Heath (Wild Boys After Dark, #2)(30)
“Yes. I was just thinking of my father. I forgot about the part of the movie where his friend was killed.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but my father was killed a few years ago during a home invasion, while trying to protect my mother.”
Ally’s heart squeezed. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” She pulled her legs up beneath her on the couch and moved closer to him. “Did they catch the person who did it?”
“The police didn’t, but my younger brother Logan did. He’s a private investigator. He’d been tracking the guy when the guy broke into another house, where a woman and her young child were sleeping.” He paused and seemed to be weighing what he was going to say next. When he spoke, his tone was grave, his eyes sad. “The police didn’t act fast enough, but Logan did. He saved them.”
This was what nightmares were made of. She imagined his brother following some crazy man into a house, knowing he had killed his father and blinded his mother, and the rage he must have felt. She could tell that Heath was holding something back, and she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “And the guy?”
“Logan took care of him. Logan’s not a cold-blooded killer, but the guy had a knife to the woman’s throat. He didn’t have a choice but to kill him or the guy might have killed that woman and her child.” He drew in a deep breath, and his brows knitted together. “I haven’t shared that with anyone. I didn’t mean to lay it on you like that.” He scrubbed his hand down his solemn face and pulled her into his arms.
“Heath, that’s awful. And poor Logan, but at least he saved that woman and her child, and now your family knows that guy isn’t lurking around somewhere.”
He pressed her closer to him and nodded against her cheek. “My job is to help people, but if I had been Logan, I would have probably done the same thing.”
She gazed into his eyes and saw a well of sadness. “Your father would be proud of him, and I’m sure he would have been proud of each of you, too, for taking such good care of your mother.”
“Some people go their whole lives trying to gain their parents’ approval. We had it since the day we were born.”
The longing in his voice nearly did her in.
“You all must miss him terribly.”
“We do. Enough time has passed that losing my father has become part of who I am, rather than all-consuming. The first few weeks after he was killed were rough. I was so angry and so worried about my mother. Not only about her safety, but for her emotional state as well. She’s a strong woman, and she tried to put up a good front, refusing to move from our childhood home after our father was killed and assuring us she was okay. How can anyone be okay after losing the person they love most?”
Ally swallowed against the thickening in her throat.
“As time passed, things got easier. My mother really is a remarkable woman. I don’t know how she’s gone through losing the only man she ever loved to a random act of violence and losing her vision, and still she gives more than she’ll ever ask for.” His lips curved in a tentative smile. “She still sees the good all around her, even without sight.” His brows knitted together. “I don’t mean to be so maudlin.”
“Heath, please. I’ve learned more about you in the last ten minutes than in the last two days. Well, not really, but almost.” She pressed her lips to his. “I like that you’re sharing this part of yourself with me. Your dad sounds like he was a wonderful man, and I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet him.”
“He would have liked you a lot.” Heath moved to the edge of the couch. “I should get going and let you get some rest.”
Ally felt closer to Heath than ever, and she wanted him to stay with her, even if just to sleep, though she’d like to do more. But she knew she was falling for him much harder than she thought possible after only a few days, and she didn’t trust herself not to tip over the edge and drown in a pool of emotions she wasn’t sure she was ready for.
They kissed good night, and after he closed the door, she leaned her back against it, wishing he hadn’t left. She peered out the peephole and saw him standing, arms crossed, eyes serious. He took a step back toward the door, then ran his hand through his hair and turned to leave.
She looked at the couch where he’d opened up to her, the kitchen where they’d cooked dinner, to the bed just beyond, where they’d made love. She should be filled to the hilt with those warm memories, but as she bent to pick up Fifi and smelled Heath’s cologne on her fur, she missed Heath too much to feel anything other than lonely.
Chapter Twelve
THURSDAY EVENING HEATH pushed open the doors of NightCaps and took a quick visual sweep of the crowd, searching for his brothers. His eyes landed on his buddy Dylan Bad, the owner of NightCaps, standing behind the bar. Dylan waved, and Heath made his way toward him.
Dylan’s dark eyes widened with his friendly smile. “Haven’t seen you around much, Heath. How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks. How’re things with you? How’re your brothers?” Like Heath, Dylan had three brothers. The Bads and the Wilds had grown up together, and they’d lived up to their names, spending their youths getting into mischief, although Heath had always been a little more careful than the rest of them. As the eldest, Heath had felt a responsibility toward keeping his younger siblings safe, and he’d taken that responsibility very seriously.