Page 20 of Playing With Forever (Hollow Point #4)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I startled awake, but it took me a few moments to understand what woke me.

Then two things happened at once—I heard Kane call my name and I felt a very naked Evan stiffen behind me. Incidentally, I, too, was naked.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

As if that was amusing and my son was not about to walk in on us naked in my bed, I felt Evan’s chuckle.

“Mamalious!”

Damn.

“Do not come in here. I’m um…” Shit, damn, and fuck. “Changing. I’ll be right out.”

I scrambled out of bed, rushed to my dresser, yanked open the drawer, and grabbed the first pair of panties I found. I was tugging them over my hips when I noticed Evan was still in bed. Not only that, but he was watching me with a smile.

“This isn’t funny.”

“Agreed.”

“Then why are you smiling at me?”

I turned back to my dresser, found a bra, and swung it around the room. “You need to get dressed.”

“I will when I’m not afraid I’ll lose an eye when you hook me with your bra.”

I stopped swinging my bra and growled, “Remember that conversation you had with Lindy?” His smile died, and he squinted his eyes at me.

“Yeah. Bet that wasn’t fun hearing her tell you to get a lady friend.

Well, my son is about to meet my man-friend.

And not only that, my man-friend will be walking out of my bedroom. Think on that and stop smiling at me.”

Evan rolled out of bed, naked as a jaybird, walked to me, hooked me around the waist, and pulled me flush against him.

“I’m smiling because you said ‘fuck,’ and that was cute.

I’m smiling because you freaking out is making your cheeks pink, and I love seeing you blush.

But I was lying there in bed watching you because you’re fucking beautiful in the morning.

I was pissed you bailed on me that first morning.

But now that I know just how pretty you are first thing, I’m pissed as hell you deprived me of the view.

” He pressed a kiss on my forehead and went on.

“Slow down before you break your leg putting on your pants. For a second, I thought you were gonna take a header as you wrestled up your panties. And that shit would be awkward if your son rushed in to check on you after a loud crash and found me in here naked.”

I pulled my forehead off his so I could duck and plant it on his chest.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I groaned. “He’s never seen a man walk out of his mom’s bedroom before.”

“You know, you’re the first woman of mine Lindy’s met. Sorry, baby, I have no idea the right way to play this. But I’m thinking we just walk out together and deal with whatever we find together.”

I nodded.

“We should do that dressed, baby, so hurry up before your boy comes back here and your door’s not locked.”

Fuck.

“Jeez, Mom, hurry up. I brought everything for buttermilk pancakes, and I’m starved.”

Evan smirked.

“Be right out!”

I was rushing toward the bathroom when Evan called my name. I glanced over my shoulder at him and waited for him to say more. “Breathe, Josie. He’s an adult, and he loves you.”

Both of those things were indeed correct. But Kane was at my house bright and early on a Saturday morning because he was freaked out about what had happened to Sam, which meant he was going to be on edge and short.

Not the best time to be meeting Mom’s new boyfriend.

Good Lord, I was fifty-two with a new boyfriend.

No, I was fifty-two with a smoking-hot new man who fucked like a freight train and made me feel beautiful.

And now he had me using filthy language in my head.

“Do you care that I’m two years older than you?” I asked.

Evan roared with laughter.

“Shhhh!!!!”

“Is there someone in there with you?” Kane yelled.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “I’m going to kick you in the balls if you don’t?—”

“Yeah, Kane,” he called back. “We’ll be out in a minute.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Kane angrily shot back.

“Language, Kane Matthew!”

“Seriously, mother, you’re scolding me about my language when I’m standing outside your bedroom door and you’re hiding a man in there?”

Now would be the perfect time for all of those end-of-the-world predictions to come true. Fire, flood, meteor, the second coming of Christ—all of them acceptable ways to end mankind. I wasn’t picky about how the world ended, just that it did—immediately.

“He’s got a point, baby.”

“I think I might vomit,” Kane declared.

“You know what would help with the nausea? Fresh air. Go take a walk around the block.”

“As hilarious as this is, how about you stop yelling at your son through the door and finish getting dressed so I can meet your kid?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna puke. It doesn’t matter the age of the son, hearing a strange man tell his mother to get dressed does bad shit to a man’s stomach.”

“Stop talking!”

“Me?” Kane shouted.

“No, Evan.”

“Your gentleman caller’s name is Evan?”

“Gah!”

I stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.

“Hope you don’t mind, but she’s a door slammer,” I heard Kane tell Evan.

I tossed my bra into the sink, curled my fingers under the edge of the vanity, and stared at myself in the mirror.

No, not stared, I studied myself. From my shoulder-length bob that needed a trim to the blonde that had, by some miracle, remained my natural color, to my blue eyes that right then looked like they were in shock, to the pink blotches all over my chest, down to my breasts that were no longer perky but still full, then down to my rounded belly.

When my gaze traveled back up and I caught my own eyes in the mirror, I couldn’t stop the hysterical bubble of laughter that came forth.

Fifty-two and busted by my son.

“Oh my God,” I wheezed.

I was still laughing when Evan came in fully dressed with an armful of clothes.

“Get dressed, Josie.”

He set my clothes on the counter, picked up my bra out of the basin, and handed it to me.

Evan waited until my bra was on and I was safely in last night’s jeans before he started brushing his teeth.

I had my shirt on by the time he was rinsing.

He shoved his toothbrush in the holder next to mine, yanked out mine, handed it to me, then gently tugged me in front of the sink.

When I was loading it full of toothpaste, he disappeared behind the separate toilet area.

