Hold on Tight

  He didn’t let my hand go right away, but firmly held it a second longer than necessary.

  “So, Sienna, what is it you do? Other than shop for bread for your son?”

  “I’m a hairdresser,” I replied.

  “And I’m assuming you’re not married. I did the whole casual glance-at-the-ring-finger thing when I walked up and got a good look at you.”

  Laughing, I shook my head. “No. Not married.”

  He nodded, and the easygoing smile on his face became more hopeful. “Let’s say I asked you to dinner Friday night. . . . Would you go?”

  He was sweet. The cockiness that I was used to in guys was missing, and I liked that a lot. I normally said no to dates because of Micah, but now that the Falcos were in his life, they’d probably love the opportunity to keep him on Friday night. Sure, my body and maybe my heart wanted Dewayne, but it wasn’t like there was a chance of that ever happening. Crap! I had to stop thinking about Dewayne. He was Micah’s uncle, that was it. Letting him sneak into my thoughts like this would just end up causing me heartache I didn’t need.

  “I need to discuss it with my son. Make sure he’s good with me going out. We normally do popcorn and a movie.” I was telling this man way more than was normal for me. . . .

  Cam grinned and held out his phone. “Why don’t you put your number in here for me, and then I’ll text you so you’ll have my number. You can call me when you’ve spoken to your son.”

  He wasn’t spooked by the idea of Micah at all. This was a first.

  I took his phone and punched in my number, then handed it back to him. “Here you go,” I said after texting myself. “I’ve already sent a message to my phone. I’ll let you know about Friday no later than tomorrow.”

  He gave me a crooked grin that was really very cute, then nodded toward the next aisle. “Guess I better go get some peanut butter to go with this bread. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you, Sienna Roy,” he said, then turned and walked away.

  I actually might have a date, I thought. A real date.

  DEWAYNE

  Micah had visited my parents’ house both afternoons this week, Monday and Tuesday. Momma had called to tell me everything he said and everything he did while he was there. She was fascinated by the kid. I was pretty damn thankful for him myself. I hadn’t seen my mother this happy in a long time.

  Momma had called me this morning to let me know that she had to take Dad in for his routine exam at his cardiologist and wouldn’t be home this afternoon. She was worried about Micah not getting to come visit. I had assured her he would understand, but she hadn’t seemed too convinced. So I’d told her I would take dinner over to Sienna’s and eat with them. That had pacified her.

  I was eventually going to have to talk to Momma about this. She’d smother Sienna if she kept this up. Sienna had been great about letting Micah go visit for a couple of hours every afternoon, but I was expecting her to limit this soon. It had been just her and Micah for five years. She wasn’t going to let my momma take her boy away all the time. I expected Momma to convince her to let Micah start coming to her house after school. It would help Sienna save money and I was sure she’d like the idea of him not having to go to after-school care. I just didn’t know if Sienna was ready for that yet.

  Pulling my truck into Sienna’s driveway, I winced at the sight of her beat-up car. We were going to have to talk about that. I didn’t like Micah riding around in that piece of shit. It was dangerous. Sienna’s pride would be a hurdle. It was the only reason I hadn’t brought her a new car home already. I knew she wouldn’t accept it. I had to find a way to make her accept it.

  The front door swung open, and Micah came running out onto the porch, waving at me with a big grin.

  When I had called Sienna and asked her if I could bring dinner and visit with Micah, she had seemed reluctant at first. She was keeping her distance from me, and I understood that. I was okay with it. Hell, I needed it. Getting close to her would be a huge mistake. I was going to take care of her and the kid, but I wasn’t going to get too close to her in the process.

  I reached over and grabbed the two large pizzas in my passenger seat. Micah would be coming after me if I didn’t hurry, and I didn’t want him to see the six-pack on the floor. I stepped out of the truck and made my way to the porch.

  “You brought pizza! I love pizza! I love mac ’ n’ cheese better, but I love real pizza. It’s better than the bread kind,” Micah said, grinning. Then his smile fell, and he glanced back at the house with a concerned frown.

