Just One Kiss (Oh Tequila Series Book 4)

by C. A. Harms

  “That’s fucked up, Brent.” More than fucked up. How in the hell could any person do that to any child, let alone their own?

  “I took one look at my mom, and I think she just knew, because she brought my dad into the room and we decided to raise my daughter together. Leah is the reason I’m gone most days; I take this drive to see her.”

  I think we all just thought he was out fucking around, being a college asshole without any real commitments.

  “She has a prosthetic leg and gets around pretty good. I try to make it to her therapy at least twice a week and on Sundays we go to lunch, just the two of us, before she takes me back to the house and we watch one of the many Disney movies she has.” Brent smiled, which triggered my laughter.

  “Never would have guessed you were a princess kind of guy.”

  “I could tell you the name of every Disney princess, the story line, and what prince they were with. That shit’s the bomb, dude.” The moment needed a little humor.

  “So why keep it all quiet?”

  “It was the one condition my parents gave me no other choice but to accept. They adopted my daughter so she could be placed on my father’s insurance. It was the only way to afford the care she would need. They made me promise that I would live my life like any other seventeen-year-old-boy and that I would go to college. I get to see her every day, she calls me ‘Daddy,’ and they saved me from losing my daughter forever.”

  This shit was much deeper than I thought our little road trip would consist of. “Wendy?”

  This made Brent laugh but the look in his eyes was far from humorous. “She had a pen in her hand to sign over her rights even before the papers were printed. She walked away and never looked back. Last I heard, she was living in West Virginia with a cousin and dating some older guy.”

  “Heartless.”

  “Yeah, but we’re better off without her around her to poison us. I never want Leah to feel as though she isn’t beautiful. To me she’ll always be a gift.”

  “Sappy,” I say with a smirk, “and you call my brother, Eli, and Xavier sunk.”

  “I was in love from the day Leah was born, and I guess I can say I understand how they can be so in tune with another person that what they need always comes first.” Brent grabbed his helmet and I followed his movements. “I just didn’t want you to be shocked when she comes running up, calling me Daddy. I’ve seen the way people look at her and it’s hard sometimes because the dad in me wants to protect her. I want to tell all those people to fucking look at her and not at her leg, but I know it’s a natural reaction. All I want in life is for her to have a fair shot, ya know. I want everyone to see her like I do.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for? I’m ready to meet this princess, but just to forewarn you, she may end up falling for me and forgetting you by the day’s end.”

  “You’re a menace, Corbin. We all know that you don’t have the skills to make the ladies fall in love.” I knew he meant it as a joke, but the guy had no idea how close he’d hit to home.

  ***

  “How many times can you do this before you get tired of it?” Brent asked as he placed his hands beneath the arms of his little girl and lifted her in the air. She gave him a serious look which made him laugh.

  “Or sick?” I added, because just watching him spin her around in circles for the last hour over and over was making me feel nauseated.

  “She’ll have him doing that all day and night if he lets her.” Brent’s mother leaned over and refilled my glass of lemonade before taking a seat on the patio next to her husband. He nodded in agreement as they both looked out at their granddaughter and son. There was no doubt they adored them both, and the love in their eyes reminded me a lot of the look my own parents gave me and Clayton. We might drive them crazy at times, but their love was something fierce.

  “It’s nice to meet one of Brent’s friends,” Paul, Brent’s dad said without taking his eyes off them. They continued to spin and laugh before Leah would demand it all again. “He tries to keep her so sheltered from everything, but he doesn’t see the strength in that girl. She doesn’t let it get to her, she embraces it. When someone asks her what happened, she tells them ‘Nothing happened to me. I was born this way because God found me special. He gave me a difference because He knew I could handle everything that comes with it.’”

  “That comes from her Papa, though.” Brent’s mom hugged her husband lovingly from the side. “You’ve told her that very thing from the first day we brought her home and have never stopped. She doesn’t see herself as different.”

