Page 1 of Gunner

1

GUNNER

I’ve been staring indecisively at the rows of cereal boxes lined up in front of me for twenty minutes. Wary glances are thrown my way as soccer moms scurry off with their children—and hushed murmurs—to the next aisle. Their reactions have more to do with my vast collection of tattoos and my black leather cut than with me looking like some creep in the middle of Smith’s Grocery Store.

Either way, I don’t give a fuck.

I finally settle on my favorite, Lucky Charms, and stretch my hand out to grab it when something slams into the side of my leg. I mutter a curse, glancing down to see a little kid about to fall on his ass. Instinctively, my hand shoots out and grabs him before he hits the floor. He flinches, his eyes glued to where my fist is tightly holding a wad of his striped shirt.

“Fuck, my bad, kid.” I cringe, not wanting to scare him, and let go so he can find his footing.

The boy doesn’t speak; he just stares up at me with timid curiosity. I follow his gaze as it trails over the ink on my exposed arms. There is a hint of interest in his eyes now, his shoulders relaxing when his head tilts to the side. The corner of my mouth curls upward while I let him look his fill.

“You gotta watch where you're going,” I warn, but it’s met with silence as he blinks up at me.

We stare at each other for a few moments, and for some reason, he looks familiar. I mean, I don’t make a habit of talking with people who can’t fucking read yet, but I know I’ve seen those green eyes before.

“You lost, kid?”

He nods, and I sigh. I’m not in the mood to deal with this shit today.

“Can you talk?”

“Yes.” His voice is barely a whisper as he continues to study my face.

“Alright, little man. Let’s go find your mama.”

With my hand at the top of his back, I’m guiding him down the aisle toward the front of the store when I hear the name Caleb frantically called from a few yards away. I may not be the brightest fucker in the world, but I’m guessing that name belongs to the half-pint standing next to me.

“That your mom?”

His head bobs as he wears a mischievous grin. I can’t tell if he’s a hellion or just has a hint of troublemaker in him. I hope it’s the latter for his mama’s sake.

Cupping one hand to the side of my mouth, I shout, “Cereal aisle!”

Within seconds, a fraught woman comes darting around the corner, narrowly missing me with her shopping cart.

Do these people have no sense of their surroundings?

I’m about to give her what for, but then her gaze meets mine, and I freeze. A pair of sage-green eyes with flecks of gold stare back at me. The same eyes as the kid’s. Eyes and a face I’d recognize anywhere. Because there’s no way in fuck I could ever forget the only woman I’ve ever loved.

Lily Carter is standing right in front of me, looking as beautiful as the day I let her go. “Lil? What are you doing here?” I can hear mild bewilderment in my tone.

She sucks in a sharp breath as her mouth slightly gapes open. She looks me over from head to toe, no doubt observing I’m packing thirty more pounds of solid muscle and that my arms are now covered in ink. My face isn’t much different from when she saw me last, save for the beard I’ve been sporting for several years.

“James…” she says incredulously, as though I am a ghost standing in front of her.

Fuck, it’s been so long since I’ve heard my name uttered from her pouty mouth. The sweet sound of it sends a wave of pleasure straight to my cock, making it twitch. I stare at her, waiting for her to say more, ask me what I am doing here, anything. But she doesn’t. She just continues to gawk at me in disbelief.

I grow more and more anxious by the second. Why isn’t she saying anything? Is she mad? Did she miss me? Where the hell has she been?

I want to know everything about Lily and the time we spent apart. And the first thing I want to know is: when the fuck did she have a kid?

She slowly snaps out of her trance, rapidly blinking her eyes before they land on the pipsqueak beside me. Caleb grins up at her, then runs over to clutch her thigh.

“What did I tell you about staying next to me at all times?” she chides.

“That I’m not 'posed to wander off.” He lowers his head in defeat.

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