Game On (Aeon Book 1)

by Wendy Smith

  It still smells of her.

  I sit on the bed. All the furniture will be coming to my place until I work out what to do with it. I’ve got a massive garage with more storage space than I know what to do with because my home was supposed to be for our family.

  I don’t really know what to do.

  It’s not that we didn’t plan. We had enough time to work out what I needed to do once Lane died. But now it’s here, it’s all too much.

  This house has so many memories.

  Mom and Dad helped us into this place when we decided to get married.

  Lane, her long blond hair spread out over the pillow.

  Her nervous laugh when I stripped off and climbed into bed beside her. Our naked bodies pressed together for the first time. The gasps that caught in her throat when I touched her.

  Grace was conceived in this bed, and if the ambulance hadn’t arrived in time, she would have been born in it too.

  This was the room where Lane told me about her cancer diagnosis. Where I climbed into bed with her fully clothed, and just held her while we both cried.

  “Daddy?” Grace jumps up beside me. “You’re crying.”

  “I’m thinking about your mom and how much I loved her.”

  She leans on my arm, and I rest my head on hers. “You know what? We don’t have to do this all today. I think we should just pack up all the toys you want to take back to my place, and I’ll empty the fridge and freezer so the food doesn’t go off.”

  Grace smiles.

  “We’ll come back another day.”

  If I pack this room up, Lane’s scent will be gone.

  The house isn’t going anywhere. Lane wanted me to sell it, but I’m not in any state for that. This was Grace’s home for so long. I can’t do that to her. Not yet.

  “I miss Mommy.”

  I nod. “You know what? So do I.” I let out a sigh. “Want to go get some ice cream?”

  “Can I have chocolate?”

  Wrapping my arms around her, I kiss the top of her head. “You can have any flavor you want.”

  The town’s quiet, which is nice. I’m not in a mood for people.

  I park outside Madison’s Diner, the best place to get ice cream in Nettle Downs.

  “Brad.” Janie Madison approaches as I walk in the door. I let her wrap her arms around my chest and hug me. “It’s so good to see you. What can I do for you and Grace?”

  “Daddy says we can have ice cream. I want chocolate,” Grace says.

  Janie lets me go and bends to greet Grace. “I’m sure I can get you some chocolate ice cream. With cream and sprinkles?”

  Grace nods.

  “Anything she wants,” I say. “And the same for me.”

  “Two special ice creams coming right up.”

  Janie winks at Grace, and I’m so grateful for her support. This is the type of community Nettle Downs is, though. It’s comforting when it’s not suffocating.

  “Where do you want to sit, Gracie-boo?” I ask.

  She points at the corner booth. “That’s where I used to sit with Mommy.”

  “Let’s sit there, then.”

  Grace grins, slipping into the booth, and I follow. She shakes her head. “No, you sit on the other side.”

  “Is that what Mommy did?”

  She nods.

  It tugs at my heart that I must not have come here with them, or must not have noticed they came here often enough to have some kind of routine. I’ll have to bring Grace to get ice cream from time to time.

  “Here you go.” Janie carries two plates toward us. On them there are two large scoops of chocolate ice cream, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

  “Thanks, Janie,” I say.

  She hands us both a spoon. “Enjoy. It’s so good that you’re out and about.”

  “We were sorting out Mommy’s house, but Daddy wanted ice cream.”

  Janie smiles. “I’m sure he did. Let me know if you need anything else.” With a pat on my shoulder, she turns and leaves.

  For a moment, I just watch my daughter. I’m glad she seems to be taking this in her stride. I’m sure there’ll be times when we just curl up together and cry, but for now, the ice cream has her distracted, and she’s okay.

  “Brad?”

  I turn at the sound of another familiar voice. Bridget.

  The site supervisor on one of my current projects, she’s one of two female builders on my payroll. Those ladies hold their own when it comes to the work, and while some of the locals still struggle with the idea of a woman working in construction, I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks.

  Bridget smiles. “How are you two doing?”

  “Okay. Grace is having the rest of the week off before going back to school. We’re just hanging together.”

  She shifts her gaze to Grace. There’s chocolate ice cream all around Grace’s mouth. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “It’s so yummy.” Grace grins.

  “I’ll be back at work next week. I’m sure you’ve got everything under control,” I say.

  She nods. “With Stu’s help. We’re fine.”

  “I’m sorry for the length of time I’ve been away. Once Grace and I settle into a new routine, things will be better.”

  Bridget shakes her head. “There’s nothing to worry about. It’ll be good when you’re back, but we’re managing.”

  “I knew you would be. I only hire the best.” I smile.

  She grins. “Thanks.” Bridget sucks in her bottom lip. “How about I come ’round one night and cook dinner for you two?”

  “I appreciate the thought, but we just want to establish our new normal.”

  She nods slowly. “Sure. Just don’t forget that the offer’s there. See you later.”

  “Bye.”

  When she turns to walk away, I watch her for a moment. In the past year, I’ve sometimes had the feeling she might be interested in me.

