Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Renee Harless
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2017 Renee Harless
This work is one of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to persons, living or deceased, is purely coincidental. Names, places, and characters are figments of the author’s imagination. All trademarked items included in this novel have been recognized as so by the author. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
The author recognizes Demon’s Wings and Nik Armstrong as ideas and characters by Terri Anne Browning’s “The Rocker” Series and was granted permission to use the characters and titles within the novel.
All rights reserved
Amazon Edition
Cover Design: Porcelain Paper Designs
Photographs: Kruse Images & Photography: Models & Boudoir, Shutterstock, Pixabay
Model: Matthew Hosea
Website: reneeharless.com
Facebook: authorreneeharless
Instagram: @Renee_Harless
Twitter: @Renee_Harless
Newsletter: www.reneeharless.com
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
HE HAD RUSHED FROM his parent’s house the moment he realized that she was there. Of course, he should have known that she was near when his heart started beating erratically; she had always caused that effect in him. He had all but ignored his instincts, however, since he hadn’t seen or heard from her in a long, grueling four months.
Pregnant?
Of course she was pregnant. She had all but lied to him from the beginning: why would she have been truthful about birth control? He couldn’t believe he had thought he was in love with her at one time.
Sitting on the steps of Horizon’s, the local bar that is currently closed for the Christmas holiday, Austin cracks open a beer from the six-pack he picked up from the gas station on the way. He reaches deep within the front pockets of his jeans and retrieves the delicate metal from within, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. Twirling the glistening diamond between his fingers, Austin sighs heavily and places it back in his pocket, still unsure why he carries it on him. He takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his hair, shaking his head in confusion and misery.
How did I get here?
Except… he knows how he got here. He had finally succumbed to the pull he had always felt towards her. Austin had been tormented, watching for a year as she flirted with his best friend, Logan, before she realized that the two of them wouldn’t be anything more than friends. That year was complete torture, ignoring their pull and pretending she didn’t exist: pretending that he had no desire to strip her bare, twist his hands in her silken gold hair, and bury himself deep within her petite body. She was his every fantasy come to life, and now she was pregnant with his child, but she had announced it at his family’s Christmas dinner like it was an afterthought.
Austin shakes his head in agony as he reminisces about the first time he met Nikki. He had walked into Logan’s family practice in need of stitches after slicing his hand on a stray piece of metal at a worksite. It was a worksite he had no business walking across, but when his foreman had called, saying that one of the new workers was drunk on the job, he had had no choice. Standing at the empty front desk, he immediately began regretting his decision to ask his friend to sew him up, when suddenly the new receptionist returned from the back room to check him in. She had only looked up at him momentarily before aligning her focus back on the computer, but the few seconds when their eyes had met were enough to set fire to his skin. Her pale blue eyes held secrets; secrets he longed to learn.
After having his hand stitched up, Austin walked with Logan back to the lobby and found the mysterious blonde was gone. But fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, Austin saw Nikki from afar at Horizon’s a countless number of times as she tried desperately to pursue Logan. Even though she was set on snagging his best friend, Austin couldn’t help but bask in the image of her in the skin-tight dresses and sky-high heels. She was a vision wrapped in a tiny package.
After months of waiting and passing time with whatever woman landed in his bed, Austin finally got his chance. One heated game of bowling and an explosive night in bed was all it took to leave Austin and Nikki utterly addicted to each other. The chemistry was off the charts - just as he imagined it would be - but they had a lot in common and had been able to pass the moments between fiery episodes with long talks of life. He had fallen head-first in love with her and was just waiting until he knew she felt the same. Then she disappeared. Only her friend Avery knew where she was, and even though Avery was Logan’s girlfriend - and Austin’s own half-sister, he had recently learned - she wasn’t breaking her promise to keep Nikki’s whereabouts hidden.
All along, she had been home with her cousin Melanie - at least when she wasn’t in the hospital, sick and dehydrated due to her pregnancy. A pregnancy he had no idea about.
Tossing his head in disbelief, he chugs the remainder of his beer before cracking open another.
“Thought I’d find you here,” Logan’s deep voice resonates from within the brick-lined emptiness of the alley.
“Nowhere else to go.”
“I hear ya. So, man, what happened?”
“What happened? You mean the woman that had me completely wrapped up in her and left didn’t spill all her secrets?”
Logan shakes his head and turns to look back at him.
“You know she isn’t like that, Austin. I didn’t talk to her long, I wanted to make sure you were okay, but I overheard her tell your mom and Avery that she was really sick and wasn’t sure if she’d lose the baby.”
Those last words capture his attention.
“What do you mean she thought she would lose the baby?”
