by C. A. Harms
“AJ’s fine,” I told him.
“Well, I know that,” he wagged his brows, “but I’d say she’s more than fine.” When I shot him a glare, he grinned wide. “Honestly, though, what’s going on with you?”
I lowered the hammer and leaned back against the wainscoted wall I’d been working on diligently. “Harley.” One word was all I offered, and his shoulders sagged in defeat as he turned around and also leaned back against the same wall.
“She's back?”
“No,” I looked over at him, “not physically anyway. She sent something in the mail, and when I went inside earlier Mom told me it was there.”
“What’d she send?”
“Didn’t look.” I still wasn’t sure I wanted to. “I guess I just can’t figure out why now. When she left we’d made plans to go to college together, we’d made plans for our lives together. I know things change, I get that now, but she just stopped, ya know? She quit calling, she quit responding, it all just ended. Now here we are, and out of the blue she sends whatever the fuck she sent.”
“Let me ask you something.” Mikey turned toward me, resting his shoulder to the wall and looked directly at me. “Whatever’s inside that envelope, is it gonna change the way you feel about AJ?”
“No.” I didn’t even need to think about that. “It wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Then you have two ways you can go with this.” He made it sound so simple. “You can open the envelope, or you can throw it away and forget all about it.” With a shrug, he walked away, leaving me alone with nothing more than my thoughts.
***
“Happy Birthday.” AJ sauntered up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, rising on her toes to press a kiss to my lips.
“Thank you,” I said just as she pulled back, her eyes opening to lock with my own. “I think I’d much rather hang out here with you than go out to some bar.”
“Then you’d take all the fun away from Mike and the guys. They’ve been planning this all week.”
“You should come too.” I gripped her tighter and held her close when she attempted to step back. I always felt better when I was holding her close.
“No way am I crashing the party the guys have planned for you,” she added, gliding her hands over my chest. “How about you call me when you get home, and if it's not too late, I’ll come over and give you your birthday present from me.”
“How about you give it to me now?” I cupped her ass and she squealed.
“April’s waiting for me in the car.” I pouted, and she traced it away with the tip of her finger. Just as she began to pull away, I opened my mouth and caught her fingertip with my lips, sucking softly. “You don’t play fair.”
“Not when it comes to you.”
I couldn’t, because each day I spent with her I only managed to fall a little further. This woman had me wrapped tightly around her finger.
“I’ll see you later?” She pulled her finger from my mouth and stepped back with a sultry smile upon her lips. “Behave.”
Watching her walk away was testing my strength. But I remained where I was until the door closed behind her and I was left alone. Dad and Mom were at Gran’s, and Grace was off doing whatever it was that teenage girls do with their friends.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I assumed it was Mikey hassling me about what was taking me so long. Lifting my cell, I looked at the screen and froze.
Harley: Did you get what I sent you?
I’d forgotten up until that point I still had her programmed in my phone. It’d been so long since I used the number or even received anything from it that it was easy to forget.
Before I could respond, though I still wasn’t sure I wanted to, another text came through.
Harley: Happy Birthday Rhett, believe it or not I really miss you.
The earlier buzz I’d felt from being in the presence of AJ was gone and had since been replaced with an irritation I found hard to simmer.
She missed me? What the fuck was that, she fucking missed me?
Without thinking, I lifted the phone and hit the icon in the corner that triggered a call. Hearing her voice on the other end only further ignited the fire inside of me.
“Hi.” That sweet, innocent tone that once made me feel all twisted up inside no longer had the same effect.
“You miss me? Why now? Why after all this fucking time you decide that now you’ll miss me?” I knew I was asking questions yet giving her absolutely no time to answer them. “What happened? Did pretty boy dump your ass and now you feel all alone? Reach out for the boy you left behind? Well guess what, Harley? That boy is no longer here. He’s moved on too, and he’s fucking happy.”
I hung up feeling no better about what had just taken place. This was bullshit. She fucking missed me, my ass.
There were no text messages that followed, no return calls, and I was glad.
When I arrived at the bar, Mikey was the first to see me, and by the look on his face, I knew he understood that I needed this night after all. Between Terrance and him, I was fucking hammered after the first two hours. I ended up mumbling what had taken place with Harley and how I found a great girl, now she was gonna screw it all up.
Mike drove my truck home and called Uncle Gavin to pick him up. My dad was waiting on the front porch holding his own beer in hand, wearing one hell of a grin on his face. “Hungover or not, tomorrow your ass is up with the sun to lay tile in that bathroom.”
I brushed past him, waving my hand out as I moved toward my room. I didn’t even take the time to get undressed before I collapsed on my bed and grabbed my pillow to pull it beneath my head.
I don’t know how long I lay there, my mind racing over the events of the last few hours. I just knew that things began to clear and seem less hazy as I rolled over, and the first thing I spotted was that same damn envelope that started this all.
Quickly I sat up, reaching out to pick it up and tore open the top.
