Angel of Redemption (21 page)

“
I know. I just don
’
t want to see them get hurt
—
or go to jail. I don
’
t think there
’
s a court in the state of Minnesota that will look at those
boys
’
records and be any kind of lenient. You
’
re lucky you were a good kid from a good family.
”
My whole body instantly goes rigid. She gasps when she
realizes what she
’
s
said.
“
Oh, Dean. I didn
’
t mean
—
oh,
shit! I
’
m
sorry, honey.
”

“
It
’
s okay.
”
I clear my throat.
“
Uh,
Emily made up a new chore list yesterday. I think it
’
s in her office. On her desk?
”

“
I
’
ll find it,
”
she whispers, her voice laced with
regret. If it were anyone else I
’
d probably be upset, but Tracey doesn
’
t say shit like that on purpose. She
didn
’
t
say it to hurt me or to prove a point; she said it because it
’
s true. I was a stupid kid, but I was
a stupid kid from a well-known family who
’
d never been in trouble. Put most of
these boys in my place, and the outcome would have been much worse.

“
I
’
m going to take a shower and get ready.
”

I
make good on my promise to wake Jax up before I go. This week will be rough for
him. No friends, no girlfriend. School, work, home. The threat of adding
another weekend to his punishment is enough for him to finally roll out of bed
with a grunt and a few profanities directed at me. I make him head downstairs
in front of me so he doesn
’
t go back to bed. Tracey hands him a big glass of water and
an Advil before scolding him, and I shoot back to my office, grabbing my gift
for Ashley before I head out.

My
parents are already at Emily and Aiden
’
s when I get there just after ten o
’
clock. I
’
ve dressed appropriately this time.
Well, as appropriately as I can manage, which is a long-sleeved shirt and a
pair of jeans. I have my hat on because I couldn
’
t be bothered to tame my hair, but
there
’
s
no ink showing other than on my hands, so my mother should be pleased.

I
can tell right away that she helped with the party. I guess the theme is
“
under the sea,
”
because there are blue streamers and
paper fish hanging from the ceiling. There are trays of cheese, crackers,
vegetables, and about ten different dips and spreads. There
’
s also a big turtle made out of a
watermelon with what look like berries inside.

“
What is that?
”
I ask my brother.

“
It
’
s a turtle.
”

“
I figured that much out, asshole,
”
I laugh.

“
Mom called it a
‘
fruit sculpture.
’
“

“
Huh.
”
I look over at him. He shrugs before grabbing a strawberry
and popping it in his mouth.

“
Uncle Dean!
”

I
turn just as Ashley flings herself at me. I lift her up, and she wraps her arms
around my neck, nearly strangling me. I make a big show of gasping for air,
making her giggle. Ashley
’
s facial features are so much like my mother
’
s, but she
’
s got Emily
’
s blond hair and blue eyes and little
freckles all over her nose.

“
Happy birthday, munchkin,
”
I say, kissing her cheek.

“
Guess what?
”

“
What?
”

“
Mama painted my fingernails and
toenails.
”

“
She did? Let me see.
”

Ashley
holds out her hands and then her feet for me to inspect before wiggling out of
my arms to join her friends, who are beginning to arrive. Apparently her
favorite uncle can only hold her interest for so long.

I
make myself at home, acutely aware that someone is missing but pretending I don
’
t care. Every time the doorbell rings
I listen without looking to figure out who it is. Finally I give up, focusing
on my nephew, Caleb, who
’
s slowly eating a sucker and is
covered in red, sticky goo.

“
Kayla,
”
Emily calls.
“
I
’
m so happy you guys could come.
”

My
head snaps up.
You guys
? I can
’
t hear the rest of their greeting, but Kayla
’
s voice is clear as they enter the
room. Caleb
’
s
on my lap so I have to shift him to turn, but when I do, I wish I hadn
’
t.

There
’
s a tall, dark guy standing behind Kayla, pulling her coat
down her arms. He looks familiar, but I have no idea where I
’
ve seen him before. She turns and smiles up at him. I feel
a heaviness in the pit of my stomach and start to get irrationally pissed off.
All the flirting, all the touching, and then she has the guts to walk into my
family
’
s
house with her boyfriend, knowing I
’
m
gonna be here. I wonder if he knows she
’
s a tease. Did she tell him what happened last weekend? Did
she tell him just how close she came to kissing me? I feel her gaze on me. I
don
’
t
want to look at her, but I can
’
t help it. I set my nephew on the floor and stand.

“
Hi,
”
she says, smiling lightly.

“
Hi,
”
I grunt. Her smile fades, which makes me feel like an
asshole.

