Spring Romance: NINE Happily Ever Afters

by Tessa Bailey

  “This is three bedrooms, two and a half baths. Open concept, as you can see. It was built six years ago and has only had one owner. She took incredible care of the place, and the seller is interested in selling it furnished.”

  “That might be great, wouldn’t it, sweetie?” I asked Dash.

  He threw an arm around my shoulders. “Sure would be. We’ve been wanting new furniture. That couch looks a hell of a lot nicer than ours.”

  I faked a laugh, stepping out of his hold to look around. My eyes searched for pictures, any clues to Amina’s life. It wasn’t easy with the realtor hovering, but luckily, her phone rang.

  “Would you mind if I stepped out onto the porch to take this?” she asked, already moving that way. “Feel free to show yourselves around. I’ll catch up.”

  Dash closed the door behind her and we both watched as she walked toward the park, her phone pressed to her ear.

  I hustled over to an end table and opened the drawer. Empty. Then I hurried to the next, doing the same. It only had the remote for the television. The kitchen was my next stop and I started with the drawers in there too.

  Dash followed, glancing over his shoulder to the front door. “What are you looking for?” he whispered.

  “Anything that might tell us about Amina.”

  “’Kay.” He went to a drawer, but I stopped him with a glare.

  “No. You stand guard.” I waved him away. “If she comes back, distract her.”

  He scowled. “How?”

  “I don’t know. Smile at her. That seems to make most women fall at your feet.”

  “Except for you,” he muttered.

  I stayed focus on my search, not bothering to correct him. Dash didn’t need to know that his smile was just as lethal on me too.

  The kitchen didn’t have anything other than typical kitchen stuff. There wasn’t even a junk drawer with old mail. Maybe the daughter had come and cleaned things out already? Maybe Amina was a neat freak?

  I bolted up the stairs, glancing left and right to get my bearings. Then I went right for the master bedroom. Downstairs, there had been no pictures. Nothing framed on end tables or above the fireplace mantel. And the same was true here.

  There wasn’t a hint of the life lived inside these walls. I wasn’t completely surprised, but I had hoped for a photo here and there.

  I checked the drawers in the master bedroom and bathroom for good measure, but all were empty, as I’d expected. I was finishing up my loop through the guest bedroom when I heard Dash’s voice carry up the stairs.

  “Nope. No kids. Thank God.”

  Really? Was that last part necessary? It was a good thing I was only using him for sex. Even pretending to be a couple was exhausting. First the hand-holding. Now the aversion to kids. Yes, it was a very good thing this was sex only.

  I put on a smile and brushed a fallen lock of hair off my face as I came into the hallway. I went right to Dash’s side, wrapping my arms around him. “It’s such a beautiful home. I can see us living here. Having babies here. Lots and lots of babies.”

  A visible grimace crossed his face.

  “If you two would like some time to talk over an offer, I’d be happy to meet you back at my office.” The realtor beamed with dollar signs in her eyes. “You don’t have a buyer’s agent, correct?”

  “That’s right,” I said. “But I think we’ll need a little more time to discuss. Maybe over lunch. Could we call you later?”

  “Absolutely.” Her card came flying out of her hand, faster than a poker cheat with an ace up her sleeve.

  We followed her out of the house, lingering on the sidewalk as she got into her car. She was on the phone again before she even slid into the driver’s seat. The moment her car was gone, I took a healthy step away from Dash.

  “That was unproductive.” I frowned. “I hadn’t expected it to be listed so soon. And for all the personal touches to be erased. Amina’s family must have cleared it out fast. I didn’t see a picture or anything.”

  “Me neither.”

  “Damn,” I muttered, pacing the sidewalk just as a woman pushed a stroller around the corner. I didn’t think much of her until she walked up to the house beside Amina’s.

  “Excuse me, miss?” I waved as I approached. “Did you happen to know your neighbor?”

  “Amina? Well, sure.” Her shoulders fell. “I was so sad to hear what happened to her.”

