The Way Back Home (Homecoming Novella)

by C. Lymari

  Thirty minutes: that was how long it took for Prescott to walk in. This time, he wasn't stumbling drunk, but his eyes were bloodshot. I didn't even ask him what he wanted; I went back and made his usual. Setting the yellow mug down, I took a seat across from him in the booth. This was new; he was usually drunker. It made me more comfortable speaking with him.

  "Why the first of August?"

  “I’m not fucking drunk enough for that shit,” Prescott growled. He was still wearing his tie; he finished taking it off. “I had a last-minute council meeting; it took away from my plans.”

  “Your plans being getting stupid drunk?”

  Prescott cast his dark eyes my way and glared at me. “Pretty boy standing you up is nothing compared to the hell I have inside me.”

  I flinched at his tone. I felt silly for being so hung up over what Dex did to me. Prescott was right; it was nothing compared to what other people went through.

  “So what’s your hell?” I asked again.

  “I’m such a fucking dick.” Prescott looked away from me, ignoring my question completely. “This whole time I felt better because no one was happy. Not my little sister in her ivory mansion. Certainly not Max, pretending to be in love with another woman.” He stopped to take a sip of coffee. “Since I couldn’t have it all, it made me feel better that neither did Max…and now she’s back, and he’s not going to be able to help himself.”

  Was he talking about Freya and Max?

  “What are you talking about?” I played stupid.

  "Freya's back. I saw her at the station a few days ago, and in her luggage, she's bringing back the fragments of my brother's broken heart."

  Whoa.

  “Why the first of August?” I asked once more, a little bit more determined this time.

  His eyes flashed with pain before he quickly masked it. Pulling out a twenty, he put it on the table and got up.

  “I’ll drive you,” I told him.

  “I’m not drunk enough, Goldie,” he stated.

  “Why August first?” I said, taking a step to where he was standing.

  “Because that’s the day she got rid of my kid,” he whispered with his eyes closed, a tear making its way down.

  I gasped at the news.

  “And the worst part? It’s all my fucking fault.”

  I’d come to care for him as a friend. Sure, he was all polished and sometimes moody, but underneath it all was a broken man, and he…well, he was my friend. I ran to give him a hug. I couldn’t imagine losing a kid. I wondered who the woman was who broke his heart. Prescott froze at first, then he returned my hug and kissed the top of my head.

  “Come on. I’ll walk you to your car. It’s fucking late.” Prescott guided me out of the store. He took the keys away from me and closed the door while I stood next to him. Once my place was locked, he gave me another hug.

  "This is why you couldn't give me a chance." Dex appeared out of the shadows, his eyes going between me and Prescott. He was obviously hurt. "You were too busy having an affair."

  I felt the blood drain from my face. It hurt to know that he thought I would be capable of having an affair with a married man. Did he think so little of me?

  Prescott took a step towards Dex. “You’ve got to be fucking shitting me.”

  “Don’t act like you’re not getting tail; your marriage means nothing to you,” Dex seethed, then he turned towards me. “You’re not the only one he has.”

  I gasped, and at the sound, Dex flexed his jaw. I was shocked to learn all of this about Prescott. He was married. He had a wife, and he cheated on her.

  “Why don’t you shut the fuck up before you make a bigger fool of yourself. Emma deserves nothing but respect from you,” Prescott snapped.

  Both men turned to look at me, and it was awkward because I wasn’t used to that.

  “Want me to punch him for standing you up?” Prescott asked.

  I shook my head once I realized he was serious. The guys had a stare down, then Prescott put his hand to the back of my head, gave my forehead a kiss, and walked away. Okay, wasn't he just defending me a second ago? Now he’d left me in the dark alone with Dex, who, by the way, still looked pissed as hell.

  “I have to go home.” I started to turn away.

