Fast Break
Special Edition in the Texas Titans Series
Cheryl Douglas
Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas
Smashwords Edition
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Fast Break © 2014 Cheryl Douglas
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Fast Break—Special Edition
It’s Kevin Foster’s first Christmas without his wife and son, so his sister-in-law Rennie decides to send a little holiday cheer his way in the form of an old flame. But Kevin’s not too thrilled to come face-to-face with the girl who dumped him and broke his heart two decades ago.
Bree Chapman is hesitant when her friend Rennie hires her to decorate her former boyfriend’s home for the holidays. She’s fantasized a thousand times about what it would be like to see him again, but will her dream turn into a nightmare when he shows her the door?
Prologue
“Kev, I have to tell you something.” Bree swallowed, trying to remember the words she’d rehearsed in her mother’s car on the way to work that day.
“Anything, baby.” He backed her against the brick wall outside the clubhouse. Planting his hands above her head, he teased her neck with his lips before nipping her earlobe.
“I’m serious,” she said, setting her hands on his broad shoulders. “I only have ten minutes before my shift starts and I need to say this before I lose my nerve.”
The last thing she wanted was to break up with Kevin, but his dad hadn’t given her a choice. Kevin or her job. Without this job at his family’s golf course, she couldn’t go to college in the fall, which would crush her parents. They’d worked hard, sacrificed, and when she’d secured that scholarship, they’d been so proud. They were helping as much as they could, but she was responsible for her books and spending money for the school year. The only way that would be possible was with this job.
“God, you look hot in this skirt,” he said, slipping his hand under her short, black skirt. “The old man knew what he was doing when he ordered these new uniforms, I gotta say. My only problem is the way those dirty old bastards check you out every time you bend over. Makes me wanna—”
“Kev, this is important. I don’t want to talk about uniforms. I want to talk about us.” Mr. Foster’s words echoed in her head. She’d just finished high school, Kevin was starting his second year of college, and their parents agreed they were too young to be so serious.
“Sure, what about us?” He skimmed his lips across her jaw. “You wanna talk about what we’re gonna do when we get off work tonight? I thought we could get a room at—”
“I can’t see you anymore.” She’d intended to soften the blow by telling him how much he meant to her, but he wasn’t letting her get a word in. “I’m so sorry.”
He pushed off the wall, looking as though she’d struck him as he stared down at her. “What did you just say?”
She could see the hurt and accusations bubbling up, ready to spill from his lips. She didn’t want it to end this way. The past eighteen months had been the best of her life and she couldn’t stand for ugly allegations to be the last words they spoke to each other.
“I said…” Bree couldn’t look him in the eye, especially not after what they’d shared last night. She knew it was wrong to sleep with him and break up with him the next day, but when he’d talked her into a ride home after work, she’d let it go too far. “I can’t see you anymore.”
“Why the hell not?” Ignoring the golfers passing on the trail behind them, he said, “Answer me. Why can’t you see me anymore? Is there someone else? Is it that goddamn cook that keeps hitting on you? What the hell’s his name, Troy or—”
“There’s no one else.” How could he think that? Didn’t he know he was every teenage girl’s fantasy? Before meeting Kevin, Bree didn’t think she had a type, but it seemed black hair, aqua blue eyes, and eight-pack abs wrapped in a football jersey were pretty irresistible. “I just need to start thinking about school.”
“You don’t go back to school for a month.”
“Yeah, but I want to try and get some more hours, save as much money as I can. My course load is going to make it pretty tough for me to work during the school year.”
“You’re lying.” His eyes narrowed. “Tell me the truth. You’re just not into me anymore?” When she couldn’t respond, he said, “You told me you loved me last night. Was that a lie?”
She hadn’t intended to say that. But Kevin had been her first lover and being intimate with him took her places she’d never been before, where censoring her thoughts and feelings seemed impossible. “It was… an exaggeration.” You’re going to hell for this, girl. “I care about you. A lot. But I’m too young to know what love is, Kev.” She gripped his forearm, inching closer, while her mind screamed at her to run before she broke down and told him everything. “I care about you. A lot. But I’m going off to school soon, starting a new chapter. And you’ll be starting law school soon.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” He shook his head, looking disgusted. “When I said I loved you, I meant it. I don’t care if we’re thousands of miles apart, that’s never gonna change. When I told you I wanted to marry you, I meant it.”
Bree prayed he wouldn’t go there. When he whispered that in her ear last night, it tore her in two. Part of her wanted to cry because she knew it could never happen while the other part of her wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that the sexiest man on the planet wanted to make her his wife.