  “Me too.” I held out my hand. “My name is Bryce. I’m a journalist and I’m writing a piece about her. A memorial of sorts.” Not entirely a lie.

  “Oh.” She shook my hand. “That’s nice.”

  “We just came by to see where she lived and get a glimpse into her life. It seems like this place fits her. It’s charming and beautiful.”

  “She was both those things,” the young woman replied. “We loved having her as our neighbor.”

  “Was it just Amina? She lived alone, right?”

  She nodded. “Her daughter visited occasionally. She came last week to clear out her mom’s stuff. Poor thing. She looked heartbroken doing it all by herself.”

  “Oh, that’s awful. There was no other family?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Amina didn’t have many visitors. Just her daughter a couple of times a year and the boyfriend who’d visit on the occasional weekend. But it was normally just her. She made me enough meals for two weeks when the baby was born.”

  “That’s lovely,” I said, though my mind was still stuck on one word. “I didn’t realize Amina had a boyfriend.”

  “Oh, yes. Except maybe boyfriend isn’t the right term. I don’t know how serious they were. But he was here every now and then.”

  “Do you happen to know his name?”

  “Sorry. Amina didn’t talk about him much. And when he came, they kind of kept to themselves, if you know what I mean. He’d get here late on a Friday night. Leave Sunday morning before church.”

  “I see.” Sounded like Amina had had a booty call, not a boyfriend. Was it Draven? Had they been sleeping together for a while? “Well, thank you. And I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you. Good luck with your memorial. Amina was the best.”

  I waved, stepping away but paused. “Can I ask you one more question?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you know what he looked like? The boyfriend?”

  “He was probably her age. Older. About the same height as him.” She pointed a finger at Dash, who still stood in front of Amina’s house. “I only saw him two or three times and always as he was leaving. Like I said, Amina didn’t talk about him much and I didn’t want to pry. I have a feeling that he was from her past and came with some memories.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because she never talked about him. Like never. I even asked her once if she’d had a nice weekend with her company and she just smiled without answering me. It was almost like they were hiding something. I always wondered if maybe he was married.”

  “Maybe.”

  The neighbor’s eyes got wide as she realized what she’d just said. “Oh, God. No. That’s not what I mean. Please don’t put that in your story. Amina was so kind and sweet and generous. I don’t want you to think she’s some kind of home-wrecker or mistress. I was just talking out loud. I’m sure he wasn’t married. She wasn’t like that.”

  “Don’t worry.” I smiled. “I won’t write anything that isn’t true. Speculation is just that.”

  Her face paled. “Really. I’m sure he wasn’t married. And she was wonderful. Truly.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. Thanks again.”

  She went to her door, quickly disappearing inside with the stroller. Probably scared she’d stick her foot in her mouth again.

  Dash and I didn’t stay longer. We both walked silently to the bike, not talking until my helmet was on.

  “Well, that was interesting,” I said quietly. “Turns out Amina had a regular visitor on the weeken
ds.”

  “I heard that.”

  “Do you know where your dad has been most weekends?”

  Dash’s jaw ticked. “He didn’t kill her.”

  “I’m not saying that.” I frowned. “But I think we’d better find out exactly how long your dad has been having sex with Amina Daylee. And if it wasn’t him, then she did have a boyfriend. I wonder how he’d react to learning she’d gone to Clifton Forge and hooked up with your dad.”

  “Sounds like we need to track down a boyfriend.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Dash straddled the bike. “Good thing the neighbor showed. Otherwise this would have been a wasted trip.”

  “We got lucky.” I settled behind him. “And we were lucky the house was listed too so we could get inside.”

  “What were you going to do if it hadn’t been listed?” he asked over his shoulder.

  I shrugged. “Pick the lock on the front door or break in through a window.”

  Dash’s eyes crinkled at the sides as a slow grin spread across his lips. Then he burst out laughing, the sound echoing across the block as his shoulders shook. “God, you’re fucking amazing. Too bad you don’t like me.”