  I wasn’t equipped for all the drama today was bringing. I needed a good night’s sleep to recharge my batteries. I didn’t even get a step in before Dex grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

  It had been so long since I’d properly stared at him. His hair was shorter than the last time I saw him, and he was now sporting a nice trimmed beard that probably was hell to maintain every day, but it looked amazing. Total freaking snack. And I hated that, because every day, I could pretend he wasn’t that gorgeous since he wasn’t all up in my face.

  “You’re not fucking him?” he asked.

  “Of course I’m not,” I replied, trying to pull away from his grip.

  Dex was breathing heavily, to the point that it scared me. I had no idea what his next move would be. His hand came to the back of my head, much like Prescott's had. Except now, my skin tingled where Dex touched me, my knees wobbled, and my air…my air was all him.

  "D-Dex,” I stammered.

  “I told you once that I wouldn’t take your sweet mouth until I was sure you wanted it,” he rasped, his face getting closer to mine.

  I gulped, feeling a tad bit better. I’d never said I wanted his mouth, so surely I was safe.

  Dex stared at me for a few long beats before he spoke. When he did, his words shook me to my core.

  “You want it so bad, sunshine, but you’re scared to take it.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, to lie, to make any excuse and run away. But the moment I did, his mouth was on mine.

  Over one million nerve endings are in our lips, and at this moment, I felt them all. It was like I was being pulled in all directions, feeling hot and cold, flying and falling at the same time. My heart might have been hesitant, but my body knew what it wanted, because my arms were wrapped around Dex's neck with one of my hands running through his hair.

  Holy moly. I was kissing Dex back.

  “Emma,” he breathed against my lips.

  That was more than enough to pull me from the trance I had found myself in. Unwrapping my arms from him, I took a step back.

  “I’ve got to go,” I managed to get out before I ran away.

  I was almost in my car when he shouted after me.

  “Sunshine, there’s no way in hell I’m giving up after that kiss.”

  Dex didn’t see, but when I drove away, I did it smiling.

  10

  Dex

  A few days after my kiss with Emma, I officially got my detective badge. It felt like a sign from the universe telling me that things were finally looking up. The first thing I did was ditch the uniform for more casual wear. It wasn’t like everyone didn't already know who I was anyway.

  On Sundays, it tended to be slower. There were only five of us in today, Clark being one of them. When I got my promotion, I thought Clark would have been one of the people who would have been angry with me over it, but all he’d said was, “If they wanted it so bad, they should have gone and gotten the degree.”

  He was a pretty chill dude; he was even helping me fix the little cottage I’d bought. It wasn't much, but it was coming out really nice.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  I grinned. "To get some coffee. You want some?"

  He shook his head and flicked me off. Right away, when I walked in, I saw a new woman in the shop. I guess Layla had finally gotten tired of waiting for me to change my mind. She’d straight-up told me that the only reason she got the job at Emma's was that I spent so much time here.

  “Hello, welcome to Emma’s Coffee, where we serve the best coffee in town. How may I help you?” The woman leaned in, giving me a cheeky grin. She had cute brown hair and eyes. She kind of reminded me of one of my aunts. She also looked too high-maintenance for my taste.r />
  For a second, I felt like an idiot for not realizing sooner that that was one of the things I liked most about Emma. Not that she was simple, because a woman like her could never be described as such. But she had such life in her that it poured out of her, and it made her shine. It made her special.

  “Ah, a new face. I’ll have my usual. Emma knows just how I like it.” I made my intentions clear. I didn’t need another woman flirting with me when the only reason I came over was to see Emma.

  She was standing farther away. I bit my lip grinning when I noticed her yellow Chucks. Although she liked simplicity, there was nothing simple about that woman.

  The woman looked at me, then back at Emma, and gave me a blinding smile. “Well, Emma will make it just how you like it. Won’t you, Emma?”

  “I’ll get to it,” Emma mumbled, her head down, looking at the floor like it was fascinating.

  I had to fight back a grin. It was really taking everything in me to not jump over the counter and kiss her. Damn. Her mouth, her taste, those lips. I couldn’t stop thinking about it all, and what I would do if I ever got the chance to do it again.

