Not the One

by Toni Aleo

  She looked away, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, lots of writing and then I’d go to events with Montgomery. But mostly writing.”

  He nodded, his face turning into a scowl when she mentioned Montgomery’s name. “I’ve read all the books.”

  Her eyes widened, her heart stopping in her chest. “You have?”

  “Yup. They’re good.”

  Montgomery never read her books, and knowing that Theo had set her body on fire. “Oh. Thank you.”

  “Do you like your room?”

  She swallowed hard. “I love it.”

  “I do too, it’s my best room. Everyone loves it.”

  “You did that?”

  “I did.”

  She just gazed up at him, rendered speechless as his eyes sparkled in the lights. When the song changed to “Losing Sleep” by Chris Young, everyone broke into their own little couples, dancing and being close with the person they were with. Theo and Gen just stayed in place by the corner of the dance floor, staring into each other’s eyes. When he cleared his throat, she held her breath as he said, “I won’t apologize for what I did earlier. I needed to kiss you, Genevieve Stone, but I will apologize for putting you in an uncomfortable position with Montgomery and all.”

  Her heart jumped in her throat. “Did you mean it?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, but not for kissing you—”

  “No, not that,” she said, cutting him off. “About still loving me.”

  The passion in his eyes intensified, if that was even possible, burning into hers. “I said it, didn’t I?” he asked, those blue eyes flashing with promise. “When I say something, I mean it.”

  Her eyes burned with tears as she slowly shook her head in confusion. “What does that even mean, Theo?”

  “It means I’m still very much in love with you.”

  She pushed him away, anger taking over as she shook her head. “Ten years, Theo! Ten.”

  “And I never stopped thinking of you and only you.”

  “Then why didn’t you come after me? You had plenty of chances!”

  He stepped toward her, his eyes intent on hers as he yelled, “Because I wasn’t good enough for you. I wasn’t rich enough. I was just some poor, bastard-ass kid. I wanted to be more. I wanted to be worthy of a woman as smart as you. As talented as you.”

  “That’s not fair. You don’t get to decide that! That’s my decision. I cried for you, my heart was broken when you told me you weren’t the one for me.”

  “I lied!”

  She threw her hands up. “Well, the damage is done, isn’t it? Ten years, we spent apart, and now you think we’re just gonna jump back in? Is that what you want?”

  “I want a fucking chance. Is that too much to ask for?”

  “Was it too much to ask for when I needed some closure?”

  He put his hand on his hip. “Because I didn’t want you to have it. I wanted you to want me until I was able to give you the world.”

  “You were my world!” she yelled, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at them. Her heart was almost coming out of her chest as she glared up at him. “I had it all. For years. And I kept coming back, looking for you, but you hid like a coward.”

  “And I’m sorry for that, but I wasn’t ready,” he said simply, and that’s when the tears started to fall down her cheeks.

  “Well, now I’m not. Great job, Theo.”

  With that, she left, with no clue how she’d ended up fighting with Theo at a party in the middle of the town square.

  First, she’d puked on him, which got the town talking, and now, she’d fought with him.

  No wonder Spring Grove never forgot Genevieve Stone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Travis spat, blood spewing from his mouth into the grass. His face was bruised, and blood was coming from his nose. As Ashley moved closer, he looked away, running his hands down his face and then his pants to get rid of the blood.

  Matt must have found out.

  “Trav?”

  “Go away, Ash.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  But she could see he wasn’t. Sitting on the bench beside him, she reached out, trying to move his hand, but he flinched away, making her jump. “Let me see.”

  “No.”

  “Travis, let me help you. What happened?”

  “You know what happened,” he growled. “I told Matt.”

  Her stomach dropped. “You did what?”

  “I told him.”

  “Why on earth would you do that? I told you I would.”

  He shook his head, blood flowing from his nose and onto the grass. “I needed to. He’s my best friend.”

  “He’s my brother.”

  “I don’t care. I wanted to do it.”

