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  Nick rolled his neck and opened the door to get inside his truck. “I’m out.”

  “Hold on a second,” Orlando ordered. “We gotta get to the bottom of this and figure out how we got here. We’re brothers and have stuck together through some rough times. We need to squash this so we can move forward. I can’t get married without my whole crew. Not only that, but I sound like a freaking emotional woman. We’re doing this right here and now. Nick, get out the truck.”

  Nick sighed and got out the truck. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “I gotta answer my phone,” he said making a reach for it.

  Orlando stopped him. “Let it go to voicemail, this is more important. Anthony, dude, you’re taking your anger out on Nick because you know what you did to Lincoln was wrong. I can understand that you don’t want to see her with another man, but you had to know she would walk once she found out about Melanie.”

  He agreed. “I knew she would but not to him. Nick knows how important Lincoln is to me.”

  Jon raised his brow and said, “We all know how important she WAS to you. Melanie has always been the one you wanted and we’ve had discussions about her before this stuff even came up. I have to say I never believed you would cheat on Lincoln. Melanie has changed you and not for the better but I’m not judging you.”

  Anthony narrowed his eyes. “Then what are you doing?”

  “Telling you about your ass,” Jon replied. “You got that angry Black man syndrome going on. We’ve heard why you don’t want Nick with Lincoln and it’s all a bunch of bullshit. Nick’s a good guy and treats Lincoln with respect.”

  “And if you want to be mad at somebody, be mad at me,” Orlando said. “I’m the one that asked him to keep an eye on Lincoln.”

  “Why, Orlando? Why would you go behind my back and do that?”

  “Because I trust him. Lincoln doesn’t open up to just anyone. Nick is outgoing, fun and I knew he would be able to break down her walls. I did what I had to do for her.”

  Anthony turned to Jon. “Do you agree?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I do. To see her smile again is amazing. The girl was broken, Ant. Did you know she was calling around asking anyone that would listen, what was going on with you? Your lies dragged her through hell and Nick saved her. You should be thanking him, not having him thrown in jail for defending her.”

  “He’s sleeping with her! I can’t get past that shit! Okay, you guys want to take up for him. Answer me this, what if he gets Lincoln pregnant? Will he abandon this kid like he did Dana’s?”

  “Damn, Ant,” Jon said stunned. “Why are you bringing that shit up? You know damn well Nick adopted Dana’s kid when they got together.”

  “Yeah, and she had the sense not to let Nick be around her kid once she left his sorry ass.”

  “Man, fuck you!” Nick shouted. Granted he didn’t see his adopted son as often as he should have once they were divorced. He was young when they married, and the child was a toddler at the time. As the marriage fell apart and he moved out of the house, his wild lifestyle didn’t leave room for him to play daddy. When Dana remarried, she asked him to revoke his parental rights, and he happily did so. It was a move he regretted once he lost contact with her.

  “Dammit, Anthony, don’t dredge up old shit. Anyhow, that matter would be between them and no one else. Look, I don’t want to see our circle come to an end. We’ve worked through our differences then. Can’t you try to do this? Drop the damn charges against Nick and let’s go back to being the Supermen of Station 30,” Orlando said scanning over the faces of his friends.

  Nick listened to the praises his friends rained upon him. He wasn’t perfect and wished they would stop making him seem as if he were. He agreed to look after Lincoln but falling in love with her was not part of the request. That was all him.

  “That’s enough. You three are talking around me as if I’m not here. I’m a grown ass man and don’t need his approval on what I do. I appreciate you all want to keep the circle together and we stay the close friends we’ve been all these years, but it ain’t gonna happen. Ant will resent me for the rest of his life for being with Lincoln and there is now, way in hell she’ll want to socialize with Melanie.”

  Jon shook his head. “I didn’t think about that.”

  Nick patted Jon on the shoulder and said, “That’s because we as men, don’t think about that stuff, Jon. We consider that women’s talk. I can honestly say after the numerous conversations we’ve had about this situation, Lincoln is not ready to forgive him. What she wants is to get on with her life and forget Ant was a part of it.”