  I haven’t looked at another woman since my divorce. My priority had been making sure Grace got through it all okay and then that Lane suffered as little as possible. Dating one of my workers would probably be the worst idea of them all.

  But Molly’s back in town, if only for a little while. It changes everything.

  Maybe now I can get to the bottom of her disappearing act and find out why she dumped me the way she did.

  One thing’s for certain: Molly’s the only woman on my mind at the moment.

  I’m not sure if holding her in my arms was a good thing to do, but it felt right.

  More right than anything has in quite a long time.

  8

  Molly

  I take a deep breath and dial the number that I found on the internet for Brad. It took a little digging, but I didn’t want to ask Mom. The last thing I want to do is to give her hope.

  “Brad Matheson.” His deep voice sends shivers through me. It always used to, but since I’ve been gone, it’s matured even more.

  “Hi, Brad. It’s Molly.”

  “Molly?” He lets out an audible breath. “Hang on a second.”

  His voice is muffled as he calls out. “Gracie, can you go and put on your pajamas? It’s nearly bedtime.”

  “Sorry if I’m interrupting.”

  “You’re not. It’s just … I’m not sure of the tone of this conversation, and I don’t want her to hear something she shouldn’t.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Why are you calling?”

  I lick my lips. “Well, I thought you wanted to catch up, so I thought I’d reach out.”

  “Fuck.”

  I laugh. “What?”

  “I’m glad I wasn’t sitting down for that. I’d have fallen off the chair.”

  “Still a smartass, then.” I can’t help but smile.

  There’s silence for a moment. This isn’t the past and we no longer share the comfortable quiet we used to. It’s weird and all kinds of awkward.

  “Uhh, anyway, I’d like some answe
rs. How about lunch tomorrow?” he asks.

  “That’d work.”

  “I’ll give Mom a call and see if I can drop Grace off with her.”

  I nod. “Sounds good.”

  “Molly, for what it’s worth …” There’s a pause. I don’t have to ask why. Grace’s voice is in the background. “Sorry, got to go. Grace needs me. But how about Jackson’s Bar at midday tomorrow?”

  “Jackson’s Bar?”

  “Remember Jackson Booth?”

  The penny drops. At some point, we all tried to sneak in for a drink at what used to be The Nettle. Jackson’s dad knew who we all were though, and none of us ever succeeded.

  “Sure. I’ll see you there.”

  My heart pounds as I disconnect the call. I left Brad behind forever ago, but my heart still thinks of it as yesterday.

  I never got over Brad Matheson.

  Some part of me hopes there’s still room in his heart for me.

  “Is that little Molly Beckham?”

  Jackson Booth is about six foot eight and seems almost as wide— he’s built of solid muscle. He nearly crushes me when he grabs hold and pulls me into a hug.

  “I’m not little. You, on the other hand, are still huge.”

  He grins. “It’s good to see you. I didn’t make it to the funeral the other day, but the gossip mill tells me you were there. Hope it went okay.”

  “It was lovely.”

  “You and Lane used to be joined at the hip. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  I pin my lips together with my teeth as tears well.

  “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m okay. It’s Brad and Grace who need all the support.”

  He nods. “Brad coming? Speaking of joined at the hip.”

  I smile. “We’re meeting here for lunch.”

  “I’ll get you the finest seats in the house. Nothing but the best for the great Molly Beckham.”

  I roll my eyes as he leads me to a table. Jackson was in the same year as us at school and was friends with everyone.

  “Here you go. I’ll point Brad your way when he comes in. It’s good to see you. I hope you’re in town for a while. We should have a drink and catch up.”

  I grin. “I’d love that.”

  He looks past me and toward the door. “I don’t even need to point him your way. Your boy’s here.”

  “He’s not my …” I turn.

  Brad takes my breath away. Seeing him is like looking into the past. And that past with him was so full of love.

  Before I walked away from it.

  “Hey,” he says as he sits opposite me. Jackson’s disappeared, and for the moment, I’m grateful.

  I sit. “Hi.”

  “I’m glad you called.”

  I smile. “Is Grace with your mom?”

  He nods. “Yeah. Grace wanted to stay the night with her because Mom’s making her famous mac and cheese.”

  My smile widens. “What? I haven’t had mac and cheese for years. At least not the homemade stuff.”

  His left eyebrow rises. “What? You loved cooking.”

  I shrug. “When I went to college, I didn’t have a real kitchen. And then life got really busy.”

  He nods. “I know. I’ve followed you for years. So did Lane. We were both really proud of you, Moll.”

  My cheeks burn. I’ve had compliments from people from other companies, but it means so much more coming from Brad. “Thank you.”

  Jackson appears. “Now, what do you two want?”

  “A beer would be great,” Brad says.

  “Can you make that two?” I smile.

  “It’s just tap beer, Molly. Are you sure you don’t want me to break out the champagne?” Jackson grins.

  “Tap beer is fine.” I laugh.

  Brad chuckles as Jackson walks away. “The whole town is proud of you. I hope you know that.”

  “I do now.”

