I Am The Storm (Storm Warning Series Book 5) Page 2

  His dark brows drew together. “Prove it.”

  “What?” she exclaimed. “Look, I get that you’re drunk, but this is important. We need to talk.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Like you said, I’m drunk, so how do I know this is really happening? Prove it.”

  Her mouth fell open in disbelief. “Seriously? How will that help?”

  He stood firm, jaw tight. Aggravated, she clenched her fists and growled a little.

  “Fine. Whatever.” Going with the first thing that popped into her head, she said, “When I was ten years old, you came over to my house for a barbecue my family was holding. We were playing in the back yard, when you…” She blushed, suddenly embarrassed to have brought this up. What was I thinking? With no other option, she pushed on. “When you kissed me.” She looked down for a second, then back up and met his eyes. “It was my first kiss. I never told anyone about that.”

  He studied her for a moment, when suddenly all the tension left his body and his arms fell to his sides. “Me neither.”

  Not knowing what else to say, never having expected the conversation to go this way, she just stood there, staring at him.

  “Shit,” he breathed out, running his hands through his hair, looking completely bewildered. “What are you doing here?” he finally asked, focusing on her.

  “I need to talk to you, David.”

  He stared at her a long moment, then shook his head. Stepping back, he waved her in. “Sure, come on in.” He zipped his pants and looked around, maybe for a shirt, hopefully for a shirt.

  Sighing, she rolled her shoulders. The air conditioning felt so good after standing outside for hours in the evening heat, being eaten up by mosquitos. She scratched her arm and shoved her hair out of her eyes, taking in the surroundings.

  “Have a seat.” He held his hand out to the couch. “Can I get you something?”

  She was taken aback at his manners, acting so much more mature than she last remembered. Maybe he wasn’t as drunk as she suspected. “No, no I’m fine.”

  He dropped in a chair and put his arm across the back, looking like he hadn’t a care in the world. That was the guy she knew, and she might have believed that was really what he was feeling, if it weren’t for the intent way his eyes stayed on her. Watching, assessing. What was he looking for?

  “What’s this all about?” he questioned, not unkindly. “It’s late and I’ve had enough to drink that I’m not sure I’m firing on all cylinders.”

  She tried to answer but couldn’t. Instead, she glanced around the living room of the ranch style house, looking for some insight into his life now. She immediately came to the conclusion he didn’t have a wife or a live-in girlfriend. Not a single feminine thing, nothing hinting at a woman’s touch, was in the space. Not that she’d expected that anyway. Considering what he was like the last time she saw him, he was the last person in the world she would expect to be in a relationship. Besides, she had it confirmed by her grandma before coming here that he was unattached.

  Turning back to him, she finally found her voice. “I hoped we might talk.”

  “Tomorrow might be a better time for that.” He glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the mantle. “It’s after midnight.”

  “I know. I came here earlier but you weren’t home. Grandma said Nancy Wigan was getting married, so I surmised you were attending the wedding.”

  “That’s right. That’s where I’ve been. Now tell me, where have you been for the last what — six years?” he accused.

  There was that anger again. If anyone had the right to be angry here, it was she. And what did he have to be angry about in the first place? She wasn’t the one who ignored calls and moved on to the next conquest before you could blink.

  Gritting her teeth, she forced out, “Yes, it’s been a long time.”

  Holding her gaze, he questioned, “Why’d you come back, Amelia? What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m in trouble.” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. She wanted to ease into it more, like a story where she could explain as she went along. But nothing was going right tonight. None of this was going like it was supposed to.

  His gaze sharpened. “What kind of trouble?”

  She sat down, twisting her hands in her lap. “Do you remember the last time we saw each other?”

  He pinned her with his gaze, as though insulted that she had to ask.

  She glared in return. “Come on? Like that was such a bad thing to ask. You used to have a different girl in your bed every night and from what I hear things haven’t changed.” The reminder of that fact was like a cold glass of water thrown in her face.

  “It wasn’t every night and it still isn’t. There is nothing wrong with having a good time with someone who wants the same things as you and I’d appreciate it if you gave me a little more credit. What happened between us was just that—between us. You made the same choices I did at Kendall and Bobby Joe’s house that night.”

  “So you do remember,” she said, more relieved than she wanted to admit.

  “Of course I do. I remember it was Kendall’s twenty-first birthday party and everyone was there. You were back from college, visiting, and I had just joined the police force. I remember us talking and laughing, getting to know each other, really know each other for the first time, even though we’d been around each other our whole lives. I remember it going somewhere and us talking about it being just for that night, nothing serious, before-hand.” His voice grew harsh and his jaw ticked as he said, “And I remember you promised you were coming back after college to settle in Rainwater and you never did.”

  “Whoa,” she held up her hand. She was shocked and, foolish as it was, touched he remembered so much, but he left out some really important details too. “Thanks for the memories, but you’re missing some crucial ones there,” she said, closing her eyes for a moment before shaking her head in disgust. “Like me calling over and over for a month after that night. Trying to connect with you, talk with you. But you never answered the phone!” She jumped to her feet and began to pace as old hurts came to the surface. “It must be great to do whatever you want, sleep with whoever you want, have all the girls chasing after you, and you can just walk away, not caring about the mess you leave behind you.” She stalked toward the door. “This is a waste of time.”

