Broken Pieces (Leaving You, Finding Them Book 1)

by Tammi Lynn

  Jayson who I hadn’t realized had come up to stand next to me and watch the show starts laughing. “Try not to bruise their pride Sweetheart, those two love any reason to get to show off.” He goes to the truck and grabs the last box out of the back and takes it inside.

  Brushing themselves off and picking up the boxes they had set down, the brothers also take them inside. I’m not sure which one of them says it, but I hear a mumbled, “I almost had him.” Not being able to keep the giggles in I follow them in. A lightness I haven’t felt in years invades my chest as I try to keep my smile small.

  The living room is now covered in boxes, and I sigh. I hate moving, packing and unpacking are the worst. I’m not looking forward to it, and I’m feeling extra grateful that we have a whole week to settle in before Miklo starts school and I start work.

  Facing the guys, I get a sudden urge to hug all three. But not just hug. I have plenty of ideas on how to be a friendly neighbor. Whoa, down girl. Setting my arms on the kitchen island to keep them from trying to embrace three hot bodies, I get super nervous with them all standing in my new home. The feeling is kinda new. For so long I haven’t even really gotten so much as a crush on anyone. I’ve been too lost in Dre. Even the few one night stands I’ve had over the past fourteen years, I never liked them enough to want to pursue more. Then come along these three strangers, and I feel like I’m a teen in High School again, wanting to pass them notes in class or have one of my BFF’s ask them if they like me because I’m too shy.

  The sound of a throat clearing in the awkward silence brings me out of it, and I smile at them. “Thank you guys so much for your help, Miklo, and I really appreciate it.” Looking around, I don’t see Miklo anywhere. He must have already grabbed most of his stuff and holed himself up in his room. “Seriously, thank you. I’m already so beat from the drive today, and you guys just took off about an hour of unloading time for me in only like, twenty minutes.”

  “Anytime, Mia. If you need any more help, tonight don’t hesitate to come and get one of us from next door.” Jayson says with a smile before turning and heading out the door.

  “It was really nice meeting you Mia, I hope you like it here, and if you ever need a guide, I’d be more than willing to show you around,” Roman says, before he too, heads out the front door.

  Jesse is the last to start heading out the door and before he does he grabs my hand, once again bringing it up to place a kiss on my knuckles. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.” and with a wink, he too is gone.

  I shut the door and lock it behind them, leaning against it for a moment before making myself go into the living room. Ugh, I so don’t want to have to unpack. My belly starts grumbling, and I remember we haven’t eaten since we stopped this morning for an early lunch, and have only snacked a little since then.

  It’s now seven at night, and there is no way I want to go navigating an unfamiliar town to find a grocery store tonight. Going to my room to get my phone out of my purse, I decide pizza and soda it is, and start googling for the closest delivery.

  I’ve managed to unpack most of the kitchen, including my For Fox Sake wine glasses and three bottles of wine given to me by coworkers at my last day send-off party, when I hear my phone ring. Picking it up from where I left it on the kitchen island, I see Baby Daddy lit up on the screen. Hesitating for a second, I finally decide to answer it. “Hello?”

  “Hey Ma, you make it okay?”

  Holding the phone between my ear and shoulder, I open up one of the bottles of wine and pour a full glass. Hey, I need it after the day I’ve had. Scratch that. After the year I’ve had. Maybe even year(s), plural. You get my point. “Yeah, we got here a little over an hour ago. Everything has been unloaded from the truck and into the living room. Miklo’s already holed up in his new room. Did you want to talk to him? Did he not answer his phone?”

  “No, no, I wanted to talk to you, make sure you got there okay and everything.”

  “Oh, ok. Yeah, everything’s good. I love this house, it’s perfect.”

  “I miss you already.”

  I take a huge swig of my wine. I don’t know what to say back to him. I need to get over him, and he’s not playing fair with us only having been here two hours. Struggling to find something to say in response I’m saved by the doorbell ringing. Pizza’s here. “Hold on a sec, Dre, I’ll be right back.”

  Grabbing my wallet, I go to answer the door. Standing on the other side of the door is a pimply teen, who looks as if he’s just barely old enough to have his license, holding a pizza and a twenty-two-ounce bottle of Coke. “Afternoon Ma’am, it’ll be $18.97 for the pizza and Coke.”

