Lucky 13 (Deadlines & Diamonds) (8 page)

X flinched.

She shook her head, pigtails swinging. “He isn’t
so
bad. He’s
really kind of
cute. I
really
don’t think you should hate him anymore.”

If he’d had a shovel, X probably would have dug himself a hole to hide from the mortification staining his face. Ricky fought a smile. Frankie didn’t even try
. “Hey, Emma, did you hear I’
m gonna have a baby?
”

Emma slid down Xavier’s leg. Her eyebrows furrowed. She stood in front of Frankie,
hands on hips and
stared at her stomach. “You’re not fat enough.”

As Emma went on about the reasons why Frankie couldn’t possibly be pregnant, two more cars pulled into the driveway.
Kane got out of his sports car, glowered at the other vehicle
before heading for the front porch
.

“Hey, man.” Dominic Kane smiled big. “Where’s your girl?”

Ricky greeted his friend with a handshake. “She’s in the house, in the kitchen.”

“Nice. Right where a good woman should be.”

Emma snorted. “If my daddy says things like that
,
he has to do the dishes for a week. And we don’t have to help him.”

Kane got down on her level
. “And who’s your daddy, sweetheart?”

“Grayson Pierce.” She beamed. “Who are you?”

“Dominic Kane.”

Her scowl screamed disapproval. “
I’ve heard of you.”

“You have?
”

“Yeah,
Cain killed Abel.”

Kane grimaced. “
That’s not me.
I don’t kill people.”

“That’s good.” She pointed to the ground. “‘Cause you go to hell if you kill people. Why is your name Kane?”

“Why is your name Pierce?”

“It’s not. It’s Emma.”

Dominic glanced up at the girl’s parents. Pierce tossed the life preserver. “Emma,
what is your whole name?”

“Emma Maddie Pierce.” She grinned at X. “Maddie after Uncle Xavier.”

“Yes, princess, after me.” X winked. “What’s your
last
name?”

Her lips pouted out. “Pierce.”

“My last name is Kane. My first name is Dominic. That’s what you can call me.”

Her pigtails went
swinging again. “No. I like Kane. I’ll never forget your name
now
. You’re the guy who’s named after the guy who killed Abel.”
 

A
car door slammed
, announcing the arrival of the James’.

Frankie put her hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Come on girls, why don’t we go inside and see if we can help Shayne.”

Jane rounded up the other two girls and they all wen
t inside.

Kane stood, muttered,
“I think I’
ll take my chances with Emma,
”
and followed the women into the house.

Ricky knew how the guy felt. They all loved their buddy, but his wife, not so much. If he thought he could have gotten away with only inviting Mason, he would have.

Chloe got out o
f their SUV. Her displeased voice carried. “…tell me children would be here.” She
stomped toward them. Her smil
e as fake as her hair color. “Hello, everyone
.”

Pierce raised his arm in an obvious half-hearted wave. Xavier grunted and clapped Ricky on the shoulder. He leaned in. “Way to ruin a good party.”

***

One minute Shayne stood all alone in the kitchen, the next it was standing room only.
Frankie strolled in, accompanied by a woman with three girls in tow.
Shayne recognized her as the sportscaster from KKLV.

Jane Pierce knelt down in front of a little girl. “You need to be careful what you say, okay?”

“But she’s not very nice, Mommy.”

“You got that right, Emma.”
A modern day
pirate strolled in
.
His shoulder-length blonde hair
along with
his fierce scowl
made Shayne take a step back. He looked at her.
“Can I help you with anything?”

“Um…
sure.” She handed him a knife and a head of lettuce.

The moment his mammoth hand fisted the blade, she swallowed hard. He flashed a smile. “I’m Dominic Kane.”

“Shayne.”

“Hey,
” Little Emma piped up. “I thought you said being in the kitchen was where women were supposed to be.”

He smiled and his tooth actually flashed like those cheesy toothpaste commercials.
“Ah, but what I didn’t tell you is that men belong there too. Especially really handsome ones.”

Emma cocked her head to one side, her green eyes squinted. “Then what are you doing here?”