  “Wait,” he called out, standing and walking a few steps towards her. “You’re right.”

  Taking a deep breath, she turned and faced him.

  “I know you called. And I’m sorry, but I wasn’t ready for anything more. I was young and—” He looked to the ceiling, searching for the words. Tilting his head back down he threw out, “We talked about it. It wasn’t anything serious. What is it with girls saying one thing and doing another? How many times have I been made out to be the bad guy because a girl says she’s okay with one night and then wants more?”

  She laughed without humor. “Don’t worry. I won’t be another problem you have to deal with.”

  Growling in frustration he quickly came to her and stood so close she could smell his skin, feel his heat. Closing her eyes, she bit back tears. Why did he still affect her this way?

  “Amelia,” he said softly, raising his hands as if to touch her and then letting them fall to his sides before they could. “I didn’t mean you. You were different, you—” he cut himself off.

  “Different, huh?” she chuckled darkly. “You didn’t answer the phone, David. A month. I called for a month, and you didn’t answer the phone,” she stated quietly, but firmly.

  Sighing, he took a step back. There was nothing to say to that, was there? Over that month she’d gone over and over in her head all the reasons he may not have picked up but in the end it didn’t matter.

  “You said you were in trouble. How can I help?” he asked, trying to regain his composure.

  Shaking her head, she turned to leave. “I’ve taken care of things up until now, I think I can continue.” Opening the door, she threw over her shoulder without looking back, “Goodbye, David,” and began walking to her car.

  “Whoa, whoa, there.” He ran outside barefooted and danced on the still hot pavement before moving over to the lush, green lawn. “Come back in and let’s talk.”

  “No, I’m sorry I bothered you.” She didn’t stop, forcing him to trail after her.

  “Okay, I’m a first-class jerk. A womanizer. Is that what you want to hear?” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’ve slept around with women I barely know, and I’ve never called a woman back in my life. But if you need help, I’m not such a heel that I won’t help you. I want to help you, Amelia.”

  Exacerbated, she turned around and put her hands on her waist, glaring. “Fine. You want to help? Our child is in danger and I have no way to protect her.”

  Chapter 2

  David sobered up in an instant. Amelia’s words blindsided him, nearly making him puke in his own front yard. “What?” He covered his eyes and groaned. This couldn’t be happening. The news came at him like a bullet to a target, hitting him straight in the chest—bullseye.

  “I said—”

  He threw his hands up silencing her. He didn’t need to hear it again. Once was plenty, in fact, more than enough. This had to be a man’s worst nightmare. The words they never wanted to hear. Not after years of knowing nothing.

  “I heard you the first time.” He looked around and realized they were in the middle of his front yard. The neighbors didn’t need to hear this. “Let’s go back inside.”

  When he went to take her arm, she pulled away. “No, thanks. I made a big mistake coming here. I’m sorry. I won’t bother you anymore.” She folded her arms across her middle and turned to walk away.

  He couldn’t let her do that. “You’
re not leaving until you explain what you said.”

  “You can’t stop me from leaving.”

  “I have a child!” he nearly shouted. His head dropped, eyes wide and searching. I have a child. How old would they be now? Five? Five years a kid was out there that was his, and he had no idea. “You didn’t tell me you were pregnant,” he muttered.

  She tilted her head to catch his eyes and when he looked up at her she said the six words he could not deny. “You. Didn’t. Pick. Up. The. Phone.”

  It all clicked in then. “You were calling to tell me you were pregnant.”

  “But you never gave me the chance.” She pointed a damning finger at him. “You think I’m so stupid I didn’t know you weren’t alone?” She thumped her chest. “I was trying to do the right thing. Every time I called, I started with ‘this is important’ and ‘no, I don’t want to hook up again’.”

  He looked at the starlit sky. No getting around it, he’d screwed up big time. Glancing at her, he started to see how she’d changed. He’d always thought Amelia beautiful, from the moment they first met. She had the most gorgeous long, blonde hair, the kind a man dreamt of running his fingers through. She’d never been tall, maybe five-four or five-five, but she had more curves than a mountain road and her big blue eyes were surrounded by the thickest lashes he’d ever seen on a woman before, or since. Now, she was curvier in amazing ways, her eyes held more wisdom, and…she was a mother.

  He’d liked her from the start, but it wasn’t until they were teenagers that he really understood what that meant. At that time, he often flirted shamelessly with her, but he learned real fast she wasn’t his kind of female. No, he leaned toward adventurous women who were looking for the same thing he wanted—some fun and no commitment.

  The night of Kendall’s birthday, he got shit faced and forgot all the reasons he was staying away from her. When she made it clear she was up for what he was offering, he couldn’t say no. They weren’t teenagers anymore. She was old enough to know what she wanted. When he woke up the next morning, Amelia had already left and, surprisingly, that hurt. For the first time in his life, one night didn’t feel like enough. And that scared him. Scared him to the point that, when she called, he didn’t answer and, eventually, she just stopped calling.