  They became quiet. Orlando rested against the door of the truck and clasped his hands behind his head. ‘I can’t believe this is the end of the road for the four of us. I wanted my kids, when I had some, to grow up to have bonds with their friends like I have with you guys. I wanted our kids to be friends.”

  Nick stretched. “You’ll have that, Orlando. Jon has kids, Ant has a kid and I’m sure it won’t be long before you knock up Regan,” he said with a chuckle. “This is hard for me because I don’t have any family here and you guys and Station 30 are my family. So, don’t think I’m walking away because my arrogance won’t let me concede, this situation is one that can’t be worked around without someone being left out and that person is me.”

  “This is jacked up.” Jon ran his hands through hair. Nick saw the sideways glance he gave Anthony in the process.

  He knew Jon was placing blame with Anthony and there wasn’t anything he could do about that. Anthony had made his bed and decision to stay with Melanie. And since Melanie wasn’t new to the clan, she would slide back in to reclaim her spot by his side. Her chances of running into a stone wall with Regan and Orlando were high, but otherwise she would be okay.

  Nick rubbed his hands down the front of his jeans. “I hate to break this excitement up but I have errands to run. Orlando, since my tux rental is paid, be my guest and let my replacement use it if he can.”

  “C’mon, Nick, reconsider this for me?”

  “Oh, I’ll be at the wedding, but as a guest.” He started the truck causing Jon to move away from the hood.

  “Are you coming to the bachelor party tonight?” Jon asked.

  “I’ll play it by ear. If not, take plenty of pictures and don’t get your hand caught down the front of any G-strings,” he tossed over his shoulder. He pulled out of the parking spot and looked in the rearview mirror to see Orlando and Jon standing in a daze and Anthony walking away. He felt an emotional lump rise in his throat. Those three guys had been closer to him than his real brothers.

  He turned up the radio. The song Happy by Pharrell was playing. He was not happy at the moment but refused to let the hurt take him over. Life was full of disappointments and God knows he’d had his share. Maybe what he had done to people in the past had caught up with him and this was his punishment for being an asshole in the past.

  Whatever the reason, he wouldn’t dwell on it. He came from a long line of losers and managed to break away from that mold. His abusive father and wayward siblings were no longer an influence in his life. He did love his mother but hated she was too weak to leave the man that practically beat her throughout their whole marriage.

  The last visit home which was at Christmas, he promised would be the last visit. The dinner was barely on the table before the fighting began. When he stepped outside to get away from it, he got away from it. With no inclination to go back inside to continue the dysfunctional evening, he got in his truck and drove ten hours back to Cleveland.

  Nick pulled into the small strip mall looking for a specialty shop he found online. He had to make a special person happy tonight. If it wasn’t going to be him, then it was going to be Lincoln.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Lincoln observed her handiwork. Of course, she couldn’t take all the credit. Carter and her mother had pitched in at the last minute, but she did find the venue, choose the decorations, and picked the DJ to entertain the women t
onight.

  When she went home to change clothes, she wanted to stay there and cuddle with Nick, whom she hadn’t been able to reach all day. The shoe was on the other foot, and she saw why he was upset when she didn’t return his calls.

  She could feel the music thumping and vibrating throughout her body as she tapped her foot. She thought the DJ was worth every penny he charged as she looked around at the women dancing with each other. A server strolled over to her. “Would you like a drink?” she shouted to make sure she was heard over the loud music.

  “I’ll have a white wine,” she shouted back.

  The server went on her way, and Regan danced over to Lincoln. She was clearly enjoying herself, and that made Lincoln proud. Regan flipped the end of the white feathery boa wrapped around her neck and tickled Lincoln’s face. “You outdid yourself, Lincoln. This is the best bachelorette party ever! No stupid games, just eating, dancing, and fun.”

  “It’s the only bachelorette party you’ve had. And pin-the-tail-on-the groomsman has grown stale, Regan. Anyhow, you’re having fun, and that was my goal.”