I dumped the contents onto my bed and about ten different photos fell out. Some were of us when we were young, maybe early teens, others were more recent. Our junior prom picture, one of the two of us down by the lake, both smiling as if we had everything we could ever want.
Mixed in with the photos was a note.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately and the realization that I made the wrong choices are more clear. I ran across a box the other day, one filled with memories of our times together and it made me realize just how much I’ve missed you. How much I've missed us and the way our lives used to be.
My phone rang, and I jumped in reaction to the sound. Looking down at the screen next to me, a panicked feeling rushed throughout my body as I quickly gathered the items and shoved them back into the envelope. It was almost as if I thought AJ could actually see the pictures or something.
Once they were safely back inside and hidden, I shoved it in my drawer and grabbed the phone just before the call went to voicemail.
“Hey.” I tried for smooth and calm. “I meant to call ya, but I sorta passed out once I got back here.”
“It was that fun, huh?” AJ asked with a laugh, and just the sound of it eased the tension inside me.
“Mikey and Terrance made sure that I was feeling very little by the time we all left. I have a feeling my dad is gonna make me pay for it tomorrow, though. I distinctly remember something about tiling and getting up early.” I still felt a little unsteady on my legs and chose to sit back down before I fell.
“Chloe and Grace are dragging me off to the movies tomorrow to watch the new Pitch Perfect.” I hung my head and covered my eyes with my other hand, massaging my temples slowly. “But afterward I was thinking you and I could spend a little time together.”
“Definitely.” I was half tempted to tell her to come over now and most likely would’ve had my own place been all finished and ready. Just a little longer and I’d be out from under my parents’ roof. Not that I’d be much further, but I’d be out.
Chapter Thirt
een
AJ
Chloe, Grace, and I exited the movie theater all singing the songs we heard through the movie, not caring the slightest who was around to hear us. We piled into my car and continued along with the radio until we pulled up in the driveway next to Rhett’s truck.
Kori and Maria sat on the front porch swing, along with Leann, Chloe’s mom. They all looked up as we climbed out of the car and began walking toward them.
You’d think I’d feel embarrassed to face them after the many times Rhett and I had been caught in compromising positions, but I’d never felt more comfortable and welcomed.
Rhett had talked so many times of his crazy loving family, and I had to admit, some of those stories didn’t quite have me convinced. That was until I met them all and got to know them. They were crazy, yes, but caring and kind.
Kori, Rhett’s mom, was such a doting mother that it made me laugh. Rhett was her boy, and I think he always would be no matter how old he was, yet she didn’t hover. They had this bond that I admittedly wish I had with my own mother. But Rita was anything but nourishing; after she divorced my father, she divorced me and Raven too. Over the last few years, we rarely saw her and rarely heard from her. It was nice to be around a family like Rhett’s. It somehow filled the void I’d felt at home.
“How was the movie, girls?” Maria was the first to ask, and almost on cue Chloe and Grace broke out once again in song. This time I only offered a smile as I watched the two of them wiggle and groove. They reminded me a lot of me and April; they were that close, like sisters.
I was just about to remark on the movie when I was lifted into the air and spun around in a circle. A loud embarrassing squeal fell from my lips and a deep chuckle sounded behind me.
Lowered to the ground, I spun around and looked up at Rhett, who smiled down at me. “That had to be that longest damn movie in history,” he complained, cupping my face and pulling my lips to his. He did this often, not caring who was around to witness his affection. At first it had embarrassed me, but now I was used to it and had grown to expect this very reaction.
“It was less than two hours long.”
He arched a brow. “I know, that’s forever.” He moved in closer, hooking me by the waist and pulling my chest firmly to his, then rested his forehead on mine. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I’ve got running water, full electricity, and a floor.” The smile on his face was so cute, showing off the handsome dimple in his left cheek. “The only thing left is the trim and installing all the doors.”
“Which means?”
“I can start cleaning up the place and moving things in.” Rhett leaned in and stole another kiss. “It also means that I can fall asleep with you next to me and wake up the following morning with you still there.”
“Did you get me that second exit?” I challenged him, and he laughed.
“You don’t need it,” he sounded so sure, “because there’s no way I’m letting you escape.”
“Is that so?” He didn’t answer, just nodded, dipping his chin again to kiss me softly. Quickly, he spun me around and began backing me away from the crowd and around the corner of the barn.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against my lips. “Are you sure you can’t stay with me tonight?”
“Raven’s expecting me at her place by five.” He pouted as he pressed his forehead to mine. “She’s planned dinner, and then tomorrow we’re going shopping.”
He continued to look at me, giving me his very best “feel sorry for me” look, which only managed to make me laugh. “You’re gonna be just fine. Besides, you have an entire apartment to clean.”
“Nah, the girls are doing that. They’ve decided that I wouldn’t clean it good enough.”
“True.” He gripped my waist and lifted me from the ground as my legs wrapped around his waist. “Someone’s gonna see us.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” So very true. “Besides, if I’m going without you for another twenty-four hours, I need to get a little sweetness to hold me over.”
