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“Were you with them long?”
“A few years. They got in some kind of trouble with the state and I was removed and placed in another one when I was eleven, which is where I met Heath. We were the same age. Life at home sucked but we had a great coach at school and I think he could tell we were picked on and he got us lifting weights.”
“So he helped you get stronger. That’s good. I’m glad someone was there for you,” she said, punctuating her thought with a single nod. “It hurts to hear that you were mistreated.”
“Coach was a good guy. Later that year, Cody came to live in that home. He was older than us and much bigger already. He used to take up for us until our growth spurts finally hit and we put on a little muscle. It became easier to defend ourselves then. Not all of the choices we made were good ones and the home we lived in had a zero tolerance policy and they gave all three of us the boot. By then we were thirteen and Cody was fourteen. They placed us together, with Jean Goodman, and everything changed.”
He smiled when he felt her relax and she looked up at him with her expressive eyes. “And she was nice to you?”
“Hell, no,” Spencer said with a chuckle. “She was a mean mom. But we knew without a doubt that she loved us. She didn’t treat us like burdens or a meal ticket that she had to put up with. She made sure we didn’t skip school and she helped us learn at home. She taught us how to handle money and to live on a budget. Heath and I were always a little hyper and she did her best to keep us engaged so we didn’t get in trouble. She kept all of us involved in sports and taught Heath to cook and she taught me about plants.”
“What about Cody?”
“She helped him to become a leader, to channel his energy into not only working hard but working smart. When he was ready, she helped him get a job with a reputable friend of hers who taught him construction work, and eventually all three of us worked for him. When the construction business took a downturn we switched things up and went into club security. With our talents and physical attributes, it made sense. We visit Jean on a regular basis. Far as I’m concerned, she’s my mom.”
“That explains…”
“Explains what, baby?”
“That explains why you’re so reserved, I suppose. I noticed that you hold back from outwardly showing your feelings.”
Spencer let out a long sigh, deciding she didn’t need every detail. “Yeah…I guess home number two, and three, taught me that showing my feelings could get me beat on worse than I already was. I also got tired of becoming attached to people and then having them ripped out of my life at the whim of the state or the foster parents. Not conducive to a happy life, you know?”
She nodded and kissed his chest. “I think you smile much more frequently now.”
He squeezed her and kissed the top of her head, enjoying her unique fragrance. “Because I have more to smile about.”
She reached a hand up to stroke his shoulder and giggled when she encountered a handful of her abundant black curls instead. “Every time I come over here I wind up going home with wild hair sticking up everywhere.”
“You know the cure for that, don’t you?” he asked with a smile, feeling very content despite the burgeoning need growing at his groin.
“No. What?”
“Don’t leave anymore.”
She carefully turned in his arms and sat up, the warm water cascading all around her and overflowing onto the deck. “Spencer, I couldn’t move in with you.”
“Because of school?”
She tilted her head and then shook it. “No. If that was my only concern I’d just get a post office box and not tell anyone where I was moving to. I’m not ‘shacking up’ with any man—or men—because that’s not what I want. I also know it would bother my mom and she and I are close.” She shook her head again. “I hope you understand. I’m not giving an ultimatum or anything like that. I just want more than that.”
“Of course. I was just pointing out the obvious, baby. It doesn’t surprise me at all that you wouldn’t just move in with us.” She seemed relieved, which was his goal. “So, you want the whole enchilada, huh?” he asked, as he pulled the plug so the tub could drain, and rose from the water.
