Chapter 6

(River)

Racing haphazardly despite already being late

Waking up in a tangle of arms and legs was no new sensation for me, but not being in a hurry to find my clothes and flee most definitely was. Sighing, I stretched, then cuddled closer, pressing my face against his back while I cuddled up to him. Gods the sun was bright. That was probably what had woken me.

I pulled the blanket up to my chin and pressed my face against his skin to block out the light as I settled in for another hour of sleep, at least. Just as I felt myself drifting off again, I heard my phone buzz. Then it blipped, several times in rapid succession, until I snarled and sat up, looking around wildly for the offensive thing.

My eyes landed on the clock instead, and I suddenly had a very good idea of why my phone was blowing up.

Oh shit, shit, shit.

I shook him as I scrambled out of bed, tripping over the clothes I’d discarded the night before in my frantic dash to reach the shower. Why the fuck hadn’t the alarm gone off? I swore we’d set one.

One of us had to have set one.

Shit, now I couldn’t remember.

“Whaz goin’ on?” Luz grumbled, his voice sleep slurred and disgruntled.

“We overslept,” I called over my shoulder as I turned the shower on.

While Haven and Meadow could manage any customers I got, it would put them behind in their own work, which I refused to do, not after the way they’d held things down for me yesterday. Haven hadn’t even been scheduled to come in, but he had, and so had his Daddy, who’d spent the four hours Haven had been working for me stocking the shelves of his THC and CBD infused specialty store.

“Oh holy shot, my first class starts in twenty-five minutes,” he yelped and soon came crowding into the shower beside me. We got in each other’s way more often than not, soap suds flung in all directions as we scrubbed. Water dripped everywhere as we scrambled to dry off, brush our teeth and comb our hair into something manageable.

At the door to the apartment, he grabbed me by the front of my shirt and kissed me until we were both panting and millimeters away from saying to hell with being responsible, we were canceling the rest of the day in favor of sex and quiet time drawing.

“What time do you close tonight?” He growled against my lips.

“Nine, when the gas station shuts down.”

“You can take breaks though, right?” he asked, his tone a little pushy, which I positively loved.

“Yeah, as long as we’re not busy,” I told him.

“Then I’ll bring dinner and dessert too,” Luz declared as he finally turned me loose so we could get moving. “Is there anything you’re in the mood for?”

“You naked and letting me ride you.” I replied, shooting him a wink when he froze, one hand poised over the railing, his eyes widening a fraction.

“You just had to say that when there is nothing I can do about it,” Lux growled. “Why?”

I shot him a cheeky wink and a grin. “To torment us both until you show up later.”

“If I had the time I’d put you over my knee.”

Shivering, I nearly leaned over the railing, just to invite him to give me a swat. “If I had the time I’d let you.”

His fingers flexed, gripping the railing tighter, a low, rumbling growl coming from deep in his chest.

I shouldn’t tease, something told me he’d make sure I paid for it later, which was why I jumped off the ledge feet first and did it.

“But you really don’t have the time,” I teased, making a big show of checking the latest message I’d received. “According to my phone, you’re down to eight minutes before there will be a room full of kids and no one there to keep them from burning down the place.”

Growling, he fled, footsteps thundering down the stairs as he raced for the door, which slammed behind him with a thud that echoed up the stairwell. I giggled all the way to the shop where Haven was behind the counter, ringing up a purchase and looking as ruffled and hastily put together as I felt.

“How late were you?” I asked as I took over for him in between customers.

“I was three minutes early, thank you very much,” he replied before sticking out his tongue at me.

“Uh-huh, and how many speed limits did Maddox break to make that happen?”

“A couple.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Hey, I got up on time,” Haven said as he headed for the entrance between the shops. “It’s not my fault he distracted me.”

“Something tells me he’d have a different story to tell if I asked him.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, game on, bro, you’re in for it now,” I threatened as I rang up Mr. Morrow, not that I needed to. He purchased the same items every Monday when he stocked up for the week. I could save myself time by just punching in the total, which I had memorized at this point. The only reason I even bothered ringing each item in was for inventory purposes, otherwise, I’d lose track of what I needed to order.

Haven disappeared into the garage, classic rock and clanging beginning to drift up the hall not long after he’d left. Must have forgotten to close the door again, not that it bothered me. In a way it was a soothing sound, reminding me of our father and how much we loved to listen to music with him at the end of the day, while we helped him clean up the shop.

Mondays were always busy, with a steady stream of customers that kept me scrambling so much that I didn’t realize I’d skipped lunch until Haven tapped me on the shoulder.

“You might wanna pause and eat this,” he told me as he thrust a sandwich and a bottle of apple juice into my hands.

“Shit, where the hell did the day go?”

“It’s been a steady stream even in the garage,” Haven explained.

