Lane (Made From Stone Book 1) (15 page)

I've enjoyed the last couple of hours alone with Annie. She soothes me in a way I never knew possible, and never thought I'd have. Just one look in her beautiful eyes and the world disappears, even if it's just for a few moments. Sometimes she stares at me like I'm the only thing in her world that matters, and then I feel my world is complete.

Now that she is resting comfortably on the blankets on the floor, I sit on the couch. I'm dying to go snoop around his apartment, but I decide against it.

I turn on the TV instead and get distracted by a world of reality TV. I'm not interested in watching it, but I need the distraction. I laugh at myself as I think 'That's impossible!' I can't be distracted from the mess that I have made of my life.

You would think I would've become numb to pain, but I haven't. I hurt that my parents are no longer with me, that Mom abandoned Amy and me. I hurt because no matter how much I work, I can never get ahead. I know I have to keep going. Annie depends on me, and even though I have nothing, I feel I have everything I could possibly need lying on the floor right in front of me.

I hear the door lock turning and my stomach sinks. I really hope Lane will settle for lighthearted conversation because I am totally drained.

“Hey!” he says walking in with several bags and a big smile. I hurry to help him, “Let me help with those.” It looks like he's feeding an army! How much food did he buy?

“Thanks,” he replies. He steals a glance at my face and I'm sure I look like a child at Christmas. I haven't had food like this since my parents passed.

“No problem. Where are the plates?” I ask. My stomach is growling and I'm sure it sounds like an angry grizzly. He gestures to a cupboard and I grab some plates before searching a few drawers for silverware. I take them over to the table where he dropped the food.

“Have you had Phil’s steaks?” he asks with a warm smile on his face.

“No, but I've heard good things about them. Honestly, I'd eat anything right now.”

“Why didn't you tell me you were hungry earlier? We could've stopped somewhere.”

“I needed Annie more than I needed food!” I explain, trying to keep the mood light, but I can't help but start to choke up. I will not cry in front of him.

“Well here,” he says handing me a container. I open it quickly and transfer the food over to the plate. I waste no time getting started. The first bite of the steak and I’m in food heaven. If Lane weren’t sitting here, I’d stick my face in the plate and go to town. It’s that delicious.

After taking a few bites and having a drink of Coke, I have just enough food in me to talk.

“Thank you for all of this. I'm going to start looking and I think I can find a place soon.”

“Mallory, I've already started looking for another place. You and Annie can stay here. It will take me a few days to get things squared away.”

“You're not leaving your own apartment, Lane. I could never ask that of you.”

“I don't mind. I would feel better with you girls here. Eli lives just across the parking lot, and it's much safer.”

“Again, I'm not kicking you out. Please don't try to push this. You and your family have done so much for me. I can't and won't accept any more help!” I state firmly. I can tell he's irritated and I can't help but laugh a little. I think I’m learning Lane stays irritated, especially when he doesn't get his way.

“You aren't kicking me out, and get used to the help. It's what family does. Even if we aren't a couple, my family loves Annie and that means they love her mother.”

“Lane, please. We can look for a place for me together. You can make sure it's safe and meets your guidelines, but it also has to be within my budget. I appreciate all the help and I love your family, love that they love Annie, but your parents paid my medical bills. I didn't know they were your parents at the time, but now that I do, I can imagine what they must think. It's probably, ‘Oh this girl took our money, kept our grandchild from us, is moving in with our son, and he is now supporting her!’” God, just saying all this out loud makes me feel like I am taking advantage of Lane and his family.

“Don’t talk about my family like that. You obviously don’t know them!” he says, dropping his fork on his plate and the look on his face makes me feel guilty.

“I wasn’t trying to talk bad about them. You’ve all done so much for me and I’ve given nothing in return. I don’t like feeling like I owe people,” I explain.

“Mallory, for weeks after Annie was born my parents talked about my dad's last patient and how they worried about you, and wished they could’ve done more.”

As much as I want to accept his words and feel grateful, I don’t. “I’m not a charity case Lane. I don't want any more help. Please understand that!” God, I’m so pissed and suddenly not hungry as what started as a light conversation escalates into a full-blown argument.

“You drive me FUCKING insane! It’s not charity, it's family. Get used to it, babe! You and Annie are now a part of my crazy family, no matter what you say.”

