Page 36 of The Love Ambush (The Sullivans #1)
“He regularly made it very clear to her she wasn’t good enough for him.
The house wasn’t clean enough, she wasn’t dressing up for him the way he wanted, she didn’t pay enough attention to him.
” She sighs. “I didn’t even realize it until he left and I didn’t have to hear him complaining all the time or listen to my mother cry when he stayed out all night, flirting and charming half the town.
Everyone in Catalpa Creek adored my father.
Even I used to think if she’d just try harder, maybe he’d be happy.
After he left…” She stares straight ahead, her voice going tight.
“She could never get over him leaving, could never stop blaming herself. When she got the divorce papers, she didn’t come out of her room for a week.
Then she got hurt in a fender bender driving home from work and got addicted to opioids.
” She huffed. “He never beat any of us or even yelled, really. He was just all surface and no substance when it came to his wife and family.”
“I had no idea.” I wish I had my phone so I could call Brodie and tell him not to get in touch with their father. “And that’s what you think of me? Because I’m charming, I must have no substance?”
She smiles. “There’s at least one thing you’re very, very good at.”
My mouth goes dry and my stomach turns to acid. I want her to see me as so much more than the guy she had a night of good sex with. “We’re going to get out of this, Gentry, and I’m going to show you just how very good I can be.” At being her everything.
Her smile turns sad. “Levi, I—”
“You’ve both been bailed out,” Officer Jackson says as he walks over and unlocks Gentry’s cell. “The owner of the SUV says you two aren’t car thieves. And, since you’re both first-time offenders and there was not a soul out on the street, you just have to pay a fine for your sexual exploits.”
I have no idea how Brodie got here so fast, but I’m too glad to be getting out of here to care.
“Will this arrest be on my record?” Gentry asks.
Officer Jackson’s brow creases. “Shouldn’t be. It’s just a fine. Like if you’d gotten a speeding ticket.”
“So, if CPS looks into me, they won’t see a sexual offense on my record?”
Officer Jackson looks over at me, clearly confused.
“She’s the guardian of her teenage sisters,” I say. “She’s worried CPS might want to take them away if they find out about this.”
Officer Jackson’s frown deepens. “I’m not at all sure about that.” He lets me out and taps his fingers on his duty belt. “Just to be safe. How about we forget about the ticket and the fine, and you two make a generous contribution to the police fund?”
I insist on covering our donation, and ignore Gentry’s promises to pay me back. If she tries, she’ll just be waking up to breakfast on her porch for the next month. Assuming, as I am, that whatever we’ve had is ending.
She doesn’t touch me and barely looks at me as we start our march to the lobby where Brodie waits for us, a scowl on his face.
As we walk up to him, his eyes narrow. “I cannot believe you two had sex in my car,” he says through gritted teeth. “No one’s going to want to buy it now. I’m going to be stuck with that sex car for the rest of my freaking life.”
Next to me, Gentry starts shaking, her shoulder bumping mine. I turn to her, ready to rage at Brodie for making her cry, but her lips are pressed together tight, her eyes glazing over with tears of laughter.
Seeing her fight so hard to hold it in sets me off. After the stress of the arrest, this is exactly the release I need, and I don’t hold back. I laugh until I’m doubled over. Which only makes Gentry let out a burst of laughter that flies out of her almost like a scream.
“Un-fucking-believable,” Brodie says with a growl of frustration, before marching out of the police station. We follow him, still laughing.
“I’m sorry, Brodie,” Gentry calls after him once we’re in the dimly lit parking lot. “I’ll pay to have your car detailed, okay?”
He sighs and walks back to us. “You can’t afford that.” He points at me. “You will pay for it. And you’re marrying my sister. You’ve had public sex with her, so there’s no turning back. It’s a shotgun wedding.”
“Don’t I have to be pregnant for a shotgun wedding?” Gentry asks, her lips trembling and her eyes sparkling with mirth.
