by K. A. Linde
“Yeah. Just like that. But I think you’ll like Jordan. He’s kind of a hard-ass, but he gets shit done, so I don’t care.”
“Jordan,” Isaac said, firmly shaking his hand.
“Hey, Isaac. Good to see you, man.”
“You too. This is my date, Peyton Medina.”
I shook his hand, and he was no less aggressive with me. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said with the signature Wright smile.
I’d gone to school with Landon Wright. I knew exactly what that smile was like. Even if I’d never had any interest in any of the Wrights, that didn’t mean they weren’t all fabulously attractive and charismatic. Jordan was no different with his short, dark European-styled hair and scorching brown eyes. His suit was a deep navy blue, and he wore it like he belonged in it.
“Isaac was just saying that you’re the hardest worker at Wright Construction.”
“Well, that’s a compliment if I’ve ever heard one,” Jordan said. “Isaac is the best man on my team. I wouldn’t be half as accomplished without him at my side.”
Isaac laughed. “Thanks, Jordan. Are you coming to the game on Sunday?”
“Oh, right,” I said, putting two and two together. “You’re Julian’s brother. He doesn’t work for the company?”
“That’s right,” Jordan said. Something wavered in his eyes at the question. “No, Julian…isn’t working for the company. Our mom was sick when we moved here and went through chemo. He took the time off to take care of her.”
“Oh,” I whispered in horror. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Jordan said, waving it away.
“In other news,” Isaac said quickly, “Julian is looking at opening up a winery with Hollin.”
Jordan sighed. “It does look like that venture is in the works.”
“Well, Peyton’s family knows a thing or two about it. Julian should reach out.”
“I don’t know much, honestly,” I said. “But I could get them in contact with my sister and my dad.”
“Julian has always had pipe dreams,” Jordan said with a shrug. “We’ll see what actually comes of it.”
“I can give you my phone number, if he wants to reach out to my dad. He’s always happy to help others get started in the industry,” I told him earnestly.
“Sure. Doesn’t hurt,” Jordan said.
We exchanged numbers, so I could get Julian in contact with the right people. It felt weird, being the one with connections in Lubbock when I didn’t even live here anymore.
“So, the game?” Isaac asked.
Jordan glanced away once and then back. “Is Annie playing?”
“Yeah. She and Blaire are wiping out the competition,” Isaac said, proud.
“I’ll see if I can make it,” Jordan said noncommittally.
But I had seen something else when Jordan asked the question. It wasn’t the same thing Isaac had heard. Call it female intuition, but there was something going on there. I wondered what exactly was going on with Annie and Jordan Wright.
“Is Jordan giving you a hard time?” Jensen Wright asked, appearing at Isaac’s side.
Isaac laughed. “I think I’m giving him a hard time actually.”
“And who is this?” Jensen asked.
I swallowed and met his gaze. I might have been five years younger than Jensen, but I remembered thinking he was so hot when I was a kid. Couldn’t deny it now either.
“My date, Peyton Medina.”
“Medina,” Jensen said as he shook my hand. “Any relation to Matthew Medina?”
“That’s my dad.”
“He’s a great man. He owns Sinclair Cellars, right?”
I nodded.
“That has been a perfect venue for us for smaller events. Do you work there?”
“Oh, no. I’m a ballerina with the New York City Ballet.”
Jensen’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. That’s incredible. I wonder if I’ve seen you perform before. I’m in Manhattan regularly.”
“Perhaps,” I said with a smile.
“Jensen Wright,” a voice cried, stepping out of the crowd. A woman with a small pregnant belly approached him with fire in her dark eyes.
I was shocked to recognize her as Emery Robinson.
“Oh boy,” Jensen muttered, unable to hide his grin.
“You’re in so much trouble,” Emery said.
“What did I do now?” Jensen asked.
She pointed to her belly. “Look what you did to me. This is all your fault.”
My eyes rounded, but Jensen just shot me a wink. “Don’t worry. She’s always like this.”
Emery seemed to notice me and stopped. “Oh my God, Peyton?”
“It’s me.”
“Whoa! You look exactly the same.” She glared at Jensen. Though I saw the humor in her face now. “Instead, I look like a whale.”
She did not look like a whale.
I pointed between them as Jensen wrapped his arm around Emery. My confusion must have registered. I clearly had not seen her since high school, but she definitely had been dating Landon Wright then.
“This is not the right brother,” I said.
Emery laughed. “Uh…yeah, some things have changed since high school.”
“As much as I would love to stay and hear the rest of this conversation,” Jensen said, kissing Emery’s hand, “I need to steal Jordan and Isaac for our announcement.”
“Fine,” Emery said. “But you owe me big later.”
“Tacos,” he purred.
“Don’t act like you know me.”
“Oh, but I do, baby,” he said, nipping at her ear.
“And this is why I’m pregnant, ladies and gentlemen,” she said as Jensen walked off with Isaac and Jordan.
“I don’t think I’d be complaining.”
We both giggled as the boys disappeared through the crowd.