  “Yes, I am, and I’m happy to say I’m a little tipsy,” she giggled. “I’m glad you got the limo for us.”

  Lincoln tapped a finger to her head. “I’m on top of it. I’m the young one with hip and fresh ideas,” she laughed.

  Regan gave Lincoln a tight hug. “I love it. Everyone is enjoying themselves, and Gwen didn’t show up to ruin your party. I hope Orlando’s party is going as well as mine.”

  “They’re guys, so I’m sure they are having a blast doing what they do.”

  “You mean drooling over strippers? You could have gotten one stripper for us to ogle.”

  “Mom is here and some of your colleagues. I wanted to keep it tasteful.”

  “Mom has been on the dance floor all night. She is having more fun than me. I have an idea. If she marries this guy, you should throw her a party just like this,” Regan slurred.

  Lincoln blinked to keep the vapors leaking from Regan’s mouth from burning her retinas. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. How about a cup of hot coffee as your next drink?”

  Regan pulled Lincoln from her chair. “Don’t be a fuddy-duddy—let’s get the line-dancing started.”

  Lincoln pulled her dress around her butt as she followed Regan to the dance floor. Just as they got to the edge of the dance floor, the lights dimmed and a large cake was rolled to the center of it by the catering staff. The spotlight flickered to the beat of Michael Jackson’s “Billi Jean.”

  Regan squealed, clapping her hands. “You did get me a stripper!”

  “Carter probably hired the stripper, Regan. I swear I had nothing to do with it.” Lincoln watched along with the rest of the woman as the lid of the cake opened slowly. There were at least fifty women at the party, and the one lone male stripper inside the cake was in for the surprise of his life. She was glad Nick had not agreed to do the gig.

  As the cake lid dropped to the floor, out popped a muscular man wearing nothing but a bow tie around his neck and skintight biker pants. A mask covered part of his face. Lincoln’s eyes nearly fell out her head when she realized who the body belonged to: it was Nick’s. The tattoos on his arms gave him away.

  His body was oiled up and shining like a new coin. Regan turned to her laughing. “Oh, my God! You got Nick to do a strip tease. How?”

  Lincoln was speechless as she watched him jump from the cake and gyrate his hips imitating Michael Jackson’s dance moves in front of Regan before moving to the dance floor to complete the routine, including the famous moonwalk. The women erupted in cheers and applause. She could not help but join in on the fun. Nick had done this for her. He was willing to embarrass himself in front of a roomful of women to please her.

  As the women took turns dancing around him, Lincoln slid to the middle of the dance floor. She pushed her way through the barrier of women, yelling playfully, “Back it up, back it up, it’s my turn to dance with him.” She threw her hands over her head and wiggled her hips. “Show me what you got, big boy.”

  Nick smiled and held her by the waist. “You can’t handle all this Italian maleness.”

  She stopped dancing and the music seemed to fade from her ears. She ran her fingers down his ripped chest. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  “I’d do anything for you, Lincoln. Just ask, and if it’s in my power, I’ll do it. Your smile is worth me embarrassing myself in front of all these women. Plus, I’m sure I’ll be posted all over the internet tomorrow morning. Think this could be my new career?”

  She put her arms around his neck. “Not a chance. I’m the only woman you’ll strip for ever again. You got that, mister?”

  He smiled. “I got it.” He leaned down and kissed her, drawing the crowd around them into it.

  Lynette pushed Regan on the arm. “What is wrong with your sister? Go out there and get her little fast behind. She has lost her mind completely.”

  Regan patted her mother’s hand. “Mom, that’s Nick she is kissing.”

  “Oh my goodness, if they keep that up, I’m going to be a grandmother again.”

  “Mom, are you okay with Lincoln being with Nick? She wants your approval.”

  “Lincoln doesn’t need my approval, Regan. You and Orlando trust him with her and it’s obvious he does something for her.”

  “Then do me a favor and tell her. Tell them both they have your blessing.”

