Then He Came Back (Love From Austin Book 2)

by Chris Campillo

  “But that wasn’t the whole story. Why didn’t you tell me everything?”

  She had to remind herself he was only seventeen, and for all his intelligence, he’d lived a fairly sheltered life. “What purpose would that have served? The results were the same. It would’ve only hurt you.”

  “Did they ever try to see me?”

  Had Peggy and Mimi set him up for this? Talk about timing. His question made her hate her parents more than their rejection seventeen years earlier. What was she to tell him without hurting him? And then she heard Trey’s voice: Tell him the truth.

  “Until this week, I have not been in touch with my parents since I decided to keep you. My father died last year. All that time, they never reached out to me. My mother—” She let out a sick laugh thinking about the ridiculousness of it all. “My mother showed up here four days ago. Uninvited. I guess Mimi told her what’s going on, and now she wants to be there for me.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  She could see the curiosity and a bit of hope in his eyes. Too bad she’d have to crush that. “I told her to leave.”

  He looked at her as if she were crazy. “Wes, I have no desire to see that woman. As terrible as you think I am, I know what it means to be a mother. No matter what you do, I will never turn my back on you. Never. She should’ve treated me the same. She should’ve stood up to Jim Brinkley and told him to go to hell, that she was going to be there for her daughter!”

  She realized how loud she was when Lily started frantically meandering around her legs. Wes had enough resentment for both of them. She needed to be the adult, not the hurt child. “But that’s between me and her. If you want to see her, I’ll make arrangements. I have no doubt she would love to meet you. But you need to know, blood or not, Mimi is your real grandmother.” On that last note, she couldn’t hold it anymore. Her voice broke. She grabbed a tissue from the end table. “Do you want me to call her? My mother?”

  “No.” He got up and headed toward the door. “Not now.”

  “Don’t leave . . . please, not yet.”

  He reached for the handle, but stopped. “Why did you let Trey meet me now? What was different?”

  “You’re seventeen, not a vulnerable seven-year-old. And let’s face it, you’d go after him no matter what I wanted. I figured if I was involved, I could make sure he wouldn’t hurt you.” She shook her head at the irony of it.

  There was silence as he looked everywhere but at her. She’d told him everything. She couldn’t wait any longer. “Can you forgive me?”

  He jerked his head up, his eyes full of judgment.

  So much for that wish. “Will you at least move back home?”

  “I’ve got to go.”

  She jumped up and grabbed his hand. “I love you, Wes . . . Remember that.”

  A hint of her faithful son flashed across his face, but then he turned and left.

  Chapter 20

  “I’ve always loved this place.” Sue’s voice was soft and calm. She stood on the edge of Turkey Creek, staring at the water trickling down the stream. For the first time since Trey had picked her up, her face was relaxed. He’d made the right choice.

  When he’d called her and found out the meeting hadn’t gone as she’d hoped, he’d headed over and told her he was taking her out of the house. She hadn’t argued. He should’ve bought a lottery ticket.

  She glanced up at him. “How did you find it?”

  “When Wes is at school, I explore Austin, checking out parks and trails.” He tossed a stick in the water, watching it form a mini dam. “We don’t have much free time in Iraq. Besides, it’s not safe off-site.”

  “I can’t believe you live in Iraq. I mean, really, the Middle East? By choice? I’ve seen the news on Mosul. Aren’t you scared?”

  Her hesitant question told him she was concerned. The fact that she cared eased him. She couldn’t hate him completely, not if she was worried. But he knew better than to push her to admit it. “How do you think it works? MSF sends me a map and says, ‘Pick a place, any place.’”

  “No, smartass.” She crossed to the other side of the creek, stepping on exposed rocks. “I just can’t grasp how you would choose to go there. Wes said you served in Haiti, too. Why such dangerous places?”

  “It’s not like I’m in the armed forces. Now that’s dangerous. That’s bravery. I go because that’s where they need surgeons, hell, any health care, desperately.”

  Landing on the other side, she turned and eyed him. “Health care is needed everywhere. Right here in Austin, there’s a clinic providing services for refugees. Those doctors are helping without putting their lives on the line.”

