Road to Redemption (9 page)

The pained squeal of my would-be attacker brought my attention back to the bathroom and I gasped. Alex had the man on the ground, his hand wrapped around the hipster’s neck.

“Alex, stop!” I demanded.

“Payton, get the fuck out of here,” Alex snapped.

Macey grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the door.

“He’s going to kill him,” I said, and tried to pull my hand away.

“He’s not going to kill him, honey,” Macey said. “But you probably don’t want to watch what he’s more than likely going to do to him.”

“I had everything under control,” I argued.

“You can have that discussion later. Right now, Hawk needs to do what he needs to do.”

My face was hurting from moving my mouth so I nodded and walked back to the table with Macey. She grabbed her purse, pulled out the little square icepack and squeezed it to activate the cooling magic, then placed it over my cheek.

Dani, Kim, and Bailey were laughing as they walked back to the table, but their expressions grew serious when they saw me.

“What happened?” Bailey asked as she sat next to me.

I filled them in and Dani shook her head. “Austin said nothing about staying, but I’m not surprised. I’m going to find him.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Macey countered. “They’re in the middle of dealing with the asshole.”

Dani sighed with a frown, but took her seat next to Kim.

* * *

“You fuckin’ touched my woman,” Hawk snapped as he dragged the asshole from the bathroom floor and slammed him against the wall. “Now you’re gonna deal with me.”

“I didn’t mean to hit her, man, it was an accident.”

Hawk and Booker had stayed out of sight in order to keep an eye on Payton and Dani without them knowing they were there. Hawk had watched the hipster douchebags stop at Payton’s table and almost walked over then, but the men had walked away before he did, so he let things be.

He’d been watching Payton as she walked to the bathroom, thinking nothing of it until one the guys that had been harassing her at the table walked in behind her and closed the door. Hawk made his way to the door, found it locked, and knew something was off.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Hawk turned to the sound of the male voice and recognized the second of the table douchebags. “Your buddy attacked my woman.”

“What the fuck, Noah?”

“I didn’t attack her, Chris,” Noah squealed. “It was an accident.”

By now, the club manager had arrived, along with a couple of bouncers. Booker knew them, considering he ran
Blush
, so he dealt with them and the douchebag’s friend while Hawk took care of Noah.

“You’re fuckin’ hurtin’ me man,” Noah complained.

Hawk shoved him harder against the wall. “And what were you plannin’ on doin’ to my woman, asshole?”

“I just wanted to talk to her.”

“You’re a fuckin’ liar,” Hawk snapped.

Hawk forced himself not to kill the asshole, even though the second he’d seen Payton’s face, he wanted to. It wouldn’t work for him to go to jail.

“Mark’s guys wanna handle him,” Booker said after he’d stepped back into the bathroom.

“
I
wanna fuckin’ handle him,” Hawk snapped.

“Let Mark’s guys handle me,” Noah squeaked.

If Hawk hadn’t been so pissed, he probably would have laughed. After one more shove against the wall because he needed to inflict a little more pain, Hawk let Noah go. “Fuckin’ pussy. I ever see you near my woman again, I’ll fuckin’ kill you. Hear me?”

Noah nodded and Hawk released him. Mark ushered Noah out of the bathroom and Hawk dragged his hands down his face.

Booker frowned. “Let’s go outside, brother.”

Hawk studied him for a minute and then nodded. It wouldn’t be a good idea for Payton to see him like this, and the fresh air might calm him down. Booker led him out the back door and Hawk paced the alley. “Fuckin’ bastard.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and read the screen.

*Headache from hell, would like to go now.*

Hawk frowned, his worry for her concerning. “Payton wants to go home.”

“I can take Macey if you need some time,” Booker offered.

“Payton’s stayin’ with her tonight, so I’ll take ’em.”

Booker nodded and headed toward the door.

Hawk followed. “Thanks for havin’ my back, brother.”

Booker gave him a chin lift and then they headed back to the table.

* * *

The ice was warming and my cheek was throbbing, and a splintering pain was shooting through my head. To say I felt somewhat wrecked and pathetic was an understatement.

“You ready, baby?”

I glanced up to find Hawk holding his hand out to me, his face impassive, but his eyes anxious. I nodded and let him pull me to my feet. He didn’t say anything as we headed to the truck, Macey following, but I could feel his edginess as he helped me into the truck and closed the door.

