Meant To Be (Heaven Hill Series) by Laramie Briscoe

you found out, we gotta talk about Drew.”
    “What about Drew? I had a message from school earlier, but I didn’t have a chance to call them back.”
    “Drew got into a fight today.”
    Her face reddened with anger, and her eyes widened. “He did what ?”
    “Now, don’t get mad. Just hear me out.”
    “Hear you out? Why did they even call you?” she asked, fuming.
    “Because you put me down as an emergency contact.”
    She realized that he was right. “I’m sorry, I’m not thinking clearly. My son was in a fight? Is he hurt? Was the other boy hurt? What were they fighting over?”
    “This is where I need you to hear me out, Denise.”
    Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to slow the pounding of her heart when the instinct was to run to her child and make sure he was okay.
    Liam could see her looking out the window to the office, obviously trying to get a look at Drew. She was such a better mother than the one he’d had. Clearing his throat to stop his show of emotion, he soldiered on.
    “Drew and another boy got into a fight over some pretty graphic and lewd comments made to Mandy.”
    “Oh my God, are you serious? She’s thirteen years old,” she gasped.
    “I know. And Drew did what any brother would do for his sister, he stood up for her. The other boy was suspended for six days, Drew for three. I don’t think he should be punished. He’s such a serious kid as it is.”
    He worried that he was overstepping a boundary here. He was essentially giving her advice on how to raise her children. Something she’d done on her own their entire lives. Her reaction to this would tell him just how ready she was for a relationship. Which, in turn, brought about the question he had to ask himself. Was he really ready for this? With her it wouldn’t be fuck and run. It would be waiting on the front porch with a gun when boys came to the house to pick up Mandy for a date. It would mean giving Drew the birds and bees talk – taking him to his first strip club when he turned eighteen. Instead of feeling panicked, he was completely calm. That, more than anything else, told him that he was ready for this.
    “I know,” she worried her lip between her teeth. “He is serious, and I’m thankful that he stood up for Mandy. I’m worried about him, but I’m not mad now that I know why he was fighting. I think you’re right.”
    “Mandy will be happy to hear that,” he grinned at her.
    “Why’s that?”
    “She told me that if Drew got in trouble then she should too because he was standing up for her.”
    Denise laughed. “Those two have always stuck together – since they were little babies. I think this is an exception we can make. This one time. I do want him to know that I won’t tolerate fighting.”
    “I think that’s fair,” Liam agreed.
    An awkward silence enveloped them. They had just spoken like parents of two children or maybe a married couple. It was a little disconcerting.
    “Anyway, back to the information you got for me.”
    She leaned over, grabbing the USB out of her purse. As she bent, the neckline of her shirt fell down, exposing breasts that were cupped by silk. His earlier thoughts wondering about what her naked skin looked like were gone now, replaced with wondering if her nipples were sensitive or not.
    “Damn,” he breathed.
    “Did you say something?” she questioned as she straightened back up and reached over to hand it to him.
    He cleared his throat and let his eyes caught the lacy edge of the bra she wore beneath her shirt. “What? No, let me see what you got.”
    He told himself to get his head in the game and pay attention to what she was talking about. Taking the USB from her, he let his fingers brush against hers. It sent a flash of awareness through his body, no other woman had ever affected him like this. With a sigh, he put the USB into his laptop and pulled up the file.
    “I noticed that the deed was quit claimed about three months ago.”
    “What does that mean?”