A Gift of Time (The Nine Minutes Trilogy Book 3) (26 page)

Chapter Forty-Five

Grizz

2001,
Fort Lauderdale

The urge to
physically stop her from leaving the church was
almost his undoing. He tried not to flinch when she said all those things.
After all, he deserved them. But knowing she had a right to feel the way she
did and actually hearing the words come out of her mouth were two different
things.

She’d
changed, and she was right. She was no longer the young girl he’d married. She
was a woman who’d been twice-widowed and was now raising two children on her
own. Gone was the vulnerable teenager he’d forced himself on twenty-five years
ago. She’d grown into a strong, self-assured, take-charge adult.

And perhaps
because of it, he realized he was more drawn to her now than he’d ever been
before.

His heart
had been in his throat as he’d stood in the doorway of her classroom, watched
her without her knowing it. Her youthful figure had been replaced by a fuller,
curvier version that had known two full-term pregnancies and childbirth. Having
children agreed with her. She was absolutely perfect, and he’d never been more
attracted to her.

One thing
hadn’t changed. Her big brown eyes. Not even the slight creases at the corners
took away from the soulful gaze that had always held him captive. Somewhere
deep inside, he’d hoped seeing her would displace all the feelings he’d been
tormented by over the years. Hoped she would be someone he’d always care about,
but wouldn’t have the same hold on him.

But one look
told him he was still utterly, deeply, and completely in love with her. Even
more so, now that she displayed a maturity and strength that spoke to the woman
she had become.

His woman.

He didn’t
have a plan. Yet. But there was no way he’d walk away from her. He would fight
for her, and there would be no losing. Because if he didn’t win her back, he
would just take what he wanted. He always had, and he was convinced he’d never
be able to change that.

But he’d do
it the right way, for now. Her way.

**********

The next day he nonchalantly
pushed his small cart through the aisles of the grocery store, catching sight
of her in his peripheral vision. He knew she’d meant what she’d said the night
before. That she was going on a date. He’d immediately called Anthony and was given
access to a friend’s privately owned gym. There was a back room used for
illegal fighting, and Anthony was more than willing to go a couple of rounds
with Grizz, let him take out some frustrations.

“Not the
face, fucker,” Anthony had told him. “I’m taking Christy out tonight. If I come
home with a bloody face, she’ll be pissed.”

“Not a
problem,” Grizz said as he punched Anthony in the stomach.

He wished
now that he’d given Anthony the same rule. Grizz was now sporting a bruised and
swollen cheek. The pain at first was welcomed. Now he realized the bruises
might give Kit—Ginny—the wrong impression.

Anthony’s
guy had reported back that she was a creature of habit on Sundays. Church,
breakfast at the local pancake house with a few church friends, and then the
grocery store. After all those years with him, he thought he’d taught her
better.

Now, he just
waited for her to come down his aisle and notice him. When she did, she stopped
and stared.

“Hmph! I see
some things never change,” she hissed almost to herself after seeing his
swollen face. “Are you following me?”

He shrugged.
“Where are the kids?”

“Thank God
they’re not with me.” Her eyes flashed. “Mimi babysat for the Bears last night
and slept there, and Jason spent the night with a friend. Are you insane?”

“Not insane.
Just hungry,” he said casually, concentrating hard on the box of cereal he
clutched.

She looked
up and down the aisle. They were alone.

“I cannot
believe you had the nerve to show up at my grocery store!” Her voice grew
louder. “How dare you follow me?”

“I didn’t
follow you, it’s not your grocery store, and I can shop wherever and whenever I
want.” He could feel her glare as he continued to stare at the cereal. “So how
was your date last night?”

“That is
none of your business!”

“Well, I’m
glad you’re moving on, Ginny. You deserve to be happy.” He almost choked on his
words.

She wanted
him to believe she was genuinely happy for him, so maybe he’d just let her
think he was genuinely happy for her. Which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
He’d never gone to high school, so he didn’t know what kind of games kids
played with each other, but he was pretty certain it went something like this.
Who knows, maybe he’d enjoy this a little bit.

She huffed
off, and he purposely didn’t watch as she finished her shopping, paid, and left
the store.

But the wind
left his sails after he paid for his groceries and headed for his car.

Was this
really how he wanted to play this? It had only been ten minutes, and he was
already emotionally exhausted. It only verified in his mind how he’d become the
person he was. He never had time for such nonsense, and he sure as hell didn’t
have time for it now. As far as taking what he wanted, how the hell was he
going to do that when there were children to be considered? Could he see
himself being a father to Mimi and Jason?

