Always Been Mine: A Single Mom Office Romance Read online

  I didn’t wait for them to tell me who they were because it didn’t matter. If they were calling from the school, it meant that Sierra needed me.

  “Yes, ma’am. This is Sierra’s counselor. I need you to come down here. Her teacher sent her down about ten minutes ago. Your daughter has bitten another student.”

  “Bitten? Where?”

  “In the classroom, during their free reading time.”

  “No, I mean where did she bite them?” Geez, the woman was a counselor. Thank goodness, she wasn’t a fucking teacher.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I misunderstood. She bit the other student on the arm.” The woman’s voice was slow and drawn out so much that it was about to lull me to sleep. “You’ll have to come pick her up. She’s been suspended for the rest of the day.”

  “Fine, I’m at work, so you’ll have to give me a minute, but I’ll be there within thirty.” I hung up the phone and looked up at Katrina, who was already talking to the good-looking man.

  “She’s nice. You’ll like her.” She gave him a nudge, and he smiled at me. I ignored him and focused on Katrina.

  “Cover for me, please. Sierra has been suspended for the day.”

  “But I was just telling this charming gentleman that he should give you his number.” She turned to him as he laughed. “Seriously, she doesn’t bite, and look at her.”

  The man looked me up and down and grinned. He was too fucking cute for his own good.

  I grabbed Katrina’s arm. “Look, I have to go. Cover for me or not?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got this, but what the hell did she do? She’s six!”

  The handsome man was all ears as Katrina waited for an answer too.

  “She bit a kid.”

  The man laughed, and I let loose a long breath of frustration. Katrina turned to the man. “I said she didn’t bite. I wasn’t talking about the kid.” She turned back to me. “Go, it will be fine. I’ll get his number for you.”

  “No, don’t. No offense.” I looked at the poor guy who grinned and shook his head. Katrina had a way about her, and privacy and shame weren’t in her DNA.

  I ran out of there and didn’t bother taking my apron off until I got out of my car at the school. I didn’t want them to see me wearing my name tag or the silly buttons Katrina, and the boss liked us to wear.

  I walked into the office and found Sierra sitting with the principal in his office. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to speak with the counselor. I’d need to pop some caffeine pills to stay awake through that conversation.

  “Mommy!” Sierra jumped up from her seat and hugged my legs.

  “Mrs. Simon, I’m sure you’ve already been filled in on the matter, but I’d like to encourage you to talk to your child about the dangers of biting, for her health and the health and safety of the other students.” The man looked down his nose at me, even though he was sitting.

  “Yes, of course. And thank you for calling. I appreciate your care for my daughter.” I took her hand, and he stood from his desk and walked us to the door.

  “She can return on Monday, and I’ve made a notation on her conduct record.”

  I wanted to shove his conduct record up his ass, but instead, I thanked him again. I knew my kid shouldn’t be biting, and I planned on having a long conversation with her, but I didn’t understand a school that couldn’t handle small incidents or turned molehills into mountains.

  We got into the car and drove away. Sierra looked up at me with her big blue eyes, which were much darker than her father’s eerie, pale ones. I’d been waiting years for them to turn brown like my own, but they hadn’t. And once again, like every time I looked deep into them, I got the feeling that she was an old soul, a lost part of me I’d known long ago, a kindred spirit.

  “I’m sorry, Mama.”

  “You can’t bite people, Sierra. Why did you do it? Do you like this little boy?”

  “Yuck, no. He’s stinky.” She made a face.

  “So, you think he’s stinky, and you thought it was a good idea to put your mouth on his arm and bite him? That’s yucky.” She turned red and made another face. “But worse than that, you could have hurt the kid or made him go to the doctor. Don’t ever do that again, stinky or not! And if you do like this boy, that’s not the way to go about it.”

  “I don’t like him!” She folded her arms and poked out her lower lip.

  “Don’t say anything about this to your father.”

  “You mean I still have to go to his house this weekend?”

