The Return (The Comeback Series)

by Marcie Shumway

  “I love Avery, and I’m going to do my damnedest to show her that. I’m not going anywhere. Maine is my home base from now on,” I informed him, feeling like a broken record, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “You should have gone after her when you had the fucking chance.”

  I knew that last sentence was a mistake the moment it left my mouth. I deserved what I had coming, for that one. I didn’t bother to move to avoid or soften the blow when my brother’s fist shot out. Maybe one punch would make him feel better.

  It had been a long time since I had been in a brawl of any kind. Long enough that I forgot how it felt. Will hadn’t held anything back. The force and the pain exploding in my face brought me to my knees. My hands flew to my face trying to stop the blood gushing from my nose. I hadn’t heard it crack, so I could only hope it wasn’t broken, but I would have two killer black eyes by morning.

  Just as he started to reach for me, anger flashing in his eyes, the guys came running out of the house. Matt and Chris each locked onto one of his arms as Evan came over to help me up, handing me a rag in the process. I swayed when I stood to my full height, and my buddy reached out an arm to steady me. I shook him off and leaned slightly on the deck. I closed my eyes as I gingerly pinched and moved my nose around. Nothing was broken, though it hurt like hell.

  When I opened them again, the guys still held my brother, who seemed to finally be calming down. His face now held a little remorse for what he had done, and he nodded his head when Chris asked him if he could let go. Will rubbed his hands down his face and eventually looked up at me, apologizing with his eyes. I nodded and put my hand up to keep him from saying anything.

  Before a word was uttered, a red Grind truck came down the driveway. Rick had Luke Combs blasting from the speakers, and seemed oblivious to the activity on the porch as he pulled to a stop behind my Dodge. He hopped out, whistling along to the music, as he opened the passenger door to grab the five large pizzas we had ordered from Claire’s for supper. When he got to the steps, he stopped, startled by all of us standing there, me still holding the blood-soaked cloth to my face.

  “What the hell?” he mumbled.

  “Just get up here,” I muttered around the rag. “I’m freaking hungry.”

  He stumbled up the steps, his eyes dancing between me and Will. I pushed off the railing and went to the door, holding it open with my foot, and gestured for everyone to head inside. Evan led the way, a grin on his face. Rick followed, with Chris and Matt hot on his heels. Will stood right where they had left him, looking from his bike to the door, like he wasn’t sure which way to go.

  “Come on, you asshole,” I said, leaning a bit to take him by the arm. “Let’s go eat.”

  This was it, I thought to myself as I pulled off the interstate and onto the main drag that would take me back to Lane & Son Management Co. I had only been gone nine weeks, but it felt like forever. Weirder still was that I didn’t feel like I was coming home; I felt like I was just a visitor. The decision had been made.

  I sang along to Reba McEntire’s “Fancy” as I stopped at a red light and rolled down my window. The day was starting to warm up, but I didn’t want to turn on the air conditioner just yet. The fresh air calmed my nerves as I accelerated with the green light. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Julie wouldn’t be happy that I was going back to Maine, but she would understand.

  I was also a little jittery about leaving my father. I had been the one taking him to treatments, so I was feeling a little guilty that I had left so someone else had to take him. Abby had been more than happy to spend the day with him when I approached her. She was feeling better than in the earlier weeks of her pregnancy and my dad got a twinkle in his eye whenever she was around. He couldn’t wait to be a grandfather.

  As I signaled and pulled into the parking lot of the building I had worked in the for the last few years, a million and one emotions bombarded me. Moving away had been what I had thought I had needed all those years ago; however, I was now realizing it had probably only made matters worse. Either way, Julie had been an incredible employer and friend. That was one thing I didn’t regret about my move south.

  Getting out of the car, I smoothed my slacks and the flowing tank top I had put on. Reaching back into the vehicle for my work bags, I sighed. I loved my job, and I didn’t want to give that up; however, I didn’t believe that Julie wanted a ghost employee. Dad had assured me that Marcia could use my help at the office, or Keegan, out in the field. I told him I would figure everything out when he was back on his feet.

  “Hi, Kelly,” I greeted the receptionist as I entered the lobby.

  “Welcome back, Avery!” she responded. “Julie is ready when you are.”

  “Just let her know that I’ll put my stuff in my office and be right down.”

  She nodded and picked up her phone to relay the message. I headed to my office and was surprised to find the door open. Kelly had obviously prepped for my arrival. Fresh flowers filled a small vase on the conference table, all spaces had been dusted, and the windows were open a crack, letting in the late-June breeze. My heart warmed at her thoughtfulness, and I chuckled knowing Julie was probably having a fit because windows open meant the air conditioning system for the building would run more. It had been a longstanding battle between the two of us.

  Setting everything down, I removed a file from the bag and turned to make my way to Julie’s office. Her door was open as well and she was perched on the couch, papers surrounding her. Her black heels had already been discarded near the coffee table and her bare feet were tucked up under her body as she read over a file in her hand. Her black slacks and purple shirt were wrinkle-free and ever professional, along with the long brown hair that was wrapped in a French twist. It was hard to believe five years separated us.

