Chapter Nine

Lio

A be reached over the console and rested his hand on my thigh. "Are you upset Alex changed his plans at the last minute and went to Eric's house?"

"No," I replied. "If Alex were in the back seat of my truck, you wouldn't be stroking my thigh."

Abe chuckled. "I'm just resting my hand here."

"Oh. Wishful thinking, I guess." I stopped at an intersection and smiled over at him. "I used to struggle when Alex chose his friends over spending time with me but not anymore. It's part of growing up." I turned right onto the road that would take us to the lakeside community. "Besides, I'm thrilled everything is okay between the boys. Alex's principal had a joint phone conference with Alyssa and me because some kids were harassing Alex about the stuff going on at the precinct. We asked Dr. Harriott not to intercede unless things turned physically or verbally abusive. As much as you want to protect your kids from everything, you just can't do it. They have to learn a method of conflict resolution that works for them."

Abe snorted. "I know how his father likes to work through conflict resolution."

I smirked over at him. "It's evolved over the years." Though the right situation would trigger the fierier version of me. "Anyway," I said, "Eric is a shy kid who avoids the spotlight at all costs. He's always been that way. It was obvious he'd been distancing himself from Alex this past week, so I'm glad they're working through the challenges together. Overall, Alex doesn't seem troubled about the stuff at school."

"He's more worried about you," Abe said.

I glanced over at him as I slowed to turn into the lakeside community. "Alex told you what was going on?"

Abe winced. "Please don't be mad. I promised Alex I would keep his confidence if he wasn't in danger. Otherwise, I would've ratted him out to you, Alyssa, and Russ in a heartbeat."

"Of course I'm not mad." Alex had always loved Abe, and he'd been so happy when I'd told him Abe and I were dating. "Kids aren't always comfortable telling their parents stuff. Alex is lucky to have you as an ally."

"I'll always have his back just like I've had yours all these years," Abe said. "And I admire how you, Alyssa, and Russ work together to provide Alex with a stable home life. It's no wonder he's an exceptional kid."

Abe's compliment warmed my heart, but he was leaving out a significant piece of the puzzle. I pulled into the driveway at his cabin, killed the engine, and looked over at him. "You've played a pivotal role in Alex's life too. You're the one he came to about the trouble at school."

"I guess we've formed a different fearsome foursome at this stage in our lives," Abe said.

"Instead of soldiers, we're parents." I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "But don't tell Alyssa. She'll want us all to wear costumes."

"Halloween is just around the corner," Abe said as we exited the truck.

"And Alex's two sets of parents roll up to a party dressed in themed costumes." Abe stopped walking, and I immediately realized what I'd said. I turned and found him leaning against the hood of my truck, wearing a stunned expression. "Too much too soon?" I asked.

Abe swallowed hard and shook his head, and then a slow smile spread across his face. He pushed off the truck, wrapped his arms around me, and buried his nose in my neck. "Please don't let me fuck this up."

"I won't, Abe. I've got you." And I always would. "Let's get inside before we give your neighbors a show."

Abe lifted his head, tucked his finger under my chin, and notched it up. He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my lips. "Let them talk. I'm sure they've worn out the vagrant and burglary stories and need something new."

I chuckled as I followed him to the porch. He punched the code into the new lock we'd installed the previous Sunday after we set up the new bed. Abe pushed the door open, and we entered the cabin. He paused inside the living room and swept his gaze around the space.

"I don't know where to start," he said softly.

I patted his back. "I do."

"Of course. You probably stayed awake half the night devising a plan."

"Nah, but I've been through this with my folks after my grandparents died. The first order of business is to decide what of theirs you want to keep, donate to charity, or throw away." Abe grimaced at the last part. "It isn't practical to keep everything. If you're not going to use an item, and it's not in the condition to benefit someone else, then it should go."

Abe put his hands on his hips and studied the space again. "You're right. I'm sure the process will get easier as we go."

"Where do you want to start?"

"Probably the kitchen," Abe said. "There aren't as many memories in there."

That notion lasted maybe five minutes. Every drawer or cabinet we opened contained items that told a story about Abe's grandparents and their love for him and each other.

We hadn't added anything to the donate or trash piles by the time we were halfway through the kitchen. Abe vowed there was a purpose for everything we'd found. And who was I to dispute that?

"I'm being overly sentimental, aren't I?"

"Maybe you're just not ready to let go of their things. We could always rent a storage unit and move their belongings there. You could sort through them whenever you're ready."

He shook his head and kissed me. "I'm ready to approach this practically."

