Lane (Made From Stone Book 1) (17 page)

I walk into the living room and find Mallory at the table, tapping her fingers impatiently. She isn’t eating, so I know she’s waiting for me. My guess is she’s ready to put me in my place. I smile at that thought. She has no clue that today, I woke up more in love. I might not be able to back Mallory into a corner, but I will no longer back down. If she’s ready to fight, so am I.

“What’s up?” I question, trying to stifle a laugh. Yep. The look on her face confirms it. She’s ready to fight. Mallory's eyes are wide and her face is blushing a beautiful pink. From anger or embarrassment, I'm not sure. Either way it’s sexy, and has thoughts of last night running through my oversexed mind.

“We need to talk, Lane.”

“About?”

“Everything… Last night was a mistake,” The words come out of her mouth and hit me like a ton of bricks. It feels like she just slapped me in the face.

“It didn’t feel like a mistake to me,” I reply, hoping to mask the hurt in my voice.

“It was. Don’t get me wrong; it was great. But it can’t happen again.”

“I know it was great. I felt your pussy clamp down on my cock multiple times as confirmation, but thanks for saying it,” I say, knowing I sound annoyed but I decide not to care.

“Can we get back to the subject?” she pleads and I laugh.

“Sure. What else you got?”

“We need to make plans for Annie’s childcare. Should we look for a nanny or daycare?”

“My parents would love to keep her,” I reply. My mom has already set up a nursery for Annie.

“Well, that’s good during the day. But what about the nights you’re away and I’m working?” she asks. I feel my anger rising as I realize what she’s getting at. My inner caveman is about to be unleashed.

“You won’t need anyone at night because you’re calling to quit your job today,” I state simply. Immediately, I see fire in her eyes as her face turns blood red.

“I’m not quitting my job! And no matter what you think, you can’t make me,” she emphatically replies while tapping her foot on the floor angrily.

“Ok, if you don’t wanna quit that’s cool. I’ll call Thom and let him know to reserve the room you’re working every night.” I say, and I honestly will. “Don't push me, Mallory,” I reply firmly, hoping I'm getting my point across.

“Why are you being such a dickhead? I’d like to call your bluff but I know you’ll actually do it. The money is good Lane.”

“Do you like being a stripper?” I ask.

“The money’s good!” she repeats.

“That’s not what I asked. Do you like being a stripper?”

“No,” she confesses.

“Ok, my Aunt Kerrigan owns a bazillion businesses, even the pizza place we went. She owns a bar and a few interior-decorating stores. Take your pick.”

How the hell does he do this? I sat down at the table ready to fight and make Lane see things my way, and instead I just agreed to quit the strip club and go to work for his aunt. Honestly, I don’t want to be a stripper. Sure, the money’s good, but now that I’m living with Lane and we don’t have to worry about childcare I have no reason to continue.

“What else?” he challenges.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings earlier. Last night wasn’t a mistake. But Lane, it can’t happen again. It complicates things.”

“What does it complicate?”

“I don’t have time for a relationship,” I reply matter of factly.

“Mallory, what we’re doing
is
a relationship. We live together, eat together, have a daughter together and hopefully we’ll continue to have sex together.” He states the facts, and I’ll be a son of a bitch if he isn’t right.

“Lane, I don’t even know what to do in a relationship. Once classes start back up and I’m working, I won’t have time. What time I do have belongs to my daughter.”

“Our daughter, Mallory. All that makes a relationship is two people committed to each other. It’s me calling on my way home to see if you need anything. It's you asking how my day went. It’s about us loving our daughter and spending our free time as a family. I know we’re both going to be busy, but why can’t we try?” he probes. I sit speechless at how brave he is to say what he wants. It makes me feel wanted, but it also scares the crap out of me.

“What if it doesn’t work out?” I don’t want to ruin what friendship we have or end up with his family hating me.

“It will!” he firmly replies. He walks to me and holds out his hand, asking for mine. No matter how much I try to convince myself I don't want to, I do. He gently pulls me to him, wrapping his strong arms around me. He pulls me close, and every single worry melts away. This is where I belong.

Unable to help myself, I start crying. It’s been four years since I’ve felt at peace. A part of me will always be missing without my parents, but I’ve found my new home. My new safe haven, and my new life are right here in these strong arms.

“All right, Lane” I say through blurry tear-filled eyes. I can feel him hug me tighter as he lays a soft kiss on top of my head. I sigh softly and wrap my arms around his waist, feeling his heartbeat against my own chest. I'm safe. I'm secure and I'm happy.