Jane whispered an apology as she rushed Emma from the room.

Wounded pride, or maybe honest-to-goodness hurt feelings, flitted across his square jaw. “I’m cutting lettuce, yes?”

“Yeah,” Shayne answered. “And you can put it in this bowl.”

“How can I help?” Frankie rested a hip against a bar stool.

Xavier walked in, looking like somebody had pee’d in his Cheerios. He kissed Frankie on the cheek, muttered something in her ear.

She frowned, shook her head, and whispered, “It’ll be okay.”

“Don’t ask.” Dominic slammed the knife through the middle of the head of lettuce. “Consider yourself lucky to be in the dark.” The blade hit the cutting board again
, damn near slicing it in two
. “Brace yourself. You’re about to be enlightened.”

Just then a woman with long blond hair, tanned skin,
and a fake smile breezed into the room. Her capris were khaki, her blouse navy. She walked right up to Shayne, extended a hand that looked more like a dead fish. “It’s so very nice to meet you. It’s about time Santiago introduce
d
the woman in his life.
I’m Chloe James.
”
She turned and pointed to the man with
short
dark hair, blue eyes and an exhausted expression. “He belongs to me.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” After meeting Chloe James, Shayne didn’t have a doubt the afternoon would be an exciting one.

***

Given the combination for an explosion, Ricky considered himself lucky nobody spontaneously combusted. The women sat on the grass in lawn chairs, visiting. Matt and Kamryn were in the batting cage, knocking the crap out of balls. Grayson and X played tag with Emma and Sami.

Ricky smiled and stretched forward to grab another bottle of beer from the cooler. He cracked the seal.

Kane
took a swig from his bottle. “She’
s a keeper
.”

“Yeah.” Mason scratched his jaw. “She’s nothing like her brother.”

The three of them
bust
ed
up
.

X had kept his distance all day,
and
he’d also held his tongue. Ricky didn’t figure he could ask for much more.

“You in love with her yet?” Mason drank deep.

“Maybe.”

“I am.” Kane laughed hard.

Ricky slugged him in the arm and nearly knocked the guy off his chair.

“Don’t worry, man.
I won’t make a move.” Kane flinched away from another punch. “’Cause you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Thanks, man.”

Emma let out a squeal that demanded everyone’s attention. She slapped X on the butt and raced toward where the women sat huddled in their lawn chairs. She giggled as she dropped down onto her hands and knees and crawled under Jane.

Xavier reached down, narrowly missing her ankle.

“You missed me,” she laughed. “Nanny, nanny, boo-boo.”

Chloe frowned so hard even the botox couldn’t fight the wrinkles around her mouth. She rolled her eyes and rolled her thumb over the screen of her phone.

The other ladies chuckled while Emma
continued to move around the circle, protected by
the plastic chairs. X grabbed for her, purposely not making contact. Emma let out a high-pitched giggle
and
raced for Chloe’s chair.

Emma’s little shoulde
r hit into the plastic leg
. The motion shouldn’t have caused any waves. Shouldn’t have. But Princess Chloe’s throne teetered. Her arms pinwheeled. Her legs shot out. Her phone went airborne. She screamed. And went down hard on the grass.

Ricky, along with Kane, looked at Mason. He only shook his head and took another draw on his beer. Ricky had never been more proud.

Emma jumped to her feet, put her hands on her tiny hips. “Wow. That wasn’t very lady-like.”

Chloe’s shriek had Ricky looking over his shoulder for a banshee. She pushed up off the ground and brushed grass from her butt. She glared down at Emma, who grinned and handed her back her phone.

In an absolute huff,
Chloe
snatched the phone away
.
Her stride bellowed pissed off.
“I’m ready to go home.”

Mason
took
another sip. “Why, s
omething happen?
”

She glared at
him, then jabbed a manicured finger in Emma’s direction
. “That
child
—” She bristled. “Take me home.”

He finished off his beer. “Okay, but you’re going to have to drive.”

“I don’t want to drive,” s
he pouted.

“Well, I can’t. So unless you want to call a cab, you’re gonna have to drive.”

