Peacekeeper (Montgomery Brothers Series ~ Book 2)

by Laura Pavlov

  His swing came to an abrupt stop and he studied me. “I don’t believe that, Laney. I owned up to why I pushed you away. Now you tell me what happened when you went back to school and then decided you hated me and never came back home much again.”

  I halted my swing as well. “What, breaking my heart wasn’t enough of a reason to hate you for five years?”

  He didn’t laugh when I did. I tried to make light of it, but he wasn’t having it.

  “Not considering the circumstances, no, I don’t think so.”

  Why does this boy have to know me so well?

  “I don’t know what to tell you. You hurt me really bad. I moved on with my life. There’s not much more to discuss.”

  “Does that bullshit work on your fiancé? Because it sure as shit doesn’t work on me. If you aren’t ready to tell me why you’re so angry with me, that’s fine. But own it. Don’t try to pacify me, I’m not that easily fooled.”

  I reached in the bag of sand and grasped a handful before chucking it at his chest. “You’re an asshole, Harrison. That’s reason enough.”

  I stormed off the swing and charged across the playground. He caught my arm and spun me around. My chest slammed into his. “Stop running, Laney.”

  My breaths came hard and fast, as his dark gaze drilled into me. His lips were full and pouty, and I ached to push up and kiss him. My hands moved to his chest of their own volition and they lingered there.

  “I’m not running,” I said, just above a whisper.

  “Yeah, you are. But this time I’m coming after you.”

  “Why?” My voice startled me, breathy and laced with need.

  “Because I care about you. I always will.” He leaned down, his lips close enough that it wouldn’t take much to press mine to his. His chest pounded beneath my fingertips, and my legs threatened to give out. My entire body heated, and I squeezed a fistful of his dress shirt in my hands before pushing him away.

  “Trust me. You shouldn’t, Harrison. I’m not the same person I used to be.” I took a step back, putting space between us. “And I’m engaged.”

  “I know you. I’ve always known you. That doesn’t change because we haven’t spoken or because you’re marrying someone else. We both deserve to have closure.”

  “We got closure when you broke up with me five years ago.” I turned on my heels and started walking.

  “My father died, Laney. My world turned upside down. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  His words cut deep. I stopped moving and turned around. “So, then let’s just call it done. Why dredge up the past?”

  “Okay, then,” he said, moving toward me. “Let’s not dwell on the past. We can move forward—as friends, if that’s what you want. I miss you, and you’re going to be leaving soon, so the least you could do is hang out with me. For old times’ sake.”

  I rolled my eyes and bit the inside of my cheek hard to keep from smiling. “What is it that you want to do?”

  “I just want to spend time with you—as friends. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. You can even tell me all about your wedding plans if it makes you feel better. Let’s go to Renaldo’s for pizza after work. I’ll even let you put pineapple on the whole thing.”

  Renaldo’s was only the best pizza in town—and he knew I’d be hard pressed to turn him down. We’d been best friends our entire life. There was no harm in hanging out with an old friend, right?

  “Fine. I’ll do it. But only because you agreed to put pineapple on the whole pizza.”

  “Deal.”

  We started walking back toward the winery.

  Maybe I’d just made a deal with the devil.

  But I didn’t care.

  Because for the first time in a long time…I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

  Chapter Eight

  Harrison

  “Do you remember when you snuck out of your house junior year, because we wanted to sleep out here under the stars?” I asked her, laughing at the memory.

  “Um, yes. Because I got grounded for two whole weeks and couldn’t see you,” Laney said, lying on her side as she stretched out on the plaid blanket. We’d grabbed sandwiches at the winery and come out here to eat. It had been our favorite spot when we were growing up, and we’d both worked late, which meant we needed dinner.

  We’d spent a lot of time together since we’d agreed to be friends again. We picked up where we left off all those years ago—minus the fabulous sex we used to have. And the kissing. The fucking kissing. I used to kiss this girl till my lips were chapped and swollen, and it still wasn’t enough. Now I had to keep my hands to myself. But the crazy thing about it…I didn’t even care. Yeah, I wanted Laney more than I’d ever wanted anything or anyone. But I was happy just to have her in my life again, in whatever capacity she was willing to offer.

  I laughed. “Yeah, I remember bringing a lawn chair and plopping it outside your bedroom window just so I could see you.”

  She rolled onto her stomach, pushing the other half of her sandwich out of the way, and a big grin spread across her pretty face. “Well, they did take my phone from me. What did they expect us to do?”

  “Your parents brought bottled water out to me so I wouldn’t dehydrate in the heat.” I pushed to sit up, yanking my tie off and unbuttoning my dress shirt before pulling it off and setting it beside me. I had a white T-shirt beneath, and it was too hot for long sleeves out here.

  “They were always crazy about you.”

  “Yeah. I felt the same about them,” I said.

  Laney sat up and pulled her long blonde hair over one shoulder.

  “I’m glad we gave this friendship thing a try.” She smiled, and I swear to Christ, my chest squeezed.

