Teague

by Juliana Stone

  So much for the coddling and kid gloves. Seemed as if his brother had come all this way to ride him hard. Good. It had been a while since anyone had treated Teague like the man he was.

  He was spoiling for a fight and who better to get into it with than his twin?

  “I told Mom what she wanted to hear in order for her to be okay with everything that went down over there. Jesus, she almost had a breakdown.”

  “Well shit, Teague. Your kid nearly getting his ass blown to bits will do that to most people.”

  “It’s part of the job,” Teague snapped. “It’s part of what I do. It’s part of who I am.”

  I don ’t know how to be anything else.

  The words echoed inside his head and Teague shook them away. No use thinking about it too hard. Not now. Not when he was about to pound the crap out of his brother.

  “Well maybe it’s time for you to take a look at something else. How many lives you got anyway? You’re not a goddamn cat. You’re flesh and blood just like the rest of us.”

  Teague took a step toward his brother, but Tucker wasn’t backing down. The anger inside Teague was fierce. It was hot and dirty and mean and he flexed his hands prepared to do something about it.

  “I suggest you move the hell out of my way.”

  “Or what?” Tucker’s face was dark. “You gonna take a swing at me?”

  “You can count on it.”

  “Go ahead. One shot to your shoulder and I’ll have you on the ground crying like a baby.”

  “Fuck you,” Teague retorted, words barely discernable because he was so damn angry.

  “Oh. ”

  At first Teague wasn’t sure who’d spoken. But then Tucker looked past him and said, “shit.”

  That was followed by another “oh” and a round of furious whispering. Teague glanced over his shoulder and spied the twins perched on the top step. He was breathing heavy and had to take a moment because he wasn’t sure he could speak through his anger.

  In the end it didn’t matter because Harry piped up first.

  “The F-word is so bad.”

  “Like it’s the worst word ever,” his sister Morgan said, nodding her head in agreement before stepping onto the deck.

  Bingo darted past the kids, barking like a champ and scratching at the patio door. Teague knew the damn thing wouldn’t stop the racket until…

  The door slid open and Abby appeared, a wide smile on her face as she bent over to rub Bingo behind his ears. “Hey little guy,” she murmured and then tossed a box at Teague. “I’m guessing this is what your friend is looking for?”

  Tucker walked past him, glancing at the doggie treat package in Teague’s hands as he did so.

  “Since when do you own a dog?” Tucker asked.

  Teague ignored his brother and opened the box so that he could grab two biscuits. He knew by now that one didn’t cut it with the little rug rat.

  “Bingo is mine,” Harry said.

  “Mommy says that you shouldn’t complain about Bingo pooping on your deck since you’re the one giving him treats.” That was from Morgan. The little girl skipped over to Teague and smiled at Abby. “You’re pretty.”

  “Thank you,” Abby replied.

  “You’re almost as pretty as my mommy, right Tigger?”

  “Tigger?” his brother repeated.

  “Don’t even…” hHe said through gritted teeth, glowering at Tucker.

  He fed the damn dog his biscuits (why in hell he’d bothered to buy them the other day was anyone’s guess) and glanced at his watch.

  It was just shy of eight a.m. He had a headache. He was thoroughly pissed off. And he hadn’t even had his second cup of coffee yet.

  Was it too early for a do over?

  Chapter Eight

  Sabrina spent most of the day in town. It had been forever since she’d had some time to herself and she made the most out of it. She shopped for the odds and ends needed for the twins upcoming birthday and visited several local antique stores to browse, something she hadn’t done in ages. She ran a few errands—the post office and the drug store—and then on impulse walked into the local salon.

  Her feet were in bad shape—her fingers were even worse—and luckily there were a few cancellations to accommodate her. So as Sabrina sat there enjoying a foot massage, she let one of the stylists talk her into dark burgundy highlights. The stylist, Breanne, also insisted that Sabrina would look fabulous sporting the new trendy bang look, and after a slight hesitation, Sabrina let the girl have at it. Whatever. It was hair and if it looked like crap, it would grow back.