  “Why?”

  He inhaled a jagged breath, his whole body following the motion. When he finally turned, tears rushed to her eyes at the carnage that was his face. His nose was broken for sure, and he had a black eye and a busted chin. Crying out, she went to reach for him, but he stopped her. “We can’t.”

  Her heart stopped. “What?”

  “He said no. He said he’d kill me if I kept seeing you.”

  “No? What? Fuck him. It’s my life. I want to be with you, Travis.”

  But he shook his head. “I’m not good enough.”

  “You are!” she cried, reaching for him and taking his hands. This time, he didn’t fight. “Fuck what he said. You are mine. I love you, Travis. Do you love me?”

  “I do.”

  “Then fuck what he thinks,” she insisted, but he was shaking his head.

  “You deserve someone good. Someone with a decent job, someone who can take care of you in ways I can’t—”

  “I want you.”

  Gen paused, reading what she had just written. It was good, not her best, but then she had locked herself in her room for the last three days. Only going down for snacks, and only when she knew Theo wasn’t there. She found where he had parked his big ole green truck, so as soon as it left was when she’d go get food. It was pathetic and she knew she needed to face him, but his words were still rattling her.

  Ten years. And he still loved her? Did she still love him? Seeing him blew her away. Knowing Theo was here, had been in this town as much as she had, shook her. Kissing him destroyed her. And dancing with him that night, being in his arms, looking up into his eyes, shit, it completed her. But she didn’t know this man. She knew the boy. Oh, she could sing songs about crazy Theo Hudson at twenty, but who he was now, she wasn’t sure.

  And then there was Montgomery. She felt things weren’t truly finished with him. She felt she needed to call and at least try to talk to him, explain herself, but there was radio silence on his end. Her mom was, of course, supportive. But she was also very upset since, apparently, Verna was trying to make Gen’s father pay for the deposits that Verna had made. It was a mess and already the talk of the country club. While Gen knew she needed to go back to get her stuff and figure things out, she didn’t want to. A part of her wanted to take Mont up on his offer to send her belongings here, but Lord, that would be such a cowardly thing to do. She should face him. Even though she didn’t want to.

  She wasn’t sure how this all got so screwed up, but she knew it was her fault. Theo was right—hell, her mom was right when she said that Gen was running. When her mom showed her those pictures from the Blu, Gen was immediately gone. It was her way out, and as much as that was shitty, she didn’t care. She was suffocating in DC, faking it. At least here, she was someone completely different. She was herself, she was alive, and she wasn’t sure that was something she could give up. Not after having a taste of it again.

  Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath and smiled.

  This place was more her home than anywhere else was.

  And she didn’t feel the least bit guilty about that.

  Looking out the window, she saw that it was a bright and airy summer day. She wanted so desperat
ely to be outside enjoying it. Checking for Theo’s truck, she noticed he wasn’t home. She really needed to face him again, especially if she was considering living in beautiful Spring Grove. There was no way she wouldn’t see him, mainly when he wanted to be seen. He was ruthless when he wanted something, she knew that. She remembered how he’d stood outside her house and wouldn’t leave until her father let her go out to see him. Eleven hours, he’d stood there in the blistering heat. Her mom was feeding him and giving him sunscreen. It was pathetic, but he wouldn’t leave. He wanted to talk to her.

  She was pretty sure that had been the moment she’d fallen for him.

  With a grin on her face, she gathered her laptop up and headed downstairs. But when she reached the porch, she found it was too bright there for her laptop, so she settled for the breakfast nook table after opening all the windows and letting the breeze in. She poured herself some water and then grabbed some of the fruit Theo must have cut up, and she sat down to work. She was almost done with the book, would probably finish tomorrow, which was great since her deadline was the following week.

  She was well into the chapter when the back door opened and Theo appeared with his arms full of bags. Surprised since she hadn’t even heard his truck pull up, she bit into her lip. She looked back down at her laptop, but she had no clue what she was typing.

