah couldn’t understand. Then she blew out a breath and said, “Right now baby Lila is as sweet as can be. But one day she’ll discover boys, and then your whole world will be turned topsy-turvy. You’ll go from worrying about whether she’ll find friends at school to hoping she doesn’t get herself pregnant.”
Sarah thought back to her childhood. She’d never even had the chance to discover boys. From the time she was twelve and had gotten her period, her parents had called her horrible names, as if they’d assumed she’d been sleeping with every male within a hundred miles. She pushed those thoughts away as she left the salon and drove to the grocery store. She considered herself lucky for somehow innately knowing she wasn’t the cause of her parents’ hatred. She didn’t know the sex of her unborn child, and she didn’t care. She knew it was a survivor, and whether it was a rebellious girl or a headstrong boy, it would never know anything but love. She hoped that was enough for all of her children to keep them from ever being cruel to others, despite sharing their father’s genetic makeup.
After making a quick stop at the grocery store, she picked up Bradley and Lila from Babs and headed home, listening to Bradley chatter about playing at the park with Babs and Red. Bones’s motorcycle was parked out front. She should be used to seeing him, since he was there almost every evening helping Scott with the basement. Still, her pulse quickened as memories of the other night rushed back to her. She slung her purse over her shoulder and climbed from the car, trying to distract herself. But there was no distraction big enough to sway her overzealous pregnancy hormones, which had been on overdrive from the moment he’d followed her into the house on Halloween night. She could still feel his fingers brushing against hers and could smell his virile maleness. Her heart beat faster as she thought of the way he’d looked at her babies, like they were the most beautiful creatures in the world. When he’d thanked her for allowing him to help her put them to bed, she’d gotten all choked up. Their own father had seen them as an imposition for so long, so she’d always been prepared for the worst. Her body heated with memories of Bones imploring her to trust him, the feel of his warm, soft lips on her hand. She’d been struck mute, unable to do more than nod. It didn’t help that Scott had told her that Bones had sat on the porch until he’d come home just in case she’d needed anything.
“Bones is here!” Bradley yelled as she opened his door to help him out. He tugged at the straps of his car seat. “Hurry, Mommy! Let me out. I want to help Uncle Scott and Bones!”
She drew in a deep breath to try to clear her mind as Bradley wiggled out of his seat and sprinted across the yard. “Don’t get in their way,” she called after him as she went to get Lila, who was waving her arms and kicking her feet excitedly.
“I’ve got ya, Lila boo,” she said as she lifted her into her arms. “Do you want to see Bones, too?”
Lila leaned forward in her arms, as if she could propel her mother to walk faster.
“Hold your horses, little lady.” Little lady. Had she spent so much time with hugely helpful Bones that she was picking up his vocabulary? She had noticed how much she liked the way it sounded when he said it, like Lila was special to him. She kissed her baby girl on the cheek. “Too much love is never a bad thing, right, boo?”
She grabbed the plastic grocery bags with her free hand and bumped the door closed with her hip, steeling herself against the wave of anticipation she was trying so hard to ignore.
Inside the house, she heard Bradley’s high-pitched voice floating up from the basement, followed by Bones’s hearty laughter. She set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and then set Lila down on the floor with her toys in the living room so she could put up the baby gate at the top of the basement stairs. Lila wasn’t walking yet, but she crawled like Speed Racer and she loved to pull herself up to her feet.
As Sarah toed off her shoes and gathered Lila’s toys, she heard Bradley telling Scott and Bones about his day. Her remarkable little boy had settled in nicely to their new world. She wondered how much of their old life he remembered, but she was too afraid to ask, for fear of stirring up unpleasant memories. He hadn’t seen her ex push her around, but there was no escaping the nastiness in his voice or the horrible, unfeeling things he’d said toward the end about the kids.
They had a good life now, and that’s what she focused on.
“Come on, boo. Time to make dinner.” She gathered a few of Lila’s toys and brought them, along with her sweet girl, into the kitchen to play while she cooked.
Her nerves got the better of her as she made dinner and thought about Bones. It was silly, really. She was sure she had read too much into that kiss on the hand and the look in his eyes. God. Why was she so nervous? Because you want the hand kiss to have meant something.
Ugh. Did she? No. She’d been through too much to even entertain the idea of a man like Bones being interested in her. He was probably one of those guys who liked to rescue women, and she did not need rescuing, thank you very much.
She hoisted Lila onto her hip and headed downstairs.
Every step caused her stomach to dip like she was on a roller coaster.
