Accidental Secrets: A totally gripping, steamy, sexy contemporary romance (Accidental Love Book 3)

by Dana Mason

  She slowly gets to her feet, and when she turns, I stop her. “Isla?”

  She turns back with a hesitant smile. “Yeah?”

  “I know you’re right. I am going to contact him… I just need to figure out how first. I don’t want to react thoughtlessly. I need a plan.”

  “I think a plan is a good idea. Let me know if you need any help. You know I’m here for you.”

  Her words nearly bring tears to my eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having someone’s unconditional support. I’ve never had that. I’ve never had anyone on my side… Someone who just wants to be here for me. “Thank you, Isla. I appreciate that. I’ll let you know.”

  Eight

  Michael

  I’ve almost got all the arrangements for the grand opening in place. With Mac’s help, we’re going to have a huge crowd. I turn in a circle in the middle of the open gym as my eyes catch on the little details. I’m afraid I’ve forgotten something. I’m sure it’s paranoia, but I can’t shake the feeling that something important is missing.

  When I hear a noise behind me, I turn toward the open roll-up door. Raegan is riding up on her bike. She parks and cautiously steps inside.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I ask, wondering why she’s hesitating.

  “What’s up with you? You look weird.”

  “I’m trying to figure out what I’ve forgotten.” I look around and then shake my head. “I know there’s something missing.”

  “Well…” Raegan puts a hand on her hip and glances around too. “It’s awfully quiet.”

  I snap my fingers. “That’s it! Speakers!” I sigh in relief. “Thanks, kid. I’m glad you stopped by.”

  “Um… you’re welcome.”

  “What are you up to? You got that parental consent form so you can join?”

  “Well, no, not yet, but um…” She dips her head and says, “I don’t think my mom will pay for the membership fees.”

  “Oh, I see. Too high, I guess.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think she’d pay for that.”

  I watch her for a moment, not sure what to say. Before I can respond, she says, “Do you mind if I hang out still?”

  “I’ll tell you what, I’ll agree to it, and maybe even let you work out a little if you help me out around here once you’re out of school. I could use a little help cleaning up after my classes, but you still need to complete the two forms I gave you.” I point to her and say, “I can’t let you do anything without the parental consent form. And don’t tell anyone, especially your friends. I can’t give all the neighborhood kids a free ride.”

  She grins at me and says, “Really? You would do that?”

  “I said maybe. I’m not negotiating until I get a signed form. You know, I was thinking about doing a couple of classes for twelve to eighteen-year-olds over the summer. Maybe you can help me figure out a good workout plan.”

  “I would love to help,” Raegan says, her brown eyes lighting with excitement.

  “All right, get that form back to me and we’ll work something out.” I glance at my watch. “I have to go pick up some speakers so we have music.” I nod to her bike and say, “You need a ride home? I can throw your bike in the back of my Tahoe.”

  “No, thank you. I don’t take rides from strangers.”

  This makes me smile, and I wink at her. “Good girl. Keep thinking like that, and you’ll do okay, kid.”

  I lock up the gym and hop in my truck. Once I’m in, I realize I have no idea what kind of speakers I want. I grab my phone and text Gavin, asking him to send me the information on which ones we installed in our Oakland gym.

  Once I get to the electronics store and park my truck, I open my email, hoping Gavin’s sent what I need. I quickly scroll through but then stop on the last email I received from that prankster claiming to be my kid. I completely forgot about this jerk. It’s been over a week and I haven’t received anything new. I’m glad to see they took me seriously when I said to stop emailing me.

  I can’t help but think about Rachel again, and out of some masochistic curiosity, I go to my Facebook app and type in her name. The results are massive. I scroll through the list and when I see her, I almost gasp. I click on the profile picture, but her account is totally private. Like, on lockdown. I can’t even look at her friends list or interests. She looks fucking hot as hell in her profile picture, though. The idea of contacting her makes my heart jump in my chest. I stare at her photo and remember how hurt I was when I realized I wasn’t going to see her again. For months and months I waited for a letter to come in the mail but it never came. I get it if her mom shipped her off to keep her away from me, but she could’ve at least written to me. I got nothing from the girl after years of being together. Nothing but a broken heart.

