"No, Bryce, really, I insist, let me."
"Mia, I'll take care of it," I said, placing my hand over hers to stop her from digging any farther into her purse. She turned those large brown eyes on me. I had expected her to argue, but she stopped and smiled.
I pulled my hand from hers and stood up from my seat. "Get your stuff together. I will be right back," I said winking.
I tapped my card on the debit machine and stepped off to the side to wait for the receipt. I looked over at Mia while I waited. She was your typical girl next door. Down to earth, no nonsense, attractive, and one girl I had always wanted but never had. Grant had told me the first time he brought me to his house when we were fifteen that his sister was off-limits. When I saw her, I instantly knew why. Of course, I did what most best friends would do—I kept my hands to myself and pined over her for a few years.
After we all parted ways, time separated us. I went on, and over the years, we lost touch, until I had forgotten about her completely…or I thought I had. However, the instant she appeared tonight it was like I had been transported back in time.
I watched as she pushed her dark hair behind her ear and licked her lips as she typed out something on her phone then shoved it back into her purse. I studied her closer. She looked tired and stressed, and I wondered when the last time was that she had any fun. It was that moment that I decided I was going to show her a fun, carefree week at my lake house. I had to, because judging from my body’s response to touching her hand, I would be in trouble if anything else happened.
Chapter 6
Mia
Bryce stepped out from the curb and waved his hand in the air, signaling the next cab over. The car pulled up and the driver got out. "You again?" He chuckled.
Bryce started to laugh. "Yep, me again. Should have stayed at the lake house I guess."
"Going back, I take it." The man laughed as he came around and grabbed our bags.
Bryce opened the back door for me to get in the cab and slid in beside me. I sat back against the seat and watched out the window as we began the drive toward Bryce's lake house, the heat from the seats sinking into my body quickly relaxing me. It had been such a long day, and with all the stress, I had been put into a state of fight or flight, something I had long ago promised myself I would never get into again.
I closed my eyes, the smell of Bryce's cologne invading my senses. It was musky and manly and smelled so good I just wanted to bury my face in his neck.
"Would you both like to listen to some music?" the driver asked.
"Yes please," Bryce answered, and soon the cabin of the vehicle was filled with soft music. Within minutes, the song had changed on the radio to one that I remembered from my teen years. It instantly reminded me of a memory I hadn't thought of in a long while: the night of Mary McGuire’s party.
It was the last party of the summer. Grant and Bryce had both graduated two months earlier and were packed and ready to leave for their respective schools. The following week, they would be gone. My brother was supposed to have gone to the party alone, but when I found out Bryce was going to be there too, I begged him to taking me. I knew this would be one of the last times I would have to hang with Bryce, and that was the only reason I had wanted to go. I'd had a huge crush on him since my brother brought him home in the tenth grade. Bryce never looked at me in the way I had hoped he would, even though I had tried so hard to get his attention.
Over the years, he spent many overnights at our house, and I would parade around him in my short shorts and tiny tank tops, praying for a glance, a look, anything. I would conveniently put myself beside him when he and my brother were watching a movie or beg to go to the theater with them, but Bryce never gave me a hint that he was remotely interested in me. In fact, he rarely if ever even noticed me.
During the summer before graduation, Grant, Bryce, and Chase did nothing but hang out around our pool. I had quickly gone from a one-piece suit that summer to a two-piece, and I would lie around and sun myself, reading books or magazines, while the boys played in the water.
At first, I received no attention, and just when I was about to give up, I started to notice Bryce watching me when no one was looking, his eyes skimming over my body.
The past school year, Bryce's interest continued. He would occasionally bump into me in the hallway between classes and sit and study with me during his spare in the library, claiming that none of his friends had a spare at the same time. Then, about halfway through the school year, Grant and Bryce had some sort of falling out, and he didn't come around to the house often. Almost instantly, he stopped sitting with me during spare. They had just started hanging out again at the end of summer, and once again he was back to ignoring me.
Grant and I had arrived a little after 9:00 p.m. The party was already in full force. "Really, Mia, I don't know why you even want to be here. You don't know anyone!" he said as he walked in front of me.
"That's not true. A few of my friends are here. I'll be fine. Just go and find your friends," I said, pushing him away.
Just like I wanted, Grant went off to find the boys, and I went to get a drink, quickly losing sight of my brother in the sea of people.
I wandered aimlessly for a couple of hours, looking for anyone I may know, getting new drinks along the way, until I finally spotted Bryce heading up the stairs. With my heart in my throat, I fought my way through the people, careful not to trip as I made my way upstairs.
I planned to make Bryce mine once and for all tonight. After all, I had seen the way he had looked at me.
As soon as I got up there, I noticed that most of the bedroom doors were shut. Lots of people lined the hallway, but Bryce was gone. I slowly opened each door in search of him.
The first door I opened, I interrupted a couple who were almost having sex. Behind the second door the couple were making out on the bed. I knew he had come up here, so I shut the door and continued my way down the hall. Finally, I got to one of the last bedroom doors. It was cracked open and the light beside the bed was on, so I peeked through and saw Bryce standing there with his eyes closed.
