Interference (19 page)

“Calm down, Indie,” I commanded, hoping my voice sounded somewhat calm, while fighting back a Tarzan-style battle call and the urge to beat the shit out of Tim.

It took a few seconds, and a few smacks to my sides and kicks to my shins, before Indie stopped flailing. I kept my grip on her, squeezing tighter to keep her back pressed against my chest. Every quick, heavy breath she took pushed her stomach against my arms.

“Dirty pig to the rescue,” Tim chided. “You two look good together.” He brushed his T-shirt off and ran a hand through his hair. “Have a good night.”

“You think this is the end?” I asked. Hopefully, Indie was prepared for me to let go, because it was time to give Tim what he deserved.

“What're you gonna do?” Tim asked. “You gonna kick my ass? Go for it. You'll be kicked off the police department so fast. You'll have to head back to your hometown. Might as well take that dirty tramp with you.” Tim nodded toward Indie.

And that was it.

I leaned forward and charged him, socking him straight in the stomach with my shoulder. Tim took a few wobbly steps backward, thrown off balance by the impact. I used his surprise to my advantage, punching him without reservation. Without giving a shit. Kick me off the force. Put me in jail. This dude was going down. Hard.

Within seconds, brute instinct took over and the world narrowed to flesh and blood. Literally. My swollen, slippery fists hammered Tim's face until I couldn't tell who was bleeding or where the blood originated.

His nose? His mouth? My hands?

“Jason! Stop! You have to stop!” Indie's screams barely registered as I pummeled Tim's face.

But I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop.

Let his fucking father send me to Detroit. Send me to jail. I had zero fucks to give.

I'd empty my locker with a smile on my face if I got kicked off the Bridgeland PD for beating the shit out of Tim Antonio, if it meant he would never touch Indie again.

And I would do everything in my power to make sure Tim lost custody of Holden.

Another punch made Tim moan and sputter. He would never be able to hurt anyone I loved again.

“Jason!” Indie's scream broke through my rage.

I stopped pounding and leaned back, chest heaving.

“Get off of him!” she screamed. “Get the fuck off of him!”

Her words sunk in, and I finally stopped and looked at Tim. His face was covered in blood. I couldn't even make out his features.

My entire body shook. My hands trembled. My breathing was heavy and erratic.

I climbed off Tim and stood up. The entire scene replayed in my head.

I'd choose to beat him every time.

“I don't need you to save me!” Indie screamed. “I don't need anything from you. Except for you to leave me alone.”

“Well, that's not going to happen.” I wiped my bloody hands on my jeans, adding to the smears of red already there from punching a tree. “I won't leave you alone. Because I want you in my life. I was wrong. I was stupid. I was scared.” I paused to take a deep breath.

Fuck.

Indie didn't speak, just stared at me with her arms crossed over her chest, looking badass and sexy all at once.

“I talked to the wrong people and they got in my head and it freaked me out. I wanted to do what was right for you and Holden and I thought I had to sacrifice what we have to do that.”

She stood silent, but didn't walk away, so I continued.

“Now I know why. I'm a fucking idiot, Indie. I know that. I should never have listened to Tim. To anyone. But at the time, he made sense. I didn't want to be the guy who got in the way of Holden having a life with his biological father. I didn't want him to have the life I had.”

Indie took a step toward me. “Why not? You have a great life.”

“That's not—” I began.

“No, you listen to me, Jason Taylor.” Indie took another step toward me and poked me in the chest. “You have a fucking amazing life with a fucking amazing family who love you so much. You've gotta ditch the hate you have in your heart for Valerie Berezin. She made a choice to give you a better life.”

“I know.”

“And you have to stop making choices for other people. I'm fine, Jason. I'm good. I know that I don't want to be with him.” Indie gestured to Tim, still lying in a heap on the ground, moaning. “I know that getting back together with Tim would mess Holden up more than if I cut him out of his life forever. And I'm prepared to make that decision, no matter how you feel about it. And if you want to be with me, you have to understand that.”

I nodded. Because I finally did understand it. I was an idiot for doubting Indie's choices. For doubting my biological mom's choices.

Grief makes people do idiotic things.

“I'm twenty years old. I know I'm still young and I don't know everything.” Indie took a deep breath. “Believe me, I know that. But I don't take decisions that involve the well-being of my kid lightly. Everything I do is for him. I'm always thinking about how I can make his life better.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I'm sorry I let my personal issues get in the way. I couldn't see your situation because I hadn't dealt with the grief of my own. I should have trusted you and your choices. I'm sorry, Linden.

