Walk (Gentry Boys) (28 page)

Stone had assumed that Conway’s silence all this time had come from a place of hate and rage.  However, if Conway ever truly felt any ill will for his brother he’d put that away a long time ago.  These days he carried around a heartfelt letter, either to remind himself that someone out in the world loved him, or else to confirm the sad fact that given his place in a volatile world of crime, the best thing he could do for Stone was to keep his distance. 

Maybe it wasn’t really one or the other after all, but a little bit of both. 

We didn’t stick around the diner for much longer, although Stone seemed reluctant to leave.  I knew he was afraid that this was just a fleeting gift, that after this morning Conway would be lost to him once again. 

But then as we were driving out of the parking lot, Conway asked if we could make a quick stop. 

“Sure,” I said.  “You name it.” 

Conway turned to Stone.  “How about it?  You think the owners of Scratch will be at work on a Saturday?”

“There’s a good chance,” Stone said slowly.  “Evie, keep going down this street until you get to University Drive, then make a right.  You’ll see the tattoo parlor about a quarter of a mile up on the left side.  There’s parking in the back.” 

I knew Deck and Cord owned a tattoo parlor in Tempe.  I obeyed Stone’s instructions, wondering if there was about to be another emotional Gentry event.  I remembered the way the rest of the family had reacted to Conway’s arrival at the barbecue several months ago; happy to see him, yet sad at the same time. 

“That’s Deck’s bike,” Stone said, pointing as we pulled into a spot beside a gleaming black motorcycle. 

“I know,” Conway said quietly.  “I helped him put it together.” 

Stone gave his brother’s arm a quick nudge before exiting the truck.  Stone went to the back door and rang the bell while Conway stood quietly behind him. 

“Everything okay?” I asked Con because he seemed a tad grim. 

He peered down at me and nodded.  “Yeah.  I’ve got some apologies to make, that’s all.” 

Deck opened the door with a smile when he saw Stone standing there.  Then he saw Conway and his smile faded just a little.  He quickly recovered and ushered us all inside. 

“We don’t open for another hour,” he explained, gesturing to the emptiness.  “But I promised Cord I’d take care of some of that damnable paperwork he’s always nagging me about.” 

He led us down a long hallway, then turned left into the lobby. 

“It’s different,” Conway said in an appreciative tone. “I haven’t seen it since the expansion.”

“Well, it’s been a while since you’ve been around,” Deck said, watching Conway with a touch of what seemed like suspicion. 

Conway met his dark-eyed stare head on.  “I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. 

Deck shrugged. “No big deal, man.” 

“No, Deck,” Conway said earnestly. “I mean
I’m sorry
.  For everything.” Conway coughed, looking miserable.  “Mostly I’m sorry for giving you a hard time when you were just trying to give me a family.” 

Deck didn’t move but he looked like he was softening.  “I know, Con.  You’ve apologized before.” 

Conway looked him in the eye.  “I needed to do it again. I can’t ever repay what I owe you between everything you’ve done for me and for my brother.” 

Deck raised an eyebrow.  “He’s my brother too.  Remember?”

“I remember.” 

Deck cocked his head and studied Conway.  When he spoke again his voice was gentle.  “Con?  There anything else you want to say?”

Stone glanced sharply at Conway as if he knew there was more but was leaving it up to his brother to tell it. 

But Conway just shrugged once and shook his head.  “That’s it.” 

Something told me Deck didn’t really believe him but he broke into a smile anyway.  “Come here, dummy.” 

“Not a hugger,” protested Conway but Deck wrapped him in a ferocious embrace anyway. 

“Fuck that,” Deck said, slapping him on the back.  “We Gentry men are a brazen tribe of huggers.”  

Then he hugged Stone.  Then, I guess to be consistent, he went ahead and hugged me. 

In the middle of all this hugging and back slapping Cord Gentry walked in, looking confused. 

“What’s this?” he asked. “Some kind of cult initiation?” 

Then he noticed Conway and did a double take. 

“Hey, Cord,” Conway said. 