Her gaze darted from Kane to Ricky before finally settling on Mason. “Fine. Let’s go.
Now.
” She didn’t say anything else, just walked up the stairs and into the house.

“Well, I guess we’re leaving.”
Mason stood. “Thanks for having us.”

They shook hands, hugged
,
and
,
Praise the Lord!
,
the James’ were gone.

That began the exodus. Jane called Grayson to round up the girls. A shrill whistle sounded. Three little girls looked over. He waved an arm and they began their goodbyes.

Emma raced across the grass. “Your yard is perfect for a dog.”

He patted her back. “If I get one, I’ll make sure you come over to play with it, okay?”

She squealed and threw her arms around his knees. “Okay!”

Gra
yson scooped her up. She yawned and laid her head on his shoulder. Grayson extended a hand. “
Sorry about the—”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s about time somebody knocked Chloe off her throne. I’m glad you guys came.
I don’t
know that I’d
ever met your girls. They’re beautiful
…and seriously precocious
.”

“Thanks.”

Jane came forward, Shayne and Frankie following her. The three women exchanged hugs.

A few minutes later, Ricky was alone with Shayne and Matt. The kid put forward a fist to which Ricky met with his own. “How’d you do in the cage?”

“Not bad.”

“How’d you do with the girl?”

“Not bad.” Matt blushed. “I’ll be in the car.”

Ricky took Shayne’s hand and wal
ked with her to the front door. He tugged her into his arms. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah.” She rubbed his biceps. “I loved meeting your friends.”

“They liked you.” He kissed her.

“That’s good. I’d hate to think of them screwing themselves.”

His
chuckle
bubbled up from his toes. She put her hands on his cheeks and took his lips. “I’d better get home.”

“Call me when you get there.”

He kissed her again, but let her go before he wasn’t able to let her leave. She waved before getting into the driver’s seat of her car. He watched them back out and drive away and realized a piece of his heart went with them.

8

“Where we goin’ today?”

Ricky
glanced up into the rearview mirror and smile
d
at Matt. The kid had asked that same question at least a dozen times since they’d pulled out of the parking garage
two blocks ago
.

“I told you you’re gonna have to wait and see.” Because Ricky wasn’t one-hundred percent sure they would end up where he’d planned.

It’d been a long time since he’d brought a girl home. Truth was Teresa had been the last one. She’d stuck around even when
he
hadn’t.

Shayne’s hand tightened on his. He
grabbed hold as if she were his lifeline in a torrent sea. She
offered another squeeze, lifting their clutched
fingers to her lips.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to go.”

He chuckled softly. “You don’t even know where we’re goin’.”

“I don’t have to. Something’s got you all tied in knots and I don’t need psychic ability to figure out it’s got everything to do with the direction this car is heading.” Deep sigh
followed by a shrug
. “Make a U-turn. We’ll hit the Redbox and hang out in front of the TV.
Our place or yours. Doesn’t matter.
”

And that’s when Ricky knew he loved her. Stick a fork in him, he was done. Gone. He’d fallen. In. Love.
With. Shayne Xavier.

He also knew there was no way he could turn around now. He had to finish the drive and the introductions.

Shayne didn’t release her hold on his hand during the duration of the drive. She ran her thumb over his skin,
offering
the only peace she could offer with Matt listening to every word from the backseat.

They pulled up in front of
Mama’s
,
and Ricky turned off the car. Shayne’s wide eyes met his. She
yanked her hand away,
sat
back in the seat, her body pulling a two-by-four
.

“Is this some kind of joke?” She snorted
through a frown
. “’Cause it’s really not funny.”

“No joke.” At least not yet. Sure as he sat here now, he’d become the butt before they were able to escape.

Then, as he took in the hurt on her fa
ce, it
dawned on him.
He hadn’t ever noticed how quaint his mom’s diner was, nor had he caught how much it looked like Shayne’s.

“
No,
Mama is my
mamacita
.” He pounded his fist against his chest. “My
madre
.
” He took her hand in his. “
I want her to meet you.”