  I take a twenty and a five out of my wallet and hand it to him while he hands over my order. “Thank you, and keep the change.”

  He nods and turns to leave as I shut and lock the door. Placing the pizza box and soda on the island, I grab my phone back up to talk to Dre. “Sorry about that, I’m back. What were you saying?”

  “Who was that?” He says accusingly, and I can almost feel the growl in his tone.

  “It was the pizza guy, well kid rather. There isn’t any food in the house yet, and the two of us barely ate on the road.” I drink what’s left in my glass and fill it back up, already knowing how this conversation is going to turn out.

  “Don’t lie to me Mia, who was that guy you were talking to? Is he still there, standing next to you?”

  “Andreas, don’t start, It was the fucking pizza delivery guy.” I’m going to lose it one of these days. Just snap on him.

  “You went there to move in with a guy, didn’t you? I knew it, I knew you already had a guy waiting for you.”

  Can we say paranoid?

  I down my second glass of wine, and I can start to feel it go through me, warming me from my belly up, and numbing my head comfortably. Miklo comes out of his room, grabs a plate and glass, gets some pizza out of the box and fills his glass with soda, before going right back into his room and shutting the door. I stay quiet until I hear the click of the door closing, not wanting him to have to listen to us fighting. Again.

  “Ma? Hellllooooo? Mia answer me!”

  “There’s no guy and you know it. Well at least there isn’t one yet. I’m done, Dre. I’m no longer going to hang on by the small threads you throw me. I made this move for me, and even though there is no guy, that doesn’t mean there won’t be.” The tears are flowing now in small rivers down my face, and I just can’t stop them, I’m drained emotionally and physically. “I love you Dre, a small part of me always will, but I no longer want to be in love with you, you’re tearing me apart, you don’t even want me. And I owe it to myself to find someone who loves me, who treats me right, and wants me enough to keep me.”

  “I knew there was a guy. Your such a slut, Mia, you…”

  I can’t listen to anymore, and I cut him off. “Goodbye, Dre, I’m done.”

  Giving up on my glass, I grab the open bottle of wine and fall into the couch. Drinking in earnest out of the bottle now, the tears don’t stop. Full-on ugly crying, I just stay there on the couch and let it all out. I want to be surprised by the things he says to me. The stuff he comes up with, but I can’t. I knew this man like the back of my hand, and this was expected. Still hurt like a bitch but expected. I rubbed my eyes as black mascara smeared against my skin.

  I’m just about to get up and open another bottle of wine when I hear the doorbell. Who could it be now? I did give the pizza kid enough money, right? While trying to wipe my eyes and face as best I can, I open the door, and my jaw drops.

  Hello, Hottie number four!

  Well come on now, that is a bit unfair, isn’t it? Even for me? Standing at my door is a man that could only be the mysterious Cade, with his fit black jeans hugging muscular thighs, navy shirt with a leather jacket over his broad shoulders. He has dark wavy hair that is just short of hanging in his beautiful, emerald green eyes. I take in his gorgeous face, and my eyes immediately draw into his full lips which are unfo
rtunately turned into a scowl.

  “H-hi.” I manage to squeak out, and I blush probably making my already alcohol flushed cheeks redder. I know you wish you were this fantastic at first impressions.

  He doesn’t say anything back, not even a quick hello. Instead, he lifts his arms out to hand me my fat cat Ghera who I hadn’t even noticed he’d been holding.

  “Oh, thank you. I didn’t even know he had gotten out… Wait, how did you even catch him?” I ask as I get a good hold on the escape artist, who must have run out without me noticing when the pizza arrived.

  Still not saying a word, Cade looks me over and then turns to start walking across the lawn to their house. What the heck just happened? Is there something besides tears on my face? Gah! I can’t even imagine what he thinks of me, answering the door mid emotional breakdown. I shut the door, locking up as Ghera tears out of my arms like a banshee and runs down the hall. Freakin’ lunatic.

