“What club?” All the guys chuckled.
“The one we’re all in, hopelessly devoted to our women and walking around like lovesick puppies,” Landon added.
I was shocked, because Landon was the quietest out of the whole bunch but he was also probably the smartest. And he didn’t have any issue letting people know his lady, Alley, had him wrapped around her finger, along with their daughter.
But they had it wrong.
“Nobody said anything aboutlove. I just want to help Capri, she’s a good person,” I said, looking down at the ground.
I had never been in love so I wouldn’t know what that felt like.
However, I did know what the feel of her lips and the taste of her did to me. The woman tasted as good as she smelled, sweet and sugary like the desserts she made. I knew more about her than she’d probably like me to, but I still wanted to know so much more. Though, that may be hard when she kept so much of herself closed off. I noticed she particularly kept a distance between us.
But I didn’t know if that was love at first sight. Was that even real? What I did know was something shifted inside me and I was instantly drawn to her.
It was crazy to even think about. She was hiding something and who knows what her past would bring.
Then you had my past which wasn’t winning any awards and a mother who never would win mother of the year, sitting in a mental institution. She was my mother though and as a son I was doing my best to understand the things she’d done and be there to get her help.
I shook my head trying to clear it and then looked back up at the guys.
“Anyone need something to drink?” I asked the group.
“Nice deflection, man,” Lyric said. “Word of advice. Just grab that feeling by the balls and go with it.”
The guys all hooted with laughter and I started to walk away as I whispered, “Assholes.”
“Heard that,” Braxton said, laughing.
As I grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler, I wondered why I had agreed to stay in Portland and work with all the yahoos that found it funny to give me shit.
My eyes scanned the crowd and landed on one of those reasons walking toward me with a concerned look on her face.
My sister.
She had been a nice and new surprise in my life. Along with finding her, I also gained a brother-in-law, a couple nieces and some great friends. And I would be an uncle again soon according to the announcement Gemma had made earlier.
Something was still missing though and I couldn’t help but think about what the guys said. Was that something the love of a good woman?
Or was it Capri?
I had no time to think about it anymore, my sister was in my personal space.
“Where’s Capri? I saw her run into the house and she looked upset. The only reason I didn’t follow was because I saw you had.”
Gemma planted her hands on her hips and tapped her foot waiting for me to answer. My sister had a fire in her and her attitude could rise in a matter of seconds.
There just wasn’t much to tell her and I wasn’t giving up any info about the kiss.
“I tried talking to her but she seemed upset and wouldn’t tell me anything. She left out the front door.”
Gemma gave me a look that screamed‘you fool’.“Why didn’t you go after her when she left?”
“It looked like she needed some space and I didn’t want to push her.” Or scare her, was more like it.
“You rescue people, Paxton. Rescue Capri,” my sister whispered.
I shook my head back and forth. “It’s not the same thing and you know it, Sis.” But as I said the words everything inside me said I wanted to do as she asked. I blew out a big breath of air. Question was, would Capri let me help her?