  “Yes, you do, Sierra. I don’t have a choice. And if this is why you bit that stinky kid’s arm, you wasted your time. And I want you to apologize to him on Monday.”

  “Please, Mama. I’ll be good. I won’t bite anyone else. Just don’t make me go.” Tears filled her eyes, and mine welled up soon after.

  “I know. I’m sorry, okay. But we’ve gone over this every single time. I can’t keep you from your father. He loves you and wants to spend time with you.”

  I wanted to bite my tongue off for having to tell such lies. The truth was, I didn’t know if her asshole father was capable of loving anyone. He’d not only made my life miserable but hers as well, with his negativity and verbal abuse. He didn’t even try to be pleasant to me anymore, and Sierra had seen it one too many times to like going with him.

  “Can I bring something to do? It’s so boring, and he makes me go with him to play golf, and I have to sit in the cart, and he doesn’t even let me drive it.”

  “You’re only six. You’re not allowed to drive the club’s carts.” I knew I had to talk to him about trying to do something she liked for a change.

  “Doesn’t he take you anywhere you like going?”

  “No, and he makes me go to bed at seven-thirty.”

  I’d already talked to him about extending her bedtime a little, but he didn’t care about my opinions. Especially when he only did that so he and his new fiancé, Cindy, could have their playtime.

  He believed that when she was at his house, she should follow his rules, just like when we were married. His way or the highway. I’d finally taken the latter option and divorced his sorry ass after too many years of his controlling ways and verbal tirades.

  I hated to see her so upset, but there wasn’t a thing I could do about any of it. With Doug paying child support, he had every right to see his daughter. The divorce had been ugly enough, and the man had been unbearable for me to deal with until he found Cindy. Thankfully, she’d calmed him down just a bit. He was happy like he’d been with us in the beginning, when he’d been tolerable.

  “I tell you what, when you get back, we’ll stay up late one night and paint our nails and watch any movie you want, and then the next morning, we’ll have donuts for breakfast.” I felt like I was always going to have to make up for Doug being a shitty father.

  Sierra smiled and wiped her eyes. “Fine. But can I have two donuts?”

  “One. You’re still being punished for biting Stinky’s arm.”

  “His name’s not Stinky. He’s Dylan, and he’s got black hair and blue eyes. All of the girls like him.” She turned and looked out the window.

  “My first crush had dark hair and blue eyes, too.” And that time, she didn’t deny a thing.

  When I got home, just as I had unlocked the door, Katrina called. Sierra ran to her room while I answered the phone and settled down on the couch.

  “How’d it go? Is she grounded for life?” She was about as concerned as an aunt could be who wasn’t blood-related.

  “She’s okay. She’s more upset that she has to go to Doug’s than she is about being suspended. It didn’t help I promised her donuts for breakfast and a late movie night again.”

  “You can’t keep trying to make up for that asshole’s neglect. As much as I want to spoil that baby, she’s going to get hip to your jive and start to take advantage.”

  “Hip to my jive?” I laughed. “What are you, a time traveler?”

  “Yes, and it’s wh
at all the cool kids are saying back in good old nineteen and seventy-three.” She had something stuffed in her mouth, and her voice was muffled. “You know I’m right. About your kid, not the cool kids.”

  “I know. It’s just so hard. Especially since I like donuts for breakfast, too.” I pulled the throw from the back of the couch and tried to get warm.

  “You’re doing a great job, mama! So, who’s this boy she’s got a crush on. Did you get a name?”

  Good old, Katrina. She had it figured out, too. “His name is Dylan, and he’s got black hair and blue eyes.” My first crush’s face flashed through my mind. Sierra had her mother’s taste in men.

  Chapter 3

  David

  The alarm sounded, and I rose from my bed. I was almost out of my warm bed and on my feet when I realized I was no longer in the military, and it was the phone that was ringing. Fuck. I fetched the thing from the bedside table and then tucked down into my covers and read the unknown number. I didn’t want to answer it, but I knew better than to let it go.