I was glad he’d finally grown comfortable enough to open the rolling bay doors while he worked, so people could just pull around back with their vehicles to talk to him or drop them off. Knowing his Daddy would hunt down and dismantle anyone who gave him shit about doing time had gone a long way towards putting him at ease, as did Jeremy’s presence, after he’d hired his best friend to work with him the shop. Not only was Jeremy good at keeping the paperwork organized, but he had a good grasp of mechanics, thanks to his old man, and was able to determine most issues, and get the parts ordered, cutting down on the amount of time Haven had to deal with them. He also popped over to my side and Meadows whenever we needed a break or had our hands so full we needed help getting people taken care of. It was good having him there, not just because he loved to chat about the gossip going around town as much as I did, but because he had the same laid-back demeanor as me and my siblings and didn’t have a lazy bone in his body.

“Do you have time to eat with me?” I asked, giddy over the prospect of finally getting to share some of my weekend with him.

“Yeah, actually, Jeremy has everything covered in the back and I need to touch base with you about something anyway.”

“Perfect.”

I led him to the table I had set up in the corner where on slow nights we’d play cards or just draw and color to pass the time. No one closed alone, that was the rule, so even after he stopped working on vehicles, Haven tended to stick around while Maddox worked on new products in the back room of his shop. It allowed Meadow to leave when her children got out of school each day, the kids really needing their mama to be home with them and spend time doing things together after the way they’d lost their dad. It was better than bringing them here and letting them play in the breakroom with very little interaction with any of them unless they ran in there for something.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked once we’d settled in with our lunch.

If he got his over with first, I wouldn’t feel so bad about monopolizing the rest of the conversation, ‘cause damn, I had so much to tell him.

“I know that I only have this job because you and Meadow made a space for me here,” Haven began. “And I know you did it because you knew how much I’d struggle to get a proper job after I got out of prison since folks can be a bit prickly about wanting to hire ex-cons.”

“Which you shouldn’t be and wouldn’t be if you’d make Archer own up to what he did.”

“We’ve gone over this, River, and that’s not the point of this conversation.”

“Well, it should be,” I snapped, hating that he refused to let the truth come out, even if it meant the possibility of having his record expunged.

He was too worried about what it might mean for Archer and the potential of him facing prosecution when as far as Haven was concerned, the debt to society had already been paid. I’d tried telling him that wasn’t supposed to work that way, but Haven was even more stubborn than I was. I knew he’d never forgive me if I let the truth slip to anyone, despite how unfair I felt that the whole situation was.

“Leave it, please,” he said.

“Fine,” I huffed, frustrated with his refusal to listen and do anything and everything in his power to get back the opportunities that had been taken away from him because of the record he now had.

“The point I was trying to make was that you gave me an opportunity most guys don’t have when they get out of jail and I wanna offer the same thing to Grayson when he gets out at the end of February. I just wanted to make certain you and Meadow weren’t gonna have an issue with that. Meadow says she doesn’t, which just leaves you.”

“After everything Gray did for you, I’d be an asshole to have an issue with him.” I told him.

“Just checking.”

“Was that the only thing you wanted to tell me?” I asked, struggling to keep still and not rock in my seat.

There was a squeal building in the back of my throat just itching to get out, while he cocked his head at me and grinned.

“Well, I could tell you all about the new batch of blueberry and coriander syrup Daddy and I made the other night, but something tells me that you are itching to tell me something and dying for me to shut the fuck up and give you the opportunity.”

“Would you?” I squealed, bouncing in my seat now. “Please. Oh, my goddess, the weekend I had deserves to be appreciated.”

He waved his hand at me, grinning ear to ear as he signaled me to proceed. It was a good thing too, ‘cause now that I’d started speaking, I doubted I could rein myself back in until I’d told him everything.

“So you know how I told you that I was going to meet up with Lux on Saturday night?” I asked, hurrying to set the tone.

“Yeah, you practically tore out of here the moment I promised to close for you,” haven said. “How was he on the pool table?”

“More interested in my ass than lining up his shots, which pretty much makes him awesome.”

We shared a laugh at that, then he started nibbling his sandwich while he waited for me to tell the rest of my story. By the time I’d finished telling him how Saturday night had rolled into being late that morning, his sandwich was gone, and I had his undivided attention.

“I didn’t want him to go, but the best part was that he didn’t want to leave,” I explained. “He’s bringing me dinner tonight after he gets out of work. Do you think you could hang out in here so I can eat with him in the back?”

“Sure. Daddy wasn’t working late tonight, so he was gonna bring food here after he closes,” Haven explained. “He doesn’t like us taking out the trash alone after dark, even if the dumpsters are right behind the shop. I tried to tell him that all we ever did was roll up the bay doors enough to go out and come right back in, but he insists we either do it together from now on or wait for him.”

“He’s protective, I can’t fault him for that,” I said as my brother started gathering up our trash to throw away while I stood to take care of the sudden influx of customers who’d let in a blast of cold.

“And the weather has shifted again,” Haven grumbled, rubbing his arms. “I may actually have to invest in hoodies.”