  “Regan, I gave her my blessing with Anthony and I didn’t approve. I had a feeling he would hurt her and he did. I don’t want her to go through that again.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “We can’t predict the future, Mom. However, Nick doesn’t have the baggage Anthony has and will devote his energy to her.”

  Carter joined the group. “Carter, what do you think about your little sister dating a White man? You’ve covered stories concerning this haven’t you?”

  Carter chuckled. “Really, you want me to think about stories I’ve covered after how many drinks? Personally, I think Lincoln will handle it okay. Let her control her life and be with whomever she wants.”

  Lincoln came off the dance floor with Nick in tow. “We’re going to call it a night. Nick is having a hard time keeping the women at bay.”

  Regan hugged him. “Thanks, Nick. I’ll never forget you for making my party a success.”

  His dimples creased. “It was fun. And I’m available for birthdays, baby showers, and whatever else Lincoln needs me for,” he teased.

  Lynette took his hand. “Nick, look after my daughter and treat her right. Don’t make me come back here and hunt you down. The only reason I haven’t gone after Anthony is because they won’t let me out of their sight.”

  “Ms. Hathaway, I will take care of Lincoln until I draw my last breath. If anything, she’ll call you to complain that I’m too affectionate.”

  “That’s enough. You’ll be able to grill Nick after the wedding.” Lincoln pried her mother’s fingers from around Nick’s hand. “Remember the limo will be here to take you all home at 2:00am. You have one hour so don’t miss it,” she instructed.

  Later that night Lincoln was awakened from a sound sleep. The heavy rain and the loud thunderstorm created a cold wind that drifted in through the open window. She turned over in bed and pulled the covers over her shoulder trying to get back to sleep.

  Her body was shivering and she sat up and looked at Nick sleeping peacefully. He had showered off the oil and no longer glistened. She got out of bed and went to the window to close it. She jumped back when she saw a man’s figure outside. Her heart rate increased wildly, and her heart beat hard against the walls of her chest.

  Covering her chest with her hand, she dared herself to peek again—he was still there when she did. There was no way he could see inside the bedroom from the distance he was standing or through the closed blinds and dark drapes covering the bedroom windows. What did the man standing in the pouring rain in dark clothing with a hoodie covering his face
want? And was he purposely stalking her apartment?

  Frightened, she ran back to the bed and shook Nick awake. He opened his eyes slowly. “W-what’s wrong?”

  “Nick, there is a man outside looking in the window.”

  She sensed the firefighter in him kick as he jumped up. “What window?”

  She pointed her finger. “That one; he is standing by your truck.” She kept her voice low.

  Nick tossed the cover aside and got out of bed. He didn’t open the drapes but peeped through the side of the blinds as the wind blew open the drapes. He didn’t see anyone. “There is no one out there, Lincoln.”

  Lincoln was on her knees on the bed shaking. “I swear he was there.”

  He came back to the bed and started to put on his shoes. “I’ll go outside and take a look around.”

  She held onto his forearm. “No the heck you’re not!”

  “Baby, what do you want me to do? If you’re scared there’s a guy creeping around outside, I have to look.”

  “Just close and lock the window. Maybe he heard your voice and left.”

  “Okay. I’ll lock the bedroom window and then check the front door and windows out in the front room. Will you be okay until I get back?”

  She crawled off the bed. “I’m going with you.”

  After assuring her the house was secured, they returned to bed. She cuddled close to him. “I’ve never been scared here before.”

  “You could spend some nights at my place, Lincoln.”

  “Really, you would want me to stay the night?”

  “I would like it. You shared this place with Ant. I haven’t shared my place with anyone. You would be the first woman to share my space with me.”

  She dragged the blanket over her shoulder. “What about the women who frequent your apartment? How would you explain my being there? Shoot, I got death rays from this one woman when I stopped by that one morning. If looks could kill, I’d be dead.”

  “That was Linda. She tries to lure me in with homemade cookies and her prancing around in sexy clothes, but I’m not interested in her. Besides, I love you, and no other woman can compare to you.”