Any Time, Any Place
Page 52

Dalton laughed with ease. “Actually, I think Raven will appreciate the company. She had a bit of an episode last night.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
Raven set out some bowls and grabbed granola. “Just a gunman holding up the bar. It’s fine.”
“Didn’t you warn me you were emotional and overdramatic?” he asked.
Raven shrugged. “I am. Just not when someone threatens me or my bar.”
“Now you know why I’m kind of crazy about her,” Dalton said to her aunt.
“A gunman! Are you okay? Why didn’t you call? Oh, my Lord, are you okay?”
“Yes, Aunt Penny, everything’s fine, I swear.”
Dalton interrupted by pressing a short kiss to her mouth. Her lips tingled for more. His blue gaze delved deep. “Catch up with your aunt and I’ll check in later.”
“Okay.” Her voice came out all soft and wispy, like a starstruck teen’s. Ugh.
“It was nice to meet you, Penny.”
“You too, Dalton.”
The screen door banged behind him. Aunt Penny rested her index fingers together and regarded her with warning. “Sit down, young lady. Tell me everything and leave nothing out.”
Raven sighed, sat down, and began to talk.
An hour later, breakfast was finished and her aunt had relaxed, assured her niece had not only survived but thrived. They moved to the living room, and Aunt Penny tucked her legs underneath her. “Now, I want to hear about the hot shirtless guy.”
Raven laughed, curling up against a plump pillow across from her. “Funny you should ask. I kind of wanted to talk to you about him.”
“Uh-oh. I’ve seen that face before.” Her aunt shook her head. “Had that expression myself a few times. You falling for him?”
Raven squirmed. How was she going to explain such a complicated relationship? Still, she trusted Aunt Penny, who was one of the few who understood the heartbreak she’d suffered with her father’s death. They’d also shared an open, truthful communication that was the key to surviving her wild youth. She owed her aunt the truth.
“Yes. But Dalton is not just any guy. His full name is Dalton Pierce.”
Her aunt tilted her head, frowning. “Pierce? Wait a minute—why does that name seem familiar?”
Raven dragged in a lungful of air. “The Pierce brothers. Their mother was Diane Pierce—the woman who ran off with Papa and got him killed.”
Her aunt jerked back with shock. “No, that’s impossible,” she murmured. “He’s one of the sons?”
“Yes, the youngest. There’s Cal, the oldest, and Tristan, and Dalton. They came into my bar on the anniversary of Papa’s death. I had no idea, they were in pain and got drunk on JD, and when I heard their last name, everything finally fell into place. I told them to get out—I never wanted to see them again.”
“Oh, my darling girl, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you call me?”
“I needed to process it. I was doing so well. I’d gotten through the anger and revenge fantasies, and suddenly my past was sitting in my damn bar. Then Dalton ended up doing restoration on my restaurant so I could get ready for the feature in Good Food and Fine Spirits I told you about. For those few weeks, we ended up getting closer, which only got more confusing. I started having the nightmare again. I decided it was an opportunity to find out more about the Pierce brothers. About the mother.”
Her aunt’s eyes filled with sympathy. “You can’t go back there, Raven,” she said quietly. “It almost destroyed you. What do you expect to find by using Dalton?”
“I don’t know! I thought I’d prove Diane Pierce was using Papa, and that he never planned to run away with her. I figured I’d end up disliking Dalton and the rest of them and confirm what I’ve been feeling about them for years—that their mother was a spoiled, rich, manipulative woman who cared nothing about her children.”
“Is that what you found?”
Raven glared. “No. No! So far, from the stories Dalton’s told me, she sounds—nice. Like she cared about her boys. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t use Papa to get away from her husband. Dalton said his father was brutal. Maybe he hit her? Abused her? Maybe she needed Papa to help her escape?”
Aunt Penny rose and sat beside her, taking her hands. “Raven, do you see what you’re doing? Torturing yourself about things we won’t ever know. Are you sleeping with Dalton?”
She nodded, miserable. “Yes. I tried to fight it, but I was weak. But how can I do this, Aunt Penny? I’m betraying Papa, and I have these feelings I’ve never experienced before, which is ridiculous because he’s a womanizer who will probably get bored in record time and leave me behind. Then I won’t even have the truth!”
Her aunt gave a long sigh. “You need to tell Dalton the truth, especially now that you slept together. It’s not fair to him.”
“What about the way his family treated Papa?” she asked. “They said horrible things. About how he just wanted money and tricked her into running away. Stores stopped selling his paintings because they ruined his reputation with no regard for the truth. I had no power back then, and I let them smear our name. I stood at his graveside and vowed revenge. Don’t I deserve my turn at justice?”
“To do what, child? Hurt back? Justice doesn’t bring back your father. Those boys were just like you—vulnerable and feeling betrayed. They were young and their beloved mother was killed. They struck out, but they were probably led by Christian Pierce. Listen to me, Raven. What happened to your father is a tragedy, but there were . . . things you didn’t know about him. Things you didn’t need to hear back then.”
“What things?”
Her aunt ducked her head for a minute, considering. “He was completely devoted to you, like no other father I’d ever seen. He seemed to have no interest in bringing any female into his life after your mother passed, and was completely content. Of course, I was traveling a lot back then, but I remember when he called me in London. He said he’d met someone. Someone important. He said this woman had the capacity to change his existence, but he had to move carefully. He never talked like that before. There was a depth of emotion in his voice he only used for two people. You and your mother.”