“You’re gonna go back to school and forget all about me,” she said, stroking his stubbled cheek. “By Christmas break, you’ll probably forget my name.”
“What’s wrong with you?” He grabbed her hand, tearing it away from his face. “Do you think I was a goddamn virgin when we hooked up?”
“No,” she said, taken aback by his outrage. Kevin was usually the fun, easy-going guy everyone loved to hang out with. She’d never seen this side of him before.
“I’d been with plenty of girls, Bree. I know the difference between what we have and what I had with them.”
Her stomach cramped when she thought of all the girls who’d come before her and all the girls who would come after. In spite of what she told Kevin, she loved him with an intensity that made her wonder whether it would be possible for her to love again.
“This isn’t what I wanted,” she said, careful not to give away too much. She knew Kevin would go crazy if he thought his father had a hand in their break-up. “But I have to think about my future. My parents are worried about all the time we’re spending together. They think I’m too young to be getting so serious.”
“Let me talk to them,” he said, gripping her waist. “Let me make them understand that what we have is the real deal. I’ll tell them about my plans for law school, that we’ll get married and I’ll take care of you. You’ll never have to worry about a thing.”
“I don’t want you to take care of me.” She pushed his hands away, knowing he was only trying to say what he thought would make her happy. Too bad he was falling miserably short of the mark by insulting her instead. “I can take care of myself. I may not be going to an Ivy-League school and I may not be a shoo-in for the Dean’s list like you, but I’m not stupid, Kev. I can make my own way in the world.”
“I know you can.” He ran a hand through his cropped hair, heaving a sigh. “Look, just tell me what you want from me. Tell me how to fix this.”
“You can’t fix it.”
Bree would give anything to have another choice, but Mr. Foster made it clear this was her only option if she wanted to work out the rest of the summer at his golf course. If it weren’t so late in the season, she might be able to secure a job somewhere else, but it was too late for that and the boss man knew it.
“So this is it?” Kevin hung his head. “You’re breaking up with me, just like that?”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, knowing there was nothing she could do or say to make him feel better. “I think you’re an amazing guy.”
“Just not the man for you, huh?” He stared her down, refusing to blink until she finally looked away. “You think there’s someone better for you out there?” He leaned in, whispering, “You’re wrong. Dead wrong. You’re gonna wake up one morning and realize it doesn’t get any better than what we had, but by then it’ll be too goddamn late. For both of us.”
Chapter One
Present Day
Kevin Foster pulled into his driveway and looked up at the sprawling home his wife had insisted they build. It belonged on the cover of a home decorating magazine, not on a rural road in Texas. His eyes travelled to the manicured grounds that kept a full-time gardener busy. He preferred the natural, craggy look, but his wife, Trena, demanded perfection. Too bad he’d never been able to measure up to her exacting standards.
He knew she was going to be angry with him. He’d promised to be home for dinner, but his meeting ran late again. When he’d tried to call, she hadn’t answered. When he texted her, she ignored him. A sure sign she wasn’t going to play nice when he got home.
He dragged his weary body up the path, sighing heavily as he clicked the key fob to lock his Maserati before twisting the door knob. Locked. Hmmm, must be mad. She never locks the door.
Turning the key in the lock, Kevin was surprised when the alarm went off. Punching in the code, he dropped his briefcase by the gilded console table and moved slowly into the family room. His wife and son were obviously out, but where could they have gone at 9:30 on a school night?
The answer was staring at him in the form of a folded note on the coffee table. He stared at it a long time as he battled the disconcerting feeling that something was very wrong.
When he couldn’t ignore it any longer, he picked up the embossed ivory note paper. His eyes scanning the words again and again as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing and feeling.
Dear Kevin,
I know it must seem incomprehensible to you that I would end our marriage this way, but I tried to find the words a dozen times when we were together and always fell short.
You’re a good man, but you’re not the man for me. Not anymore. I’ve met someone else. He’s good to me. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel special. Most importantly, he makes time for me.
And he’s good with Danny too. I think he’ll be a wonderful step-father to our son when that day comes. I know this must be hard for you to hear, but there was no easy way for me to say it.
It’s no secret we’ve been growing apart for a long time now. We haven’t been intimate for months. You’re never home. Growing apart was inevitable.
I know you must have a million questions and I’ll do my best to answer them when the time is right. Please don’t think I would ever try to keep you from your son. We’ll be staying nearby and you’ll be able to see him as often as you want.
I’ll be in touch soon to make arrangements for visitation. I’ll send someone to pick up the rest of my things tomorrow.
