“We’ll just have to wait and see,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, looking away from me. I understand that my family is worried about me, but fuck, they needed to get over it already.
“She’s not Jules.”
“Son, I never—”
“Dad,” I cut him off, “Jules has made my life a living hell since the day she told me she was pregnant with Jax. During that time, Lilly was alone. Yes, she had her parents, but she raised our daughter by herself, and even believing what she thought I told her, she still told Ashlyn about me. She’s a good woman and a good mother; she’s also honest and kind. She wouldn’t do this, and if you’re not going to be on my side—which is her side—then I don’t want you here right now,” I say through clenched teeth.
“You would choose her?”
“Fuck yes, without a second thought. I love you all, but I love her. She has had enough things happen over the last few years, and I don’t know what’s going on right now inside that building, but I do know the woman I love wouldn’t do what they are accusing her of doing.”
“Your mom loves her; so does your grandmother.” His eyes light up.
“That’s good, ‘cause she’s not going anywhere.”
“All right, son, let’s go get your girl.” He pats my back before we turn to go into the building. Once inside, we’re ushered into a small waiting area. There is a man there around my age; his pressed, white button-down shirt and khakis make him stand out. When he sees my dad, who is in uniform, he goes right to him.
“Do you have any information about Lilly Donovan?” the guy asks, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. My hackles rise at the name of my woman coming out of this guy’s mouth.
“Who are you?” I ask without thinking. His head swings in my direction, his eyes meeting mine.
“David. Who are you?” he asks, looking me over.
“Her boyfriend,” I tell him, wishing that I could say fiancé or husband.
“Oh.” He shrugs like it’s all the same to him before turning to face my dad again. “So is she going to be okay? I mean, should I call a lawyer?” he asks, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his pants.
“Don’t worry; my son will take it from here,” my dad says, nodding in my direction. “He will have her call you when she’s out and settled.”
“Oh yeah, sure, of course,” David says before turning and leaving the room without another look.
“Not fucking likely,” I say under my breath and happen to look at Trevor, who is wearing a smug grin on his cocky face. If we weren’t surrounded by officers, I would punch him. We all take a seat, and it’s not long before someone comes to get us. We get to a section of the station that is a long hall with a few chairs spaced out. I see Lilly sitting in a metal chair; her face is tilted towards her lap, and even from a few feet away I can see the tears running down her cheeks. “Baby,” I whisper when I get close enough to touch her.
“I didn’t do it,” she cries softly as I pull her into my arms.
“I know you didn’t,” I tell her, pulling her closer to me.
“They said that I stole checks from an old woman and wrote them to myself and cashed them,” she cries harder, her body convulsing.
“Baby, you need to calm down before you make yourself sick,” I whisper into her ear while rubbing her back.
“I-I can’t ca-calm d-down. They told me that the wo-woman that this happened to d-didn’t even have m-money for f-food be-because of what they th-think I d-did.”
“It’s okay. We’re going to get this figured out; I promise,” I say, trying to calm her down while the rage inside me starts to burn hotter and hotter. The minute I find out who really did this, I'm going to rip off their fucking head and shove it up their ass.
“I feel so bad,” she whispers into my chest. My dad stands close by with a look of worry and understanding on his face, and Trevor looks like he is ready to help me hide the body.
“Did they say you could leave?” I ask her, pulling her small body tighter against mine.
“Yes, but I can’t leave the country.”
“You weren’t going to anyways; so that’s okay.”
“I know; I told them that.” She nods, sniffling.
“Good, let’s get out of here. We’ll stop by your house and get you and Ashlyn some clothes. Then we can head to my house for the night.”
“I don’t—”
“Hey.” I tilt her face towards mine with a finger under her chin. “If you think for one fucking second that I'm letting you out of my sight tonight, you have lost your damn mind.”
“Okay.” She sighs, looking down.
“You okay, darlin?” my dad asks. Her body stiffens and she looks over her shoulder; seeing both my dad and Trevor, her face pales, and I feel her body start to shake.
“Oh no,” she whispers, looking back at me.
“Hey, it’s okay. My dad came when I called him. Both he and Trevor wanted to make sure you were okay,” I tell her quietly.
“They already hate me,” she says under her breath as new tears begin to fall from her eyes. “I think I'm going to be sick,” she says before covering her mouth with her hand and running down the hall towards the sign marked restrooms.
“I think I need to apologize.” My dad lets out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t think that she noticed.”
“She’s sensitive. The day after the bar-b-que she was excited to get to know you guys. She thought you were all welcoming her into the fold; then she noticed that y’all acted different with her than you do with November or Liz, and that was okay with her. She understood that it would take some time to build a relationship, except no one ever tried, and now she feels like an outsider. Well, except Ma; she has made it clear from day one that she has Lilly’s back.” I smile; I love my mom.
“I know Liz has called her,” Trevor says, and I nod.
“She did, and they talked and Lilly likes her a lot. She likes her and November both.”
“I like Lilly,” Trevor says, shaking his head and frowning.
“Yeah, but you all still act like she’s going to wig out if you say or do the wrong thing when she’s around. She can feel it, and so can I.” I rub my face. “She is here all alone; her parents are in Alaska, and she has no one except Ashlyn, Jax, and me.”
“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, an
d 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.”