Until Series: Box set (71 page)

“We’ll do better,” my dad says, shaking his head. Then he turns as an officer starts coming towards us.

“Are you all here with Lilly Donovan?”

“Yes.” I take a step towards him. His eyes go from me to my dad.

“Shit, James, is that you?” the officer asks, looking at my dad with surprise written on his face.

“Dan?” My dad steps forward to shake the man’s hand.

“How the hell have you been?” Dan asks, pulling my dad in for a one-armed hug.

“Could be better. My son’s girl was brought in for question.”

“So you’re seeing Lilly?” the guy asks, turning towards me.

“Yes.”

“I know that this is hard, and I hate doing this, but it’s not my decision. I’m sorry that she is going through this, and if it makes you feel any better, I don’t believe that she did it. But the evidence is pointing in her direction,” Dan says, looking at my dad.

“I know that it’s a part of the job,” my dad says, and Dan nods his head.

“I know she didn’t do it,” I speak up.

“I’m sorry, but until we get evidence that proves otherwise, we are forced to go with what we have. Now, I informed Ms. Donovan that she is not allowed to leave the state, and that it would be best for her if she got a lawyer.”

“Done,” I say right away.

“Also, it wouldn’t hurt for her to have proof of her whereabouts on the days that the checks were cashed.”

“If you can get me the dates, I’m sure we can come up with that information. She and my daughter are usually with my son and me,” I say as Lilly starts heading back our way from the bathroom. Her face is pale, and her eyes are red and puffy from crying. I hate that she’s going through this. Once she reaches our group, I wrap an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into my side.

“Lilly, here are the papers that I told you about, and there is also a list of affordable lawyers in there that you can contact.”

“Thank you. And I know that the answer will probably be no, but do you think that I can get the address of the lady this happened to? I would like to see if she needs anything.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give that information out, but I can give her your information, and she can choose to contact you,” he says with a shrug.

“Okay, well, thank you,” she says quietly, taking the file folder from his hand.

“My card is in there as well, and if you need anything or have any questions, you call me.”

“I will, thank you,” she repeats, and I see the tears beginning to fill her eyes once again.

“Let’s get you out of here, baby,” I say softly, and then Trevor is there, taking her out of my arms and pulling her in for a hug.

“Don’t worry, sis. We’ll get this figured out,” he tells her, rocking her back and forth. I hear another loud sob come from her before Trevor transfers her into my arms.

“You good riding with dad?” I ask Trevor before scooping Lilly up into my arms. She doesn’t protest, just wraps her arms around my neck, laying her head against my shoulder.

“Yeah, man, call me tonight,” he says, looking at Lilly once more before shaking his head.

“Thanks for coming, Dad,” I say as we start making our way out of the building. Once outside, my dad holds open the door of the truck for me as I set Lilly inside, making sure she gets buckled in. When I’m done, I kiss her forehead, and then tilt her chin up to kiss her lips. “Give me a minute to talk to my dad, and then we can go.” She nods, not looking me in the eyes. “Look at me, baby.” She shakes her head. “Lilly, look at me.” Her eyes come up and meet mine. “This will all be worked out; I promise you.”

“Okay.” The word sounds defeated. I press my mouth to hers in another quick kiss before hopping out of the truck and slamming the door.

“You’re right; she didn’t do this,” my dad says, and Trevor nods in agreement.

“I know.” I pull off my hat, running my hands over my hair and face.

“I’m going to call Dan tonight and see if he can tell me anything as a friend. In the meantime, I want you to call our lawyer and get him on the case. Any of the lawyers in that folder are going to be severely over-worked and underpaid, and it will show in their work.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“You know I got your back, and I’m glad you finally got your girl, son. I know what you had to deal with, and it was wrong of me to add Lilly into the same category as Jules without giving her a chance.”

“It’s fine. Can you tell Ma that I’ll come get the kids later, after I get her settled?”

“No problem,” he says, patting my shoulder. “Take care of your girl.”

“Call me if you need anything,” Trevor says as I walk around the front of my truck.

