Page 79 of A Wrench in the Plan
“I don’t think we need the DNA test, but Charm is right, it will take the question out of it.” She inhaled deeply, pulling back to look at my face. “I have a nephew. Oh, my God, I have a nephew.”
She was truly happy. That helped me to relax. Damn, I’d been so nervous.
“Will you… tell me about him?” I asked hesitantly.
Suddenly, I wanted to know this man. I wanted to hear the stories of his life. Wanted to be closer to him even though I’d never truly know him.
“I’ll go out and get some pizzas for dinner,” Charming said as he came over and placed a kiss against Abigail’s temple.
Aunt Abigail.
Eh, that felt a little weird. I might have to work up to it.
But I was excited. I had family here. Maybe, if I was lucky, I could have a close relationship with her. I wondered if I had any other family out there that I could get to know. In time, that was, because this was a lot for me to take in.
“I have so many stories I can tell you.” There was a twinkle in her eyes that made me smile. I imagined it was hard to talk about him, but maybe this could be good for both of us.
So we sat there in that empty kitchen. She told me about growing up with Dade. About how he rebelled against the future their parents tried to force him into, and how he eventually left because he wanted something more out of life. How he found his home here with the Paragons. She promised that we’d talk some more and she seemed really excited to show me all the pictures she had.
I was a little relieved when Charming came back, two Prospects behind him carrying what must have been twenty-five pizza boxes from what I could tell were from at least five different places. I owed him big for giving me the time with her to talk about all of this. For not shutting me out right away to protect his woman. For not looking at me like I was just some piece of shit Prospect who didn’t deserve his time.
“I’ll set up the DNA test and let you know when,” she said, pulling me in for another hug.
“I’ll be there,” I promised.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Wrench
I was about to shut the bay door when a car pulled up. With the late afternoon sun, I couldn’t see who was sitting behind the wheel. I shot Sidekick and Evan a look that clearly said how much I was not in the mood to deal with this. Evan had already shut down the lobby, and everyone but the three of us had gone. The only reason we were still here was ’cause we had been trying to figure out something to do tonight while I cleaned up my tools.
And what we’d decided on was tacos.
So, hell fuckin’ no I didn’t want to deal with whatever this was gonna be. My stomach was screaming and I was ready to eat my weight in soft tortillas filled with shredded beef.
“I got it,” I told Ev as he came up behind me.
Something turned in my gut.
It was telling me that shit was off. If that feeling was right, I wanted Evan behind me. I had to protect him, even if I knew that thought would piss him off a bit. Evan was mine, and I protected what was mine.
The driver’s side door popped open.
Some fuck stepped out, looking like he could have been put together if his face didn’t hold so much scruff and his shirt wasn’t wrinkled like he’d been driving all day.
Which left me wonderin’ how he ended up here and not at some dealership or chain garage.
He stayed behind his propped-open door, seemingly using the car as a shield between us, as he took me in, his eyes squinting as he looked at the patches on my chest.
Nope. Really wasn’t liking this guy.
Something about him…
I was pretty sure I’d met him before.
“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Sidekick roared as his boots thudded closer. I shot out my arm to stop him, and luckily, it worked.
“Agent Palmer,” I growled the moment it clicked.