  She was smart. She knew. Yeah, he loved the work, the organization, but he could still be used in safer areas. Somehow, making the sacrifice tampered the guilt of taking the easy way out all those years ago. She shook her head, probably knocking him for such reasoning. But she didn’t give him shit, just waved him over. “I always envisioned you’d end up back in Peoria, as Chief of Surgery. You know, like your Harrison forefathers.”

  He crossed with two steps and joined her on a path just wide enough for them to walk side by side. “Yeah? Well, that didn’t happen.”

  “I bet Trey Senior and Miss Virginia loved that.” He heard the barb of resentment in her voice. He couldn’t blame her. His parents had treated her as little more than a problem when they’d learned of the pregnancy.

  But he didn’t want to think about that time, and he sure as hell didn’t want to take her back there. Ducking under a low branch, he walked out onto a mammoth boulder overlooking a still pool of water. “I like this spot.” She followed, sitting on the smooth surface.

  “So why did you jump ship, Trey? You used to talk like it was your plan, too.” So much for changing the subject.

  “I never had a plan.” He tossed a rock into the water, watching the large ripples it created. “It was always their plan, from day one. I went along with it because I didn’t think there was any other option.”

  Her silence drew his attention. She looked troubled, almost guilty, but she pushed it aside. “A parent does know what’s best for their child. At least when they’re young. They have the wisdom their kids don’t . . . I mean, are you sorry you’re a doctor?”

  “No. Hell, no. I love what I do. But it’s where and how I choose. Makes all the difference when the choice is yours.” Enough of that. He didn’t want to spend this time dragged down in serious shit. “How’s your career?”

  “Smooth, Harrison.” She stretched out her legs and leaned back on her elbows. He loved seeing her so relaxed. “Work’s good. Busy but manageable. One of my projects announced last week. Always good to please the Governor. Now, we have a really big dog deep in the search. It’s going to be a battle, but I can handle it. In fact, I’m heading to Houston for a few days next week.”

  “Who is it?

  “Uh huh.” She smiled and shook her head. “I’ve said too much already. Forget it all.”

  “Done. No need to kill me.” He settled down next to her. “Do you like what you do?” God, he needed her to. Needed to know she’d gotten what she wanted, what she deserved.

  She chewed her lower lip and knocked her sneakers together. “I always envisioned a bigger playing field, with a much bigger pay out, but I like what I do. I like most of the people I work with, and I kick ass bringing jobs to Texas. So yeah. It’s good.” She lay back and crossed her hands behind her head, studying the tree overhead. The smile on her lips called to him.

  He stretched out beside her. Her silence was a pardon for him to take her in. “Beautiful.” The word escaped, not able to stay quiet.

  “What?” She glanced at him, and he saw a flash of that sixteen-year-old girl who’d wowed him the first time he’d seen her. She must’ve read his thoughts, because she raised her hand to stop him, but he grabbed it and pulled it down.

  “Look at me.”

  She used her other hand to cover her eyes. She’d never
take orders.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “Oh, God. Shut up.”

  “You are. Always were. But now . . . gorgeous. And that fire you’ve always got burning is sexier than hell.”

  “That fire,” she said, sitting up, “is me being pissed. You like that, do you?”

  Damn, that spirit. Got him every time. “Only when it’s directed at me.” He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

  She wagged her finger at him. “No, no. We’re not doing this flirt thing.”

  He stood up and held out his hand. “Fine, Miss Priss. Let’s keep going.”

  Hard to believe, but she took his hand, and it’s a good thing she did. As he pulled her up, her foot hit the mossy side of the boulder. She screamed as she slid down, and the momentum of her fall pulled him, too. They both ended up in three feet of water—freezing cold water—sprawled on their asses.

  “Shit!” She jumped up, but the rocks underwater were smooth and slick, so she went right back down. He stood up carefully and headed over to help her. He braced his feet and once again reached out to her. She latched onto him, nails and all, and he pulled her up. But again, she didn’t have her footing and started to drop.