  I studied the new woman who Emma had hired. I really needed to talk to her; she had no concern for her own safety. Her friendship with Prescott was another thing I didn’t like. The guy was a total asshole. But money talked, and he was probably going to be the next mayor.

  “How do you like our town?” I asked the woman.

  “I’m not new here. Born and raised. I moved back for now.” She extended her hand. “Freya Pratt.”

  “Dex Hendrix,” I replied, trying to think who had the surname Pratt. The only one who came to mind was the old guy who rented Max’s land.

  “Detective? Did good ol’ Timmy finally retire? How many cops in the precinct? Still eight?” Freya teased.

  “More like eleven, and you mean Chief Timmy.”

  “Here you go, Dex,” Emma mumbled, again not looking at my face. If I didn’t find it adorable, I would have been pissed.

  "Nice to meet you, Freya. Jess." I turned my attention to Emma, who was standing behind Freya, her body tense. “I’ll see you around, Emma.”

  I didn’t think she noticed, but I did see the relieved breath she took once I said her name. Making my way to the station, I went to look for Clark. If anyone knew anything, it was him. Freya might have been born and raised here, but that didn’t mean I had to trust her with Emma’s safety.

  “What do you know about Freya Pratt?” I asked.

  Clark started choking on the chips he was eating. “Did you say Freya Pratt?”

  I gave him a nod.

  “Shiiieeet.”

  “What?!” I demanded.

  Was this chick crazy? Did I need to go and get her to somehow agree to quit her job? Layla did it after I told her I was never sleeping with her. Honestly, I was surprised my hand didn’t have blisters with how much I jacked off. It had been so long, I didn’t even remember what pussy felt like. No one else in town would do, just Emma. And dicking around with another woman would eventually make it to her ears, so, for the past year and a half, celibacy had been my friend. My best fucking friend.

  “Things are about to get interesting,” he answered cryptically.

  “Is she crazy? ‘Cause I don’t want her around Emma if that’s the case.”

  Clark rolled his eyes. Everyone in the precinct knew how I felt. Did I feel bad for making Emma off-limits? Fuck no. She. Was. Mine. Clark pulled his chair back, went to one of the cabinets, and grabbed a dusty file. He came back and threw it on the desk. Dust flew everywhere, making us cough. Grabbing the file, I read the title: Bane of My Existence. I recognized Chief’s scrawny writing.

  “Spawn One and Two?” I gave Clark a questioning look.

  Clark sat back down. “Freya and Rusty. They even had their own code.”

  “Fuck me.”

  “I know you haven’t gotten laid in a while, but I’m not giving you a pity fuck,” Clark said, flashing a cocky grin. He was such a dipshit sometimes.

  Parking my car in front of the shop, I thanked my lucky stars that there was no one at Emma's. Finally, a fucking break. When I opened the door, the bells chimed, but the place was empty. She was probably in the back finishing getting everything ready. Noticing that the blackboard was empty, I grabbed a piece of chalk. Never be afraid to speak what’s on your mind.

  “Good morning,” Emma said cheerily, and a part of me hated that as soon as she saw me, she would retreat.

  “Morning, sunshine.” I walked up to the counter so I could get a little closer.

  “Dex,” she gasped, her eyes looking everywhere for a customer who could save her.

  Not today. For right now, she was all mine. Stolen moments were all I had with her. Now that I had no audience, I was not going to waste time.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you, Emma,” I told her.

  She opened her mouth to cut me off, but I kept going.

  “And it’s not even about the kiss. It’s so much more than that. Sunshine, look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t feel it too.”

  She sucked in a breath.

  “You can’t, can you?” I challenged.

  When the door chimed, I cursed whoever had walked in.

  “I see you’re still bothering Goldie here.” Prescott fixed his tie without even looking at me or Emma.

  Just like she did with everyone who was a regular, she had his coffee ready to go.

  “I’ll see you around Emma,” I told her.

