Page 51 of Taming Bull

“Yes. Lily looks a lot like Amber.”

“A lot?” Dad snorted. “She’s a spittin’ image of Bill’s girl. The world’s a crowded place. How’d you manage to find yourself another Amber?”

My family had loved Amber. I’d expected their acceptance of Lily to be overshadowed by that love, but hearing the accusation in Dad’s voice still pissed me off. “I wasn’t looking for another Amber. Heck, I wasn’t looking for anyone.” Knowing I needed to nip this in the bud before they met my woman, I added, “And Lily’s nothing like Amber. Yeah, she looks like her, but the two of them couldn’t be more different.”

“That’s too bad. I really liked Amber,” Mom said.

Frustrated, I raked a hand through my hair and tried again. “You’d like Lily, too, if you gave her a chance.”

“That poor girl. And poor Gretta. Losin’ her like she did… it was a cryin’ shame.”

Mom was getting derailed, and I didn’t have it in me to go wandering down memory lane with her. The past had consumed far too much of my time and energy, and I refused to let it draw me in again. I’d made a promise to Lily, and I had every intention of keeping it. “It’s been two years, Mom. Don’t I deserve to be happy?”

“Yes. Of course, you do, dear. I just… this is kind of shocking.”

“I know. If you think it’s gonna be too hard on everyone to meet Lily, she and I will stay up here for Christmas.”

“But you always come home for Christmas,” Mom said.

“Yeah, I do. But like you said, nobody should be alone for the holidays, and I’m not leaving my girl here by herself. That’s not the kind of man you raised me to be.”

“You won’t come if she doesn’t?” Mom asked.

“No, ma’am. I know her resemblance to Amber will probably make you and the Kents uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t be calling you if I wasn’t serious about her. I love Lily. I plan to keep her in my life as long as she’ll stay, and I won’t bring her down there if she’s not welcome.”

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening, confirming every fear I’d had about their reception. They didn’t say Lily wasn’t welcome, but they didn’t have to. It was obvious where they stood on the matter. It hurt like hell, but I’d drawn my line and I wouldn’t cross it. I loved my family, but Lily was my future, and they damn well needed to accept her if they ever wanted to see my ass again.

“We have four months until Christmas,” I said. “Plenty of time for the two of you to think about it and let me know what you decide.”

“Okay.” Mom’s voice quivered. I wondered if she was still looking at the pictures of me and Lily. I hoped like hell she didn’t still see Amber. “We’ll let you know. We love you, Deryk.”

“Love you, too.” We said our goodbyes and I ended the call and stared at my phone, wondering what my parents would decide. Then I realized I couldn’t worry about that right then, because I had shit to do.

Grabbing the shoebox from my bed, I headed downstairs. Naomi and Monica were sitting on one of the sofas discussing something. I stopped by long enough to hand Naomi Amber’s ring. She looked from it to me, and her eyebrows rose in question.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“A donation for Lady’s First. Maybe you can sell it?”

Naomi looked like she wanted to ask a shit-ton more questions, but Monica settled her hand over the ring and smiled at me. “Thank you, Bull. We’ll make good use of it.”

I was sure they would. Mood lifted, I took my box and headed for the fire pit in the back yard. It was time to let Amber go.

15

Bull

SINCE I HAD the day off, I picked Lily up after work so she wouldn’t have to ride the bus. She walked out of the building, talking to an older guy with salt-and-pepper hair, a shaved face, and kind eyes. It had to be Tom, the supervisor who was training Lily. She’d told me all about him, and he seemed like a nice enough guy. Then again, I was pretty sure Lily could find the good in anyone.

As soon as her gaze found me, a smile about split her face in two and she waved wildly. His gaze followed hers, found me, and he frowned. It wasn’t the first time someone had seen my cut and my Harley and made a split-second judgment about my character, but it still ruffled my feathers. I wanted to tell him where he could shove his judgment but didn’t want to make trouble for Lily at her new job. So, I got off my bike, removed my helmet, and offered the condescending asshole my most disarming smile and my hand.

“Hi. I’m Deryk. Lily’s boyfriend.”

Lily’s smile grew impossibly wider. “Deryk, this is Tom, the super patient supervisor who’s been training me.”

Tom still didn’t look too sure about me, but he shook my hand. His grip was firm, and he looked me in the eye and said, “Nice to meet you.”

I turned up the charm. “The pleasure’s all mine. Lily has nothing but good things to say about this place. Thank you for taking such good care of her. We’re relieved she gets to apprentice in such a positive environment.”

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