Perfect Night

by Laine, Terri E.

  Perfect Night

  Terri E. Laine

  First Edition

  Copyright 2021 Terri E. Laine

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The scanning, uploading and distribution of the book via the Internet or via any other means without permission is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchased only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support for the author’s rights is appreciated. For information address to SDTEL Books.

  Sarah Paige @ Opium House Creatives - cover design

  Lindee Robinson Photography for couple photo

  Author’s Note

  If you want to know when my next release will come out, please sign up for my newsletter. https://www.subscribepage.com/terrielaine

  If you are a fan of this series or me, make sure you join my fan group. Terri’s Butterflies

  And you can join my reader group to talk books. Terri E. Laine Reader Group

  Contents

  1. Emma

  2. Aiden

  3. Emma

  4. Aiden

  5. Emma

  6. Aiden

  7. Emma

  8. Aiden

  9. Emma

  10. Aiden

  11. Emma

  12. Aiden

  13. Emma

  14. Aiden

  15. Emma

  16. Aiden

  17. Emma

  18. Aiden

  19. Emma

  20. Aiden

  21. Emma

  22. Aiden

  23. Emma

  24. Aiden

  25. Emma

  26. Aiden

  27. Emma

  28. Aiden

  29. Emma

  30. Aiden

  31. Emma

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Terri E. Laine

  Chapter 1

  Emma

  The question hung in the air like a cloud that blotted out the sun.

  “Emma, are you there?” my best friend Jessie asked, breaking the silence that had fallen upon our conversation. However, that wasn’t the question that hijacked my thoughts.

  Breaking from that trance, I said, “Yes, I’m here.”

  “Did you hear me?”

  Had I?

  “I don’t think anyone knows Aiden is coming back,” she added.

  And there it was. Aiden. I thought he was gone for good. Now he was coming back. I wasn’t sure how to feel. My relationship with him was simple yet complicated. He was what some people might call ‘the one that had gotten away’. Then again, it wasn’t like we’d ever dated. He was three years older than me, and by the time I made it to high school, he was with Darcy. Beautiful, everyone thought she was stunning, Darcy, and I hated her. Mostly because she had Aiden and I didn’t.

  They weren’t always together. The times they broke up, I had a boyfriend. And that’s how it went.

  “I heard the sheriff talking to Stanley who is retiring, and Aiden is apparently interested in his position as the chief deputy sheriff. Though I think Wyatt is too.”

  Wyatt was one of the deputies in town who had recently gotten married to a friend, Sadie. She just moved back from LA too. Though from what she’d said, she and Aiden hadn’t crossed paths there. While Wyatt had spent his entire police career in town, Aiden had left, gone to college, and ended up in the LAPD. Was he really coming back? I was engaged. It shouldn’t matter to me, but it did.

  “Emma,” she said.

  My mind had drifted again. “I’m here.”

  “Are you really?”

  “I am. Promise,” I said.

  “Okay. Why don’t you tell me how it’s going with Evan’s visit?” she asked.

  That was a good question. Here I was in town having brought my fiancé to meet my dad in person and I wasn’t sure how I felt, especially after how horrible dinner had gone.

  “I don’t know,” I mumbled.

  “Okay,” she said, slowly as if every syllable was its own word.

  I sighed before finally admitting what I’d been thinking about all evening. “It was supposed to be a perfect night, but it was a disaster.” That was an understatement.

  “Oh crap. What happened?”

  “What didn’t?” The incident had left a bitter taste in my mouth. “I’m pretty sure they hate each other.”

  “The two most important men in your life?” she asked.

  One important man, I was beginning to realize. My dad would always be the man in my life. My fiancé, I wasn’t so sure about. How much did I really know about him after all the things he’d said tonight? “I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “About what… or who?”

  There was a knock on my bedroom door, and I glanced up. Evan peered in. “Can I come in?”

  I nodded and said, “I have to call you back.”

  “Use your inner superwoman,” she said, reminding me what I’d told her when she’d begun dating Miles, the hot new doctor in town.

  “Wait…” I heard her say a second too late as I hit the end button. Evan slipped into my room with the widest grin on his face. Something that had once sent tingles down my spine, tonight, sent a shiver through me, and not a good one.

  Schooling my features, I managed a mild smile. “You know you aren’t supposed to be in here.”

  He slid in next to me, forcing me to move to the center of the bed to accommodate him. “It’s been a week and I don’t think I can keep my hands off of you any longer.”

  Hands that had brought me pleasure now made me cringe as he brushed them over my skin. I found myself worming away and forcing a giggle to cover my unease.

  “We can’t,” I insisted.

  “Why not? The old man is downstairs.”