  “She’s gifted,” I said before I realized the words fell from my mouth.

  “Exactly,” they both agreed, and together we watched Brent with his daughter. The love between them made me feel raw. It was breathtaking, really, and normally I’m not an emotional guy. I let everything roll off my shoulders, generally without a second thought. Life was too short.

  But this—it was life-changing.

  Chapter Seven

  Palmer

  “Peace offering.” I looked up from the books scattered on my bed only to find an arm extended out from the mostly closed door of my bedroom. It was obvious it was Clayton, and he held a bag from Katy’s, my absolute favorite bakery. “It’s from all of us,” he finally added as he peeked around the corner.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

  “After your meltdown earlier, I think we were all terrified that you’d throw something hard at our heads the first chance you got.” He stepped around the door and just behind him was Ethan, extended high in the air.

  “Real nice, Dalton.” I rolled my eyes. “Use the little man as a shield.”

  “I told Clay it was a sure-fire way to stay safe, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  “It’s because he has a conscience.” Dalton was a menace too. “What would you have done if I did toss something in your direction before I knew you were holding Ethan?”

  He gasped in horror, clutching Ethan to his chest almost protectively. “Well, I would tell his momma for sure. Then I would pacify him with the six chocolate chip cookies we just picked up for you.”

  Dalton lowered Ethan to the floor, who instantly darted across the room and jumped onto my bed. Emelie had already gone in to work and from the looks of it, Clayton was on diaper duty. I am sure it was related to the mood I was in that she had opted out of asking me, but there was never a good enough reason for me to deny Ethan. He always made me happier.

  When he climbed up into my lap and instantly touched my cheek, a smile covered my lips. “You wanna cookie?”

  “Yesh.” He spoke around his slobbered hand and I held out my own to Clayton. Wiggling my fingers, I demanded the cookies and snatched them quickly from his grasp.

  “The two of you can go now,” I said as I peeked through my hair that had fallen around my face. “Ethan and I got all we need.”

  “Dude,” Dalton said, “we just got dismissed.”

  I looked up just in time to see Clayton shrug. “You want a beer?”

  “Hell yeah.” Both guys turned toward the door just as I pulled out the first cookie and split it in half. I could already feel the crumbs falling into my lap as Ethan devoured his portion.

  “By the way,” Clayton paused in the doorway, “he still needs a bath and I caught him eating his boogers again.” The image hit me, and I shivered as I looked down at a now smiling Ethan. He seemed so proud. “Then he was digging in his diaper before we brought him in here, so there’s that.”

  My eyes widened, and I thought of pulling the cookie from his grasp so we could sanitize his hands, but then Clayton started to laugh as he walked out of the room. He had to be joking. My eyes shifted toward Ethan once more and I chose to pretend that I hadn’t heard the last few comments. Surely Clayton would have cleaned his hands.

  ***

  I woke sometime later to find Ethan gone and crumbs still on my sheet and a half-eaten cookie laying at my s
ide. Little teeth marks told me it was Ethan’s and not my own. It wasn’t quite dark out, but I could tell it was fast approaching as the sun didn’t seem quite as bright as it had earlier.

  Standing, I did my best to contain the cookie pieces on my shirt and walked toward my garbage can.

  “He came running out earlier, telling us he’d put you to bed.” I looked back to find Dalton standing in my doorway. He dragged both Clayton and me in here to show us. I gotta say, you look cute with chocolate on your chin and cheek.”

  Immediately I lifted my hand to wipe the space and sure enough, I found chocolate exactly where he’d stated, only it was also smeared on my hand. His laughter didn’t even faze me, because at that point I felt exhausted from my earlier breakdown as well as the mini-nap that left me needing more sleep.

  “I was gonna take off soon, but before I did, I wanted to make sure we’re still friends.” Dalton dipped his chin toward his chest as he approached with caution. “You should know I like teasing you and I never meant to get you all fired up. I definitely didn’t mean to out you to Clayton and Emelie about your romp in the trees.”