“I’m telling you right now, asshole. I’m getting the apartment I want!”

“I’m going to shower,” he says in a frustrated tone as he pushes his plate away. I hear him mumbling under his breath as he walks away and I can't help but laugh inside. As angry as I am, he does have a magnificent ass and I can't help but watch it as he leaves the room.

“Good, find a way to wash that arrogance off of you. It stinks,” I call out. I hear the door slam followed by loud laughter.

How can someone piss me off and make me laugh at the same time? She is so frustrating! Why can’t she see that I don’t view her as a charity case? We share a daughter and I want to make sure they are safe. That's all.

The longer I stand in the shower, the more my thoughts become jumbled. I know I can’t push Mallory into doing what I want so I need to find a way to reason with her. I just don’t know how to do that yet. She can’t just move out with Annie. The safest apartments come at a cost, and one I know Mallory can’t afford. Maybe I can talk her into sharing an apartment long term with me. Maybe I could be her roommate. I don’t think she’ll agree, but it's the only thought running through my mind that makes the most sense.

I run my hands over my body rinsing off and I get to my now rock-hard cock. Mallory Carter has affected me so strongly that even an argument with her gets me hot. I wrap my hand around my length and shiver at the sensation. It's been a long few days and I've been so frustrated that I deserve this. I close my eyes and imagine the one person that has served this purpose since I met her. I pump my sensitive cock to the thought of her. If Mallory knew what I was doing in here, I'm sure she would blush a million shades of red. The thought of her blushing sends me over the edge and I watch my frustration wash down the drain. I turn off the water after I recover and step out, determined to make Mallory see it’s the best decision to live with me. 

When I walk out of the bedroom, I’m surprised to see her still at the table eating chocolate cake. I can’t help but laugh when she raises her fork and points it in my direction and says, “Don’t judge me.”

I throw my hands up and laugh, as I say, “No judgments here. I hope chocolate makes you nicer.”

Her eyes soften and she giggles as she replies, “It does, and I’m sorry about earlier. I would never intentionally talk bad about your parents; I want them to like me. Can we talk for a little bit?”

“I know you wouldn’t and it’s ok. I do think we need to talk.”

“Thank you. Lane, it’s hard for me to open up. I feel like if I tell my story that people will think I’m seeking sympathy and I’m not. The truth is, I’ve lost my parents and I know that you want to help, but I don’t mind doing things alone. I know one day, when I do make it, I can look back and say I did it. I want to share my story with troubled teens and say anything is possible. I know that might sound silly, but I need for these last four years to have meant something. I need to believe everything happens for a reason,” she explains in an almost whisper.

I lean against the kitchen counter as I try to process her words. Not wanting to scare her off with the ‘let's move in together’ suggestion, I simply say, “I’ll try to keep that in mind as we move forward. You should know I understand what you need to do, but you need to understand we share a daughter. The thought of Annie growing up in a sketchy part of town drives me insane, especially when she doesn’t need to. Amy was attacked last night and my daughter could’ve been there. You could’ve been there.”

“I know. That scares me too. I just don’t know what to do. I’m trying Lane,” she says and hangs her head. Seeing her so embarrassed and upset is killing me.

“Mallory, I have something that might work for both of us.”

“I’d like to hear what it is.”

“Can you promise to keep quiet until I finish? Hear me out completely?” I question. I know the second she hears ‘let's live together,’ she’ll have to chime in.

“I’m scared.... but ok,” she teases.

“What if we live together? We can get a two bedroom.” She starts to open her mouth and I stop and give her a look. I watch as she shuts her mouth before I continue. “As I was saying, we could live together. It would give Annie both parents in the house. What I think will appeal to you is when football season starts, I’m rarely home. Long practices during the summer, away games--you’ll have a lot of alone time with Annie. Also, when school starts back, you’ll see me even less, but enough for me to be informed where Annie will be. Also, as much as I don’t like it and can't stop you, you work at night, and those few nights a week you want to stay with Amy. So we won't actually see a lot of each other, it could work.”

She’s thinking about what I just said. This is good. Every time she opens her mouth, she shuts it again and I can see the wheels turning in her head. God she is sexy!

