by Alayna Scott
No matter how she tried to convince herself that he was just being silly Oakley, she couldn’t escape how intimate the moment felt. It was as if the two of them were sharing something that excluded everyone else.
As the lyrics came to an end, he smiled slightly and turned away from her. The room erupted into cheers, and her mother turned to see her standing in the doorway.
“There she is! Sleepyhead has finally woke up everyone,” her mother announced to the room at large. Lauryn smiled as everyone’s gazes turned toward her.
She was quickly swallowed in a maze of people hugging and greeting her. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbors all waited for their turn to welcome her home, or share a funny story they thought she should share on her show. It felt good, and Lauryn realized this was another thing that she missed. But she could only take it in small doses. The first moment she was able to do so, she snuck out the back door. Lauryn found her way to the old tire swing her father had hung in the old oak tree.
She sat down and smiled up at the childhood home she had grown up in. So full of pleasant and happy memories. The love of her parents was what she contributed her success to. They had provided a strong foundation for both she and Chase to grow on and supported them in the pursuit of their dreams. Her brother had become a police detective in Portsmouth and traveled home on the weekends to spend time with their parents.
Lauryn drew small circles with the pointed toe of her shoe in the dirt underneath the tire swing. Holding onto the rope and leaning forward, she began to spiral herself into small circles until they grew dizzyingly faster. Laughter filled her lungs and bubbled forth, as she recalled the times she had played in this backyard.
The play equipment her father had built with his hands for her and her brother had been removed. The tire swing was the last memory remaining of a wonderful childhood in the backyard. In place of the equipment, her father had built a firepit and installed a fountain and in-ground pool. The backyard was beautiful, but she now wanted one of her own that looked like the one from her childhood.
“Careful, you’re gonna take a spill—”
Those words came a moment too late as Lauryn’s weight shifted sideways in the tire swing, causing her to topple over. Oakley was there to break her fall, just before she hit the ground. Her heart thudded against her chest, and she squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force the spinning sensation away.
“You okay?” His voice was just a mere whisper against the side of her head, as she tried to steady herself.
“Ye...yeah, I’m okay.” Lauryn sighed, finally opening her eyes.
Long blonde lashes framed eyes the color of the Pacific ocean waters she loved viewing while driving along PCH. A smile parted his lips, showing beautiful, even white teeth.
“You sure?” he asked, the smile turning into an impish grin.
Lauryn stepped away from the circle of his embrace, straightening her t-shirt around her waistline. She had almost made a fool of herself. Why had she been standing there staring at him like a fool?
“Yeah, I’m great. I just got caught up in the memories of my childhood and almost lost my mind,” she said, walking towards the benches that sat around the fire pit and took a seat. Tonight was a perfect night to have it lit. She briefly thought about asking her father to light it but dismissed the thought. That would probably call everyone’s attention towards the backyard, and she didn’t want that.
Oakley walked to the other side of the fire pit and kneeled. He fiddled with something that she could not see, and the flames flickered to life. She marveled at the fact he seemed to have read her mind.
“Too much for you, back there?” he asked, sitting down beside her and jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
“How’d you know?” she asked, smiling at him and turning her gaze forward to the fire.
“It always became too much after a while for you. Even as a little girl, you would play and have fun with the other kids, but before long, you’d make your way out here to this tire swing. Your daddy would come out and coax you back in when it was time for bed.”
“You remember all that?” she asked, her eyes lighting up as she took in the chiseled angle of his jaw, and his high squared off forehead. Dark blonde hair covered his chin, upper lip, and cheeks. The only facial hair he had when she last saw him was a shadow above his top lip, which had now grown into a full mustache.
“Of course, I did. Or the time that you fell asleep on the trampoline when everyone stayed longer than normal. Chase and I tried to wake you up, but you kicked your legs and swung your arms so wildly like you were fighting off a bear. Chase ran back in to get your dad.”
“And you, what did you do?” she asked.
Oakley turned around to face her. His eyes slowly drew a trail down from her eyes to her lips, and then even slower, they lifted up again. “I watched over you.”
Lauryn’s eyelashes fluttered before she closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, trying to regain control of her runaway thoughts. Those were thoughts she had no business thinking. Why was it every word this man spoke, or everything he did seem to have a double entendre?
Her imagination was in overdrive, and Lauryn needed to pull it back in. After all, not only was Oakley, Chase’s best friend, but he was also a married man. A very married man.
She cleared her throat before speaking up. It hurt her to ask, but it was the polite thing to do. “How’s your wife? I didn’t see her here.”
Oakley’s jaw grew firm, and he turned away from her, staring back out into the fire. “We’re no longer together.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know, Oakley. No one told me,” she apologized, resting a comforting hand on top of his.
“It’s okay,” he said, shaking his head. He pulled his hand away and clasped it with his other one between his knees as he leaned forward.