  Shaking my head, I reached out and gripped his shirt, pulling him in for a hug. “You, Dalton Greer, will forever and always be one of my very best friends. Though at times I want to superglue your lips shut and hang you out a high window by nothing more than your toes, I could never stay mad at you.”

  “That was graphic,” he mumbled in my hair. “I just don’t want you to pretend you don’t want something that your heart tells you to take.” He squeezed me a little harder and I remained quiet, mulling over his words. “You’ve always been that girl who chooses to keep people at a distance, always overthinking things and taking care of others. But I just think that it’s about time for you to take care of you and to find your own happy.”

  “I am happy,” I assured him.

  “But you could be happier,” Dalton pushed. “If that boy has even an ounce of the heart Clayton does, I can guarantee you’ll be happier than pigs in mud.”

  “You are so weird.”

  He released me and stepped back. “I heard Clayton say it earlier and it sorta stuck with me.”

  Both he and Corbin always came up with strange farm-related analogies.

  “Anyway, I’m gonna head out. Gotta get some rest so when my man comes home tomorrow my stamina is up to par.”

  “Don’t need to know.” I knew that never stopped him.

  “Have I ever told you just how much Phil likes to explore different—” I held up my hand to stop him and his eyes grew wide. “You need to get a little more adventurous. You and your Kentucky boy got nothing on me and Phil.” He leaned in real close. “Next time you are in the movie theater you should most definitely sit in the far back corner. You wouldn’t believe what you could get away with in dark places.” With a waggle of his brows he kissed my cheek and backed out of the room with a huge smile on his face. “Sweet dreams,” he winked. “Next time I’m in town I want to meet this Corbin guy.”

  Oh, dear lord. I hung my head as I fell back onto my mattress. I’d forgotten the cookie was lying there and now the thing was stuck to the center of my back. Did I mention it was soggy from an excessive amount of slobber?

  Ugh. I shivered and tried to wiggle around to grasp it. This was so not my friggin’ day.

  Chapter Eight

  Corbin

  “She’s amazing.” I stood at Brent’s side as we looked at his now sleeping daughter. Between Brent and me, we’d wiped her out. I’ve never had any issues with kids; I like ‘em fine. I just have never been around them much, with the exception of Ethan. But I gotta admit, Leah was a kick-ass kid.

  She was tough as nails, both inside and out. She rough-housed and bulldozed to the best of her abilities, but she had a soft side too. The best of both worlds, honestly, and Brent looked at his little girl like she hung the stars. In a way I guess she had—his stars at least.

  “After I graduate and get my degree, I swear to it I’m gonna buy her the best of everything.” I knew he would, too. Anyone could see the determination in his eyes. “She’s gonna start school next year.” I looked away from Leah and focused on Brent. “It slays the hell out of me, man. The idea of the other kids treating her different, making fun of her. It’ll gut me, I just know it will.”

  “She’s got one hell of an outlook on her life though,” I offered with a reassuring squeeze. “I think it’s safe to say that she’ll be the kid everyone wants to play with, she’ll run the show, and the rest will have no other choice but to follow.”

  “I hope you’re right Corbin.”

  We shared a few more minutes with his parents before we said our goodbyes. This trip ended up being a lot more than I had ever bargained for, and I was leaving to head back to school with a whole new respect for Brent.

  With our helmets on and our bikes running, we both offered a wave at his parents before pulling away toward Gainesville. The ride was great on our way here, the sun shining bright, but there was something to be said about riding at sunset. I honked my horn at Brent and he looked back over his shoulder before pulling over to the side of the road as I slipped up beside him. “Cooling off,” I said in explanation for the stop, trying to speak loud enough over the idling roar of our bikes. I grabbed the strap of my bag and slid it off my shoulder, fishing for my sweatshirt inside.