“In theory that sounds like a good idea. Here’s my problem. You’ve 'staked your claim' on me. If I’m here, you know everything that’s going on in my life. If I go on a date, you’ll know. Would it annoy you or make you feel uncomfortable if Olivia or Amy comes to stay with me at night. Can I bring a date back here?”

Son of a bitch. I want to claim her again. It’s taking everything in me to not go all caveman ‘you belong to me’ on her. “As far as Olivia and Amy are concerned, bring them over when you want. But you will not bring a date into a home where MY daughter is.”

“Can I think about all this? I need some time?”

“Sure,” I say. I walk to where Annie is sleeping on the floor and bend down to pick her up. I know you're not supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but if I can’t work things out with Mallory, she may call someone else daddy, and that will never be ok with me.

A week has passed since I started living with Lane, and it’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be. He was right; we rarely see each other. Football practice started today, and Annie is staying with Molly and Noah so I have the day to myself. I was reluctant when they asked if they could take her out, but I really need to go visit Amy. I haven’t been back since the incident, but we’ve been talking on the phone a lot. It does ease some of my worry that Gavin has been staying with her but I don’t like not seeing her daily, which is why today we’ll just be sisters again. No distractions. With that thought in my mind, I rush out the door determined to have a good day.

As I start my car, I hear a knock at my window that makes me jump. “Holy crap Eli, don’t do that.”

“Sorry, I was just about to head to work and wanted to give you an update before I left.”

“On the man? Or my mom?” I ask.

“Both. The man’s name is Fred Harvey. He has a long list of felonies and he's very dangerous, Mallory. You need to be mindful at least until he’s caught. Promise me that if you’re headed to the hotel, you’ll call Gavin or me? If you can’t reach us, please just wait.”

Chills start running down my spine at the thought of what he’s capable of and what he’s done in the past, but it won’t do any good to scare myself further so I decide it’s best to leave it alone and take his advice. “Ok I will, I promise. You said you had news about my mom?” I ask, moving on.

“Well, we still can’t locate her but we do have an updated photo. She was booked and released about six months ago for prostitution.”

I don’t know why this stings as bad as it does. I mean, I’m not stupid, I know drugs aren’t free and that she doesn’t have money. But hearing it out loud is like a slap in the face. She and my dad were so much in love, and even though he’s dead, it feels like I just found out she was cheating on him. The thought crossed my mind from time to time that this is what she was doing to get her fix, but it still eats me alive.

“Can I see the photo?” I ask and he reaches into his back pocket and unfolds a printout of her arrest photo. It clearly says Sherry Carter, age forty-three. Her once-young face has deep creviced creases. Her dark eyes are sunken and her once-fuller face is just skin hanging loosely over bone. It’s my mother, but she isn’t my mom anymore.

“I’m sorry, Mallory. We’re trying to find her,” Eli says sympathetically.

“It’s not your fault. Can I keep this?”

“Sure,” he replies, backing away from the car.

The moment I put my car in reverse, the tears start to flow. I know my mom isn’t coming back from this. Amy needs to realize it too, and soon. As I sit and think about the hell she's put us through, I slowly start to not give a flying fuck about what happens to her. We lost someone. We lost the best father I could ever ask for, we lost our home, our sense of security, our childhood, and life as we knew it and she was selfish enough to think she was the only one hurting.

When I pull up to the building, I slam my car door and make a beeline for the door of Amy’s room, more pissed than I’ve been in years. I quickly unlock the door and find Amy curled up, napping on the bed. Her face is still a bit puffy and discolored but she looks much better than the night of the attack.

I shut and lock the door behind me, quickly going to Amy’s side, calling her name. She stirs for a few minutes before opening her eyes. “Hey! How are you feeling?” I question concerned.

“Like someone beat the shit out of me,” she chuckles softly. I know she’s trying to make light of this whole thing, but it pisses me off.

“So, are you still set on staying in this dump? Waiting on that woman?” I hiss, slamming the mug shot down onto the bedside table. Amy quickly picks it up.

I watch as she goes from a hopeful smile to tears in her eyes as she sets the photo back down and asks, “She’s alive? She's really alive?” she says, sounding relieved.

“Six months ago anyway. Why does it matter though?”

“Because she’s our mother, Mallory?”

“That’s not my mom. That’s an addict selling herself for a fix.” I storm out, slamming the door behind me. I have to leave before I lose my filter and say something I actually mean.