  “Yeah?”

  An automated voice sounded on the other end. “You are receiving this call from a correctional facility. To accept the call, please press one. To decline, press two and—”

  I pressed one and waited for my brother’s voice. “Hey, man. It’s Blaine. I need you to come and get me out. I’m down in county jail.”

  “Fuck.” I bit tongue, not wanting to lay into him just yet. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  I hung up the phone and got to my feet. The cold floor made me wish I’d put in a rug or worn socks. I dressed, bundling up so I could make the trip across town.

  Was my brother ever going to grow up? I’d been dealing with his shit since my father died, and I knew if the old man were around, he would be staying behind bars a lot longer. I couldn’t leave him there to rot, though. It wasn’t in me. He was my baby brother, and despite the fact that he was a degenerate, I loved the kid.

  At twenty-three, he’d been in more trouble than me and Missy combined—times ten, and he was only getting worse. Something was going to have to give. And I had a feeling that this time, it would be my temper. I’d let my heart break for him too many times, and if I didn’t get tough, I was going to be on my way to identifying his body instead of bailing him out. I couldn’t lose him, too.

  I sped down to the county lockup, and the sheriff met me out front. “Hey, David. Thanks for coming down.”

  “What’s he done this time? I didn’t give him time to tell me on the phone.”

  “We got him for public intoxication. I didn’t book him again, out of respect for your father. He was a good man and a good friend, but this is the last time I’ll extend that charity. If I see him in here again, I’m booking him.”

  “Yes, Sir. Thank you. I’m just not sure what to do with this kid. He’s been giving me hell since my father died.”

  “Your old man had his share of battles with him, but I agree. It’s getting worse, and I suggest you get him some help for his addictions. That kind of behavior is only going to get worse.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ve seen it.” He went into his office and closed the door as a commotion came from down the hall.

  “Give it back!” Blaine’s voice carried down the corridor, and when Blaine stepped out, the deputy explained.

  “We didn’t find a knife on you, Mr. DeVant.”

  “Check again asshole!” Blaine said with a scowl.

  I stepped up. “Hey, enough! If they say they didn’t find one, they didn’t. Shut your mouth, and let’s go.” I jerked him by the arm and pushed him toward the door. “You don’t argue with a fucking officer of the law, you jackass. Are you fucking kidding me?”

  I was so pissed I wanted to take him down with a headlock and choke him out.

  He settled down to a quiet sulk as we crossed the lot to the car. “God, it’s fucking cold. And I did have a knife. It’s the fucking gold and black pocket knife you got me. I can’t believe you’re just going to let those motherfuckers keep it.”

  “I’m sure it will turn up once you’re sober.” I was freezing my balls off, and I didn’t want to hear his shit.

  “I’m not that fucking drunk.” He pulled out a cigarette.

  “You’re not lighting that thing in my car.”

  He grumbled and then shoved it back in the pack. “Fine. I swear you’re worse than those pigs.”

  “Those pigs, as you like to call them, have saved your ass more times than I can count. So, why don’t you show some fucking respect?” I took out my keys and hit the locks.

  “Whatever.” Blaine opened the door and dropped into the passenger seat, and I slid in next to him behind the wheel.

  His “whatever” attitude had my temper boiling. I grabbed his fucking arm and pulled him to me. “You think this is a fucking joke?”

  He was so close to my face that I could taste the alcohol on his breath, but I didn’t care. He needed to learn I meant business. I was done being the lenient big brother who let him get away with murder and destroy his life with alcohol and drugs.

  His whole body was electrified and shaking, and his eyes bore into mine as if he could will me dead.

  “I’m not going to put up with your shit anymore, Blaine. This bullshit stops now!”

  I headed to his apartment which was only about five miles away, and if it weren’t for me paying his rent and keeping his shit together, he’d have lost it already. “I want you to do fucking better. Get a job and quit being a pain in my ass, or I’m cutting you off.”

  “Fuck you. You’re not Dad, and you can’t cut me off.”