  The frost that covered my features was instant. “That old man is my dad, and you owe him respect.”

  “Respect?” he spat. “His views are archaic. He can’t possibly believe I’m not tapping that.”

  His gaze landed at the juncture between my legs before winking at me. I rolled until I was on my feet creating more distance between us.

  “That may or may not be true, but Dad asked us to respect his rule of law in his house. And if you can’t respect that, you should leave now.”

  I caught his flash of anger before it was gone. Just as quickly, he softened his features and got to his feet as well. “I’m sorry, Emma. It’s just that I love you so damn much,” he pleaded. “It’s hard to keep my hands off you.”

  If his name were Pinocchio, his nose would have grown at least a foot in length. As he’d spoken, he’d inched his way in front of me. By then, his expression resembled the man I’d fallen in love with.

  “Emma, it’s me.” He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips before stepping back. “I promise, I will follow the rules.” His hands were in front of him and in that moment, he looked cute and sweet all wrapped in one. He licked his lips. “Dare I ask, will you leave with me tonight? We can go back to my apartment in the city.”

  Seeing him like this, I was tempted, but I shook my head. “I need to talk to Dad.”

  Evan’s lease in Billings was ending soon. He was moving back to Chicago after graduation. I was supposed to go with him. It was another reason he came to meet my dad
.

  “Tonight?” he asked.

  “No. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. It’s important to me that you two get along. He’s the only family I have.”

  He nodded. “I’ll talk to him too and apologize.”

  I bit my lip to stop my grin. “Thank you.”

  He smiled back before leaving my room. I sat on my bed and looked around my childhood room. The one I hadn’t left after graduating high school and had only redecorated to make it more adult. It would always be my home. I hadn’t gone off to school but stayed in town and worked my way through community college. I’d met Evan at a coffee shop between our respective schools and fallen in love, or so I thought. I’d told my dad after the wedding, I was moving to Chicago, Evan’s home. I’d been so sure. Now I wasn’t

  Maybe it was fear that was making me doubt my decision. Maybe it was hearing Aiden’s name that had rattled me. Would Aiden move back to town with a wife? Though I hadn’t heard he’d gotten married. Then again, his parents didn’t come to town often. I’d kept my questions to Alana, his sister, to a minimum. She rarely talked about him.

  But just because I’d loved Aiden from afar all these years didn’t mean he would ever live up to the fantasy in my head. So why did it matter? I was in love with Evan, wasn’t I? I would be married to him soon and whatever fantasy I’d have of being with Aiden would end for good.

  I closed my eyes to vanquish thoughts of Aiden from my mind. Everything would change when I opened my eyes the next day.

  Chapter 2

  Aiden

  Mason Creek. There was nothing like the hills and valleys of Montana. Even the air was different here. A freshly fertilized field on a hot summer day smelled better than any day on the streets of a big city.

  When I left for college, I never thought I’d be back, not to live anyway. But the saying that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side couldn’t be truer. All my life I wanted to leave and see the world. After college, it had only taken me a few years to realize how foolhardy that choice had been.

  A couple of years on the fast track to become a LAPD detective wasn’t enough to keep me there. I’d seen too much that had me turning in my resignation even before I’d gotten the job with the Mason Creek’s Sheriff’s department.

  It was much more than that. Not that I was sentimental, but Mason Creek was home. I hadn't come back to work on my father’s farm. I had been hired as the new chief deputy sheriff, the highest-ranking appointed position under the sheriff. I’d heard Wyatt, my friend from school, who due to a football injury had remained in town and become a deputy, had been interested in the position. I hoped there wouldn’t be bad blood. We'd have to have a beer and chat about it.

  There were a couple of things we could talk about. I’d heard he was married with a kid on the way. So much had changed since I’d left.

  There was another reason for coming home or rather one person I was looking forward to seeing. Emma Hawkins. Though, according to my sister, Alana, she was engaged. That should have me looking the other way. Truth was, because of that this could be my last chance with the one that had gotten away. Wasn’t she just that?

  Alana thought Emma’s fiancé was a creep. It was just another reason I wouldn’t pull punches when I let her know I was interested in pursuing something with her.

  What I hadn’t expected when I parked on Tucker Lane, close to the town square, was for the streets to be so quiet. It was as if everyone was at a council meeting or had disappeared.

  As I got out of my car, the doors to the church audibly opened behind me. I turned to see people spilling out wearing dark clothing.

  Had that been why my mother had called a week ago? I hadn’t called her back because I had an investigation to wrap up and an apartment to pack, then I forgot about her call.

  I watched six men carry out a coffin on their shoulders. Behind them was Emma with someone at her side.

  There was only one person’s funeral Emma would be at the center of. Her father’s.