  I put my phone down and close my eyes, and take a moment to think about her.

  “What do you think?” I ask.

  “Think about what?” She glances up from her book.

  I swat at the book and say, “You weren’t even listening to me, were you?”

  She tilts her head and bats her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, babe, but I just got to the good part.” She leans over and rests her head on my shoulder. We’re on my bed, propped up against the headboard, and she’s reading while I’m looking through college pamphlets.

  “I said, what about the University of Oregon? Do you want to stay in Oregon?”

  “I want to be where you are, and if that’s Oregon, then yes! Also, if you choose Oregon, you won’t be so far away next year. Eugene is less than two hours away.”

  “That’s true. Closer than the University of Washington.” I kiss her forehead. “It’s going to be a long year without you.”

  “I know… I’m not sure how I’ll survive my senior year alone.”

  “So, where would you prefer? I don’t want to decide for both of us. For all I know, you want to go to school back east to get away from your mom.”

  “Hmm… I want the University of Wherever Mike Murphy Is.” She chuckles and says, “Really, I don’t care. I don’t even know what my major’s going to be. Just as long as it’s a university, so my mom doesn’t have kittens.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to matter. Your mom is going to hate your choice regardless. It’s in her DNA.”

  “That’s true. And all the more reason to pick what you want and I’ll follow.”

  I shift so that I can get a good look at her. I meet her hooded eyes, judging if she’s being honest or trying to placate me. “My parents graduated from U of O, they’d really dig it if I went there.”

  “My parents graduated from UCLA, but it still doesn’t matter.” She lifts a single eyebrow and says, “I really mean it, Mike. I’m not like you. You’re already sure of what you want. I’m not. I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

  “I know I want you, if that’s what you mean.”

  She leans in and kisses me deeply. Deeply enough to give me a hard-on. “I’m sure I want you too, which is why I’m going to follow you anywhere. So…pick the school you want.”

  That was the summer before my senior year. A month later, she was gone, and I was left wondering what the hell happened.

  God, she was the closest thing to perfection I’ve ever had. I wonder if she’s married. Has kids. Lives in Boston still—that’s if she ever lived in Boston. On Facebook, she’s still using Williams as her last name, but nowadays, most women don’t change their names when they marry. I tried searching for her for a while when I was back east, with no luck. But honestly, I never tried that hard. It hurt too much to think about what she’d done. It hurt to think that she could walk away from me so easily.

  I lift my phone and look at her picture again.

  Should I send her a friend request? I lean my head back, not sure I’m ready for that. I’m not so sure I can forgive her for what she did. But God, I’d kill to touch her again. I’d wrap my hands around her hips and hold her close. My teenage mind still wants her. It’s the grown-up version that
knows it’s a bad idea. I don’t need to go through that again. It took me a long time to get over her. In a lot of ways, I’m still fucked up from it. Just ask all of my ex-girlfriends since her. Every one of them would say I held back, that I was afraid of commitment or emotionally unavailable. It’s true, I keep women at arm’s length because I don’t trust them—with the exception of my friends. Brianna and Kelley, to be specific. There’s never been anything romantic between me and either of them.

  When my phone pings with Gavin’s email, I try to shake off all thoughts of the past. I have a gym to get open, I don’t need to worry about shit I can’t control. Shit that’s only going to distract me from the job I need to get done.

  Nine

  Raegan

  I park my bike by my uncle’s garage and hop off, dropping to the ground and taking several deep breaths. I can’t believe he actually asked me to help him with workout plans! I take a couple more deep breaths, then get to my feet. I have to figure out a way to get the permission slip signed. I can probably get my uncle to do it if Annie’s not here. He’s always so distracted, I doubt he’ll even read it. I enter the house and put my backpack down in the living room. Then I head into his office.