  I started to ask him what was wrong, when he swung his big eyes back to me. He looked upset. “Don’t tell Momma I said that ’bout the bread pizzas. It’ll hurt her feelings. She makes ’em ’cause they’re cheap.”

  The boy was protecting his momma again. Made my chest fill with pride and an ache at the same time. He was just a baby, but he acted like the man of the house. He shouldn’t have that kind of responsibility on his little shoulders.

  “It’ll be our secret,” I assured him, lowering my voice.

  He looked relieved, and a smile replaced his frown. “Momma said you were getting me one with lots of cheese,” he said, excited again.

  I realized that pizza like this was a luxury for these two. Which pissed me off all over again. Why the hell had Sienna’s parents done this to her and Micah? Sienna and Micah shouldn’t have had to suffer so much. My parents would have made sure they had everything they needed, and a fucking pizzeria pizza wouldn’t be a treat.

  “Momma made some sweet tea, and Mama T brought over a whole basket of cookies this morning. But Momma said we gotta wait until dessert to eat ’em.”

  I started to respond, but then Sienna filled the doorway and my tongue suddenly stuck to the roof of my mouth. She was dressed in a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a fitted George Strait T-shirt from a tour nine years ago. She had only been thirteen then, and I knew the Roys hadn’t let her go to the George Strait concert at the Wharf that year.

  “Nice shirt,” I said, needing an excuse for looking at her curves. Perfectly delicious curves. Ones I wanted to run my hands over and brand with a trail of bites. Marking my path . . . Stop! No. I couldn’t do that.

  “Dustin got it for me. I used it as a sleep shirt for years because it was too big. He went with friends, and you took them, I believe,” she said with a small smile.

  I had taken them, but I’d forgotten. Dustin hadn’t wised up yet and made sure everyone knew Sienna was his, and she was changing back then. Guys were noticing her. He’d bought her a shirt, though, when I’d pointed out to him that she’d probably hear he had taken Victoria Harris to the concert. Victoria hadn’t been as pretty as Sienna back then, and she wasn’t anywhere near the looker Sienna was now. My brother had been obsessed with Victoria’s tits. That had been it.

  So he had bought that T-shirt for Sienna. Funny how that was a memory I had pushed away. But seeing Sienna in that shirt brought it all back.

  “I remember taking them. It wasn’t a great concert. You didn’t miss much,” I told her.

  She laughed, and everything around her lit up. The sound of her laughter made all that was wrong seem right. “I know that’s a lie. But thanks for trying. Victoria Harris made sure I knew just how amazing that concert had been. She also made sure I knew that although I got the T-shirt, she got the guy.” Sienna smirked. “That was all before, though.”

  Before. Before I forced my brother to wake the hell up and see what was right there for him to take. Sienna had worshipped him and he had loved it, but he hadn’t been ready to do anything remotely exclusive. Until I had lunch with her and until she caught the attention of every male at Sea Breeze High. That had lit a fire under Dustin’s ass.

  “Come on in with those pizzas. I’ve already got the table set.” She stepped back so I could walk inside.

  “Do I need to fill the cups with ice?” Micah asked her.

  “That would be very helpful,” she told him.

  He hurri
ed off around me and into the kitchen. I set the pizzas down in the center of the table while he tugged a chair over to get cups down. I moved to go help him but Sienna’s hand touched my arm.

  “Don’t help him. Let him do it,” she said in a whisper.

  This was why he was so responsible for his age. Sienna let him feel important. I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea of him not getting a chance to be a kid or if this was good training. Maybe she was raising a better man than me or my brother had been. God knows I loved my momma, but she waited on me and my brother hand and foot. Can’t say it helped either of us much.

  SIENNA

  I silently ate my one slice of pizza while listening to Micah tell Dewayne everything Dewayne could possibly want to know and then some. I enjoyed savoring the pizza. It was delicious, and I was being careful to take small bites. There was no way I could eat two slices in front of Dewayne. I didn’t normally care how much I ate in front of men. But knowing that Dewayne would be thinking how much I didn’t need a second slice would make it hard to eat.

  Besides, Dewayne had eaten five slices, and Micah was on his second slice. They were doing a fine job of putting the pizzas away themselves. Watching Micah enjoy the cheesy pizza was worth sitting through this with Dewayne.