  “That’s right. I don’t like you.” Not at all.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dash

  Bryce and I stopped by a taco joint to grab lunch before riding home to Clifton Forge. The return trip was quiet, not as intimate and exciting as the trip to Bozeman had been. Her arms didn’t grip me quite as fiercely. Her legs didn’t hug the outside of my thighs.

  Maybe she’d gotten used to the bike and how to shift her weight. But that featherlight touch felt more like her pulling away.

  I hadn’t expected the whole act like a married couple bit. It made sense why Bryce had done it, but dumbass that I was, it had taken me too long to catch on.

  I just . . . wasn’t that guy. I wasn’t the wife-and-kids type. Being a family man was Nick’s priority, not mine. My niece and nephew were amazing kids. I liked having a sister-in-law who gave me shit and loved my brother as eternally as my mother had loved my father.

  But I had never imagined that in my life, and even if I could picture it, I didn’t want it.

  Fucking no, thank you.

  I’d witnessed firsthand the destruction it had brought to Dad’s life when Mom had died. I saw Nick’s fear when he’d learned Emmeline had almost been kidnapped.

  I’d had numerous black eyes, a fractured ulna and collarbone, two broken noses and a few concussions thanks to the boxing ring and a few fights. Physical pain I could handle. A broken heart?

  Nope. No point in even putting myself in that position.

  Bryce being pissed at me wasn’t going to change my mind. She didn’t get to judge the way I lived my life—past, present or future. She wasn’t my wife or girlfriend, so she didn’t get to be angry that I wasn’t a hand-holder or cringed at the idea of babies.

  By the time we pulled into Clifton Forge, it was my turn to be mad. Bryce and I were casual. We were having sex, temporarily. I guess I shouldn’t have spent the night.

  When I pulled up to her house, she was off the bike in a flash, stripping off the helmet. “We need to talk to your dad and see if it was him visiting Amina.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I want to be there.”

  “Fine.” I narrowed my eyes and studied her face. It didn’t look angry. She didn’t seem hurt. She just seemed tired.

  Maybe I’d been reading way too much into her reaction to me at Amina’s house. Maybe she was just preoccupied with what we’d learned from the neighbor. Had I gotten worked up for nothing?

  I sure hoped so. This would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to worry about Bryce pressuring me for a commitment.

  “Meet me at the garage at ten tomorrow,” I told her, returning her items from my pocket.

  “I’ll be there.” Without another word, she turned and walked up the sidewalk to her front door.

  I waited only long enough to see that she made it inside, then I raced away. I didn’t want to stay another night anyway. Her bed was uncomfortable, her pillows too firm. And she woke up so damn early, I couldn’t even enjoy sleeping in on my day off.

  The ride home took ten minutes. My house was on the edge of town, surrounded by some open property I owned, ensuring I’d always have space. When I walked inside, I went right for my walk-in shower, wanting to rinse away the smell of Bryce’s sweet coconut soap. I didn’t need the reminder of her on my skin all evening.

  Water dripped off the ends of my hair as I toweled off. I walked to my bedroom naked and, though it was still afternoon, collapsed on my king-sized bed. Sprawling out, I took a pillow and punched it into a ball under my head.

  Much better.

  Except I tossed and turned during my nap. And all night, my hand kept searching for something that wasn’t there.

  * * *

  “Morning.” Emmett walked through the open garage bay door the next day.

  “Hey,” I said from the floor where I was lying beside the Mustang. The bumper I’d installed this morning was on and I was double-checking that everything was exactly right.

  He came over as I shoved off the floor, handing me the extra cup of coffee he’d brought along.

  I tipped the white lid to my lips, surprised when I tasted cream and chocolate. “What is this?”

  “A double mocha something. I don’t know. I hooked up with the blond working at the coffee hut last night and she gave me these for free when I dropped her off this morning.”

  I chuckled. “Nice.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I’ll tell you when everyone else gets here.”