Stupid pregnancy hormones.
As she descended the steps, voices became clear. They had been working on the basement for a few weeks, and the framing was already up for a bedroom and a recreation room. Scott was working on hanging drywall in the recreation room, while Bones was crouched beside Bradley in what would become the bedroom. Her pulse sped up, the way it always did at her first glance of the handsome man whose big body made her son seem even smaller. His hair was brushed away from his face, and he was totally focused on Bradley, who wore the toy tool belt Scott had bought for him and clutched a hammer in his right hand.
Bones placed his hand over Bradley’s and said, “Remember how I taught you to hit the nail?”
“Square on my head,” Bradley said proudly.
Bones chuckled. “Square on the head.” He showed Bradley the head of the nail and patiently explained what he meant.
“Square on the head,” Bradley repeated.
She watched as they banged the nail into the drywall, her heart filling with happiness for her boy.
“It’s coming along, huh?” Scott said, jarring her from her reverie.
“Yeah. How’s your leg?” Sometimes she worried that he was pushing himself too hard.
Scott made a face that told of his irritation at being mothered. She couldn’t blame him. How crazy must it be for him after more than a decade of living alone to suddenly have a sister he barely knew anymore and her family move in with him? When the basement was finished, Scott was moving downstairs and giving up the master bedroom for Sarah. She hadn’t asked for it and had fought him on the idea, but he’d insisted. He’d never once made her feel like an imposition, but he made no effort to hide the fact that he didn’t need to be mothered.
“A better question is, how are you?” Scott asked. “You’ve been on your feet all day.”
“I’m fine.” She’d always loved being pregnant, even the first few months when she was tired all the time. She hadn’t experienced that fatigue with this pregnancy, which was probably because she had been so busy trying to scrape together enough money to stay off the streets with her children. Slowing down hadn’t been an option. “Dinner’s ready. I came down to get Bradley.”
“Dinner!” Bradley tore out of the bedroom. “Come on, Bones! Dinnertime!” He bolted up the stairs.
“Slow down and wash your hands,” she called after him.
Bones sauntered out of the bedroom, his eyes locked on her, and all her nerves flamed. Should she thank him for sitting guard outside her house the other night, or tell him she didn’t need protecting? That would sound bitchy…and maybe untrue in some regards. There was no denying the comfort that Bones and his family had given her, embracing her the way they had. She’d have been in debt forever had they not hosted the fundraiser. But still, she didn’t want to be seen as a damsel in distress. She hadn’t survived all these years having others take care of her, and she was proud of that.
“It’s nice to see you, darlin’,” he said in a low voice as smooth as silk.
She felt her cheeks flush. What is wrong with me? She was acting like a ridiculous girl who had no experience with men. She knew how to flirt and seduce like a pro, but around Bones all the skills that had gotten her through the most difficult situations flitted away.
She shot a look at Scott to see if he’d picked up on the intimate sound of his voice. Scott flashed a knowing smile. Oh God, you heard it, too?
Scott turned back to the drywall, and Bones stepped closer, making her even more flustered. “How’s this pretty little lady?”
He tickled Lila’s foot, and Lila buried her face in Sarah’s neck, giggling. Bones dragged his gaze down Sarah’s body and said, “You look nice tonight.”
She glanced down at her maternity jeans and white scoop-necked shirt. She’d gotten a long flowery blouse at a consignment shop, and she wore it open over her T-shirt, adding color to her outfit—and hoping to draw Bones’s eyes away from her belly. It was a cute outfit, and she realized he was probably just being nice, not flirting. She was a little disappointed at that. “Thanks. Do you guys want some mac and cheese?” How many women would offer Bones Whiskey macaroni and cheese? Their schedules varied so much, their paths didn’t usually cross at dinnertime, but what else could she do but prepare enough for all of them?
“One of my favorite meals,” Bones said.
He must be a really good liar, because she believed him.
“But you’re allergic to dairy,” he added. “Aren’t you eating?”
Just another thing to set her apart from normal people. She was allergic to dairy, gluten, nuts, and eggs. She never went anywhere without her EpiPen. “Yes. Even though my kids got lucky and they don’t have food allergies, it’s easier to cook for them using only foods I can eat, instead of making separate meals. Then there’s no chance of contamination.”
“It’s delicious, dude. You should stay,” Scott said.
“You sure you have enough?” Bones asked with that hopeful smile again.
She nodded, and Bones set down his hammer.
Lila leaned toward him, arms out. “Bababa.”