  “Me too. It’s been too long. So, what did you decide about the wedding? Did you talk to Charlie about eloping?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even. It was difficult to talk to her about marrying someone else. But right now, I was a starved man begging for scraps. I’d take Laney Landers any way I could have her. Being around her had awakened something in me. And yeah, physically, I was in a chronic state of discomfort.

  Blue balls are real, my friends.

  But it was all worth it. Just to have this time with her.

  “Yeah. He wasn’t thrilled, but he agrees it’s just not the right time with everything that’s going on with Mom. We canceled our venue and thankfully, we hadn’t done much more as far as planning goes, so we’re going to postpone things until I get back home and we can figure out what we want to do.”

  She didn’t look at me as she spoke about her wedding, but it was impossible to miss the lack of disappointment there. She appeared—relieved. Maybe I was reading into things, or just being hopeful, but Laney postponing her wedding gave me a sliver of hope. If she was happy, I’d never do anything to get in the way of that. But instinct told me something was missing there.

  “And how do you feel about that?”

  “I feel fine. I told you I wasn’t really all that into having a big wedding.” Her ocean blues locked with mine.

  “I just remember you always talking about wanting a big wedding when we were young,” I said, pressing the issue.

  She gazed out at the vineyard, the sun setting just behind her—it looked like a goddamned portrait. Her blonde hair shining in the last bit of sunlight and the pinks and oranges in the sky making the perfect background against her tanned skin. She wore a fitted white T-shirt that outlined her perky tits and her pink floral skirt flowed around her legs that were tucked beneath her. My hands fisted beside me to keep from reaching out to touch her.

  “Yeah, maybe once upon a time. People change. I changed.” She picked at the grass beside her and continued to look off in the distance as she spoke.

  “You don’t seem like you changed to me. And I think I know you pretty damn well.”
/>   Her head turned slowly to face me. “I did.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, I don’t trust people so easily anymore. Remember you used to get annoyed with me because I trusted everyone.”

  I laughed. “You just see the good in people. I wasn’t annoyed by it—I was probably envious. And I think you still see the good in everyone, Laney.”

  “I want to,” she whispered and swiped at the single tear rolling down her cheek.

  I was taken aback at the sight of it. I moved close to her and put an arm over her shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on?”

  She covered her face with her hands. “Nothing. Do you ever feel like you’re just lost? That’s how I’ve felt these past few years.”

  “I get that. The first year after my father’s accident I sort of felt like I was swimming against a current. Not sure where I was going most of the time. I think it’s normal to feel that way when you’re going through big life changes. You’re getting married…you’re home taking care of your mom as she battles breast cancer. Of course, you feel lost.”

  She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder, and damn, if she didn’t fit perfectly there. Always had.

  “Yeah. That’s true. Mom’s doing so well though. I think we’re actually driving her crazy fawning all over her.”

  “Nah. It’s good she has you here. You aren’t thinking of leaving sooner, are you?” I tried to hide the panic from my voice. I wasn’t ready to see Laney go again. Having her back just felt so…right.

  “No, I’m going to stay for a few more weeks. I want to help her through the reconstructive surgery, and emotionally, I think it’s been helpful to have me back in the house. I lie in bed with her every night and we talk and laugh like old times. I think it helps to keep her moving forward.”

  “Good,” I said, rubbing her arm as she leaned against me. “I like having you here.”

  “Yeah. I’d be lying if I didn’t say being home has been nice. A lot better than I expected. And working at the winery is a godsend.” She paused to take a sip of water. “I heard from my boss back in Chicago this morning. She had to replace me. She said they were too busy and being down one event planner had been difficult. So, I don’t have a job to rush back to anymore.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sure that was a tough call to receive.” Relief flooded through me. Laney had postponed her wedding and she no longer had a job in Chicago. Things were looking up.

  “Surprisingly, I’m okay with it. I assumed it would happen, so I wasn’t caught off guard. I know that coming home was the right thing to do.”

  “Agreed. Do you live with Charlie back in Chicago?” I asked.

  “No. I have my own place. He’s such a patient man. He wanted me to move in, but I wasn’t ready. I’ll move in with him after we get married.”

  I let out a long breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. She wasn’t ready to move in with him, yet she agreed to marry him? Something didn’t add up. Laney Landers was a passionate girl. Always had been. Hell, she used to talk for hours about what our house would look like someday. She even named our future, non-existent kids. She wasn’t big on taking it slow. Maybe she had changed in that sense. Or maybe Charlie just wasn’t the right guy for her.

  “So, tell me about him. How’d you meet? What’s he like?”

  She pushed back, turning to face me. “You really want to know?”

  “I really do.”

  She crossed her legs, and reached for her bottled water, tipping her head back to take a long sip. “We met shortly after I moved to Chicago. Nat’s boyfriend, Jared, was from there, and he’d grown up with Charlie. Nat was relentless about me meeting him, because I’d become a bit of hermit.” She laughed. “So, I agreed to go on a double date, not expecting anything. But Charlie has a way of making you feel comfortable right away. We ended up talking for hours, and it continued for a few weeks. It was just a friendship at first. I don’t know, he sort of brought me back to life, I guess.”

  I studied her. What in the hell does that mean? “Brought you back to life? In what way?”