He whispers into my ear, “Ok, baby.” I smile at the new pet name, but my heart swells with pride and love. There is nothing that could make this moment more perfect.

Lane was right. This relationship thing is much easier than I thought it would be. I’ve started back to school and he’s working a lot between teaching and coaching. We rarely see each other, and have to make time for our relationship.

Tonight, even though we won’t actually be together, I’m taking Annie to watch the first home game of the season. I have to admit, I’m excited to see the “Mr. Stone” I drooled over on Friday nights. The only difference is, this time he's all mine.

Lane’s parents will be here any minute to pick Annie and me up. They’re keeping her tonight so Lane and I can go for a late dinner, and hopefully a little late night sex. I knew I enjoyed sex with Lane, but what I didn’t realize was that I would crave it. Honestly, Lane’s abilities keep me wet from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. Hell, our sex life even invades the darkest parts of my dreams.

I hear a knock at the door, so I gently lift Annie, who is already asleep in her car seat. When I open the door, Noah takes Annie from me, giving me that warm Stone smile I've grown to love so much. It makes me feel so warm, so complete, so loved, like I'm a part of something. It’s only been a couple of months but I feel like a part of this family. The ladies of the Stone family never leave me out of anything. I often wonder how they work or get anything done because they are constantly meeting for lunch dates or shopping trips. I don’t always go, but when I do, it’s a lot of fun. And a lot of crazy. The women of the Stone family can find a good time in even the smallest things.

When we get to the high school, it’s packed as usual. This town lives for the Friday night football games, and it shows. We have to squeeze in sideways to get through the crowd, and with an infant, that's no easy feat. Once we find our seats my eyes search for Lane, and land on the man who makes my heart skip a beat. He is walking through the crowd of players, watching over them as they warm up.

My boyfriend is sexy. No doubt about that! It's a warm night so he’s just wearing a Lions t-shirt. It fits him perfectly. The way it hugs his sculpted arms makes me shiver in anticipation of getting him home. The things those arms can do…

I’m drawn from my thoughts when I hear the announcement of our home team’s starting lineup over the speaker and I decide it best to get my mind out of the gutter and focus on the game.

My team put up a good fight on the field tonight and their hard work and dedication paid off. We won our first game 21-19. It was close, but they gave it everything they had.

I searched for Mallory in the crowd and when I saw her, I stopped breathing. She looks incredible! My cock twitched at the thought of getting her tonight. Her hair is pulled up into a perfect high ponytail, and I immediately decide I will be pulling that tonight. Fuck! I have to quickly reach down and adjust myself. I know my thoughts can’t linger there long; otherwise, I’ll be sporting a hard-on for everyone to see.

It takes some effort on my part, but I'm finally able to shift my focus back to where it belongs, and start congratulating my guys on their victory. It doesn't take long before the team heads out, and then I’m able to lock up.

When I get out of the locker room, I look farther up the sidewalk to see Annie in Dad’s arms as he’s coming toward me and I jog over to meet him. Mallory put Annie’s hair up in little pigtails with black and red ribbon to match our school colors and she looks adorable. I need to steal a few kisses from my daughter before Mom and Dad take her for the night.

“Where are the girls?” I ask.

“Mallory saw her friend Olivia so she’s talking, and your mom stayed with her. I’m going to get the car but I figured you’d want to see her first. I’ll meet you all out front in ten minutes,” he says, passing Annie to me carefully after he places a soft kiss on her tiny cheek.

I’ve started making my way to Mallory when I feel my shirt being tugged on from behind. Annoyed, I turn quickly, expecting to see another parent or player. Instead, I’m facing Jill. FUCK! She’s the last person I want to see, especially tonight. I
need
to get Mallory home. Our alone times are few and far between.

“Aww, she’s so adorable. I can’t believe you’re actually holding a baby,” Jill says with a sarcastic laugh.

“She
is
super adorable, thank you,” I reply, hoping she gets the hint when I say nothing else but, of course, she doesn’t.

“I miss you, Lane,” she says, pushing out her lower lip in a fake pout. She then asks in a shockingly matter-of-fact tone, “Would you like to come by tonight?”

“Jill, I’m with someone.”

“Is it serious?” she questions. I nod my head yes, as she asks. “How serious?”

Knowing Jill won’t let it go until I put a nail in the coffin, I tell her, “This is my daughter, Annie. It’s that serious.”