  Everyone headed to the right side of the church away from me toward the cemetery, except for one person. Alana saw me and veered in my direction.

  “A little late,” she said when she reached me.

  “Nice shoes,” I teased. This was one occasion she hadn’t worn converse.

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m at a funeral, and as much as I like those sneakers, I wouldn’t wear them to a funeral. Now, why are you wearing that?” She gestured.

  My button-down was flannel and not black. Neither were my jeans. “I didn’t know.”

  She gaped at me. “How could you not? Mom said she was going to tell you.”

  “I missed her call and forgot to call her back.”

  She hustled me around the corner out of sight. “I suggest you leave before everyone gets to talking about you not going to the funeral.” If I thought she was done, I was wrong. “By the way, just because you’re here now, doesn’t mean you start hovering and acting all big brother-like. I’m not twelve anymore. Mom and Dad accepted that and so should you.”

  I smiled and feigned ignorance. “What? I should pretend I don’t have a sister?”

  “Pretty much. Stay out of my business and I’ll stay out of yours.”

  “Sunday dinners with Mom and Dad?”

  “Not a guarantee. I have a job and college. I can’t spend all my free time with family.”

  I arched a brow.

  “You know what I mean. I’m busy, adulting. Now get out of here.”

  To her dismay, I had to follow her back towards the church because that's where my car was parked. I got in and from Tucker Lane drove down Harbor Street, turning on Mason Creek road out to the house I purchased from Stanley, the former chief deputy sheriff. It was a corner lot on the edge of town with unobstructed views of the mountains. The land on the other side of the street would never be developed as it belonged to my family. I was close to the farm but far enough away; it would take a short drive or a long walk to reach their house.

  What I didn’t expect to find was Darcy, my ex-girlfriend from high school, sitting on my porch.

  I took off my Stetson hat and ran a hand through my hair when I reached her.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked her.

  She stood, sweeping her dark hair to one side with her hand without once taking her even darker eyes off me. The black dress she wore fit her just right. Buttons ran down the center on purpose knowing her. My guess was so she could leave enough open at the top and bottom to get a guy to glance her way. Especially when everything was belted at the waist to show just how tiny it was. She still looked good. Too bad for her, it didn’t change a thing between us.

  “You still look good, cowboy. I see city life didn’t change you.” Her eyes offered more than a hello and I just couldn’t go there.

  “You aren’t at the funeral?” I asked.

  “Emma might have died if I showed up considering her dad had eyes for me.”

  Darcy liked to flirt, and what guy wouldn’t appreciate her attention? “Who in this town didn’t?” I asked.

  “Apparently, you. You left me for college and that was it.”

  Darcy had been my first long-term girlfriend, and we’d shared a lot of other firsts. But she wanted a commitment I couldn’t give when I left for college. As much as I cared for her, I hadn’t loved her like a man should love a future wife. It wasn’t because she was wild and carefree. That was what had made our relationship fun. The problem was there had always been someone else I saw as my future wife, and I didn’t think it was fair for Darcy to live in her shadow.

  “We both know neither of us would have stuck to a long-distance relationship,” I said.

  She didn’t argue. “Now you’re back,” she said, sliding her palms up my chest to my shoulders.

  I caught her wrist and pulled her hands away. “Let’s not start.”

  “Why not? Emma’s engaged to be married. You can give up that puppy crush you have on her.”

  I’
d never lied to Darcy, ever. “She’s not married yet.”

  She rolled her eyes like I was foolish in my thinking. “He’s rich and giving her everything a small-town cop can’t.”

  I arched a brow. “Jealous?”

  “Why would I be jealous of her? I’ve had the one thing she hasn’t.”

  I took the bait and asked, “What’s that?”

  “You.”

  “Darcy,” I warned. “It’s never going to happen.”

  “Why? Because I was hurt when you left and did things I thought would hurt you?”

  Word had come to me while I was in college about her antics. It hadn’t bothered me in the way she’d hoped, letting me know I’d made the right decision. “You only hurt yourself.”

  She looked away and waved a hand. “No matter. I’ll be announcing my engagement to the mayor by the end of the year.”

  “You’re involved with Malcolm Wright?” He was older than me by several years, so I didn’t know him very well. He had a reputation that rivaled Darcy’s.

  “Of a sort. He’ll come to the right conclusion. We are of the same mind. Who better to marry than someone who will overlook his eventual indiscretions?”

  I didn’t think Malcolm was looking to settle down. So I took her comments to be fanciful thoughts or a way to make me jealous. Still, I cared about her. If true, I didn’t want to see her hurt. “And you’d be okay with that?” She acted tough, but I knew her better than she thought. She deserved love better than Malcolm or I could give her.