Meant To Be (Heaven Hill Series) (13 page)

“So what you’re saying is he’s in trouble for stickin’ up for his sister?”

Liam was getting more pissed by the minute, but he was trying hard not to show it. He’d even left his cut in Tyler’s truck, which he’d had to borrow when he realized he’d let Denise take his.

“What I’m saying, Mr. Walker, is that we can’t stand for fighting of any kind within the school, and, regardless of how well meaning it was, he will need to be punished. He’s being suspended for three days.”

Glancing over at Drew, Liam took in the dried blood on his mouth and nose, the torn shirt and the torn jeans. He’d seen the other boy as he had walked in and Drew had definitely given as good as he had gotten.

“Mr. Tucker, I’ll sign off on it as long as you assure me that the other boy is punished not only for the fighting but also for the lewd comment he made to Mandy.”

“Now, we all know that boys will be boys,” Mr. Tucker stuttered.

“Boys do not tell young girls that their ‘tits are hot’ and then ask young girls if they ‘give head’. I think we can all agree on that.” Liam fought to keep his voice even and calm when he wanted to rip the kid from limb to limb. “The fact of the matter is, that should be reported, and I’m assuming you aren’t going to do that because this other child’s father is on the school board. So let’s just make a gentlemen’s agreement that you will suspend that little shit for six days, and if he ever comes near her again
I’ll
take care of it. Forget letting
her brother
beat his ass.”

Mr. Tucker had the presence of mind to realize that Liam wasn’t kidding. “I think we can agree on that.”

“Fine, let me sign his paperwork and get Mandy, and we’ll be out of here.”

“She doesn’t have to go home,” Mr. Tucker argued.

“I’m not making her sit here today after what she’s been through. She’s a sensitive kid.”

Within minutes Liam had signed all the paperwork and signed the kids out, and they were headed down Louisville Road. Both of them were quiet as they sat next to him.

“I’m not mad at you two.”

“Mom’s gonna be,” Mandy whispered, tears already in her eyes.

“For what?” Liam asked, not understanding.

“She always tells us to walk away,” Drew answered. “To not rise to anyone’s teasing.”

Liam could see where she was coming from, but he happened to agree with Drew on this. He wouldn’t let anyone talk about Roni like they had talked about Mandy.

“For what it’s worth, dude, I would have done the same thing had some fuckwad messed with Roni like that. Shit, sorry. I shouldn’t cuss.”

Mandy giggled, covering her mouth. She was an innocence that he hadn’t had in his life – ever. So untainted by the outside world.

Drew was the complete opposite. He
knew
reality and just accepted it – probably to shield Mandy from it.

“We won’t tell,” she assured him.

“Are you alright?” he turned his attention to her brother.

“My nose and mouth hurt, but I’m okay,” he shrugged. “My hand actually hurts worse than anything.”

Liam glanced down at the boys hand and winced. “You got him good, didn’t ya?”

Mandy giggled from her spot next to her brother. “He hit the floor and wiggled around for a minute before getting back up.”

Liam couldn’t help it, the giggle was contagious. He laughed with the two of them.

“Did you two even eat yet?” he asked, glancing at the dashboard clock.

They both shook their heads no. “Well c’mon then. Let’s get y’all some lunch.”

Slowing down against traffic, he signaled and pulled into Donna’s Country Store. The three of them walked into the building together and went up to the counter, checking out what was in the hot case. “Looks like we got pizza rolls, slices, and maybe some chicken wings,” Liam mumbled. “What do you want?” he asked, looking at Drew.

“A couple pizza rolls.”

He motioned to the cashier behind the counter to grab those for Drew. “And what do you want, darlin’?”

She wrinkled her nose at the pizza. “Can I get a sub?” she asked, eyeing the menu board of sub sandwiches.

“Yeah, whatever you want.”

The kids’ eyes widened. Those words hadn’t been spoken to them in a very long time. It dawned on Liam that Denise probably hadn’t been able to do this for them, and they were unsure what they were allowed to get. Perhaps they didn’t feel comfortable asking him for something. Tapping the counter, he went down the aisle and grabbed two bottles of soft drinks and a large bag of chips. He added onto that a couple of chocolate bars, because he figured everyone liked chocolate bars. Once back to the counter, he ordered a sub for himself for good measure. When the total came to over $20 he saw their mouths drop open.

“It’s okay,” he assured them, pulling his wallet out of his pants. He laid a couple of bills on the counter and waited for his change. “Drew, why don’t you go clean up a little bit in the bathroom,” he motioned to the men’s restroom.

With Drew gone, he and Mandy stood holding their purchases in silence. He had absolutely no idea what to do with a girl, and the silence was awkward.

“Can you make sure Drew doesn’t get in trouble?” she asked him out of the blue.

“What do you mean? He’s already in trouble at school.”

“With Momma. She’s gonna beat his butt. I just don’t think it’s fair. He was protecting me, and if he gets in trouble, then I should too.”

