Page 37 of Needing Your Love
“Maybe she ought to take Kurt back to court for full custody until he gets himself straightened out,” I suggested what Mary had told me Carrie had been threatening Kurt with lately. “DJ seems like a pretty stable kid, so perhaps some time apart from the toxicity would be best for now.”
Mary nodded even though her eyes remained haunted. “I can’t help but believe Kurt’s headed down a dark path. I’ve heard him be unkind with his words, but the thought he might get physical with DJ like Jimmy’s dad…”
Something inside me crumbled, causing my eyes to sting.
“Andthatboy.” Mary glanced toward the window through where occasional laughter reached us. “Jimmy has seen the world, knows he’s not alone, but he still can’t accept that he’s worth loving. I want better than that for my grandson’s future, Chief.” Her voice broke, and I swallowed hard as guilt for possibly contributing to Jimmy’s words flooded through me.
“You’re the reason I can’t sleep at night. This feeling of unrest…I hate that you’re the only one I trust to fill up the emptiness inside me. The power you hold over me?—”
His honesty from that night in Frenchie’s bathroom replayed through my mind as it had been doing on repeat, hitting so goddamned close to home it made my eyes sting.
Jimmy was the reasonIdidn’t sleep at night, the burr in the back of my mind that didn’t allow me rest. Regardless of my fear, I wanted him broken down to his baser self. Raw in his emotion andreal.
He was a goddamned gift in need of unwrapping so he could see the beauty beneath the facade.
But if I found the balls to be vulnerable, would he even offer me the chance to peel away his layers? Would the possibility of fulfillment in giving that boy what he needed and watching him make gains toward healing be worth the sure heartache when he had enough of this small town and took off again?
“So what happens now, Chief?” Mary asked, pulling me away from my heavy musings I couldn’t escape.
My chest ached, and I cleared my throat, having to be the bearer of even more bad news. “I’ll have another little chat with Kurt once he’s sobered up. This will be his first DWI, but he’ll have to pay a hefty fine and lose his license for a while. I can’t shelter him from the consequences for his actions this time.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, Chief. My son needs to learn a lesson before he makes a choice that has even worse consequences.” She spoke as though a premonition hovered over her mind, and I shivered on instinct.
My attempted smile hurt as our gazes met atop the table. “You’re a good mother, Mary, and I can’t thank you enough for being a safe place for DJ—and Jimmy—when they need you most.”
Chapter 16
Jimmy
I’d heard the crunch of wheels on gravel and had caught sight of Sutton pulling into the driveway while chasing after a wayward basketball toss from my opponent.
Butterflies had erupted and continued to swarm in my stomach while DJ and I played one-on-one, teasing and talking smack. He easily outshone me with his natural athletic abilities, and I couldn’t use the excuse for my missed baskets because of Sutton’s gaze on me for a few brief moments I’d felt his stare.
The warmth of his eyes disappeared, but the cruiser didn’t drive off.
I tired long before DJ did, and I eventually managed to talk him into heading in for some lemonade, hating how sweat caused my T-shirt to cling to my body.
When we entered the kitchen, the sound of heavy footfalls up the hallway and the closing of the front door kicked up another burst of adrenaline.
“Gotta head out, kiddo!” I called over my shoulder, leaving DJ behind where he began to rummage in the fridge.
“Bye, bud!” he hollered.
Mary stood in the hallway, and I sidled around her with a quick kiss to her cheek.
“What’s the rush?” she asked with a chuckle—and knowing look.
I winked and scurried out the door before shutting it gently behind me. “Chief!” I called out as he reached his cruiser.
He turned, his quick glance over my sweaty body heating me more than the half hour I’d spent shooting hoops.
I stopped in front of him, breathless and flashing a grin, praying my sweat-stained shirt wasn’t as disgusting to him as it was to me. “I was hoping to catch you before you left.”
“What do you need, Jimmy?” His tone held its usual suspicion, but I couldn’t be bothered because thosewords.
Goddamn, I loved when he asked me that, and I had a million and one possible answers.
“How about we meet for dinner tonight and I’ll explain every single one of myneedsin detail?” I suggested with a promising smirk that usually awarded me a mouth or ass full of dick.