“Hi,” Cord answered.  I saw him look to Deck with a question in his eyes and only relaxed when Deck gave him a small nod to let him know that all was well. 

Stone stood next to me and slipped an arm around my waist as we hung around the lobby for a little while longer.  Cord told us about how his youngest daughter had decided a red-eyed monster had taken up residence underneath her bed.  She’d been camping out in her parents’ room for the last week and even though Cord wryly complained about the obvious inconvenience he said it in such a tender way I knew he didn’t really mind and would do anything to indulge his little girl.  Deck expressed relief that baby Isabella was finally sleeping through the night and had been stubbornly trying to sit up on her own.

As we listened to the Gentry men talk about their families, Stone pulled me close and kissed me.  I loved that about him; that he wasn’t shy or stingy with affection.  I kissed him back and then buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent and enjoying his warmth, almost forgetting that there was even anyone else in the room with us.  When I finally took my face out of my boyfriend’s neck, I saw that the rest of the men were watching us with amusement.  It didn’t bother me. 

Since the tattoo parlor would be opening soon we left Cord and Deck to their business.  On the way out, Cord took Conway aside and I heard him say, “Hope you’ll come by more often.  Really, Con, don’t be a stranger.  We’re all like brothers here.” 

Conway flinched, ever so slightly.  I might have been the only one who noticed.  He covered it with a charming grin though and extended a hand. 

“Appreciate that, Cordero.  Thanks.” 

After we waved goodbye to Cord and Deck, Conway mentioned that he had to get back home and take care of some things.  When I asked him where home was he grew evasive so I didn’t push.  Neither did Stone. 

Even though I offered to drive Conway anywhere he wanted to go, all he wanted was to be dropped off at the nearest light rail station.  The light rail was a slow moving urban train that branched out from central Phoenix and was mostly used by commuters and college students. 

I drove to the station closest to the university and parked in a nearly empty commuter lot.  Stone insisted on walking his brother over to the platform and I knew it was because he was couldn’t stand to say goodbye. 

We didn’t have to wait long for the train to show up.  Stone kept his arm around my shoulder as it inched closer to the platform.  I glanced over at Conway but his expression was unreadable. 

“Can I see you again?” Stone asked his brother as the train pulled in. I could hear the tension in the question and I braced for the answer. 

Conway looked at him.  I was afraid he was going to say no.  But then his face relaxed and he slowly nodded.  “Yeah, Stone.  You’ll see me again.  How about I’ll call you next week and we’ll meet up by the university for lunch or something?”

Stone let out a breath of relief.  “I could come to your neighborhood instead,” he offered.

“No,” Conway said immediately, shaking his head to make his point. “Don’t do that.”

“Okay.” 

“I mean it.” 

“Okay, Con.  I won’t come to you.”

Conway flashed me a smile.  “You take care of this guy, Evie.” 

“I will,” I nodded. “And you take care of yourself.” 

“I’ve managed all right so far,” Con said but something about his tone troubled me.  Once again I wondered uneasily what it was Conway was involved with that he’d been so desperate to keep his brother away from.  Conway Gentry was a man who lived in the shadows.  Maybe he could still be pulled into the light but that had to be his choice.  It didn’t seem like he was ready to make it. 

The doors of the train opened with a whisper.  Before he stepped through them Conway turned and grabbed his brother for one more brief, intense hug.  He whispered something to Stone but I couldn’t hear what it was.  I did, however, hear Stone’s response. 

“Strength in brothers.” 

Then, with a wave, Conway was gone.   

We held hands on the walk back to the parking lot.  Stone seemed happy but he was quiet.  When we reached my truck I stopped and wrapped my arms around him, settling against his chest.  He let out a soft sigh and kissed the top of my head. 

“You want to talk about it?” I asked. 

He played with my hair, running it through his fingers.  “Later,” he said.  “Right now I just want to go home and crawl into bed with you.”  He yawned.  “It’s been a long night.” 

I tipped my head back to look up at him.  “Which home? Mine or yours?”