  She read a couple gossip magazines and wasn’t surprised that members of the Simon family were in both of them. She shook her head with a wry smile. Cooper Simon was quite the ladies man and apparently he liked them married.

  “What did I tell you?”

  Sabrina glanced into the mirror, eyes wide with surprise. She slowly touched her hair, eyeing the new silky highlights that shimmered under the lights. And the bangs—who knew they’d make her eyes more luminous?

  “Do you like it?” Breanne asked with a smile.

  “I love it.”

  Sabrina walked out of the salon feeling like a million bucks and blushed when an elderly gentleman caught her admiring her reflection in the window. She couldn’t help it. With her saucy bangs, blue toes, and French manicured fingers, she felt something that she hadn’t felt in a good, long while.

  Pretty.

  Her car was parked near the water and she headed in that direction, already thinking ahead to dinner. A salad and burgers sounded about right and hopefully her mother in law would go easy. Sabrina wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.

  And she sure as hell hoped that Louise and the kids had left Teague alone like she’s told them. He had company—she’d seen the car in his driveway this morning—and she was pretty damn sure he didn’t want her kids over there if his friend from town was visiting.

  The drive back to the cottage was nice. She cranked the tunes and sang along to Luke Bryan as she navigated the winding road. She could see the lake over the tops of the trees and the deep blue shimmered under the late afternoon sun. It was supposed to be a gorgeous holiday weekend and she would try her best to enjoy the hell out of it.

  She would. She had to…for her kids’ sake.

  She dialed down the volume when she pulled into her driveway. Huh. Teague’s friend Candace was still there.

  She grabbed the parcels out of the back of her car and hid them in her bedroom. The cottage was empty and a quick glance down at the dock left her frowning.

  Where were her people? It was too hot for a hike, though that wasn’t her mother-in-law’s thing anyway.

  Sabrina’s gaze swung to the Simon cottage and she heard Bingo barking.

  She sighed and shook her head. “Does no one listen to me anymore?”

  She marched over to Teague’s place and hesitated at the bottom step that led to the deck out back. There was laughter—male and female—and she heard Morgan’s excited voice, followed by Harry’s giggles. For a moment she stood there in the shadows, listening, loving the sound of her children’s laugher. They were so resilient. So much stronger than she was.

  Bingo barked and her head shot up. The dog was on the top step wagging its tail madly and…

  “You gonna come up?” Teague watched her intently. Had his eyes always been so dark?

  “I…”

  “You changed your hair.”

  Her hand crept up to the soft waves at her shoulders and she hated that her cheeks were probably as red as the apples in the bowl on her kitchen table.

  A head poked up beside him and Harry grinned down at her.

  “Mommy! Did you know that Teague’s a twin like me?” Her precious boy’s smile was as wide as his little face would allow. “Except his twin is a boy twin.”

  “I did know that.”

  “He knows all the hockey players that I like.”

  “Really,” Sabrina murmured.


  “Uh huh and even some New York Yankees.”

  “Are you coming up?” Teague asked again.

  She hesitated. “I don’t think so. It’s almost dinnertime. I just came over to get my kids and take my mother-in-law off your hands.”

  Teague cracked a smile. It was a bit lopsided and disappeared almost as soon as it had come. But it was enough—more than enough. The man could be dangerous when he chose to be.

  “Too late for that. Louise is already grilling up burgers and Tucker’s helping her out.”

  Tucker.

  “So your brother is up?”

  Teague nodded and moved aside so that she had room to navigate the stairs. “Yeah. Apparently he decided that I needed the company. I don’t know why.”

  Sabrina looked at him questioningly. Was that a hint of sarcasm?

  Teague shrugged. “I’ve got you guys for that.”

  Sabrina didn’t have a response. She stepped onto the deck and was immediately besieged with hugs and kisses from her kids. When she finally managed to break free she spied Teague’s brother and his fiancée.

