Relentless (16 page)

She chuckled while pouring two cups of strong black coffee into tall mugs. “You really think she’s gonna want to be anywhere near you tonight?”

“What’re you saying? You think she’s gonna bail on dinner just ‘cause she’s pissed at me?”

His mother pursed her lips at his choice of language before responding. “You saw the way she left here, like the hounds of hell were nippin’ at her heels. I can’t imagine she’s too keen on the idea of breakin’ bread with you tonight, or any other night for that matter.”

J.T. took the mug his mother offered as he tried to formulate a plan if, as his mother suspected, she tried to bail on him tonight. It’s not like he could go banging on her old man’s door. Luc would just tell him to hit the road. If she wouldn’t agree to see him, the odds of her answering his calls were slim, but there was no way he was going to let her get away that easily.

Liz set the pie plate on a cutting board in the middle of the scarred wood table before collecting plates and cutlery. She gestured to the empty chair at the end of the table. “Well, aren’t you gonna have a seat?”

“Yeah, sure.” He was afraid the dessert he often craved would sit like a lead rock in his stomach right about now.

She cut a generous slice of the pie and put it on his plate, setting it down in front of him before cutting a second piece for herself. “Now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you and that young lady?” She pointed a fork at him, scowling. “And I’m giving you fair warning right now. If you do anything to hurt her, you’ll be answerin’ to me.”

He couldn’t believe his own mother was willing to take the side of an outsider over her son.

“Why do you assume I’m gonna hurt her? Could be I’m the one who’s gonna get hurt. Ever think of that?”

She glared at him, setting a fist on her hip. “Don’t you sass me, boy.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, biting back a retort.

He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with his mama if he starting making demands. She was tough; she’d had to be, raising four unruly boys. He knew steamrolling her wasn’t an option, not that he would have tried. He’d always treated her with love and respect, not because she commanded it, which she did, but because she’d earned it by being a better mother than he felt he deserved. He’d caused both of his parents grief over the years. When they teased him about being the sole cause of their gray hair, he knew they weren’t kidding. He’d been wilder than all three of his brothers combined, and now that he was getting older and a little wiser, he was beginning to realize that reputation could only hurt him when it came to earning the love and respect of a woman like Nikki.

She took a small bite of her pie, chewing carefully before she asked, “Now, are you ready to tell me what’s goin’ on?”

He sighed, pushing the untouched plate aside. “Like I said, we met a few years back. Obviously, she was too young for me to be thinkin’ about her that way, but…”

She smirked, forking another bite. “But that didn’t stop you from thinkin’ about her anyway, did it?”

He held his hand up. “Mama, I would never have acted on it, I swear. She was barely legal back then.”

She nodded, wiping at her mouth with a paper napkin. “I’m not judging you, honey. Nikki’s a beautiful woman. I’m sure any single man would’ve felt the same way in your situation.”

He shook his head, wrapping his hands around his coffee mug. “I don’t think so, Mama. What I felt for her went beyond lust…” He grimaced at the term. He’d never talked to his mother about his sex life before, and he sure as hell didn’t intend to start now.

She laughed, patting his forearm. “It’s okay. I know you’re a normal, healthy man, and from the stories I’ve heard…”

He held his hand up, halting her. He didn’t even want to think about the stories she must have heard about his shenanigans with the opposite sex. Ty was right. He was a pig when it came to women, and it was finally coming back to bite him. If it cost him a chance with Nikki, he knew he’d have no one to blame but himself, which made it even harder to take.

“I tried to put her out of my head after that night, but it wasn’t as easy as it shoulda been. I’d think about her from time to time. Then when she finally broke onto the music scene and started working with Ty, I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about her. I downloaded her music, videos…” He shook his head. “I was actin’ like a damn lovesick fool, over a girl who didn’t even know I was alive, so far as I could tell.”

“Did you ever talk to your brother about her?”

He shrugged, recalling some of the brief conversations they’d had about her. “Sure, I’d ask him how it was goin’ with her, but I didn’t want to seem too obvious.”

His mother rolled her eyes. “You McCall men and your pride. I swear you have more pride than sense sometimes.”

He chuckled. “You’re probably right about that.”

“Judgin’ by the fact that she was here with you today, I’m assumin’ you two connected last night?”

He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was taking. His mother didn’t need to know that he and Nikki had been intimate last night. That was their business. But she did need to know that he was serious about wanting to take this further. If she didn’t believe his intentions were honorable, she’d never agree to help him make inroads with Nikki, and with a short timeframe, and the odds stacked against him, he needed all the help he could get.

“Yeah, we connected.” He sighed. “Listen, Mama, I like her, a lot.”

She smiled, patting his hand. “I could see that, and judgin’ by the way she reacted when Lindsay showed up, I’d say the feeling’s mutual.”

He chuckled. “You know there’ll never be anythin’ between me and Lindsay. I just tolerate her to be neighborly.”

“I know that and you know that, but Nikki doesn’t. Why do you think she couldn’t get away from here fast enough? She was hurt and upset. I don’t know what happened between you two last night, and I don’t need to know, but I’m guessing it was enough for her to develop some kind of feelings for you.”