  “Are you going to keep staring or are you going to shut the door and sit down?” she asked, breaking me from my reverie.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  Turning to do as she requested, I shook my head to clear it. I was coming to realize how much I was going to miss her and our friendship. She was one hell of a businesswoman, and knew how to run her company. I admired her.

  “How’s your dad doing?” she questioned, reaching out for my arm when I settled on the couch beside her.

  “He has his good days and his bad days,” I told her, relaxing a little under her touch. “Just one more week left of treatments.”

  “He’ll come out of this stronger than ever,” she assured me, pulling her hand back into her lap.

  “I hope so,” I replied, handing her the folder I held. “Either way, it’s time for me to go home.”

  Her face was void of emotion as she opened it and found my resignation letter. Without a word, she put the folder on the table and grabbed one of her own. Handing it to me, she sat back with a smile. I raised an eyebrow at her, but she shook her head and nodded at the paperwork in my hands.

  Upon opening it, I found a stack of legal jargon. I skimmed a little bit and saw the words, “partnership” and “Maine.” Confused, I looked at her and saw that her smile had increased significantly in wattage.

  “Lane & Son is expanding into Maine,” she informed me, “and I want you to run that division.”

  “What?!” I exclaimed, nearly dropping the file in my haste to hug her.

  “It won’t be brick and mortar for a while; however, we have four companies in the state already lined up and ready to work with us,” she explained when I sat back again.

  “But, why now?”

  “It’s time,” she replied. “I’m not ready to lose you, and I can’t be in two places at once.”

  “A partnership, though?” I wondered.

  “I know financially you can’t afford it, but that’s where this is headed. For now, I will make you CFO. Your pay will increase, as will your responsibilities.”

  “Julie…”

  “I know you have a lot going on with your dad,” she said, cutting me off. “We will wor
k around that.”

  I couldn’t believe it. I was the senior-most member of Julie’s staff, but I hadn’t seen this coming. I knew the company prided itself with having a member of the family as an owner. I wasn’t sure what I had done to earn it, but I wasn’t going to argue with it. It was my dream, owning a company and doing what I loved.

  “I’m not family,” I reminded her.

  “You are to me,” she said simply. “I’m an only child with no kids. This company needs to live on, and it will take two of us to make that happen. My father was thrilled when I mentioned you.”

  “Okay,” I caved. “I’m in. What do we do now?”

  We spent the rest of the day signing paperwork, going through files, and reviewing what came with the CFO position. When I stepped out of the building with the last box from my office, I stopped short. We had been in and out all day, transferring files to my car that would come with me, but I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. The intent had been to return to Maine that night, but I still needed to pack up what I could at my house here, so they could rent it out again. It had been such a whirlwind of a day that I hadn’t even called home to let everyone know what was going on. I would have to do that when I got back to the house.

  My brain was still spinning as I made the short trek. It was going to be weird not being at this office any more, however Julie assured me that we would have one set up in Maine as soon as cash flow permitted. She was even willing to do it close to me, so I didn’t have to do much traveling. It was so surreal. Maybe I’d check with Keegan to see if Grind was working on any new office buildings close to home.

  “Ooof!” I gasped as I slammed on my breaks.

  I had been so distracted when I pulled into my driveway that I hadn’t noticed the pickup parked in my spot. Cooper’s Dodge filled the space my car normally occupied, unsure what was going on, I turned off my car. The house was lit up and I could see his shadow behind the blinds in my bedroom.

  “What is he up to?” I whispered to myself as I made my way up the walkway and into the house.

  ‘90s country blared from my living room stereo. There I found boxes everywhere, filled in varying states, and I could hear Cooper’s deep voice singing along from upstairs. My lips parted in a content smile, and I took the stairs two at a time to get to him. When I reached the doorway of the bedroom, I leaned against it and took him in. He was wearing worn jeans that cupped his ass where he was squatting in my closet, putting shoes into a box, his black tank top stretched taut over his shoulder muscles, and his cowboy boots molded to his feet. The man was eye candy, and after not having seen him for the last five days, I was ready for a piece.

  I was just starting to move toward him when he turned and stood. I stopped dead in my tracks and squeaked in surprise when I saw his face. My noise caught his attention and he smiled broadly when he saw me. I rushed to him and gently cupped his face in my hands, while his dropped the box and landed on my hips. Cooper’s nose was slightly swollen, with a cut across the bridge. That wasn’t what had shocked me; it was the two black eyes he had.

  “What the hell happened?” I cried, running my hands along the planes of his face, searching for other injuries.

  “Just a little misunderstanding with my brother,” he chuckled, pulling my body tighter against his. “Nothing a little love from my lady can’t fix.”

  I couldn’t ask any other questions because his mouth devoured mine then. Clearly, I hadn’t been the only one missing something. His teeth nipped at my lip, seeking entrance, and I sighed, allowing his tongue to reach in and touch mine. What I thought was going to be a duel of wills and wild passionate sex, actually turned into soft caresses and reverent lovemaking. Neither of us wanted to miss a moment. Something had changed.