He drove us back to Macey’s, still saying nothing. Macey was also quiet, but probably because she was texting furiously behind me. I assumed she was filling Dallas in on the evening.

Alex drove into the garage and parked the truck. He glanced at me and then frowned.

“Why don’t you come up, Hawk?” Macey said.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yep. You guys need to talk.”

“Thanks, babe.” Hawk climbed out of the truck, helped Macey out, and then came to my side, pulling open the door.

I smiled, forcing myself not to grimace at the pain in my cheek. “Are you mad, Alex?”

He frowned. “Not at you.”

“I’m okay.”

“He fuckin’ hit you, Payton.”

I wanted to point out again that it had technically been an accident, but the fact he’d been in there for nefarious reasons to begin with, my argument didn’t really make sense. Instead, I stroked Alex’s cheek. “I know, but I’m okay.”

He shook his head and wrapped his arms around me so he could lift me out of the truck. I settled my hands on his shoulders as he lowered me to the ground and he stared at me for a few seconds before scowling and slamming the truck door shut.

We followed Macey upstairs and into the apartment. Macey closed and locked the door behind us and smiled at me. “I’m going to call Dallas. There’s beer in the fridge and you know where the wine is, Pay. Help yourself.”

“Thanks, Mase.”

She left the room and I set my purse on the kitchen island. “Beer?”

“Yeah, babe, thanks.”

I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and Alex took it from me before I could open it. He twisted off the cap and took a swig. I opened the freezer and grabbed an icepack, then found Macey’s stash of ibuprofen and took two.

Before I could lay the icepack against my cheek, Alex hissed, “Fuck me.”

“Is it really that bad?” I asked.

“Yeah, babe, it’s pretty bad.”

I stepped into the foyer and glanced in the mirror hanging on the wall. Yeah, that was gonna leave a mark. I sighed and settled the icepack against my cheek again. Alex was watching me as I walked back to the living room, his body locked, his expression one of concern… no, not concern. Rage.

I gave him a little smile and his expression softened as he held his arm out to me. I slid into his embrace and wrapped the arm I wasn’t using to hold the ice around his waist.

“I wanted to kill him.”

“I’m picking up on that,” I said.

He stroked my healthy cheek and then kissed me gently. I smiled against his lips. “As much as I want to stand here and keep doing this, my feet are killing me. I have to get these shoes off.”

Alex nodded and I flopped onto the sofa. As I leaned down to take care of the shoes, he knelt on the floor and did it for me, guiding my feet to his lap after he’d sat next to me. We sat in silence for several minutes as he massaged my feet. By the time the icepack had warmed, my eyes were drooping and I was biting back several yawns.

“I should probably go,” he said.

I nodded, but had to admit my heart was a little broken. I didn’t want him to leave.

“What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?”

“I don’t have anything planned, but if it’s before ten, you may die.”

He chuckled. “Noted.”

I slid my feet from his lap and stood, dropping the icepack on the coffee table. Alex was quiet as I walked him to the door, but he kissed me so I didn’t much care.

“Club get together tomorrow night. Wanna come?” he asked after breaking the kiss.

I smiled. “With you?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Yeah with me.”

“Possibly. I’d like to see how bad this looks before I venture into a social setting.” Rage crossed his face again and I laid a hand on his chest. “Sorry.”

“I might still kill him.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but what were you doing there to begin with?” I asked. “I thought you were leaving the club?”

“Never said that, babe.”

“You kind of implied it when you dropped us off and said to text you when we were ready and then you drove away,” I countered.

“Yeah. I parked. Then I came in, sat with Booker, and waited.” He slipped his hand to my neck and squeezed. “If I hadn’t been there…”

“I could have handled it.”

“He fuckin’ hit you, Payton!” he snapped.

“That part was an accident, honey. It happened when he was on his way to the ground. My brother and Dallas have taught me and Macey to defend ourselves, and the guy was so drunk, he could barely stand.”

He frowned. “Fucker.”

“Yes. Definitely.” I smiled. “But I really was okay. Not that I totally don’t appreciate you breaking in all bad ass and such.”

“Bad ass and such?” Now he smiled and I melted. A hard-won smile from Alex ‘Hawk’ James was better than anything on the planet… at least what I’d experienced so far.