“She told Avery that she had some severe morning sickness, couldn’t keep anything down, and then she started bleeding. They had her on bed rest until recently.”
“She should have told me. She should have let me be there for her.”
“I know, man. That’s something you’ll have to talk to her about. But I’m here for you, and so are Avery and your brothers and sisters.”
“I’m just so mad and confused,” he says, taking a long pull from the can. “I just keep thinking that I must have done something wrong. How could she hate me so much to keep this from me?”
“She doesn’t hate you. If she did, she wouldn’t have come back.”
Austin sits back; taking a deep breath through his nose, then releases it into the air through his mouth. The swirl of his breath hitting the chilled air filters out around him like smoke.
“I can
’t be with someone like that; someone that willingly kept something like this from me. I mean, it’s my child, too. I should have been told and I should have been able to be there if something had happened.”
“Then we’ll stand behind you if that’s how you really feel. But don’t go completely cold on her. She is the mother of your child and Avery’s best friend. You’re going to be around her for a long time.”
Austin nods in agreement; not mentioning that he had previously planned on being with her the rest of his life, then rises from the steps and grabs the plastic loops of the six-pack between his fingers. He steps towards his truck, Logan following closely behind, and they wave goodbye to each other, promising to meet up for New Year’s.
Turning on the ignition, Austin sits in his vehicle and listens to the engine rumble for a moment, then shifts into gear and drives back to the home he just finished building a few weeks ago.
The 3,000 square-foot farmhouse sits on forty-five acres of trees and pasture, with a small plateau overlooking a man-made pond. When he had stumbled across the old farm for sale, he knew he couldn’t pass it up: it was the perfect property on which to start a family. The old house had been in disrepair - half of the building burnt to a crisp from a kitchen fire - but luckily for him, he had the skill to tear it down and build his dream home in its place.
Austin pauses in the cab of his truck, staring at the front porch where the swing rocks gently back and forth: the same swing he had once pictured himself and Nikki rocking in, enjoying the soft rays of early morning light. Staying in the house since she left had been agony. He had subconsciously decorated every room with her in mind, the colors she liked and the furnishings she always pointed out in magazines. He couldn’t help it; this was the house where he wanted to have a family with her.
And now it had all gone to shit.
She didn’t seem to want him in her life, and he wasn’t about to give her the opportunity to take her second chance and burn him again. He had learned the hard way that no relationship was perfect – heck, Avery, his newly discovered half-sister, was a testament to that.
Deciding not to open the garage, Austin parks the truck in the driveway instead and makes his way up the steps. His beagle, Duke, is waiting anxiously for him.
“It’s just you and me right now, bud, but how would you feel about a brother or sister?” he says, crouching down to be eye-level to the dog.
Duke barks in response, happily wagging his tail in excitement.
“Yea, that’s how I feel, too. You’ll be a great big brother,” Austin says, rubbing Duke’s head before standing and walking towards the back door. “Come on, go do your business.”
As he waits for Duke to come back to the door, Austin glances around the living room and its opening into the entryway, dining room, and kitchen. He can still picture Nikki in this space, her small body tucked in the corner of his couch, reading a book: the same position she was always in at her apartment.
Running a shaky hand through his hair, he sighs as he looks up at the ceiling and the exposed beams over the living room.
“Not again. I can’t do it again.”
A small scratch jerks his attention back to the door, and he lets Duke return inside before tossing the remainder of the six-pack into the fridge and heading upstairs to the bedroom.
Drained, Austin tugs off his shirt and tosses it onto the floor, then flings his tired body onto the bed. He moves around restlessly on the chilled sheets before finally succumbing to the exhaustion from the day.
Adding to his bitter thoughts of Nikki, his dreams are plagued by visions of his past. Ashley, the first woman he ever fell for, haunts his mind as he tries to escape her hold. Her parting words echo through his mind, reminding him why second chances are no different than the first time around.
“You gave me what I wanted when I needed it and now I’m done. I’ve found someone better and really, did you expect me to marry a construction worker?”
“What are you talking about?” Austin had asked her. “You’re the one that wanted to get back together after we broke up after high school.”
She had run her hands down his chest to his waistline - and that should have been his first clue that she was up to something.
“Yes, well I was lonely, and you know that we were good together. Granted, it took far more convincing than I expected. But I needed someone to take care of me and now… I’ve upgraded.”
“God, Ashley, I thought we were going somewhere. I was thinking about proposing!”
She laughed and then pushes his chest gently.
“Propose? With what? A piece of plastic? Look, Jeremy can give me the life I want and I’d be stupid to give that up.”