  After removing my clothes and planting soft open-mouthed kisses over each part of my body as he revealed them, he lifted me under the butt cheeks and wrapped my legs around his hips. The cotton of his jeans rubbed against my bare clit and I nearly came undone when he moved to lay me back on the bed. I watched him as he pulled his shirt off over his head, muscles rippling, tattoos dancing on his arms. Unable to resist leaning down to kiss me, he leaned one knee on the bed and brushed his lips against mine while he undid his pants.

  When he finally joined me back on the bed with a condom in hand, I took it from him. Opening it, I rolled it down the hard shaft that strained toward me begging for release. Cooper wasted no time in sheathing himself inside me once we were protected. I wrapped my legs around him, once again pulling him close, and reached up to lock my hands with his. He rocked against me in a slow steady rhythm that hit my sweet spot every time. I purred my approval, never letting my eyes leave his, even when they nearly closed in ecstasy.

  I sensed my orgasm building and tried my hardest to hold it at bay. Everything felt so good and I didn’t want it to end. Cooper must have noticed my body starting to clench around him because he stopped moving. Locked inside me, he leaned down and placed gentle, sweet kisses on my forehead, cheeks, and lips. Finally gripping my hands tightly in his and leaning his forehead against mine, I could feel him pulsing inside me.

  “Avery, I love you,” he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.

  “I love you, too, Cooper,” I moaned, as he shifted his hips and the pressure on my clit took me over the edge.

  He followed me seconds later. As we came down from our high, he pulled out of me and climbed out of bed to dispose of the condom. Cooper quickly returned, pulling me to him and wrapping me in his arms. I laid my head against his chest and took in the steady beating of his heart. It nearly put me to sleep, when my eyes shot open.

  “Wait, did you tell me that you loved me?” I asked, propping myself up on his chest to look at him.

  “Took you long enough,” he chuckled, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear with a finger.

  “Do you really?” I asked, my voice low.

  “Always have,” he answered, “and always will.”

  I climbed up to straddle him and gave him a long, slow kiss. This man. He would be the death of me. I had loved him once, and it broke me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. What if it happened again? Could my adult heart handle it better than my teenage one had?

  “Stop overthinking,” he told me, tapping me affectionately on the nose.

  I giggled and squirmed against him as he maneuvered us so he was once again on top of me. A wide grin split his handsome face when he reached under the covers to tickle me lightly across my ribs. He might break my heart again, but he made me smile. He was who I was meant for. Kissing me hard on the lips, he swatted at the side of my butt and climbed out of bed. I rolled over on my side to watch him as he pulled on his jeans.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I brought Chinese food,” he said, leaning down to kiss me again. “Get dressed and come downstairs.”

  “Such a man,” I mumbled to his retreating form, earning myself a laugh. “Sex and food, that’s all that matters to you.”

  I dug around in drawers and found workout pants and a tank top. Minutes later, I was joining him downstairs as he took out multiple takeout containers. We spread them out on the coffee table and served ourselves dinner. I looked around as I had my first few bites. It had appeared as thought Cooper had been busy for a few hours before I showed up. Almost everything in the living room had been boxed up and from my view of the kitchen, that was nearly done as well.

  “How did you know?” I asked him, pointing at the boxes with my fork as I chewed.

  “When I didn’t hear from you, I called your brother and he filled me in,” he replied, refilling his plate with spare ribs. “I figured I could kill two birds with one stone; spend time with you, and help you bring everything home.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to touch his cheek. He turned his head and kissed my palm before pulling away to take a bite of his supper. That’s when I noticed something was off. He was sitting beside me, but he felt distant all of a sudden. I
t was like a switch had been flipped since we were upstairs. He avoided making eye contact with me while he finished eating, and he barely made small talk. Just as he was about to get up to put everything away, I moved and straddled him, pinning him to the couch.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” he lied, moving to kiss me and shift me off of him.

  “Oh, hell no.” I demanded, as I dug my fingers into the back of the furniture and gripped his hips with my knees. “You don’t get to tell me you love me when we are in bed, and disconnect yourself here. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “I know, but you’re going to be pissed,” he mumbled, laying his head back between my hands.

  “That’s a great way to start,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “It’s true,” he insisted before his tone grew serious. “You know how I told you I would have to go back to Nashville to finish the album?”

  “Yeah…”

  “We leave on Friday,” he let out in a rush. “We will be gone for two months.”

  My stomach dropped and the supper I’d just consumed threatened to come right back up. I tried to distance myself and found him locking me against hard muscles as his arms came around me. He buried his face in my neck and kissed the skin left bare by my top. Tears filled my eyes. Unable to contain them, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and let them slide down my face, untouched.

  “Is that why you told me you loved me? Because you hoped that it would lessen the blow for your leaving?”

  “I told you I loved you because I do,” he snapped, his head coming back so he could look me in the eye. “You’re my everything, Ave. It’s only two months. I’m coming back, I promise.”

  I struggled to believe him. I knew he loved me; he had done everything in his power to show me that. However, all I could picture was myself going to his house when I was eighteen, and finding out that he had left me. The only difference was, this time he was telling me. Maybe that was the key.