  Prepared this time, he grabbed her around the waist and raised her so that her feet no longer touched the bottom. Then, he lifted her in his arms and started for the side of the creek.

  It was a slow process, a few times he lost his balance, but he stayed upright, no thanks to the tourniquet of her arms around his neck and her shrieks. When he finally reached the rocky edge, he gave in to gravity and plopped down on a large, moss-free boulder.

  They didn’t say a word, but it wasn’t quiet. They were both breathing heavily, fueled as much by the exertion as by the adrenaline. He loosened her grip but kept her hands in his. She didn’t fight him, didn’t attempt to get off his lap. Her hair was wet, plastered to her head in places, and there were a few splatters of mud on her cheek. The ever-sharp, always-put-together Ms. Brinkley had been run through the ringer. Absolutely adorable. He couldn’t hold in the laughter, even knowing it would make her ballistic.

  But instead, she giggled, so incongruent with the woman he’d witnessed for the last three weeks. It was a delicious sound he was just beginning to savor when it turned into laughter. Head-tossing laughter. When she looked up, her face was lit up, her eyes full of joy. Wet, muddy, and beautiful.

  Their laughs finally faded, leaving them face-to-face, their breaths still rapid. She no longer needed his help, but he wasn’t letting go. And she made no attempt to get up. In fact, she kept her eyes locked on his. This was the closest he’d been to her in eighteen years, and despite the cold water, his body reacted as it had all those years ago in the back of his Bronco. Could she feel what she was doing to him?

  He watched her eyes darken, heard the catch in her breath. Her lips called for his attention, and he leaned in and answered. They were as soft as he remembered. And warm. And so damn responsive. She must have felt the connection, too, because she sighed and leaned into him. He couldn’t stop his hands from moving to her waist, pulling her even closer. It still wasn’t enough. He wanted to rediscover every intoxicating part of her body.

  She broke the kiss and stared at him with dark, sleepy eyes. Did she feel the same? Consider the idea? God, he hoped.

  She blinked several times, and the heat in her eyes turned to confusion. Tension stole the warm, yielding body he’d held seconds before. Looking everywhere but at him, she stood up. “I need to go. I’m wet . . . I’m cold.” She turned and climbed back to the path.

  He watched her rush down the trail. Little Red Riding Hood. What a joke. Sue Brinkley was anything but a scared, little girl. But that kiss—that damn fine kiss—had shaken her up. And instead of freaking out, tearing him a new one, or blaming him for all the wrongs in the world, she’d run. Hell yes. She’d felt it, too.

  He looked at the water and considered another dip. He was anything but cold. But in the end, he decided to take his time following her back to the car. He’d have his body under control by then. His thoughts . . . that was a different story.

  Chapter 21

  “What the hell is your problem?!” Sue yanked at the lock of blonde hair that refused to cooperate. Today, of all days, she didn’t need this.

  “Who are you yelling at?” Kate asked, strolling into the bathroom with two glasses of wine. How scary was it that Kate was now the calm force in their duo?

  “This,” she said, pointing at her head in the mirror. “I look like a freakin’ cockatoo.” She forced the piece into place and plastered it with hairspray. There. Granted, her hair was as stiff as her shoulders, but she’d beat the piece into submission. She reached for her wine, noticing how her hand trembled. God, get a grip.

  “Whoa.” Kate set the wine aside and held Sue’s hands. “Calm down. You’re just going to Mimi’s.”

  “Just going to Mimi’s,” she mocked. “The woman barricaded me from her home. I’m talking escorted me off the premises like I was some pink-slipped employee. And Wes . . . hell, he thinks I’m the devil incarnate. And then Trey and that damn—” She caught herself.

  “That damn what?” Kate’s eyes were on full alert. The woman was always ready to pounce anytime Trey himself was mentioned.

  Shit.

  Since Trey’s announcement to stay in Austin, she had shared almost everything with her best friend. Despite Kate’s busy family life and newlywed-often-loved status, she’d been there for Sue with late night calls and secret sessions in the ladies’ room at work. But Sue hadn’t mentioned the latest development between her and Trey on the shore of Turkey Creek. Because it was ridiculous. The man found her sexy when she was pissed. Right.

