Back to You

by Lauren Dane

  “Her I will continue being an asshole to.”

  Kelly laughed. “Fine with me. But I’m hoping she never makes it out this way again.”

  “She hurt you, too.”

  She was not going to bare her past with her mother to Sharon. Baby steps were fine, but it was too much to simply lay it all out like that.

  “I took it and made myself better. I’d rather be a good example as a result of this than let Maddie and Kensey ever see the dark side of my childhood.”

  “You’re a good mother. Vaughan loves them, no doubt. He works hard, too. But they’re amazing girls and you’re the reason why.”

  Surprised, Kelly managed to find her words to thank Sharon for the compliment.

  “I... Thank you for not telling me,” Sharon said. “It was hard hearing it from him, but he needed to confess to us. I have no excuse for my crappy behavior. I could tell you I love my kids. But you do and you never used it to hurt me the way I did you. I was so wrong about you. I rose to a defense that was never necessary. I acted terribly. I’m embarrassed and I’m sorry.”

  “I...I wasn’t expecting this.” But it was important. And necessary and it made her feel like crying and laughing all at once. Ever since Vaughan had announced he was bringing Kelly home to meet his parents, she’d been so excited.

  Had imagined Sharon would take her under her wing and help with things when Vaughan was out on the road.

  But that never happened. That first meeting had been terrible and things hadn’t improved after that.

  It was time to put away all that disappointment. Neither of them had been what the other thought.

  “I love Vaughan. I want him to be happy. And he can’t be if we’re at odds.”

  Sharon nodded. “He always has been a sweetie pie. I never thought you were good enough for him. But I was wrong. I hate being wrong.”

  Kelly laughed, despite herself. “Must be where Vaughan gets it.”

  “So their father always tells me whenever they mess up.” Sharon held a hand out. “Will you give me another chance?”

  Kelly paused a moment and then took the hand offered. “I think second chances are pretty important. Yes. We’ll both do that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  KELLY CAME DOWNSTAIRS after finishing her shower. Normally the girls would stay asleep for at least another hour or two, but the sun was up early at this time of year so she wanted to get her coffee and enjoy the silence while she could get it.

  Vaughan waited there with their daughters, a birthday cake on the table along with presents and cards.

  She didn’t know what to say. And even if she had, chances were she would have cried anyway.

  Her mother had always made birthdays a terrible thing. As far as Rebecca had been concerned, aging was something to be ashamed of. To dread and freak out over.

  Kelly always made a big deal out of the girls’ birthdays, but people rarely made one out of hers. Even Stacey knew and respected Kelly’s lack of importance for her own birthdays.

  “No one has ever thrown me a surprise birthday party before,” she managed to say.

  “What? That’s crazy. Clearly I have my work cut out for me. Luckily, we’ve got lots more birthdays to work with. The girls have a present for you and then I have one for you, too.”

  “First cake and candles!” Kensey managed to do some jazz hands that were totally appropriate for the situation. They sang “Happy Birthday,” lit the candles on the cake and she blew them out after making a wish.

  Maddie stood next to Vaughan, who had his guitar out. Kensey started to dance as Vaughan began to play the first chords from one of Kelly’s favorite songs ever, Patty Griffin’s “Let Him Fly.”

  That was enough to set the tears free, and then Maddie started to sing and there was no stopping the onslaught of messy, snotty mother tears. This child was something special. Her voice was a gift.

  Kensey might have been a high-energy monkey, but she danced like she was born to. And Kelly had long felt she had been born to do just that.

  Their daughters were all the best parts of Kelly and Vaughan. Threaded with their lack of patience, they also had incredible amounts of compassion, love and creativity.

  Kelly clapped at the end, using paper towels to mop up her eyes.

  “My turn.” Vaughan sat and started to play a song she hadn’t heard yet, but it was definitely part of the new material he’d been working on.

  The song was about losing love. About having this wonderful thing but not taking care of it. Loss, so much loss and pain and then happiness. Connection.

  It wouldn’t have been a good Sweet Hollow Ranch song. But it was a beautiful song. A Vaughan Hurley song. About Kelly. About their relationship and the stumbles and failures along the way.

  “It’s called ‘Salvation,’” he said when he finished up. “What do you think?”

  “Drown, drown in tears, salt salt it dries you out,” she said, mainly to herself. “It’s beautiful. I don’t know what to say. How to even put into words how much I love the songs and the dance. And the cake, of course. This is my very favorite birthday ever.”

  And that was totally true.

  They ate cake, and Kelly didn’t let herself think about the calories. She’d work out longer tomorrow morning. But for then, she had no cares at all.

  “Oh, this is yours.” Vaughan handed her some cards and little packages and she opened them. Some were from Stacey. Some were hand drawn by the girls; there was one from each one of his brothers, even. And then there was one from Vaughan.

