More Than Each Other (More Than Best Friends Book 2)

by Sally Henson

  My eyes graze over my boyfriend a few times. Hook is a flirty smooth talker to anyone who will listen. Lane is a straight shooting, tell you how he feels, kind of guy. He has no reason to be jealous.

  “I—” Not yet, Regan. Hold on to I love you until you’re for sure. Until he says it first. “I care about you so much.”

  He turns to face me, and his hard eyes soften.

  I toss the papers on the table and lock on to his sight. Him being across this big open great room makes it feel like we’re a thousand miles apart. “I want you, Lane Oliver Cary. Not Hook or anyone else.” I try to give him “the look you can’t look away from” he uses on me.

  “Stop it,” he chuckles, trying to be serious. It makes him even more adorable. He bolts from behind the island and stalks my way, halting when he’s nose-to-nose with me. He lets out a long groan of a breath, planting his hands on my hips. “Me and you. No one else.”

  I nod. He’s the only one, but I can’t give up on my dream. “Come with me.” I say softly, wrapping my arms around his waist. He’s suggested a time or two that he might be willing to transfer wherever I go. It would be nice to be with each other all the time.

  He rests his forehead on mine, closes his eyes, and says in a raspy voice, “Stay with me.”

  39

  Regan

  Since Lane left my house last night, I’ve been thinking about Lincoln. The argument with Lane yesterday has me wishing I could talk to Linc about what Lane said, about my friends talking behind my back, about what Dad’s been doing—everything. Linc’s the only one who knows my life better than Lane, but he hasn’t called or texted since he left in the middle of the night this summer.

  I wipe down the countertop and think about calling him tonight.

  Lane’s mom takes the washcloth from me. “Dan and I will finish up. You two go watch TV or something.”

  Lane puts away the last dish, comes up beside me, and rubs my back. “Thanks, Mom.”

  It still feels weird to be so close to him in front of his parents.

  He whispers through my hair, “Lets slip outside and walk to the treehouse.”

  “It’s cold.” I don’t mind being outside at night in the summer, but winter is a good time to snuggle under a blanket inside.

  “I’ll keep you warm.” His breath sends goosebumps down my neck.

  Um, Lane with his arms around me, keeping me warm? That’s a no brainer. “Okay.”

  The cold air hits my face and I stuff my hands in my coat pockets. As soon as the door clicks shut, I ask Lane, “Why do you think Linc hasn’t called?”

  Lane slides his arms around me, pulling us as close as our coats will let us. “He’s probably on some kind of training, or maybe he’s on a ship somewhere.”

  My head drops to Lane’s shoulder. “How long does it take to send a message?”

  Lane reaches to his back pocket, gets his phone, and hands it over. “Call him.”

  I take his phone and press the button to dial Linc’s number. It goes straight to voicemail. “Hey, it’s Regan. Your sister. Call me.” I hang up and hand Lane his phone. It seems like life is piling up, weighing me down right now.

  Lane gives me a quick hug. “He’d answer if he could.” He takes his phone, taps the flashlight app, and leads me on the trail to his old treehouse. It’s so quiet out here without the frogs and crickets of the night in hibernation. I miss summer.

  “Ross messaged me during supper.” His voice is tentative as he gives my fingers a squeeze.

  My stomach tightens. I look up at him to see the expression on his face.

  His wide eyes are full of excitement. “Ted’s Barn wants us to be their house band.”

  I’ve never heard of house band. Band lingo is not my thing, but judging by his shiny smile, it’s good news. “Oh, my gosh! Congratulations!” I jump and hug him around the neck.

  He picks me up and twirls me around, laughing. It makes me laugh, too.

  “This is so awesome!” he says, pressing his lips to mine and proceeds to kiss me. Like, thoroughly kisses me.

  It’s a good thing it’s cold out and we have bulky coats between us right now.

  He sets me back on my feet.

  Words tumble out of me. “Wow. What a kiss.”

  He chuckles. “When I’m with you like this—playing on stage is kind of like this.” He kisses me again. It’s soft and sweet this time.