  “Well, mercy, look who has emerged,” he joked as he set everything on the island. “I was gonna come up there tonight if I didn’t see you. I wasn’t sure you were eating.”

  She wasn’t going to answer him, but with an exhale, she nodded. “I am.”

  “Oh, good.” She tried not to watch him, but it was hard. He was wearing those damn jeans that hugged his ass in such a way that had her drooling. His black tee was tight on his shoulders, and he was obviously hot since he was sweating down the back of it. He had his ball cap backward on his head as he started unloading the bags. When he turned, she quickly looked down as he laid a large, beautiful bouquet of sunflowers beside her laptop.

  She glanced up at him, staggered, but he was turning back to the island without saying a word. Touching a petal, she said, “You didn’t have to.”

  He looked over his shoulder. “I didn’t. Those are for the vase.”

  She looked at the empty vase in the middle of the table and felt a little stupid. But when she looked up at him, he was grinning at her, and she knew he was messing with her. “Ass.”

  He laughed. “What? They’re for the vase that I was gonna bring up to your room later.”

  A grin pulled at her lips, but she wouldn’t allow them to curve. “Well, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He moved with ease through the kitchen, putting things away and tidying as he went.

  She should have ignored him, gone back to writing, but she couldn’t. “Why aren’t there any visitors? It’s peak season.”

  He shrugged as he paused, the rag hanging loosely in his hands. “I wanted the house to ourselves while you were here.”

  Her brow perked. “Didn’t you lose money?”

  “Of course,” he said with a shrug. “But to me, it’s worth it.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “It is?”

  He just shot her a grin as he moved around the island, throwing things away. “Winning back the love of my life? Yeah, I’d say so.”

  He said it like it was a known thing, but it took away every breath Gen had inside of her. No one, and she meant no one, had ever been so blunt and so outright with what they were feeling except for Theo. He’d told her he loved her three days into knowing her, and while she’d thought he was insane, she found that she was foolish too because she had felt the same way. They just clicked.

  “Oh.”

  He laughed at that as he threw the rag in the sink and then made his way toward her. She held her breath as he came around the table, grabbing the flowers and unwrapping them for the vase. He was close, his body big, and he smelled like heaven, so spicy. When he left to fill the vase with water, she found herself missing him, wanting him beside her, and that disgusted her. She would not jump into a new relationship. No matter who it was.

  No matter how much she wanted Theo.

  When he came back, he put the flowers in the water, and she expected him to walk away. Instead, he sat down in the chair beside her, leaning on his elbow, holding his chin in his hand as he asked, “So, what are we working on?” Her mouth parted, unsure what to say as she turned to glance at him. He was suddenly closer, reading what she had written as he nodded. “So what’s going on? Who’s Matt? Oh, her brother? Ack, oh, his best friend. Shit, lots going on here.”

  Her face broke into a grin as she met his gaze. “Travis, my hero, asked his best friend, her brother, if he can marry Ashley, the heroine.”

  “And Matt obviously said no and pounded his face?”

  She was elated. Her heart sang as she nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, but Ashley doesn’t care what her brother says—”

  “For good reason, she loves Travis. Is he shit?”

  “Who, Travis? No, not at all. He’s a good man, but his life has been hard.”

  “When is life not hard?” Theo laughed, leaning in closer to read. “He loves her a lot.”

  “He does, but he’s worried he isn’t good enough.”

  “I feel ya, Travis,” he murmured, and she snickered a bit, which made his grin grow as he read. “Well, since they’re tearing each other’s clothes off, I think we’re in the clear.”

  “Nowhere near. Matt will walk in as Travis is pounding her ass.”

  “Fucking fuck, you merciless asshole!” he joked and she laughed hard. Her whole body moved with the action as she leaned back. It felt good to laugh like that, and when it subsided, she found him watching her. “I love watching you laugh.” She looked away, a grin pulling at her lips. “But can I suggest something?”