  When she opened it, a ring fell out.

  She held it up, blinking at him.

  “Yeah. So that happened. I was thinking you should marry me. Again. This time for keeps. See, I had no freaking idea how hard you worked. How hard parenting every single day is. You did that for years and years on your own and I had no idea. No. Idea. I’m ashamed now that I do know how much of yourself you put into your business. Our kids. Your friends. Me. You tolerate my insane family. You make me happy, Kelly. Happier than I ever thought possible.”

  He went to one knee as their daughters excitedly hopped around making little girl squeeing sounds in the background.

  “Kelly Hurley, would you marry me?”

  Everyone got totally silent as they watched Kelly’s face.

  Could she do it? There was no willing herself not to love him. It was impossible. She’d tried and failed for a long time. So maybe it was okay to let herself love him. Since she did already, that could be a good thing.

  “It seems like it was always inevitable I be your wife.”

  He kissed her and then hugged her, pulling them both to the floor where the girls joined them, laughing and cheering. Already asking if they could be bridesmaids.

  “Can Minnie be in it, too? Since she’s coming here to live with us?” Maddie asked.

  “Daddy hasn’t asked your grandmother yet so let’s keep it a secret until then. After that? I don’t know why not. Yes, Vaughan Hurley, I’ll marry you. Because you need someone like me and our daughters to keep you in line.”

  Vaughan kissed her a few more times. “How about tomorrow?”

  “You can’t even wait one day to start being unruly?” Kelly asked, a smile on her face.

  “It seems like I’ve been making my way back to you for a really long time. The unruly part comes with the total package. That includes crazy parents, brothers who all love to punch one another bloody, some assorted girlfriends, wives and more babies by the day. We’ll even make room at the table for your best friend, who also happens to be your divorce attorney.”

  “She’ll be glad to know that.”

  The following day he’d been back in her life not quite two months and yet it felt like years. He’d asked her for another chance. Said
he wanted to be a better dad and get to know the Kelly she was now.

  She’d taken a chance then, mainly because she loved him so much she wasn’t ready to totally give up.

  “Thank goodness for second chances.”

  “Yeah. Thank goodness for ’em.”

  * * * * *

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  THIS WAS A really hard one for me. I scrapped tens of thousands of words on a book I’d nearly finished because it just wasn’t right. I started again, wanting to get the balance really right because this is a different spin on a love story and I wanted to do right by my characters, my readers and my amazing editor Angela James.

  When I sent it to her (so totally late) I hated it. I thought it was awful and I cringed to imagine what Angela would say. But there’s a reason why she’s so amazing.

  She liked it! Yay! Not only that but she gave me so much great advice on how to fix the things I’d been worried about.

  This book is in your hands because people never gave up on me. Missed deadlines because I’ve been so ill and yet, Harlequin continued to help me. Angela continued to be amazing and my family kept being crazy but amazing so I could believe in a second chance at love even after someone does something really awful.

  I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the support of my agent, Laura Bradford, who never blinked even when I said, “I cannot have this conversation right now or I will have a breakdown.”

  My husband, who I thank in every book because he deserves it, continues to be supportive and my greatest cheerleader. I am loved and for that, I am very grateful.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE BEST KIND OF TROUBLE by Lauren Dane.

  Sexy, pulse-pounding adventure.”

  —Jaci Burton, New York Times bestselling author

  If you loved Back to You, don’t miss these other Hurley Brothers tales!

  New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane invites you to Hood River, Oregon, where these rock ’n’ roll brothers find their perfect matches…

  The Best Kind of Trouble

  Broken Open

  Available wherever ebooks are sold.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  IT REALLY DIDN’T matter that the day was sure to be hot enough to melt asphalt; coffee was a necessity if she was expected to work all day at the library and not maim anyone.

  Public safety was important, after all. That and her terrible addiction to things that were bad for her like caffeine and sugary baked goods.

  Common Grounds was a daily stop on her way to work or other errands in town.

  Bobbi was behind the counter, and when she caught sight of Natalie coming through the doors, she grinned. “Morning!” So. Perky.

  Perky was not in Natalie’s wheelhouse, so she aimed for amiable because Bobbi the barista was Natalie’s pimp. “Morning. Hit me with something awesome.”

  Another luminous smile from Natalie’s favorite barista as she got to work. “I have a new something to try. Are you game?”

  “My vices are few, so I like to enjoy what I’ve got.” She looked over the stuff in the case. There were no doughnuts, sadly, so a scone would have to do. “I’d like to enter into a relationship with that cinnamon scone there to go with my something new.”

  “It’s early for you, isn’t it? I thought the library didn’t open until ten today?”

  “It doesn’t, but I’m doing story time for some preschoolers.”

  “Aw, that’s nice of you.”