“No,” Brodie says. “Because we have birth control in this day and age, thank the good Lord. Public sex is a good enough reason. I’ll call the priest in the morning.”
“We are not getting married,” Gentry says with a chuckle.
Brodie crosses his arms over his chest and glares at me. “What are your intentions with my sister?”
“Brodie,” Gentry says with a gasp. “Stop. You’re being ridiculous.”
“You’re pretty much a single mother,” Brodie says. “I need to—”
“I only have the best intentions with Gentry,” I say, before Brodie says something that gets him punched.
By Gentry. Not by me. I’m seriously already in so deep with her, I’d probably go along with the marriage right now if he insisted and she asked.
She’s it for me. Standing on this street right now, all I want is to get to bed and curl up with her in my arms. If she wants to have sex again, I’m here for it, but I’d be in heaven just to be snuggled up with her.
“I’m all in. One hundred percent. And I’m not walking away unless she insists. ”
Brodie looks me up and down. “Have sex in or on my property again, and I will beat the shit out of you. And then, I’ll release those pictures of—”
“I got it. Thanks for bailing us out, Brodie.” I grab Gentry’s hand and lead her toward the SUV.
“I mean it, Levi. I’m letting you use my car while you’re here, but if you have sex in it again, you’ll be walking everywhere for the next three days.”
I lift a hand in the air and wave. “Got it.”
“And try not to set the alarm off again. I get an alert on my phone when it goes off, and Daphne and I were—”
Gentry pulls her hand free of mine, sticks her fingers in her ears, and sings, “La, la, la, la, la…”
I unlock the SUV and hand the keys over to Gentry. “Go ahead and get in. I need to talk to Brodie real quick.”
“About what?” she asks, her brows high.
“About what level of detailing he wants. I’m going to try to get it done before the wedding, and I want it to be perfect.”
She shrugs. “Okay. But hurry. I’m exhausted.”
I do hurry, jogging across the parking lot. “Hey, Brodie. Wait.”
Brodie stops as he’s reaching for the door handle of Daphne’s car. He turns with a huge grin on his face. “Changed your mind about the wedding?”
“No, man. Neither of us is going to change our minds. I need to talk to you about your dad.”
His smile vanishes, and his chin lifts. “You find something on him?”
“I haven’t had time to do a deep dive, but Gentry says he’s not a good guy. I think we should tell her you found him and let her decide if he should be involved.”
He’s shaking his head before I’ve finished speaking. “Mom filled Gentry’s head with all kinds of negative shit about Dad after he left. I’m not saying he’s perfect, but he’s not a monster.”
“Man, three days ago you were determined never to forgive him.”
He shrugs. “I was holding onto anger and resentment that maybe wasn’t fair to him. Besides, this is for the greater good. Gentry needs help, and if you aren’t going to marry her, we need to get Dad involved.”
“Is that why you want me to marry her?”
“It’s sure as hell not because I want to see your ugly face at Thanksgiving every year,” he says with a smirk.
“Seriously, Brodie. We should talk to Gentry about this before we do anything else.”
He sobers and leans in close. “Do not tell her, Levi. You know how she is about asking for help. Dad’s the guy who can help her, but she’ll insist she’s fine without him just because she’s got some beef with him that’s more about Mom than her.
I’m going to call him tomorrow and get an idea of how he feels about this. ”
“Tomorrow?” I shake my head. “That’s too soon. I need more time to look into him.”
“What are you going to find? You said he doesn’t have a police record. He’s got a full-time job, and he’s re-married. It sounds like he’s got his life together.”
“Lots of people can look like they have their life together from the outside and be a disaster privately. Just wait until I’m back in Catalpa Creek and can do some real digging, okay? Don’t do anything until I have all the facts.”
“I’ll make that deal,” he says. “As long as you don’t tell Gentry.”
“I really think she should know.”
“Trust me. I know my sister better than you do. She doesn’t need to know anything until everything’s in place.”