We started over, and Abe moved several items to the donate column and tossed a few into the trash bins. The living room was where Earl and Lucinda kept their family photo albums. Abe didn't pause to look through them before he designated them as items to keep. Earl had kept a lot of magazines over the years. Abe's eyes misted over as he skimmed through a few of them.

"No sense in keeping these, but I'll put them in my recycling bin at home instead of the trash." He decided to hang on to the main furniture until he bought new stuff. "I'm eager for your design presentation."

I snorted and rolled my eyes, earning a kiss that probably lingered longer than either of us expected. Locked lips led to roaming hands, then naked bodies, and ended with me on my knees in the middle of the braided rug. Abe spread my ass cheeks apart, shoved his face between them, and rimmed me until I spurted all over the floor. Then he pounded me into oblivion, pulling out at the last minute to cover me with his spunk. He slid his dick back inside me and followed me down to the carpet. I didn't care that he weighed a ton; I just wanted him as close to me as possible.

"I love you so much, Abe."

He eased out and lay beside me. I rolled to my side and he pulled me closer, our legs tangling and our arms finding purchase. "I love you too." He brushed my hair back off my forehead. "But I'm a little worried about what else you might be keeping from me."

I scowled at him as I racked my brain. "What are you talking about?"

"You never told me home renovations could be so fun." He waggled his brows and made me laugh. "Which room should we hit next? This place is really starting to feel like home." Abe ran his hands over my chest. "We didn't christen the kitchen. Should we go back in there now or tack it on to the end of our cabin assessment?"

"It can be the grand finale."

We talked a big game but mostly kept touching and kissing as we walked from room to room. We weren't as young as we used to be and recovering between rounds of sex took a little longer. By the time we finished, it was approaching dinner.

"You want to head back or stay here tonight?" Abe asked.

"Stay. I'll order subs and fries from Terry's and pick them up. Why don't you see if Barbra knows an organization or charity that might need the stuff you want to donate."

"That's a good idea. I can find out if there are any updates about what's going on around here."

I placed our carryout order, grabbed my keys and jacket, then headed out the door, knowing our food would be ready by the time I got there. When I was a few miles from the restaurant, the low-pressure warning went off for the rear driver's side tire.

"Damn, I hope I didn't pick up a nail."

Terry's was built to look like an old-timey general store, but they had several gas pumps in front and a full delicatessen and pizzeria inside. Their sign claimed they had the best subs and pizza in Georgia, and they weren't lying. Just thinking about my Reuben on pumpernickel was enough to make my mouth water, and I was sure more than a few french fries wouldn't make it back to the cabin.

The general store was on the main road going toward the lake and was the only place to get fuel and food for miles. The place was always busy no matter the time of day. There were only a few vehicles at the fuel pumps, a black SUV with blacked-out windows and a red Dodge Challenger with matte black racing stripes. Another dozen cars were parked near the general store's entrance. I bypassed the parking area and drove to the air compressor. I grabbed my tire gauge from the glove box and fished around in the console until I found some quarters.

The air pressure in the filling station compressor was lower and slower than mine at home, so it felt like I squatted next to the rear tire forever. Pump the tire. Check the pressure with the gauge. Pump more and repeat. Most of the vehicles had cleared out by the time I was satisfied. The bells over the door jingled as I replaced the tire cap, and I turned my head in time to see Dylan Eads step out of the general store. He wore camo from head to toe, including his boots. Eads looked like he'd just returned from hunting. He glanced in my direction as he walked, did a double take, and stared at me with his mouth open. He recovered quickly, his lips forming an ugly sneer.

"Well, well, well," he said. "What do we have here?" Eads didn't advance on me or make any threatening moves. He just held my gaze and continued smiling. "It's weird," he said. "I just stopped here for gas, but a feeling came over me while I was pumping. I can't describe it. Just felt like my luck was about to change. I bought one of those lottery scratchers. Don't know why. I never win." He reached into his pocket and pulled out some bills, but I was too far away to determine the denominations. "I just won five hundred big ones, and here you are." He pursed his lips and nodded. "Yep. My luck is turning for the good."

He gave me a mock salute, then continued toward the black SUV at the pump. I waited until Eads drove off before I moved my truck to a parking spot and went inside the general store. Eads hadn't said anything particularly threatening, but the encounter made me uneasy. Why did he think running into me was good luck? Because he got to brag about his lottery win? Was that even the truth?