“Thanks, T.” I pull open the door to the cab of the truck and climb inside.

Once we pull up to the apartment, I look around realizing Lilly’s car isn’t in its usual spot. “Where’s your car, baby?”

“It wouldn’t start, so I had to get a ride with David from the school,” she says, unbuckling her seatbelt.

“Why didn’t you call me?” I feel my pulse start to speed up. I hate that something happened to her and she didn’t call me. And it pisses me off that I’m pissed she was in a car with another man. I shut off the truck and turn my body towards her, resting my arm on the steering wheel, trying to look casual, even with the blood pumping more rapidly through my veins.

“You were working, and I didn’t want you to worry or hear you say that you were right about my car being a piece-of-crap.” She shrugs, opening the door and hopping out.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Really?” She turns towards me, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Okay, I may have said that your car was a piece of shit.” I shrug and smile. Throwing my arm around her shoulders, I whisper into her ear, “Looks like you’re getting a new car, baby.”

“Um, no, I’m getting a lawyer. I am not going to have enough money for a new car.”

“Okay, first of all, you are going to be using my family’s lawyer, and second, I am paying for the car.”

“I don’t have the brain power to argue with you right now, but when I do, I will let you know that you’re not buying me a new car. And as for the lawyer thing, if I can afford him, that’s fine. If not, I will have to look somewhere else.”

“What part of that didn’t you understand?” I ask, pulling her to a stop and turning her towards me. I place my hands under her jaw, tilting her head back slightly. “I’m paying for the car.” I cover her mouth with mine before she has a chance to say anything. When I pull my mouth away, her lips are still close enough that they brush mine with each word I say. “You, our daughter, and occasionally Jax ride in that car. You three are the most important people in my life, and I will not have you riding around in a piece-of-shit car when I can easily get you something that is safe. And when the kids go to bed tonight, you’re going to explain to me why the fuck you didn’t call me when your car broke down. And you better come up with something better than you didn’t want to bother me at work, ’cause as of right now, my palm is itching, and I plan on spanking you for that shit.”

“Cash,” she says, her eyes heating as she licks her bottom lip.

“Jesus, you want that, baby?” I ask, pulling her closer to me.

“We haven’t—” she looks away without finishing, and I can’t help but groan when her cheeks turn pink.

“I’ve been trying to be good. Do you know how many times I’ve had to jerk off because of the state you’ve left me in?” I shake my head. “It’s too many to count.” I lean forward, running my nose up the length of her neck to her ear, where I bite down gently on her earlobe. “I can’t wait to be inside you. I can’t wait to hear the sounds you make when you come. I can’t wait to feel you squeezing my cock. I remember how wet you were when my mouth was on you and my fingers were deep inside you. I can’t wait to feel that wet heat wrapped tight around me.”

“Lilly,” I hear a man call and my head comes up. Lilly’s hands hold my t-shirt tightly in her fists. I look towards Lilly’s apartment, seeing the guy from the police station coming down the stairs.

“Who the fuck is this guy, Lil?” I ask. Her eyes come to mine, and she blinks a few times like she’s trying to clear her head before she looks over her shoulder.

“That’s David; we work together.”

“He’s a teacher?”

“Yeah, he teaches second grade.” She turns in his direction. “Hey, David.”

“I was so worried, Lil. I didn’t know what to do,” he says, stepping closer and grabbing her hand. The fact that he used ‘Lil’ instead of Lilly and now has his hands on her is making me bite down on the inside of my cheek hard.
This is what Trevor was saying. Fuck me.

“It’s fine, just a misunderstanding. Thank you for stopping by, but I will see you after the weekend,” she says, pulling her hand back to her side.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Yeah, Cash is here, and we’re going to go get our kids.” My heart jumps at her words, and I want to pound my chest.

“Kids?” I see a slight flash of annoyance and anger cross his face before he hides it, and then his eyebrows draw together in confusion.

“Well, you’ve met Ashlyn,” she says and he nods, “and Cash has a son named Jax.”