  “Hello,” the woman said with a smile. “I think we met at Jack’s wedding?”

  Sabrina nodded. The wedding had taken place weeks after Brent’s passing and a lot of it was a blur. But she remembered the pretty redhead. “We did. Abby right?”

  The woman nodded. “Yes. I’m sure you already know this, but I’ve got to tell you…you’ve got great kids.”

  Tucker Simon walked over to Sabrina and gave her a big hug. “Nice to see you again.”

  Sabrina had met Tucker several times over the last few years. He’d been a good friend to Brent and they’d hung out whenever Tucker was up at the cottage. He was open, engaging, and funny as hell.

  Pretty much the opposite of his dark and somewhat twisty twin.

  “How long are you guys up?” Sabrina asked.

  “We head back to New York day after tomorrow. My family has a big event planned for Independence Day and my brother Mitch will have my ass if I’m not there. But at least we have tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Sabrina glanced over to her mother-in-law. Louise’s smile was way too satisfied and that was never a good thing.

  Abby nodded excitedly. “There’s a big event on the water and the four of us are going.”

  Right. The extravaganza the local hotel put on every year on the last day of June. Sabrina shook her head. “I don’t think I can swing that. Thank you for thinking of me but I just…I don’t…”

  “And you can’t say no,” Abby continued.

  Sabrina glanced at her mother-in-law again. Louise was humming a tune and trying to look innocent. With a shrug, she flipped the last burger.

  “Don’t worry about the kids,” Louise said. “I’ve got that covered.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  “You can’t argue with Louise,” Teague said, offering her a beer. Sabrina accepted it and took a good draw from the longneck. “I told her you wouldn’t want to go and she told me to mind my business.”

  Sabrina gave a tight smile. She wasn’t sure what annoyed her more. The fact that her mother-in-law’s love of interfering seemed to have ramped up to the next level, or the fact that Teague automatically assumed she wouldn’t be up for a good time.

  Or maybe it was because he’d be right.

  She took another sip of beer, fingering her new bangs, watching Tucker nuzzle Abby in the corner as her kids giggled and pointed. Maybe it was time for her to let loose. Maybe it was time for her to have some fun.

  “This isn’t a date,” she said before she could stop herself.

  Jesus. What. The. Hell?

  “Relax,” Teague replied, that crooked smile back in place. “That’s pretty much a given.”

  Sabrina should not have been insulted by that comment. But she kinda sorta was.

  But by ten o’clock that night Sabrina was asking herself why the hell she hadn’t stuck to her guns and just stayed home. They’d watched the water extravaganza. Observed one hundred and ten ways to jump ramps on water skis. They’d walked the boardwalk. They’d visited the antique car show in the park. They’d done all the things that couples do except Teague and Sabrina were no couple. In fact it was glaringly obvious Teague would have preferred to be with anyone else. He hardly looked at her and barely spoke, but then it must be hard to do considering his jaw was clenched so tight he’d have to use a knife to pry it open.

  Of course Sabrina wasn’t a barrel of laughs either, and she sure as hell didn’t look like Candace—she knew that—but sheesh, she wasn’t chopped liver.

  Now they were stuck inside The Rocking Saddle and Sabrina would have given her right hand to be anywhere else. The place was packed, standing room only, and as she leaned up against the bar. Sabrina’s gaze swept the room. There were couples of all ages here enjoying the music and kick off to the long weekend—all of them loud and happy and connected.

  All these people were living their lives and she was just standing still.

  Sabrina felt as if she was swimming against a strong current with a ball of lead attached to her waist. She was drowning and suddenly it was too much. She set her drink onto the bar and shoved her way past Teague. Not that he would notice. Candace had shown up and wiggled her way into the small space between Sabrina and Teague, and she hadn’t shut up for the last five minutes.

  Sabrina pushed her way through the crowd and found solace in the bathroom, thankful that both stalls were empty. God she was hot. She splashed cold water on her face and shoved a hunk of hair from her eyes.