“May I?” Bones asked as he reached for her.
Sarah handed him Lila as Scott set down his tools and glanced over, watching them intently. Could he tell Sarah was melting inside and at the same time telling herself to get the hell out of there? Or was Scott just happy that Lila was so loved?
“You look mighty good with that baby in your arms, Doc,” Scott teased. “Better watch it. I hear they’re contagious.”
Bones scoffed. “That would take a female participant.”
“What? No special lady in your life?” Sarah slammed her mouth shut, unable to believe she asked the question that had been burning in her mind for weeks.
Lila patted Bones’s cheek. “Babababa.”
Holding her gaze, he said, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
BONES COULDN’T RESIST putting a hand on Sarah’s back and nudging her toward the stairs. She was fucking adorable when she attempted to hide her nervousness. He followed her upstairs, trying not to stare at her gorgeous ass.
The minute they were in the kitchen, she took charge, settling Lila in her high chair and removing Bradley’s plastic dinosaur from his plate. “Let’s eat, then play,” she suggested with a pat on his head.
Scott disappeared into the bathroom down the hall.
“Mind if I wash my hands here?” Bones motioned toward the kitchen sink.
“No. Go right ahead. Sorry about the mess. I usually do dishes after the kids are down for the night.”
“No worries,” he said as he washed his hands. “I’ve babysat Kennedy and Lincoln. I know you need eight arms to do it all at once.”
He began washing the pots as she moved gracefully and purposefully, doling out peas and carrots onto Bradley’s plate and Lila’s tray and then scooping mac and cheese onto each. She set a tiny pink fork next to Lila. Lila blew bubbles as she grabbed the fork in one hand and a fistful of noodles with the other. She shoved the noodles into her mouth, pleasure washing over her tiny face.
“Not too much, boo,” Sarah said, earning a wide, noodle-filled grin. As she grabbed two sippy cups from a cabinet, she noticed him washing the dishes. “Bones, I can get that. Please sit down.”
“I think I can handle a few dishes.”
“You’re our guest.” She filled the cups and set one in front of each child.
“Nah. A guest dresses fancy and brings wine. I’m dressed in jeans and brought a hammer. We’re good. These hands can do more than healing,” he said with a wink.
Scott came into the kitchen and reached into a cabinet for adult-sized plates. “Doin’ my job?” He handed the plates to Sarah and then retrieved glasses while Sarah dished out their dinners.
Scott was a likable guy, a little rough around the edges, but he clearly loved his sister and her children.
“Just helping out.” Bones grabbed a dish towel and dried the pots. “No dishwasher?”
“Got this place for a song, remember?” Scott had told Bones that he’d bought the house at auction when he’d first moved to Peaceful Harbor. In the weeks before the accident he’d done a nice job of painting and fixing it up. But like a typical guy, he didn’t seem to mind not having luxuries at his fingertips.
Scott pulled open the refrigerator. “Want a beer? Iced tea? Water?”
“I’ll have a beer, thanks. I hear you’re doing the girls’ hair for the wedding Saturday,” Bones said to Sarah as they took their seats at the table.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Sarah said, and went on to give Scott a hard time about not letting her trim his hair.
Scott grinned and said, “Chicks dig shaggy hair. Gives them something to hold on to.”
Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly changed the subject. Conversation came easily. Bones enjoyed the banter between them, and he loved watching Sarah care for her children. She wiped faces, caught a sippy cup midair as it tumbled from Lila’s tray, and answered questions that Bradley seemed to pull out of nowhere—Why are peas green? If I eat dinner, can we make a cake? Can I build a motorcycle with blocks? It was a wonder she had time to eat anything at all, but if it bothered her, she didn’t indicate it. She was patient and handled it all effortlessly.
“This is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had,” Bones said honestly. “But if you tell Red that, I’ll deny it.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’m sure the dairy-free cheese tastes different from what you’re used to, but thank you.”
“It does taste different. Better,” he clarified. “Where’d you learn to cook like this? Your mom?”
She shook her head and focused on Lila. “I’ve been cooking for myself forever. There are all types of recipes online for people with food allergies.”
She was trying too hard not to look at him. He didn’t like the vibe he was getting and wanted to ask more about their family, like whether her father was still alive and, if so, did she ever see him? But knowing her guard went up when he asked personal questions, he went for a safer subject. “Scott, you said you worked on oil rigs before coming here? How did you get into that line of work?”