“I see.” He looks at me, then back at Lilly. “If you need anything, give me a call. Have a good weekend, and I will see you at school on Monday.” He steps forward, pulling Lilly in for a hug. Her body goes ridged and she pulls away quickly, putting a small fake smile on her face.

I watch as David gets into a newer Nissan, and after he’s in the car, he sits and watches us for a second before starting it up and backing out of the parking lot.

“He only works with you?” I ask her, because the look on the guy’s face when she told him that we were together was one of jealousy.

“Yes.” She pulls away and starts up the stairs to her apartment.

“Has he ever asked you out?”

“Once,” she mumbles before shoving the key in the lock and opening the door.

“Just once?” I ask, because when she’s lying her words are always drawn out to sound more like a question than an answer.

“Okay, fine, a couple of times.” We make our way back to her bedroom. She goes to the closet, pulling out a bag, and starts shoving clothes into it. I stand next to the bed, trying to think of something to say. My mind is turning over; I used to get jealous before when we first started dating, but it was nothing like the feeling I have right now.

“You said no, right?” My fists clench at the thought of her seeing David—fuck, seeing
any
man who’s not me.

“Is that a real question?”

“Yes,” I say through my teeth, wondering why the fuck I’m doing this. I really don’t want to know, and I’m acting like Asher or Trevor with their territorial, over-protective asses.

“I have never gone out with him. We work together, and he is kind of a friend.”

“How is he ‘kind of a friend’?”

“You know, Cash, you’re starting to make me feel like you don’t trust me. I told you we never dated. I told you we work together, and I told you he is a friend. Now unless you want to give me a polygraph, you’re going to have to take my word for it.”

“I hate knowing that you called him instead of me,” I tell her the truth.

“I never called him.” She shakes her head and looks at me like I’m crazy. “We left the school at the same time; he was parked next to me, and when my car wouldn’t start, he offered to give me a ride home. I knew your mom had Ashlyn, so I was planning on coming home, changing, and calling you, that way you could take me to my car later and look at it. But when I got home, the police were here waiting for me, so that kind of ruined all of my plans.”

“Will you promise me not to go anywhere alone with that guy?” This is not about me being a jealous asshole…okay, maybe it is a little bit…but there is something about him that sets my teeth on edge.

“Cash.” She shakes her head.

“Baby, it’s not that I don’t trust you.” Her eyes narrow, making her look adorable. My hands go under her jaw, titling her head back. “Something about him doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Is it because he has a penis?” she taunts. I smile and lean in to kiss her.

“No, smart ass, it’s not because he has a penis,” I say against her mouth.

“Cash,” she says softly; my eyes go from her mouth to her eyes. “He has been nothing but nice. Just, please, trust me.”

“I do trust you,” I tell her honestly. Not only do I trust her, I love her. Maybe Trevor is right in a fucked-up kind of way, and I need to tell her that I love her…put it out there.

“So just know that I will not put myself in a situation that something could happen to me,” she says, running a hand through my hair. My eyes close when her soft hand travels down my neck and up my jaw.

“Do you know that I love you?” I ask as my eyes open, looking into hers. I hear her quick inhale and she shakes her head, her eyes searching my face. “I never stopped loving you. I didn’t know how much of the old you was in this newer version,” I smirk, “but I found out that I love the new you just as much, if not more. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I pull her against me, resting my cheek on top of her head.

“I love you too,” she says, making me smile and feel lighter than I’ve felt for the last two months—hell, the last few years.

Lilly

I
look down
at my lap. Cash’s large hand is entwined with mine, his thumb moving slowly back and forth against my skin. The roughness and strength in his hand makes mine feel small and delicate. I can’t believe he told me he loves me. I knew it would come eventually. He shows me every day that he cares not only for Ashlyn, but for me as well. I have finally accepted that he is not going anywhere. Part of me is still hurt that he walked away from me when I needed him, but the other part understands why he did what he did. I would do anything for my daughter, just like he did for his son. “I think you should meet my parents,” I say, looking over at him. His eyes come to me for a second before going back to the road.

“Sure, we can go during your next school break.” He squeezes my hand before bringing it to his mouth and kissing my knuckles.