Chapter Thirteen

Helena

C ULLEN WALKED BACK in the house, and I rushed him. He caught me, pulling me close and kissing my hair. “Okay, baby, it’s over now. I got you.”

“I’m so angry, I could spit.”

“You have every right to be.”

“He’s my uncle,” I bit out. “No wonder his wife left him.”

“He’s got an ex-wife?”

“Oh, yeah,” I confirmed. “She was a bitch on wheels, to be honest, but I wonder sometimes if he made her that way. I have a cousin, too. Skylar. They moved to California after Skip and Meredith got divorced. We don’t keep in touch, which is fine. Sky was kind of an entitled brat and always stealing Pru’s stuff, so we weren’t close.”

“Family’s complicated sometimes.”

“You can say that again.” I hugged him tighter. “I just want to open a bottle of wine, order something really bad to eat and watch a movie with you. Then maybe fuck thirty or so times. Is that okay?”

He chuckled. “Hell, yeah, that’s okay.”

I raised my head for a kiss… just as my doorbell pealed.

“No! No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening.” I stomped to my door and yanked it open. “What?” I growled.

“Hey, penguin. I just wanted to check on you,” Mom said. “Can I come in?”

Did I call her a clam jammer and tell her to fuck off? Explain to her that all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa with my man and snuggle him until all of our clothes came off, not rehash all the shit her brother had just said to me? Did I further lament the fact that I’d just seen the man that had attacked me because her psycho brother had invited him to lunch?

No, I did not.

“Come on in,” I said, and stepped back.

Mom walked inside, stalling when she saw Cullen standing directly inside the kitchen. “Uh, hello.”

“Chief Parks,” Cullen greeted, reaching his hand out to shake her hand. “Cullen Wallace.”

She shook his hand while giving me the side eye. “Mr. Wallace, nice to meet you.”

“Please, call me Cullen,” he said.

“I didn’t realize you knew my daughter,” Mom said. “Outside of the investigation.”

“It’s new,” I said.

“What’s new, sweetheart?” she challenged.

“Now that the investigation is over, and we’ve been cleared of all charges,” Cullen said. “I asked your daughter out. We’ve decided to see where that goes.”

“I see.”

I sighed. “Mom, did you need something? Because it’s been a really shitty day, and I just want to curl up with a movie and eat really bad food and maybe down a bottle of wine.”

She smiled gently. “I wanted to see how you were. I heard about what Skip did and because I’m unable to murder my brother, I figured I’d come and make sure you were okay.”

“Can you fire him?” I asked.

“I wish,” she breathed out.

Cullen’s arm snaked around my waist from behind and I leaned back against him. Mom’s eyebrow popped up, but she didn’t comment.

“Thanks for checking on me,” I said.

“It looks like you have all the support you need, penguin, so I’ll go ahead and go. But you call me if you need anything, okay?”

I nodded, glancing up at Cullen. “I’ll be right back.”

He released me and I followed Mom to the door, stepping outside with her.

“He’s handsome, I’ll give you that,” Mom said, pulling me in for a hug.

“He’s the best man I’ve ever met, next to Daddy, Roman, and Barry, of course. And not necessarily in that order.”

Mom’s eyes widened. “High praise.”

“ Earned praise.”

“Bring him over on Sunday for dinner.”

“I’ll ask him if he’s free, but it’ll have to be without Skip.”

“Absolutely, penguin. He’s banned for the foreseeable future.”

I felt the tension in my body release. “I’ll talk to Cullen about Sunday.”

“Guard your heart, sweetheart.”

“Always, Mama.”

“Okay, we’ll see you Sunday. If you need me, call me.”

“I will.”

She hugged me then got in her car and drove away.

I walked back inside and straight back into Cullen’s arms.

“You okay,” he asked.

“I am now.”

“Is your mom okay?”

“Yes. She wants you to come over for dinner on Sunday. Skip will not be there.” I met his eyes. “You don’t have to.”

He stroked my cheek. “I’ll be there.”

“Really?”

“A chance to get to know the people who made you? Hell, yeah.”

I grinned up at him. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He kissed me. “Come on, let’s figure out what we’re going to order.”

After one more kiss, we pulled out my stack of menus and figured out dinner.