  I’d called Emmett and Leo this morning, waking them up at six a.m. on a Saturday. Both were annoyed I’d woken them up on their day off. They were lucky I hadn’t called at four—that’s when I’d called Dad.

  He’d been up that early too.

  I’d asked everyone to meet me at the garage by ten.

  The clock on the wall showed nine forty-five. And a white Audi was turning into the lot.

  Emmett looked at the car, then to me. “Did you know she was coming?”

  “I invited her. She’s part of this now.”

  “Part of what?” His forehead furrowed.

  “Finding the truth. Better to have her on our side than against.”

  Emmett studied my face. “You got something going with her?”

  “Something like that.” There was no point denying it. When she was around, she had my focus. Emmett wouldn’t miss it when she walked into the garage.

  “Is that smart?”

  I blew out a long breath. “No, but it’s too late now.”

  “She’s under your skin.”

  And soaking deeper, down to the bone, every day.

  Walking outside, I took Bryce in as she stepped out of her car. Gorgeous, as always. Her hair was straight and sleek, draping down her back. I instantly regretted not staying at her place last night.

  Her sunglasses were on, shielding her eyes. But the way she held her shoulders, the upward tilt of her chin, said she was prepared for a fight.

  She’d probably get one.

  Bryce walked my way, wearing a pair of loose jeans cuffed at the ankle. They left her curves to the imagination, but I knew what she looked like underneath. Her black tee fit tight across her breasts and stomach. With her heeled sandals, it was impossible to look away. Though she could be wearing a potato sack and she’d still have my undivided attention.

  She was classy and gorgeous no matter what she wore. It came from the way she carried herself, with tenacity and strength. Not many people, let alone women, questioned me. But this woman was a fighter. She wouldn’t be pushed around, and she wouldn’t take things at face value.

  Which was why she had to be here today.

  Bryce would see something I might miss.

  The roar of a familiar engine echoed off the steel walls of the garage as Leo sped into the parking
lot. He drove right up next to Bryce, slowing to match her strides. When he parked and slid off his shades, he gave her the smile that often landed him in the bathroom of The Betsy, fucking whoever had fallen for it.

  My hands fisted. I’d be informing Leo that Bryce was off-limits. For good. Even when the two of us called it off, she wasn’t to be anywhere near his bed. Emmett’s too for that matter.

  “Garage is closed, beautiful,” he said, still astride his bike. “But I’ll take a look at your car on Monday. Give you the special service. I’d even stay late, just for you.”

  “Wow.” Bryce stopped beside Leo. She brought her hand to her heart. “Really?”

  “This oughta be good,” Emmett muttered. I hadn’t noticed him standing by my side.

  “Really.” Leo winked and ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe when we’re done with your car, I can take you for a ride. Teach you how to have a real good time.”

  “I do like a good time.” Bryce used that same voice she’d used on me the first day she’d come here, pure sugar and sex. She was luring Leo into her trap, the same damn thing she’d done to me. God, I was a fucking idiot. She’d baited me. And watching her do it to Leo, I could see why I’d fallen for it.

  “Damn, she’s good.” The way she held her body was confident and poised. She didn’t flaunt her looks the way some women did to hold you captive. She didn’t push out her chest or give him a shy smile. There wasn’t a damn thing shy about her smile, and that’s why it was so devastating.

  She stood there like the goddess she was and let Leo look her up and down, knowing that he liked what he saw. And knowing she was in complete control.

  My dick stirred. I’d screwed up by not staying at her place last night. We were a short-term thing and I wanted to savor it while it lasted. I wouldn’t make the same mistake tonight.

  “What do you say?” Leo licked his lips.

  Bryce took a step closer. “I’d eat you alive, pretty boy. Save the special service for someone who’ll take your orders in bed.”

  Leo’s jaw dropped.

  Bryce spun on a heel and marched my way. “Do you guys all deliver the same line to get women into bed? Offering them a ride? Does it actually work?”