Once, I never would’ve imagined I’d end up back here. Not that I hated Greenville, far from it. I’d always liked it here. But there were so few opportunities. There hadn’t really been a place for me. Now, with my fucking knee all busted up, I didn’t have much of a choice. It was nice, though. To be home. And what was more, I had a plan.
My uncle Dave had run a small contracting business. Now that my knee was making me say bye-bye to the military, I had a plan to get Dave’s business really off the ground, make it into something. I’d been taking online courses to get all my certification and know-how while I’d been in rehab for my knee, and I had a nest egg saved up from my covert ops. They sure did pay you well to keep your mouth shut, especially when there was a high chance of you never coming home.
Driving through, I tried to keep a low profile. I’d had a lot of friends when I left, but I wasn’t quite ready for the gossip mill to start about my return. I wanted to get settled in first, as much as I could.
The rental that I’d managed to nab was rundown, to say the least, but it was well-made. A sturdy house. And I could fix up whatever needed it. It would be good practice for my business.
Pulling up in the rickety pick-up I’d bought, I surveyed the house. Yeah, peeling paint and rickety steps, those would need touch ups. But the bones were solid. I didn’t see anything that made me fear the roof would cave in on me.
Stepping out of the truck, I grabbed my bags and went inside to investigate. It was small but cozy. Everything worked in the kitchen, electricity and water seemed to be good, and I didn’t see any signs of bugs, animals, or rotting wood. I could definitely make this work. Touch things up here and there. It would be free advertising, in a way.
Out through the back window, I saw the dense woods. A smile slid across my face and I set my bags down, stepping out, breathing in deep. The scent of pine filled my nose and I could feel the tension leaving my shoulders. I’d always loved nature, especially the woods. I used to go running through them all the time as a kid, playing pirate or knights or spies. Ha. If only little kid Jace had known what was in store for him… the games I’d played out here, with Andy, had been nothing like the reality I’d faced overseas.
Andy. I wondered if he was still around. And… Leigh. The scent of the trees made me think of her, too, made me think of the times we’d snuck out and gone on long walks, not to anywhere in particular, just through the woods. How we’d made love on a blanket under the trees, again and again. Back then all it had taken was a stiff breeze to have my cock hard and aching, to say nothing of a voluptuous girl begging me to fuck her. Leigh had been perfection.
She probably wasn’t still here. Last I had spoken to her about it, her plan had been to transfer to an art school in NYC. She’d always had a talent for art—I had no doubt she was someone important in Greenwich Village by now. And good for her. It was what she deserved. But I knew I’d be seeing her ghost all over town.
I’d known Leigh my whole life, or just about. As kids she’d follow Andy and me everywhere. She worshipped her big brother. Andy complained the way older siblings always did but he’d loved her, too, had looked out for her. The shift for Leigh and me from basically-friends to lovers had been smoother than either of us had expected. We were already so comfortable around each other, already so used to teasing each other. It had thrilled me all the way down to my bones to know that there was someone who knew me so well, someone to whom I never had to explain myself, someone with whom I could feel so… safe.
Yeah, I was going to miss her. When I ran into Andy—and it was always a question of when, not if, in this tiny town—I’d ask him how she was doing. I hoped he didn’t mind my lack of keeping in touch over the years. I hadn’t been allowed to contact anyone at home once I’d started in covert ops. I was sure it would be fine, though.
I was glad to be back.
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Baby for Brother’s Best Friend: Brother’s Best Friend Book 1 Page 23
