by Piper Rayne
No one would have the self-control not to read it, I’m sure. So I start at the top.
Cade,
I know we’ve had our problems this year, but you’ve been mine since we were freshmen. Probably earlier. We were voted most likely to be high school sweethearts who’d marry and raise our children in Sunrise Bay. That says something. Since we’re going to different colleges, I wanted to let you know—after I’m done, I’m coming home to start my life with you. It’s always been us. I hope by the time that happens, you’ve forgiven me for whatever you think I’ve done. I love you, Cade, all of my life. Nothing will change that.
Love you forever,
Reese
She’s written the last e in her name as a heart. How cute.
I slam the book shut. I wonder if that’s the reason she’s back now, even if she’s years behind schedule—to lay her claim on him.
A little voice inside my head says, are you going to claim him? With all my issues I need to work through, I am not the person for Sunrise Bay’s golden boy.
Stuffing everything back in the box, I close it up and head back to my own area. Now I feel worse. Serves me right for being a snoop.
I lock my door and walk down the steps into their house with 911 in my phone and my finger hovering over the green button. Down in the basement, I grab my comforter and sheets from the dryer, clean out the lint trap, and shut the dryer door. I tiptoe up the stairs, but then a large figure appears in the doorway and blocks my way.
I scream and fall backward, my phone slipping from my hands.
“Shit,” Fisher says and barrels down the basement steps.
I follow him to find Presley at the bottom of the steps, her comforter over her face.
“What the hell?” I run down the stairs, my heart in my throat.
“I was just curious why the door was open and the light was on.” He squats to check on her.
“Presley?” I say, taking all the sheets off her to see if she’s conscious.
“I’m fine. Just a sore ass,” she says, but her hand is on her head.
Fisher puts all her stuff in her laundry basket, and I help her to her feet.
“Go slow,” I say.
“My phone.” She frantically looks around.
There’s a glow coming from the bottom of the stairs and Fisher goes over and picks it up, clearing the screen. He tosses it in the laundry basket. “Good job having 911 on your phone, but next time, press the green button.”
“I don’t think you need to lecture her on safety right now,” I tell him.
“It’s a proven fact that you should do it now when she’s still reeling from being scared.”
“Oh really, where did you hear that?”
“When we were training the new K-9 unit,” he sneers.
“She’s not a dog,” I grind out.
Presley puts both of her hands in the air. “Stop it, you two.”
I help her up to the kitchen and sit her on a chair then grab a bag of peas from the freezer. Who knows how long this bag has been in there since it’s only used for injuries. Putting it on the back of her head, she sighs, her eyes closing.
“She can’t fall asleep for an hour at least. Maybe we should take her in,” Fisher says.
“Not a bad idea.” I move to pick her up. Better to be safe.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m fine. Just give me a minute.” She closes her eyes again,
Yeah, we’re not going to play this way.
“We’re going.” I lift her. The fact that she’s not trying to get out of my arms says she’s not so sure herself.
“I’ll go with you,” Fisher says.
“No, you have a shift. I’ll be fine. Marla and Dad are there anyway.”
Rylan broke his leg at soccer, so he’s at the hospital, waiting to get casted. To him, it feels like a life sentence since he can’t play for a while. Jed and Adam dropped us off and went to the sports place to pick up Rylan’s stuff.
“You gotta keep her awake, man,” Fisher says.
“I’m good. Just help me get her in the truck.”
But after her body slumps against me, I take Fisher up on his offer. With Fisher’s help, I get Presley in the truck and take us to the hospital, Fisher telling her over and over again to keep her eyes open.
I drop the two of them off at the emergency room doors of our small hospital here in Sunrise Bay, park, and head inside. She’s already in a room when I reach them, thanks to Fisher’s connections.
Marla comes out of Rylan’s room, looking confused. “He’s fine, Cade.”
“I know. I’m here for someone else.”
She follows me to the room where we find Fisher is staring at Presley, a flashlight in her eyes. A nurse is getting her vitals.
“What happened?” Marla asks.
“Fisher scared the hell out of her, and she fell backward down the basement stairs.”
“She’s responding well, but we’ll need to get a CT scan,” the nurse says.
“Thanks, Allie,” Fisher says.
I hold Presley’s hand and use my free hand to smooth her hair, whispering to help keep her awake.
“I’m fairly sure she’s here overnight.” Allie squeezes Fisher’s shoulder and leaves the room.
I stare at him until he notices and asks, “What?”
“How close of a relationship do you have with Nurse Allie?” I ask.
“None of your fucking business,” he says.
“Fisher, language, and he’s right, Cade, it’s none of your business,” Marla says.
“Since when?” I ask. “Apparently my life is a fucking open book.”
“Language,” Marla says. “I’m going to go tell your dad what’s going on. I’ll be back.”
She leaves the room and I look at Fisher. “I’m staying with her. You can take my truck back to the house.”
He stands as though he wants to leave, which surprises me since Nurse Allie is obviously perfecting her bedside manner with Fisher. “Call Clara.”
I shake my head.
“Her sister can stay with her. I mean, are you two like…” He waits for me to fill in the blank, which I’m not going to do.
