Chapter Twenty-Two

 

 

 

 

 

Evan

 

 

 

 

It was funny how much could change in such a short period of time. Eight weeks before, when I’d turned to find Victoria glaring at me on the soccer field for the first time, I never even imagined that we’d be where we were.

Any trace of the brokenness that I’d seen at the station house on Saturday evening was gone Sunday. Resolve was in its place and I knew that she wasn’t going to let my brother break her. Not a second time.

We spent our Sunday doing very little, apart from filing a police report in regards to the video. Victoria insisted on getting a workout in after we gave her table a workout of its own and then the two of us hunkered down in the living room. I pulled out some case files to read while she flipped through the channels and stopped on some housewife show.

Her phone vibrated throughout the day but she didn’t answer any of the calls or respond to any of the text messages unless they were from Vincent or her father.

She put her phone down after ending a call with her dad and rolled so she was looking up at me from where her head was in my lap.

“Dad wants me to bring you over for dinner tonight.”

I cringed slightly at the thought of coming face to face with the Jones patriarch. The memory of his hatred and loathing from seven years before was still fresh in my mind and Vincent hadn’t shied away from telling me how much their father still disliked me.

“Big, bad Evan Coleman is scared of my little, old daddy?” Her green eyes sparkled with humor and I ran my fingers along her ribs gently, causing her to squirm.

“You talk a lot of shit for someone who’s at my mercy, Jones.”

She gasped for a breath in between laughs and shook her head with a beautiful grin when I stopped. “Will you please go with me?”

“Of course I will.” I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers. “I’ll go anywhere you ask me to, Tor.”

She tugged on my head, deepening the kiss, and we didn’t resurface for a few minutes. When we did, I had to resist the urge I had to rip her clothes off.

“I need to run home and change if we’re actually leaving the house.”

“Okay.” She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, causing the t-shirt she was wearing to ride up and put some of her flesh on display. “If we stop by that bakery on Campbell Road and get him a cake, it could possibly soften him from the get-go.”

“On it. I’m all for cheating with sweets.”

I changed into the clothes I’d been wearing the day before while Victoria got ready. When she emerged from the master bathroom, I couldn’t help but smile.

She was leaving her hair down more and more and I loved when those silky strands were left free. The denim shorts and grey tank top she was wearing spoke of a new level of confidence my girlfriend had reached and I was so proud of her. When she slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops and caught me watching her, she raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“What?”

“Not a thing.” I flashed her a smile and grabbed my wallet, keys, and gun from the dresser. She rolled her eyes but I could tell she was trying not to smile, too.

I drove us in my truck to the bakery first, picking up a strawberry shortcake that Victoria insisted was Warren’s favorite. Afterwards we went to my place so I could get some clean clothes.

“When is re-construction supposed to finish?” Victoria asked as she looked out my bedroom window to where the Morris house was being rebuilt slowly.

“Not until after the first of the year. I think Dom’s going to go crazy by then.”

She stepped away from the window. “I can imagine. Just the thought of having to live with my dad again makes me feel like going insane. He has the tendency to revert back to smothering parent after any prolonged visit.”

I had no idea what it was like to have a parent who smothered you because they loved you but I didn’t say that out loud. Victoria’s face always went sad anytime I mentioned something about my pathetic childhood.

I was just buttoning up my charcoal colored shorts when the doorbell rang. Tori glanced over at me with furrowed brows.

“Expecting anyone?”

“Definitely not.” I slid the blue t-shirt over my head as I headed towards the living room. The doorbell was just ringing again when I pulled the door open and wanted to slam the door when I saw who was standing there. “Hi, Shelley.”

She was dressed in a pair of black shorts that were indecently short and a hot pink sports bra. Her brown hair, like always, was curled perfectly and the make-up on her face was very overdone. Her red-painted lips, which looked chemically enhanced, were formed into a pout.

“I’m so glad you’re home. I feel like you’re gone a lot.” She reached out and touched my arm, showing off her purple painted nails. “I need your help.”

I think it said a lot to my self-control that I didn’t release the frustrated groan I felt in my chest. “What’s wrong?”

Before Shelley could spill her turmoil, I heard Victoria speak with a ton of levity in her voice.

“Who’s at the door, Ev?” She made her presence known by coming to stand by my side in the doorway with a too-big smile on her face.

Shelley’s eyes immediately zeroed in on my girlfriend and her smile faltered for about two seconds before she forced it back on.

“Oh, who’s this?”

I wanted to laugh when Victoria leaned into my side and slipped her hand into my back pocket. I’d never see her jealous or possessive and I had to say, I liked it.

“This is my girlfriend, Victoria. Tor, meet my neighbor, Shelley. She lives down the street.”