“
Um, so, Dean, this is my little
sister, Claire.
”

I
glance at the teenage girl standing next to Kayla. They don
’
t look anything alike, except maybe
their noses. I can see why this girl drew Logan
’
s attention, though. Unfortunately,
she looks innocent. I think he
’
d eat her alive.

“
Nice to meet you, Claire.
”

“
You, too,
”
she says, lowering her head shyly.

The
guy Kayla brought with her shoves out his hand.
“
Andy
Hanson.
”
Fuck, that
’
s how I know him. The name registers
instantly. He
’
s
a kids
’
lawyer; he
’
s definitely dealt with some of the Wyatt House boys.
“
I
’
m Kayla
’
s brother.
”

I
grab his hand and shake it firmly. His grip is tight and his eyes are narrowed,
like he knows I
’
ve
had dirty thoughts about his
…
Wait
—
sister
?

Kayla

I watch as my brother and Dean size each other up and roll
my eyes. Andy has done this crap with every single guy I
’
ve dated for the last ten years. It
’
s ridiculous. And completely
unnecessary
—
I
’
m
not dating Dean.

“
Dean Wyatt. We
’
ve met before, right?
”

Andy
nods.
“
Yeah. I
’
m a youth attorney for the state. I
’
ve had a couple of kids placed at
Wyatt House.
”

“
Aiden usually deals with the legal
aspect, but I remember you.
”

“
Andy!
”
Aiden calls, walking toward us and sticking out his hand.
“
I had no idea you were Kayla
’
s brother, but the resemblance is
uncanny when you
’
re
standing next to each other,
”
he teases.

Andy
laughs loudly. We aren
’
t related by blood and couldn
’
t look more unalike. My stepmother,
Karen, is half Japanese, and Andy
’
s
dad was African American. Aiden leans in to kiss my cheek.

“
Hello, lady.
”

“
Hi, Aiden. This is my little sister,
Claire.
”

“
Again, the resemblance.
”

“
Shut up,
”
I laugh, shoving his shoulder.
“
Andy
’
s mom is married to my dad. Claire and I have the same mom,
but different dads.
”

“
Nice to meet you, Claire.
”
Aiden winks at her and her cheeks flush a deep red. He and
Andy start talking about something or other, and I turn back to face Dean, but
he
’
s
disappeared.

“
Let me get you guys something to drink. What would you
like? We have soda, water, beer, wine
…
Or do you want a juice box?
”
Emily asks, obviously teasing my sister.

Claire
laughs quietly.
“
Just some water, thank you.
”

“
Of course. Kayla?
”

“
A beer would be great, thanks.
”

“
Okay, I
’
ll be back in a minute. Make
yourselves comfortable. There
’
s food on the table.
”

I
scan the room again, trying to determine where Dean has gone. I feel like I
should apologize. I shouldn
’
t have let things go where they went
last weekend. I wanted him, and I wanted him to want me. When he pulled away, I
got upset and frustrated by his constantly shifting moods. Regardless, I should
have been more professional this week. I need Matty to trust him, and I
’
m going to be an integral part of
building that relationship. It
’
s important for us to be able to work together.

Before
I
’
m able to find him, Emily returns with
our drinks. She leads Claire and me around, introducing us to people. We meet
her parents, who seem really nice, and then are introduced to Ashley and Caleb.
But they
’
re
not interested in me.

“
Do you want to see my new dolly?
”
Ashley asks Claire excitedly.
“
Uncle Dean bought it for me. It looks just like me.
”

“
Um, sure?
”
Claire responds, glancing at me as Ashley pulls her toward
the stairs. When they disappear, I turn to face Emily.

“
How did he find a doll that looked like
her?
”

“
He went to a doll shop and took a
picture of Ash with him. They customized it.
”

I
can
’
t
help but laugh as I think of Dean picking out a doll for his niece. I can only
imagine how the doll shop employees must have reacted to him.

“
She has him wrapped around her little
finger,
”
Emily says softly.
“
I remember the first time he held her
—
this big, tattooed man holding a tiny
little pink bundle.
”
I smile at the image she
’
s just given me.
“
Aiden
took a picture. Dean has it somewhere.
”
She
’
s looking across the room. I follow
her gaze and see Dean sitting on the couch, drinking a Coke. Andy and Aiden are
next to him, and I can
’
t tell if he
’
s a part of their conversation or not because he
’
s looking down into his lap. As if
sensing my gaze, his eyes flicker upward, meeting mine for a brief moment
before they return to his hands.

“
I
’
d
love to see that,
”
I whisper.

Emily
doesn
’
t
say anything more about it because we
’
re suddenly in the presence of what can only be Dean and
Aiden
’
s
parents.

