Love Slave for Two: Reunions [Love Slave for Two 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (28 page)

“Look, get out of town for a little while,” Bob suggested.

“We just got back in town,” Tom said. “I don’t want this fucker running us out of our own home.”

“Let me finish, Tommy. Go back up to your mom’s for a while. As in, take Nevvie and the kids up to your mom’s. Let Nevvie help Karen with her wedding preparations while you two come back home. I’d bet your mother would like to see the boys again.
Capice
?”

“I’m not a kid, Bob,” Nevvie softly said. “If you start spelling words, I’ll smack you.”

He laughed. “There’s our feisty girl.”

“It can’t hurt,” Tyler said. “I can go get the RV from the storage yard and—”

“No,” Nevvie said. “No.
No
RV. I need to recover from that trip first.” She finally sat up and wiped her face. “I’ll pack the boys up in the morning,” she softly said. She looked at Andrew. “Will you go with me?”

“Absolutely, love. You don’t even need to ask.”

She stared at the ceiling for a minute before looking at Tyler, then at Tom. “Get the RV serviced. You said it needed an oil change and stuff after the trip. Get all that done. Then maybe bring it up next weekend. Tyler has to get that book done and turned in, and he’s got edits due next week. So you two stay here for now. Can you put my car on the hauler for the toad and bring it up, too? That way we’ll have an extra car up there.”

“I think so, Nev,” Tom said. “Are you sure about this, baby girl?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t like it, but I won’t risk the kids’ safety.” Her stomach dangerously rolled again.
That’s it. No more wine. Not for a while.
“And we could be blowing this all out of proportion.” Now that she’d had a chance to calm down, she tried to look at the whole picture. “Maybe he’s behaving himself in a halfway house in Homestead, for all we know. He could be the perfect citizen now. It’s possible.”

She didn’t believe it for a second, but she wasn’t going to let it freak her out any more than she could, either.

* * * *

She was ready to go by eight o’clock the next morning. They hadn’t heard back from Bob yet, but she wasn’t going to hang around. Adam was beyond thrilled to know they were going to visit Grandma Peggy again. She hadn’t told Peggy the whole story when she phoned her at six thirty that morning, knowing her mother-in-law would be awake. Peggy, sensing she’d get the story upon Nevvie’s arrival, didn’t press for details once Nevvie assured her their family was fine, Tom and Tyler weren’t in trouble with her, and that Andrew was coming with her.

Peggy seemed especially pleased about the last part.

Tom and Tyler hugged and kissed everyone as they climbed into the Pilot. Nevvie had put the backseat down to give them more room for everything she’d need for the kids and Harley, in addition to her and Dad’s luggage.

With Harley settled on the seat between Adam’s and Mikey’s car seats, Nevvie climbed behind the wheel and slowly pulled out of the driveway. She didn’t want to look in the rearview mirror at her husbands standing there waving good-bye or she was afraid she’d cry.

* * * *

Inside, Tyler seethed with rage.
That bloody bastard will not get another chance at our angel!
That day was forever seared in his memory. The sight of Nevvie lying on the kitchen floor, stabbed and bleeding. Then Alex blindsided him with a chair and knocked him out. If it hadn’t been for Tom…

When they returned to the house, Tyler headed for the shower. “You watch the phone in case Bob calls,” he told Tom. “I have to run some errands this morning.”

“Okay.”

Tyler finished his shower, ate breakfast while Tom took his shower, then headed out. “I’ll be back soon. I need to get some things and do a little research for my book.”

Tom kissed him good-bye. “Be careful, buddy.”

“I will. Guaranteed.”

Thirty-five minutes later, Tyler had threaded his way through the final remnants of morning rush hour traffic and pulled up in front of the gun shop where he’d taken the concealed weapons license class.

Jack stood behind the counter and greeted him with a smile. “Good morning, Mr. Paulson. Back for more research?”

“Not this morning. I want to buy a gun. And I need you to teach me how to shoot it.”

Nevvie and Andrew reached Savannah late that afternoon. Peggy walked out to greet them when they pulled into the yard.

“Hey, sugar,” Peggy said as she gave Nevvie a hug. “How you holding up?”

“I’ve had better days.”

“Tommy called me after y’all left home.” She tipped her head toward Adam, who was just waking up now that the car had stopped moving. “We had a long talk. You’re all staying here as long as you need to. End of discussion.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“And that goes for you, too, Andrew.” Peggy sent him a smile that he returned.

“Thank you, Peggy. I appreciate it.”

“No need to thank me. I love having you around.”

Later that night, after dinner and putting the boys to bed, Nevvie, Andrew, and Peggy gathered around the kitchen table with mugs of hot chocolate, and Harley asleep under the table.

“I feel like a frickin’ nomad,” Nevvie said. “This is ridiculous. I was just beginning to feel comfortable and settled in at home again after the trip. And now, this. No offense, Mom, because I really appreciate you putting up with us.”

“Sugar, whatever you have to do. Tommy said a bench warrant’s been issued for the guy because he didn’t report to his parole officer. That means when they find him, they’ll put him back behind bars.”

“Did Tommy tell you the rest?”

“What rest?”

“We’ve been tossing around the idea of moving up here. Buying a piece of property and building a house so we can be close to you and everyone else.”

“No, he didn’t tell me that part. What about your house in Tampa?”

“We’d keep it for now. He wanted to be the one to tell you after we’d decided for sure, but I think I’ve decided for all of us. I want a state line between that asshole and my kids. And me. And the rest of my family.”

“I’m not saying I don’t want y’all here, Nevvie. I’d love it. But don’t make a knee-jerk decision. I mean it when I say y’all are welcome to stay here with me. If I could survive raising five daughters, having all of you here is like a cakewalk.”