  I can’t imagine anything else making me feel like I do when I kiss Lane. His lips on mine makes the darkness that hovers over me at home, even the stupid stuff going on at school, disappear.

  I bounce up and down, wanting more news, more fun, more information. “What does this mean? What’s a house band?”

  “It means we play at Ted’s Barn every Friday night.”

  My body stiffens. Please let this be a mix-up. He meant every Wednesday, right?

  I swallow and squeak out, “Friday? I thought you played on Wednesdays.”

  “They want us to play Friday nights.” There’s a mixture of sadness and hope in his eyes as he breathes. “I never thought in a million years I’d actually be playing in a band like this.” His fingers comb through my hair.

  Behind the protective cage, my heart stalls. Lane’s my safety net. He said he’d always be here for me and now he’s going to be gone?

  “How long?” I manage to squeak out.

  “How long are we the house band?”

  Tears prick my eyes. I nod. I’m afraid to say anything else and risk him hearing a tremble in my voice.

  “I’m not sure, but I’d come home Saturday morning”

  I take a shaky breath.

  “Hey,” he says softly and pulls me into a hug. “It’s okay. I know it’s hard for you right now. I’ll talk to Ross, I’m sure the guys can handle it without me.”

  If I had the chance like this, to do something I loved, Lane would want me to do it. Even if it meant spending time apart. How can I not do the same?

  I pull my big girl panties on, clear my throat, and encourage him the best I can right now. “No. You love playing with the band. You should do it.”

  40

  Regan

  Tobi’s choice of attire has changed from cute jeans and trendy tops to work boots and sweatshirts. On our way to class, I pinch the sleeve of Tobi’s flannel shirt and give it a tug. “Hey.”

  She grabs a notebook out of her locker and turns toward me, closing the door. “Hey.” She smiles, and I feel my shoulders relax. Things are off between us, and I hate it.

  We walk to my locker. “How’s Rex? You haven’t said much about him.”

  She shrugs. “He’s okay. I don’t get to see him much.”

  “I thought he was coming over to help more.” Rex helping her is ideal. He already knows the cow business and is nice to look at.

  “He was.” She groans. “His parents told him it was too far for him to be driving so much. I can’t blame them. I miss his help, but I miss his kisses even more.” A tired giggle sputters out of her. “Dad’s getting better, so there’s that.”

  Haylee and Cam join our trek down the hall. Tobi was so worried about her dad. He’s been through so many surgeries. And I hate that I haven’t been able to see him or help Tobi.

  I hug my books to my chest excited about the news. “That’s awesome, Tobi! What a relief, right?”

  She tilts her head back and forth as if she’s contemplating whether that’s good news. “Yeah, but now his barking about the farm has gotten worse. It’s not like I haven’t been taking care of everything since he got hurt. I need a week of doing nothing but laying on the beach. Maybe two for putting up with him.” She grumbles under her breath, “If I last that long.”

  Haylee pokes her shoulder. “You deserve a beach vacation, girl.”

  “No doubt,” I add.

  “Hey,” Cam comes up behind us. “If you need like a personal assistant when you go, I’m available.”

  “Wouldn’t that be fun?” Haylee bounces up and down, turn
ing toward us. “The G5 Christmas Beach Vacation.” She sighs. “I’d love to lay on the beach for a week.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I peek around Cam at Haylee. “Get out of here. And see the ocean.” A girl can dream…that’s pretty much all I’ve got since summer ended. Dreams and Lane.

  “Oh yeah,” Cam says in a low voice. “I’ll definitely be your cabana boy, Regan.” He bumps my shoulder, joking around.

  Haylee growls, “Nice Cam.” She splits off to her class without looking back.

  “What?” he calls after her, but she ignores him.

  Tobi and I turn to see him stopped in the middle of the hallway.

  “That was a really dumb thing to say, Cam.” Tobi scolds.

  He has that “What did I do?” look on his face with his arms stretched wide, grasping a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other. “I’m just joking around.”

  Tobi rolls her eyes and follows Haylee into class.

