Jagged

gonna do everything we can to get him in a safe place where he’s got love that isn’t fucked up and twisted.”

“Wilona does right by him,” Mom squeaked, terrified but weirdly holding her own.

“She did, she wouldn’t keep him from his aunt,” Ham said, much the same as me. “Now, you best be on your way, but one last nugget you get to share with that asshole you live with. Had a word with Dr. Kreiger.”

Man, oh man. Ham was pissed if he was laying this particular nugget on Mom now.

And she knew what that nugget meant because her eyes went so huge, they had to hurt.

Ham didn’t even take a breath before he kept going.

“He still works at County Hospital. He remembers Xenia. He remembers standin’ right there with me, you, that asshole, and Zara when your husband agreed to put the baby up for adoption. He also remembers bein’ surprised when he approached your man about seein’ to that and your man reneged on that deal. He’s pretty pissed to learn that your man lied to him at the time, sayin’ Zara knew all about the change. And last, he’s all fired up to tell a judge about this, seein’ as he also thought that was a fuckwit move. So another piece of info you can suck up enough courage to tell him that might be useful is, what comes around goes around and I’m gonna make certain he gets his. Now, you got all that?”

This was all true.

Ham wasted no time the day after the funeral in finding Dr. Kreiger, who was the only witness to the deal I made with Dad. Ham didn’t let me come, worried about my state of mind, seeing as my sister had just passed. However, he did fill me in when he got back from the hospital.

And during our meeting with Nina the day before that we had to officially get the ball rolling, Nina filled us in on the fact that Dr. Kreiger wasted no time e-mailing her a scanned letter to the effect that he had, indeed, witnessed the discussion, detailed all that came after, and he was willing to do whatever was necessary to help.

Mom nodded to Ham’s words even as she whispered, “Please don’t do this.”

“It’s gonna happen,” Ham vowed on a growl, then finished, “Now, you best get on.”

Mom looked to me. “Zara—”

But suddenly I couldn’t see Mom any longer because Ham was not behind me. He was standing in front of me but I heard his voice rumble, “Mizz Cinders, I’m bein’ very serious. This is the last time I’m gonna say it. You best get on…” He paused. “Now.”

Not surprisingly, since Ham’s scary tone degenerated to his very scary tone, I saw Mom scurrying to the door.

I also heard Ham murmur, “Be back,” and watched him follow her.

No sooner had Ham hit the door when Maybelle and Wanda hit me, creating an instant huddle.

“What on earth was that?” Wanda asked, getting close as Maybelle did the same and studied my face.

I looked to Wanda. “That was my Mom.”

Wanda’s eyes shot to Maybelle as Maybelle leaned back but her eyes were on the door where Ham had followed Mom.

“You need a drink, sweetie?” Wanda asked and I did. I totally did. I needed seven of them.

“I’m workin’. Ham has a policy, no boozin’ it up while you’re sellin’ booze,” I told her.

“He vaulted over the bar.”

This weird comment came from Maybelle and I looked to her.

“What?” I asked.

Her gaze was still at the door, but it slowly slid to me.

“He watches you, you know,” she stated, and I felt my insides begin to warm. “It’s not boss keepin’ an eye on his employee type of watchin’ either. He likes what he sees. But it’s more. Like he’s makin’ sure you’re good, no drunk guys do anything stupid, stuff like that. You were outta sight for a while and I saw him do the scan he does a lot. He couldn’t locate you. He didn’t like that. Saw that plain as day. He moved to the front part of the bar, at the edge, looked around, and the minute he saw you with your momma, his face got scary, he put his hands to the bar, and vaulted right over it.”

Ham vaulted over the bar.

For me.

How awesome was that?

That warmth spread through my chest.

“He did,” Wanda affirmed. “He did do that. It was amazing. Seriously, after seeing that, I’d so totally rob a bank with that guy.”

I didn’t have a chance to smile at Wanda, Maybelline kept talking.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, man that big movin’ like that,” Maybelle declared. “He was lucky there was no one sittin’ on the stools there because I don’t think if there was that would have stopped him.”

The warmth spread all around.

“I had an ex-boyfriend who was not such a great guy and didn’t want us to be done,” Maybelle went on. “Used to mess with me. I’d be at the same burger joint as him, he’d call out nasty stuff. So bad I’d have to run out, not even gettin’ my burger. If he drove by while I was walking down the street, he’d do the same. I started seein’ Latrell and that happened”—she lifted a finger—“once. Latrell took off after him and chased him fifteen blocks, caught him, bloodied his nose and then some. We were on our second date and I remembered, by the time he got back to me and word was already spreading what he did, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with that man. I knew he’d never let anything harm me. And now, for near on twenty years, I was right. He hasn’t.”

I loved that story. Then again, I loved Latrell. Maybelline’s husband was the bomb.

“Are you saying that you think Ham is like Latrell?” I asked, and her eyes, which were kind of dreamy with reminiscing, grew sharp on me.

“Heck no,” she stated and I stared. Then she went on. “But he’s one step closer to me not thinkin’ he’s all wrong for you and you’re making the biggest mistake in your life.”

Well, that was something.

“Can I have my girl?”

This was rumbled from behind us. We all jumped and I turned and looked up at Ham.

He didn’t wait for a response. His big hand engulfed mine and he dragged me through the bar to the back hall, down it, and right into the office.

He closed the door and backed me into it, one of his hands going to the door by my head. He slid his other arm around me, pulling my hips into contact with his.

“You know I like it anytime and wouldn’t mind christening the office, babe, but I just had a drama with my mom, story time with Maybelle, and we’ve got a bonus to earn so maybe we can give each other orgasms after we close,” I quipped, knowing full well I wasn’t there because Ham wanted to ravish me.

I was there because he wanted to make sure I was all right.

“Brave face, baby, I love that you got it in you to do that but you don’t have to put that shit on for me,” he replied.

I took in a breath, then dropped my head forward so it landed on his chest.

“She still has the power to hurt me,” I said there.

“I get that,” Ham replied, moving his hand from the door so he could wrap it around the back of my neck.

And he would get that, since I’d explained all about it back when Xenia got hurt and Ham, I was finding, didn’t forget anything.

“I don’t understand her,” I shared.

“Means you’re gonna make a great mom,” he stated and I pulled back to look up at him.

“What?” I asked.

“My guess, you spent a lot of time thinkin’ on it. My guess, if by now you still don’t get it, there wasn’t somethin’ in your history with her that explained it. So my guess is, she was just shit at bein’ a mom and if you don’t get how she could do that, then you know how to be a good mom. Reckon that’s the hardest job in the world just as it’s the easiest.”

I felt my brows draw together as I informed him, “That’s a contradiction, Ham.”