Never With You (The Never Series Book 6)

by Anie Michaels

  They let me in, Brody made a few obligatory brotherly comments about kicking Briggs’s ass for hurting me, but then he’d been the perfect brother and husband and taken the babies on a nice long walk so Angela and I could talk. Or, rather, so I could cry and Angela could tell me how everything was going to be okay and how I’d made the right decision.

  I ended up sleeping on their couch that night and driving home the next day after stopping to have breakfast with my parents. They didn’t ask about Briggs, and I didn’t offer any information, but I was sure they could tell by the bags under my eyes that I’d been upset.

  I made it home before sunset that day and walked into my empty house and a new wave of sadness rolled over me. All I’d done for the previous twenty-four hours was question my own judgement, worrying about whether or not I’d made the wrong choice.

  “Oh, it’s starting,” she said with excitement.

  I grabbed my bowl and my phone and wandered into my living room, plopping down on the couch and pulling a throw blanket over my lap.

  “I swear to you, Angela, if that douchebag gives that skank who had sex with him in the hot tub a rose, I’m going to boycott this show altogether.”

  “You know he will,” she said with a laugh.

  “I know,” I groaned right before shoving a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.

  That was how we spent the next hour of our lives—watching crappy reality television and making our own snarky commentary. And to be completely honest, that was how the last week had gone. I’d go through my day, trying my best to keep my mind occupied, and then at night Angela would call and we’d watch a movie together, or a show, and we’d wallow. Well, I’d wallow and she’d keep me company. We never spoke about Briggs after that first day when he’d dropped me off. She never asked and I never offered up information.

  I looked forward to our conversations, but knew she was probably getting tired of checking up on me. She had her own life to deal with.

  The show ended, and the douchebag had totally given a rose to the skank he’d banged in the hot tub.

  “Why do guys always pick the ones who are the worst for them?”

  “Hmmm,” she replied, sounding as though her mouth was full, probably with ice cream. “I think men sometimes need women to make decisions for them. Like, they can have all the right feelings and know the best choices, but can’t take the reins, you know? So, in that particular scenario, I think he likes that she’s forward. He doesn’t have to guess with her.”

  “Men are dumb.” I didn’t mean that. Not all men were dumb, just some of them.

  “This is true. But women can be pretty silly too.”

  “You mean, like, riding a practical stranger in a hot tub while a major cable channel is filming? That kind of silly?” I hopped up from the couch and made my way to the kitchen to throw away my empty ice cream carton.

  Angela laughed. “No, I mean, like, being afraid of happiness. Or, running from a good thing. Leaving a great man behind because a dumb man made bad choices. Punishing themselves for things that weren’t in their control. Stuff like that.”

  I saw right through her words. They weren’t veiled very well, anyway.

  “Anyone in particular you have in mind?”

  “Nope. Just generally speaking.”

  “Angela…”

  “I think I hear the babies fussing. I better go check on them. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  She hung up before I could say anything more, and that was probably best. I tossed the carton in the garbage and then leaned up against the counter, staring at the screen of my phone.

  It had been one week and there hadn’t been one tiny peep from Briggs. No phone call, no text, no smoke signals, nothing. Not that I’d been expecting to hear from him, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that with every day that passed without word from him, the sadder it made me. He’d been very clear about his feelings and I’d been transparent too. And at the end of the day, I knew the ball was left in my court. I just wasn’t sure which game we were playing anymore.

  I tapped open my text screen and started typing, but then erased it and started again. I erased that too, and then clicked the light off on my screen and let out a frustrated sigh. I had no idea what to say to him and, furthermore, I didn’t know how he’d react if I said anything at all.

  I flipped off the lights as I left the kitchen and walked to my bedroom and then continued into my bathroom. I did my nightly bedtime routine and then climbed into bed. My body was ready for sleep, but my brain was still buzzing about Briggs.

  I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and brought up another text.

  **Did I make a huge mistake?**

  That time I hit send without a second thought and then waited for the response that came just a minute later.

  **No, I don’t think so. You needed time to figure out what you wanted. Did you figure it out yet?**

  Angela was always the best at giving advice and leading me along. She helped me see the answer to my issues without forcing me to get there.

  I sighed and thought about her question.

  **I think I knew what I wanted before we even left the beach. I’m just really scared. What if I get lost again? What if it doesn’t work out and I’ve molded my life to another man who is just going to leave me broken?**

  Her response to that took more than a minute, but I wasn’t even close to falling asleep, so I didn’t mind waiting.

  **I obviously didn’t get to know him as well as you did, but Briggs didn’t strike me as the kind of man who’d leave anyone he cared about, let alone allow you to get lost. It seemed to me like he wanted to help you find yourself.**

  She was right. She was so fucking right.