“I'm pretty sure I love you.” I paused. “I mean, I know I do. When I close my eyes and think about the future, I see you every time. You and Holden are the people sitting around the dinner table in my dining room. You and Holden are standing next to me cheering for my brother at hockey games.”

Some people think alcohol is like a truth serum. I don't believe that. I believe it's more like a disinhibition serum. It gives people the false bravery to say things they never would. Which isn't necessarily the truth.

It must have been the adrenaline and alcohol coursing through my bloodstream, making me say things I normally wouldn't. But in this case, they were the complete truth. Things I'd been too chicken to say before.

“Sometimes you're helping me wash my truck in the driveway, wearing a sexy, white bikini.”

I had to lighten the mood. I couldn't handle the intensity. Must be coming down from my adrenaline high.

“Really?” she asked, tilting her head and putting a hand on her hip. But on her lips was the smile I'd seen in the situations I'd described.

I took a step closer to her. “Really.” Then I leaned in and kissed her, careful not to touch her with my hands. On top of everything else she'd been through tonight, she didn't need my bloody paws on that gorgeous dress. “You're in every single fantasy of my future.”

“I can't commit to a future with someone who's going to use his past to question my parenting decisions. I don't need another man in my life to fight with. Or who I can't trust because he might back out any minute.”

“I trust your decisions, Indie. You are the best mom I've ever met. Next to my own, of course.” I glanced at Tim. “And you won't be dealing with him anymore. I'm never letting that jackweed around you or Holden ever again. I'll fight right along with you. Every single step of the way.”

I wiped my hands on my jeans again, pissed I couldn't completely remove the blood. I just wanted to wrap my arms around her.

When Indie stepped toward me, I jumped back and lifted my hands in the air. “I don't want to get your dress dirty.”

“Fuck the dress. I want you to hold me,” she said, closing the distance between us and laying her head on my chest.

Disbelief sent a shiver through me, but I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on the top of her head, anyway. I'd buy her a new dress. One that didn't have other guys salivating when she walked through the bar.

“You're an idiot,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“I want to go to Detroit with you,” she whispered.

“Are you sure?” I asked, pulling back to see her face. I swept hair out of her eyes with my bloody hands.

“Yes. I want to be with you. I know you don't want to be here. And I don't need to be here. I want to be where you are. I want you to be the father figure Holden is around. I'll fight Tim. I'll fight for my son.”

She looked up at me with huge, brown eyes, so honest and open. I saw every image of the perfect future I'd shared running through them.

“I'm not moving,” I admitted. “Not right now, anyway.”

“I thought…” she began. Then she blinked away the thought and tried again. “You said you were moving back to Detroit.”

“I just said that to get away from you.” I squeezed her. “Not to really get away. But I freaked out and needed an escape plan when I thought I was breaking up with you for your own good. You know, back in my idiot days.”

Indie nodded in understanding and bit her lip. “Can we move?”

“Are you sure you want to leave Bridgeland?” I asked.

It's not that I didn't believe her, but after such an intense, emotional situation, anyone would want to flee the problem. I had to make sure moving to Detroit—or anywhere—was the right decision, made when she was of sound mind.

“More than I've ever wanted anything,” she answered. “Except you.”

I held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “It's not just about us. We have a lot of people to think about. Holden. Your mom. Damien. Let's talk about it and make a logical decision for all of us. Okay?”

Indie's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away. “Oh, so now you're the voice of reason?” she said, teasing.

“Not very often, but I thought you'd appreciate that.”

A low groan interrupted our moment as Tim rolled from his back onto his side.

“I need to deal with him.” I nodded at Tim, his body crumpled in the fetal position on the ground.

“Wait!” Indie pulled out of my grip and reached into her purse. She retrieved a thin plastic packet and held it out to me. “I have wipes.”

I shrugged. “Better than nothing.”

Indie squatted down, sat back on her calves, and began wiping Tim's face.

I stood frozen for a moment, watching her and contemplating the absolute ridiculousness of the situation. Indie wiping the blood from her loser ex-boyfriend's face, whom I'd just beat the shit out of, defending her.

I pulled out my cellphone and called Tyson, one of my closest friends in the department. Steve probably would've had my back, but it would come with a lecture, and I didn't want to deal with that right now. Instead, I called one of the guys I trusted the most, who was around the same age and temperament I was. I wasn't too worried, but I did just beat the shit out of Tim. And he seemed like the kind of guy who would go tattle to his mayor father.

“Do you want to press charges?” I asked after hanging up. I slipped my cellphone into my back pocket.

