Until I Found You: A Second Chance Standalone Romance (Heart's Compass Book 3)

by Brooke O'Brien

  She sighs softly, as her fingers slide along my cheek and into my hair, holding my head against her as she roughly pulls the strands.

  Some days I feel like I can’t get enough of her. When I wake up in the morning, she’s the first thing I think about. When I go to bed at night, she’s the last thing on my mind. When we’re together, I find myself being reckless out of the need to give her everything she wants. Just like I am now, standing outside in the middle of a dark field, ready and willing to give into her just to hear more of those sighs of contentment.

  Her smile, her laugh, and her snarky sense of humor. She’s everything. She pulls me out of the dark corners of my mind, and I fucking love her for it.

  Her tongue brushes against my lower lip, eagerly seeking entrance into my mouth and I give into her. I give into her every damn time because this woman fucking owns me. She’s everything that is good and right in this world.

  I’d give her the world if she wanted. All she’d have to do is ask.

  “Graham,” she sighs again, and I can’t help it. Brushing my thumb over the apple of her cheek, I pull back and look into her eyes before I press another kiss against her lips.

  “Yes, sweetheart.”

  “Take me back to your house,” she whispers, as she rubs her legs together.

  I recognize the look of desire in her eyes, just as she roughly presses a kiss against my lips. Her quiet whimpers as her fingers claw against my neck, holding me in place.

  We’ve both been drinking tonight. My mom had to pull a double shift at the bar tonight and likely won’t be home until after two in the morning.

  Sliding my hand into my pocket, I pull out my phone and break the connection with Halle to check the time on the screen. The time reads 12:14 a.m. and I curse the thought of having to call my cousin, Gage.

  “I’ll call Gage, have him come get us.”

  Halle drops her hands to her sides, just before she reaches up and runs the palms of her hands over her face. She doesn’t like the idea of calling Gage for a ride anymore than I do, mostly because we both know the lecture that’s going to ensue on the way home.

  Talk about a buzz kill.

  “‘Ello,” he grumbles into the phone. I’m not sure if he’s just distracted or if he was asleep, so I cut to the chase quick.

  “Gage, Halle and I are at a bonfire over at Mason’s house for his graduation party and we, uh…” I pause, looking at Halle.

  Halle’s eyebrows are raised, like she’s waiting for his rant to come on the other end of the phone. I flash her a wink, hoping to reassure her.

  “We need a ride home, if you can.”

  “Graham…” he sighs. I hate hearing the disappointment, especially coming from him.

  “You can save the lecture. I know, alright. At least I’m doing the responsible thing and asking you for a ride.”

  “Yeah, it takes balls to call a cop and ask for a ride when you’ve been drinking… underage,” he says, drawing out the last part.

  “So, does that mean you’ll be here in twenty?”

  “I’ll call you when I’m almost there,” he groans. I can hear his chair squeaking in the background, and I feel bad realizing he must still be at work. “I don’t want to sit there waiting around for you or I’ll break up the party myself.”

  I don’t doubt for a second he would, so I reassure him we’ll be ready. As soon as the line disconnects, I slip the phone back into my pocket and wrap my hands around Halle’s waist pulling her to me.

  “See, that was easy.”

  She laughs, tilting her head back to glance up at me. Holding her chin in my hand, I pull her lips back to mine and get lost in her.

  “I can’t wait to get back to your place,” she whispers, her warm breath feathering over my wet lips.

  “Mm,” I hum, sliding my hand down the curve of her back, grabbing her ass and pressing her against me. “I can’t wait to hold you tonight.”

  There’s a peace that washes over me having her in my arms at night.

  I don’t even realize how long we stand here pressed against each other until my phone vibrates in my pocket. I know it’s Gage, so I don’t even bother looking at the screen as I swipe it to answer.

  “We’re waiting for you,” I say, slipping my hand into Halle’s and motion toward the front of the drive. The crowd of people in the distance is far enough away from the road that you wouldn’t know what we’re up to unless you drive all the way onto the Reid property.