  Starting back where I left off, I grab another bottle of wine. Deciding to leave the rest of the unpacking of the boxes for tomorrow, I take the bottle and a piece of pizza and go to lay on my new bed. Both bedrooms came with thirty-two-inch smart tv’s in them, and I turn Netflix on. I’m perusing the movies and shows when I hear a text notification alert on my phone. I pick it up, not really wanting to see the message, knowing who it’ll be from.

  Baby Daddy: Eamon, I Don’t Want You Back.

  He's being such an asshole, and I can’t take it anymore. I am so done. I send him one text back before falling asleep in my tears and wine.

  Me: Joey Djia, I’m Done.

  ∞∞∞

  Cade

  “What the fuck?” I can’t help but say out loud. I had just gotten home from working a few hours at my bike shop. When I pulled up, Roman was throwing free throws in the dim light coming from the single bulb above the garage door.

  Turning my bike off, I walked up to him, blocked his next shot, stole the ball, and threw one in. As he went to retrieve the ball, I stepped to the side, hands in my pockets, and waited for him to shoot again. Holding the ball, he stopped in front of me. “So, how was work?”

  “Good, I should have that rebuild done by Thursday.” I want to ask him about the new neighbor, but don’t want him to know that I’m curious. And I don’t want to be curious, women always lead to drama, and I’m not looking for any. But unfortunately my body doesn’t agree and I didn’t even get to see her face. Her long wavy brown hair reaching all the way down her curvy body to a plump ass, that her jeans hugged, and had made my dick twitch. Then she went tripping into her front door and a feeling that wasn’t normal for me to have jumped up through my chest. I had no right feeling protective over someone whose name I didn’t even know. “So what did you guys do?”

  Roman gives me a big shit-eating grin, he knows what I’m asking. My friends, my brothers by choice, are so close that we probably no one another better than we know ourselves. “Well, we helped Mia and her son Miklo unload their truck.”

  Her name is Mia? It fits her short and curvy frame. I nearly groaned at the thought of her body. I needed a fucking drink, this was ridiculous.

  I’m about to ask him more, see if I can find out what she’s like when a fat black cat starts rubbing a figure eight around my legs. It starts purring loudly, and I look up at Roman in confusion.

  Laughing, he says, “That’s their cat Ghera, don’t even try to pick him…” I lean down and pick up the massive cat, bringing it up to my chest.

  “Up. Well, fuck me. She said that the cat doesn’t let anyone but Miklo pick him up. I wonder how he got out again?”

  “I’ll take him home,” I turned and headed over to her house, leaving Roman snickering behind me.

  Ringing the doorbell when I get to her door, I heard a bit of noise on the other side before it opened. Beautiful, a beautiful mess, but undeniably beautiful. She stood before me not even coming up to my neck in height, her brown wavy hair hanging loose over her shoulders, and tears were coming down her face out of the lightest hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. Black smudges were circling her eyes, and her lips were stained just slightly from wine. I had no idea why that was attractive. I think it was just her. Everything was fucking attractive about her.

  I wanted to grab her and hold her, she looked so broken, and I felt like I could feel her pain, that it was a pain we both might share. I wanted to hold her tight and help her put all her broken pieces together. I stop myself. No, that is not what I want. I don’t need anyone right now, I still haven’t gotten over… Besides, I definitely don’t need to be trying to put some broken girl back together, especially one that I don’t even know.

  But you want to know her.

  Holding the cat out to her I didn’t even hear a word she was saying, I just listened to the sweet low tone in her voice, and then walked away. Which brings us back to my internal what the fuck I was experiencing.

  Chapter Three

  Murder My Neighbor

  “Ugh.” I grab my pillow and press it over my head, temples pounding, eyes only able to open partly.

  Six minutes ago, I was deep asleep dreaming about my new neighbors next door. A little drool may or may not have been pooling under my mouth, leaving a small wet spot on my pillow, Gross! Especially since it was the one currently pressed against my face. Five minutes ago, I was rudely awakened by what sounds like someone mowing outside. Four minutes ago I looked over at my clock, the red numbers reading 6:12 a.m. and I vowed to murder the fucker who woke me. I’m new here. No one would ever suspect it was me, right?