  When Dewayne had asked if he could bring dinner and visit Micah tonight, I had wanted to make up an excuse. I wanted to relax after work, and being near Dewayne was not relaxing. But I knew how much Micah would love this, so I had said okay. And now here I sat, taking the world’s smallest bites of a slice of pizza while my stomach growled from missing lunch today. When Dewayne left, I was going to eat a piece of leftover pizza. Maybe two.

  “Isn’t that right, Momma?” Micah said, and I snapped back to attention and blinked, focusing on my son.

  “Uh, is what right?” I asked, feeling like an idiot.

  “Don’t you have a date tomorrow night?”

  What? Why was he talking about that? I had asked him if he cared, and then I’d talked to Tabby, who had been thrilled that I was going on a date with Vice Principal Dodge. However, this wasn’t Dewayne’s business.

  I simply nodded and shoved a larger bite of pizza in my mouth.

  “He’s a principal,” Micah added with pride. He had taken the idea of me dating much better than I’d anticipated.

  “Principal?” Dewayne asked, his eyes now completely focused on me. I swallowed the pizza and took a drink of water. Then I nodded and forced a smile.

  “Where?” Dewayne asked, not looking happy about this at all. “I thought you said you didn’t date. You had Micah and that was enough.”

  Whoa . . . wait a minute. Anger simmered in my blood, and I sat up straighter and leaned forward, glaring at Dewayne with a warning I hoped he understood. “Cam Dodge. He’s the vice principal at the high school, and if I get asked out by a nice man who doesn’t think I’m average, that’s my decision. I did ask Micah how he felt first, and then I spoke with Tabby before agreeing to this date. Your mother was thrilled.”

  Dewayne clenched his jaw and didn’t flinch. “Where did you meet Cam Dodge?”

  I was done. This was over. I stood up and threw my napkin on the table. “None of your business,” I informed him, and began clearing off the table.

  “She met him in the bread aisle at the grocery store. He was really nice to her,” Micah offered since I wasn’t talking. That kid didn’t know when to keep information to himself.

  “The bread aisle?” Dewayne asked, as if he was horrified by the idea.

  I took several deep breaths before turning around to face him again after setting dirty dishes in the sink. He was welcome into Micah’s life, but he was not welcome into mine. I didn’t need his approval.

  Just looking at him made me crack just a little. I hated that he affected me like this. I placed my hands on my hips. “Yes, Dewayne, the bread aisle. We discussed white bread and its healthy alternatives. He was nice to me. It felt good. Six years, Dewayne. Six very long years. I think I’m due a dinner date.”

  Dewayne flinched this time. I smiled at him, although it didn’t reach my eyes. I was angry. I wanted him to leave. But he was here for Micah. It was time I gave them some alone time.

  “I’m going to soak in the bath while you two play. Come get me when Dewayne leaves,” I told Micah. Then I forced my gaze back to Dewayne. “Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.”

  I turned and walked toward the hallway.

  “You barely ate any of it,” Dewayne called out to me.

  “Don’t want to gain any weight and dip below that average line I’m walking,” I replied, then slammed my bedroom door behind me.

  Squeezing my eyes closed, I took several calming breaths, then began to strip. I was ready for a long soak in the tub with the new bath salts Hillary had given me to try out. She wanted her employees to sample products she carried at the salon so we could recommend them. I loved that idea because I would never let myself splurge on things like bath salts.

  Micah’s laughter in the living room reminded me why Dewayne was here, and I let my anger and frustration with him go. He had come to see Micah. He was protecting Micah. As insulting as it was for him to question my choices, I was glad he wanted to be a part of Micah’s life. I needed to learn to take the bad with the good.

  From now on when Dewayne came to visit Micah, I would just take really long baths. I could eat more in here too. It was a win-win situation. The good thing about Dewayne being a jerk was that at least I wasn’t going all silly around him. His beautiful body and face didn’t get to me anymore.

  Well, almost.

  * * *

  “Momma, I’m taking Dewayne outside to show him Daddy’s star. Okay?” Micah called through the door a long time later.

  I had gone outside with him last night to help him find the biggest star we could see. He believed it was Dustin. So I let him believe it.