“Nice to meet you.” Victoria’s voice was still sickly sweet and a direct contrast to the sour look on Shelley’s face.

“Girlfriend?” My neighbor focused her gaze on me. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

“I do.” I flinched slightly when Tori dug her nails into the flesh of my ass. Even with the lining of the pocket and my boxers acting as a barrier, it stung slightly. Whether she was teasing me or punishing me, I didn’t know and I honestly didn’t care. “What did you need help with?”

“Oh.” Shelley’s eyes lit up again with the reminder of why she’d come over in the first place. “I have a problem with the pipe in my bathroom. It’s leaking and I can’t figure out what to do.”

Before I could reply, Victoria spoke. “Oh, my father owns his own plumbing business and I’m actually pretty good with that kind of stuff. We’d be happy to come help you.”

It was obvious that having both of us over to fix the issue was not what Shelley wanted. She tried to stammer out a refusal but Tori wouldn’t hear it.

Thirty minutes later, we were back in my truck and heading in the direction of Warren’s house.

Victoria had marched down to Shelley’s house with my toolbox and fixed the leaking pipe within five minutes. Shelley watched with her jaw dropped the entire time and I somehow managed not to laugh my ass off.

My girlfriend’s friendly demeanor never wavered and she’d been quick to tell my neighbor that she was happy to help with any other plumbing problems that arose. Shelley thanked her and looked like she didn’t know whether to be grateful or irritated.

“I can’t believe you did that.” I glanced across the cab and saw Victoria shrug.

“Mom was big on killing with kindness.”

I reached for her hand. “I like your possessive side. It was hot.”

“I didn’t even realize I had one until I saw her put her hands on you.” She linked our fingers together. “I doubt she’ll come to you with any of her household emergencies again.”

No, she probably wouldn’t.

We pulled along the curb in front of a red brick home that looked almost immaculate. A white van with a WJ Plumbing logo was parked in the driveway, along with a white Ford Mustang that looked brand new. It had Firefighter license plates, the same style Victoria’s SUV had. I knew it belonged to Vincent after seeing it when I went for my run the morning before.

“Let’s do this,” I told her, taking one of her hands while balancing the cake with my free one.

She led me up the pathway to the front door, knocked on it twice, and then let herself in, calling out for her father as she did.

“In the kitchen,” was the reply she got and she squeezed my hand once and offered me an encouraging smile before heading that way.

The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside and it felt both warm and inviting. Warren Jones was obviously the type of man who took pride in his possessions. Victoria’s house wasn’t quite as warm but it was obvious she’d inherited that trait from her father.

The man in question came into view when we stepped into the kitchen and he grinned the moment he saw his daughter.

He was about the same height as both Vincent and I were, which was around four inches taller than Victoria. His balding hair was sprinkled with that salt and pepper look but I knew from photos that it’d been a very light brown just years before. His light brown eyes were soft and affectionate when he hugged his only daughter close to his chest.

“You okay, Vicky?”

She nodded and pulled away from him with a smile. “Better than I thought I’d be, honestly.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and turned to gesture me forward. “Dad, I don’t think you’ve officially met Evan Coleman. Ev, meet the guy who taught me to fix those leaky pipes, Warren Jones.”

I stepped forward with my hand outstretched and didn’t flinch when Warren clasped it in his own. The old man had quite the grip but I wasn’t planning on backing down.

“I want you to know that I’m watching you,” he warned, obviously a man who didn’t play games. “If you hurt my baby girl in any way, I will make you regret it.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Victoria roll hers but I didn’t pay her any attention as I gave Warren a serious look. “I understand, sir. I have no intention of ever hurting her.”

He studied me for a long moment before finally nodding and letting go of my hand. “I hope you can cook otherwise you’ll starve to death. My daughter is a danger to herself and others in the kitchen.”

I let out a bark of laughter and stepped back to drop my arm across her shoulders. “I’ve noticed. The only thing she’s allowed to do when I make dinner is supervise.”

All of us laughed except Victoria, who was trying her hardest not to join in. She covered it up with a scoff and stepped away from me to go to the fridge.

“You guys all suck.”

That just made us laugh louder and she couldn’t hold back her own anymore. I gave her a grateful smile when she handed me a bottle of beer and the four of us sat down at the kitchen table.

Warren was actually a very nice guy. He didn’t beat around the bush and immediately asked me to explain what went down seven years before. I explained everything to him, just like I had to Victoria and Vincent, and he cleared his throat when I was done.

“I’m sorry. You have to understand how I saw it, though.”

“I do.” I leaned back in my chair and dropped my hand to Victoria’s bare thigh under the table. “I completely understand. I don’t blame any of you for your reactions.”