  Natalie had the financial ability to volunteer in her free time and a strong commitment to giving back, so reading to preschoolers once or twice a week was pretty fun as such things went.

  Bobbi handed over the bag with the scone and her drink. “Latte with orange essence and a little shaved chocolate. Tell me what you think.”

  “Sounds fantastic.” As for nice for reading books to kids? “It’s a good thing when children like to read. Plus, they’re adorable when they’re three and four. They blurt out the best stuff. Usually shit about their parents. Last week, right as I finished up Fancy Nancy, one of them pipes up and says, ‘my dad doesn’t wear pants on weekends.’ It was awesome.”

  Bobbi laughed. “My nephew’s like that. My sister says she and her husband have to be careful about stuff they say now because he told his kindergarten class that he walked in on mom and dad naked wrestling.”

  That made Natalie guffaw. “It’s pretty hilarious when it’s other people’s kids ratting them out.”

  “Yeah. Our time will... Oh...my.” Bobbi’s gaze seemed to blur as she gaped in the direction of the front door, and that was when Natalie heard his voice.

  Not for the first time.

  “Care to help out a man in dire need of some caffeine?”

  She couldn’t help it. Natalie turned to take in the ridiculous male glory that was Paddy Hurley. In jeans and a T-shirt, he still looked like a rock star. Though she’d seen him naked, and he looked like a rock star then, too. His dark brown hair had lightened up, probably from being out in the sunshine. He’d put his sunglasses on top of his head, so those big hazel eyes fringed by gorgeous, thick sooty lashes had extra impact.

  Impact that made Natalie’s heart beat faster and her face warm as she remembered some of the things they’d done together. To each other. Dirty, filthy, naked things. Really good things the mere memory of had her libido sitting up and panting over.

  Bobbi was entranced by him as she stood at the counter, blinking slowly, clearly caught up in her admiration. He kept smiling, as if he was totally used to that sort of attention. Of course he was.

  “Can I get an iced coffee and a slice of that blueberry loaf for here?” He changed his tone a little from that flirty drawl to something more direct, and it seemed to do the trick.

  Bobbi stood a little taller and cleared her throat. “Uh. Yeah. Sorry. Yes, of course.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned, all white teeth and work-in-the-sun glow. Good God, he was beautiful.

  “I’ll bring it out when I’m done.” Bobbi got to work but waggled her brows at Natalie, mouthing holy shit, it’s Paddy Hurley.

  Natalie tried to turn quickly and make an exit, but he’d caught the direction of Bobbi’s look, and she saw the moment he recognized her, too.

  “Hey, there. Wow.” He searched for her name, which was what allowed her to pull her mask on and pretend she had no idea who he was.

  “Hello.” She turned to Bobbi. “See you tomorrow!” Natalie put the lid back on her cup and gathered her things, but Paddy stepped closer.

  “Natalie, right? You worked at that dive bar attached to the bowling alley near Portland.”

  A lifetime before.

  “Sorry?” She cocked her head as if she had no idea he was talking about the two weeks they’d spent nailing each other as though sex was going to be outlawed any moment.

  “It’s Paddy Hurley. I’d know that mouth anywhere.” He said it quietly. Enough that she appreciated his discretion.

  That Natalie stayed in the dive bar. The Natalie she was now had risen from the ashes whi
le she was in college, and she rarely looked back if she could help it. Paddy Hurley and those two weeks they’d shared were a great memory, especially the naked part. But she’d spent too many years and a whole lot of effort to be more and had no desire to go digging up that lifetime again.

  “Nice to meet you, Paddy. I enjoy your music. I need to be on my way.” She reached for the door, and he searched her features and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. Which was sort of charming, and she had to remind her hormones sternly to back off and let her brain do the work.

  But he rallied. “I know it’s you. Stay and have coffee with me so we can catch up.”

  “I have to get to work.” She opened the door, nudging him out of the way a little as she did. The heat of the day greeted her, and she stepped out, covered her eyes with her shades and walked away.

  The past was the past. She had a life now. One she’d spent a lot of time and energy building, and she needed to keep the door on who she’d once been firmly closed.

  Even if it left a tasty bit like Paddy Hurley on the other side.

  * * *

  PADDY WATCHED HER retreat down the sidewalk, the hem of her skirt swishing back and forth, exposing the backs of her thighs. Thighs that had been wrapped around his hips more than once.

  She had tattoos, matching ones, at the top of each thigh, right under each ass cheek. Pretty red bows like at the top of stockings. He smiled at that memory.

  “Her name is Natalie, right?” he asked the barista when she brought him the coffee and pastry.

  “Yeah. You know her?”

  “She lives here in town?” He sipped his drink. He and his brothers had gone out for an early ride so he was hot and a little sleepy. The iced coffee helped with both.