All of the Lights (51 page)

My heart swells in chest and I just grin back at her. I can't exactly pull her to me now, not when she's in the middle of doing exactly what she needs to do so I can get what I want. But God, I want her. I need her. I don't know how I survived life this long without her in it and now, all I can think about is the fact that I've already wasted so much time. Between now and that night we first kissed in my apartment, I could've been spending all that time with her. Getting to know her. Feeling my way around her life. Settling into something I didn't even know I wanted until I met her.

It doesn't help that Sunday is breathing down our necks. I don't know what happens after that, or where we'll have to go from there, but I do know things won't be the same. I just don't know how or why yet.

"I knew it," her sister continues on in that sing-songy, smug voice. "I
knew
it."

"Look," Rae's voice cuts in in a rush. "You can't tell—"

"Of course I'm not gonna tell Dad. Why would I do that? He'll completely lose his shit if he finds out you're getting all hot and dirty with Southie's number one fighter. Not to mention he's basically a Callahan. I can't say I blame you...he is one fine piece of man. Does he have tattoos anywhere else besides his arms? Come on. You can tell me. Pretty
please
with sugar on top."

When I shift uncomfortably on the bed, Rae just rolls her eyes. "I'm not telling you anything. But thank you, though, Luce. I really appreciate it. I know he'll find out eventually, but I'm just not ready for that yet. This is...it's really new and it's good and it makes me happy and I don't want him to ruin it just yet."

My heart twists in my chest as the truth of her words hit home. In a few days, we'll have the evidence we need to prove Moretti is a fraud. Once we decide how to act on that evidence, life as we know it just might end forever.

"I get it," Lucy replies, her voice a little softer, a little sadder now. "I'm sorry it has to be that way. I just hope you know what you're doing. I hope he's worth it."

Rae's hand lands on my stomach in a featherlight touch, her eyes on me as she says, "He's worth it."

"He better be," Lucy laughs. "'Cause Dad is gonna rain his wrath down on you like nobody's business when he finds out."

"It doesn't matter."

"Good," I can almost see Lucy nodding firmly, even though I don't even really know her. "So I was thinking maybe you should just take the next couple of days off. I have to work on Sunday anyway, so I can cover you today and tomorrow. I can handle our store."

Rae's mouth parts, her lips dipping into a deep frown. "Wait—"

"I mean, it's our store, isn't it?"

"Well," Rae manages to push out through her surprise. "I guess—"

"I thought about everything you said, Rae. I thought about what's changed for me since I first opened the store a couple years ago and I think it has everything to do with the fact that I have no idea how to actually
run
the store. I thought I did, but it's way more complicated than just deciding which pieces to buy. I want it to succeed. I really do and I know that's probably really hard to believe. And I think the only way it succeeds is if we do it together. I want to share it with you. Ugh. I'm sorry we're doing this over the phone, but what can you do? You're way smarter than me about business and finances and all I know is the fashion side of it. You've been running it since the day you started working with me and look, you've gotten the raw end of the deal in our family for years and I don't really know why. So I don't see why we can't share this. So what if Dad originally bought it just for me? I want to run it with you. I
know
I can't do it without you."

Rae's mouth parts again and she sucks in a deep breath. When her gaze flicks to me, her eyes are glittering with unshed tears.

"I don't know what to say, Luce."

Her sister just laughs. "Just say you'll take the next couple of days off. We can talk more about this later. I'm serious...you need a little vacation anyway. So go enjoy that hot boyfriend of yours and tell me all about it on Monday."

Rae's eyes meet mine and I wonder if she's thinking the same thing as me:
what is Monday going to bring?
Then she just shrugs. "Okay. I guess I'll see you on Monday. But you'll call me if you have any questions, right? If something—"

"If something comes up and I don't know what to do, I'll let you know. I promise."

I hate to admit it, but given the conversation I just overheard, it's hard to believe the younger sister is the one whose name has been listed as the owner for all this time. If this is what Rae wants, it seems like this new partnership could be good for both of them.

When Rae swipes across her screen to end the call, she tosses it next to her on the bed and lifts her hands high in the air. "What just happened? Seriously?"

"Well, it sounds to me like you just became a co-manager of a store."

"Yeah, I think so."

My lips curl up into a grin as my hands slide up her hips. "Is that a good thing?"

She doesn't miss a beat. "Yeah, I think it is."

"Good," I tilt my head up so I can catch her lips. "Now get in the shower."

"Only if you join me," she waggles her eyebrows at me suggestively.

I blow out a deep breath in exasperation. God, she's going to kill me before we even get a chance to get out of her apartment. "I know this game. No way."

"Fine. Suit yourself," she lifts a shoulder as she slides off the bed and slinks into her bathroom, swaying her hips just enough to inflict some serious cruel and unusual punishment.

I glance down and squeeze my eyes shut. Then, with a sigh of defeat, I jump out of bed to follow her inside the bathroom.

"ARE YOU SURE about this?"

I glance over at her from the driver's seat and grin. "Yeah. You trust me, right?"

Her forehead crinkles into a deep, almost disturbed frown as she peers out through my truck's windshield at the line forming out from underneath the brick building's awning. "Of course I trust you. I just...I don't know. I guess I just didn't think you were taking me
here
."

"What's wrong with Sully's? Besides," I just shrug. "I told yah I was takin' you out for the best hot dog in Boston. And maybe a lobster roll too."

"I know, I know. I just wasn't expecting you to take me to Southie is all."

Ah. There we have it. I knew this was coming. I expected it. Prepared for it. Here goes nothing.

