“Who else?”
Over the top of his sunglasses, one brow rose up his forehead.
“Other than how your actions affect my son’s life, I don’t care about you, Sam. I haven’t for a long time. My only concern is Conner.”
“That makes two of us.”
Hardly, she thought. “I see that he has everything he needs.”
“He needs a man’s influence.”
Had he been talking to her brother? “He has Vince.”
“Vince is an asshole.”
“So are you, but at least Vince keeps his promises. Conner knows he can count on Vince.”
He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out as if she exhausted him. “I told Conner he could come to my games, and I’l make sure he gets a good seat.”
“He can’t stay up that late, or he’l fal asleep at school.”
“Not on Saturdays he won’t.” He climbed inside his truck and shut the door. “I’l have Natalie cal you.”
Conner didn’t like hockey. He was a pacifist, but if he wanted to go, she didn’t have a problem with Natalie taking him. Besides, Sam would lose interest, and it wouldn’t be an issue anyway.
Sam didn’t wait for her response. Just shoved the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway. From the window above, Conner waved,
but typical of Sam, he didn’t look up and notice. Autumn frowned and shook her head as she moved up the steps to the front door. Off in the distance, the rumble of bad-dog pipes rattled the air.
Great. Vince. Like she didn’t have enough drama.
She paused on the top step and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. The hatred Vince and Sam shared was no secret, and she hoped the two didn’t stop and duke it out on Morning Glory Drive. She held her breath as the two passed, and although she couldn’t see that far, she wouldn’t put it past either to flip each other the bird.
She stood on the porch and waited. She loved her big brother. Loved him for a lot of good reasons, but mostly because he had her back. No matter what. He was loving and fiercely loyal. He fought for her. Always had, but sometimes he took his job as big brother and uncle a little too seriously. But that was Vince. He was a former Navy SEAL who didn’t believe in half measures. He had dark demons that he never talked about and lived by the motto:
“Sometimes it is entirely appropriate to kil a fly with a sledgehammer.”
He pul ed the Harley to a stop in the driveway where Sam’s truck had just been parked and kil ed the engine. He swung one long leg over the bike, stood, and ran his fingers through his short dark hair.
“I thought the idiot was supposed to stay away from you,” he said as he walked up the steps. His boots thudded on the concrete.
“He just dropped Conner off. No big deal.” No need to mention that he’d been an hour and a half late and had worried her. No need to poke the bear with a sharp stick. “So, why are you here?” Although she figured she already knew.
“Maybe I just wanted to see you today.”
“You saw me yesterday.” She made a motion with her hand. “Come on. Get it out before we go inside.”
He smiled, his bottom teeth slightly crooked but very white. “After last night, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“You could have cal ed.”
“You would have lied.” He dipped down and looked into her eyes. “Do I need to kil him?”
She might have laughed if she knew with a hundred-percent certainty that he was joking. She wasn’t certain, but she didn’t hold it against him. There were probably a lot of people who wanted to kil Sam. She’d seen him play hockey, and a few minutes ago, she’d wanted to kil him herself. “No. I didn’t real y even see him last night.” Which wasn’t technical y true. She’d seen his blond head every time she’d entered a room. “We didn’t talk much.” Which was true.
“So, you’re okay?” She suspected that Sam and Vince hated each other so intensely because they were alike in some ways. They were both handsome and arrogant and total horn dogs. The difference between them was that Vince put his family above al else. There’d been a time when Conner had been younger when she’d relied a lot on her brother, but she was stronger now. As much as she loved and stil needed Vince, there were times when she wished he’d find a nice girl, get married, and have his own family. He’d make a great dad, but of course, that whole horn dog thing always got in the way of a serious relationship. “You didn’t need to tear over here.”
“I wanted to come anyway.”