  She stared at herself in the mirror for a long, long time. There were new wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Lovely. And the dark circles underneath them—the ones she’d tried to hide with concealer—were visible. They were faint, but they were still there.

  Ugh. When had she started looking so old?

  Not old, a voice whispered in her head. Just sad.

  Sniffling, she splashed more warm water on her face and then ran fingers through her hair. The humidity had made it kink into big waves, but she didn’t see how cute she looked. Didn’t see the big topaz eyes fringed with thick long lashes, or the small pert nose and the smattering of freckles.

  She didn’t see how the deep green halter-top enhanced the color of her eyes, or how the white skirt hugged her hips and showed off her tanned legs.

  She saw none of that because she wasn’t looking or maybe it was because she forgot what that girl looked like.

  With a sigh Sabrina turned away and headed back out into the busy bar. Maybe she would just plead a headache and take a cab home.

  She was halfway across the large room when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.

  “Hey,” she said with a sputter, cranking her neck so that she could see properly.

  Josiah. The big guy was sweaty from the heat and most likely beer. A big grin swept across his face. “I didn’t know you were coming out,” he said, leaning forward. Sabrina puckered her nose. Definitely beer.

  “I kind of got roped into it.”

  “Well I’m not going to complain about that.” Josiah grinned and then swayed a bit. “Can I get you something? A drink?”

  “No,” she said, taking a step back. “Thank you but I’m heading out anyway.”

  “You can’t,” he said, making a grab for her other arm. “Come on Bree. Dance with me first. I like this one.”

  Bree. No one called her that. No one but Brent.

  Anger flashed through her. “No, Josiah. I need to get back.” And suddenly she did. It was all too much. The people. The noise. This big man who suddenly didn’t seem to understand what the word ‘no’ meant.

  His grip was hard and Sabrina pursed her lips. People were starting to stare.

  “Josiah, please.”

  He held her hand for another moment or so and then let it go. “Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to come off like a goddamn Neanderthal.”

  “It’s okay,” she replied, taking a step bac
k. It really wasn’t but Sabrina didn’t feel like arguing the point. She just wanted to leave.

  She made her way to the bar, upset and not really knowing why. Sure, Josiah had acted like an idiot, but still, she’d been able to handle him. Biting her lip, her gaze wandered across the bar, resting on the couples slowly dancing to the song that fell from the overhead speakers.

  The song was beautiful. A slow, sensual love song that was perfect for a hot summer’s night.

  She saw Tucker and Abby, moving together in the dark, their love for each other so obvious and so genuine.

  And this song, damn but it made her heart hurt.

  Sabrina turned blindly and pushed her way through the crowd. By the time she reached the doors, her chest was tight with emotion, and when she finally made it outside, she exhaled, drawing in great gasps of fresh air.

  She made her way to the parking lot and leaned against Teague’s truck, eyes on a midnight sky that was lit up with a million stars. Her chest was tight. It felt as if there was a ball of something in there that needed release.

  “You okay?”

  The words slid from the dark. Teague.

  “Yes,” she answered after a while.

  “Liar.”

  Eyes still on the sky, she froze when he approached. He turned his head upward and followed her gaze. For a moment there was nothing but the muffled sounds from the bar, the people and the music.

  “Funny how the sky looks the same no matter where you are,” Teague murmured. “Alaska. Hawaii. Afghanistan. China. Different perspectives but basically the same.”

  Sabrina exhaled and glanced at him. He didn’t look as angry as he had earlier. In fact he looked kind of relaxed.

  “Why are you out here?” she asked. “Thought you’d be inside with your girlfriend.”

  He arched an eyebrow, but ignored the dig. “I don’t like crowds. I don’t like the unpredictable.”

  He turned to her suddenly. “You okay?” he asked again.

  Her eyes slipped away. “No,” she whispered, feeling the heat of tears sting her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again.”

  “You have to want to be okay. That’s the first step.”

  “Really.” She found his gaze again, shivering at the intensity in them. “How’s that working for you?”