Terry's employees hustled behind the counter, filling orders and cashing people out. I got in line at the pickup counter and noticed some of the customers were buzzing with excitement and talking animatedly about Eads's lottery win, so he hadn't been lying about it. I tuned out the conversation and forced myself to think about something happier than Dylan Eads. Or should I say someone. I let my thoughts wander to the weekend I'd spent with Abe—first with Alex at my place, then the hours we'd passed at his cabin. I couldn't wait to share my design ideas, though I wanted to tweak them slightly to keep the braided area rug in the living room. The carpet burn on my knees reminded me of how it felt when Abe claimed me with unbridled passion.

"Can I help you, sir?" the young lady behind the counter asked. I was surprised she was talking to me. I'd let my mind wander so far that I hadn't realized I was next in line.

I smiled and stepped up to the counter. Her name tag read Reba, and I wondered if her parents were huge country music fans. I didn't ask because she'd probably fielded the question multiple times a day since she was old enough to answer it. "I have a carryout order for Mendoza."

Reba turned and looked at the receipts stapled to the carryout bags until she found mine. "Here we go." She rang me up and had me out the door in no time.

The hot banana peppers from Abe's spicy Italian sub, the tangy sauerkraut from my Reuben, and the Cajun seasoning on the fries created an odd bouquet of aromas that filled the truck cab and tantalized my senses. As I'd predicted, I was reaching for a fry before I made it half a mile down the road. My phone rang through the truck speakers, and Abe's name appeared on the radio. I hit the button on my steering wheel and answered with a mouthful of scalding hot potato.

"That better be food in your mouth," Abe growled.

I blew out the steam, then swallowed. "What else would it be?"

"Dick?" Abe suggested.

I snorted. "The only dick I saw was Dylan Eads, and I assure you, nothing of his is ever going near my mouth."

"Where'd you see that asshole?"

I recounted the incident for Abe and reached for another fry. I brought it toward my mouth just as a massive buck ran into the road and stopped in my path. "Fuck!"

"Lio, what's wrong?"

"Deer!" I slammed my foot down on the brake pedal, and the back of the truck fishtailed. The deer leaped out of the way seconds before impact. When the truck stopped, I stared at the empty road, trying to calm my racing heart. "That was a close one," I said, sounding like I'd just finished a marathon. "I thought for sure we'd be eating venison stew."

"Rutting season," Abe said. "The horny bastards are on the run."

I lifted my hand to my mouth, then realized the fry was gone. "The damn buck made me drop a french fry."

"That's coming out of your stash along with the other ones you've eaten," Abe said.

I snorted. "You think the five-second rule applies in a vehicle?"

"In your rig? Yeah. I wouldn't do it in anyone else's."

I leaned over to pick up the fry from the floorboard. A loud crack rent the air just as my fingers touched the rogue potato. The driver's side window exploded, showering me with thousands of glass shards. I felt the sting as slivers pierced the side of my face and my neck.

"Lio!" Abe yelled through the truck radio. "Are you okay? Were you hit?"

I jerked up to a sitting position and looked around. My heart was in my throat, making it hard to breathe, let alone speak. "I'm okay," I managed to say. "Something just busted out my window."

"Not something. Someone . That sounded like a rifle. Get out of there, baby."

I'd spent my entire adult life facing danger in one form or another, yet fear had me by the balls. My head was on a swivel, looking for trouble, but my hands and feet wouldn't budge. A rifle? Dense trees lined both sides of the road, and the encroaching nightfall made it impossible to detect a threat. Was that a shadow moving to my left, or was it just my overactive imagination? Was someone aiming again to finish the job? Your life can indeed flash before your eyes, but my mind didn't play a collage of memories; it mocked me with the ones I hadn't yet made. Every image featured the man screaming at me to get the fuck out of there.

"Lio, baby, please," he begged. "Don't leave me."

Abe's wrecked plea broke through my fog, releasing my frozen limbs. I stomped the gas pedal hard, making my rear tires squeal as they sought traction on the road. They finally gained purchase, and I shot forward. My pulse continued to race as I disobeyed every traffic law on my way back to the cabin. Night closed in all around me, making my chest heavy. The cold permeating my body had nothing to do with the brisk air coming in through the busted window.

Abe barreled out of the cabin in his bare feet when I pulled into the driveway. The motion-sensor security lights turned on when he ran down the porch steps, and I flinched as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. I shoved the gear shift into park, killed the engine, and stepped out of the truck. Abe was there, wrapping me up in his strong arms. He smelled like woodsy soap and fabric softener. I nuzzled my face against his flannel-clad chest before looking into his eyes.

"I think someone just tried to kill me."