  “Nope that’s it!” I throw the pillow from my face, down to the floor of the bedroom and toss my blanket off. I stand to go greet my victim so that damn noise can stop. My head pounds and the room spins a little. Damn it, I’m never drinking again. Okay so I’ve promised myself this hundreds of times, but who hasn’t? Hmm, I wonder if I take a shot the pounding will dull a little, wait no, not ever drinking again. Promise.

  After steadying myself, I straighten my black cami, pull my short panda PJ bottoms down, so they actually cover my red lacy boyshorts, and stalk out of my room like I’m on a mission. The noise sounds like it’s coming from the back, so I head in that direction. Sliding the back arcadia door open, that leads to the back patio, opening it with a little more force than necessary, it slams to the side. Maybe a tad dramatic but warranted in this case. I stomp outside, my hands on my hips, sass in my step, and then stop in my tracks.

  Drool, I’m probably drooling again.

  Out in the backyard, mowing my lawn is Jayson. His brown hair is wet with sweat and hanging over his blue eyes. He isn’t wearing a shirt and has worn blue jeans on, that are just a little loose, wrapping around his lower waist. Giving me a view of his muscular tan abs, going down into that lust-worthy V.

  He hadn’t seen me yet, but his eyes drift up to catch mine the same second I manage to close my dropped jaw. Giving me a smile, it slowly starts to turn into an uneasy frown. That’s when I realize I’m still standing in my aggressive, the neighbors going to die stance. I quickly relax my pose, drawing my arms around my middle and manage to smile, my cheeks getting hot. Once he sees the smile, his grin gets big again, and he turns off the mower and starts walking toward me. He doesn’t go around the patio railing but launches himself over it and plants himself about a foot in front of me, leaning back into it. Damn! Boy’s got hops!

  “Good morning, Mia.”

  “Goo-good morning.” I tighten my arms around me more, and his gaze drops down. I look down to see what he’s looking at, my nerves already causing my heart to pound and my knees to shake. Okay, okay, my nerves are crazy right now, but we all know it’s the 6’3” hunk of hotness, making my heart pound and knees to wobble. I see my arms clenched so tightly against my abdomen, that they’ve pushed up the girls, leaving a generous amount of cleavage. Well, could be worse but really?! My cami is tight, and my nipples are as hard as diamonds. That’s when I notice it’s actually pretty chilly out here. A tidbit nipply to be
exact. My Arizona raised body starting to get goosebumps with the crisp Washington morning air. Sure my bodies cold but my damn cheeks are burning.

  Raising his eyes back up, his smile never wavering, he puts his hand gently on my shoulder and drops it back to his side. Two seconds, one light touch, and I’m clenching my thighs and practically melting.

  Remembering why I came outside, Ooh that sounds dirty after the clenching and melting. I definitely no longer wanting to bury the noisy neighbor, hmm torturing him a little sounds fun though. I get my voice to finally work. I get the courage to say, ‘So ...um… what exactly are you doing in my yard...mowing...at 6 a.m.?”

  Chuckling, he responds. “Without a fence in between, our lawns run together. No one’s lived here for a while, and I just do both when ours needs to be done.”

  “Okaaaay, and 6 a.m.?”

  Chuckling again. “Not a morning person are we, Mia?”

  Not without pressing the snooze button a minimum of three times, but usually more, and getting a cup of caffeine in my veins. “Um, I guess not.” I sheepishly mutter as I sneak a quick glance at the man before me, following his strong shoulders down to his lean biceps and tattoo-covered forearms.

  “Well, I’ll get back to mowing if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” He says with a wink. Oh man, I can already tell that Jayson’s the sweet one, the one willing to do anything for the one he loves, he’s the nurturer. Well, he can sweeten me up anytime. Please sweeten me up; I could fucking use it considering my life recently.

  “Thanks, yeah I better get back inside, lots of unpacking to do.”

  After giving me another one of his beaming grins, he turns and launches himself back over the railing, and into the yard to continue mowing. It gives me a beautiful view of his bareback and the tattoo I couldn’t figure out yesterday because of the black tank he was hiding the goodies with. Now with his shirt off, I can see tribal images caressing his shoulder blades and going down the small of his back, stopping about an inch before it would reach where his pants hit low.