“I understand. I’m a little disappointed, but after Vegas I realized that I wouldn’t really have a chance with you until you figured stuff out with him.”
“He’s been a big part of my life and I owe it to myself, and to him, to at least try. I still want to be friends though if you still want to see me after this.”
“Of course I still want to be your friend. Taylor, I’m not some dumb kid that can’t be friends with a girl. I’m thirty-one, not sixteen.”
“You’re thirty-one?”
He chuckled. “What? Too old for you?”
I laughed. “No, I just didn’t realize.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-five, but I’ll be twenty-six in two months.”
“Just a baby,” he joked.
“I feel like it sometimes. My sister had already been married and divorced by my age. All I’ve done is travel a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some really cool things, but I wonder if I should have taken a different path.”
“Spoken like a true free spirit.”
“I used to be,” I mumbled. “Things change. People change. Sometimes it’s time to grow up.”
Rhys stared at me for a few seconds. “You really are completely different than what I expected. When you wandered into my bar in Vegas, I saw a lost, lonely soul, but now you’re different.”
“I’m still lost; I’m just getting better at hiding it. As far as lonely goes, I always have plenty of friends around. Sometimes I get stuck inside my head though. When I was younger, I was flaky. I had a hard time following through or sticking around one place long enough to make real connections. It was fun for a while, but that’s when the loneliness kicked in most.”
“You got restless?”
“That’s an apt word for it.”
“I used to be that way too. Maybe that’s why you stood out to me.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. We sat there in silence for a few minutes. “I'm sorry, Rhys,” I trailed off. "I feel like such an asshole."
“Don’t worry about it, Taylor. I get it, but I want you to know that if Stephen doesn’t start treating you right, I will have words with him.”
I smirked. “Just like a big brother?”
He winced. “Nothing like a brother.”
I laughed and put my cup in his sink. No dirty dishes. This wasn’t like any typical bachelor pad I had ever been in.
“I’ll get it later, just leave it.”
I nodded and walked towards the door. My hand lingered on the knob. “I could really use a friend, Rhys; one that doesn’t know Stephen. Right now all my friends keep reminding me how much I screwed up over and over again. But if that puts you in a weird position just tell me.”
“I would love to be your friend, Taylor. I can use a few of those myself, especially in a town where I don’t know anyone.”
I closed his door behind me. It felt good to have one part of my life under control. All I could do was hope that other parts fell into place behind it.
My morning run took longer than normal because of the hell I had put my body through over the past few days. I had been drinking too much, not eating enough and pushing myself harder than I should have. It was time to quit beating myself up over shit I couldn’t control. Honestly it killed me that Stephen and I still hadn’t talked after he’d walked out of the bar, but I wouldn't be the one to apologize. Every time I thought something would actually work out between us, it immediately fell apart again.
The chime of my phone caught me off guard. I grinned when I saw there was a text from Rhys.
Show me around town today?
I’d promised him the other day I would show him the best places around here when he said he would stay for the next few months. My fingers flew over the touchscreen.
I'm going for a drive. Want to join me?
I jumped in the shower while I waited for his answer. Rhys was good company and he would help me keep my mind off the shit going on in my life right now. Within a few minutes I was out and trying to decide what to wear. It was hard because I wanted to look nice without him thinking I was coming onto him, but I also didn’t want to look like a slob. Had I always obsessed this much over clothes? My phone chimed while I was deciding between a tank top or a tunic to go with my favorite denim cutoffs.
I’m waiting outside.
I threw on the tunic and went out to meet him before Violet could drag him to give her an estimate on fixing her bathroom. He leaned back against the hood of my car and seeing him relaxing like that sent a jolt through me. This version of Rhys wasn't something I had seen before.
“You were quick," I said walking down the deck.
“I was already on my way to the bar.”
“So why the detour?”
“I just needed to get out of there today. If I see another ledger I’m going to go insane.”
I smirked. “You might not like where I take you. Are you sure you don’t want to risk the ledgers?”
“Definitely not." His smile was blinding. It made his already devastatingly good looks impossibly better.
“I wanted to go up the coast today. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure. I’m down for whatever.” I shot him a look and he held up his hands laughing. “Get your head out of the gutter Montgomery. I didn’t mean it that way.”
I climbed into the driver’s seat and hooked up my phone. “We need music for a drive.”
“What do you normally listen to?”
“It depends on my mood.”
“Do you do this often?”
“What? Drive?”
“Yeah, this; go up the coast, road trip, whatever.”
I paused before answering. It never occurred to me that he might ask why I did this. “When I told Vi I would stay in California, I went on long drives every once in a while. It helped with feeling so restless being stuck here. I don't feel like that often anymore, but it's nice to get away.”
“The world traveler trying to stay in one place, this was your solution.”
I nodded and pressed play. The drive was quiet, both of us lost in our thoughts. We stopped an hour later at a little hole in the wall restaurant I found on my first trip. They had the best Filipino food I had ever eaten.