I swallowed hard and finally, after I got up the courage, I pushed the door open a little and was just about to say “There you are” when he stepped forward and grabbed two hands. He pulled the owner of those two hands close to him, and that was when my breath caught in my throat. He was holding my best friend.
She stepped toward Bryce, and their lips slowly met. My eyes burned as I stood there. I didn't know what to do, except watch as every dream I ever had of kissing him shattered right before my eyes. I was frozen to the spot, so I couldn't move, and that was when Bryce opened his eyes and saw me standing there in the doorway. The look in his eyes was forever burned into my memory. That was when Kate turned and saw me as well. She had shouted something to me about being sorry and to wait, but I tore myself from that spot and ran with tears burning in my eyes. Halfway down the stairs, I felt my stomach start to turn, and I was now not only fighting the tears but also trying to stop the contents of my stomach from spewing everywhere.
I ran down those stairs, bumping people and getting dirty looks as I went. I just needed to get away. I didn't want to hear Kate’s excuses. She knew how I felt about Bryce. How dare she do that to me?
I continued fighting my way through the crowd until I ran into someone’s chest. I felt a firm hand grip my shoulders, stopping me. I blinked and looked up to see my brother standing there, and that was when the tears started to spill down my face.
"Mia, what happened?"
"Nothing, Grant. Just take me home please."
I ripped from his grip and bolted out the front door, running toward our parked the car. I pulled open the back door and crawled in, curled up into a ball, and waited for what felt like ever for my brother. He wasn't too far behind, and he drove me home, asking me repeatedly what had happened and whose ass he and his friends needed to kick. I never said a word, and I never said anything to him about that night, and I never me
ntioned Bryce again to anyone. I had never even thought about him…until now.
That night had absolutely gutted me, and now just thinking about it, I realized that I still held onto that anger. The months that followed that night had been spent with my face down in the pillow. I ended my friendship with Kate and shut myself away from everyone else. I couldn't have a friendship with someone who would betray me like that, and I just wanted to be left alone anyway.
Grant and Bryce went off to school, and I was left to heal my broken heart. It was for the best.
I was yanked from my memory when I felt the car come to a stop and felt a light tap on my thigh.
"Wake up. We’re here."
I looked at Bryce, and then out the window, and saw a dark house sitting at the end of a walkway.
A blast of cold air flew into my face as Bryce pushed the car door open, snow swirling inside. I shivered, pulling my coat around me.
"Let's go." He held out his hand out for me to take.
I grabbed my purse and climbed out of the back of the car with his help. He dug into his pocket and pulled a crisp bill from his billfold and handed it to the driver, who had already placed our bags onto the sidewalk. I took hold of my things, and together we walked down the walkway toward the front door.
"Careful, don't slip."
"I'm not five. I'm all right."
"Don't yell at me. I remember how accident prone you are."
Just as those words fell from his mouth, I felt my foot slip on some ice. I screamed as I felt myself start to fall backward, but he dropped his bags and grabbed my arms before I went down.
"You all right there?" he asked, steadying me.
"Yeah, thanks," I said as I regained my balance.
Once we were up and inside the covered porch, Bryce pulled his keys from his pocket and quickly unlocked the door. "I turned the heat down before I left, so you may want to leave your jacket on until I get a fire built. It's gotten much colder since then," he said, reaching inside and turning on a light. "Come on in and make yourself at home." He ushered me inside and shut and locked the door behind us.
Leaving our bags in the entryway, we removed our shoes and stepped into the living room. In the darkness I could see that this room looked out over the lake, lights of the other houses off in the distance twinkling like stars against the water.
Within seconds, that view disappeared when Bryce turned the lights on, and I saw our reflection in the glass. Bryce stood behind me, watching me. A funny feeling came over me, and it flashed through my mind for one minute that this was how it should have been—us together.
"Give me a few minutes to get a fire going," he said, and I turned, taking in the room while he bent down and started setting the wood up for a fire.
The large windows spanned from the floor to the ceiling, and I imagined that in the morning I would have a clear view of the storm we had just driven through. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea I had come here. By the looks of things, I wouldn't be going anywhere for days and would have been spending my time in a hotel room instead.
I turned around, taking in more of the room. It was decorated in dark greens and beige. An over-sized couch sat in front of the fireplace holding many large cushions and a couple of large fleece blankets that looked inviting. Two over-sized armchairs also looked comfortable enough to curl up into. The gigantic fireplace was gorgeous, the face of it appearing to be natural stone, and the wooden mantle was lined with photographs.
"Are those your nieces?" I asked, pointing to the photographs over the fire as I walked over to get a closer look.
"Yep those three are Carter’s, and the other two munchkins are Hunter’s."
I could see signs of both of his brothers in their kids. Backing away, I noticed a large TV that hung over the fireplace. I could easily see myself sitting down with a glass of wine and watching my favorite shows.