They reminded him so much of him and Roni that he had to smile. “I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

“You keep your promises don’t you?”

She looked at him so shrewdly, he blushed. He didn’t want to lie to her, ever. “I try to,” he answered honestly.

Reaching over, she hugged him around the waist. It took him by surprise, but he hugged her back the best he could with the bags in his hands.

Drew came out of the bathroom looking much better, and they all went and got in the truck. As they drove back to the shop a song came on the radio, and Drew turned it up, he and Mandy singing along. Unable to help himself, Liam sang along too. Never before had he wanted to accept someone else’s kids as his own. But these two were special, and he would never forget this being the first day he’d ever thought of himself as a father.

Chapter Fourteen

“D
enise is back.”

Liam didn’t want to admit that those words made him happy. He’d been worried about her. It wasn’t a dangerous mission they’d sent her on. It should have been an easy in and out, but that didn’t change his feelings where she was concerned. He didn’t like using outsiders to do jobs that members of the club should do. Though he knew that since he’d claimed her in front of the club they would expect her to work for them – it still didn’t sit well with him.

On top of all of that, he now had to explain that her son was suspended from school. A doctor that did favors for the club examined Drew once they got back to the clubhouse, and now the twins were playing out back with the other kids. The boy had been quiet for the most part since they left the school, and it had worried Liam. The doctor assured him that everything was fine.

All talk stopped as Denise strutted through the front door of the clubhouse. The only time any of them had ever really seen her was when she was dressed as a frumpy mom of two teenagers. This woman that walked through the door was a damn siren.

“I see that,” he mumbled as he gave her a slow, leisurely once over.

Her hair had been cut and it looked highlighted. The clothes she had on hugged her body. Who knew she had curves and legs that went on for days? The skirt she wore showed those legs and hugged her ass in the most amazing way. Makeup made her eyes look huge. This woman was living in his home?

“Hey,” she greeted him softly, looking uncomfortable as she noticed all eyes on her. Her voice was a little deeper than normal, her accent just a little thicker. She sounded like a porn star talking to him about everyday life. “I got what you need.”

He cleared his throat. He was sure what she said and what he heard had two totally different meanings. “I’m sure you do.”

Brows furrowed, she gave him a look that said blatantly she hadn’t meant what he had heard. “What? I got the property records.”

Pissed at all the attention she was getting and the feelings he was having, he stood up and put his arm around her waist. “Why don’t we go talk about this in the office?”

“I’m fine out here,” she argued.

“No, trust me, we need to go to the office,” he instructed. As they walked away, he threw a glare at all the brothers still watching the two of them.

When he finally steered her in the right direction, he shoved her into the office and slammed the door on the laughs that followed them.

“What was that all about?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

The motion caused the shirt she wore to tighten and showed the cups of her bra through the thin material. He had to shake his head when he realized that piece of fabric was the only thing between his eyes and her naked body. “You have no idea do you?”

“I’m so lost, Liam.” The tone of her voice told him just how much. “Didn’t I do what you wanted me to?”

“You look hot!” he blurted out, causing heat to gather on her cheeks.

“Oh,” she mumbled, pressing her hands against her skirt. Men didn’t say things like that to her, and it immediately gave her sweaty palms. “You can thank Sparkles for that.”

“Shut the fuck up. What were you doin’ with Sparkles?” he asked, laughing loudly.

She bristled. “I couldn’t figure out what to wear. I called your sister, she called Sparkles.”

“Don’t go gettin’ all uptight on me, baby. You look great. I’ll have to let Sparkles know how much I appreciate it.”

“You do that. Do you want to see what I found or not?” she asked as she had a seat and crossed her legs.

He groaned. She wore nude hose with the fuck me heels she also sported. This was a turn of events he had not expected. Not from the person who only acted like a mother. He wondered if she slept in the nude. Shit, he was going to hell – quickly.

“Liam?”

“Yes, what did you find out?” he barked, much harsher than he meant to.

Her eyes were clear as she looked at him. They didn’t show fear, but they did show concern. “Are you in a bad mood?”

“More like hornier than a motherfucker,” he mumbled.

“What did you say?”

He had a seat in the chair behind the desk, spreading his legs to give his ever expanding dick a little bit more breathing room. “Nothing, I’m fine. But before we talk about what you found out, we gotta talk about Drew.”

“What about Drew? I had a message from school earlier, but I didn’t have a chance to call them back.”

“Drew got into a fight today.”

Her face reddened with anger, and her eyes widened. “He did
what
?”

“Now, don’t get mad. Just hear me out.”

“Hear you out? Why did they even call you?” she asked, fuming.

“Because
you
put me down as an emergency contact.”

She realized that he was right. “I’m sorry, I’m not thinking clearly. My son was in a fight? Is he hurt? Was the other boy hurt? What were they fighting over?”

“This is where I need you to hear me out, Denise.”