Mercy's Angels Box Set (78 page)

“I don’t know what’s put that smile on your face, but I’d sure as hell like to know what it is so we can keep it there.” My hand flew over my mouth as shock, laughter, and embarrassment threatened to consume me. Dillon stood at my side of the car, peering through the window. When I finally turned my gaze his way, the corner of his mouth kicked up into a small smile, his eyes full of laughter. “Now I am intrigued,” he purred. His scrutiny flittered over my face, lingering on my cheeks, which felt hot with unwarranted embarrassment. It wasn’t like Dillon knew what I was thinking about. Dillon popped my door open and reached his hand towards me. Trying to compose myself, I placed my hand in his and allowed him to pull me from the car. He didn’t step away, though, and I was drawn into his firm chest. “I don’t know what got into you just now,” Dillon murmured. “But I think I’d very much like to see it get into you more often.” The double entendre was not lost on me, and when Dillon stepped away with a mischievous smirk on his face, I clutched the door to keep me from tripping over my stunned limbs. With a wink he moved to the backseat and unbuckled Eli. Seeing my sleeping boy in his arms helped pour cold water over the warm flames that Dillon had begun to fuel. It was a reminder why we were here, a reminder of my life outside of my dreams and fantasies. With Eli’s visit with Phillip now back in my thoughts, I sighed and followed Dillon to our room.

I’m not sure what I expected, but having left an exhausted and frightened Annie in her room a little after nine, I didn’t expect to be confronted with the smiling, confident angel that greeted me this morning. She had looked so fragile and timid when I suggested we get some sleep that I’d almost offered to stay in her room for the night. Only the fact she hadn’t asked me, and my own uncertainty as to whether I could keep my hands to myself, allowed me to walk away. This morning, she fluttered about her hotel room in a bright yellow sundress that seemed to draw out the flecks of gold hidden in the depths of her hazel eyes. Her brown hair was gathered into braids on either side of her head, making her look so young I felt a little guilty for admiring the subtle curves of her body that were hidden under her dress. Eli was bouncing on the bed, a raw energy filled his youthful veins. I wasn’t sure if it was anticipation over seeing his dad, or the simple delight at being away from home on a vacation of sorts. Annie was speaking, but her voice was a distant noise as I admired the way she flittered about the room like a bright winged butterfly. My attention moved with awe from her to her son, and I found the overwhelming need to take her in my arms and kiss her, a force that caused my hands to shake with denying it.

“Did you hear a word I just said?” Suddenly, she was standing still, her hands on her hips, a slight scowl marring those pretty pink lips. I couldn’t help but smile and I certainly didn’t bother holding back the hungry gaze that devoured her from head to toe. When her face morphed from irritation to a delightful blush, my smile widened. “Men,” she admonished with a shake of her head. Mind you, the small smile that she fought proved my attention was not unwelcome.

“I was distracted. What did you say?” I confessed.

“There’s a diner not far from here; we can get some breakfast before we take Eli to see Phillip.”

My stomach grumbled in agreement. I was starving. The gas station snacks we had survived on the previous day did little to appease my hunger. Then Annie’s words sunk in and I realized what she had said.

“Before I take Eli to see his father,” I corrected her.

Annie glanced over her shoulder as she threw a few things into her handbag. “We,” she said.

“Me.” I put a little more force behind the short, simple word.

“Eli, go brush your teeth.” After only a moment’s hesitation, Eli disappeared into the adjoining bathroom. I sat down on the sofa under the window. “If you think I’m going to let him go alone to face his father, you are sorely mistaken, Dillon.”

I stretched my legs out before me and threaded my hands behind my head in an effort to look casual. In actual fact, her words prickled my skin and caused a mixture of anger and disappointment.

“What do you think I am, chopped liver? I’ll be with him.” My voice was calm, and by the blush in Annie’s cheeks, she knew she had offended me. The offense was minor; I knew Annie was just being the protective momma bear she was entitled to be. However, I wanted her trust, and more importantly, I wanted her to admit I could protect Eli just as well as she could.

“I know you’ll be there. I’m not going to be in the actual room; I’ll wait outside. But I’m going, so don’t bother trying to argue.”

“No, you’re not.” I could see the irritation burning in her defiant gaze.

“Dillon!” she snapped with impatience.