Returning my attention to the fireplace, I sat down on the arm of the couch and watched Bryce. He was squatted down, assembling some kindling in the fireplace, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to expose his muscular forearms. I could see the strength in his back now that he had removed his suit jacket, as he reached for a larger piece of wood.
"As soon as I am done here, I’ll show you around the place, then we'll get comfortable and grab something to drink."
It was only a few more minutes before the fire was roaring away and the heat was pouring into the room.
"Come, let’s take a look around. It’s only a one-bedroom house, so you can take the bedroom, and I’ll take the couch," he offered as I followed him down the hall.
He opened the door and behind it was the most luxurious bedroom I had ever seen. It was almost bigger than my house, and again beautifully decorated and furnished with a king-sized bed, large sitting area in front of the large window, and another large fireplace.
"The bathroom," he said, opening another door and flipping on a light.
I poked my head in and saw a large soaker tub that could easily hold two, if not three, people and a massive walk-in shower.
"Wow, this is beautiful. You own all this?"
"I do," he answered as he pushed the closet door open and began shoving clothes to the back. "In case you want to hang some things up, go ahead. I'm going to go and grab us some drinks from the kitchen. Make yourself at home." He walked to the dresser and pulled open a drawer, removing his T-shirt and sweatpants. "Do you need anything warm to wear?" he asked.
"No, I should be fine. I did bring a couple warm things."
He nodded. "Well if you need anything, help yourself." He took his clothes and left the room.
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, my body sinking down into the soft mattress. I sat there for a couple of seconds, and then I opened my bag and pulled out my lounge pants and T-shirt, changing into them quickly before making my way back to the front room. I sank into the couch, relaxing as I felt the heat from the fire.
"Gin and tonic for you, scotch on the rocks for me." Bryce held the glass in front of me, and I reached up and took it. He placed his glass down on the table and sat next to me, pulling the blankets off the back of the couch and spreading them over us.
Chapter 7
Bryce
I relaxed back and took a sip of my scotch, the ice clinking against the glass. I was just about to ask Mia more about her ex when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket.
"Give me one minute," I said, and pulled my phone from my pocket and answered it. Instantly, I regretted it. I should have known better. It was too late for any of my brothers to call.
"Bryce, there you are." Alyssa's voice poured over the phone, and I closed my eyes and clenched my fists.
"What do you want?" I barked.
She was the absolute last person on the planet I wanted to talk to right now…or ever again, for that matter.
"Have you gotten a place yet or should I just leave your shit at your brother’s?"
I rolled my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. She was like an instant headache.
"Alyssa. What on earth are you talking about?"
"I've been packing your things. I just wondered where you wanted me to drop everything. I know you have been staying with Chase over the last few weeks, so I wanted to make sure that’s where you wanted everything before I drop it off."
I didn't give her another second. "Have you gone mad? It's my place! It's my condo, as in I pay the mortgage and the bills. It's your shit that has to go, not mine," I gritted into the phone. "It's been five months. I took pity on your sorry ass and I gave you three. It’s now been two more past that."
"Chase..." she whined, the sniffles starting. I was sure she was pouring fake tears at this point. "You try finding a place in this city. It’s not as easy as it looks, you know. Can't I just pay you rent and stay here?"
"No, Alyssa, I don't need a roommate. Now get off your ass and find somewhere to live. At this point, I really don't care if you live in a cardboard box.
I am finished. I am not finding, nor am I paying for, you to find a new place to live, and you aren't staying there. Just get your shit together and go."
I frowned, squeezing the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. I was so glad to be done with her and couldn't wait for her to leave. I had no idea what I ever even saw in her to begin with.
"Bryce?" she mewed.
"What?" I gritted into the phone.
"What about my ticket to Paris?" she questioned, and then grew quiet.
I couldn't believe my ears. "What ticket?" I gritted.
"The one you promised me."
I dropped my head back and took in a breath. It was taking all I had not to lose my composure. "When on earth did I promise you a ticket to Paris?"
"Seven months ago. It’s just, I was thinking. Perhaps I could leave my things here and head over to Paris for a while to, you know, heal and find myself."
I let out a deep, hearty laugh, and then I felt the anger emerge and my chest start to ache. My head was pounding. She seemed to have a way of doing that to me lately.
"Alyssa, you have one more week, not a second, minute, or day more. Go to Paris, Italy, Australia for all I care. It’s not going to be on my fucking dime. Now, I've got to go."
I hung up the phone and squeezed my fists tight. The woman absolutely infuriated me. I stood there letting the anger seep from my body before turning back to face Mia.
Maybe this storm was for the best. Perhaps I did need another week before I went back to everything. After all, I would have gotten home, found her still there, and been back in the exact same position I had been in when I had left. I knew my brothers would be happy I took the time. After all, they were the ones who had forced me here.
"Bryce, is everything all right?" I heard Mia's soft voice ask behind me, and then I felt her small hand on my shoulder.
His to Hold (The Malone Brother Book 3) Page 4