Little did she know that he had just made his first million in the three years since he graduated college. His designs were being sought all over the country and he had crews all over.
“Jeremy is your step-father and that’s fucking disgusting. How long were you sleeping around behind my back?”
An incessant pounding on the door wakes Austin from his tossing and turning. Nightmares of Ashley had been happening far more frequently since Nikki left, and visions of her always left him on edge.
Yelling from atop the stairs that he’s coming, he finally opens the door after the third round of banging.
“What?” he commands, opening the door and realizing that Avery is standing on the other side. Softening his features, he relaxes slightly before apologizing and ushering her inside.
Avery is his half-sister from an affair his father had while separated from his mother. She was a surprise to him and his five other siblings, but she was loved no less. His parents had been searching for her for years: since the moment they had learned she existed. Despite the family’s determination to show her that she deserved the love they were bestowing on her, she was just now learning to accept it.
She is also pregnant and engaged to his best friend, Logan.
“You look like shit,” she begins, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes.
“Yes, well I slept like shit and your friend turned my world upside down, so I’m sorry if I’m not quite as chipper as you are this morning.”
Tucking her chin to her chest, she murmurs, “Don’t be an ass.”
Sighing, Austin takes a deep breath and shakes out his arms before reaching forward and wrapping her in an embrace.
“I’m not trying to be an ass. What can I do for you this morning? Do you want something to eat?”
“Not now, but I need a favor and you’re not going to like it.”
Stepping back, Austin furrows his brow in her direction. “What kind of favor?”
“Well... see, I’ve moved in with Logan and we left the apartment vacant. Nikki had been paid up, but they evicted her anyway. Mom and Dad offered to let her stay with them, but she doesn’t want to impose. To make matters worse, Logan’s practice had to replace her while she was away, so now she is out of a job.”
“How does this concern me?”
“She’s the mother of your child and my niece or nephew. I was hoping that you could use that big heart that I know you have and offer to let her work for you, and help her find a place to stay that she can afford. I’ve looked all over and all the reasonable places in town have no vacancies.”
“You want me to let her stay here,” Austin says: a statement, not a question.
“Only if that’s what you want. I’m really just hoping you can offer her a job. She’s heading over to Angie’s diner, but with all the health problems she’s been having, I don’t think waitressing is a good idea. And she only has a GED, so she isn’t qualified for a lot. Please, Austin?” Avery begs, a loving gleam sparkling in her eye.
Had she had the opportunity to use this look on their father, Austin feels sure she would have received anything she wanted.
“Dammit, Avery!” Austin explodes in exasperation, striking a hand through his thick mane of hair. “I will do my best to get her a job a
nd help her find a place, but you have no idea how much you owe me. That woman destroyed me when she left.”
Frowning, Avery steps forward and wraps her arms around his waist.
“She left because she was scared. She loved you too much to risk ruining your life with a child. It took everything she had to come back here.”
Leaning his chin on her head, he whispers back, “She tell you that?”
She doesn’t acknowledge his question, but continues, “Don’t be too hard on her. There are a lot of things you don’t know, but she does want to be a part of your life and for her, that is a major step.”
“Ok, Avery. I’ll help her with a job, but I can’t promise I’ll do much more than that.”
“I understand. Thank you, Austin. I’ll see you next weekend for New Years. I’ll let myself out.”
“You know your fiancé would kill me if I didn’t walk you out.”
She chuckles as he walks her to her car, then watches her leave, a cloud of dust trailing behind her Audi SUV.
Duke sidles up next to Austin and sits back on hind legs, the two of them watching as Avery disappears onto the main road.
“I swear, Duke, that woman can talk me into anything.”
The beagle stares up at Austin with soulful brown eyes and barks in reply. Noticing a squirrel, he is suddenly off, racing to the backyard in hot pursuit.
“God, I hope that I don’t regret this,” Austin whispers to the air before turning and walking back to the house. Before he has time to think, he is dialing a number on his cell phone that he had hoped he wouldn’t have to call again.
THE POUNDING IN HER head wakes her from a restless sleep on the guest bed in Logan and Avery’s home. Nikki sits up slowly, making sure to keep her nausea in check. She has learned over the past few months that certain movements and smells irritate her stomach more than anything she actually eats. Slouching over while perched on the edge of the bed, Nikki gently places her hands on the sides of her slightly distended belly. The flutters began a week ago, proof that a piece of her and Austin is growing inside her body. Talking softly to the baby deep within her womb, she moves her hands around until she feels the tiny kicks against the side of her abdomen. Of course, the baby likes it best when she talks about Austin – heck, she likes it best, too.
Coming Together: Welcome to Carson, Book Two Page 1
