Law Man (Dream Man #3)(117)

I dropped my hand and held her eyes.

Mom glared into mine and then hers went to Mitch.

“You’re a fool,” she stated, my body got tight and so did Mitch’s. “See she’s conned you with her fancy-ass clothes and her fancy-ass apartment into thinkin’ that she’s somethin’ she isn’t. You go home, ask anyone, they’ll tell you exactly who Marabelle Jolene Hanover is.”

“No,” Mitch replied, “they’ll tell me who Melbamae Hanover is and, one look at you, I know the woman you are and I know Mara is not that woman.”

“You go to Iowa, they’ll tell you,” Mom pushed.

“I already responded to that, not gonna do it again,” Mitch muttered then said straight out, “Now, I’ll remind you, you’ve been invited to leave.”

Mom gave up on Mitch and looked back at me.

“You can’t run away from who you are.”

“Wrong, Mom,” I replied. “I was never who you thought I was so I never had anything to run away from. But I did run away, not from who you thought I was but from you. I did it thirteen years ago. It’s done. I’m gone. I’ve been gone a long time. Move on.”

“He’ll see who you are, he’ll figure it out and he’ll leave you,” she told me.

“Jeez!” I cried. “I didn’t pick Mitch up at a Truck Stop, Mom, take him home and get him drunk on cheap whiskey. I’m not you and Mitch knew that before I did. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Now, for God’s sake, it’s late, I’m tired, my kids are tired and Bud’s freaked. I need to get them home, Bud calmed down and my family to sleep. So can you please just leave?”

“I –” Mom started but Mitch cut her off.

“Mara asked you to leave.”

Mom’s narrowed eyes went to Mitch.

“I’m gonna say what I –” she began again but Mitch cut her off again.

“Mara asked you to leave.”

Mom leaned in and her voice rose when she started, “I will say what –”

Mitch let me go and moved.

Luckily, Elvira moved before him. Hopping off the barstool onto her strappy, high-heeled sandals, she moved to the Trailer Trash Trio and she did it bossy.

“Right, conversation over. You chose wrong, now’s the time for attorneys,” she said, herding the Trailer Trash Trio closer to the door.

“We’re not done,” Mom snapped.

“You’re done,” Mitch replied, still advancing but doing it slowly.

“We’re not done!” Mom shouted and Elvira leaned around Jez and opened the door.

Jez exited immediately. She didn’t buy into this scene. Whatever they offered her wasn’t much, definitely not worth the headaches she had to know I was ready to create. I fancied the minute I lost sight of her she went up in a poof of smoke.

Aunt Lulamae grabbed Mom’s arm but Mom stood firm in the door, nose to nose with Elvira, Mitch now at Elvira’s back.

Mom opened her mouth to be nasty but Elvira beat her to it.

“Okay, woman, see you don’t get this but, the legal occupant of residence asks you to leave, you do not get a choice with that. They do it repeatedly, you do not comply with their request, things can get ugly. You’ve been repeatedly asked to leave by the tenant of this apartment and her partner who happens to be a police detective and you’ve been asked in front of a witness. You diggin’ in,” she shook her head, “not good. Now, you can walk out that door, make a stupid decision and call your lawyer or you can be led out that door in cuffs. I’m feelin’ hot guy, macho man, pissed off vibes at my back so my guess is, you got about five seconds. Think fast.”

Mom glared at Elvira.

Aunt Lulamae tugged at her arm.

Mom stood firm and moved her glare to Mitch.

All I could see was Mitch’s back but he stood firm too.

Aunt Lulamae tugged at her arm again.

Mom transferred her glare to me.

Then she sneered.

Then she whispered, “What was I thinkin’? You were never worth the trouble. Never.”

I saw Mitch’s body get tight out of the corner of my eyes but I held my mother’s glare. I didn’t bother myself to reply because I knew she was wrong and, seriously, she wasn’t worth any additional effort.

Mom waited.

Elvira and Mitch stood firm.

Aunt Lulamae again tugged Mom’s arm.

“Bitch,” Mom hissed, turned on her platform stripper shoe and stomped out.

And that was it. The last thing my mother likely would say to me.

Figured.

Aunt Lulamae avoided all eyes and followed.

Elvira shut and locked the door.

I sighed.

Mitch turned on his boot and stalked toward me.

My relief evaporated at the look on his face and the intensity of his gait. I had a second to brace before he was right in my space. Then I was in his arms. Then he was kissing me, hard, deep and wet. The kiss was a surprise but it was also a kiss from Mitch which was to say a really good one so I melted in his arms and mine circled his shoulders.

Finally, he tore his mouth from mine, my eyes fluttered open and I saw his burning into mine.

“That was…f*cking…phenomenal,” he whispered fiercely.

Oh. Now I understood the intensity and the kiss.