  Not wanting to leave Gage waiting, I opt to just send Mason a text message telling him I’ll catch up with him tomorrow as Halle and I head toward the front of the house where the cars are parked.

  “I’m just turning down Tucker Road,” he says. “What the fuck?” he shouts. The sound of tires screeching in the background causes my adrenaline to spike.

  “What the hell, man? Back the fuck up off me!” he yells.

  “Graham, I’m on the way but this guy—” he cuts off again. I feel like I can hear my heart beating in my ears, as I clutch my phone into my hand.

  My hand squeezes around Halle’s, as she wraps hers around my arm as I hear her muffled words asking me if everything is alright.

  “Gage, you alright?” I ask.

  I hear him shout my name, followed by the sound of metal crunching on the other end of the phone before the call disconnects.

  “Gage!” I shout, my voice growing hoarse as I hold my phone out in front of me. I quickly click on his name again, redialing is number as the line continues to ring and ring repeatedly in my ear.

  “What happened?” Halle asks. There’s a fear in her voice. It’s the same fear I feel wrapping around my heart and squeezing it.

  “I don’t,” my voice cracks, “I don’t know.”

  Looking down the road, I look for a sign of his headlights in the distance, anything that would give me a clue that he’s okay and what I just heard on the other end of the line was not what it seemed to be.

  When I don’t see him, the realization hits me like a ton of bricks as ice rushes through my veins.

  “I have to go,” I mutter out, dropping Halle’s hand, as I take off running down the gravel driveway, cutting across the yard onto Tucker Road.

  My chest heaves as my lungs struggle to pump air through my chest, as my feet pound against the pavement. The red and blue lights flashing in the distance, grow closer as my eyes turn blurry from the tears filling my eyes.

  I don’t think about anything. It’s as if my mind is completely blank, which is good. I’m scared if I were to think about anything in this moment, I’d be pulled into the darkness. It’s inevitable though.

  My throat burns, as the sweat drips down my face, mixing with the tears. I make it there, just as the paramedics pull up at the scene.

  I immediately recognize Kane, Brannon’s brother, as he steps out of the driver’s side of the ambulance. He must’ve seen me approaching because as soon as he’s out, he quickly slams the door shut and stops me from coming any closer.

  “Hey, buddy. We need you to stay back, okay? I know you’re worried, I get it, but there’s nothing you can do to help right now. Let us focus on helping him.”

  Forcing air into my chest, I attempt to swallow. I can hardly breathe, much less speak, as I nod my head and hold my hands up as I take a step back.

  My eyes are wild, trying to look around them, for any sign of Gage and that he may be okay. I keep hoping I’ll hear his voice, that I’ll see him sitting there talking to the firefighters.

  As I see them kneeling next to his vehicle, I realize in that moment it’s not going to happen. The sound of metal crunching again, as they try to open the driver’s side door is a sound I remember all too well, and just like that, my knees give out beneath me.

  There’s no stopping the storm that follows, as the tears pour down my face. The gravel cutting into my bare knees is a welcomed pain, a distraction from the impending fear in front of me.

  If there is a God, I pray to him and ask for m
ercy on Gage. I don’t ask for much, so it may seem greedy in this moment, but I promise it will be the last thing I ever ask if he’ll just not take him away from me.

  Watching as the firefighter throws his helmet on the ground in frustration, I know my fears have just been confirmed.

  Kane turns around, approaching me. “Graham, man, I’m so sorry.”

  I hold my hand up to him, not wanting to hear him say what I already know.

  The guilt that filters in is the same guilt that will torment me for years to follow. Staying in Arbor Creek is just a painful reminder of everything I’ve lost along the way. First my father, now Gage.

  I’ll be damned if I let the same thing happen to the two women I love more than life itself. They’re better off without me.

  Thirteen

  Halle

  I hardly spoke to Graham the rest of our trip to Chicago. Or rather, I did my best to avoid him, which wasn’t easy to do.

