Independence: #2 Angel (29 page)

One hand rose, his fingers soft against the tears that crept from the corner of her eyes.

“I guess we missed our Friday night at the club,” she said with a hint of water in her voice.

“We have tonight…or next weekend, if you’d rather spend time here with your grandparents,” he suggested, fingers up and sifting through her hair.

“I have to go to the shop. But I think I’ll make a point of coming to see them more. I was stupid, Colin. I let them dictate to me and I used my fear of their retribution to rob me of their affection.”

“You’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he commented proudly. “And I called your manager last night when I received your text. She’s aware that you might not make it in until noon and she sent me a one word response. ‘Yippee!’,” he told her with a chuckle at the stunned expression on her face.

“I’ve never come in at noon,” she finally managed to say.

He could tell she wasn’t sure if she should be angry or relieved because he’d stepped into that portion of her life. But the smile in her eyes when she leaned over and kissed him gave him his answer.

“I want to make room for you and my grandparents in my life. I need it. I think I was silly thinking if I stayed in my own little world, I could protect people and they’d…they’d leave me alone. But I really didn’t know how else to keep them safe,” she whispered. “I took something from them that they needed…and I want to be with you.” Her voice was low, trembling a little toward the end.

“I think that’s called progress,” he teased, lifting her chin until her gaze met his.

“You don’t talk about your family,” she slipped her arms up and around his neck. “I think you’ve been too occupied with my situation and I’m sorry for that.”

Colin saw her awareness of the slight change in him, even when he fought to control it.

“It’s like you said…it’s complicated,” he offered with a sigh.

“Then you’ll talk about it when you’re ready,” she said with a shrug. “I smell food. I’m going to shower and go down for breakfast. Want to come with me?” She sat up, her hand out to him with a smile.

“Just like that. You’re willing to wait until I’m ready to talk.” He used her strength and sat up before pulling her back. The blanket covered him from the waist down as he arranged her on his lap.

“You’ve been patient for me, Colin,” she tipped her head to the side. “Why do you think I couldn’t be patient for you? Maybe I think you’re worth it.”

“Maybe it should be dinner talk when we’re alone somewhere. Are you staying here today?”

“No. I have to go to the shop and you asked me to the club tonight.”

“Then I’ll have breakfast and head to the house. When you finish work, come out there and we’ll go together. Bring a bag of clothing and things you’ll need, Angel. I want you close.” For the first time he saw immediate delight in her eyes, the doubt and fear momentarily submerged.

“I will. I like that idea.” Heat tinted her cheeks. “It’s nice waking with you and talking.”

“Off to the shower or your grandparents will think I’m holding you captive,” Colin lifted her to the edge of the bed. He accepted the swift, laughing kiss as she scrambled to collect her clothes and go into the bathroom.

He leaned back, his hands cupping the back of his head. The smile and all humor left his features. All his instincts told him the Reverend and his entourage, weren’t the kind to give up or be made out to be demons in the press. Vianne had sent him a copy of the interview the independent stations had picked up, not to mention how wild it was going on the internet.

Vianne had to do very little but ask questions and look sympathetic. A skill she had that was in her voice and her words, but never quite reached her eyes when she allowed her target to hang themselves with their own words.

His mood did lift when she came out of the bathroom, humming to herself and wrapped in a towel that didn’t quite have enough material to it. He indulged his male self and simply enjoyed the show.

Her hair was damp and she held a second towel in both hands. She was briskly rubbing over her head while the other towel, wrapped around her chest and dangling just below the dark coils sparkling with water, shook with the effort. Why did a woman look so much sexier with a little water and a few bits of cloth?

He must have been grinning because a pair of dark, thick lashes opened to meet his gaze at the same time the towel gave up the effort and fluttered to the floor at her feet. She nervously bit her lip and began dressing.

“You’re staring.”