  **I think I made a huge mistake.**

  **No, you made the right choice. Now you know for sure.**

  **How’d you get so smart?**

  **Who knows? Maybe it’s just a good day. Tomorrow I’ll be crazy again. Lucky you.**

  **I am lucky. You’re the best sister I could have asked for.**

  **Ditto. Now I don’t want to gross you out, but your brother is looking at me like he’s going to eat me alive.**

  **Oh, gross. Good night.**

  I didn’t hear back from her, but that was good because it would have been weird. Instead, I lay in my bed, tossing and turning, thinking about Briggs and trying to imagine what he might have been doing. Was he on the beach, sitting around a campfire? Was he working late installing some cabinets in his kitchen? Could he have gone to Tilly’s and was currently fighting off women? Or worse, not fighting them off? Taking them home?

  I eventually fell asleep, but it was to the images of Briggs with a faceless, busty, blond woman draped all over him.

  The next morning, I woke up and my brain gave me about five seconds of peace before more images of faceless women seducing Briggs were tormenting me. I brought my arm up to cover my eyes and tried to talk some sense into my imagination.

  Briggs wanted to be with me just a week ago. Surely he hadn’t moved on so quickly.

  I knew I needed to talk to him, but I wanted a few hours to try and figure out exactly what I expected out of him. I desperately wanted to call him and just hear his voice—I knew it would go a long way to soothe me—but I also knew I couldn’t just call him to say hi. He deserved more than that. He deserved an explanation or answers.

  I got out of bed and dug my hiking boots out of the closet. Bend was famous for its hiking trails, and it had been a long time since I used any of them. But fresh air and wide-open spaces would do my head and my heart a lot of good. I geared up with boots, a water bottle, granola bar, and sunblock, and drove to my favorite spot along the Metolius River.

  There were lots of mountains in Bend, but I preferred hiking along the river—also there was less chances of running into rattle snakes near the water. It was an easier, two-mile hike in with beautiful scenery. The sound of the rushing water was soothing, and after a few minutes I could feel myself start to relax a
nd my mind begin to settle.

  I started thinking about the week I’d spent with Briggs and how effortless it was to be with him. I’d only ever been with one man, but it had never been as easy as it was with Briggs. I wasn’t naïve enough to believe it would always be so simple, that there wouldn’t be bumps along the way, but something told me working at a relationship with Briggs would be rewarding in a way spending my whole life with someone else couldn’t compare to.

  I wanted to love Briggs. To be with him. Fight with him. Play with him. Laugh with him. Argue, joke, and live with him. Life. I wanted a life with him.

  And I’d driven away. Not only that, but driven him away too, in a sense.

  I sat down by the river and pulled my phone from my pocket, cursing the wilderness for not providing a cell signal. It would be a little while yet until I could talk to him, it seemed. At least until I got out of the forest and away from this river, closer to civilization. It was a hot day, but the canopy of the trees shaded me well, and there were so many birds singing. It was the most peaceful environment I’d been in since the beach with Briggs. Suddenly I desperately wanted him to see this trail, to hike it with me, to experience my home the way I did.

  I stood up, took a drink from my water bottle, and then headed back the way I came, making excellent time back to my car.

  Once I was out of the protection of the trees, the sun beat down on me, immediately warming my skin and reminding me how hot a summer in Bend can be. I’d been spoiled with cool beach temperatures and was now reminded of why I bought deodorant in multipacks.

  I made it to my car and turned the engine over, cranking up the air conditioner. I plugged my phone into the charger and stared at the screen. My hands were trembling with nerves. I knew I had to call Briggs. It was my turn to go out on a limb for him. Before I could talk myself out of it, or even convince myself I could drive home first, I pulled up his number in my contacts and hit the Send button.

  The phone rang a few times and I was torn between hoping it would go to voicemail so I could lob the ball right back into his court, and wanting him to pick it up so I could get it all over with.

  The phone clicked and I heard his gorgeous voice say tentatively, “Talia?”

  I’d forgotten to breathe, so my lungs were burning, and I finally exhaled and a word flowed out. “Briggs,” I breathed.

  “How are you? Is everything all right?” Of course his first instinct was to make sure I was okay. He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t irritated, he was concerned.

  “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to, uh, I don’t know, call. And say hi.” I was a single woman in my early thirties and I couldn’t talk to a man on the phone without making an idiot of myself.

  “Listen,” he said, his voice soft and soothing. “I’m glad you called. I was hoping you would. And there’s a lot to talk about, but right now—”

  He never got to finish his sentence because he was interrupted by a woman.

  “Briggs,” I very clearly heard a woman call his name through the phone. “I’m waiting. You said you’d be just a minute.” She was whiney and insistent, and I instantly felt ill.

  I wished I could have come up with something clever to say, but the truth was I was stunned into silence. I heard a muffled sound, as if he was trying to cover the mouthpiece, but then I heard him answer her.

  “I said I’d be there in a minute, Cecily.”

  “Cecily?” My question came out as the most pathetic squeak and tears I wasn’t prepared for spilled down my cheeks.

  “Listen, Talia, it’s not—”

  I didn’t hear what he said next because I ended the call.

  Chapter Twenty

  Briggs

  “God dammit, Cecily,” I growled, turning on her. She was standing in the doorway of the beach house with an innocent look on her face.

  “What?” Her eyebrows bunched and I knew that meant she was irritated with me. I didn’t fucking care.

