by AS Teague
As the footsteps got closer, I ran my fingers under my eyes, trying to wipe away the tears without smearing my makeup when Lawson’s voice surprised me.
“Pippie? You okay?”
I nodded a little too enthusiastically, hoping he would go back inside and leave me alone. I wasn’t in the mood for one of his lectures, not that I’d gotten one in a while. I also couldn’t stand to see the pity in his eyes. I’d caught him looking at me a lot lately, and it was strange. He’d rarely paid me attention growing up. As teenagers, the only time he was interested in talking to me was if he was telling me what a mess I had made of something.
But lately, he’d been watching me, with something else in his eyes. I couldn’t figure it out, and honestly, I didn’t have the energy to try.
He settled onto the step next to me, beer in one hand. He set his bottle down and popped the top on the can of soda in his other hand. When he handed it to me, I smiled when I noticed he’d brought my favorite kind.
“Thanks,” I whispered before taking a small sip.
“Why are you out here alone?” he asked warmly, the slight Southern accent comforting me. It reminded me a little of Jack’s.
I lifted a shoulder, still not sure I would be able to speak without crying.
He didn’t push me. He just sat there quietly beside me, his leg pressed against mine. It was oddly comforting and I found myself grateful for the company, even though I wasn’t in the mood to talk. The sound of country music surrounded us, the speakers in the backyard loud enough to carry the lyrics to the front.
I’d finally managed to stop the tears from leaking out of my eyes when Jack’s favorite song started playing, the lyrics punching me in the gut.
It was too much, and I dropped my head to my hands, the sobs pouring out of me, my body shaking from the voracity of the pain.
Lawson wrapped an arm around my shoulders and with a strong tug, pulled me into his body. He held me tight as the waves of sadness washed over me, the agony of loss as fresh as the day it had happened. Probably more so, the shock of it all having finally worn off, and the dawning that this was our new reality finally settling in.
Lawson held me tight, never once loosening his hold on me, until my body finally stopped quaking and the last teardrop fell from my eye.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, no longer concerned with my appearance, and let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry. You probably just came out to bring me a drink, not hold me while I cried for an eternity.”
He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his hand lingering as his thumb swiped the last bit of moisture from my face. “I love this song.”
My brows wrinkled and I strained my ears to hear what song was playing. “Yeah.” I forced a small smile and let my eyes flutter shut. My body began to sway with the music, and I let the artist’s soulful voice wash over me. “Maybe one day I’ll get to dance at their concert.”
Lawson moved and I opened my eyes to see him stand. Jumping from the last two steps, he turned back to me, his hand outstretched. “Why wait?”
With a soft smile on his face, his eyes sparkled as he asked, “Dance with me?”
I shook my head. “No, uh, I’m not really good.”
He laughed, the sound warming me. “Me neither. Come on.”
What the hell?
I stood and brushed off the back of my pants, hesitating. Who was this guy? His smile widened, and he winked—Lawson Reed, the nerdiest man I knew actually winked at me, before giving his outstretched hand a little shake. With a lift of my shoulders, I sucked in a breath before stepping into his open arms.
It was strange at first, but when he pulled me in close I rested my head on his chest, desperate for any morsel of comfort I could get. His heart beat strong, steady, in rhythm with my own. I allowed my lids to flutter shut again and I inched myself closer, holding Lawson impossibly tighter while he slowly rocked me back and forth.
The music played, and I got lost in the words.
The way they felt.
The way Lawson felt.
The way I felt in Lawson’s arms.
All too soon, the song ended, and a more upbeat one took its place. I cleared my throat, stepping away.
The dance hadn’t been nearly as awkward as I was expecting. In fact, it had felt right, and I was uncomfortable with the feeling of longing that had come out of nowhere, for a guy who had never been more than an annoying brother to me. But there I was, wishing the radio would play another slow song, and that Lawson would pull me back into his arms and gently turn us around and around, for the rest of the night.
“Wow. I’m impressed,” I teased. “You’ve been holding out on me all these years. Who knew a nerd like you could move like that?”
“Hey, now. You’re throwing nerd around like it’s an insult. I’ll have you know there are a lot of things this nerd can do that would blow your mind.” He winked again and it was so unlike him that it made me giggle.
“Like what?”
“Uhhh…” he drawled. “Well…” He glanced around. “I mean…”
I burst into laughter, and God it felt so good.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I know all your tricks, Lawson Reed. Most of them are limited to driving me up the wall.” Tilting my head back, I met Lawson’s gaze. My breath caught at the way his eyes had heated as he stared down at me.
For a long beat, we didn’t move, both of us just looking at each other, lost in a moment.
My lungs burned for oxygen, but I couldn’t breathe, not as he lifted a hand to my cheek and lazily trailed his thumb across it. “You don’t know me as well as you think, Piper.”
“Oh. Okay,” I breathed, swaying toward him for reason I would never be able to explain other than assuming he’d mastered the art of mind control.
