In the past, I would’ve told her everything. The stakes were too high, though, and I’d been sworn to secrecy. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I just wanted to do better for our first time.”
That part was true. I realized a while ago that fucking around with every girl in school wasn’t what I wanted, especially since Albany was the prize. I’d loved her for so long, it was a small sacrifice to wait until she was ready.
Albany rested her forehead against my shoulder. “You were gentle, kind, loving … perfect for me.”
Her words were like a salve over the chapped parts of my soul. From the time she’d tossed my Game Boy in a puddle because I hurt her feelings, she’d been a constant in my life, my biggest cheerleader, my best friend. And I would miss her. I kissed her brow. “My mom wants me to come home.”
She peered up at me. “Now?”
I nodded. “I promised that I’d bring dinner home.” The lies kept coming. Just like my father. He’d told many tall tales and ended up dead.Am I next?My mother had existed on saltine crackers and tea for the last several weeks. She wouldn’t eat, barely slept. “She’s still pretty sad.”
“That’s understandable,” she said. “I can’t imagine losing a husband.”
My father’s death had devastated our family. But the turmoil he’d left behind would have lasting impacts on all our lives. Mom had been stressed, saying cryptic things. Strange people called at all times of the day. I had to sneak out this morning because we were forbidden to leave the house. The freedom that I’d once taken for granted had vanished the moment Mom received that dreaded call. “Yeah.”
“You should go then.”
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Just a few steps to my front door.”
Brushing my lips over hers again, I asked, “Are you sure?”
“Very.” She cupped my face in her tiny palms and kissed my eyelids, my nose, then my mouth. “Call me when you get home.”
Several minutes later, after another make-out session, I walked to the door of the carriage house, situated on the far end of her grandmother’s estate. We’d spent many days holed up there, doing homework, sharing our dreams, talking about everything good and bad in our lives. Turning back to her, I took her in. Her brown skin, her ruffled hair, her sincere eyes … She held a small fleece blanket against her naked skin as she watched me, a smile on her lips.
A heaviness settled in my gut, my chest, my limbs. I had only ever felt this way one time—when my mother told me my father died. Just like death, I couldn’t see how we would come back from this. At the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. We weren’t going to have a tomorrow. Tonight was it. A perfect memory.
My vision blurred as I swallowed against the hard lump in my throat. “Albany, I—” I dropped my head, unable to walk away. I wanted more time with her. Damn the consequences. My mother would be angry, but I didn’t care. “Can you stay here?” I asked.
She frowned, confusion lining her features. “You want me to wait for you? What about your mom?”
“I’ll go home, take care of her. Then, I’ll bring food here for us.”
Her face lit up. “Sure.” She picked up the book she’d brought with her and held it up. “I can read while you’re gone.”
I nodded. “Good.” Finally, I unlatched the lock and opened the door. “I’ll be back.”
Chapter 1
Wesley
I’d always tried—and failed—to forget.Enough whiskey to make me numb, a beautiful woman in my bed, and a warm place to lay my head hadn’t helped dull the ache in my gut or my heart when I opened my eyes that morning. The anniversary of my father’s death.
May 30th.
Somehow, the other dates never mattered. Not my birthday or the anniversary of my parents’ marriage or the day the man I’d once thought was invincible was indicted on corporate fraud charges and set to spend years in a federal prison.
The memory of that morning had never really seemed to fade away with the passage of time. I still remembered the smell of my mother’s perfume when she’d awakened me with the news. An accident. A fishing trip gone wrong. My father had fallen into the Detroit River. Its turbulent waters had been too much for him. The current was too strong, too swift. The details were a blur but the feelings … Despair and loss mixed with vulnerability and fear.Abandoned.Because that was the day my life had changed, and not for the better. That was the day I’d ceased being Good Little Wesley Batchelor. The Wes that had survived that day and the days after was not the same boy who believed good outweighed bad, that love conquered all. No, the Wes that lived was a man that had done everything I could to achieve my goals, even if that meant I had to hurt people to get where I needed to be.
But today …
Even the raging hangover I woke up with had only served as a small distraction, a nuisance really. One that would inevitably go away once I either took another shot or gulped a gallon of water and ate a piece of dry toast. I wasn’t sure which route I’d take but the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue sitting conveniently on the nightstand next to my bed was winning the war. Because I had shit to do, meetings that couldn’t be pushed back, things that couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
Decision made, I poured myself a healthy taste of whiskey and gulped it down. Sighing, I glanced back at the woman sleeping peacefully next to me.Mia…No, Alicia…Hm, Brynn?At this point, it didn’t even matter what her name was because I would never see her again. She was nice enough, had even offered me scintillating conversation about politics and sports. But I had rules—no promises, no forever.
I stood, stretched, and turned to her. Bending down, I nudged her arm gently. One beautiful brown eye popped open, then she sat up, holding a sheet over her naked body.
