“I don’t want to fight with you, Maria.” That always happened. We fought. All the damn time. We could hardly be in the same room without biting each other’s heads off because she denied what she felt while I tried to move on from it.
“It’s why we could never work,” she said. “We are too much alike,” she raced toward the door, purse in hand, her short blonde hair with a pink stripe in it swayed, and when she turned around, she narrowed her eyes at me. Maria wanted to say something else, but she opened and closed her mouth and then slammed the door on her way out.
I hated to admit it, but I could breathe easier once she left. I considered Cortez, Gabriel, a friend now. While I did what I could to push Maria away, I knew he could see whatever it was between the two of us. It was unsettling, but at the same time, it wasn’t strong enough for me to act on it.
It confused the fuck out of me.
“Another lover’s quarrel?” Godrick said as he stood in the hallway, holding his son in his arms. Lucy napped upstairs, taking a small break from the little fella. She was an amazing mom. I wished our parents were alive to see her, to see the woman she had become. They would be so proud. I knew I was. Godrick had managed to get her pregnant again too.
That was a funny fight to witness.
He said he was going to knock her up again even though she didn’t want another baby so soon after the first one, but Godrick gave her a sappy smile, and she melted in his arms. Lucy would have all of his babies. If he wanted a soccer team, she’d give him one. They were that madly in love, something I wanted with so much severity, I felt an ache in my bones for it.
I wanted something that was mine. Everyone around me was in love, and I was just on the outside, envying it. I had no one to take care of, and it bothered me. It was the only thing I knew I was really good at. Yes, I could build things with my hands, but other than that, I felt like I didn’t have anything else to offer to the world.
But I could love, and I could love hard. I stayed true. I was faithful and loyal. I liked to hold things I cared about. I guess that was why I was so good with my hands because everything I held, I cared for.
I wanted to hold someone with these calloused hands. They were rough, probably seen the sun one too many times, and I had scars on them from nails and things piercing me while I worked. While they needed TLC, they gave love really well. My skin might be worn, but my soul wasn’t.
I rolled my eyes at Godrick and sighed. “She’s just stubborn. I want her to be happy, and as long as she hangs around me, she won’t be.”
“Can I ask why you aren’t dating her?” he asked as he slowly lowered himself into a rocking chair in the corner. His son, Godrick Stoneridge IV, crooned at him, lifting his small fist and placing it on his father’s chin. Godrick grinned at his son and kissed the chubby baby wrist. Damn, the man was hooked.
I didn’t blame him. My nephew was fucking cute. He had flaming red hair just like me. Poor kid, he was going to hear all the clever ginger names people came up with.
“It’s hard to explain.” And I really preferred not to explain it. It was my day off. I wanted to nap, wake up, drink a beer, nap again, watch football, nap, beer, sleep for the night. I had my schedule for the day, and it didn’t involve talking about this.
“Try me,” he said in his smooth, elegant voice.
The bastard.
He was so refined, wealthy, and so well-spoken. He wasn’t an easy man to like at first. Partially because I was jealous of him. Not because of wealth or anything like that, but because he took Lucy from me. It took me a while to let go of that, but now he and I were friends.
I rubbed my hand over the scruff on my face and shook my head. “Something isn’t there. Attraction? Yes. Friendship? Yes. Something else is missing. She’s better off with Cortez. She knows it, and I know it. Simple as that, really. I think if she and I got together, it would be a big regret. She’s kind of part of the family now and that would get ruined. I just think we would slowly poison one another.”
His brows lift in surprise. “Well, it wasn’t that difficult to explain, was it? If it means anything, I think you’re right. You need someone less,” he bounced his head around from side to side, looking for the right word to use, “abrasive? Someone who won’t fight you at every word and turn. Maria is a strong woman, someone who doesn’t need a man to help her on her feet, and she wouldn’t like it if you tried. And something tells me, that’s not the kind of woman you want.”
“I wanted Maria. A part of me still does, and I’m afraid it is going to cause nothing but trouble. I don’t like drama, and I sure as hell don’t want drama with a cop. My luck, he would throw me in a jail cell if anything happened between me and Maria.”
“Probably,” he said with a smug smirk. “That would be fun to see.”
I flipped him off with my finger right as my cell phone rang, and I groaned, tossing an arm over my head with denial. “No, no, no. It’s my day off,” I whined. Godrick gave me my own crew to manage, and right now, I had a few guys over there to paint the walls inside. The house was nearly complete, but I didn’t want to see the damn thing until tomorrow.
“Karma. That’s what happens when you tell your boss to fuck off.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “This better be good,” I greeted when I answered the phone.
“Hey, Mr. Green.”
Ah, Mr. Green. I still hadn’t gotten used to that.
“Why are you calling me on my day off, Jacob?” I deepened my voice to try and show annoyance and authority. I was annoyed.
Very annoyed.
“I found something odd inside the house. I thought you’d want to know. I think we have a squatter.”