  “Hey, hey, little Rae, what are you up to?” He looks up from his computer and smiles at me.

  “Where’s Annie?”

  “She had to run an errand. Do you need something?”

  “No, but have you heard about the new CrossFit gym that’s opening? I checked it out today.”

  He gives me a sideways look and says, “Yeah, I saw when they had a crane hanging the sign. You rode your bike there? I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  “It’s not far. Less than a mile and that’s an easy distance on my bike, and there’s a trail most of the way.”

  He examines me, then says, “What were you doing there?”

  I lower myself down on his couch, trying to act as natural as possible. “It was an accident, really. I was riding to the frozen yogurt shop with Maisie, and we noticed it, so we stopped to check it out.” I shrug like it’s no big deal, then I say, “They’re doing a promotion for the next two months. They’re offering a few free memberships to teenagers who want to join. It’s their way of getting kids to stop looking at screens and learn to work out during summer break when school’s out.”

  “Free? Are you sure about that?”

  “Yeah, I talked to the owner myself. He said they need to build memberships and by offering a few spots to kids, they’re hoping word will spread. He’s really nice and has this whole workout plan for kids who are interested.”

  “Wow, really? That sounds like a great idea. You kids do spend too much time looking at your phones and computer screens, and what else are you going to do while school’s out for summer?”

  “I know, right,” I say, agreeing with him. “It’s only the second day of break, and I’m already bored. But I need the permission slip signed. Will you sign it for me?”

  His brow furrows when he says, “Are you sure you want to work out at a gym, though? You don’t want to get all bulky like a guy, do you? Maybe you should try yoga or dancing… something like that. It doesn’t sound like it’s a great place for girls.”

  “They have a yoga studio too… and I like this place. It’s not just for boys.” I let out a heavy sigh and say, “They only have a few free spots.”

  “All right, hand it over.”

  I hop up and go to my backpack for the slip, fist-pumping the entire way. When I return, he reads the form over much more carefully then I was expecting.

  “This looks pretty standard, but it doesn’t say anything about the membership being free. Make sure you don’t sign anything else from them without me looking at it. I don’t want you to be obligated to anything.”

  “I will, Uncle Mitch. Maybe you can check the place out and start working out with me.” I know he won’t, but I’m trying to be as transparent as possible.

  He laughs and says, “I’m a little too old for a place like that.” He points to me. “Make sure you let me know when you’re supposed to be there. I want to know when you’re there and how long for.”

  “Cool. I will! And, hey, Uncle Mitch, would you have been worried about me riding my bike that far if I were a boy?”

  He scrunches his nose up and says, “Probably not.”

  I scrunch my nose up and say, “Then you should probably start pretending I’m a boy.” I wave the signed form in the air. “Thank you for this. I’m gonna go watch TV and wait for Mom.” Then I leave his office, fighting to hide my smile.

  I almost feel bad for manipulating him… almost. It’s not like I totally lied. Okay, so Maisie wasn’t with me for one, and she doesn’t know about this. But she’s such a goody two-shoes, she’d never let me get away with it. And, yeah, the CrossFit gym isn’t offering free memberships, but Mike did say we could work something out. So why shouldn’t I get to know my dad when given a chance? And why should I be upfront and honest with the adults in my life? It’s not like they’re upfront and honest with me!

  I do feel bad for lying to Mike… and a little guilty that I haven’t told him I’m the one who sent him those emails, but at least I stopped. I told my mom I wouldn’t look for him, and even though I already knew where to find him, it seemed fair to stop emailing him. I’m just hoping my mom connects with him soon before I have to tell any more lies to them both. I asked her again this morning if she’d contacted him, but all she did was mutter that she hadn’t done it yet. I don’t know why she’s dragging her feet. It’s not like he’s hard to find. The gym is only a few miles from our house. If she doesn’t move forward with it soon, I’m gonna have to give her another push.