Scott took a swig of his beer. “I worked on marinas down in Florida during high school, learned how to weld, do engine repair. Things weren’t great at home, and one day one of the guys told me about this job on a rig. I took off at seventeen, got certified in welding and eventually diving, and found my way to being an underwater welder. Good money, a roof over my head, just dangerous as hell. But I survived.” He glanced at Sarah and said, “It was a good move. How about you, Bones?”
“I graduated high school early, at sixteen, and went to college, but living on an oil rig? That was a brave move at that age.”
“Not really,” Scott said. “My sisters are the brave ones. Sarah left home at sixteen, and Josie at thirteen. I was an old man compared to them.”
Bones’s gut seized. Graduating early was one thing, but leaving home at sixteen and thirteen? Something must have been very wrong, which was made even clearer by the angry stare Sarah was giving Scott.
“You’re not an old man,” Bradley chimed in around a mouthful of peas.
Sarah’s expression softened and she said, “Uncle Scott’s just being silly, honey.”
Sarah got up and wet a dishcloth. She busied herself wiping Lila’s hands and face, her mouth set in a firm line. Bones tried to think of a way to defuse the tension, but he had too many unanswered questions—and he couldn’t think of a single potential answer that wasn’t bad. This new information made his protective urges surge even more. What had she been through?
Bradley wiggled down from his chair. “Can I go play?”
Sarah was still busy with Lila, so Bones snagged Bradley around the waist and pushed to his feet. “How about we wash those hands first?”
“Dude, you’re lightning fast,” Scott said as he got up to help. “Want me to get him?”
Sarah lifted Lila out of the high chair and said, “I can do it, Bones. You came over to help with the basement and got wrangled into dishes and everything else.” She looked at Scott.
“Hey, I offered,” Scott said. “The doc wants to help. Who am I to tell him no?”
Bones turned on the sink and set Bradley beside it. “We’ve got this, right, B-boy?”
Bradley nodded and stuck his hands under the water. “Can we work more?”
Bones looked at Sarah, who was busy stripping off Lila’s dirty shirt, and said, “That’s up to your mama.” He finished washing Bradley’s hands and dried them with a towel.
She glanced over with an apologetic smile. “Only if it’s okay with you guys.”
“Totally cool with me, little dude.” Scott scooped him off the counter. “Bones, we’ll meet you downstairs.”
The tension when Scott left the kitchen was as tangible as another person in the room. Bones played over a dozen things to say, but when he went to Sarah’s side, the wariness in her eyes told him there was only one thing he needed to know.
“Just tell me this. Are you in danger? Is your husband or your father looking for you?”
She swallowed hard, her eyes wide and watchful. She shook her head and said, “I’ve never had a husband, and I don’t think my father looked for me when I was a teenager. I’m sure he’s not looking now.”
“Sarah,” came out as a tortured growl. He reached for her, wanting to ease the pain in her eyes.
She pressed her hand to his chest, pushing him away. “Don’t. I’m fine. We’re fine. We don’t need saving.”
“I don’t want to save you. I just want to—” Help you? Be with you? Fuck. Everything sounded like he wanted to rescue her. What the hell was wrong with that? There was no changing who he was, but just because he wanted to take care of her and protect her didn’t mean she was just like everyone else he’d ever helped. He didn’t want to get her to safety and be her friend. He wanted to be the man she didn’t fear, the man she knew she could count on, the man in her bed. He wanted to be hers.
“We’re fine, Bones.”
She started to walk out of the kitchen, and he gently grabbed her wrist. “I’m not trying to save you. You’re not one of my patients, Sarah. But I’m here, and I heard those things. That’s not going to change.” He glanced at Lila, anger and heartache intertwining. How long had Sarah been raising her kids alone? How had she managed? Did her children have the same father? And where the hell was her sister?
“Mommy?” Bradley hollered, his footsteps stomping up the basement stairs.
Bones reluctantly dropped her wrist, but he continued holding her gaze. “Let me in, Sarah. You won’t regret it.”
“Mommy, I need Bones to bonk the nail,” Bradley said as he walked into the kitchen, looking completely put out by the delay in his plans.
“Okay, baby,” Sarah said as she gazed down at Bradley, absently brushing her fingers through his dirty-blond hair. Then she looked at Bones for a long, silent moment with an expression hovering somewhere between a plea and a warning.
Bradley grabbed Bones’s hand and dragged him toward the basement.
Bones looked over his shoulder at Sarah. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. A troubled and somehow also appreciative smile lifted her lips, and she mouthed, Thank you.