“You’ll need them anyway,” I pointed out. “If you’re going to be on the back of Maddox’s bike year-round. You can wear them under the leather jacket he got you and stay nice and toasty pressed up against his back.”

“As long as it doesn’t snow.”

“It’s not gonna snow.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kevin Carson said as he put an incense burner and several packages of sticks on the counter. “My grandmother claims it’s gonna happen and not just a couple flakes either. Says her bones haven’t ached like this since the blizzard of ’52.”

“That’s not good,” Haven said, scooting out of my way as I moved to ring Kevin up.

“No shit,” Kevin said. “I’ve been stocking up on everything I can think of in case it happens. That old Pinto of mine wouldn’t appreciate leaving her heated garage to roll out on slippery roads.”

“And I wouldn’t appreciate having to fix her after the cold and roads tore her up,” Haven declared. “Getting parts is a bitch, which reminds me, I’ve got a line on the replacement hood you asked about, same make, same model, same color. The guy’s asking one-fifty if I pick it up, which I’ve got no problem doing if you’re ready to go ahead and snag it.”

“Hell yeah. I’ll move some things around. No problem. No way am I gonna pass on something that’s so hard to get a hold of.”

“I’ll go take care of it now,” Haven said, disappearing back into his shop while I took care of the rest of my customers.

He didn’t come back right away, but that was okay because I was busy with a rush of people that dropped in, all of whom purchased several items while two asked about having care packages specifically designed for the holiday season. It took a while to get an idea of what their loved one might like, but I promised to have them ready to ship by Wednesday.

Of course, that would mean keeping my ass out of Lux’s hands until I finished the task, but he had to have grades to enter, or something, didn’t he? If not, one of us was going to be pretty damned distracting, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was going to be him.

When Haven returned, he handed me a bright, orange soda that much to my shock was labeled tangerine.

“Wait a minute, hold the phone, how the hell did you get ahold of one of these?” I squeaked, taking a sip and flicking my tongue over my lips to catch every trace of the sweet citrusy flavor. “They aren’t supposed to be released until the New Year.”

He just giggled and clanked our bottles together.

“The distributor had a clutch that kept slipping,” Haven explained. “He was telling Daddy about it and how it couldn’t have happened at a worse time of year with the holidays coming. As shitty as it was, he needed the vehicle for his job, so he asked if he could bring it over. Daddy pulled me aside and asked if I wouldn’t mind trading my time for preview products, all for our own consumption of course. The distributor is a cool guy, always chill and hanging out when he makes deliveries, but I bet he does that here too. He’s always hooking Daddy up with sneak peaks the moment he finds out about anything new, so I said yeah. Daddy is going to pay for the parts, and we have a fridge full of new snacks to try.”

“No shit?” I said, rather impressed by the deal they’d worked. I knew how expensive a four pack of those THC infused sodas were, not to mention what some of the other edibles ran. The distributer in question had always been good to me too, and I knew he had a couple kids and a wife at home who was expecting again. Haven was right, a messed-up clutch couldn’t have come at a worse time with Christmas coming. Filling a fridge was as good as cash in my eyes, especially with how thrilled my brother looked. “You’re gonna share, right?”

“Better, we’re saving everything to serve on game night.”

Sipping my drink, I did a little dance, because game night at Maddox’s house always resulted in delicious food, plenty of fun, and a cozy bed partner in the form of The Notorious S.O.X. I loved that smartassed kitty almost as much as my brother did, and come morning, after the pets were fed, Maddox would kickstart the day with some tasty treat he whipped up in his kitchen while Haven, Jeremy and I watched cartoons.

Briefly I toyed with the idea of asking if I could bring Lux along, then I decided to wait on that, and feel him out a little more to see if he’d even be interested in an evening like that. Meeting my brother as he dashed through the loft was one thing, spending a whole evening with him and his Daddy was another.

At least Lux hadn’t acted weird when he’d heard me refer to Maddox as Haven’s Daddy.

“You can bring your new friend if you want,” Haven offered, completely throwing me for a loop. “Daddy won’t mind.”

“I’ll um, have to see if he’s free and interested,” I admitted as I licked my lips, secretly hoping he was but refusing to get ahead of myself. “Is Jeremy coming too?”

“Yeah, he really likes playtime, and the fact that Daddy plays with all of us, not just me.”

“Yeah, I love that he does that too, he’s awesome,” I said. “Thank you for always being willing to share him with us.”

“He’s got enough love for all of us,” Haven said before he glanced at the phone. “Shit, I need to get that damned Chevy Silverado finished before two.”

“The blue one again?” I asked as he hurried for the door.

“Yeah, and I wish like hell I could shoot the damned thing and put it out of its misery.”

It had to be bad for him to say that, considering how convinced my brother was that old cars had souls, while new ones were made up of computer chips and carbon fiber. I was still thinking about his question when Lux showed up at the shop.

It couldn’t hurt to ask him, could it?

Or would he think I was being needy and trying to cling to him rather than respect the need for time apart?

Decisions, decisions.

Which fuckin’ option would I choose?