I watch as her jaw drops wide in surprise. I can tell she’s trying to do the math to figure out if I was seeing someone the same time I was seeing her.

“But you were always so careful. Are you sure the baby is yours?” she queries with utter disbelief.

“Yes, this is my daughter,” I respond in a clipped tone. Who the fuck does she think she is? As if she had the right to think Annie wasn't mine.

“Who's her mother?” she demands snippily, causing me to groan aloud. I had really hoped to talk with the school board before I crossed this bridge. I know questions will be asked.

“A woman I fell in love with. That's all you need to know, Jill.” I reply, trying to reign in my anger. I’m hoping to feed her curiosity without outing Mallory and me.

I see Mallory approaching with all smiles and waves and I can't help but return her warm smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jill’s expression change and I know she’s figured it out.

Jill turns to me quickly and snaps, “You got a student pregnant? You're a sick fuck, Lane Stone!” She turns around and storms away, shaking her head before I can speak another word.

FUCK! I’m worried people may think that, but Jill will most definitely overreact if I don’t go speak to her. Mallory starts to wrap her arm around my waist, but I pull away. I've got to go do some damage control.

“I’m sorry Mallory, I need to go.” I blurt out, handing her the baby as I quickly take off after Jill.

I’m hurt by Lane's reaction to Jill, but mostly I’m confused. He left me stranded, embarrassed and alone with our daughter in my arms. I’ve never tried to pry into his past relationships, but now I’m wondering if I should’ve asked if he was over her. How serious was their relationship? Did he love her? I have so many questions.

The car ride home is difficult. I’m finding it hard to breathe as jealousy and hurt take root in every inch of my body. My head hangs while his parents sit quietly. I almost want to bombard them with questions, but I know they would defend their son. I mean that’s what parents do. Right? Defend their children even when they’re complete assholes?

Once I get home, I start pacing around the apartment floor. Jealousy is holding me hostage, and the thoughts in my mind are running rampant. I know I need to get out of this apartment before I drive myself crazy! There's only one place I know to go. The only real “home” I've known in years, to see my sister. I grab my keys and head straight out the door and into the night.

As I drive to the motel, I work myself up even more than I thought possible. The thing with jealousy is that it makes you worry about things you shouldn’t. I thought I trusted Lane, but after seeing him with her tonight, I wonder if I should. The thought of him touching her makes me feel violent and sick at the same time.

I thought about calling him. There’s a part of me that wants to believe I trust him. If he is fucking her, I doubt he’d stop to answer a phone call from me. Ok. I’m being ridiculous. He wouldn’t cheat on me. Would he? Oh my GOD! I've gone completely mad.

When I pull up the hotel, I don’t see Amy’s car. Just great! I close my eyes after putting my car in park and try to think clearly. Looking down at my watch, I realize it’s only eleven thirty. I guess I should’ve thought this through. It’s Friday, and I know Amy won’t be home until two. Not wanting to leave yet, I decide to go in and leave her a note on the bedside notepad so she knows I was here and that I love her.

Sitting on the bed, I start pouring out my heart. I tell Amy how much I love and miss her. I thank her for all she’s done. Again, I close my eyes and am overcome by emotions. Tears spill from my eyes as I sob and write. I'm not sure how long I lay on the bed.

I'm a shaken, upset mess; my mind is overwhelmed by the happenings of the last few years. The loss of my parents. Wishing I had my mom here to comfort me with her soft voice. I know she’d tell me I was beautiful and that any guy who didn’t know what a catch I was didn’t deserve me. She always knew how to make me feel special. I can hear my dad, telling me everything will be ok. I think about everything my sister and I have overcome, and everything she’s given up for me.

My thoughts drift to Lane and it opens a new flood of emotions. It’s a different type of hurt. I don’t know when it happened, but lying here, I realize the reason this pain is unbearable. I’m in love with him. He’s been my strength, my support, and my light. He is MY Lane.

At that moment, several things happen all at once. I wipe my eyes and place the letter on her side table as I realize if I want Lane I may very well have to fight for him. In my distracted state, I fail to hear the click of the door lock. I don’t hear the door open, and I fail to protect myself as a crashing pain sears through my head.

I turn to see the face that has haunted my recent nightmares. Cracked lips part to reveal yellow, stained teeth as I struggle to remain conscious and the last thought through my mind is my daughter. As the darkness overcomes me and I crash to the floor, I hear a rough voice whisper in my ear, “Finally….”