Chills pebbled over my skin as he dipped low, his warm breath breezing across my lips as he whispered, “It would do you well to remember that.”
Suddenly he stepped away from me, breaking the spell.
I blinked as he casually resumed his seat on the steps, completely unfazed while I felt like I’d just been brainwashed.
Grabbing his beer, he quietly stared into the darkness of the yard.
Unsure of what to do, I sat down next to him, leaving just enough space between us so we weren’t touching again—despite the most ridiculous longing inside me to do just that. “You, uh…you excited about moving?”
He shrugged. “I guess.” Turning his head, he asked, “What about you? What’s next?”
Christ, when did his eyes become the color of whiskey?
“Um, well, I’m going to try to put myself back together this summer and then join Hampton in the fall and attempt to put him back together as well.”
“Ah, I see,” Lawson mumbled, cutting his eyes away. He cleared his throat. “Well, you know, if you ever get tired of that asshole, you can always come to Vegas.”
He bumped my shoulder and then stood. Tilting his head down, he smiled again. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes and there was a sadness in them that hadn’t been there just moments ago.
“Take care of yourself, Pip.”
Without another word, he turned and sauntered into the house, leaving me alone on the porch, more confused than ever.
Part Two
6
Lawson
Eight years later
“Yep,” I muttered, slamming the phone back into its cradle. Shoving away from the desk, I surged to my feet and began pacing.
Fucking Stone Mountain.
I’d left my hometown eight years ago for a reason. For reasons that were still there, and I wasn’t thrilled at the thought of going back to them.
But what choice did I have?
This was going to be the biggest case of my career. A career I’d worked my ass off for. I wasn’t going to let it pass me by just because I was trying to avoid a five-foot-three blonde I’d spent my entire life pining after.
Yeah, fuck that.
So, b
egrudgingly, I’d agreed.
And it looked like I was headed home sooner rather than later. Thanks to a ridiculous twist of fate.
I made one more lap around the security room before throwing myself back into my desk chair and grabbing my phone from the desk.
I pulled up my contacts and located the picture of my baby sister’s smiling face then pressed the send button.
“Lawson!” she answered in greeting.
“Hey, Georgie,” I drawled, the smile her sweet voice always brought creeping over my face. It was hard to stay pissed about anything when you talked to Georgia Reed. Her enthusiasm for life was damn near contagious, even for a grumpy old bastard like myself.
“How are you?” she breathed. “Catching all the bad Internet guys out there? Gah. I would kill to have another one of Gordon Ramsey’s steaks with you. Let’s plan my next trip out! What do you think about the fall? Oh, I could come for a long weekend. We could pretend to be tourists and stay on the strip. Hey, what if I brought a friend? Maybe Case? Do you remember meeting her? You know that one time you came home? I think you liked her! I know she liked you. Oh, so listen to this shit. I was talking to Mom the other day about Ham—”
My ears perked up at the mention of my brother, but I didn’t have the time to find out what his latest antics were. I imagined they had something to do with Piper, and if that were the case, I’d be able to find out easily enough on my own. Besides, once Georgia got started telling a story, there was no stopping her. “Georgia!”
She paused long enough for me to get a word in, and I wasted no time. “We’re gonna have to postpone your trip to Vegas,” I sighed.
“Uh!” I could almost see her bottom lip poked out in a pout. “Why?” she asked again.
I hesitated. Telling the family gossip queen my plans meant everyone would know way before I was ready for them to. But it was too late to turn back now. “I’m moving home.”
Her squeal was so loud, I had to pull the phone away from my head to keep my eardrum from rupturing. Several of the other guys in the large surveillance room looked up, their eyebrows lifted, but I ignored their questioning looks and brought the phone back to my ear.
“Keep that between you and me for now.” I wasn’t in the mood for one of our dad’s interrogations or a phone call from Mom that was sure to be filled with tears of joy, followed up quickly by her insistence that I talk to Piper. I’d deal with that shit when I got there.
“Sure, of course,” she agreed eagerly. “When are you coming back? We have to have a party! Oh, I know this guy who plays in a local band. Just let me know when you’ll be here and I can have him come play at the party. You know, you could maybe—”
I cut her off again. “No party.”
“But—”
“Repeat after me, Georgie. ‘I will not throw Lawson a party,’” I demanded, my voice hard.
“Lawson! Come on. I mean, really. You’ve been gone eight fucking years.” A pang of guilt stabbed me in the stomach. It wasn’t nearly long enough if you asked me, but I knew my absence was hard on the women in my family, especially my kid sister. “People are going to want to come celebrate your return. And the ones who won’t want to celebrate will at least want to get a look at the nerdy kid who took off for Vegas nearly a decade ago.”
She was right about that. The town we’d grown up in was a small one, and everyone knew everyone else’s business. They’d all want to get a good look at the kid who took off less than a month after one of his best friends was killed in a car accident.
But, fuck them.
“Don’t care. No party.”
She sighed heavily, the disappointment lacing her voice when she finally agreed. “Compromise with me. Family dinner?”