We sat down at a table outside the little restaurant to eat. The place was packed, so we sat next to one another on the little bench to let another family sit down. Rhys and I were careful to keep space between us.
“You need to try this,” I held my fork out to offer him a bite of my pancit.
“What is that?”
“It tastes like pad Thai. Take a bite you big baby.”
He ate the noodles and moaned.
“You were right. It’s amazing. I’ll never doubt your food instincts again. Give me another bite,” he said reaching for my food. I yelped and pulled my plate out of his reach. His body pressed against mine and heat flashed in his eyes. Our gazes held for a few seconds, but I looked away first.
“Sorry,” he started.
“Don’t worry about it. We can’t deny that there is something there or it will make it worse.”
“Okay,” he agreed. He blew out a breath as he ran his hands through his hair. “Friends. We can be friends right?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled. Fuck. Just being friends with him would be harder than I thought, but I didn't know why. Was it because I missed having someone around? I knew I missed Stephen more than I wanted to admit, but this strange loop with Rhys was throwing me off.
The rest of the trip was quiet, but the awareness between us filled the car. I reached down to take a drink and my hand brushed against his.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"No problem."
"Okay, new rule. We should probably be in public when we hang out."
"Agreed."
"Two, never tell Vi about this."
"Sure, but why?"
"Because she's Stephen's best friend. And whatever she knows, he knows."
"Well fuck."
&
nbsp; "Yeah. It's not that he controls my life, but I don't want to make things worse between us. The goal is for me to fix things with him."
"I get it, Taylor. Don't worry, I won't say anything."
"Thank you. It wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't this," I paused trying to figure out how to word it. "Attraction between us."
Rhys chuckled darkly. "Darlin' attraction is putting it lightly. You're funny, and sexy, and the first girl I've met in a long time that has kept my attention for more than a minute. If you weren't fixing things with Stephen, I'd be giving you the full court press. Fuck, if he doesn't treat you better I might just do it anyway."
"Rhys," I warned.
"I won't because that's not what you need, but I want you to know that I'm here. Okay?"
I nodded, unable to make a coherent sentence. Where did this guy come from? I was constantly being surprised by him. He could tell me he wanted me with the arch of an eyebrow, but in the next minute he reassured me he knew it wasn't what I needed.
We pulled into Vi's driveway and Stephen's Benz was parked next to Jaxon's Range Rover.
"I should go inside," I said, staring at the offending vehicle.
"Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
We barely made it out of my car before Stephen flew out the door.
"Are you kidding me, Taylor?"
I frowned and arched my eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Stephen?"
I watched in horror as Stephen pushed Rhys into the fender.
"Damn it, Stephen. Get off him!" I rushed around to pull Stephen off, but Rhys held up a hand to stop me.
"I will not hit you in front of Taylor," Rhys said calmly. He turned back towards me. "But if he sucker punches me, I can't guarantee I won't find him later to finish it."
"I'm right here, fucking talk to me!" Stephen screamed at him.
"Fucking A. Back up!" I yelled at Stephen. I edged my way between them and pushed him back. "What is your deal? You haven't bothered calling me since our fight, but now you're acting like a caveman. You can't have it both ways, Stephen. Either you want us or you don't. Make up your fucking mind," I screamed at him.
"You're the one sneaking off with some other guy and I'm getting bitched out?"
"I'm not sneaking off!"
"Then why didn't Violet know where you were?"
"Violet isn't my keeper. Since when do I have to check in with her before I leave the house?" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "I'm going inside. Rhys, thank you for going with me today."
He nodded. "I'll talk to you later."
"Don't fucking say you'll talk to her later," Stephen hissed at Rhys. "Leave her alone."
Rhys took a step closer to him. "It's not your call if I talk to Taylor or not."
"Quit this stupid pissing contest. I'm done with both of you right now. Go home, Stephen. I don't want to talk to you today, maybe ever if you keep acting like a fucking idiot."
"Baby—”
"Don't you dare 'baby' me. I'm going inside," I said again. This time I made my way up the deck and inside the door. I watched as Stephen got in Rhys face, yelling something indistinguishable. Rhys didn't react though. His calm demeanor impressed me. I don't know how he kept so sedate. I sure as hell wouldn't have.
"You certainly keep things around here interesting," Jax said. I jumped at the sound of his voice. He was leaning against the counter eating an apple watching the drama unfold through the back window.
"You could have helped me out."
"It was more fun this way. Stephen needs to realize if he doesn't treat you right there will always be someone else who is perfectly willing and capable."
"You're either a genius or an asshole. I haven't decided which one yet."
"Neither has your sister," he said winking.