He’d been so busy focusing on the way he felt about her that he hadn’t considered she may be fighting the same feelings, in spite of her insistence that she wanted to keep it casual. “You really think she’s jealous of Lindsay because she cares about me, huh?”

She laughed. “Darlin’, a woman doesn’t react that strongly when she sees another woman moving in on her territory unless she’s all in.”

He thought about her reaction to the kiss he shared with the bartender. No question, she was jealous. Hell, she was acting downright territorial, which was fine by him; he was more than willing to let her stake her claim as long as she understood that it worked both ways. “I need to find a way to convince her to give this thing between us a chance.”

“She’s reluctant?”

He smirked. “Can you blame her, given the stories she’s heard about me from my own family?”

Liz waved her finger in his face. “Don’t expect me to apologize for that, young man. You shouldn’t have been doin’ anything you’d have been ashamed of in the first place. Your daddy and I raised you to respect women, not treat them like a commodity.”

He hung his head. She was right, there were times when his behavior had been deplorable, and he had to answer for his actions if he expected Nikki to trust him now. “I’m not blamin’ you or anyone else, Mama.” He grimaced. “Should I even ask you what you’ve told her about me?”

She pushed her dishes aside and crossed her arms over the table, looking him in the eyes. “I told her the truth, that you were a skirt-chasing fool who drank too much, got off on puttin’ your life at risk on the back of a bull, and gave your poor parents more grief than they deserved.”

He covered his hands with his face. She hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true, and it was times like this when the truth hurt. He wasn’t proud of the man he’d been or the life he’d lived up until now, and he realized that with or without Nikki, it was time to make some changes.

She gripped his wrist, pulling his hand away from his face. “I also told her that you had a good heart, loved your family, were loyal to your friends, and weren’t afraid of hard work.” She smiled. “You may have your faults, honey, but don’t we all? Nobody’s perfect, and I’m pretty sure that’s not what Nikki expects of you. What she does expect—what she deserves—is for you to be honest with her. If you have feelings for her, you need to tell her. Tell her about your past, admit your mistakes, and if she can understand and accept you for the man you are, faults and all, you may have a keeper there.” She reached across the table to kiss his cheek. “And I sure hope that’s the case, ‘cause I love that little lady already.”

Chapter Eleven

Nikki thought about calling Ty to beg off, but she was a professional. She didn’t want to give them the impression that she wasn’t taking her career seriously. So, like it or not, she would have to find a way to get through the evening.

When she pulled up the drive, she saw J.T.’s truck already parked in front. She was hoping to arrive before he did so she could settle in before having to face him. No such luck.

Steeling her courage, she took a deep breath, deciding if she could own a stage in the midst of 17,000 screaming fans, she could face one arrogant cowboy.

Avery met her at the door, a grin on her face. “We’re so glad you could make it, Nikki.”

“Thanks for having me.” She passed her a box of chocolate croissants she’d picked up from the bakery on the way.

“Not you, too.” Avery laughed. “Liz sent one of her cherry pies over with J.T.”

“That’s okay,” Nikki said, smiling. “We’ll have the pie. You can save the croissants for breakfast tomorrow.”

She laughed. “That is if my hubby doesn’t polish them off with a huge glass of milk before bed.”

Ty rounded the corner, pointing at his wife. “I heard that. Don’t be tellin’ her that now. She’ll rat me out to my trainer.”

J.T. came out of the living room, his niece’s little body wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

“There she is,” Nikki said, grinning at the toddler. She carefully avoided J.T.’s gaze as she fixed her attention on the little girl. She pulled a small gift-wrapped box out of her purse. “Your daddy told me that you got your ears pierced. Is that true?”

J.T. set Anna upright on his shoulders, locking his hands around her chubby wrists.

The little girl nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing up and down. “I sure did.”

“Wow, you’re one lucky lady,” Nikki said, winking at Avery. “Do you know my favorite thing about having pierced ears, Anna?”

“Having an excuse for the holes in your head?” J.T. asked, chuckling.

She knew he was just trying to get her attention, so she ignored him. “I love having my choice of pretty earrings.”

Anna bit her bottom lip. “What kind do you have?”

Nikki held her long hair up off her neck so Anna could see the diamond hoops adorning her ears.

“Wow,” she whispered. “Those’re pretty. Where’d ya get ‘em?”

“A very special friend gave them to me,” Nikki said, taking a step closer. She felt J.T.’s eyes boring into her as she held the box out to his niece. “Since you’re so special, I thought you might like these.”

She kicked her little feet against J.T.’s chest, making him wince. “Pume down. I wanna open it.”

“Okay, okay,” he muttered, bending down so her father could scoop her up and set her on her feet.

She jumped up and down. “I love presens.” She looked up at her mommy. “Is not even my birfdey yet.”

Nikki smiled at her pronunciation of the word as she tugged on her ringlets. “This isn’t a birthday present; it’s just a ‘because’ present.”

She grinned, looking up at Nikki. “I like ose. Uncle J.T. got me one of ose, too. ”

“Did he?” J.T. crowded in behind her, close enough that she could feel the brush of his cotton shirt against her bare arm. Stroking her hands up and down her arm to hide the rising bumps, she said, “I hope you like them, hon.”

Avery and Ty watched their daughter open her present, smiling when she gasped at the little red rubies nestled in a bed of velvet.