  When I woke up the next morning, it was like the events from the last night played over and over on repeat in my head. Ever since he waltzed back into town looking like sex on a stick, I’ve fought against the urge to let it go one step further. I know Graham, I see the way he’s holding himself back when he’s around me. That night was a perfect example.

  I just threw myself at him. I practically begged him like a cat in heat. He wouldn't even let me touch him, which is kind of mortifying when I think about it. I handled my embarrassment in the best way I knew how; I sunk my head under the comforter and sulked.

  When I finally pulled myself out of bed, I promised myself not to think about it again. I reminded myself of the past; the way it hurt when he threw us away, the pain I felt when he ignored my attempts to talk to him after he left town, the way he acts as if all the time we spent together never happened. I let it be the reminder I need that going down this road again will only lead to heartache. Instead, I am going to put my focus on where it needs to be, which is on my family, friendships, and my career. One of my best friends is about to have her big day. No one deserves love more than Ellie and seeing the way Callum loves her and cares for her is another reminder of why I need to focus on the present.

  The week leading up to the wedding has been a whirlwind. I didn’t realize all the last-minute details that go into preparing. Now I know why Kinsley has been marching around with a damn clipboard, because if anyone else was left to planning, it would’ve been mass chaos.

  After a short day at the salon, Kinsley and I drove together to Callum and Ellie’s house for the rehearsal before meeting up with everyone for dinner. We had a girls’ night planned with Ellie and Brea. You know, traditions and all where the bride is not supposed to see her groom.

  “Alright, Callum, you can let us have her for one night. After tonight, you’ll have her all to yourself,” Kinsley says, as she steps around to the back of Ellie’s car.

  Callum presses his hands against the roof of the car, trapping Ellie in. Leaning forward, he presses a kiss against her lips as she wraps her arms around him, pulling him closer.

  “Good lord, she’s going to get pregnant right here in front of all of us,” I jest, although it’s highly possible. They haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other all night. If we don’t run off with her now, we’re going to have a tough time separating them.

  Callum growls, as he playfully kisses her cheek and down her neck, banding his arms around her, not wanting to let her go. Ellie laughs gleefully as I roll my eyes, looking over at Kinsley as I playfully stick my finger in my mouth like I’m gagging.

  “Uhh, I need some wine for all this…” I motion my hands at them. “Love and stuff. I’m going to stop by Hudson’s and grab some wine and I’ll meet you guys and the lovebird back at our place.”

  Kinsley nods as Brea laughs, waving back. It’s going to be a few minutes before they’re able to pull Ellie away from Callum and into the car. It’s best for all of us that I get a head start.

  Kinsley’s grandpa owns a grocery store in Arbor Creek, which happens to be where Ellie worked when she moved here last year. It’s famously named after him, Hudson’s. Since we have to drive further out of town to go to a bigger store, it makes it the perfect place to stop for nights like tonight.

  I pull into the parking lot and slip into one of the spots out front. Clicking the lock on my door, I’m only able to get two steps in front of me before a car races into the parking lot cutting me off.

  “What the hell?” I mutter, stopping myself before I let out a string of swear words.

  It’s not because I suddenly remember my manners, unlike the rude asshole who just about hit me. No, it’s actually the exact opposite. I’d love to lay into the piece of shit standing in front of me, I just know better not to.

  It’s been a few weeks since I last saw Marc Krate outside of Brodie’s. I honestly fully expected him to steer clear of me when he realized not only was Graham back in town, but he was there at Brodie’s with me that night.

  “That’s not a nice way to greet someone, Halle,” he says. His lip sticks out from the tobacco stuffed inside his lip. He spits, narrowly missing my foot in the process.

  Squinting my eyes at him, I press my lips into a thin line in an attempt to keep me from firing off at the mouth.

  Holding onto the strap of my purse, I adjust it on my shoulder as my eyes glance around me. I’m not some damsel in distress, but I get an overwhelming sense of uneasiness around this prick. The sooner I can wrap this up, the better.