Stephen pissed me off with his stunt he pulled yesterday. I hadn’t ever seen his jealous side, and I have to say I wasn’t really a fan. Everyone always says that having guys fight over a girl is a turn on and we love it, but I hated it. Why would these two men fight over me? I’m blunt and crass, I drink too much, and I have a tendency to run when things get too emotional. Yeah, I’m a real winner.
I hadn’t been able to get any sleep because I was so worked up, so I went running. Having sand under my feet and between my toes might calm me enough to allow me to finish up a project that was due in a few days. None of my friends realized that I didn't just work on a blog. I wrote self-help articles aimed towards teenagers. Kids posted questions on the site and my editor chose subjects for me to focus on. It gave me something to do with the psychology degree they also didn't know I had.
The sun beat down on me, and I regretted the fact that I’d forgotten to put on sunscreen. At least I would have a tan I guess. Without realizing which direction I had taken off in, I found myself staring at the house I bought with Stephen. My subconscious was telling me something apparently, and I needed to listen. Maybe it was time to take some of the advice I gave my readers.
My hand shook as I knocked on the sliding glass door. I shifted from foot to foot as I waited for him to answer. If he wasn't here, and I could pretend I hadn’t stopped by. Just as I was turning to leave, Stephen came out looking rumpled and sexy as hell.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked in a husky, sleep filled voice.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up." I cocked my head. "Why are you sleeping this late anyway?”
“I made friends with a bottle of Jack. I’m just now waking up after a night of hugging the toilet.”
“Stephen,” I started. He never drank like that. I hated that he felt the need to because of me.
“It was my fault. Jax tried to talk me out of it, but I didn’t listen. I’ve been a jackass since you’ve been back and I’m sorry.”
“Come sit with me.”
He walked over to the patio chairs and stretched before he sat down next to me. It was damn near impossible to not stare at his gorgeous body. His boxers had crept lower on his hips and I practically had to wipe the drool from my chin. My eyes trailed over the black ink on his left bicep. The grin on his face told me I hadn’t done a good enough job hiding my ogling.
I blushed and tried to ignore his cocky attitude. “We’re stuck in this loop and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Tell me this; is there anything between you and Rhys?”
I didn’t want to lie, but there really wasn’t anything going on. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I contemplated how to answer.
“I met him one night when I was driving through Vegas. We kissed but nothing else happened. He recognized that I was running, and he helped me keep from doing something I would have regretted. I stopped everything before it even got to that point. Rhys is a friend and nothing more.” His eyes flashed with hurt. “I’m sorry Stephen; I just want to be honest with you.”
“I get it, but if you hadn’t left in the first place we would never be having this conversation.”
Back to that again. My heart ached in my chest. I couldn’t keep letting the guilt eat at me, and if he wasn’t willing to move past it then we wouldn’t have a future.
“I’m leaving," I said getting up.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. “I’m sorry. See, I told you since you’ve been back I’ve been an asshole.”
“I believe you said jackass, but asshole works too.” He intertwined our fingers. “Look, I understand that I fucked up, but if you aren’t willing to move past it then it’s not worth putting each other through this.”
“The whole Rhys thing threw me. I want to, believe me, but it might take me a second to get over it. Okay?”
“That’s fair enough, but no punching Rhys. He’s an innocent bystander.”
Stephen scoffed. “He’s far from innocent, but I’ll try not to lose my temper at him again.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to make some breakfast, err, lunch. Do you want to come inside?”
I he
sitated. On one hand I wanted to spend time with him, but on the other, this was the first civil conversation we’d had in a while and it would be nice to end it on a good note.
“I would like to, but I'm going to finish my run.” His shoulders slumped, but he nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck, and I wanted to comfort him. “I’ll see you soon though.”
I stood up and this time he let go. “Can we try to catch up? Will you let me apologize for being such a jerk?”
“I would like that.”
And I really would. If we could get back to our normal, things would be a lot easier between us. Hopefully we were on the same page now. I glanced over my shoulder as I started towards the sand and he stood at the door watching me. He waved, and I smiled at him. For the first time in a while, something like hope filled me.
It was early one morning the following week. Violet and I were sitting around drinking coffee while Harper played in her high chair. I was barely awake and had a headache from staying up late to finish up an assignment. My laptop sat open on the table next to me as I proofread what I had written. We had been discussing Vi's classes at school, but she was nervously running her finger along the edge of her mug and I knew she would say something weird.
“I’ve decided I like him.”
“Who?” I asked looking up from my work.
“Rhys. He’s nice.”
Looking back down, I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice. “I’m glad you approve of my friendship with him.”
She sighed. “It’s not that I didn’t approve, I just didn’t know what to think of him. You have to admit, it was kinda shady how he showed up out of nowhere.”
I looked up from my laptop again. “You saw how shocked he was to see me there right?”
“I guess.”
“He also didn’t give into Stephen’s little fit last week. I was kind of impressed by that.”
Violet took a sip of her coffee. She pissed me off when she did that.
Restless (Relentless Series Book 2) Page 8