  Great. This isn’t going to help Haylee’s attitude toward me. Cam’s innocent expression peels off leaving an ornery grin behind. He has an uncanny way for ticking me off one second and making me laugh the next. Shaking my head, I suck my lips between my teeth and bite down in order to stop a smile as I head to my last class before lunch.

  In the cafeteria, Haylee sits in my spot next to Tobi. Which means she’s still mad at him, and probably me. It also means I either sit by her or Cam. He shouldn’t have made the cabana boy comment even if he was kidding, but that’s the usual stupid stuff Cam says. It’s nothing new.

  I set my tray beside his and sit down among their silence. “Hey, how was foods today?” I ask the girls.

  Haylee lifts her head and stares at Cam. “It would’ve been better if Cam hadn’t been a jerk before class.”

  I try to lighten things and get them to make up. “Cam’s kind of known for saying stupid things. It’s part of his redneck charm.” I elbow his side and snicker.

  “Yeah, Haylee. It’s part of my charm.” Cameron forks the half a pear off Haylee’s plate and pops it in his mouth, practically swallowing it whole.

  Haylee narrows her eyes at Cameron. “You don’t say stuff like that when it’s just the two of us. Why do you act all flirty when you’re around Regan?”

  My head flinches backward, and I nearly choke on my drink. What about his comment of being Tobi’s personal assistant? He always jokes about being our slave in lewd ways.

  I chance a glance at Cameron. He has a sour, I-just-swallowed-a-goldfish-whole-and-it’s-swimming-in-my-stomach look on his face. When my eyes find Tobi, she cocks her head to the side and shrugs as if what Haylee said is true.

  “Ease up, Haylee,” Cam says, tossing his fork on his plate. “I was just teasing. It’s not a big deal. Damn, I can’t even joke around anymore.”

  Pressure pushes against my chest like a jackhammer, but I don’t dare say a word. Cam’s not the only one who can’t do anything right.

  41

  Regan

  Cameron stands in front of his open locker, seven down from mine. He looks nice in the non-farm-boy wardrobe he’s been wearing the past few months, but that’s not what I want to discuss with him. It’s the Eckerd papers neatly tucked in my math notebook. They’re waiting for me to pop the question to Cam.

  Eckerd is constantly on my mind. Since Lane spent his Thanksgiving week working, and I spent mine shut up in my room, I had a lot of time to think about what I should do. Why shouldn’t I keep going for my dreams? Lane’s going after what he wants with the band.

  It doesn’t matter who sent the letter. What matters is the scholarships Eckerd has to offer. So, I wrote Hook a thank you note, filled out the paper with my interests, and requested more information. Instead of my address, I hope to use Cam’s.

  Asking Tobi or Haylee is out of the question. I never know from one day to the next if they’re going to be hot or cold with me. I figure Cam is the most stable out of all my friends right now. It’s so ironic. Crazy, rambunctious, likes-to-push-my-buttons Cam is going to be my “go-to” guy? He’s pretty much my only option right now.

  “Hey, Cam?” I call out.

  His head swivels my way with his dark eyebrows raised. He locks on to my sight and gives me a wide grin.

  I motion with my head for him to come to my locker.

  He strolls over and presses his palm against the stucco wall above my head, gripping a notebook in the other hand. I keep my locker door open so I can hide what I’m doing from all the people around us.

  I’m about to show him the papers when he leans down and says quietly, “I’m sorry about how Haylee’s acting. I’m not sure what her and Tobi’s deal is.”

  Whoa. I stand here blinking for a few seconds. Even though he hasn’t given me the cold shoulder like the girls, he hasn’t exactly stood up for me either. “Why are they mad at me? What did I do?”

  “Tobi’s just worn out. She needs a break, but that’s not going to happen.” Cam closes his eyes for a moment, shaking his head. “Just don’t worry about it, okay?”

  I nod, but my insides are rolling now that I know for sure it’s not my imagination. I grab my stuff out of my locker. “Hey, can I ask you a favor?” I glance over my shoulder. “I would ask Tobi or Haylee, but I feel like they’re always on the verge of jumping down my throat for something lately.” I shut my locker and hold my books tight to my chest.