“
Joe, Maria, this is Kayla. Kayla,
these are my in-laws, Joe and Maria Wyatt.
”

“
Nice to meet you,
”
I say politely, extending my hand. Joe smiles at me,
shaking it.

“
You
’
re the social worker.
”

“
Well, I
’
m not sure about
the
social
worker, but I am
a
social worker,
”
I tease.

Joe
chuckles.
“
Yes, well, from what I
’
ve heard you
’
re a very good one, so we might just
have to stick with
the.
”

I
wonder who
’
s
been discussing me and why, but then I remember that Joe used to run Wyatt
House and is still very active in its interests. Of course he would know about
Logan and Matty and, in turn, me. I turn toward Maria. She
’
s looking at me oddly. I have no idea
how to read her. It
’
s reminiscent of how I feel when I
’
m dealing with Dean. Out of the corner
of my eye, I see Joe
’
s hand squeeze his wife
’
s hip.

“
Oh, dear. I
’
m sorry,
”
she startles.
“
It
’
s wonderful to meet you, Kayla.
”

I
chat with Joe for a few more minutes while Maria stays silent. I get the
impression she
’
s studying me, and it
’
s a little unnerving. When they finally excuse themselves,
I let out a deep breath.

“
You just got Maria
’
d,
”
Emily laughs.

“
What?
”

“
Dean must have mentioned you to her.
She
’
s desperate for him to settle down, so
she does this weird examination thing whenever she meets a girl he
’
s talked about for any reason
—
like she
’
s
trying to see your thoughts or something. She did it to me the first time Aiden
introduced me, too. Don
’
t let it get to you.
”

“
Okay.
”
I push back the slight giddiness I get from the idea of
Dean
’
s mother assessing me as possible
girlfriend material.

“
I need to go get the cake ready. Are
you going to be okay?
”
Emily asks.
“
I know you don
’
t really know anyone, but
—”

“
I
’
ll be fine,
”
I assure her.
“
Thank you.
”

I
glance over to my brother, who is now talking with Joe. Claire is playing cars
with Caleb. It
’
s
cute. I wonder if Richard and Mom would allow Claire to babysit or if that
would be considered beneath the Graeme name.

“
Can I talk to you?
”

I
jump slightly at the sound of Dean
’
s
voice in my ear as his fingertips just barely graze my elbow. When I turn my
head, he
’
s
right there, his green eyes boring into mine. His face is clean-shaven, and he
smells so good.

“
Yeah,
”
I breathe. I turn, and he starts walking away from the main
room. I hurry after him.
“
Where are we going?
”

“
I don
’
t want to be interrupted.
”
It
’
s all the explanation he offers. At the end of a hallway,
he opens a door to the left and steps in. It appears to be a bedroom that was
converted into an office. There
’
s a desk with a computer perched on
top and a printer off to the side. Bookcases filled with books line the wall. A
lot of them look like schoolbooks and reference guides. There are two leather
chairs and a sofa. Covering the walls are family photographs. I walk over and
scan them curiously.

There
’
s a picture of Emily and Aiden on
their wedding day. Emily is dressed in a gorgeous slip dress, her hair long but
pulled up and in ringlets. Aiden is dressed in a traditional black suit. His
eyes are focused intently on his bride as if there is no one else in the world.

Next
to it is a picture of what looks like their family. Aiden and Emily are in the
center. Emily
’
s
parents are to her left along with another man who looks just like Emily,
albeit several years older, so I
’
m guessing it
’
s her brother. Maria and Joe stand to Aiden
’
s left. However, what draws my
attention more than anything is the sight of Dean standing next to Joe. He
’
s wearing a suit and looking so
handsome. Something
’
s off, though. While everyone else is radiating happiness,
Dean appears to be forcing it. A smile is plastered on his face, but his eyes
are completely blank. Like the life has been sucked out of him.

He
clears his throat, and I
’
m momentarily embarrassed. Fortunately he
’
s behind me, so he can
’
t see which photo I
’
m focusing on. I quickly scan the rest of the photos on the
wall before turning around.

“
Sorry,
”
I say quietly.
“
I
love looking at photographs.
”

“
It
’
s fine. Those are from the wedding.
Uh, Aiden and Emily
’
s.
”

“
I gathered,
”
I say pressing my lips together and nodding.
“
You know, from the wedding dress and all.
”
I
’
m teasing him, but it
’
s hard to tell if he realizes that until I see his lips
twitch slightly.
“
So, what
’
s
up?
”

He
shifts his weight.
“
I just
…
I wanted to apologize. For last Saturday.
”