If he let
himself think about it, yes, he thought he could. There was a desire deep
inside that kept calling to him, but he hadn’t been able to pinpoint it. He’d
always thought it had been Ginny, and yes, she was a major part of that, but he
also realized while sitting at Tommy’s funeral that there was something else he
yearned for. Something he’d never experienced and wanted to try.

He wanted to
be part of a family.

Chapter Forty-Six

Mimi

2001,
Fort Lauderdale

She didn’t think
it was possible to suffer so much
humiliation in one lifetime. She sat in the front seat of Christian Bear’s
pickup truck and willed herself to be invisible. She never wanted to be as far
away from South Florida than she did at this very moment. Her life had been
feeling all-wrong anyway, and the recent incidents just cemented in her mind
what she’d wanted all along.

To go away.
To leave.

Of course,
it had started to spiral downward at her own hand when she’d agreed to help
Leslie. It had gotten worse when her parents separated, and even though she was
happy they’d reconciled, her life had seriously tanked when Elliott—Nick,
or whatever his real name was—had used her.

She didn’t
think it could get worse after that, but it had. Worse than she could’ve ever
imagined. Oh, Dad.

She was
still mourning her father’s death. Yes, Tommy Dillon would always be her dad,
not the guy who’d impregnated her mother. And though she felt she was mourning
Tommy in a healthy way, she felt the silent pity from her friends. The unspoken
words and whispers. She didn’t know if she was imagining it or not, but
something told her some of them knew her parents’ history, and she felt their
judgment—and admiration—without anyone actually saying something.

She knew
some of their parents had figured out a long time ago her mother had been
married to a man who’d been executed. She couldn’t help but wonder if they’d
figured out he was also her biological father. She no longer hated Grizz, the
man she’d never know, but she hated what his legacy may have left in its wake.

She wanted
out.

She’d hoped
she would find comfort in someone. She knew she saw Slade Bear in a different
light after the night he’d rescued her, and she hoped he’d seen her
differently, too. She’d told herself he was so wrapped up in college he just
wasn’t getting the hint that she had feelings for him.

She’d been
dead wrong. He did know about her feelings, and last night, he’d let her down
as gently as possible. Her cheeks burned as she tried to block out the
memories, but they came anyway.

He’d shown
up the night before at his parents’ house. He’d been stopping in to pick
something up and was surprised when he came in the front door and saw her on
the couch reading to his little sister, Daisy.

She tried to
ask again for some driving lessons. He didn’t answer, instead offering to help
tuck Daisy in. Mimi had been thrilled. Slade wanted to be alone with her.

But after
Daisy was tucked in, he’d told her in the kindest and nicest way possible: he
wasn’t interested. She was one of the sweetest and prettiest girls he knew,
but…

There was
more than one “but.” Their families went back too far and it would be like
dating a younger sister. He was in his first year in college and didn’t want a
serious girlfriend. He couldn’t give her the time and attention she deserved.

She wanted
to tell him he could stop after the first “but.” She didn’t want to hear any of
it. She was going to be sixteen soon. And it was her fault she hadn’t taken the
first of several hints. For someone who considered herself to have a decent
amount of intelligence, she was the absolute sorriest when it came to matters
of the heart.

No, if Slade
Bear had even the slightest interest in her, he would’ve shown it. He would’ve
made it work. Her humiliation got even worse when she remembered the drugging
predicament he’d saved her from. She was grateful he’d rescued her that night,
but now she wished it had been anybody but him.

Even
Christian would’ve been a better choice. Her mother had been right—they’d
been friends when they were younger. If she had maintained that friendship,
maybe he would’ve been the friend whose shoulder she would cry on.

And now, she
was sitting in Christian’s truck. More mortified than she’d ever been before.
If there had been a cliff to jump off, she’d be over the edge by now.

Christy Bear
had asked Christian that morning if he wouldn’t mind taking Mimi home. He’d
grunted a yes as they headed for his truck.

As they made
the forty-five-minute drive to her house, she’d tried to break the
uncomfortable silence by engaging him in casual conversation, and he seemed to
lighten up. She watched his profile as they drove. He really was quite
handsome. He favored his father, Anthony, who was a full-blooded Native
American. Christian’s intense blue eyes were the only thing he’d inherited from
his mother, and they stood out in stark contrast to his dark tan skin and long
black hair that almost reached his waist. He certainly hadn’t inherited
Christy’s sweet disposition. Christian had a wildness that scared her, though
she had to admit to herself she might’ve found him attractive if she hadn’t
been so swallowed up by Slade’s rejection the night before.