* * *

Helena

Wednesday, Cricket was going to meet me for lunch on my side of the bridge. She was having dinner with her brothers that night, so she’d taken the day off (she seemed to get a lot of time off, which I planned to ask her about). I had also taken the day off because, quite frankly, I didn’t want to see Skip, so I’d called in sick for the day.

I had just zipped up my boot when my doorbell pealed. I frowned because I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I grabbed my phone and checked my camera.

I let out a quiet gasp and engaged the microphone. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m your chauffeur,” Cullen said.

“I’ll be right there.”

I headed to the front door and pulled it open, finding myself pushed against the wall and kissed for all I was worth.

“Hi,” I breathed out.

“Hey, baby.” He grinned, kissing me again, this time, quickly.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m driving you and Cricket to lunch. She’s currently hanging at the office because she stayed at my place last night.”

“How does she manage to get so much time off work?”

He chuckled. “She works around her school schedule. And Maisie’s flexible because Cricket gets a lot done in a hell of a lot less time than anyone she’s ever had work for her before. So, today, Cricket had a class in the morning, so Maisie told her to just take the rest of the day off.”

“How do I get that job?”

Cullen laughed. “You find a Maisie.”

“I just have to grab my purse, and we can go.”

“You look really pretty, baby.”

I wore a pair of dark skinny jeans, a slouchy, cream, cashmere sweater that slid off one shoulder and showcased my curves in a way that didn’t make me look top heavy, and a pair to tall brown boots.

I melted into him. “Thanks, honey.”

“Jesus, I love that.”

He kissed me again and I hugged him tight. “Maybe we blow off lunch and stay in.”

“I’ll call Cricket.”

“I’m kidding … sort of.”

He grinned, giving me a quick squeeze before releasing me. I grabbed my purse and keys, then after locking up my house, I followed him out to his truck.

He opened the passenger door and waited for me to climb inside before closing me in, then he walked around the front of the truck to the driver’s side, and we drove to the Wallace Brothers office.

He parked in front of the building and when I moved to open my door, he growled, literally growled, “Do not move.”

I chuckled. “What?”

“You do not, and I will repeat, do not ever open a door when I am with you.”

“Are you for real?”

“One hundred percent.”

I folded my hands in my lap and met his eyes. “What if both of your arms are amputated in a freak accident?”

“I will use my feet.”

“What if your arms and legs are gone?”

“I will use my dick.”

I burst out laughing and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Well, that would definitely work.”

“Stay put,” he ordered again and climbed out of the truck.

Pulling open my door, he leaned in and kissed me before letting me slide out.

“Okay, if this is how I’m to be treated every time I’m in the car with you, I can get behind that.”

He grinned, wrapping an arm around my waist and guiding me inside, where the room erupted with hoots and hollers, and I was suddenly pulled into a bear hug by Cameron and lifted off my feet.

“What the heck?” I asked, holding on so I didn’t fall.

“You are the bomb, Helena Bridges,” he said, setting me back on my feet.

I smiled. “Thanks, Cameron.”

Cade was up next, but he pulled me into a much gentler hug and then gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for getting all that shit sorted so quickly.”

“Thanks for not being an arsonist.”

He laughed, and that was when I realized Hatch was there as well.

“Wow, the whole gang’s here.”

He grinned, hugging me as well. “I wasn’t about to miss this party.”

“Okay, okay, jeez,” Cricket bit out, pulling Hatch away and hugging me. “This was supposed to be my lunch with her. So, technically, y’all crashed my party!”

“Let’s go, then, huh?” Cullen said, and Cricket grabbed her purse.

“Quick before jabber jaws starts jabbering,” she said, nodding to Cameron.

“Hey!” He frowned. “Why am I jabber jaws?”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Love you to Jupiter and back.”

“Love you too, psycho.”

She let out a girlish giggle and led me and Cullen out the door.

“Where am I taking you?” Cullen asked, once we were buckled in.

“Do you like Armando’s Kitchen?” Cricket asked.

“Oh my god, it’s my favorite,” I said.

“Mine too,” she said. “Let’s go there.”

“Sounds good.”

He headed that way, and then pulling up to the front, once again, he would not let either of us open a door, including the entrance to the restaurant. He left his truck parked in front and walked us inside. After kissing me and hugging his sister, he instructed me to text him when we were ready to be picked up, then walked out the door.