Great. She had gone too far. The poor man had just revealed he was divorced, and judging by the look on his face, he was still hurting over it. She hoped he didn’t misjudge her actions.
Feeling a bit awkward for the first time ever in his presence, Lauryn tucked her hands underneath her armpit. As if she were cold.
“Are you cold? Wanna go back inside?” he asked, glancing sideways to look at her.
“Um, yeah. Maybe it is time for that. I don’t want to seem too rude, you know? What was okay when I was a kid, might be misinterpreted as an adult,” she replied.
She was thinking about how she had often escaped from the crowds in the past, but she knew that the same statement could be applied to her touching him. Standing up, she pressed her hands down her jeans and stepped out of the bricked-in area of the firepit.
“You coming?” she asked when she didn’t hear him behind her. Looking back, she waited for his response.
He never turned around. Oakley shook his head and replied, “No, you go ahead. I’ll be there in a little while.”
Perfect! She had made him uncomfortable. Blowing out a breath, she made her way back to the house.
CHAPTER 4 - OAKLEY
She had no way of knowing. How could she have known that he and Rianne had broken up? Seven years of marriage and she had left him for their marriage counselor. That had initiated his return back to Lake Cresthaven from Fairfax, where they had relocated.
Oakley had made the decision to move on with his life, and for the most part, he didn’t think about Rianne. But every now and then, when he did think of her, some of that old hurt and anger flared back up inside. He had given her everything he had and put her first in his life. But when he wanted to start his own business, she had shared she felt he spent too much time building his business. And when he had placed it on hold, she had complained about him being around too much when he wasn’t working. It wasn’t until six months down the line that he learned about her affair with Dr. Corrin.
He expected to find love again one day. But how much longer it would take, he was uncertain of. Oakley was tired of being lonely, and the women he occasionally dated did
n’t hold his interest long enough. He needed someone he felt passionate about. Someone, he felt comfortable talking with about everything. Someone he trusted, and they had common interests.
Oakley opened a drawer and removed a green and white Packers t-shirt and pulled it on. Lacing up his shoes, he left the bedroom to head out for his morning jog around the lake. It had become routine for him, waking up at four in the morning, showering, and heading out for his five a.m. run.
“Oakley! What are you doing here?” Lauryn asked.
Oakley’s eyes roamed up and down her frame. She, too, had just stepped from her bedroom and wore black lycra leggings with a white stripe down the sides and a sports bra to match. He noticed the previous day that she had lost a lot of weight, but now he could tell just how toned she was. Obviously, working out was a part of her normal routine.
“I’m going jogging. It’s a part of my morning routine. Where are you headed?” he asked, walking down the stairs.
“Running. Around the lake,” Lauryn replied in a slightly curt tone as they arrived in the kitchen.
“Oh, so was I.”
She narrowed her eyes and pointed at the guest room he had just left. “No, I mean, what’re you doing here in the house at this time of the morning?”
She pulled her thick, dark hair into a ponytail high on her head, her gaze trained on him.
He frowned in confusion for a moment, and then realization dawned on him. No one had told her.
“I purchased a house that needed major renovation. It’s undergoing remodeling right now. So, I’ve been staying here at your parents’ home for the last couple of months. I should be moving back at the end of next month,” he explained as he approached the alarm panel.
“Oh. No one told me.”
He glanced back at her briefly before he disarmed the alarm and opened the back door.
“You...you know the alarm code, too?”
She sounded surprised. “Yeah, I live here,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.
Oakley performed a few stretches on the back deck, and she did the same. He could feel her intense gaze on him the entire time and knew a question was burning at the back of her mind. He also sensed he knew what the question was, but Lauryn was too polite to ask. The new Lauryn that was. This new Lauryn was polished, unlike the old one he had grown up around. She had been more opinionated and quick to speak what was on her mind.
“She left me.”
“Huh?” she asked, standing up straight as he began to jog down the stairs.
“My wife. She left me. That’s what you wanted to know. Right?” he called over his shoulder.
“Uh...well, I did wonder.”
“Mm-hmm. That’s what I figured,” he said, taking the path through the backyard that led through the forest.
“What?” she asked, her stride pulling up with his, matching his measured gait. “What did you figure?”
“That you wanted to know, but you’re too polite to ask. This new you is different than the girl that I knew. You once asked the questions that everyone wanted to ask but was too polite to ask. You spoke from your heart and thought about it later. But you were always a good listener. Those skills are what make you such a good reporter. You’ve refined your tactics. You ask the hard questions, think about your question, and then speak from your heart, and you listen.”
She smirked, turning her head slightly to glance at him. “You learn to control that impulsive nature as a reporter. I still ask the questions no one else will, but they want to. I just have to make sure that my timing is right, is all.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes,” she replied in a clipped tone.
“Does she still live here?”
“No. We moved to Fairfax, and after that happened, I came back home.”