I giggled. “You’re kind of sexy when you’re defending my honor.”

“There’s a spare bedroom here, right?”

“Yes.” I wanted nothing more, but I bit my lip and shook my head. “But, no.”

He chuckled. “Okay, baby. Reprieve for now. Get some sleep and I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I grinned up at him. “Call me when you get home.”

“Greedy.”

I nodded and his mouth covered mine for the best goodnight kiss I’d ever received. I wished to God Macey wasn’t in the apartment right then, because I would have dragged him back to the spare room and showed him just how greedy I was.

T
HANKSGIVING MORNING I woke up excited. I hadn’t seen Alex since the morning after girls’ night out when he informed me he had “club business,” so we couldn’t hang out, so he dropped me home, kissed me quickly, and was gone. To make matters worse, the week got away with us, and we’d only managed a few stolen moments on the phone. The only bright spot on our drive home was that Lily was with him, so she and I got to talk a little and I convinced Alex to stop at Starbucks for hot chocolates which helped me butter up his daughter.

I showered and did my makeup and hair, but dressed in sweats and a T-shirt first, since I knew we’d be doing last minute cleaning and I didn’t want to sweat through everything. I walked upstairs to find the house in organized chaos, Bailey and my sisters were already in the kitchen, Brock and my brothers-in-law more than likely hiding. Macey and Dallas would be here later¸ which was surprising. It was rare Brock and Dallas had holiday time off at the same time.

“Good morning, sunshine. Nice of you to show,” my oldest sister Kristen droned sarcastically.

I stuck my tongue out at her before I pulled her in for an extra long, annoyingly sappy hug. I was hugger… Kris, not so much.

Bailey giggled. “I just got here five minutes ago, so you’re in good company.”

“Where are Mom and Dad?” I asked and hugged my other older sister, Anna.

“Herding the kids,” Anna said. “Or having sex in a closet.”

“Ew! Anna!” Kristen complained. “Gross.”

“Talk to Dad about it. He over shares.”

“He told you they were going to have sex in a closet?” Bailey asked.

“He calls Mom his GILF. He implies it every time he says it.”

“Okay, enough of that subject,” I said with a giggle. “What can I do to help?”

“Mom bought stuff for the kids and put them on the table. Mugs or something,” Anna said. “Can you grab the candy and fill them, please?”

“No problem.” I grabbed the bags of chocolates from the hiding place in the pantry and headed to the large dining room table.

My mom had purchased Christmas mugs for each of the little kids, including one for Lily, which would also be used to mark their place settings at the kids’ table. Thinking of Lily brought Alex to mind and my stomach fluttered. I couldn’t wait to see him… and kiss him. That made me think again about Lily and now my heart dropped. I wouldn’t be able to kiss him. His daughter would be with him… and his sister.

“Why so glum?”

I raised my head to see my brother walking toward me. “I’m not glum.”

“You’re in your head, sissy, I can tell.” Brock sat in the chair at the head of the table to my left. “Thinking about Hawk?”

I sighed. “Yeah.”

“He’s a pretty good guy, Pay.”

“You think?”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “He’s clean.”

“Ohmigod, Brock. You did a background check on him?”

“Are you surprised?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, I guess not, but it would have been nice to know beforehand.”

“You know me. I want to know what I’m up against.”

“
You
?” I paused in the doling out of candy. “You have nothing to do with this.”

He rose to his feet and gave me a mock clip of the chin. “Oh, Payton, you are so cute.”

“Bite me, Brock.”

“Payton!” my mother snapped. “Language.”

Where the hell she’d come from, I have no idea.

“Yeah, Payton, watch your fuckin’
language
,” Brock whispered, and gave me a smug smile.

“Don’t fall asleep, big brother. Ever,” I threatened.

He laughed and left me to my work as my mother walked into the dining room.

“Morning, honey,” she said, and kissed my cheek.

“Hi, Mom. Kids settled?”

“Yep. Best investment in our whole life is that big screen television. However, it’s
Frozen
again.” She grinned and sat where Brock had been earlier. “I just couldn’t stick around, so Elizabeth is keeping an eye on things.”

I giggled. Elizabeth was the oldest niece, Kristen’s daughter, and she was great with the littler kids.

“So,” my mom said, and laid her hand on my arm.

“So.”

“Tell me about this man.”