  “Pansy,” he hollered out and flipped up his face shield. “You made me pull over because you’re cold?”

  “Yeah.” I lifted off my helmet and slid the shirt over my head before putting my helmet on once more.

  “I thought your brother was the pussy.” And there was the version of Brent I’d always known. Not the devoted father who loved his little girl more than anything else in this world, but the asshole who took every chance he could to hassle one of his fraternity brothers. “We need to find your balls, man.” He looked behind us, almost in search of something as his gaze scanned over the ground behind us. “Little marble fuckers I know, but they gotta be here somewhere.”

  “Fuck off, dick.” I flipped him off when his stare met mine once more. I revved the engine of my bike and he chuckled. I had every intention of taking off ahead of him and leading the ride home, but he couldn’t let that happen. He hit the throttle and off he went, leaving me behind in nothing but a whirl of dust.

  Clearing the air, I raced after him, feeling lighter than I had in weeks. This day was good, great even. It was a day that made me realize things aren’t always as they seem. That we never truly know someone until we take the time to really look at what’s hiding beneath the exterior.

  I could see Brent’s taillight as he continued ahead, I’m sure feeling the pride of leaving me behind. Competitive dick.

  We passed a few other bikes along the way; it was a great night for a ride. I’d always loved riding when we were back in Kentucky. It was almost as if I had wings.

  Looking back toward Brent I could see a bend in the road up ahead. The idea of hitting the throttle and speeding toward him hit me, then I saw it. Headlights were coming around the curve, and they were all over the place. In the left lane then the right, back and forth in a slow weaving motion. I knew Brent had to see them too, because suddenly his bike veered, only it was too late.

  Never before…in my life…had I ever…heard such a terrifying sound.

  Then I went down.

  A combination of fear and devastation hit me as I lay my bike down, knowing that at my speed if I hadn’t, I too would have been a victim to the car.

  A burning sensation raced through me; my leg and hip felt as though they were on fire. The sounds of my bike scraping across the asphalt reached me, but all I could think of was Brent.

  The second I was able to dig myself out from beneath my bike, I moved. I hobbled at first, pushing past the pain I felt. The closer I got to the scene the more my heart sank. There were no sounds, no screams for help, no cries of pain, only silence.

  Brent lay face down on the should
er, eerily still. I stood staring at him, my body frozen with a refusal to accept what was before me. This wasn’t happening; it wasn’t real. I kept thinking I’d wake up and this entire thing would be nothing but a bad dream. Only that never came.

  I knelt at his side, my hands shaking profusely as I reached out and placed my fingers on the side of his neck. In that instant, I swear it felt like my own heart stopped beating when I realized he had no pulse.

  “No, oh fuck no.” The words didn’t even sound as if they were my own. The drawn-out desperation echoed as I fell to my ass next to my friend. Reaching out, I lay my hand on his back and placed my forehead to the side of his head, my body trembling uncontrollably. “No, no, no!” I screamed, unstoppable tears rolling over my cheeks. “Wake up, man!” I shook him as he lay lifeless at my side. This couldn’t be happening; I refused to believe it.

  Sliding closer, I carefully lifted his head and sobbed when I saw the blood that covered him was more blood than I had ever witnessed before in my life.

  “Brent!” I screamed out his name. “Wake the fuck up!” Tears fell from my eyes, running over my cheeks, and dripping into the space between us. The sounds of sirens screamed off in the distance, but all I could hear were sounds of Brent’s little girl in my head.

  “Daddy, spin me again.” Her laughter when Brent picked her up and for the twentieth time spun her in a circle, causing her to giggle and throw her head back.

  I gripped him tighter, pulling his body to mine as I cried into his shoulder, long forgetting about my own injuries, the skin of my leg burning from the road rash. None of it seemed to matter.

  My heart hurt so fucking much I would swear that it was being slowly torn from my body.

  “Why?” I cried harder, saying the same word over and over. It didn’t make sense. Why take him from his little girl?