Silence stretched on for a lifetime a
nd when his vision began to fuzz
,
he
gulp
ed in a breath. Shayne o
nly stared through the window in the direction of
the diner, not even blinking. Ricky reached for the keys to start the car again, but Matt had a different idea. He slapped the back of her seat twice and opened his door.

“Come on, Mom. I’m starving.”
He looked at Ricky. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Inside and down the hallway to your left. You know which way is left
, right
?”

Matt rolled his eyes, held up both hands, extending the index fingers and thumbs. Using his right finger he traced the L his left hand formed and grinned. “Yep. I’m good.”
And with that, he hopped out, closing the door with a slam.

As if she hadn’t heard or witnessed any of the exchange
or the crack of the door, she shifted in her seat
to look at him
.
“You
want me to meet…
your mom?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I, um…
”

“Listen, it’s n
o big deal.” He reached for the door handle. “I’ll just run in and grab Matt and—”

“Meeting
your friends is one
thing, but meeting your mother…
that’s
a very big deal.” She relaxed a bit, seeking his hand with her long slender fingers. “I guess I just didn’t think we were
there
yet.”

T
hey were definitely
there
al
l
right. At least
he
was.
It’d only been a couple of months, but he’d marry her tomorrow.
He hadn’t considered Shayne wasn’t ready for the next step in their relationship.

He forced a smile to his lips, wondering if he looked more like a pissed off sock monkey. “The way I see it, I’ve met you
r
family. All of them.” He frowned. “Or have I?”

“No. You have.”

He nodded. “So, there you go. X may or may not approve of us seeing each other, but Frankie likes me okay. I know Matt thinks I’m an okay guy.”

Her amused snort surprised him. “He adores you.”

Ricky couldn’t fight his grin, not that he tried. “I adore him, too. He’s an awesome kid, Shayne. You should be really proud.”

Her genuine smile warmed him from the inside out. “I am.”

“Of you.
You should be very proud of yourself. You have an awesome, well-rounded, respectful kid. That’s not an easy task for a single mom.” As tears shimmered in the depths of her chocolate eyes, his heart twisted in a knot. “Ah,
amor
, I’m sorry.”

She smiled
again
, watery yet sincere. “Thank you.
It wasn’t always easy and now that he’s getting old
er, it’s even more difficult.
So, thanks.”

He leaned across the seat, put his fist under her chin and tipped it up. A sweet and gentle brush of lips. She leaned into him, her low moan and sensual sweep of tongue sent his libido into outer space.

It took more self-control than he knew he possessed to ease away from her. He rested his forehead against hers.
“Shayne, I’m crazy about you.
I want to take you inside, get a little something to eat and
I’d
really
love for you to meet my mom. The rest o
f my insane family, not so much, but I guess they’re part of the package, too.”

“I met
Eddie
. He seemed really nice.”

“You caught him on a good day.” He feathered his lips across the tip of her nose. “Will you go inside with me?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. “
If
—”

He swallowed his heart back into his chest.

“—you’ll answer one question.”

He somehow managed an up and down of his chin.

“Was this little family get-together what had you freakin’ out all the way here?”

Another nod.

“Why?”

“That definition could rival
War and Peace
. How a
bout we go inside, endure whatever explosion might come of it, and we can assess my
screw
ed up family
after
you’ve witnessed it firsthand.”

Her laugher rumbled deep from her belly.
He didn’t bother to tell her he wasn’t kidding. 

***

Shayne fidgeted in the passenger seat, waiting while Ricky hurried around the front of the car to open her door. He nearly vibrated with nervous energy. She kept telling herself it had nothing to do with her, that his family had him pulling the
cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof routine.
Apprehension snuck into her subconscious, sweat soaking her palms. She rubbed her hands over her thighs, the rough, faded blue denim worked great as a paper towel.

The door opened and she flashed Ricky a smile. Her cheeks shook and she hoped he missed the evidence of her insecurity. Whether he did or not, he didn’t react one way or the other, simply held out a hand.

“Come on,
mujer bonita
.” He
tugged her
arm gently and she got
out of the car. “Y
ou wore your chainmail under those clothes, didn’t you?”

