Motown Showdown (16 page)

They would be wrong.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Leading me up to the door with his hand on the back of my neck, before opening it up he leans down and kisses me. “Never done this before,” he admits.

“Really?”

“Really.” And just like that my nerves vanished.

Walking in, I memorized every detail. Photos, furniture and snazzy rugs. Gage’s dads had taste. Sliding my shoes off, he takes my hand guiding me into the kitchen. Turning the corner I couldn’t stop the smile on my face. Gage’s dads, in aprons, cooking. I was just about to snake my phone out and take a picture when Gage says, “Dads, come and meet my woman.”

Whipping around in perfect synch, I was face to face with the men responsible for the guy holding my hand. His dad Dick was the first to wipe his hands on his apron and break the silence. “There she is!” he says happily. “Come to Big Daddy little one!”

His enthusiasm delighted me, and I took three steps and launched myself at him. “Nice to finally meet you, Big Daddy.”

“All these years,” he says squeezing me and adds, “Thank you.”

“Welcome,” I whisper.

“Quit hogging the action,” Peter says joining us. “Hand her over, Dick.”

Turning to face Peter, I knew my smile was ear to ear. Arms open, I wrap myself around him too. “Big Poppa Peter,” I say squeezing him. “Nice to meet you.”

Gage took that moment to bust out laughing. “What’d I say?” I ask turning to face him.

“Big Poppa?” His smile could not be contained.
Gage’s smile was my world…

“Well, he’s Big Daddy,” I motion to Dick. “And Peter’s no slouch so yeah, Big Poppa.”

“I love it when you call me Big Poppa,” Peter sings out loud.

“Throw your hands in the air, if youse a true player!” Dick finishes raising the roof.

Laughing, I ask Peter, “Do you mind?”

“Are you kidding?” he asks putting me in a chair. “I’ve waited forever for a nickname. A
good
nickname. It’s not as good as Camo but, I’ll take it.”

“You two have questions,” Gage says taking the seat next to me. “Ask now, so we can move on.”

“Is he always so serious?” Dick asks me.

“Sadly,” I fake a sigh. “He is.”

“I don’t know where he gets it,” Peter mumbles bringing the veggie tray over.

“Questions,” he prompts his dads.

“Boy,” Dick says shaking his head. “You have got to learn to relax.”

“So,” Peter cuts in. “Dick and I weren’t shocked by the news, concerned yes. Shocked no. However, our son was very tight-lipped about what exactly you two do. He made it very clear he wanted you to be here when he did. That being said, ladies first.”

“Okay,” I say clearing my throat. Going with the first thing that came to mind, I went with what they knew. “You both defend the innocent? Fight injustice?”

“We do,” and they both nod.

“After building your case and presenting it, you leave it to the jury to decide punishment?”

“If it gets to a jury, yes,” says Dick.

“We’re the jury.” I shrug.

“What if the person of interest is innocent?” Peter asks.

“They’re not, trust me. Weeks, sometimes months are spent on research
before
we even consider acting. Our targets deserve elimination.
Every last one
.” This declaration was met with blinks.

It was Peter who spoke first. “Judge, jury,
and
executioner. Interesting…”

“Quicker than the courts,” Dick shrugs. “Probably pays better too.”

Gage through all of this said nothing. He just watched me, I mean he really watched me. “Let me ask you something,” Peter says leaning in. “Do you ever lose sleep at night?”

“Okay, let me ask you something. When your actions are responsible for putting evil behind bars where it belongs, do you lose sleep?”

“No,” Peter says.

“Nope,” Dick says.

“Me either.”

“Well, that’s done,” Peter announces. “Who wants cake?”

And seriously, Peter made a mean German chocolate. Stuffing my face, I knew my parents would love Gage’s dads as much as I did. Watching Gage though, he had a storm brewing in his eyes and deep down I knew that storm was why he brought me sooner than later. Deep down I feared it was because there wouldn’t be a later. This was the start of him holding back.

She was out scouting the most viable space to set up for her next job. I was just returning from a job in Akron, which was quick and profitable. While I drove, and she scouted, we kept each other company. We did this a lot. If we weren’t speaking on the phone, we were texting. If we weren’t doing either of those, I was counting the minutes until we did.

“I love the sound of your voice,” she needed to know this. She needed to grasp that for me this was more than friends giving each other shit. The woman meant something to me, so I said it and held my breath.

“Yeah?” she asks sweetly.

“Yeah.”

“I love the sound of yours too.”

“You also have the advantage of knowing what I look like,” it wasn’t fair, but life seldom was. Although, I knew she was attracted to me, and I used that every chance I got.

“True,” she says then pauses. “I wonder when we do the real meet and greet if you’ll like me.” She put emphasis on the ‘me’ which I would think on later. And then before I could cut her off she spoke again. “Do you like water, Gadget?”

“Yeah,” I tell her not getting where she was going.