His lips covered mine once more as he used the weight of his body to hold me up against the side of the barn. By the time he was done with me, he had me second guessing my decision to drive to Statesboro to spend the night with my sister.
***
“Is that your third glass?” Raven asked as she eyed my cup.
“Yes,” I said as I topped off my glass. “Is that your fourth?” We’d polished off one bottle and had since then moved on to the next.
“Maddison is on her way with another bottle,” Raven added with a shrug. “We’re home and safe, so why not get loaded?”
My phone vibrated on the table just before us, and before I got the chance to grab for it, Raven picked it up. “Aw,” she said while staring at the screen, “how sweet.”
“What?” I attempted to grab the phone from her hands, and she leaned back further to shield it.
“And a little dirty too,” she added as her eyes widened just a fraction. “I’ll admit, sis, I am a little envious.”
“Give it to me.” I wiggled my finger, indicating for her to hand it over, and she laughed just as the apartment door came open. “The alcohol has arrived,” Maddison announced as she held up not one but two bottles. I took the opportunity to snatch my phone from Raven.
“What’s going on in here?” Maddy asked.
“Rhett’s sending dirty messages to AJ.”
Maddison looked at me with intrigue as she closed the door behind her and moved eagerly in our direction. “I’ve always imagined him to be a little dirty. All dominant and forceful but in the hottest kind of way.” She placed the bottles on the coffee table before us. “Does he talk dirty too, ya know,” she waves her hand out in that go on manner, “during naughty times?”
“He’s your cousin,” I said, holding my phone securely against my chest, refusing to allow either of them to see what he was sending. The continuous buzzing indicated he was still messaging me.
“We’re not really related, so I’m still allowed to wonder,” Maddison declared. “I would never act on my curiosities, so please do tell.”
“No.” I shook my hand, unable to hold back the laugh that escaped me. “I’m not talking about this with either of you.”
“Oh, he’s dirty,” Raven finally added. “Look at how red her cheeks are.”
“I knew it,” Maddy added with a pleased smile. “I imagined Mikey to be the same way. After being gone for so long, serving his country and limited access to those wild ways of men his age. I bet he’s all into that take control and demand what he needs kinda stuff.”
“You’re starting to scare me,” I told Maddy as I still held my phone hostage from the both of them.
“Like I said, neither of them are actually related to me. I’ve just been around them for so long they feel like brothers. It doesn’t mean I can’t wonder about those things, but I would never act on them. That would be too weird.” She wrinkled up her nose and her eyes squinted with a look of disgust. “But I am not opposed to hearing the details.”
“No,” I said sternly and found both Raven and Maddison sharing some type of a smile I assumed held some hidden message. “Rhett is different than I imagined him to be.” A warm sensation filled my body. “He’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, that’s all I’ll reveal.”
“We’ll just wait until she passes out then steal her phone and have a look ourselves.” Raven shrugged it off as she grabbed the bottle of wine and began to pour Maddy a glass before topping off her own. Soon the two of them were lost in talk of patients and the hectic life of being nurses.
I took the opportunity to finally look at the messages Rhett sent.
Rhett: I miss you.
Rhett: Decided to stay at my place tonight, but feeling lonely without my girl.
The messages seemed simple enough until I got to the last few.
Rhett: Would it convince you to come back to Brooklet if I told you that I’m
laying on our blanket, in our spot, naked?
Rhett: Imagining my hand to be yours as I stroke myself.
And suddenly my cheeks felt flushed and my body felt warm.
Instead of texting him back, I called as I slipped away from the living room and into the kitchen. “It was the last message that got you, wasn’t it?” I could almost imagine that damned cocky smile on his face. His voice was laced with a hunger I’d seen often when he and I found ourselves alone.
“Just so you know, my sister was the receiver of all the messages you sent.”
“What?” That huskiness was suddenly replaced with curiosity. “How?”
“She grabbed my phone and then Maddison walked in and they proceeded to talk about how Maddy thought you had a hidden dirty side.” I smiled when I heard him chuckle. “I had to wait for Raven to let her guard down before I could snatch my phone back.”
“I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t send a dick pic.”
“You weren’t,” I gasped.
“Oh, I was,” he assured me. “I was gonna prove to you that I was, in fact, laying in our spot with my dick in hand.”
“Hold that idea,” I said, peeking around the corner to ensure that Raven and Maddison were still occupied. “I’ll be back tomorrow, and you can just show me in the flesh.”
“Come straight here once you’re back in town.” He wasn’t asking, and I found his commanding ways sexy in times like this. It just proved how much he needed me. And being needed by Rhett was something I had dreamed of often.
“Promise.”
“I do miss you, Allison Jo.” I closed my eyes when he said my full name. “More than I can explain.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I took in a deep breath and whispered “Goodbye” as I ended the call.
Chapter Fourteen
Rhett