  “Get what you need and leave.” I grabbed my keys off the counter and started toward her. Smartly, she moved out of my way, stepping backward out of the house and then to the side. I marched past her and made my way to my truck.

  As I opened my door to climb in, she cried, “But you said you’d help me load this up!”

  I looked at her, trying not to call her every dirty name I’d thought about her in the past year, and simply said, “Get your husband to help you.” I started the engine and roared out of the driveway, pointing my truck in the direction of Talia.

  As soon as I hit the highway I was dialing her number again and again. The phone rang and rang, then eventually, I was being sent directly to her voicemail, so I knew she’d turned her phone off. No matter. I was going to get to her one way or another. Even if she’d answered her phone and I was allowed to explain, I’d still drive all night just to get to her. She called me, which meant she was ready to talk, and I needed to see her. I needed to touch her and feel her in my arms.

  Typical of Talia, my firecracker, she was going to make me work for it.

  She didn’t want to answer her phone. That was fine with me. I’d find a way to her.

  Two hours later, after shaving thirty minutes of the travel time, I pulled up in front of Talia’s parents’ house. The sun was just setting, so it wasn’t too late, but I was still nervous walking up to their door. They could very easily turn me away and tell me to get lost. It was very possible they weren’t going to be too keen on giving me their daughter’s address, especially if they knew she hadn’t given it to me to begin with. But I had to try.

  I knocked and then took a step back, shoving my hands in my pockets. The door opened and I was relieved to see Talia’s mother. I knew she had a soft spot for me.

  “Hello, Mrs. Lennick. I hope I’m not interrupting or disturbing you.”

  Her eyes went wide with recognition. “Briggs? Is everything okay? Is Talia all right?”

  “I’m sure she’s fine, but she’s not exactly communicating with me right now. Is there any chance I could talk to you for a minute?”

  “Of course,” she said, still a little confused. She stepped back and opened her door to allow me in and I gave her a small smile, hoping I would eventually win her over. “Let’s sit at the table.” I followed her into the dining room and she pulled out a chair for me. “Here, you sit. I’ll be right back.”

  I did as she asked and looked around the room. It was bright and cheery with yellow walls and white chair rails. I wondered for a moment if this was the dining room of Talia’s childhood. We hadn’t really covered childhood homes yet, so I had no idea, but I could picture her sitting at that table doing her homework.

  A moment later Lillian came back into the dining room with an enormous tray of cookies and a tall glass of milk.

  “Here we go,” she said, putting the platter in front of me like it was a snack. She then placed the milk near me and took the seat right next to mine. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your handsome face?”

  I tried not to blush, so instead I just dove right in.

  “There’s been a misunderstanding with Talia. She heard something, but she doesn’t know what, and I’m afraid she’s jumped to conclusions.”

  “Oh, dear. That Talia, always making trouble where there never was to begin with.”

  “It’s not her fault, really. I would have probably thought the same thing, had the situation been reversed.”

  “Well, what did she hear?”

  I really didn’t want to explain this to Talia’s mom, but I knew there was only one path to her, and that was it.

  “I dropped her off here last week and we left things a little, uh, open-ended. I told her I wanted more and she explained that she needed more time. So I left and told her to call me when she was ready.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  “Yes, well, she finally called me about two hours ago, and unfortunately, she heard my ex-wife in the background.”

  “Oh, dear. Yes, I can see why she would
n’t want to talk to you right now.”

  Damn.

  “I just need a chance to explain to her that it wasn’t what she’s imagining.”

  “Well, what was it then?” She tilted her head to the side and gave me a withering look.

  I swallowed, but my mouth was dry, so I reached out and took a drink of the milk she’d placed in front of me. Then, hoping for the best, I gave her my answer. “With all due respect, Mrs. Lennick, I’d really like to explain it to Talia first.”

  She stared at me for what felt like forever, but in reality was only a few long moments. Then she sighed and relaxed into her chair. “Talia is her own worst enemy lately,” she said as she waved her hand in the air dismissively. “She’s so worried about being nothing with somebody, she never took the time to realize that she could be everything with the right someone.” She leaned forward and looked in my eyes. “I think you could be good for her, Briggs. So I’m going to help you. What do you need?”

  A wave of relief washed over me and my whole body seemed to slump forward. “I just need her address.”

  “Oh,” she cried out in surprise, smiling widely at me. “Is that all?”

  “That’s all. I’m going to drive to her house tonight and straighten this all out.”

  “Tonight? It’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Bend from here.”

  “That’ll give me a lot of extra time to think of exactly the right thing to say to her.”

  She reached her hand out and covered mine, giving me a motherly pat. “Just make sure you tell her the truth, Briggs.”

  “Always,” I replied with a nod.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Talia

  I’d spent hours crying. Hours. Even as I sobbed, I tried to convince myself it was dumb to cry over Briggs. It was one week. One week spent with a guy shouldn’t make me this emotional when he turned out to be a dick. I was proud of myself when I finally dried up. But the dwindling sadness only made more room for anger.