"Look," I shift in my seat so I can face her head-on, my fingers reaching out until they tangle with hers. "Forget everything else, okay? The history doesn't matter today. You're here with me and that's all that matters. People know me here. They're gonna wonder who I'm with, especially since you're the first girl anyone's ever seen me go public with in...a long time. But that's it. And even if they figure out who you are, I'm still just as much a part of this neighborhood as they are and because you're here with me, they may not like it, but they'll respect it because they respect me."

Rae blows out a deep breath and glances through the windshield one last time before her nervous green eyes find mine. I squeeze her hand just for good measure.

"This is where I'm from, Rae," I explain with an easy grin. "This is where I live. This is where my life is. I want you to be a part of it."

Her eyes widen as the impact of my words hit home and she bites down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She has to see that in order for her to be part of my life, she's going to have to step onto my turf sooner or later—just like I'm going to have to do for her—that doesn't just mean our apartments. It won't happen overnight and it's definitely not going to happen in these next two days, but bringing her here is the first step in the right direction. History be damned. Reputations can go straight to hell. I want everyone to know I don't care what her last name is and I'm not about to cower in the shadows with her either.

"I want this to be real," I push on. "I'm not going to hide. I'm not going to let anyone make us feel like this is wrong because it's not. And I'm not going to let anyone make you feel like you're not welcome here, okay?"

That earns me a smile and it spreads through her entire face, lighting it up beautifully until every inch of skin is set aglow. "Okay."

I lean forward so I can brush my lips against hers. "There's nothing to be nervous about. You're here with me and I'm buyin' you a hot dog, okay?"

She nods as my lips capture hers one more time before I slide out of the driver's seat and jog around to her side so I can open her door. With our hands firmly linked together, we step out onto the parking lot leading us to the long line of people waiting for their fix. Most people from Southie know better than to make the short trek to Castle Island, particularly Sullivan's, anytime near a weekend, but this is a special occasion.

"You know," I whisper in her ear as we stop at the end of the line. "They say Castle Island is where the past, present, and future of Boston collide. There's somethin' about that that feels kinda right, doesn't it?"

She smiles up at me, squeezes my hand, and leans a little deeper into my shoulder.

"You ever been here before?"

Rae's smile deepens and she shakes her head.

"That's what I thought. Prepare to lose your shit. These hot dogs are worth dyin' for."

"If you say so."

"I do say so," I grin. "Just yah wait."

Her melodic laughter fills my ears and warmth spreads through my chest at the sound. Being with her in one of my favorite places in this city, being able to wrap my arms around her, making her laugh...it makes me feel ten feet tall. Forget any victory I've ever had in the ring. This is better.
This
is what I've been missing my entire life—that piece of the puzzle I never knew I needed. Until now. Until her.

Of course, it's only then that I notice a few eyes on us. More than a few.
People know who you are
, I try to convince myself.
That's all it is.
This wasn't a mistake. I'm not setting us up for a huge failure. I guess that's just what I have to tell myself.

"Hey, Flynn!"

I turn my head at the voice and shake my head when I see one of our bar regulars a few feet behind us. "Hey, Lenny. How's it hangin'?"

"Ah, yah know," he shrugs, but his eyes dart a little too quickly to Rae for my liking. "Same old, same old. Just figured I'd bring my ol' lady out for a bit before I head over to your place later tonight," he gestures to his long-time girlfriend, who shoots him an exasperated glance in return, and then tilts his chin up to Rae. "This your girl?"

I can't stop the grin that spreads across my face at that label. That's the first time I've really heard it spoken out loud and it's definitely something I could get used to hearing.

"This is Rae," I rest my hand on her lower back as I introduce them. "Rae, this is Lenny."

She waves a little shyly to him and he waves back. If he has even an inkling of who she really is, he doesn't show it.

"I got my ticket for Sunday all set and ready to go, man," Lenny pumps a fist at me. "Got $300 on you for the win too. Yah haven't let me down yet. Don't start now."

"Oh, don't yah worry," I rub my jaw with my free hand and use my other one to draw Rae in closer to me. "I got it."

He nods in response and then we go back to our respective women, just like we would in any other circumstance, with any other people. So far, it looks like I didn't have much to worry about when it came to bringing Rae to this side of town. If she was here by herself, that'd be a different story altogether. But here with me, with my hand firmly linked with hers, sends a silent message to everyone loud and clear.

"See?" I lean in so I can murmur in her ear. "Respect."

"I see that," she smiles.

There's some relief shining in those beautiful eyes and I wouldn't trade this moment with her for anything. No crowd and definitely no pay-out will ever give me this kind of adulation and satisfaction. It's a high I never want to come down from.

But when my phone buzzes in my back pocket, I'm knocked down from that high. One glance at my caller ID is enough to deflate just about anything I've got planned for this entire day.

Rae frowns at me as I swipe across my screen to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, bro," Brennan answers from the other side of the line and I wince at the sound of his voice. "I, uh...well, this is a little awkward, huh?"

"I guess," I push out a laugh, but I can't even convince myself, let alone anyone else.

"So, Pop told me you were taking a few days off before the fight on Sunday and I guess...I guess I was wonderin' if Rae was with you."

My eyes find the subject of our conversation and a rush of protectiveness shocks my system. Brennan would never intentionally hurt her. I know that. But I also can't help the need to do everything in my power to shield her from as much of this ugliness as I can.

"Yeah, she is," I finally respond. "Why do yah ask?"

Brennan doesn't miss a beat. "Can I talk to her?"

"What?"

"Yeah," he chuckles. "Just lemme talk to her, alright?"

Uneasiness settles in my stomach, but I hand Rae the phone anyway. When she takes the phone from me, she doesn't look any less confused than I do.