Stone smiled and touched my face.  “Wherever you are.”  He kissed me.  “That’s home.” 

“Damn, when you say things like that I can hardly breathe.” 

He ran a thumb over my lower lip and pressed against me. “Good.” 

When we were finally alone he undressed me gently, we made love fiercely, and then we slept soundly.  I no longer needed to look to the sky for shooting stars or find reasons to make a wish.

I’d found the fairy tale.  I was living in it. 

STONE

After two hours of staring at the ceiling I finally got out of bed because I didn’t want to disturb Evie with my restlessness.   She smiled in her sleep when I kissed her and I tucked the down quilt around her bare shoulders before I left. 

Teddy the guinea pig was the only other one who was wide awake.  He sniffed at my hand but allowed me to tickle him under the chin.  After Evie’s pet got tired of attention and retreated to a corner of his enclosure, I wandered around the apartment.

The air was still heavy with the spicy aroma of the pumpkin pies Evie and I had prepared earlier this evening.  Actually, I had more to do with the pie preparation than Evie did.  She claimed ignorance of all things baking-related and watched me from one of the breakfast bar stools as I scooped and measured. Even though she disdained the practical side of kitchen work she’d dressed up in one of those old fashioned flouncy aprons that made her look like a cute 1950s wife.   It drove me nuts in all kinds of filthy ways so as soon as I was done shoving the pies in the fridge I grabbed her and got her to do a series of nasty things that involved skin and lips.  Naturally I made her leave the apron on. 

It was always afterwards though, when she was sweet and peaceful as she cuddled in my arms, that my favorite moments happened. 

“What time do we need to be there tomorrow?” she muttered, just barely awake as my fingertips traveled up her arm and down her back. 

“Deck says dinner’s at three but remember, we need to pick your mom up at the airport at noon.  You sure she won’t mind hanging out with the Gentrys all day?” 

“She won’t,” Evie yawned.  “I can’t wait for her to meet you,” she said dreamily and less than a minute later started breathing with the slow, even rhythm that told me she was asleep. 

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving.  I’d never paid much attention to the holiday when I was a kid.  It was just a few days off from school and a reason to eat a lot.  But as I blinked at the ceiling that did not belong to a prison cell while my girl happily fell asleep in my arms it took on a new meaning. 

For a while I tried to follow Evie into a peaceful rest but it seemed the more I tried the more futile it became to quiet my racing mind.  So I kissed her and pulled on a pair of boxers before I paused to greet Teddy the guinea pig and eventually headed out to the balcony. 

The night was cold and motionless.  It was late November and the year would be ending soon.  I could hardly believe how much had changed.  I was free.  I was in love.  I had my brother back and had gained another brother along the way.  I had a family and a future to look forward to. 

Bash had decided that he’d be moving in with his grandmother when his lease expired in a few months.  She really needed someone around full time and since she’d helped raise him he was glad to make the sacrifice.  Plus it would give him some breathing room so he wouldn’t have to hustle so hard just to make ends meet on his own.  He could go back to school and finally get his high school diploma. 

As for me, I was practically living in Evie’s apartment already.  I’d had some ideas about making it a bit more official so when she mentioned that her own lease was up in the spring I suggested that maybe we should consider moving, getting a new place together.  I hadn’t wanted to bring it up until I was making a steady paycheck but now that I had a pretty good thing going as head of my own moving crew it seemed like a good plan.  She was ecstatic.  I wasn’t stopping there either.  I was determined to work hard and keep climbing to get everything else I wanted.  What I wanted most was Evie.  I’d lost enough time to realize when I’d struck pure gold and I was going the distance.  Someday I was going to fucking marry this girl.

Nobody knows how differently life would have gone if the story had been revised along the way. 

If the accident hadn’t happened. 

If Erin hadn’t died. 

If I hadn’t spent four years in prison. 

But there’s no point in wishing or wondering when it comes to ‘what if’.  This was the way things were. 

Thanks.  Giving. 

Giving. Thanks. 