We had just missed the lunch rush, so we were seated quickly in a booth in the back, and I grinned as I perused the menu. “Are all your brothers like Cullen?”

“In what way?”

“Gallant to a fault.”

She chortled. “Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I haven’t opened a door since… well, actually, ever. Even with Jase…” She dropped her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Sorry, that came out of nowhere.”

“Jase?”

“The one who got away.” She sighed. “No, actually, that’s not accurate. He’s the one who was driven away by my overprotective brothers.”

“Uh-oh, really?”

“Hatch. And Cade. But mostly Hatch.”

“I’m sorry, Cricket.”

“It’s fine.” She forced a smile. “I don’t actually want to talk about him. I want to hear all about you.”

“What would you like to know?”

For the next hour, I shared more than I ever had with another woman outside of my sister. Cricket was funny, sweet, and the most genuine person I’d ever met, well, besides Cullen, of course. The Wallace clan were all cut from the same cloth, and I felt better for knowing all of them.

“You should come to dinner with us tonight,” she said, once our check had arrived, which she’d promptly paid without any input from me.

“But it’s your special night,” I argued.

“I really feel like having my whole family around me.” She grinned, pulling out her phone, sliding her finger over her screen, and putting it to her ear. “Hi, Cull. Yep, we’re ready, but I’m calling for a different reason. Um, I’d like tonight to be a family thing. Maisie, Helena, and Navy included. Can you change the reservation to eight, please? I know it was supposed to be just us three, but I was thinking about just how much more you could make it up to me and you know how much I love my family, and being around all of you, so what better way to show me how much you love me than have to fork out a shit ton more moola at the Pink Priest? And yes, you should pay for everyone.” She gave me an evil smile. “Because it will prove to me you’re really showing contrition if you spend more money. It doesn’t make sense to you, but to me it makes perfect sense. What’s that? You’re breaking up. Shhhh, pshshhsh, I can’t hear you. Sorry.” She set her phone on the table and grinned. “Done.”

I dissolved into giggles, trying not to laugh too loud as she gathered her jacket and purse. “Oh my god, you are a master of manipulation.”

“Manipulation, nothing. They want to bend to my will. Well, eventually.”

I grabbed my jacket and purse and followed her out to the front where Cullen was already pulling the truck up to the curb.

* * *

Cullen had grabbed a few things from his place so we could get ready together since Hatch was going to pick Cricket up from Portland. The only problem with this plan was we spent much of the time getting distracted the second we got naked.

“We’re going to be late if you keep distracting me,” I admonished after we’d just stepped out of the shower.

We’d already fucked twice in the shower and once before we got in.

He buried his face in my neck and ran his tongue over my pulse. “My family will understand.”

“Oh, yeah? You’re going to tell them that it’s our first night without condoms and we can’t seem to stop fucking like rabbits?”

He turned me to face him and grinned. “I can’t help it if your pussy sends me over the edge.”

“I think that might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

He cocked his head. “Baby, you been hangin’ out with the wrong people.”

I laughed. “This is sadly true.”

He slid his hands around my waist and cupped my bottom. “One more kiss and I’ll let you cover the glory that is your body.”

It was one kiss, but it was long, and teetered on the edge of turning into something more. But we managed to get out the door in record time, parking at the valet kiosk next to the restaurant and finding Cullen’s family waiting for us outside.

After greeting everyone, Cameron held the door for us, and we headed inside.

“What is the Pink Priest?” I asked.

“You’re in for a treat,” Cricket said.

We walked in and I made a note to stay upright no matter what. The floors were covered in glitter, and I would risk coming home looking like I’d been rolling around in a strip club. The foyer of the restaurant was a hodgepodge of gold leaf and hot pink.

“Welcome to the Pink Priest, my name is Friar Chuck, the Ma?tre’d, do you have a reservation with us this evening?”

Friar Chuck was a roly poly, man with a beard whose face resembled a Peanuts character and he wore a purple paisley robe and a white feather boa.

“Reservation for eight,” Cullen said, just as Hatch took Friar Chuck’s meaty hand in his, discreetly slipping him a folded bill in the process.

“If there’s room in the large confessional, we’d appreciate it,” Hatch said.

Friar Chuck glanced at the bill in his hand. “I’ll see what I can do, handsome.”