  DEWAYNE

  When Sienna had called out good-bye to me last night through her closed bedroom door, I knew I’d really screwed up. For starters, I was going to have to explain the ‘average’ comment to her, because it was bothering her. She kept bringing it up.

  Then I needed to remember that she had done a damn fine job of raising Micah on her own. Trusting her was important. I did trust her. It was this Cam Dodge I didn’t trust. I was going to fix that, too. I would talk to him. See what I thought about him. If he was a good guy, then I’d encourage this dating thing with Sienna. If he wasn’t, I’d make sure he stayed the hell away from her.

  Last night when Micah took me outside to see the star he believed was Dustin, I should have had a moment with him. It should have been the only thing on my mind. But it wasn’t. I’d been planning this visit to Cam Dodge. Fucker messed up my night. I had to make sure he was worth it. Sienna deserved the best.

  Pulling my truck into the visitor parking at the high school, I decided this was the best idea. The man couldn’t ignore me if I showed up at his job. I’d ask for a meeting with him and then we’d talk. Sienna wouldn’t know about it, and I could hopefully step back and let her date.

  Maybe she’d smile at me again. And fucking eat something around me.

  I stepped into the school office, and Mrs. Quinn looked up at me. She broke into a smile as she stood up. The short little secretary was older than my momma, and her white hair was always curled up tight, her bangs pinned back with a bow like she was seven instead of seventy. Couldn’t help but love the woman.

  “Well, if it ain’t Dewayne Falco come to pay us a visit. I’ve heard that you cause less trouble these days now that your buddies have all been tamed by their women.”

  Leave it to Mrs. Quinn to know about everyone’s lives. She may be stuck sitting behind that desk and dealing with teenagers all day five days a week, but she when we graduated, she didn’t forget us. People like her were who we needed in education.

  “I came to see that pretty smile of yours,” I told her, then winked just to watch her blush and bat her eyelashes. br />
  “Still a charmer, I see,” she replied, beaming at me. I was sure she didn’t get flirted with often, given that she was as wide as she was tall. Still, she deserved some attention.

  “Yes, ma’am. I always think a pretty woman needs to be told just that.”

  She waved me off and giggled, which was hilarious coming from someone her age. When she retired, it would be a sad day for Sea Breeze High.

  “I know you didn’t just come here to flirt with me. Now, what can we do for you, Mr. Falco?” she asked, still smiling.

  I nodded at the door I knew belonged to the vice principal. Back when I was in school, the vice principal had been Old Man Warldo. He was grumpy and mean as hell. It was good news for kids in Sea Breeze when the man retired two years ago.

  “I need to see Mr. Dodge,” I told her, trying to be as respectful as possible. If I could get through Mrs. Quinn, then I was home free.

  She looked unsure, then picked up her phone and pressed a button.

  “Mr. Dodge, are you available to meet with Mr. Dewayne Falco, sir?”

  The man wasn’t going to know who the hell I was. “Tell him it’s concerning Sienna Roy,” I told her. That would pique his interest.

  Mrs. Quinn’s eyes went big, and I knew she recognized that name too. My brother’s death had been a tragedy this whole school had suffered. And Sienna’s leaving had shocked everyone.

  “Uh, it’s concerning Miss Sienna Roy,” she added, studying me while she said it. “Yes, sir. I’ll send him right in.”

  He was curious. Good.

  She hung up and raised her eyebrows. “Is Sienna Roy back home?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

  Mrs. Quinn let out what looked like a sigh of relief. “Well, glory be. It’s about time. That sweet girl was shipped off, and I knew it wasn’t right. Worried me sick. Glad she’s been able to come home. Reckon her father’s passing made that possible.”

  How this woman knew so much, I didn’t know. But she did. She seemed to know a lot. I just nodded.

  She waved her hand toward Cam Dodge’s door. “Go on in. Mr. Dodge said he would see you.”

  I thanked her and headed for the door before he could change his mind.

  Cam Dodge stood up from behind his desk when I opened the door. He was young. I was expecting someone older, and that had bothered me. But he was young, and fuck it all if that didn’t bother me more.