I leaned back in my chair and ran a hand through my hair. “Fine. Family dinner.”
She let out another squeal.
“At home, Georgia. You’re not putting me on display for the whole town as soon as I get back. And just family.”
My baby sister growled at me, and damn if I couldn’t stop the laughter that rumbled through my chest.
“Good to hear you laugh, Law. It’ll be even better to see you laugh. Love you, big brother.”
My chest tightened and I managed to grunt in response before ending the call and throwing my phone on the desk.
“You okay, Reed?” Pieters asked from across the room.
I tipped my chin. “Yep.”
I was going to be fine. I had no other choice.
And fuck if that wasn’t the story of my life.
I’d been back in town a week and had somehow managed to avoid seeing everyone, including Georgia. When I learned I was being reassigned, I’d begun the search for a house. There was no point in throwing money away renting, and I could always rent the house out when I left again.
And I would be leaving again.
I would stay in this town as long as necessary. But it wasn’t going to be forever. I wasn’t the same reserved kid I was when I left here, and this town just wasn’t for me anymore.
The agent I’d hired had found several homes that seemed like good choices, but almost all of them were in cookie cutter new neighborhoods. And I didn’t like that shit.
I needed space. Land. Peace and quiet.
She’d finally come through on a house that was secluded, surrounded by woods, but still within the city limits and a short commute to our Atlanta headquarters.
The price tag had been more than I’d wanted to spend, but I had the cash on hand, and I’d gone ahead and purchased it sight unseen.
From the moment the wheels of the plane touched down, I set to work getting the security system set up on the property and getting my shit all moved in. The house was considerably bigger than the apartment I owned in Vegas, so my furniture, while nice, barely filled the space. That was okay, though, I didn’t like clutter anyway.
I was having a beer on the back deck, overlooking the well-manicured yard, Seven in my lap purring contently when my phone rang. I snagged it from the table and groaned when I read the ID.
I should have sent the call to voicemail, but I knew she wouldn’t stop trying, so I put the phone to my ear.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Lawson Maxwell Reed,” she started and even at thirty damn years old, I knew the use of my full name meant I was in trouble. “You’ve been in town for a week and haven’t so much as called your mother?”
I took another swallow of my beer, the growl in my throat with it. “How’d you know I was in town?”
She clucked her tongue. “I’ll never give up my sources. That’s beside the point. When the hell are you going to get your ass home?”
I’d stopped rubbing Seven’s ears and she meowed in protest. I frowned at the three-pound cat in my lap, but resumed stroking her head and she closed her eyes, satisfied that she’d made her point. The same couldn’t be said for my mother, though, as she continued her rant.
“You know, you come home one time in eight years, which, in case you’ve forgotten was six years ago, and now that you’re back, apparently for good, you can’t be bothered to even call me?” Her voice was shrill, but then she paused, before dropping it to a whisper, her voice breaking as she asked, “What did I ever do to drive you away?” I could hear the sniffle she tried to conceal and I bit back a sigh.
“Ma, you didn’t do anything,” I told her, and to placate her, I promised, “Georgia’s gonna do a dinner. I’ll tell her to schedule it for tomorrow. I’ll come by early so we can spend time together first, yeah?”
She cleared her throat, the sound of tissue crinkling across the line. “So, your sister knows you’re home, but your mother doesn’t?”
Jesus.
“Dinner tomorrow.” My phone beeped, and when I checked saw it was my boss calling me. Thank fuck. “Look, got a call coming in. See you tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for her to respond. If she’d had the chance, she wouldn’t have simply said goodbye, but thrown in one last guilt trip I wasn’t in the mood
for.
“Reed,” I answered.
“Lawson. Need you to get down to headquarters. One of the guys got something you need to see.” The use of my first name caused me to pause.
“Everything okay?”
He grunted. “Just get your ass in here.” He disconnected before I could respond.
I pulled the phone from my ear and stood, Seven protesting loudly, sinking her claws into my leg in a last-ditch effort to hold on.
“You’re a pain in my ass, you know that? Just like all the women in my life,” I grumbled, bending at the waist to give her one last scratch.
7
Piper
The knock on the door startled me, and I jumped up from where I’d been sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Piper, are you crying?” Hampton’s voice was muffled through the doorway.
Sniffing, I swiped the tears away from under my eyes and pulled in a deep breath through my nose before opening the door.
Worry filled his face as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing. I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed and he peered around me into my room, his gaze landing on my television. “Oh my God, are you watching those stupid infomercials again?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed, “They aren’t stupid. Those damn kids get me every time.”
I pulled the door open wider and he sauntered in.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” I asked, my eyes going around him to Smith. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming to dinner.”
Smith grinned. “Had a rare night off.”
Hampton’s eyes scanned me. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
I rolled my eyes and shuffled away. “I was taking a quick nap. That last shift was brutal. And then I had this dream about Channing Tatum that was rather disturbing. I turned the TV on to clear my head and got sucked in.”