Vincent finished off the beer he’d been drinking and set the bottle down with a thud. “I’m happy for you guys. My sister deserves to be happy and from the things that have been thrown your way, it sounds like you do, too, Coleman.”

“That’s some sappy shit, Vin.” Victoria grinned at her brother. “What about you?”

He offered her a smirk. “I’m always happy, baby sister.”

Even I could see the lie in that but no one commented on it beyond the sad look Victoria gave him.

Warren was excellent in the kitchen. He said he had to be, because apparently his wife had been just as bad as his daughter.

He served beef tenderloin, potatoes, and asparagus and each thing tasted better than the last. We finished it off with the strawberry shortcake that Victoria had made me stop for, which also turned out to be a hit, and then we sat on the covered back patio just talking.

When she went in to use the bathroom, Warren smiled at me, which was a direct contrast to the look he’d given me when we arrived.

“Are you in love with my little girl, Evan?”

I didn’t hesitate for even a second before answering. “I am.”

“Good. I haven’t seen her this happy since she was a kid.” He looked to Vincent before meeting my gaze again. “Their mother would have approved, too.”

“Mom would’ve approved of what?” Victoria walked back out and sat down in the chair next to me. Warren smiled at his only daughter and didn’t miss a beat.

“Of the woman you’ve become.”

If the blinding smile she sent her dad was any indication, Victoria loved that thought.

–––

“There was nothing to be afraid of after all,” she teased later on that night, her naked body sated and curled up next to mine. I smiled and slowly ran my fingertips down her arm, which was still damp with sweat from our lovemaking.

“Don’t make me tickle you again.”

She turned her face up and grinned. “Deflecting much?”

“Whatever.” I pressed a kiss to her nose and rolled us so her back was to my chest. “You’re a pain in my ass.”

“Feels like you’re a pain in my ass,” she commented, wiggling her butt up against my erection, which seemed to never go down around her. I chuckled and buried my face in her neck with a long exhale.

Despite her teasing, I could tell she was tired so I continued running my fingertips along her skin and her breathing evened out a few minutes later. I pressed my lips to her neck and allowed myself to drift off, too.

A phone ringing caused us both to jerk awake and if I’d been conscious, it might have been funny to watch us both roll to the separate nightstands. I managed to fumble around until I had my phone in hand and I wanted to groan when I saw it was barely four in the morning.

“It’s mine,” Victoria mumbled before clearing her throat and saying, “You better have a good reason for calling me when it’s still dark outside, Owens.”

I rolled to my side and watched her shadowy figure listen to whatever her lieutenant was saying. After a moment, she sighed.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be to the station house by seven. Bye.”

She ended the call and dropped her phone to the nightstand before shifting so her body was tucked close to mine.

“They’re calling out the city hotshots to help fight the fire burning east of Los Angeles.”

I knew all about how her company was trained and certified to combat wildfires. They didn’t have to do it often but they did get called out whenever wildland firefighters needed reinforcements. I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of her doing something even more dangerous than she normally did but I knew Victoria was good at her job and more than capable.

“Well, that sucks.” I moved until I was hovering over her naked body and kissing a trail between her breasts. “How long will you be gone?”

“A week or so. Are you going to miss me?” The last words came out on a gasp thanks to my lips closing around her nipple.

I scraped my teeth along her sensitive flesh and ran one hand down her stomach until it was between her thighs. I brushed through the soft curls and teased her opening for a moment.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” I told her just as I pushed one finger inside her slick warmth. She moaned and arched her back as her fingers grabbed for my hair. “You have to come home to me, Victoria.”

“I will.” She tugged on my head, pulling me away from her breasts, and forced me to look at her. The expression on her face was completely serious despite the lust I knew was running through her veins. “I promise.”

We were both desperate when I finally connected my body with hers but the moment our hips pressed together, we froze. The air changed between us and we savored one another. Expressed our feelings without words

I never wanted to let her go but the sun slowly began to rise.

The closer we got to six-thirty, the more tension filled Victoria’s body. I knew it was nerves but not about going to California. She was worried about facing her co-workers for the first time since the video was leaked.

“It’s going to be fine,” I said while handing her the toast I’d made after she’d given me a key to her place for emergencies. “No one’s even going to care, baby.”

She nodded but her green eyes betrayed her worry and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as possible. We stayed like that for about ten long minutes and when we finally parted, she looked miserable.

“I’ll text as often as I can but it won’t be a lot.”

“I understand.” And I did. Besides, I had ways of getting information if I really needed it. Perks of being in law enforcement and all that. “Be careful and stick with your team. Oh, and hurry home.”

The woman I loved gave me a long, slow kiss, and then headed out the door.