“I want to be here, jackass. Try it sometime. You might enjoy it.”
He rolls his eyes and leaves the room.
A doctor comes in, and Presley groans as he tries to give her a neurological exam. But she gets through it. Allie was right—Presley is staying overnight.
“Does she have family we should call?” the doctor asks me.
“No, it’s just me,” I answer.
It’s then I realize how different our lives are. She has her parents and Clara, but that’s all I really know. I can’t imagine not having a hospital room full of people—like Rylan just did for a broken leg.
Sure, I could call Clara or even Presley’s mom, but her mom’s in Connecticut. She wouldn’t get here until the morning, if that. From what I gather, they have money and people with money do pull off some things fast, but she can’t stop time. And I will call Clara—once I know exactly what’s going on. For now, I’ll be the one who’s here for Presley.
It sinks in how strong she is for coming to this town all by herself, not having anyone who has her back.
“I’m going to put her in a gown. Maybe you want to step out,” Allie says.
“I can do it.”
“Um. You’re not even related and—”
“He can do it,” Presley mumbles. “He’s seen me naked.”
Allie smirks as I take the gown from her and close the curtain.
“This is not how I wanted to undress you tonight.” I get Presley to sit up and I take off her shirt and her bra, wishing like hell we were in bed and I had a box of condoms on the nightstand.
“Me either. How is your brother?” she asks.
I kiss her temple and get the gown over the front of her, then I unbutton, unzip, and pull her jeans off of her. “He’ll be fine until I kick his ass for scaring you.”
/> I pull the blanket over her, fold up her clothes, and put them on the vacant chair.
“I meant your other brother.”
“He’s fine. It was a clean break. But don’t be surprised if we get a visitor in here named Marla Greene, my stepmom.”
She giggles and seems more alert now.
A man wearing scrubs walks in. “I’m going to take her for a CT scan.”
I kiss her forehead and whisper that I’ll be here when she returns.
I wish I could go with her. I’m not gonna lie, seeing her at the bottom of the basement stairs freaked me out. But I push all those thoughts from my mind because I am not falling for her. I’d have felt as if I’d been gut-punched regardless of who was lying at the bottom of the basement stairs. It means nothing.
I wait anxiously, the minutes passing like hours until she’s wheeled back into the room. The doctor says she’s okay to fall asleep since her eyes aren’t dilated and she hasn’t thrown up, but until they get the results of her test and make sure it doesn’t show any signs of a serious concussion I’ll still worry.
I snuggle on the chair with the blanket they give me and wrap her hand in mine until I fall asleep, ignoring the fact that it comes easy because she’s near.
“Aren’t they the cutest?” Marla coos, her voice waking me.
It takes a moment for me to figure out where I am—until I glance next to me and see Presley all snuggled in the fetal position. Our hands are intertwined. I slide my hand out from hers.
“Marla. Dad. Hey, Rylan.”
He stands with his leg in a cast, the crutches holding his weight.
“We’re just on our way home,” Marla whispers. “How are things here?”
She comes up beside the bed and I figure she won’t be leaving anytime soon. She’s like a younger Grandma Ethel.
“Good. The test came back and said she has a mild concussion, so they’re just observing her.”
“That’s good.”
Presley stirs, and when her eyes flutter open, she jolts back. I chuckle. You can tell she doesn’t come from a big family.
“Hey, Presley, heard you took a bit of a tumble,” my dad says.
“Yeah.” Her cheeks pinken a bit.
“Hi, Presley, I’m Marla.” Marla speaks to her as if Presley’s hard of hearing.
“Mom,” Rylan says as though he’s annoyed with her.
I’ve been there. Dad squeezes Rylan’s shoulder just like he used to do with me, to caution me in a polite way not to make a scene. Rylan says nothing more, so obviously the method is still effective.
“Hi, Marla.” Presley slides up on the bed, her hands going to her hair and running under her eyes. Her makeup is smeared and her hair is a little matted, but she’s still the most beautiful woman in here.
“So I know this is crazy, but I’ve been meaning to come by. We’d love to have you over for dinner.”
I clear my throat and I’m granted my dad’s death stare.
Presley looks to me as though she needs my approval, so I say, “You should go. Have fun, and I’ll catch you when you’re done.”
Marla laughs and her gaze fixates on Presley. “He’s just kidding. So how about this Thursday? We’ll do it before the town meeting, then everyone can walk over.”
“Oh. Okay. Where do you live?”
“Cade will bring you.” Marla looks at me.
I nod. “I’ll take you. It’s near the downtown area.”
Presley nods. “Okay.”
“Great. Then we’ll see you then.”
Presley opens her mouth, but no sound comes. She swallows. “What can I bring?”
“Just yourself.” Marla waves and touches Presley’s leg. “Hope you get out soon.”
“Feel better, Rylan,” I say, watching them all go.
Dad didn’t say one word, although I could feel his presence as usual.
Only in the Greene family are you not in charge of setting up the meet-the-parents. Then again, Presley isn’t going to my parents’ house as my girlfriend and she already knows my dad. She’s going on Marla’s invitation because Marla wants to meet the new girl in town.