“Annie,” was my soft retort. I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees and looked her straight in the eye. “I understand your need to protect him, but I need you to let me do this. Let me take him, and I give you my word I will protect him with my life.” There was more than a little reluctance in her eyes. “And to be honest, I can’t stand the thought of you anywhere near that asshole. I need to know you are safe, not in a room separated by nothing more than a door and wall. I need more than that.” Her expression softened immediately. “We’re not sure how Eli is going to handle the visit, so I thought maybe I could drop you in town and you could buy him something; think of it as a distraction from any confusion he might be feeling after the visit.” Defeat and acceptance bled into her features. “I’ll give you some money. I want you to go shopping. I want you to get yourself something nice to wear, something fancy, and a new dress shirt for me; most of mine have seen better days and where we are going is a little exclusive. I can’t be turning up with buttons missing.” Annie arched a brow, she knew there were no buttons missing from my dress shirts. But it had been a long time since I had indulged in something other than work clothes, and I wanted something new to wear on our first date.

“And where are we going? You haven’t even asked me, you realize?” she murmured as Eli scampered back into the room and right back onto the bed where he resumed his jumping.

“You’re going to be my date to Mercy’s Fundraiser Ball. It’s going to be romantic, it’s going to be impressive, and you are going to swoon, and no, I haven’t asked you because I don’t want to give you the opportunity to say no. You’re going; it’s a done deal.”

Her disappointment and defeat cracked, and a sliver of excitement shone through the mask she wore so well. I was going to rip that damn mask off and replace it with laughter and confidence. Her eyes tried to find purchase on anything but me. Eventually, she sighed. It was a long drawn out breath that spoke volumes.

“Okay,” she whispered. Okay, her acquiescence, her submission. Finally, she was letting go of her wall of independence and allowing me the chance to stand alongside her.

“Okay,” I echoed with a smile. I then stood, unable to maintain the calm façade any longer. “Come on, little man, we growing men need food.”

Eli yelled some unrecognizable war cry before jumping with the agility only a child could manage, landing on the floor beside us. Annie grabbed her bag, and as we reached the door, I held out my hand to her. It was an instinctive action, and when she slipped her small hand into mine and laced our fingers together without hesitation, I wanted to shout my own war cry and fist pump the air. Instead, I kept my cool, calm veneer and led my family from the motel. And they were my family; I wouldn’t let a soul touch them or harm them. I would protect them both with my life, and I had never felt anything more right or reverent.

***

We were meeting at Phillip’s psychiatrist’s office, whom I had no doubt was the instigator in all this. Her concerns for Phillip’s wellbeing were clearly evident in reuniting him with his son; however, I wondered if she had given a moment’s thought for Eli or Annie while she strategically tried to rehabilitate Phillip. Annie’s husband had been out of prison eight months now, and according to my sources, part of his release were weekly visits to his psychiatrist. The room was surprisingly large, more a common area with lounge chairs, a large screen TV, and a few children’s toys. The walls were a soft calming shade of green, and there were large windows that allowed light to filter in, filling the space with a bright and warm feel. Phillip’s psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Powalski, dressed in an immaculate business suit, kept casting inappropriate glances at me as Eli and I sat on the couch waiting for his father to arrive. Eli’s earlier excitement had sunk and had been replaced by a somber mood that didn’t sit well with me. Eli was anything but somber. His hand clutched mine, and the gaming console and TV remained untouched. Usually such a taunting promise of play would not have been neglected by the little boy. What was supposed to be a relatively easy two hour visit had descended into torture. For the first time, I was able to truly appreciate Annie’s pain and need to keep Eli safe and sound. Oh, I had never mistaken my need to protect him, but right now I wanted to pick him up and leave in an attempt to regain his youthful enthusiasm that had slipped under nervous apprehension. It angered me in a way that was slightly frightening. A child should never fear a parent, and I began to worry I might slug Phillip the moment he walked into the room. As if willed by my thoughts alone, the door opened, and there he stood. Tall, a little on the thin side with dark hair now laced with a healthy dose of grey, Phillip was an unassuming, friendly enough looking figure. His eyes darted nervously and too fast around the room, reminding me of his unpredictability. In his hands was a carefully wrapped gift that he fidgeted with. Eli’s grip on my hand tightened, and I rubbed my thumb in a soothing manner on the back of his little one. Phillip seemed to be having trouble meeting his son’s gaze, but he had no trouble casting me a suspicious look or two.

“Phillip, come and have a seat,” Dr. Powalski said with a professional confidence.