  When I stepped outside, I stepped to the side where the windowpane ended. This was a conversation Emma didn’t need to know about. The first thing I saw was Prescott’s brown polished shoes, followed by a whiff of his fancy cologne.

  “Had a feeling you would wait for me,” he said as he took a sip of coffee. “I have a busy day, so whatever you have to say, you can do it as we make our way to the mayor's office.”

  “What’s your deal with Emma?” I asked.

  Prescott didn’t miss a step; he kept on walking, and that pissed me off.

  “Are you still on the whole ‘I’m trying to seduce her’ kick?” He took another sip. “Because if anyone fucked up their chances with her, it's you.”

  I almost drew blood from holding back my tongue from lashing out, but I held back because I knew he was partly right. I should never have trusted Abigail. Moments like this were when I felt the most foolish. Emma was right to think I was young and stupid. I’d had no idea what I had right in front of me. By the time I’d figured my shit out, it was too late.

  No. I cut myself right off. It wasn’t too late. I wouldn’t let it be too late.

  “Listen, Dunnett. I know men like you,” I said.

  He chuckled. "Men like me? I can guarantee you, there are no men like me. And, in answer to your question, nothing is going on between Emma and I. I can also assure you that nothing will be going on between you and Emma if you keep being a pussy.”

  "I'm not a pussy. You don't know Emma. She's shy."

  Prescott sighed and then abruptly stopped. “If Emma wasn’t shy, what would you have done already?”

  I stopped and thought of my answer. If Emma weren't as shy as she was, she would have been in my bed a long time ago. I would have made her so dizzy that she wouldn't even know how she got there in the first place.

  “Look, here’s my two cents. Take them or leave them, no skin off my back. Push her. Back her into a corner. Emma, she’s a dreamer and she’s always been quiet, but she’s loyal. So, she’s scared. Well, too bad for her. Your job is to make sure nothing frightens her.”

  I looked at Prescott, who was staring at me with impatience. He made sense, and I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. What he was doing to his wife was wrong on so many levels.

  “Why don’t you do that for your wife?” I challenged.

  Immediately his face shut down and the impatient look he carried changed to anger. "You're just like your nosey fucking cousin. She's always on Max's a
ss about it."

  I ignored him comparing me to Abigail. I supposed it was good to know that cheating bothered her too.

  "Except your cousin hates it for other reasons. Because she's seeing in me what she fears my brother would do to her,” he continued.

  I kept quiet, letting Prescott keep talking.

  "My family wanted a business merger with Rachel's father. Rachel wanted me."

  “So, you married her to get what you wanted?” I said, disgusted.

  Prescott smirked at me. "I told Rachel I would never love her, not to go along with our fathers’ wishes, not to push for marriage. If she’d wanted, she could have made her father invest without us getting married. She didn't listen to me. On our wedding night, I vowed to treat her like she wasn't even there." He took the last sip of his coffee before he threw it away. "My dear wife could have avoided all her heartache if she hadn’t essentially forced me to marry her. You're lucky your father doesn't give a crap about the money. To my father, our money, our name, that's everything."

  I watched him leave, thinking how fucked up it was for him. I never wanted that to be me. He was right. I needed to stop caring so much for Emma’s feeling and start thinking of my own.

  -

  A few days later, I was at my desk when my Aunt Annabeth called me, which was weird, especially when she asked if I was still at work. Now I was on my way to Eugene’s, he was an old man who sold Max his land, and in return, he got to keep his trailer in the property. I was on my way to his land because the shed he’d recently built violated the terms set by the landlord. I was sure Max didn’t care; he seemed to have a soft spot for the old man, much to Abigail’s dismay.

  When I got to the old trailer, Freya was in her pajamas watching the flames of an illegal bonfire. Shit. Now, that definitely violated terms.

  “Hey, Dex. If I knew you were coming, I would have told you to bring stuff to make s’mores.” Freya smiled at me as I approached.

  “What are you doing, Freya?”

  “I’m burning the clothes that my ex-boyfriend tried to throw in my face that he bought me,” she said nonchalantly.