“If that man keeps eye-fucking you, I might have to throw down,” Maisie threatened in her very proper British accent as he shuffled off quickly.

“How does he move that fast in six-inch platform boots?” I murmured, gripping Cullen’s arm so I didn’t trip in my meager three-inch ones.

We were seated in a giant booth that you entered via double doors that did, in fact, look a bit like a confessional. At least, the confessionals I’d seen in television and movies. I wasn’t Catholic, so I wouldn’t know first-hand.

“This place is amazing,” I breathed out, as I slid into the booth.

“Just wait until you taste the food,” Cricket said.

“I have a little something for you ladies,” Maisie said, handing Navy, Cricket, and I gift bags.

“Are these the new…?” Cricket asked.

“They are indeed,” Maisie confirmed.

“I’d just look inside, baby,” Cullen suggested. “Don’t pull whatever’s in that bag out onto the table.”

I did as he said and let out a quiet gasp. Inside were two different types of vibrators, lube, nipple clamps, and even a butt plug. The vibrators I could totally get behind. The others I’d never tried before, but with Cullen, maybe we’d build up to that much trust to experiment.

He leaned in and whispered, “Maisie owns the largest sex toy company in the world, so when she gets products to test, review, or market, she’ll share the wealth.”

I blushed. “This is awesome .”

“I’m wondering if I should save this baggie for Cam’s next conquest,” Cricket sassed.

“And why’s that?” Hatch asked.

“Don’t ask that,” Cameron admonished. “She’ll answ—”

“Maybe Cameron would settle down if he could find a woman who’d let him do anal,” Cricket said.

“See what you did there?” Cameron said with a groan.

“Goddammit, Cricket,” Hatch hissed, biting back laughter.

The table lost it, and I leaned into Cullen. “You know, anal sounds kind of fun. Maisie threw some lube in that bag.”

He pushed back from the table and stood. “Sorry, everyone, we have to go.”

I laughed, tugging him back down. “We have plenty of time, Dandelion.”

“Dandelion?” Cricket asked with a chortle. “What the heck?”

I grimaced. “Oh, shit, sorry.”

“Just a private joke,” Cullen said.

“Yeah, private jokes don’t really stay private in this family, do they?” Cade pointed out. “ Dandelion. ”

“You have no idea what you’ve just unleashed, Scorpion,” Cullen teased.

I bit my lip as I dropped my head to his bicep.

“Oh, now I absolutely need to know all the deets,” Cricket demanded.

“You started it,” Cullen said. “You finish it.”

“Can I share it all?” I asked.

“Yeah, baby, go for it.”

“I figured out pretty quickly that none of you set fire to your buildings, but of course, I couldn’t go with my gut, because that had gotten me in trouble in the past.”

“What do you mean, it got you in trouble?” Hatch asked.

“Let her finish, darling,” Maisie said in her gentle way.

“Anyway, I’d met with Cullen, and I’d cleared him fully at that point, so he had decided he was going to do some ‘recon’ for me, and he wanted to have spy names. He decided on Scorpion and Dandelion. There was no way in hell I was going to be Dandelion, so I saved him in my phone first before he got the chance.” I batted my eyelashes at him. “He will always be my dandelion.”

“Oh. My. God!” Cricket squeaked. “That is so cute.”

“So your gut was right,” Hatch pointed out.

“Usually is,” Cullen said.

“Your uncle give you shit about it?” Hatch pressed.

“Yes.” I met his eyes. “But it’s okay, Hatch. I can deal with him.”

Hatch glanced at Cullen, then back at me before letting out a sigh. But Maisie leaned against him, and he dropped it.

Cullen’s arm snaked around me and pulled me closer, and I had a feeling this subject wasn’t finished, only delayed.

“Okay, I want another drink,” Cricket said, breaking the tension.

The rest of the night was filled with great conversation and laughter, and getting to know the Wallace men and their women was a dream, not to mention, getting to know Cricket more. I adored her.

“Okay, girls’ night next Friday?” she demanded, as we hugged outside. “Bring your sister, Helena.”

“I can do that,” I promised.

“Can Booker get us VIP at Blush?” Cricket asked Hatch.

“I’ll find out,” he promised.

With that, the group scattered, and Cullen and I headed back to my place.