Chapter 94

Chapter 94
Harper

I put the phone down and wonder how on earth I am going to explain this one to my mother and my sister. So far, they are in the bubble of momma being home like everything is peachy and the roses are blooming in the garden.

My heart feels like it is having palpitations. More men around the house? This does not sound good and I am frightened to the core for Levy. Whatever he has gotten himself into, I am not sure I can deal with that. I have to think of my younger sister and my mother. Who right now, my mother that is – does not need any upset or stress in her life.

And why all of a sudden am I some kind of target? What the holy shit is all that about? There isn’t anything I can do until Levy comes home and tells us what exactly is going on.

I go downstairs and call my momma and Taylor to come sit with me in the lounge. After of course I have double checked that the front door and the back door are locked and the windows too. It gives me a sense of eeriness doing this and Levy has put the shivers up and down my spine.

“Where’s the fire? Taylor says as she throws herself on the easy chair opposite the sofa. Momma comes through having changed. She is wearing flared jeans and a nice olive-green sweater. Wow, she looks amazing. How did she even get a new wardrobe? I am not going to ask, perhaps it came with the expensive program or did Levy give the team the cash? Too much is trying to process in my mind right now. I take a deep breath.

“Honey is everything okay? You look flustered and anxious? Do you need to take some rest?” Momma’s voice is soft and I love how she sounds. Not like the coarse and bitter woman she was a mere twenty-eight days go. It’s almost giving me whiplash.

“Take a seat next to me, Momma. I need to talk with you both,” I tell her just as I hear a loud knock on the door. Hell, that can’t be Levy he said he’d be at least thirty minutes.

“I’ll go,” bounces up Taylor.

“NO!” Shit, I shouldn’t have yelled at her like that. She turns and looks at me like I have scalded her with boiling hot water.

“What is wrong with you, Harper? Don’t speak to me like that.”

“Sorry, I, er. Let me get it.”

“Get over yourself,” she back chats. With an exasperated sigh I let her go to the door and I go to the counter and check the monitor. It’s only Dylan. Oh, thank God. At least he is here with us now.

“Hey, what you doing here?” I hear Taylor ask him. “Come on in, oh, wait you’re here to greet momma and welcome her back home, right?”

Dylan steps over the threshold and gives my little sister a friendly hug. “That’s right and I need to speak with Harper real quick too.”

He enters the lounge; momma looks up at him. “Dylan, gosh you seem to have sprouted up. How is college and football practice?” Wait, my momma even knows he plays football? How is that possible? She has been out of the real world for the last ten years.

“All going very well, thank you for asking. I have a game this weekend and there will be a couple of scouts there from Boston.”

“Boston?” I say astounded. “I thought you wanted to stay local and continue with studies not play football.”

“Lacey is going to study at Boston if she gets the grades and I want to be close to her.”

Okay so now I am wondering when all this happened because Lacey never wanted to leave our small town either. Still, they are entitled to change their opinions. It hits me like a hard slap in the face that of course, Lacey and Dylan are their own unit now and she will speak to Dylan more than me. It makes me feel a little sad and dejected that she hasn’t even mentioned it to me.

As if he can read my mind, Dylan says, “hey, she only just told me. Apparently, she’s been keeping it quiet until she knows for sure. Hell, I didn’t even know Boston was on the agenda until recently. And you have been kind of busy with dad.”

“True, yeah, never mind. Listen, I’m really happy for you both and hope it works out.”

Momma lets out a sigh and clasps her hands entwined on her knee, which is crossed over the other knee. “Such a shame you two had to split up. You were such a beautiful couple. I had always dreamt that you would get married and give me grandbabies?”

Wait, is my mother on something right now? She wouldn’t even have thought about grandbabies, she was always fucking high or drunk. I blink several times, even Dylan seems a bit confused.

“Momma, we were never going to get married. Dylan is happy with Lacey and I am happy with Levy.” Least ways I think I am. He is scaring the shit out of me and what if he tells me something that is going to make me change my entire mind?

“Yes, but Levy is not going to want children now then, is he? He’s been there and done that, at his age babies will be the last thing on his mind.”

Now I am properly staring at her and checking out her pupils because this is a change from earlier. “I wouldn’t say that per se,” Dylan informs her. “My dad loves babies and children. He’s a good father. I reckon that if Harper got pregnant, he’d be up for it. They love each other and you know I bet he’d love a couple of ankle biters. I definitely would love a baby brother or sister.”

I punch him on the arm and mouth thank you.

“Anyway, what do you want to talk to us all about, screaming at us like that?” Taylor asks as she takes a seat back in the chair.

“So,” I begin. “Er, I had a call from Levy. Something happened earlier at the rehab place in the car park and it got me nervous.”

I tell them what I saw and I relay the conversation I had with Levy. Dylan remains standing and does not say a word. Maybe he already knows something.

“Are you telling me that someone has threatened you?” Momma’s voice sounds a bit shaky. God, this is way too much for her to take in and process on her first day back. I blow a strand of hair off my face.

“It would appear that way, Momma. Levy is on his way here right now and there will be extra protection around the property.”

“This isn’t some kind of T.V. drama, Harper. Who are these people? Who the hell is Levy hanging around with? I thought your father,” she says pointedly at Dylan, “was a good man, not in some kind of biker gang with criminals and gang warfare.”

Dylan coughs. “He isn’t ma’am. He has a few buddies but they’re all professional guys who work and you know my father isn’t in some dangerous gang. He’s not like that.”

Momma does not look convinced right now. “Listen, why don’t we all calm down and wait for Levy to arrive. He is going to explain everything to Dylan and I and of course you too, Momma.”

“And me,” Taylor pipes up.

I nod. “Yes, and you. I am scared, this all seems serious and the man earlier gave me the creeps.” I fill my mother in on Levy taking off at short notice and that I think it is to do with some fella called Jake.

Thudding on the door makes us all look at it. “Hey, it’s Levy. Let me in.” His rumbling voice makes me have all sorts of feelings race through my body. Seriously? At a time like this? I could slap myself!

Dylan walks to the door and opens it. “Hey, Dad.” They man hug each other; my heart does a kind of little flip thing seeing them both so close to each other. I love how Levy is a good father and how Dylan loves his dad back. It’s heartwarming to see.

Levy comes over to me and kisses my lips briefly. They feel tingly just from the mere touch of his mouth. I inhale his masculine scent that makes me feel dizzy being close to him.

“Can we all take a seat please?” He speaks to Dylan and I since momma and Taylor are already seated.

“Welcome home, ma’am,” he says to my mom. She smiles and thanks him. I can tell she is nervous, hell I feel sick to my stomach at whatever he is about to tell us all.

“Something happened some time back when I was eighteen,” he says as he looks down at his hands. He is leaning on his thighs with his forearms, the veins in his arms popping that is distracting me from what he is saying. I glance up at him and see a pained expression on his face.

Good Lord, please whatever this is – don’t make me hate him!