She started
to get an uncomfortable yet recognizable feeling then. No! This isn’t happening.
Not now. Not in Christian’s truck! She squirmed slightly in the seat and
realized with horror that, yes, it had happened. She had just felt her period
come on in a rush, and it was now soaking through her shorts.

She wanted
to die. How would she ever get out of the truck without him noticing? Worse
yet, she was certain she was staining the seat beneath her.

He sensed
she was upset, looked over at her. “You okay?” She thought she sensed genuine
concern.

She hemmed
and hawed, not sure how to tell him she had just gotten her period and she was
sure it was now on his truck seat. She couldn’t think of anything that would
gross a guy out more than menstrual blood all over his nice leather. Especially
a guy like Christian Bear.

He looked at
her questioningly. She gritted her teeth. What have I got to lose? I
embarrassed myself with Slade last night, might as well just top it off and
pray I never see another Bear for the rest of my life.

“Christian,
I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m pretty sure I just got my period.”
Her cheeks burned. “I’m just so sorry. I can feel that it’s soaked through my
panties and shorts, and I know it’s on your seat. I just want to die. I’ll pay
for any damage.”

His
expression was unreadable. “No problem. Let’s get you home. It’ll wipe off.
Don’t sweat it, Mimi.”

Christian
had been trying to work up the nerve to see if she wanted to maybe go out with
him sometime, but her admission stopped his train of thought. All he could
think about was putting her at ease. Besides, he was Christian Bear. Blood was
the least of his hang-ups.

“You don’t
know how embarrassing this is,” she said as she kept dialing a number and
sending texts.

He shrugged.
“It’s normal girl shit, and I don’t know a lot about normal girl shit, but I’m
pretty sure this happens. Like I said, it’ll clean up.”

Mimi looked
frantic now. “Uh, my mom’s not home yet, and she’s not answering my texts, and
I don’t have my key. She’s either at the pancake house or grocery store.
They’re both on the way home. Can you run me by and we’ll see if we can find
her?”

He asked her
which restaurant and which grocery store. When they came to a red light, he
wordlessly reached in front of her and opened the glove box. He took out a hand
towel and indicated for her to lift her butt up off the seat. He swiped at the
leather.

“See? Came
right off.” He reached behind her into the backseat and pulled out a
lightweight jacket. “You can wrap this around you. Tie it in the front. It’ll
cover your ass, and the sleeves are long enough to hang down in front of you.”

Mimi
accepted it wordlessly.

Ginny wasn’t
at the pancake house and still wasn’t answering their home phone or replying to
her texts. They pulled into the grocery store parking lot.

“She’s
here!” Mimi yelled when she spotted her mother’s car in the lot. “Thank
God—she’s here.”

“You want me
to wait with you until she comes out?”

“That won’t
be necessary. You’ve done enough, and I don’t know how long she’ll be. She
might’ve just started shopping. I’ll just go in and find her.”

“I don’t
mind, Mimi. Really. If you want to get your house key from her, I’ll wait and
drive you home.”

Mimi had
already started to get out of the truck and was reaching for her overnight bag
that had been sitting on the floor in front of her. She knew that, as kind as
Christian had been, she was still embarrassed it had gone this far. Worst
twelve hours ever. No. She’d find her mother, rush her through her shopping,
and go home.

“You’ve done
more than enough, Christian. I’ll get your jacket back to you. Thank you.”

She managed
a smile.

He nodded a
goodbye, and she slammed the truck door shut and went inside to look for her
mother.

She made a
quick pit stop in the ladies’ room and changed into the used panties and shorts
she’d worn to the Bears’ the previous day. The grocery store restroom didn’t
have a machine that sold feminine hygiene products, so she loaded up her
underwear with paper towels. They would do until she got home. Then she went to
look for her mother.

But after
walking up and down each aisle, she ran to the front of the store just in time
to see her driving away. She must’ve been paying when I was walking in—I
should’ve looked in the checkout lines first. Now what?

She went
outside and sat on a bench. She would wait the five minutes it took for Ginny
to get home, and she would call the house and ask her mother to come back.

She’d
started to text Christian to thank him again for being so understanding when a
movement to her left caught her eye. She saw a man she shouldn’t recognize, but
somehow did.

Maybe it was
instinct. Maybe it was something spiritual. Maybe it was neither. Maybe she was
wrong.

But her gut
told her she wasn’t.

She watched
as he walked to a white Chevelle with a black stripe running down the middle of
it. Super bad-looking dude in a super bad-looking car.

She didn’t
know how she knew it, but she did. She was looking at the evil sperm donor.

Grizz.

She was
looking at her biological father.