It was after midnight by the time Nevvie was talked out and went to bed. When she retired, Andrew and Peggy were still happily chatting away.

That, if nothing else, was a bright spot in this whole situation.

She wasn’t sure what awoke her at first. Then she heard it again and bolted upright in bed, heart racing. When it happened a third time she started giggling at her silliness. Her phone, set on vibrate, had danced itself off the bedside table and was now rattling against the hardwood floor.

“Geez.” By the time she reached down and retrieved it, it had stopped vibrating. The time read 2:37. When she pulled up the text messages, she expected to see one from Tom or Tyler. If it had been important, they would have called, which would have tripped the phone into an audible ringer.

She was a little surprised to see it was a text from Kyle.

shes in icu. heart failure. im sorry.

Nevvie closed her eyes, counted to ten, and tried reading the text again. The message read the same.

Instead of texting back, she called him.

He sounded surprised to receive her call. “Did I wake you?” he asked.

“It’s okay. What happened?”

His tone turned resigned. “We were both at work. Jacob found her on the floor in the kitchen when he got home. He called the ambulance. It’s the congestive heart failure.”

“How is she?”

He hesitated. “The doctor said we’re in the end stages now. She probably won’t leave the hospital.”

“How are you and Jacob doing?”

“I’m…dealing. He’s in there with her now. I’m sorry I didn’t text you earlier. I should have, but everything’s been happening so fast it slipped my mind.”

“It’s okay. I understand.” Nevvie pinched the bridge of her nose and thought for a moment. Tyler and Tom wouldn’t be happy about this, but she knew if she didn’t do it, she’d probably regret it for the rest of her life. “What hospital are you at?”

* * * *

Nevvie stood under water as cold as she could stand it to wake up. She’d already put on a pot of coffee and emptied, then repacked, a suitcase and carry-on to take with her. The knock on the bathroom door startled her.

“Yes?”

“Nevvie, honey? Are you all right?” It was Peggy.

“Come on in, Mom.”

Nevvie gave her the quick version. By the time Nevvie was getting out of the shower and toweling dry, Peggy had gone to the kitchen and returned with a mug of coffee made nearly perfectly the way Tyler would have made it for her.

She sipped it. “Thanks, Mom. I already booked a seat on the first commuter flight from Savannah to Atlanta. From there, I fly out to Denver, and get a flight from there directly into Sheridan and will be there by tonight.” Nevvie’s stomach rolled and she closed her eyes, certain she was going to throw up. Her nerves were shot. She finally recovered her equilibrium.

“You gonna be okay?”

“I don’t know, Mom. I…” She let out a harsh laugh and hugged Peggy. “You
are
my mom. Mary was my mom once, and I did love her. And while I’m getting to know Kelly and really like her, it’s not the same. But is it just nerves and emotions and sleep deprivation that’s got me thinking how weird it is I’m leaving my adopted mom’s home to go sit and watch a woman who used to be my adopted mom die?” She let out another snort. “Did that even make any sense?”

Peggy smiled. “It’s okay, Nev. You’re tired and upset. Don’t worry about the boys. Andrew and I will take care of them.”

“I need to call a cab.”

“Like heck you will. I’ll drive you.”

“But it’s so early.”

“Won’t be the first time I’ve ever gotten up early in the morning to drive somewhere, sugar. I worked morning shifts more years than I care to think about. You finish getting ready. I’ll make you some breakfast to take with you.”

Nevvie choked back her tears. She refused to cry right now. “Thanks, Mom.”

“And for the record, you are my sixth daughter.” She smiled. “And I didn’t even have to suffer stretch marks or change your diapers to get you.” Nevvie laughed as Peggy closed the door behind her.

By the time Nevvie made it out to the kitchen, Peggy had dressed, made Nevvie a breakfast sandwich, and woken up Andrew to let him know what was going on.

“Dad, I’m sorry to just bail like this.”

He smiled. “It’s all right, Nev. Truly.” She didn’t miss the glance he sent Peggy’s way. “I’m sure the two of us will do just fine with the little ones.”

Nevvie also didn’t miss the smile Peggy sent back to Andrew.

Maybe this was a good idea. A
really
good idea.
It might give them the time alone they needed if she wasn’t underfoot.

“Um, okay. Well, I’ll keep you posted during my layovers.”

“Did you get your phone charger?” Peggy asked.

Nevvie winced. “Thanks, Mom!” She raced back to her room to get it. Then she stopped by the boys’ bedroom and kissed both of them. They looked so peaceful, and it struck Nevvie that she didn’t have a single qualm about leaving them with Peggy and Andrew.

With her mom and dad.

She smiled.

On the way to the airport, Nevvie drank coffee from the travel mug Peggy had provided and ate her breakfast sandwich.

“You be safe, sugar,” Peggy admonished. “Don’t take any chances.”

“I’m probably safer out there than I am in Florida right now.”

“And don’t you worry about us here, either. We’ll be okay.”

“Please call Tommy and Ty for me this morning. Tell them I’ll call them as soon as I can.”

“I will. Don’t you worry about it.” She pulled up in front of the departures area and parked. “And don’t be beating yourself up over what you think you should or shouldn’t be feeling while you’re out there, either. You’re human. You need to let out whatever emotions you have and don’t try to analyze them or put them into neat, tidy packages.”

Nevvie leaned over and hugged her. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, sugar.” She opened the trunk for Nevvie so she could get her bags. “Now go get checked in.”

Nevvie made it to her gate with plenty of time to spare and caught her flight. Within hours she was in the air again, this time to Denver to wait for her flight to Sheridan. That was when she was finally able to call Tom.

“We need to put one of those tracking collars on you, baby girl. Like they do the bears in Yellowstone.”

She laughed, relieved. He didn’t sound nearly as upset as she worried he might be. “I know. One of those tags in my ears, too?”