Phillip moved forward and sat at a table in the middle of the room. Finally, his eyes danced across Eli before landing heavily on me. From a nervous twitch to the settled gaze of a predator, his eyes bored into mine. A lesser man might have flinched or, at least, submissively found an excuse to look away. His eyes held a darkness that you rarely came across; they were hard, intense, and to be honest, they looked as though they housed the troubled mind of a man who could easily pass for insane. I had never been mistaken for a lesser man, though, and I held that severe gaze, keeping my posture relaxed and my face clear of any emotion. Finally, Phillip’s eyes left mine and settled back on his son. His eyes softened somewhat, and he even managed a smile that seemed awkward and rarely used.

“You grew, Bean,” he murmured.

Eli shifted nervously. He wasn’t fond of being called Bean anymore; he saw it as baby name and was tired of the epithet. He admonished his mother every time she slipped, even though she tried her best to leave the affectionate term for moments when he couldn’t hear it.

“Eli isn’t fond of the nickname Bean. He’s grown up a lot in the last couple of years and prefers everyone to call him just plain ol’ Eli now.” I knew my interference wouldn’t be appreciated, but I’d be damned if I would tolerate Eli being any more uncomfortable than he already was. The ire in Phillip’s gaze confirmed my thoughts.

“I’m sure he won’t mind his dad calling him Bean,” he murmured, putting a little emphasis on the word ‘dad’.

“I’m not a baby anymore,” Eli murmured, his body tucked tightly against mine.

Phillip stilled and watched his son with something almost akin to wary suspicion, and maybe guilt. “I see that. How have you been? Did you have a good birthday?”

Eli simply nodded and mumbled halfheartedly, “Good.”

“I got you something. I was going to send it, but when I knew I’d be seeing you soon, I decided to give it to you myself.” Eli didn’t make an effort to move as Phillip nudged the gift across the table. I gave Eli’s hand a squeeze.

“Why don’t you go sit at the table, Eli. I’ll wait right here while you talk with your dad.” Eli’s gaze was full of terror and pleading. It tore my heart to shreds. His only memory of this man was one of fear and pain. “What if I sit with you? There’s plenty of chairs.”

Eli nodded and kept a tight hold on my hand as we made our way to the table. Phillip ignored my presence as he nudged the gift a little closer. Eli cast me a questioning look and I nodded, encouraging him to open the gift. Finally, he released my hand and began unwrapping the present. Usually, the wrapping was torn and discarded in a frantic bid to get to the goods that lay beneath. This time, Eli carefully tore one corner and began to methodically unwrap the paper. Phillip’s knee bounced with anticipation, his eyes fixed on his son. Finally, the paper was parted to reveal a baseball and two gloves. Phillip smiled and Eli threw him a wary look.

“I already have ball and gloves. Dillon got them for me cause I’m going to start Little League soon.” Phillip’s smile fell, and feeling the need to throw him a bone, I took hold of one of the gloves and carefully inspected it.

“These are way better than the ones I got you, Eli. These are professional gloves; they’ll be much better to practice with.” Phillips brow creased with confusion, but my words seem to do the trick with Eli, who grabbed the other glove and began checking it out for himself.

“Thank you,” Eli whispered to his father. Phillip smiled again and nodded. When his eyes found mine again, they were still heavy with suspicion, but the unwarranted spite had definitely dissipated somewhat.

“How’s school?”

“Pretty good. I like it.”

“Tell me something about yourself. What things do you like?”

Eli shrugged and looked to me for help. I remained neutral, simply smiling and reassuring him that everything was fine.

“I like Marvel Comics, Spiderman and stuff. I’ve got an Xbox.”

“Wow, that’s pretty awesome. What games do you have?”

Again, Eli was slow to answer. “Disney Infinity, Ninja Turtles, Sonic, Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed; there are others, but I can’t remember them.”

Phillip looked impressed. “Wow, those are some pretty cool games.” His eyes darted to me and back to Eli with a frightening intelligence. “Your mom must be working hard to keep you stocked with all those games.”

My back immediately straightened.

“Maybe you and Eli could do some painting?” Dr. Powalski suddenly suggested, carefully trying to redirect the conversation.

“How’s your mom doing?” He was playing with fire now. If he wasn’t careful, I might show him just how badly he could get burned.

“She’s good. She has a coffee shop, and she works lots. Dillon lets me stay at his place when mom’s working. Braiden has an Xbox, too. He’s got more games than me. He’s got like hundreds.” I admired Eli’s innocent ignorance of Phillip’s attempt to get information on Annie.