  “Can we go back inside and talk? he asked. “I don’t want you to go running off in the night.”

  She scoffed. “You worried about me?”

  “Of course.” She blinked, seemingly stunned by his confession. Feeling exposed, he added, “You said you were in trouble. Enough trouble to come looking for me. Of course I’m worried.”

  She nodded and rolled her eyes. “Right.”

  He felt like a fool for misleading her but it worked nonetheless. Squeezing her arms tighter, she walked ahead of him into the house. Closing the door and locking it, he leaned back and studied her. Any man at this junction would be screaming DNA test, but Amelia didn’t lie. Being raised in a strict family by two no-nonsense parents didn’t leave much room for mistakes like that.

  Even so, he wondered how it had happened. He’d never in his life gone without protection and that night was no different. The condom hadn’t broken either, at least, not that he’d noticed. He didn’t know how it happened, but the truth was what it was. He—they—had a child.

  Standing in the middle of the room and silently staring at him, Amelia forced him to make the next move.

  Unsure where to go from there, he padded toward the kitchen. Suddenly feeling vulnerable, he decided he’d find a shirt on the way back. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Do you have a Diet Coke?”

  He stopped and stared at her. “What is it about you women and Diet Coke. That stuff’s poison so, no, I don’t have any in my house. It’s either the real thing or water.”

  “I’ll take water,” she replied drily.

  Opening the fridge, he grabbed a can of soda and filled a glass with ice and cold water for her. Placing it on the counter in front of her, he went to his bedroom and grabbed the first shirt he saw, which happened to be the one he’d worn to the wedding. He buttoned a few buttons and returned to the living room.

  Amelia was in the exact same spot he’d left her, her glass of water untouched on the counter. Picking up her glass and handing it to her, he grabbed his coke and went back to the chair he’d sat in previously. He hooked his leg over the arm, aiming for some semblance of calm, and tried to control his breathing. “Why don’t you sit down and let’s talk this through.”

  The stinky look she tossed at him, eyes roaming from his leg over the arm and back to him, made it clear what she thought of him in that moment. He averted his gaze, no longer feeling comfortable beneath her scrutiny.

  Lifting his drink, he drank half the contents of the can before he lowered it to rest on his thigh. “There’s no need to stare daggers at me, I’m not the only one who screwed up here.”

  “I didn’t screw up,” she said, righteousness oozing out her pores. “I tried to tell you about our child and when that didn’t work, I raised our child and let you play the field like the ladies’ man you were and, I’m guessing, still are. Congratulations. I didn’t cramp your style at all, Mr. Detective.” Her last words were spit out like he didn’t deserve the title.

  “Cute,” he replied to her sarcasm.

  “I’m not trying to be,” she bit out.

  “Oh, I get that, don’t you worry.” Swinging his leg down and sitting forward, elbows on his knees, he held her gaze. “Look, I understand this situation is not ideal—for either one of us. I messed up, not answering the phone. I accept that. But you have to accept that there were other ways to get in contact with me. You could have called my parents, come to see me, written me a letter for crying out loud.”

  “Don’t put this on me,” she pointed her finger at him. “I tried. What did you want, a smoke signal? I know you, David. If I’d tried any of those things you just mentioned, you would have had a restraining order put out on me and you know it. The very idea that someone is slightly interested in you for more than a night sends you running for the hills.”

  “This is different and you kn—”

  She cut him off. “It isn’t. It isn’t because the only way you could have known it was was to talk to me. And that was never going to happen. So enough, it’s done.” She sliced her hand through the air. “That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here because I thought no matter how rank your reputation is with women, you’d be concerned about your child and offer to help.”

  He looked away and drained the rest of his drink, putting the empty can on the table beside him. After a few deep breaths, he turned back to her. “Okay. Clearly whatever trouble you’re in it’s serious, so I’ll let it go—for now. But only because you and,” he swallowed hard, “my child are in trouble and we need to get to the bottom of it. But in the meantime,” he warned her in a stern voice, “quit throwing my reputation with women in my face.”

  Shaking her head, she took a drink of the water and set the glass down, shoving her hair back, away from her face. “I think I made a mistake coming here.” She looked at him without a hint of bitterness, just resolve, and moved to stand. “I’m sorry. I can take care of this myself.”

  “What? I’m listening, Amelia. What else do you want?”

  Tears glistened in her eyes, making them brighter than usual. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

  She walked out the door before he could stop her. Completely confused at what had just happened, he let her go. He knew where to find her and he would, tomorrow. For now, he had a lot to digest.

  Damn, they’d gotten off to such a rotten start, he wasn’t sure there was a way to turn the situation around. His head throbbed and his throat burned. He couldn’t solve everything right now. Obviously, he didn’t have the answers she came looking for, and she didn’t have the answers for him either.

  Ask her to stop mentioning his rep and she walked out the door. Rubbing his eyes, he had to wonder if his reputation was that bad. Bad enough that she decided she couldn’t trust him with their child’s safety. What exactly were people saying behind his back? What harm did he do? He loved women, he just wasn’t in love with them. Yes, he realized that could be misconstrued as a play on words, but it wasn’t his fault he’d never been in love.