  Her brow perked. “Sure?”

  “Going from puss to ass and then back is gross. No female wants an infection from getting shit in her puss.”

  Gen’s brows pulled together. “Oh. I hadn’t thought that through yet.”

  “I mean, when you’re getting pounded in the ass, and all of a sudden he transfers to the puss, you aren’t like, fuck, shit is getting in my puss?”

  Her cheeks warmed. “I don’t know—”

  “Wait, you haven’t been pounded in the ass? You poser!”

  Gen laughed. “I’ve watched plenty of porn.”

  “I mean, I love porn as much as the next guy, but that shit is fake and those women’s vaginas are sick. All the time.”

  She laughed harder, shaking her head. “You’re insane.”

  “I am,” he agreed, pointing to the screen. “Have him going hard in that puss, his hands holding her, unable to get a grip on her because he wants her so damn bad. His mind will be going wild with love, lust, and the general need for all of her, every piece, until he is about to blow his load. Have him enter that sweet ass of hers, the feeling of completion coming over him as he fucks her until they both are quivering, and then he comes. He falls on top of her and holds her, promising he’d never do anything to lose her. That he’d love her for the rest of his days. That she is his and he is hers until they are six feet in the ground. That he loves her, and he’ll never love anyone like he does her. He knows that for a fact.”

  Whoa.

  When Theo looked over at her, Gen’s body was tingling as she was gasping for breath. His eyes were dark with desire, his cheeks a little warm as he shot her a wink before he smiled widely at her. “Just a suggestion.”

  Breathless, Gen nodded. “It’s a great one.”

  “Yeah, add in some of those fancy words you use, and I think it’s a best seller.”

  She grinned. “Did you really read all my books?”

  “Every single one.”

  Tears rushed to her eyes. “That’s really sweet.”

  “Gotta support the girl who stole my heart, ya know,” he answered, his hand resting on her thigh. She lo
oked down at it and then up at him. He was right there, his mouth so close. All she had to do was take it, but she wasn’t ready. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t jump in with him when she didn’t even know what the hell she was doing with her life. It wasn’t fair to him. To her.

  But before she could say that, he asked, “Hey, why don’t we have dinner together tonight?”

  She wasn’t sure why she was surprised by that, but she was. “What?”

  “Let me cook you dinner. You finish writing, I’ll cook, and we’ll eat on the dock.” A grin pulled at his lips as his thumb moved up and down her thigh. “Just like that one time.”

  She laughed. “It wasn’t dinner. It was cold-cut sandwiches.”

  “Which means whatever I cook will be a hundred times better.”

  She smiled. “This is true.”

  A silence fell between them, the only sounds those of birds tweeting and her body vibrating from the feel of his thumb on her skin. She knew she should say no, but she really didn’t want to. She wanted to eat with him, she wanted to talk to him. It was just so easy. So right.

  Damn it, what was she doing?

  “So, what do you say?”

  Shutting off her brain, she nodded, “Six?”

  A slow grin moved across his lips. “Yeah.”

  She nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

  It did, but that didn’t mean it was a good thing.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I’m crazy.”

  Delaney laughed on the other end of the line as Gen moved her hands down the front of her dress, inhaled hard, and shook her head. This wasn’t the smartest idea, but when was she ever smart when it came to Theo Hudson? “I think it’s just right.”

  “Del, he is still in love with me.”

  “I know.”

  Gen gasped. “What?”

  “Everyone knows, Gen. He’s loved you as long as he’s known you. He’s one of those lucky folks who got the whole love at first sight bit. I’m jealous, and you know darn well I’m Team Theo.”

  Gen couldn’t fathom it. Yes, she’d been attracted to him immediately, and yes, she fell in love days later, but not at first sight. No, that wasn’t even real. Except in books, of course. Filling her cheeks with breath, she blew out as she shook her head at her appearance. She was cute in the floral printed dress, her hair up in a large bun and her makeup done soft, but she looked nervous.