“Are you sure you want to go?” I ask.
“You can go. You don’t have to stay with me,” she says, changing the subject.
“I don’t know, I was thinking…” I look around. “Maybe we test out these hospital beds.”
I slide up into the bed with her. After a lot of thinking after the doctor came in and she was still sleeping, I’m pretty sure she’s not used to people being there for her. I’m going to be her person. I mean, isn’t that included in the friend’s portion of friends with benefits? To sleep next to her while she recovers from a concussion my brother caused? I’m sure Xavier would agree.
Thursday comes fast, and I’m not prepared to have dinner at the Greene’s. My stomach has been stirring all day.
Cade took the doctor’s orders seriously when he said no strenuous activity for a week, so other than a few hot make-out sessions and Cade devouring my breasts, we still haven’t had sex. I’m starting to think the benefits portion of our agreement will never involve sex. But so far, I haven’t had to see Reese again and I kind of like it that way.
At the end of the workday, Cade walks through the back door of my shop. Since Adam is finished working here and my grand opening hasn’t happened yet, it’s a little lonely.
“Not you too,” he says in my ear from behind me because “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes plays from my Bluetooth speaker.
“I kind of like it.” My hands cover his, and he kisses my neck.
“Ready then?” he asks, stepping back.
“I’m going to wear my overalls just to tempt you to cross the line.” I lift the hem of my shirt in a seductive dance.
“We’ve got three more days,” he says, tapping his nonexistent watch.
“Then it’s on. You better clear time on your calendar, because I don’t expect to leave my bed all day. You’re going to need the wholesale box of condoms.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles.
“I’m just saying, so far the benefits are weak.”
“Are you suggesting my Kielbasa isn’t filling you up?”
“I want it to fill another part of me.” I turn on the lights by the window to light up the showcases I just set up and lower the lights on the interior of the store.
Cade stops me before I can go through the back door, his hands running up my outer thighs and around until he reaches the apex of my thighs. “Have I told you I love the warmer weather? I love you wearing skirts and how easy it is to tease you.” His finger runs along my clit over my panties. I grow wet with his touch.
I slap his hand. “Three days, remember?”
“Now we’re on the same page.”
I grab my purse and jacket because spring in Alaska is still chilly at night. Once I’m ready to go, we walk out the back door and I lock up. He reaches for my hand but retracts it—remembering we’re in public, I suppose. Although I’m wondering who wouldn’t know we’re fooling around at this point.
We round the downtown parking lot, leaving his truck in the back since we’re walking to his parents’ house. He stops me right before we’re about to be in front of everyone, backs me to the brick wall of the shop, and looks around. Then his lips are on mine and his tongue is in my mouth.
The kiss happens so fast, I’m a fumbling mess when he stops and we both inhale a deep breath.
“Sorry, I had to do that before I lost my chance,” he says.
He waits for me to walk the streets of downtown Sunrise Bay. Most of the stores are closing for the day, but from what I hear, tourist hours are starting in ten days with my grand opening. I guess it’s a big thing here.
“Who doesn’t know about us?” I ask. Clara came by the other day with twenty questions and I didn’t cave, but I’m fairly sure all his brothers know.
“I think people probably assume, so it’s all about whether we want to confirm the
rumors or not, I guess.”
“So we walk around like we’ve become best friends?”
“Unless you want them to know.” He shrugs.
“No.” I clear my throat. “I mean, we shouldn’t, right? Since it’s not a real relationship.”
He stops us when we reach the end of the square and we’re about to cross the street toward a huge house on the hill. Is that his family’s house? I thought it was a museum above the start of the town. He tugs me into a small alley. I never knew there were so many hiding spots around here. I kind of like it.
“It doesn’t matter what we tell people. They’re going to believe what they want. There are people in this town probably rooting for you to break my heart or vice versa. Others swear we’re soul mates. Others are indifferent. Others are optimistic but doubtful because of our pasts.”
“And you?”
He hovers over me, his arm pressed against the wall. “I like you a lot. And I’m enjoying the friendship we’ve developed along with all the fooling around, but I’m assuming all the reasons that made us decide to be friends with benefits still stand? They haven’t changed. But if this is getting too close for comfort, we can call it off.”
Talk about your heart falling to the pit of your stomach. He just released a wrecking ball on me. Not that I didn’t already know it, but hearing him confirm that nothing has changed for him in these past weeks is hard to swallow. I guess small-town manners and expectations are why he took me to the hospital, gave me a place to stay for minimal rent, and is making sure this week isn’t too strenuous for me.
“No.” I shake my head, lying through my teeth. “I’m great with how it is. We’re on the same page.”
I guess maybe it’s not a complete lie. All the reasons I shouldn’t be in a relationship right now are still there. They still hold weight. Hell, he just proved them correct. I’m already suffering from the fear of abandonment, which is why his words cut so deep. I had to go and find the one unavailable sweet guy in Sunrise Bay. It’s like a running joke on me. Happily ever after for Presley Knight. Then an evil laugh cuts in… NEVER!