Indie stopped wiping Tim's face, but didn't look up. I lowered myself to the ground and wrapped my arm around her.

She dropped her head to Tim. “I don't know. I handled it.” She took a breath and lifted her gaze to mine. “We handled it. Together.”

I lifted my hand for a high five. “Fuckin' Bonnie and Clyde.”

Indie leaned back and reached up to smack it. Then she laid her head on my chest again. I tightened my arms around her and held on. “I don't want you to get in trouble.”

“Don't worry about me.”

She lifted her head. “But I do. I will. You're my family.”

O
NE
Y
EAR
L
ATER

I ran my hands across the smooth fabric of my maroon gown, hoping the calming motion would stop my knee from bopping up and down. Excitement buzzed through my veins as I sat at my graduation ceremony in Central State's McCarthy Events Center waiting for my name to be called. I wanted to enjoy every second of this, because there was a time in my life when I thought it would never happen. But with persistence, hard work, and the support of my family, I'd finally accomplished one of my goals.

It had been a stressful, emotional year. I thought getting full custody of Holden would be a long, hard fight, but Tim made it relatively easy. His lawyer sent me a letter stating Tim wished to voluntarily terminate his parental rights. Part of me thinks it was brought on by his father. But it didn't matter. I had my son. And I had no more ties to Tim.

Seems like an easy out, but it made me sad. I don't understand how someone could want their child out of their life permanently. But Tim made it clear that he'd never wanted Holden in his life in the first place. He wanted zero financial responsibility for him, and he never wanted to see me again.

I didn't dwell on Tim for very long, because, truthfully, I was happy he'd be out of my life for good, too. Holden and I could finally move on with no regrets.

After the ceremony, my family bombarded me in a huge group hug, but the best part was when Holden squeezed my neck and said, “I love you, Mama.”

Mom's eyes were filled with tears when she grabbed me. “I'm so proud of you, baby!”

“I always thought I'd be doing this first,” Damien said when it was his turn.

“Jerk,” I said as I hugged my little brother, who had just finished his freshman year at the University of Detroit.

When Damien pulled away, Jason took a step toward me. “I'm so proud of you.”

I jumped into his arms and he spun me around. “Time to start our life as a family.”

O
NE
M
ONTH
L
ATER

“Do you love it?” Mom asked as she put her car in park in front of a gorgeous, Tudor-style house in the Joseph Berry subdivision, a block from the Detroit River.

She turned around to check Indie's reaction, with wide eyes and a huge smile, totally skipping over me in the passenger seat next to her. I turned around, too.

Mom had been on a mission ever since I told her Indie and I decided we'd be moving to Detroit after Indie graduated. I hadn't seen her this excited since the day she and Dad finalized the adoption for Calvin and Nate. For the last six months, she'd blown up my email with multiple listings for houses she'd found for us to rent. We weren't ready to buy just yet. Indie and I both agreed that we wanted time to look around and find a place we both liked.

“Oh my gosh!” Indie exclaimed. She touched the window with her fingertips as she gazed out. “It's gorgeous.”

“It's across the street from you,” I said.

Neither woman paid me any attention.

“It's huge!” Indie exclaimed.

“There's plenty of space for visitors. And there's an extra room and living area that Damien can have all to himself,” Mom gushed.

Space for Damien was one of our top priorities. He'd been living in the dorms at the University of Detroit, but he planned on moving in with us as soon as he was able to live off campus. To save money, he'd said.

Mom and Indie scrambled out of the car and linked arms as they approached the front door, where a man stood waiting for them, dangling keys from his hand.

“Guess it's you and me while the hens chat, eh, buddy?” I asked as I unbuckled Holden from his car seat.

He climbed out of his seat. When he hit the ground he stopped and held his hand out for me to take. “You're my family.”

Standing in front of a huge-ass house, just blocks away from the Manoogian Mansion, the house Detroit mayors call home during their time in office, didn't seem like the right place to be overwhelmed by emotion at this little boy.

Or maybe it was the perfect place for Holden's words to hit me straight in the heart.

You're my family.

Family.

My parents and brothers—the constants in my life. My rocks. My support system. My biggest fans. The people who were always there, even through all the biological bullshit.

Family.

Indie, my partner for over a year and a half now—the woman who taught me about strength and the hard decisions that have to be made when we don't know what the outcome will be.

Family isn't always blood, but sometimes it is. It isn't always easy, but sometimes it is.

I took Holden's hand and we walked up the driveway toward Mom and Indie.

To our past. And our future.