  “Can I help you with something?”

  The words come out sharply. He’s grating on my nerves and I really have no patience for dealing with him right now. Or ever.

  “That’s so kind of you to ask. Actually, you can,” he states, leaning forward as he looks around the parking lot.

  The knot in my stomach tightens. Squeezing my hand tighter around the leather strap, I contemplate climbing back in my car. He’s blocking me in now though. There’s no way out of here without jumping the parking block in front of my car, which would likely do some damage.

  “Spit it out,” I reply curtly.

  The smile on his face turns sinister, and I immediately wish I would’ve just shut up.

  “You see that boyfriend of yours lately?”

  It dawns on me the irony in his question. Surely if he thought Graham was still my boyfriend, he’d know the answer. After the threat he gave him last time he came around, I wonder why he’d be asking me this of all questions.

  “Obviously.”

  He chuckles to himself as his eyes rake over my body. His obvious perusal of my body makes me feel disgusting, dirty.

  “Good.” He smiles again. “You can give him a message for me then. You tell him if I catch his boys following me again, I’ll see to putting him six feet under next to that cousin of his. You hear me?”

  My throat goes dry as the words hit my ears. He smiles again, spitting on the ground as bile rises up my throat.

  I don’t doubt for a second after we saw him at Brodie’s, Graham did some digging into Krate. We all see his name in the paper. It’s no secret the trouble he’s been getting himself into.

  “Alright.” My voice cracks. “I’ll tell him.”

  I’m about to ask him to leave when a large black diesel truck pulls up behind him, parking next to me. I don’t recognize the vehicle at first, but I relax a bit when I spot Maverick walk around the back stopping next to me.

  “Everything alright here?”

  He must feel how uncomfortable I am. I’m practically pleading with him to help me, to get me out of here and away from him.

  “We’re good. Nothing for you to be poking your nose into,” Krate says, but I pick up his double meaning. Something tells me he’s aware Maverick’s one of the guys who’s following him, but if he does, he doesn’t say anything.

  “You two have a good night,” Krate says, a sarcastic smile lines his mouth as he turns to climb back in his car. “You remember what I said, Halle.”


  He winks at me, just before rolling the window back up. The tint is so dark once it’s all the way up, I’m left staring at my scared reflection alongside Maverick’s stone-cold face next to me.

  We both watch as he slowly drives to the back of the parking lot, disappearing down the alley.

  “You okay? What’d he say to you?” Maverick questions, looking me over. There’s an edge of concern laced in his tone.

  He moves to take a step closer to me, catching me off guard, so I take a step back pressing me against my car door.

  “Whoa, Halle. It’s okay. It’s just me.”

  “He just said…” I stutter, running my hand over my forehead. I feel light-headed and dizzy. Like all the adrenaline is now hitting me and I need to sit down. “He said he knows Graham has been poking around in his business, having people follow him or something. He said he wants him to back off or he’ll…”

  I can’t even finish my sentence. The words are caught in my throat, unable to come out.

  “Or he’ll what, Halle? What’d he say?”

  Maverick reaches out, rubbing his hand over my shoulder in an attempt to reassure me. “He’s not going to hurt you, okay? That much I can promise you. I just need you to tell me what he said.”

  “He said if he doesn’t back off, he’ll put him six feet under next to Gage.”

  Tears trail down my face, and I don’t even bother to wipe them away. I know he understands the weight of those words. Anger transforms the look on his face, as he clenches his jaw.

  “Mother-fucker,” he growls, gritting his teeth.

  “Whatever you guys are up to, please stop. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth making him mad or risking your lives. I’ve lost Graham once, I don’t want to think about losing him forever.”

  I get choked up saying that last word. Shouldering past Maverick, I cover my mouth trying to get my emotions in check. I just want to get in and out of the store, then go home. I focus on the sound of my sandals against the cement ignoring him calling out my name to try and stop me.

  Right now, I just want to drown my problems in a glass of wine and forget everything.