  Cam puts on his wry smile. “You know I’ll do anything for you, Regan. Ask away.”

  My shoulders fall back into place. He’s going to be sweet, good-guy Cam.

  “Let’s get to class first.” We fall in step, side by side, and hustle to class.

  We step into the empty room and take our assigned seats next to each other. I hand over the official letter from Eckerd and whisper how I found it in the trash can.

  He scans the page and looks at me with his brow furrowed. “You seriously think your dad did it on purpose?”

  I place the letter back in my notebook. “Yeah. How else would it end up in the garbage?” Stacey strolls into class, and I lean closer to Cam. “So my favor…could I use your address? If I use mine, anything that comes from Eckerd will end up in the trash, and I’ll never see it.”

  Please say yes. Please say yes.

  “Wow.” He angles his body toward me, and it’s comical even though he’s being serious. He looks like a gorilla sitting in a third-grader’s desk. “Of course. Whatever you need.” He scratches the back of his head, glancing between me and the floor. “Look, that night, at the party—”

  The bell rings, and Mr. Stein begins our lesson right off the bat, interrupting Cam.

  Cam whispers, “I’ll tell you after class.”

  I mouth the words, “What’s your address?”

  He writes it on a piece of paper, tears it out of his notebook, and hands it to me while Mr. Stein’s back is to us. I put his address on the questionnaire from Eckerd, and quietly stuff it all in the envelope. The only thing it needs is a stamp.

  After class, Cam promises me he’ll mail it today on his way home. He says he’s proud of me for going after what I want. “I’m sorry for what I said that day at the cliffs when I griped you out about following your dreams,” he says.

  We stop at my locker. “Seriously, Regan. I respect that about you.” He leans close to my ear so no one can hear him. “Thanks for believing in me, that I can get away from the farm someday.” He gives me a sad smile, holds the envelope up, and takes a few steps backward. “I’ll do it today. Promise.”

  My insides turn soft and mushy, and I really want to give him a big hug, but the way Haylee’s been acting, I don’t want to give her another reason to be irritated with me.

  42

  Lane

  Joe walks through the door for practice as I begin to tune my guitar. Everyone else showed up about five minutes ago.

  Ross claps his hands, rubbing them together all wide-eyed. “Now that Joe’s here, I’ve got some big news.”

  One by one, the guys turn towa
rd Ross. Joe smarts off, “See, you can’t do anything without the drummer.” He stops next to me and pops me in the arm.

  I shake my head and keep my thoughts to myself.

  Ross continues, ignoring Joe like he usually does. “The Greek League had a last-minute cancellation and asked us to play.”

  A myriad of celebratory fist bumps and whoops break out.

  “Okay,” Ross continues. “We need to start setting up at six.”

  “Wait, wait. Six when?” I’m lost. The Greek League is Greek to me. Never heard of it. Know nothing about it.

  “Saturday, man,” Joe bumps my shoulder. I look up from my stool at his dopey grin. “It’s going to be epic. Chicks everywhere.”

  The more details Ross gives the more excited I become about the exposure we could have. All the Fraternities and Sororities go together for one big “mingle.” We could get a lot more gigs with something like this.

  When he’s finished, I slip the strap over my head and place my guitar on the stand I bought last week. If we play Saturday too, that means I’ll have so much to do on Sunday that going home won’t be a good option. I need to call Regan and let her know I won’t be home. Sometimes practice goes late, and I’m going to have to sweet talk her parents just to get the chance to even talk to her the way it is.

  I pull my phone out, type in my code, and call over my shoulder to the guys, “I’ll be right back.”

  My thumb taps her number as I make my way toward the door.

  Regan’s mom answers.

  “Hi, Mrs. Stone. It’s Lane.”

  “Oh, Lane. How are you?” Her voice is pleasant. So far, so good.

  “Good, thanks. Um, I was hoping I could talk to Regan. Something’s come up this weekend, and I wanted to talk to her about it.” Something? Ugh, sooner or later I’m going to have to tell them I’m in a band. It’s hard to say how Mr. Stone will react to that.