  But she couldn’t deny the sparks that were popping with that kiss, despite the cold water. That simple, tender, lips-closed kiss that had somehow rocked her body. She didn’t want to think about that, even though she did. Quite often.

  “Sue?”

  “We kissed, dammit.”

  “Oh!” Kate squealed like a twelve-year-old passing gossip in the cafegymatorium.

  “Stop that. It was a simple kiss. We went on a hike, we fell in the creek, and then we kissed. No big deal. No tongue. No groping. End of. Now I’m pleading the Fifth.”

  She watched Kate’s mouth drop, then close into a tight line. The woman did not like being kept in the dark, hell, she didn’t deserve it, but Sue couldn’t discuss it any further. Just saying it out loud had her heart racing. She couldn’t face all the feelings tethered to that man. She had enough on her plate. Her nerves could only be strung so tight. Sue begged with her eyes. Please leave it be. Maybe if she threw her a bone, she’d back off. “At least for now, okay?”

  Kate finally nodded. “Fair enough. But when you’re ready—and it’d better be soon—I expect details . . . lots of them.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’ve become such a perv.” Sue adjusted the collar on her black sweater. The drycleaners must have shrunk it. It hadn’t been this tight before. She could barely breathe. She tugged on the cashmere, trying to stretch the neck.

  “Stop, honey.” Kate reached up and pulled Sue’s hands down. “It’s not the sweater.”

  That was the problem with best friends. They knew too much. Fortunately, they loved just as much. She turned to Kate and didn’t try to hide the panic flooding over her. “What if Wes won’t talk to me?”

  Kate hugged her. “It’s going to be okay. Wes wants this.”

  “No,” she choked. “Mimi wants this. She’s the one who asked me over, not Wes.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t think I can handle it if he runs out on me again.”

  “Hush.” Kate cradled Sue’s face and gave her a tender smile. “Close your eyes.”

  “What are—?”

  “Just do it.” She obeyed and was rewarded with the soft touch of her blush brush floating across her cheeks. Normally, she wouldn’t let anyone do her makeup, but Kate’s care was comforting. Her friend took advantage o
f the silence. “You said yourself Mimi’s been guarding the boy like a momma grizzly. If she thought this would upset Wes, you wouldn’t be invited. So trust me, the boy wants this.”

  Good Lord, marriage had turned her friend into a wide-eyed optimist. But actually, Sue liked it. Hell, right now, she loved it.

  Kate turned Sue toward the mirror. “What do you think?”

  She checked her cheeks. It was the perfect amount of color. She could pass for a healthy, confident woman. “Showtime.” Her banishment had ended. She was headed back to the castle. Hopefully, she’d find the kind, young prince and not a fire-breathing dragon.

  * * *

  She entered Mimi’s house, a place she’d considered home for eighteen years, feeling like an invader. It hadn’t helped finding Trey’s car in the driveway. Despite all the support he’d given her, it still hurt to see how he’d been welcomed into the circle when she’d been cast aside. And now, with whatever the hell it was going on between them, his presence only wired her up more, if that was possible.

  But she couldn’t deal with that today. The only thing that mattered was Wes. How would he react when he saw her? Please God, don’t let him run.

  It’d been a week since she’d seen him. He’d made no attempt to contact her. The one time she’d spoken to him was by accident, when he’d answered Mimi’s cell. He’d muttered a few monosyllabic answers to her attempts at conversation before he’d passed on the phone.

  She stood in the entry, listening to the death march in her head. Maybe if she lifted her chin, pumped her fist in the air, and started singing about ants and high hopes, everything would magically right itself. Right. Besides, perky girl wasn’t in her gene pool.

  Mimi walked up to greet her with a big hug. When she pulled back, she studied Sue, then shook her head. “Honey, you look like you’re facing the gallows. Take a breath.” She brushed her warm, wrinkled hand across Sue’s cheek. “Remember, time heals all wounds.”