  “I’m in charge of your fucking trust until you’re twenty-five, and if you don’t straighten your shit up, I’ll make sure you don’t get it then.”

  “You’re not my fucking father. I had one of those assholes. I don’t need another one.”

  “Yeah, he treated you so badly. The man paid your fucking way much longer than he did mine, and he entertained all your fucking dreams, while I had to give mine up to come back here and wipe your fucking ass for you. I make sure your rent is paid, I make sure you’ve got food in the fridge, I make sure you don’t have to get a real job and can focus on your fucking talent, which you’re throwing away by smoking, snorting, and drinking like a motherfucking fish.”

  I pulled into the space next to his car. Thankfully, he hadn’t been in the thing when he got busted. I grabbed his arm and held him in his place. “I’m not fucking around. Clean your shit up! I’m not coming back down to bail you out, and trust me, next time, there will be bail.”

  “Yeah, threaten to abandon me. You’re just as fucking bad as he was. What would you fucking know, anyway? He was constantly on my ass after you left, Missy fucking hates me, and you abandoned me a long fucking time ago.”

  His words loosened my grip, and he jerked away, slamming the door behind him as he made his way into his building. I hadn’t meant to abandon the kid, and the only reason Missy acted the way she did was because she’d given to him until it hurt. He’d already let her down one time too many.

  I watched his place until the lights came on upstairs in his apartment. Then, I drove away, knowing I had to make one more stop before I headed back home.

  “What are you doing here so early?” My sister Missy was a natural beauty, and she looked a lot like our mother, especially wearing her hair in a towel with the long robe which billowed away from her legs as she stepped into the house, waving me in.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you guys or anything. I just got back from county lockup and thought I’d stop by.” I was hoping to talk with her about Blaine, but she turned to me, shaking her head.

  “You should have let him rot there.”

  “Come on, you don’t mean that. He’s our baby brother, Miss.”

  “You haven’t called me Miss in ages. And it’s not going to butter me up. I don’t care about Blaine and his issues, and I’m not letting him close to the girls again, so he can put them in da
nger with his neglectful fucking attitude.” She lowered her voice as not to let the girls hear her use foul language. They were both at the bar with their dolls tucked beside them, eating their morning cereal.

  “He feels like shit about that, I’m sure.”

  “He let them wander out into the street because he was passed out drunk. I almost lost my girls because I was dumb enough to let him babysit. He hit the liquor cabinet the minute I was out the fucking door. The girls could have been killed. So yeah, fuck him. I raised his sorry ass, and that’s the thanks I get.”

  “You did raise him, Miss. You’re more of a mom to him than Mom ever was, and he told me that you hated him. I could tell it breaks his heart. He thinks I abandoned him to go to the military.”

  She gave a little shrug. “Maybe he’s right about that one.”

  “Ouch.” I rubbed my chest. “I didn’t abandon anyone, and I really take offense to that since I dropped my dreams to come back here and run the business.”

  “I didn’t twist your arm. Dad died. What could I do? He didn’t want me to run the company. Not that I’d want that nightmare. And he didn’t want to leave it to Greyson.”

  “He should have. I don’t know what I’m doing. Greyson’s spending too much time training me to do a job he should be getting paid for. I’m already determined to give him a huge bonus this year.” I walked over to the counter where the girls, Tiffany and Macy, were focused on a word search on the electronic tablet between them.

  “Hi, Uncle David.” Tiffany, who was the more outspoken of the two, flashed me a smile. “We’re trying to find all the words before the time runs out, so we can free the princess from the witch.”

  The music on the device was going faster. “It sounds like you’re almost out of time.”

  “Yeah.” She gave a little shrug. Then her eyes lit up. “There it is, Macy!”

  They hit the word just in time, and they both slapped hands as the screen turned black and a little princess ran across the screen before she turned into a butterfly.

  “Great job, girls.” I gave them high fives, and then they hopped off their stools and headed to the couch to turn on some cartoons.