“Uh-huh.” She slipped a finger down the deep V of her blouse and scratched her cleavage. “Let’s hurry this up, it’s starting to chafe.”

He threw his head back and barked out his
amusement
. “Well, that’s a damn shame. I’d be happy to lotion your sore spots later.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Casanova, we keep talkin’ like this and we’ll get ourselves in trouble.”

Shayne feared she might already be in serious trouble. Ricky’s sweet adoration, his subtle strength, his laugh, his kisses,
his sexy smiles, his…
Everything about
him, the entire package. S
he was falling for him.

Her heart hammered in her chest, but not from the excitement of perhaps feeling the L-word. She shivered.

“You cold?”

“No.”

His warm hand stroked over her forearm. “You have goosebumps.”

“I’m just excited to meet your mom.”

He shook his head. “You’re not a very good liar, ya know.”

Yeah, she did know that about herself. She also knew she just happened to be scared shitless. Her adrenaline spiked as he stopped within a foot of the front door and traced a finger down her cheek, pushing her another inch closer to the precipice.

“We don’t have to do this.”

She put her arms around his neck and stretched up on her tiptoes to get as close to him as she could. She might be freaking out, but there was no need to drag him through the fire with her. She kissed his cheek, then whispered, “Yes, we do. I’m fine. We’re fine. Let’s do it.”

She felt his breath race past
her ear to rush in and fill his lungs. His exhale accompanied hers as he squeezed her tight.

With his hand gripping hers, he whipped the door open. A tiny bell above the door chimed and her name sounded from the corner. She glanced over to see Matt talking to a woman, a waitress going by the white apron around her waist. Her smile faded, her shrewd eyes purposely moving to where Ricky held onto Shayne’
s hand. His fingers tensed around hers.

“Hey, Teresa.
I thought you were off on Saturdays.” Ricky let go of her hand and motioned for her to slide into the circular booth, putting her between the two men in her life.

Shayne settled herself and looked up to see Teresa throw her entire body at Ricky. He put one arm around her waist to steady her. She planted a kiss right on his lips. Shayne managed to smother her gasp. Matt wasn’t
as good at hiding his surprise;
his jaw dropped, his eyes bugged wide. He coughed a snort that quickly turned into a full-fledged
guffaw
.

Teresa ignored everyone but Ricky. She licked her lips and ran a hand over his chest as she stepped away. “It’s been too long.”

He pushed the back of his hand over his grimace, his brows forming a frown. Ice chips coated his dark stare. “Not cool, Teresa.”

She cocked a hip. “I didn’t realize things changed between us.”

“Bullshit.”

Matt frowned. “I thought you said your
ningún buen hijo de
tu
puta
madre
husband just left you for some
puta
.”

Disgust crossed Ricky’s face. His d
ark eyes flew open
. He shook his head at Matt then
glared at Teresa. “
You dumpin’ your problems at the doorstep of a kid. You’ve got more class than that. At least you did.” The muscle in his jaw did a backflip. “Sprite and two Diet Cokes—”

“You don’t drink—”

“Please,” he ground out.

Teresa turned on her heel, but still managed a sexy sashay into the kitchen. The door
flip-flipped
once before Ricky turned on Matt. His eyes narrowed, his expression strained, he pointed his finger at
her son. “If I
ever
hear that kind of language come out of your mouth again, I’m going to have to kick your butt.” His voice rumbled with the menace of his stare. “Do you hear me, young man?”

Matt nodded. “I didn’t know—”

“Huh-uh.” Ricky shook his head. “You really gonna add lyin’ to talkin’ like a trucker?”

It was Matt’s turn to shake his head.

Ricky’s expression softened slightly. “You may not have known exactly what the words meant, but you damn sure knew they weren’t kid appropriate. Am I right?”

“Yeah.” Matt pursed his lips and concentrated on the Formica table top. “Sorry.”

“Hey!” Ricky rapped his knuckles on the table. Matt jerked and looked up. “It’s good. We’re good.” Ricky held those same knuckles out and, with a smile in place, Matt raised his.