Page 106 of Just Between Us

“I have to go—that was Whip. Apparently some kid at the fire station thinks I’m his dad.” The muscles in his jaw flexed, and a vein bulged in his forehead. “I do not have time for this bullshit.”

I stood, stunned, as my brother walked away without saying goodbye.

What in the actual fuck just happened?

“Achild?”Veda’s jade-green eyes were round as she crunched on a carrot from the corner of the couch. “No way.”

At a loss for words, I shrugged and let my hands slap on the outside of my jeans. “Apparently.” I sighed. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Come here.” Veda patted the couch next to her and flung a throw pillow to the floor to make room for me.

I sank onto the couch with her, taking up the entire space. Veda moved her soft thigh over mine, and I hiked it higher before burying my nose into the crook of her neck.

She stroked the hairs at the base of my skull, and I groaned, sighing into her and letting my body fully relax.

“Any news from the attorney?” she asked.

I grumbled and shook my head. “Nothing yet.”

Bootsy and Bowlegs had crumpled under questioning following their arrest. In all likelihood, depending on their involvement over the years, their statements would only hurt my father’s case. There was nothing more we could do, other than wait and allow it all to unfold in court.

“I saw his wife—the one from Chicago—on television.” Had it not been for Veda’s soft fingers, my frustration would have simmered over.

His wife had been making the rounds on television and local newspapers. It was unbelievable, but she was actually defending the man who’d led a double life for decades.

Hell, maybe she had known and didn’t care.

The kids he’d fathered were notably absent from those interviews. That fact picked at my brain. “What do you think about his kids? The other ones,” I asked.

Veda was quiet, her breaths steady. “I think I mostly feel sorry for them.”

“Do you think they knew? About us?” I listened as her heartbeat lulled me away from completely unraveling.

She shrugged. “It’s hard to say. They certainly know now. Do you think you should ... talk to them?”

I wasn’t ready. My insides were too raw. I sighed. “Maybe one day, but not today.”

Veda patted my back. “You know what I saw earlier?” She leaned behind her and scooped up the local newspaper.

I shifted to sit up next to her as she handed it to me. On the front page was a stunning picture of my mother. She was sitting on the steps of a large front porch, surrounded by all six of us as children. In the photograph, Mom was mid-laugh. My chest pinched at how lovely she was.

True to her word, Cass had honored our mother, and her story had morphed into a memorial piece. Outtatowner residents had shared long-forgotten photographs and stories about my mother’s kindness and laughter. My vision grew watery as I read their memories and sentiments. The exposé touched on her disappearance and our father’s recent indictment. My fingers brushed over the title:A Mother Gone, But Not Forgotten.

I cleared the emotion from my throat. So much had been taken from me—from all of us—when my father stripped her from our lives. Slowly that gaping hole was being filled with things that reminded me how good life could still be—spending time with my siblings, creating new tattoo designs, fucking with the Sullivans, Veda.

Always Veda.

I released a final breath, deciding that I was wholly finished with feeling sorry for myself for the day. My hand slapped against my knee.

“Okay, let’s go.” I rose to my feet. “I’ve got something to show you.”

She eyed me as I nearly skipped down the hall toward the bedroom. From the bottom drawer of my dresser, I slipped out a long, skinny jewelry box. It had been hidden for two days, and while I had wanted to wait for a special occasion to give it to her, the anticipation was killing me.

When I walked back from the bedroom, Veda was standing near the kitchen island.

“Close your eyes,” I commanded. “And hold out your hands.”

“Yes, sir.” A smirk lifted at the corner of Veda’s mouth. If I wasn’t careful, she’d playfully dance her way intobratterritory.

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