“You’re lovely. It’s a natural thing. I like looking at you. I love the way your eyes change and fill with so many conflicting emotions. And the way you blush…” Colin threw back the blanket, unashamed of the erection as he stepped to the floor and walked to the bathroom. “I’ll meet you below for breakfast,” he chuckled and winked at her before closing the door.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Angel sputtered and choked before she moved quickly, finding her clothing and dressing. She carried her purse and shoes down the stairs, leaving both by the front door on the bookshelf. Then she followed memories and her nose.

She’d spent many happy hours in this kitchen, she thought, greeting the man sitting at the large, old carved table.

“Morning, gramps,” Angel felt the tingle of panic and forced it down. She crossed the room and hugged him tightly from behind where he sat. “I love you. Thank you for being here for me.”

“You’re a strong girl, Little Wing,” he murmured, clearing his throat a few times to get the words out.

“Our girl is stronger than she believes,” Nora set a large platter of choices in the center of the table. She met Angel’s gaze with a winsome smile that became brighter, her eyes filling when Angel stepped forward and slid her arms around her grandmother’s waist. She felt the slight quaking against her and tightened her arms around her granddaughter.

“I am so sorry, gran.” The tears fell again, her lashes squeezed closed. “I feel like I should have fought more or…or something,” she let the words burst free, years of locking everything inside pooling over.

“You’ve done fine, Angel,” Nora patted her cheek and gestured to the chair. “Stop being so hard on yourself. Now…food, young lady.”

“I’ll do better, Gran. I will, I promise,” Angel took a plate from the stack, a warmth spreading through her before she even managed a bite. She was carefully lifting a spoonful of eggs when a pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders. Her head snapped to the side at the same time Colin leaned around and kissed her.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He raised his head and winked at the chuckles from Nora. “And good morning to you both.”

George looked over his coffee cup at the man taking the seat next to Angel and nodded with grandfatherly approval.

“She will never stop blushing,” he told Colin with a warm chuckle.

“Stop it, both of you,” Nora’s cheeks were flushed by the time she took a seat next to her husband. “Coffee, Colin, or would you like something else?”

“Coffee, please, and I can get it. Judging by this feast, you’ve been busy,” he was up from the seat, carrying his cup to the dark liquid fragrantly brewing. “Can I top off your cup, George?”

“Excellent idea,” he held up his cup and watched the coffee flow.

“I think it’s funny that you don’t drink coffee,” Colin commented as he rejoined the table. He took stock of the choices and began filling his plate. “This smells delicious, Nora, thank you. I’d bet you were Angel’s inspiration to be a cook.”

“I learned tons of things from Gran,” Angel said proudly.

“And when she visits, she usually bakes up a storm,” George confided, taking a large bite of the toast he’d coated with sparkling plum jam. “I’ll have to sneak into your shop and get some of the Christmas offerings I know you make. I’ll share the ones you brought with the hands today…what I leave of them.”

“I know which are your favorites,” she laughed. “I’ll bring more to you next weekend.”

“Have you met any of Colin’s family yet?” Nora had been smiling, glancing at her granddaughter. But it faded slightly at the body language of the pair. “I’m sorry. Something has touched a nerve.”

“It’s alright, Gran. Colin said the same thing I did…it’s complicated.”

“Yours is not complicated. Yours is abuse and assault,” Nora growled. “Do not even get me started on that man and his…”

“Easy, love,” George took her hand in his. “We knew he wouldn’t win. And now there is another advocate to help our Little Wing. I’m sure when Colin is ready, he will speak with us.”

“I don’t know if it’s…” Colin pulled in a long, steadying breath. He took several bites of hash browns and eggs, quietly collecting his response. “It might not be meal time talk, but you have a right to know as much about me as I’ve learned about you.” His free hand covered hers on the table. “It’s not as bad as you’re imagining, Angel.” His hand went to the side of her face before returning to the table.

“Colin, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me. We’ve just been side-tracked or we’d have talked about it like a normal couple,” he said with a half shrug. “My father died when I was three. Maybe two years later, my mother married Chuck Montrose. Looking at it now, I know he flattered and wormed his way into her life with compliments and a false presence. He was cruel and abusive.”

Angel felt the color leave her cheeks. “The scars on your shoulders…on your ribs…”

Colin’s gaze sharpened, the look of pain and moisture in her eyes pulling at him.