Take Care,
Trena
Take care? Crushing the paper in his hand, Kevin stalked to the bar to pour himself a stiff drink. She’d left him for someone else and taken his son? If she thought he’d let her get away with this, she was out of her mind. He wasn’t the most sought-after lawyer in the state for no reason. Going up against him on his home turf would be his wife’s worst nightmare.
The doorbell made him hesitate with a crystal decanter in hand as anger warred with hope. Had she changed her mind? Was she bringing Danny back?
Crossing into the foyer, he swore softly when he spotted his younger brother, Zach, through the lead-glass window. He was not in the mood for company. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings or explain how he’d drove his wife into another man’s arms. He just wanted to be alone, to drown himself in a bottle and pray he’d wake up to find this had been a nightmare.
“Hey, man,” Zach said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. “Sorry to just stop by without calling first, but you said you’d have those papers for me today. When you didn’t email them to me, I thought I’d pass by to see if—” Zach stopped talking when he looked at his brother’s face. “What the hell happened to you? You look kind of pale and you’re sweating. Are you feeling okay? Do you need a doctor?”
Kevin couldn’t say it. He couldn’t admit he was a failure as a husband and father. “Now’s not a good time, Zach. Pass by the office in the morning. I’ll have the papers for you then.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong,” Zach said, closing the door behind him. “And don’t tell me nothing. I know when you’re lying.”
Normally, being close with his brother was a blessing, but today it was a curse. Zach pushed when other people would have had the good sense to give him a wide berth.
He walked back into the family room, knowing Zach would follow. “You want a drink?” he asked, holding up the decanter.
“No, I’m good.” Zach looked around. “Where’s Trena?”
“She’s not here.” Kevin threw back the single shot, wasting no time before pouring another.
“How about Danny?” Zach asked, glancing at the winding staircase. “Is he in bed? I kind of hesitated about ringing the doorbell. I was afraid I might wake him, then I remembered the kid sleeps like a rock. Kind of like his Uncle Zach, huh?”
Kevin closed his eyes as he poured the liquid down his throat, waiting for it to have the numbing effect he was after. “I guess I might as well tell you,” he said finally. “You’re gonna find out soon enough. Just do me a favor? Don’t tell the folks yet. I want to tell them myself.”
“Tell them what?” Zach asked, frowning. “What the hell’s going on?”
“Trena left me. She took Danny with her.”
“Oh hell no,” Zach said, running a hand over his head. “When did this happen?”
Kevin picked up the crumpled piece of paper she’d left, tossing it up in the air and letting it fall to the floor. “Tonight. She left me a ‘Dear John’ letter. Can you believe that? She didn’t even have the guts to tell me to my face that she was leaving me.”
“Maybe she’s just upset,” Zach offered. “Could be you were late coming home again or forgot her birthday or something. You’ll talk tomorrow and work it out. Try not to get freaked out—”
“There’s someone else.” The words burned his tongue. He’d been with Trena for fifteen years. He just assumed they’d be together forever. His friends and family may not have understood their relationship or believed she was the perfect match for him, but he was committed to her and determined to make their marriage work.
“You met someone else or she did?” Zach asked carefully.
“Don’t be an ass,” Kevin said, scowling at him. “You know I don’t mess around. I love my wife and son.”
“Do you?” Zach held his hands up when Kevin took a step toward him. Zach was a big man, but Kevin was even bigger and the memory of mixing it up as kids was never far from their minds when they argued. “I’m not talking about Danny. I know you love him, but do you still love Trena?”
“How can you ask me that?” Kevin said, turning back to the bar. “She’s my wife. Of course I love her.”
“But are you in love with her?”
“Don’t try splitting hairs with me. I’m a lawyer, remember?”
“Yeah, you’re the best.”
Kevin frowned, noting it sounded like more of an insult than a complement.
“You have ten junior partners or is it eleven? How many big cases did you win last year, huh? That ugly mug of yours was splashed all over my TV screen more than mine was.”
As a professional pitcher, Zach got his fair share of time in front of the camera, but the high-profile cases Kevin had handled over the past several years meant he did too. “Is there a point to all this or are you just trying to piss me off?”
“I’m not saying it was your fault Trena left you, Kev. But you can’t pretend to be blameless in all this, either. You’ve been so busy building your firm that you might have forgotten what was waiting on you at home.”
“I did all this for her,” Kevin said, spreading his arms to encompass the opulence surrounding them. “She wanted this, not me. The original artwork, priceless antiques, jewelry, cars… I did all this to make her happy. And this is the thanks I get.”
“The martyr thing doesn’t suit you,” Zach said, snagging a framed photo of Danny off the mantle. “If there’s a victim in all this, it’s this kid.”
Fast Break (Texas Titans Holiday) Page 1