  “My last two years at Columbia weren’t great. I don’t know, I sort of slipped into this introverted cocoon.” She shrugged and laughed. But I saw something behind those deep ocean eyes. Pain. Fear. Disappointment. I couldn’t quite read it. “I needed a fresh start and that’s what Charlie gave me.”

  “You didn’t date anyone after we broke up?”

  “Nope. I barely ever went out.”

  “Really? I assumed when you asked me to stop reaching out and refused to take my calls that you had a boyfriend,” I said, leaning back and running my fingers over the blades of grass bordering the blanket. A light breeze moved around us, causing a few leaves to drop from the trees.

  “You know what happens when you assume, Har.” She raised one brow and smiled.

  It was the first time she’d called me Har in five years. Something squeezed in my chest. Like someone reached inside and wrapped their fists around my heart.

  “What about your sorority? You just skipped all the dances and events?” I asked. Wanting to know more. Needing to know everything.

  “I dropped the sorority a few weeks after I got back to school. It was too time-consuming.” She shrugged.

  I shifted, stretching my legs out and rolling my neck. “Wow. That surprises me. You loved it so much.”

  “Things change. I was fine with it. Less obligation. I still hung out with Natalie. And I just focused on school.”

  I nodded. “All right. So, tell me how Charlie…what? Saved you?”

  “Don’t be an asshole.” She laughed. “He really did in a way. I was not myself when I moved to Chicago. I’d been going through the motions for a long time, I guess. And he brought me out of the funk I was in. He introduced me to a new city. Took me to all the touristy spots at first, and then he started showing me all the local hangouts. We’d talk and laugh for hours, and I just kind of started to get my mojo back. It probably doesn’t make sense, but he was a really good friend to me when I needed one most.”

  I cracked my knuckles. I wanted to hear about her fiancé, I really did. But it also sucked ass. Hearing that another dude had filled my shoes. The ones I’d always worn so proudly. “And then how’d you end up engaged to your new bestie?”

  “If you don’t want to talk about this, we don’t have to. You keep asking, but at the same time, you seem highly annoyed.” She narrowed her gaze, and a little crease formed between her eyes. Laney Landers always called me out on my shit, and I loved it. But right now, I didn’t need her reading my mind.

  “I’m not annoyed. I mean, I wouldn’t say Charlie is my favorite topic, but I do want to catch up on the last five years, and apparently, he’s a big part of that.”

  “Okay. So, we became really good friends. Great friends, even. We started hanging out every day. I mean, aside from Natalie, he was the only other person I knew there. He caught feelings long before I did, but eventually, he wore me down.” Her head fell back, and she chuckled, and damn if I didn’t want to flip her on her back and kiss her senseless. But unfortunately, we were still discussing her perfect best friend and fiancé. “He’d tell me every day how good we’d be together. We weren’t dating anyone else, so it just sort of happened. He’s such a good guy, Har. I mean, he’s solid in every way. Loyal and kind. You’d actually really like him.”

  “Laney, you do realize you just described Duke to a tee, loyal and kind,” I said, and we both burst out in hysterical laughter. Duke was the Landers’ dog when we were growing up. Laney and I took him everywhere. He was an oversized border collie mix. He’d fetch the newspaper, run out in the vineyard with us, and follow us to school every day.

  “Oh my gosh. Duke. Damn, I miss that dog.” Duke passed away the summer before we left for college. He’d had a good run at sixteen years old. We’d both been crushed the da
y we found him on the side of her house looking like he was sleeping peacefully. Maybe in a way he was.

  “Well, I think you found him in your fiancé.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Enough about me. Tell me about you. Did you get a girlfriend right away after I left for school?”

  “No. Not even close. I mean, I waited a while before I even thought about being with anyone. You’re irreplaceable, Laney Mae Landers.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Bullshit. You don’t like being alone, Har. I know you. What’s a while? A day? A week?”

  “No. I mean, I was going to community college those first few months and I just spent all my time with Mom and Ford. We went to a bunch of Jack’s games that first semester after you left, so life was busy, and we were all drowning in grief. And I missed the hell out of you. I’d never existed without you, at least not for any period of time that I could remember. And losing you and Dad, well, it was—tough.”

  She nodded and motioned with her hand for me to continue. I reached for my water and took a long pull, screwing the lid back on and setting it beside me.

  “You didn’t come home for Christmas that year, which was a huge blow. I’d had this plan to wait until you came back at winter break and then I’d woo you back. I figured you’d be okay with the idea of long distance once you settled into the whole routine at Columbia. But I ran into Sam and he said they were all heading to New York for the holidays. You weren’t coming home. And that’s when the panic set in that I’d really lost you.”

  With her lips pursed and her gaze narrowed, she studied me. “That’s when you started calling me.”

  “Yeah. You kept sending me to voicemail and then you sent me that single text that said to stop bothering you, that you’d moved on. And I got the message.”

  She closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sky. The sun glistened against her cheeks. “And then what? You started sleeping with all the girls in town?”

  I chuckled. “Not quite, but I did sleep around a bit. The rejection stung. I didn’t know what to do. I’d only ever been with you. I didn’t like anyone else, so I just sort of slept around for the next few months.”