Page 30 of Bombshell (Whiskey Dolls 1)

“That’s my mommy,” Eli said, obviously having caught me staring at the photograph.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah. She got real sick when she was pregnant with me. She died when I was just a little baby, but Daddy said she loved me more than anything in the whole wide world.”

My heart broke into a million pieces. Needing to see that smile on his face, I situated myself so I was stretched out next to him, leaning against his headboard, and bumped his shoulder with mine. “Of course she did. You’re just about the most lovable little boy I’ve ever met.”

That got me a wan smile. “Do you have a mom, Mar-Mar?”

Oh man, this kid was killing me. Every word was like a million papercuts to my heart. “Yeah, honey. I do.”

“And she loves you a whole lot?”

“She does.”

He looked at the book he was caressing in his little hands. “I wish my mommy wasn’t in heaven. A lot of my friends at school gots moms that live in their houses with them.”

“Hey,” I started softly, looping my arm over his shoulders and pulling him into my side. “You can’t look at it like that, sweetheart. Some families only have a daddy, like yours. Some families only have a mommy. There are even families out there that have two moms or two dads.”

“Like my friend Jordan. He’s got two dads.”

“Exactly. All families are different, so you can’t compare what you have to what your friends have. You may not have realized it yet, but you’re super lucky.”

He looked up at me with wide-eyed wonder. “I am?”

“Absolutely,” I stressed. “Your mom might be in heaven, but that means she’s always looking down on you, making sure you’re safe. And you havethecoolest dad in all of Hope Valley. Did you know that?”

His lips parted in surprise as he shook his head.

“Oh, yeah. Everyone talks about it. Pierce Walton’s the coolest of the cool. Why do you think I call you Cool Guy Eli?”

“Wow,” he breathed, totally in awe. “I really have the coolest dad in Hope Valley?”

“Yep. Everyone thinks so. So you don’t need to be sad, because you’re already one of the luckiest kids I know.”

With that, the shadows that had been in his eyes cleared up, and his light came shining through once again.

After two readings of a story about a baby bear lost in the woods, trying to find his family, Eli finally lost his battle with sleep.

As I made my way back downstairs, my mind was reeling with a million different questions. I knew that Pierce’s wife had passed away, but I didn’t know the circumstances behind it. And it certainly didn’t feel like my place to ask.

Given that Frank was the world’s biggest asshole and, for reasons I’d never been able to wrap my head around, hated his older brother, he’d never talked about it.

After the dinner at his mom’s house when he’d taken me to meet his family, I’d made the mistake of asking on the drive back to his place. That had led to our first of many epic fights. He’d somehow twisted my curiosity into me having a thing for Pierce, which couldn’t have been further from the truth.

That was the first night he’d hit me. We’d been standing in the middle of his living room, and he’d backhanded me across the face. Looking back, I wished that had been the very moment I walked out the door for good. But he’d been so remorseful, and for a while after that, Frank had doted on me, professing his love and swearing it would never happen again. I’d incorrectly assumed that hit had been a one-time thing. And I’d also learned after that to never ask questions about his brother.

I should have ended that relationship right then and there, but I tried hard not to dwell on that thought. It wouldn’t get me anywhere. There was no point in looking back with regrets when it was already over and done. I just needed to keep moving forward. Just keep swimming. That Dory really knew her shit.

Shaking off the melancholy that followed that memory, I curled up on Pierce’s big, fluffy sofa and flipped the channels on the television until I got to an episode ofSchitt’s Creek.

The last thing I remembered was laughing at David and Alexis before dozing off.

* * *

Pierce

I wasn’t sure what in the hell had possessed me to say those things to Marin earlier. I was just thankful I’d managed to swallow down the rest of my sentence before it could tumble out of my mouth, because something told me that if I’d actually said my punishment would consist of me leaving my nice red handprint on her ass, that she’d run screaming in the other direction.

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