“I’m alright, Angel. My mother died when I was ten.”

“Then you became his target,” Nora said softly, sorrow for the little boy she could see in her mind.

“I ran away when I was eleven. Spent a few months on the streets,” Colin got up from the table and stood at the large stove. He poured more coffee and steeled his nerves before returning. “I slept in doorways and under bridges…in the woods and sometimes, I got lucky and found a car unlocked for a night. This one night, I was curled in a doorway of a small office building. God, I know I looked terrible. I was scrawny and filthy. Hadn’t had a haircut for over a year; let’s not even mention dental health or clean clothing. There was an intern working for the law offices, Andrea Fox.”

He lifted his gaze from the steaming mug in his hands to Angel’s face, her eyes wide.

“The judge,” she whispered.

“The same. Only then she was barely twenty-three and working as an intern in the law offices. I was half asleep when she came to the back door where I was conked out. I must have been a sight. The coat I’d found was at least four sizes too big and everything else I had was crusted with dirt. But there she was; crouched on her heels, one arm filled with books and a briefcase and staring at me. She told me a little later that she knew in that instant that she was going to go into family law and eventually family court.”

“You should have told me,” Angel exhaled. “I should have…I looked like…oh, god, I was wearing this!”

Colin laughed. Something he hadn’t expected to happen during the explaining about his childhood. And it felt damn good.

“Trust me, she looks well past clothing and she knows where your shop is. I think she’s been in there a few times because I remember seeing your cups on her desk,” Colin began eating again, his appetite slowly returning.

“What did she do, Colin?” George prompted.

“Dragged me into her office. I tried to run. She snagged the back of my coat and pulled me inside, kicking and screaming. But since it had been a while between meals and I really hadn’t developed any muscles…” He shook his head at the memory. “It was a Saturday. I guess that’s why I figured it would be safe. Offices were closed on Saturday. But she had come down for some papers to work on over the weekend. She took me into the executive office area and closed the door so I couldn’t run. I acted tough…but I think she knew I was terrified.”

Angel hastily swiped at her cheeks, her shoulders stiff and eyes filled with compassion for the little boy. “I felt something between you, but I thought it was just because you’d worked together before.”

“Don’t cry for me, Angel,” Colin touched her face, wiping the corner of her eye with his thumb. “It was the best thing to happen to me. She took me to the bathroom. To me…then…it was massive. Her nose was wrinkled so I know I must have smelled,” he remembered with a laugh. “She dug around in some drawers and laid things out on the counter. Then she ordered me into the shower, handing me a bottle of soap and shampoo and a wash cloth. Then she said, use the toothbrush and paste and get presentable. She left this huge robe on the counter and left me alone.”

“It took me an hour before I wanted to leave the steamy warmth of the bathroom. My clothes had vanished so I put the robe on and it dragged on the floor around me when I opened the door and went into the office.”

“Believe me, I was warm but still scared as hell. I’d smelled food, but figured it was my imagination until I stepped into the office again. The big desk had been cleared and was filled with so many choices. I figured I was still laying outside in the doorway having one heck of a great dream,” he told them with a laugh they matched. “Then I saw Andrea and another woman standing by the main door, their heads close together and talking in whispers. Andrea gestured to the chair and told me to eat and drink my milk. I’d told her my name before she shoved me into the bathroom.”

“Barbara Canfield was the other woman,” he watched Angel’s face as he spoke. “She and Andrea had been partners for two years when I came along. Barbara was working toward her mid-wife status, but her off school job was for a credit company. Between the two of them, they’d uncovered everything they needed or wanted to know about Chuck Montrose. And they didn’t like what they’d found out.”

“I thought you said he was hungry?” Barbara Canfield had her hands shoved into the pockets of a pair of jeans. She’d planned on spending the afternoon and evening with her partner, working on their little garden. But this was definitely more important.

“He looks hungry,” Andrea remarked with a little frown. “Colin? You can eat. I didn’t know what you might like…so I asked Barbara to bring a collection.”