I brushed by rote, rinsed, spit, dried my mouth, and left the bathroom. I had yet to decide what to do when Evan came out, tagged my hand, and pulled me to the door.

He paused long enough to tell me, “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

Nothing was fine.

This was a total disaster, and if Evan and I went the distance, this story would be told at every holiday meal.

Hey, DJ, remember when I caught Mamalious and her man in bed?

I knew my son, I knew that was exactly what he’d say, and poor Lindy would have to hear about her father being caught in my bed.

We hit the dining room when I heard Kane saying, “Don’t know. They’re still in there.”

I sighed, knowing Kane was on the phone with his brother. My son heard my exhale, turned, then froze.

Evan said nothing as my son gave him a thorough and very obvious once-over.

“Age appropriate,” he announced to DJ. “Taller than Mom. Built. Holding her hand.” Kane paused, then said, “Yeah, will FaceTime you after breakfast.”

Kane set his phone on the counter, transferred his gaze to me, and smiled. “Surprise.”

“Indeed.”

“Oh, shit, she’s using her uppity voice she’s pissed.”

“ She’s also standing right here,” I snapped. “While I love a visit from my baby boy any time he’ll come home and visit his mom, a call would’ve been nice.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve never had to call before because there’s never been a strange man sleeping with my…” Kane’s face scrunched. “Nope, I can’t say it.”

“It’s good to know the Sheriff’s department down in Camden County prioritizes maturity.”

My son flashed me a smile that never failed to warm my heart.

“Kane, this is Evan Sanders. Evan, my son.”

I glanced over at Evan to see him smiling. His, too, warmed my heart. But seeing it aimed at my son did wondrous things to my belly.

Evan tugged me farther into the dining room but let go of my hand when we hit the kitchen area and offered it to Kane. “Nice to meet you.”

Kane took Evan’s hand and shook it. “Good to meet you, too.”

“I’ll start coffee, you say hello to your son, baby.”

Since I was staring at Kane, I didn’t miss the way his left eye twitched. I’d never seen that kind of response from him, so I didn’t know what it meant. But now that my shock had worn off and my son had thus far behaved more or less like an adult, I was over my freakout and happy to see him.

“Should we call Lindy and see if she wants to come over for breakfast and meet Kane, or is it too early?” I asked Evan on my way to my son.

“Call her, Josie, if she’s awake, she’ll answer. And I know she won’t want to miss family breakfast.”

There was that twitch of the eye again.

“Who’s Lindy?”

“Can I get a hug first?”

My son leaned down to hug me, and still, after all these years, it made my heart squeeze. Both my boys had been taller than me by the time they hit thirteen. It was a long time ago, but I could still vividly remember swinging them up into my arms for a cuddle.

“Lindy’s my daughter,” Evan answered from in front of the coffee pot.

Kane’s arms flexed at the news Evan had a daughter.

“You’ll love her, she an absolute doll.”

My son gave me a kiss on the cheek before he let me go. “Then call her and let’s get this show on the road. I drove straight here after my shift, and I wasn’t lying, I’m starved.”

“You work CID down in Camden, right?” Evan asked.

“Yeah. What is it you do?”

Oh boy, that sounded awfully like the beginning of, Deputy Lark reporting for duty.

“Hollow Point PD. I work in the gun unit.”

“A cop.” Kane sounded shocked. Then he smiled. “You must know Echo Kent.”

“He’s my partner.”

Kane’s smile grew, and he added a nod.

“Good partner to have; the man’s the next size up human.”

“You’re not wrong on both accounts.”

“I’ll let you two talk cop. I’m going to find my phone and call Lindy.”

I made it to my bedroom but stopped to listen.

I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, just two distinct male voices.

Kane and Evan.

And suddenly, I wished DJ had come along with his younger brother to surprise me.

“These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had,” Lindy declared around a mouthful.

“Told you Mamalious made the best buttermilk pancakes.”

“Don’t remind me she used the stinky milk,” Lindy pleaded.

To say she wasn’t a fan of the smell of buttermilk would be an understatement. She was all fired up to help me cook until I opened the buttermilk. She quickly vacated the kitchen and went into the living room to talk to her dad and Kane.

“Mom told me you’re an artist.”

Lindy’s gaze sliced to mine, as if I’d told her deepest, darkest secret to TMZ and it would be aired for all the world to see.

“Yeah, I um…paint,” she very shyly told Kane.

“Lindy, sweetheart, you don’t just paint; you’re an artist,” I gently told her. “And not just an artist, you’re a talented artist.”

Pink bloomed on her cheeks, and suddenly I understood why Evan said he liked to see me blush. If I looked a fraction of how beautiful Lindy looked with color illuminating her face, I could see why.

“Mamalious is right, if you put paint to canvas or paper or whatever, you’re an artist. Own it, sister.”

Okay, there was a lot going on around the table.

First, Kane hadn’t once said “my mom”; he was simply saying “mom” without the possessive “my.” That was sweet.

I didn’t know if the “sister” was a throwaway endearment like people use or if that was his way of welcoming her to the family.

He called Carrie “sister.” The other thing that was going on was Lindy was her normal shy self, but until the artist comment, she’d blossomed under Kane’s attention.

And last, Evan had not missed any of this, and I could feel something rolling off him in waves.

Happiness. Gratitude. Contentment. I couldn’t identify the exact feeling, just that it felt good.

“I wish DJ was here,” I murmured.

Evan’s hand on my thigh squeezed.

“Well, then it’s good he and Carrie are coming down tomorrow.”

“That’s…”

The funeral.