  His dimples turn up with that wide smile of his, and they set my heart on fire. They shouldn’t, but they still do. Even after all this time. I’m still so heartsick over Lane dying, and I need to stop thinking about Brad and his dimples. “Tell me about you and Lane. I want to know everything.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  I lick my lips. “Anything. Everything.”

  “Two beers.” Jackson reappears with a tray and sets the drinks down in front of us. “No charge.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask.

  He smiles. “It’s just so good to see you, Molly. Let me know if you want anything else.”

  With a nod, he heads back toward the bar.

  “Everyone misses you,” Brad says.

  I turn back to Brad. “I’ve spent so long suppressing the way I feel about this place, about you. Being here makes me realize just how much I’ve missed it all.”

  “Even me?”

  I play my bottom lip between my teeth for a moment. “Especially you.” After taking a sip of my beer to calm myself, I take a deep breath. “Now. I want to know all about you and Lane.”

  He nods, cradling his beer in his hands. “Where do you want me to start?”

  “At the beginning would be good.”

  He continues to nod, dropping his gaze. “After you left, we started spending time together. At first it was because we were both upset you were gone, and then things happened between us.”

  I nod. “I guessed as much.”

  “We got married when we turned twenty. And then a few weeks later, Lane realized she was pregnant.”

  “Was she happy?”

  He meets my gaze and gives me a wan smile. “We didn’t plan it, but we were doing okay. It wasn’t an easy pregnancy, and Lane had trouble bonding with Grace at first.”

  My heart hurts. I should have been here, even though I know back then it would have been too hard. Both of them needed me. I place my hand over his. “I’m so sorry.”

  “She struggled with post-natal depression. And then she hated herself for having issues. Things slowly came right between her and Grace, and they were crazy close by the time Grace was two.”

  I squeeze his hand. “I’m glad. I’m sorry she went through that.”

  He withdraws his hand from under mine and looks down. “It seemed the closer she and Grace got, the further she was from me. She was terrified of getting pregnant again and going through the same thing. And she got it in her head that she was just a placeholder.”

  “A placeholder?”

  His gaze locks with mine. “For you. She became convinced you were going to randomly appear in our lives, and I would leave her.”

  No. I gasp.

  “In the end, we just didn’t make it. We were friends, and I think we both realized that maybe that’s what we should have stayed in the first place.” He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “But Grace is the best thing that ever happened to either of us. And I have to be strong for her.”

  “Of course. If there’s anything I can do for either of you …”

  He frowns. “We don’t need your charity.”

  “I’m not offering charity. I care too much about you to even think that way.”

  Brad pushes his beer away and stands. “If it’s guilt, then you don’t need to feel that way. Lane and I moved on a long time ago.” His bitter tone sets me on edge.

  “I never moved on.”

  He bends, knuckles on the table. I look around the bar. People are drinking, playing pool, watching sport on television. Thankfully, no one seems to be watching us.

  “Don’t, Molly. Just don’t. I know you’re sad that Lane died, but you were the one who broke her heart. Mine too. I’m not even sure why you’re still here.”

  I lick my lips. “Because I care a lot more than you think I do. I always did.”

  “You left us behind, Molly. You built a world for yourself that neither of us were a part of. And you never once stopped to ask how we felt about you leaving. Lane deserved better.”

  My eyes sting with tears. “You have no idea
what I put myself through.”

  “You?” His laugh is so cruel it tears my heart apart. “What you put yourself through? What about us, Molly?”

  “You two were always with me. Even when you didn’t think you were. It’s in the name of my company. That’s my baby. It’s the only one I ever allowed myself to have.”

  Confusion crosses his face. “What are you talking about?”

  “Mollab. Where do you think I got the name from?”

  He shrugs. “I thought it was Molly’s lab.”

  “Molly, Lane, and Brad.”

  His eyebrows twitch.

  “I never told anyone where the name came from because it was buried so deep inside, and it was mine. You’re the only person I’ve ever told.”

  His chest rises and falls rapidly. “Why would you name it after us?”

  “Because I had to do something so that you two would always be with me.” I shrug. “Lame as it may be.”

  He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Come with me.”

  “What?”

  “It’s clear that we need to talk, and this is not the place.”

  I stare at him. “Why not?”

  He nods, and I look around again. So many eyes are on us now.

  “Let’s go.” I stand, and follow him out the door. He points to the blue pick-up truck. “That one’s mine. Follow me, and we’ll go to my place. There are too many ears in that bar.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “I may have been gone ten years, but I know what this town is like.”

  9

  Molly

  We drive to the outskirts of town before Brad turns down a driveway.

  His house is beautiful. It’s a large white one-level house with a verandah that runs all the way around. The section it’s on is huge.

  There’s so much space for Grace to play in.

  The front yard is huge, and I can only imagine it’s the same out back. What Lane and I would have given for this when we were kids, we were so active.

  Once upon a time, Brad and I talked about having kids. He had everything mapped out for us. He’d build a big house with a white picket fence for me, and we were going to fill it with love. The size of our family had been still up for negotiation.