15
Isaac
“Peyton seems nice,” Jordan said.
“We actually dated in high school. She’s here for The Nutcracker season.”
“Oh, wow.” Jordan laughed and ran a hand back through his hair. “If I saw one of my high school girlfriends, I think I’d run.”
I snorted. “Yeah, but you have girls falling at your feet.”
“Nah, not all the time,” Jordan said with a wink.
We laughed and came to a stop at the side of the stage, where Morgan was already waiting for us. Morgan was the most capable person I knew. Jensen was a brilliant mind. Jordan was a bulldozer. But Morgan…she ran everything. And she did it damn well.
“Oh good, you found them,” Morgan said, looking up from her iPad. “Are we ready?”
Jensen crossed his arms over his chest and grinned at his sister. “Are you ready, Mor?”
She rolled her eyes. “Always.”
“Should we wait for David?” Jordan asked after the CFO.
“I’m here,” David said, jockeying for position in the circle.
“About time,” Morgan said, skipping back through her notes. “I’ll leave the iPad on the podium. Feel free to use it as much as you need. David is going to take the closing statement. Any questions?”
We all tried to keep a straight face. Morgan was the best, but she treated everyone with kid gloves regardless of the fact that both Jensen and Jordan had done her job before. It was just who she was.
Morgan stepped up to the podium first. She quieted the crowd and thanked everyone for coming. Then, she went into a speech about how well the year had been and how lucky the company was to have each and every person in attendance.
“Now, we want to make one more special announcement before all of you go back to your cocktails,” Morgan said and then gestured for us to come onstage.
I followed behind Jensen and Jordan, feeling the momentous occasion. It didn’t feel possible that I was here right now with three of the most important people at Wright. Three Wrights at that. But I’d been included, and no one seemed t
o blink that I was as valuable to the team.
“Thanks, Morgan,” Jensen said, taking the mic. “We do have an exciting, new announcement. Thanks to Jordan’s hard work and connections, we’re officially bringing a professional soccer team to Lubbock.”
The crowd cheered at this news.
He waited a minute before raising his hand. “That’s right, and Wright Construction got the contract to begin building the stadium in the new year. I’m already working on the designs with the league. Jordan is going to be on point for the stadium, and Isaac is going to be the head project manager. I can’t wait to see this come to fruition and see what else Wright has in store for us in the future.”
The crowd applauded again and began to talk among themselves about the new soccer facility. It felt incredible to be privy to such information, to even be standing here as the announcement was made.
My smile stretched ear to ear as I stared out at my sea of colleagues. And then I found Peyton. She was clapping softly with her own wide smile. Her eyes glowed with pride. This wasn’t what I’d planned when I graduated high school and went off to play soccer, but life had a way of guiding you onto a new path. This was mine. And somehow, it had put Peyton back on it.
We stepped offstage as David gave the closing remarks. I entered a sea of Wrights. Jensen and Morgan stood with the rest of their siblings—Austin, Landon, and Sutton. Their cousins, Jordan and Julian, had disappeared out of the main circle, and I moved to step aside but was drawn into the Wright circle.
“I see you brought Isaac in to do the real work,” Landon said, shaking my hand.
He’d been the star quarterback when I knew him in high school, but he was a professional golfer now.
“Always here to make sure things get done,” I told him.
Austin laughed and crossed his arms. “Do you ever get sick of making the same speech over and over?”
Morgan arched an eyebrow. “Do you ever get sick of the sound of your own voice?”
“I do!” Sutton said, raising her hand. “Austin’s voice is obnoxious.”
“Whose side are you on?” Austin grumbled.
Landon just chuckled into his drink. “Classic.”
“Listen here,” Morgan said, playfully pointing her finger at her brother. “If you think you can do better—”
“He can’t,” Landon butted in.
Sutton dissolved into giggles.
Jensen just sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “Children, can we not?”
“Sure, Dad,” Austin said, clapping his brother on the back.
Jensen shot Austin a perfect dad look, proving his point. “I’ve just had so much practice.”
Then, his eyes wandered to his pregnant wife, who approached with Peyton.
I stepped away from the Wrights and their family antics. Some things would never change.
Peyton touched my hand, and her smile was still wide with pride. “You’re so fancy. Up on a stage with the head of the company.”
“Nah,” I said, running a hand back through my hair. “It was nothing.”
“Whatever. We both know that’s not true. It was a big deal.”
I beamed. “Yeah. It felt pretty good to get recognized like that, and I can’t wait to start working on the soccer complex.”
“You’ve really found your place,” she said.
“I never would have thought it’d be at something like this, but…yeah, I think I have.” I took her hand in mine. “Let’s go get another drink.”
We waited in line at the bar, and I got a bourbon and Coke while she stuck to champagne. Then, we wandered out onto the mostly empty balcony. Peyton moved closer to a heater, and I offered her my jacket, which she let me slip around her shoulders. She pensively stared out over downtown Lubbock.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked her.