“I’m really sorry, you know.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t have to be. I learned a valuable lesson from it all. Take people for face value. She always was a complainer, and she always wanted more. Nothing ever seemed to be good enough for her, that her parents did. I wasn’t certain why I thought she’d be different towards me. But I did.”
“Because you deserved better than that, Oakley. You’re a wonderful guy. And if she couldn’t see that, and if your best wasn’t good enough, then that’s her loss. I’m sure she’ll regret her choices soon. But you...one day, you’ll have it all.”
He flashed her a toothy grin before turning his focus back to the trail before them that was leading from the forest and down to the lake. There was no way he could have it all. Not when he was starting to experience taboo feelings.
CHAPTER 5 - LAURYN
The kitchen bustled with activity as the Alexander women expertly maneuvered around one another in a space that left elbow room only. Lauryn smiled at her host of aunts, female cousins, and her grandmother, who assisted her mother with the preparations for the evening festivities.
Her father was spending the day with her uncles fishing, while Chase and Oakley were setting up picnic benches and chairs on the back lawn.
Lauryn glanced out the window over the sink, and caught sight of Oakley setting down one end of the picnic table, while Chase set down the other. Oakley stood, wiped his forearm across his forehead. The sun glinted off his hair, sparkling like diamonds sprinkled across the sand. Just as Lauryn was about to turn away from the window, Oakley removed his t-shirt and began using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead and chest.
The sun glistened on his golden complexion, his pectoral muscles flexing with each swipe he made. A warm flush crept up Lauryn’s face and down her neck as she watched the man who had been the object of her affections all those years ago. He had grown from a boy into a man, and the changes in his body definition were remarkable.
During his high school years, the muscles had begun to take shape and become defined, as she had known it would. Years of playing baseball had honed that body throughout high school and college. But what she saw now, was exercise mixed with a maturity that had developed his body into sheer perfection of masculinity.
“Close your mouth, or the drool will drip.”
“Huh?”
Lauryn turned towards her cousin, Natalie, who stood with a knowing smirk on her face. A dishtowel looped across her arm, the other hand was planted on her hip, as she stared out the window, too. Lauryn had never noticed her presence beside her.
“I’ve been watching you watch, Oakley. He’s a free agent, you know. Maybe it’s time you did something about that school girl crush you never acted on all those years ago,” Natalie suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.
Lauryn laughed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure, you don’t. Laur, it’s okay. It’s me, Nat. We were always close enough to talk about things, except this one for some reason. I even knew back then that you liked him, but you were too scared to say anything.”
Lauryn turned slightly, eyeing her cousin up and down, before heaving a sigh. “He was a senior, Nat. I was a lowly freshman. He wouldn’t have given me a second glance back then. And by the time he had gone off to college, forget it. Besides, he was Chase’s best friend.”
“That shouldn’t have stopped you then and definitely shouldn’t stop you now. Look, you two are adults. There are no rules you have to abide by. You make your own rules and live your own lives.”
“Yeah, well, there’s this little east coast, west coast thing,” Lauryn replied sarcastically.
“Look, your parents are ready for you to come back home anyway, Laur. You’ve been gone for an entire decade. You’ve received national accolades for the work you do, news awards, and now you’re co-hosting one of the largest shows on the west coast. Surely, you can find something similar if not better here on the east coast. Something that will bring you back home.”
Lauryn smiled at her cousin, whose voice was filled with a gentle rebuke. What if she were able to relocate to the east coast? What if she were able to find a position with a news show that was compa
rable, if not better? What if...she shook her head. There was no reason to allow herself to indulge in childhood fantasies.
Besides, she was in a relationship. The only reason she was thinking of Oakley in that manner was that in one day, she had been thrust back into her past. And it didn’t help that she and Harry didn't see eye to eye.
Lauryn pulled her hand through her dark hair and sighed. “No, Natalie,” she said with a sweet smile. “No. My life is what it is, and I’m happy with the life I’ve created. I’ve worked hard for it, and it’s the one that I have. I’m happy with the weather out there, my little beach rental, my friends, my career, and my boyfriend.”
“Then why are you staring out at Oakley like he’s a steak and you’ve been on a vegetarian diet for a month?”
Lauryn chuckled at her cousin’s analogy. “Because he’s handsome, and I’m alive.”
“You can say that again,” Natalie replied, tossing one final glance out of the window before walking away to finish drying dishes.
Lauryn turned her gaze back out the window briefly and noticed her brother and Oakley were headed towards the house. She busied herself once more with cutting veggies, trying to force the thoughts from her head that she had no business thinking.
Lauryn turned her head, gazing over her shoulder at her cousin. Natalie winked at her. Lauryn bit down on her bottom lip to prevent from blushing as Oakley came through the door.
“Oakley! How’s the house coming along?” her aunt Nancy asked. Nancy was Natalie’s mother.
Lauryn trained her gaze on the vegetables on the chopping board in front of her. She steadied her hand and slowly cut the vegetables to keep from accidentally cutting herself.