“Then you already like 72% of me,” she says in the most adorable way. She made it a statement but I caught the thread of uncertainty in her voice. Nothing and I mean nothing shook her, except me.

“Camo,” I say lowering my voice, so she gets where I’m at. “I don’t need to meet you to know that I already like 100% of you.”

“I like 100% of you too,” she says in a breathy voice. Christ, she had me by the balls, and I loved every minute of it.

Watching her with my dads, it was clear, like my sister, Camo had them wrapped around her finger. Christ, from day one she had me in the palm of her little hand. In the beginning it used to bother me, now I can’t remember a time without her and it felt like we’d been doing this forever. The guardian angel detail still fucks with me, but I tolerate it because it means she’s close. It’s her way of showing me she cares about me. Anyone who takes the time to look at my parents would see what true love looks like. If they looked beyond their sex, they’d see love in its purest form. Growing up, Kandace and I both caught shit for having two fathers, being mixed siblings but it didn’t take long before that stopped.

Kandace and I made it clear that we defended our parents by word
and
fist.

With my dad, Dick leading her out the back door, my dad Peter moved into my line of sight. “Seventeen,” he says shaking his head. “That’s what she says,” I confirm. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more.”

“You know, when I met your dad I knew it wouldn’t be easy. People forget to mention that part,” he says quietly. “That love’s not easy. Shit son, falling in love doesn’t take much. Defending it, nourishing it and living with your heart beating in someone else’s chest, taking that risk. Hoping it doesn’t get broken, stolen or forgotten that’s the hard part. Love is about trust. You know what people that have loved hard
will
tell you?”

“What?”

“That it’s worth the risk.”

“I know, dad,” I mumble.

“Do you?” he asks. “Make sure, Gage. Because one look at
her
and
I
could see her heart beating inside of
your
chest. She gave it to you to protect, which means she trusts you.” Leaning in, he puts his hand on my knee and asks, “When are you going to trust her with yours?”

Camo’s laugh and Dick’s snort, cut us short. Thank fuck too because I was not feeling this chat. For my dads it was love at first sight. Yes, they faced obstacles as two men in love but it wasn’t the same I faced. She’s the only woman I’d ever tell that I loved her; I knew this, but I also did not plan on saying it.

Her life depended on me
not
saying it. Staring at my hands and avoiding his stare, I knew this was a dick move. I
felt
that it was. Bringing her here to meet them was a shit thing to do. She already loved them and they her. I did all this to only take it away from her. When it came to her, I did a lot of taking and I wasn’t even done.

Dammit, I just wanted my parents to know, to see, I had found
the one
. And when shit blew up, and I let her go, I wanted them to know that I released her so she could have a life.

You’re a liar and a fool
… I knew this too.

“Big Daddy Kane gave me a life talk,” she whispers in my ear.

“He’s into that shit,” I tell her.

“No wonder you and Kandace have it all figured out,” she says wrapping her arm around me. “He’s better than my grandpa and I didn’t think that was possible. Your dad, he
knows
things.”

“He does,” I agree.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I lie.

“You’re going to sit there and lie to me?”

“I’m just sitting,” I lie again. “You ready to go?”

“No,” she pouts. “I’m having fun.”

“We’re going out tonight,” I remind her. Standing up, I extend my hand and she takes it. “You’ll see them again.”

“Will I?” she asks skeptically.

“Yeah,” I lied again.

Watching her say goodbye to my parents was
not
pleasant. Deep down she knew this was a
one time thing, and they did too. It was obvious in the way they hugged. In her reluctance to let them go. Maybe she would see them again one day. Knowing her, even after this shit was done and I was in the wind, she’d probably check in on them. From a distance where no one could see her.

Sitting on the deck with Big Daddy, I knew he was waiting for the opportunity to speak with me alone. I sensed this was the same with Big Poppa and Gage. He spent a few minutes asking about my parents, my grandpa and why I went into this business. The second his son came up, his face softened and he looked sorry for me.

I knew this look well. It was the same Bobo gave me when I brought Gage up.

Hugging me close he says, “He will find a reason to run. You’ve got to let him and trust that when he realizes what he’s done that he’ll come back. He will come back,” he promises. “And when he does you let him fix what he’s broken.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t think you understand,” he whispers. “Do you know what the definition of love is?”

“No,” I say leaning into him. “I do understand. I’ve always loved him like I was going to lose him. I would do this all again to be sitting here now. It’s worth it to me because he’s the definition of love to me. Even if he’s never mine.”

“You love my boy,” he says wiping his eyes. “Even knowing he’ll let you go thinking he’s protecting you. You love my boy.”

“Even then,” I agree. “But I’m hoping to change his mind on the letting me go part.” If it fucking killed me.

I knew we weren’t getting out of here easily. When Camo took a call, she went out front to talk leaving my dads wide open to corner me. I was a man, an adult man yet I could feel a warning coming on. Fuck, here we go…