I had so much to be thankful for I didn’t even know how to explain it all. 

Conway still troubled me in some ways.  He’d kept his word and stayed in touch.  We saw each other at least once a week but there were some questions he still wouldn’t answer.  There were still things he didn’t want me to know.  I realized that he figured he was being protective by keeping me and the rest of the Gentrys at arm’s length.  But I’d never fall asleep with complete ease until I knew my brother had extracted himself from the dirty life that could drag him into a place I wouldn’t be able to follow.  He’d be there tomorrow, at Creed’s place for Thanksgiving.  At least he’d said he would be. 

Meanwhile, the girl I loved had her own ghosts to deal with, her own sorrows that weighed on her.  That common ground was in part what had forged such a powerful early connection between us. Evie had finally received a letter from her brother last week.  She’d read it, then folded it in half and passed it over to me with a silent request to read it for myself.

So far Macon Dupont had been a mystery to me.  I hadn’t known him in the prison and all I had to go on were the things Evie had told me.  On the rare occasions she brought him up she only wanted to talk about the happy life they’d known as children.  Before his addiction.  Before their father’s death.  Before she’d lost him.  I understood.  I’d endured my own ‘Before’ list for a long time.  

In his powerful letter I heard the voice of a man who knew he was broken.  He loved his sister.  He wanted her to be happy, even as he’d recognized the fact that it meant he wouldn’t be in her life.  He’d hurt her so much.  He couldn’t bear to hurt her anymore.  And even though he was forced to stay clean as long as he was incarcerated he knew himself well enough by now to realize it wouldn’t last once he was in the world again.  He didn’t want his sister and his mother wasting their time, hoping and praying he’d come back to them.  In the letter he told Evie he’d try but that she shouldn’t wait.  She shouldn’t come to visit.  She shouldn’t write anymore. He said he loved her.  He said he was sorry.  And that was all. 

Evie waited until I finished reading and then she cried in my arms as I tried to think of something to say to make it better.  I couldn’t.  Sometimes there just weren’t any fitting words. 

I hadn’t heard the sliding glass doors open so when soft arms circled my waist I was startled.  A split second later I relaxed as Evie placed a soft kiss on my back. 

“What are you doing out here?” she asked groggily. 

“Why aren’t you asleep?” I asked, bringing her around so I could hold her better.

“Our bed was cold,” she complained, burrowing against my chest and allowing the quilt she’d wrapped herself in to unfold enough for me to feel her body. 

The physical reaction was immediate.  She felt it.  She let out the softest of moans as I slid my boxers down so I could press directly into the heat of her skin. 

“Let’s go inside,” she whispered as I ran my hands all over her. 

“No,” I said. 

There was a pair of cushioned patio chairs out there and I was hoping they were studier than they looked. 

I sank down on one and pulled her to me. 

Evie hesitated and glanced around at the dark silence.   

“There’s no lights on, baby,” I told her, moving her onto my lap.  “No one around. No one can see. There’s not even a moon tonight.” 

She settled on top of me, her knees on either side.  I kept the quilt around us so she wouldn’t be cold. 

I wanted her like this, under the night sky.  I’d wanted her this way since that night beside the lake.  She gasped lightly as I pushed inside of her.  She was ready, eager to match the rhythm I set.  We moved together, chest to chest, hearts an inch apart.  She whispered my name and started to tremble.  I kissed her hard as she came.  I was still kissing her when I followed. 

Afterwards I picked her up to carry her to bed, just like the heroes in all the stories. 

“My prince,” she giggled, snuggling against me.

“Prince?”  I carried her grandly into the living room and spun her in a circle.  “No, I’m your knight, baby.  There’s no shining armor lying around right now but I’m your knight without it.” 

“Fine. You’re my knight.  Now keep right on walking to the bedroom, Sir Gentry.  It’s chilly.” 

I spun her again.  “Wait, I’m having a moment.  One more for good effect.”

Her laughter, high and joyous filled the room.   

“Stone!”  She was laughing so hard she could hardly speak.  “Just walk.”

THE END