I had a feeling this was coming, and my mom and I were super close, but she still managed to relegate me to a teenager on occasion. “Not sure what to say. He’s nice.”

“Single dad.”

I sighed. “Yeah. He’s a single dad.”

“And what’s his ex-wife like?”

“He was never married. She took off when Lily was little, so he hasn’t seen her in years. Doesn’t even know where she is.”

“Wow. So, he’s responsible.”

I smiled. “Yeah, Mom, he’s responsible.”

“Did your brother do his thing?”

“Yes, Mom. Alex is a ‘good guy’ according to Brock.”

Mom chuckled. “Well, your dad got a good vibe off him.”

“Vibe, Mom, really?”

“What? It’s the perfect word in this situation.”

“I like him,” I said, and then gasped.

“What?”

“I forgot to tell him we dress up.”

“Oh, honey, don’t worry about it. We don’t care what he’s wearing.”

“I know, but I don’t want him to feel weird.” I bit my lip. “But then again, he probably doesn’t care. He’s kind of his own man.”

“The perfect kind.” My mom rose to her feet. “I’m going to check on the food.”

“I’ll be in when I’m done.”

“Sounds good.”

My mom left and I grabbed my phone, debating if I should call Alex or not. They wouldn’t be arriving for a couple of hours, but if I told him to dress up, I felt like I was trying to change him somehow. I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I liked him just the way he was, so I’d take him however he came.

Done with the mugs, I headed to the kitchen to help with the rest of the prep.

* * *

Hawk was helping Lily with her tights when his phone buzzed in his pocket. “Just a second, baby girl.” He grabbed his phone and frowned. He didn’t recognize the number, but answered it anyway. “Yo.”

“Hawk?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, baby. It’s Jenny.”

His blood ran cold. He laid his hand over the speaker and called, “Kayla?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you come help Lily?”

His sister appeared in the doorway. At first she looked pissed, but then she raised an eyebrow.

“Jenny,” Hawk whispered.

“What the hell does she want?”

Hawk shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving Kayla to take care of Lily, while he closed himself into his bedroom.

“What the fuck do you want?” he bit out.

“Come on, baby. Don’t be like that. We have a baby together.”

“
We
don’t have shit together, Jenny.
I
have a little girl who knows nothing about you and never will because you walked out on her.”

“I just want to see her. See how she is.”

Hawk forced himself not to break something. “Never gonna happen.”

“I’m doin’ real good, baby. Been clean for nine months.”

“You’re on drugs now?”

“No. That’s what I’m sayin’. I’m clean. I was in a bad way for a couple a years. But I’m good now.”

“Jenny, you weren’t usin’ when you left, so what the fuck changed?”

“I was young, Hawk. Stupid.”

“You were
thirty
!”

“Look, I didn’t call to fight. I want to see Lily. I’m back in the area and I have the right to see my daughter.”

“No fuckin’ way.”

“Don’t make me get a lawyer.”

“Jenny, do whatever the fuck you need to do. I gotta go.” He hung up and sat on the edge of the bed, dropping his face into his hands. A knock at his door brought him out of his head and he sighed. “Come in.”

Kayla sat beside him and frowned. “What did she want?”

“She wants to see Lily.”

“Why?”

He filled his sister in on the conversation which was probably a mistake. Kayla hated Jenny even more than Hawk did, so the news wound her up tight.

“Fuckin’ bitch,” Kayla snapped.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to think about Jenny,” Hawk said. “Right now, I need to see Payton. It’s been almost a week and I fuckin’ miss her.”

This brought a smile to Kayla’s face. “You really like her.”

“Ya think?”

“You’ve never acted like this before and you know it.”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Hawk groaned.

“What?”

“I love her, Kay.”

His sister gasped. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “She’s everything I never knew I wanted—”

“Or thought you deserved,” she interrupted.

“I don’t fuckin’ deserve her and the thought of losin’ her…” he couldn’t finish the thought.

“Hey. You’re not going to lose her. I’ll help however I can.”

Hawk smiled. “I know, babe. Couldn’t do life without you. Don’t know if I’ve told you how much I appreciate you, but I’m telling you now.”

Kayla grinned. “Back atya.”

Hawk sighed. “This shit with Jenny is the worst fuckin’ timin’.”

“Well, in general, yeah, but why, specifically?”