She frowned and then met my gaze. Her dark chocolate eyes were depthless, and I wanted to dive in and disappear. Fuck, I wanted more than that. I wanted her. I wanted her more than I ever had. Sixteen years had made me think that this could never happen. I’d moved on. I had a life. One that was taken away too fast, but I still lived. But then she had walked back into my presence, and suddenly, everything was upside down. We were only right side up when we were together. How had I survived all this time without her?
“I missed it here,” she said softly.
“You sound…sad?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that this is such a different world. In New York, I feel like…I’m always swimming upstream. There’s this endless current that I’m battling against. I don’t exactly belong there even though I’ve lived there nearly as long as I lived here. But everyone is constantly hustling. And I liked that for a long time. I felt like it gave me that push to always be better.” She shrugged one shoulder. “But here, I just…I don’t know…”
“Fit?”
“Yes,” she said, touching my arm. “Here, I just fit. No expectations. No constant struggle.”
“You could come back,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
I wanted to ask her to come back. I wanted her to be here. To be here with me. But I hadn’t meant to ask her to do it.
She smiled softly but remained silent. I wasn’t sure if I’d overstepped the bounds. This was all new. Even if we’d been here before, we weren’t in the same place.
“Look, forget I said anything. Lubbock will always be your home, is what I meant…”
“No, it’s okay,” she said. She swallowed and met my gaze again. “Sometimes, I want to come home.”
“You do?”
“Sometimes.”
But not enough to do it. I knew better than to say that this time.
She laughed and clutched my jacket tighter around herself. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to be sad tonight. This has been a great night. I’m glad that you invited me.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me, Peyton.”
“I’m not pretending.” She stepped forward and ran her hand down the front of my shirt. “And I just want to be with you tonight.” Her voice dropped, low and sultry, as she looked up at me from beneath her lashes.
My hands slipped around her waist, pulling her in closer. “Good. Though…I do understand the allure of New York.”
She shook her head with a tilt of her head. “Have you ever been there?”
“I have,” I said. I slid my hand up to cup her jaw and dropped my mouth until it was only an inch from her lips. “I came to see you.”
“What?” she gasped, nearly touching my lips. Her eyes went wide. “When?”
“After I left the soccer team at SMU, I flew out to New York. I bought a ticket to your show and went to see you dance.”
“I had no idea. Why didn’t you say something?”
“I planned to. I bought flowers. I waited for you after the show. And then, when you came out, you were with your dance friends. You were laughing and looked so happy. I could see that it was the place for you. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t see a way for it to ever work. I couldn’t move to New York, and you were never coming home.”
“Isaac…”
“So, I dumped the flowers and came back. I knew that ballet was what you were made for, so we never had a chance. But now, you’re here, Peyton, and you’re the only thing I want.”
I didn’t wait for her response. I just pushed her body back against the balcony railing and brought my lips down onto hers. There was no hesitation. There was nothing soft or tender about the moment. I’d finally told her the secret I’d been harboring for years. I had never stopped thinking about her. I would have gone to the ends of the earth to be with her. But not at the expense of her happiness.
But now that we had a chance…there was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her in my arms.
She pulled back, breathless. Her eyes dilated in the faint light. Her fingers clutched my shirt.
“Do you…want to get out of here?” I asked.
“Yes
,” she said, a flush coming to her cheeks. “I thought you’d never ask.”
16
Peyton
Isaac Donoghue had come to New York for me.
My mind was still reeling. I’d thought about him and pined over him for years after he told me to leave to go to New York. It had been the right decision. But he was my first love, my first everything. I hadn’t wanted to let him go, and my heart never left him behind.
It was different, knowing that he felt the same. That he’d wanted to make it work, but once again, he’d chosen my happiness over his. And now, we had this moment. I refused to waste it.
We exited the ballroom and grabbed my jacket from the coat check. I switched out jackets with him, pulling him on instead, as I headed toward the parking lot, but Isaac stopped me and held up a hotel key.
I raised my eyebrows. “Did you get a room?”
He shrugged. Not at all sheepish, like he would have once been. He took my hand and pulled me toward the elevators. “Thought we might have use for it.”
“Cocky,” I said as I crossed the threshold of the elevator.
His eyes gleamed as he walked me back against the opposite wall. “You were the one who invited me in last time.”
“I was.” I was breathless as he ran his hands up the silk of my dress. It was as if he burned his way up my body, dragging his fingers across the muscular contours of my back. My fingers threaded through his tie, just like I’d wanted to do earlier outside of his house, and I tugged him toward me. “Offer still stands.”
“Good,” he ground out as he finally fit his hips against mine.
His erection was evident, even through the layers of material, and a small gasp escaped my lips. He smirked as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
And God, how many times had we been here before? Desperate to strip our clothes off and fall into each other’s arms. We’d learned the language of love from each other’s bodies. Both of us were adults now, well versed in what the other wanted but with more experience than when we’d been fumbling teenage in uncontrolled hormones.
Isaac leaned in, his breath hot against my lips. “I’m going to take you up on that offer, if you don’t mind.”