  Ten

  Michael

  With the speakers installed, we’re almost finished. I’m working with Brianna in the yoga and Pilates room, trying to get her set up. There’s not much left to do now that the equipment is in place, but we need to get the rooms cleared of the paint smell. Not very Zen, as Bri put it.

  “I think if we set up a fan here and another over there, it’ll help carry the smell outside.”

  “Good idea.” I lift the fan and carry the enormous thing over to where she pointed. “When is your first class?”

  “Tomorrow morning. I’ve got some candles to light, that will help, and I’ll add some air fresheners.”

  I plug the fan in and hit the power button, then head back over so she can hear me. “I think it’ll be cleared by then.”

  Bri nods toward the entrance, and I look over to see Kelley coming inside. “Hey, what’s up, Kell?”

  She gives me a big hug, then looks around. “Wow! Guys, it looks incredible!”

  “Do you smell paint?” Brianna asks.

  Kelley lifts her nose and sniffs around the room a little. “Not too bad.”

  “Good. We’re trying to get it aired out before the first yoga class. It’s tomorrow morning,” I say.

  “Hey, Kelley, you should leave some business cards for the dance studio. We’re setting up a board where members can advertise their businesses,” Brianna offers.

  “Oh, great idea! I’ll bring some next time.”

  Brianna points a thumb over her shoulder and says, “I need to finish sorting out the equipment. See you two later.”

  Kelley gives her a wave goodbye, and as she does, the smile falls from her face and I know something is up.

  “What’s wrong? I get the feeling this isn’t a friendly visit.”

  She shakes her head, clearly frustrated. “I know you’re super busy getting ready for your opening, but I need to ask a favor.”

  “Dude! Don’t be stupid. You know you can ask me anything. Let’s go into the office.” Once we’re in the office, away from the noise of the large fans, I say, “What’s up?”

  “Mac’s been obligated to a gig on Monday afternoon, and we were supposed to meet with our wedding coordinator. It took me weeks to get this appointment, and I really don’t feel comfortable by
myself. I’m sure this isn’t your sort of thing, but I could really use some back-up. I don’t want to be pressured into spending more than I’ve budgeted, but I have a hard time saying no. I need someone there to keep me and the coordinator on track. Do you think you can come along?”

  I laugh at her. Not because she’s asking me to come along, but because she was so hesitant. “I don’t mind. I don’t know much about wedding planning, but I can be there.”

  “Thank you so much! I don’t really need input for the wedding stuff. What I really need is someone to be the asshole and say no when I can’t. It’s usually Mac, and he’s great at it.” She rolls her eyes and says, “Although, it’s usually because the women fawn over him, so his ‘no’ doesn’t seem so much like a rejection. Anyway, I suck at hard-lining, and I need a strong presence to help me. I would ask Lexi, but she’s as soft as I am.”

  “Kell, I’ll come, and I’ll be the asshole you need me to be.”

  “God, Mike, you’re a lifesaver. Thank you for getting it.” She laughs again and gives me a long look. “Have I told you lately how happy I am that you moved to Sac? Really. I’m so glad to have you here.”

  “Believe it or not, I like Sacramento. I’m a little afraid of the hot-ass weather I keep hearing about, but it’s been nice so far, and the people in the neighborhood have been great to us.”

  “I’m so happy,” she says and sighs out a deep breath. “God, thank you so much! I need to get going, and I know you have a lot more work to do. When do you start your personal training sessions?”

  “I already have. I had two today. I have a few more tomorrow.”

  “That’s so great!”

  We both stand and walk out of the office. I glance over and see Bri dancing and singing to the music as she works on the yoga room, and that makes us both laugh.

  Kelley nods in Bri’s direction and says, “She’s going to be so much fun to work with. Where did you find her?”