Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,1
and when she did, it tended to be in the evenings when she was off work.
I swiped the answer icon. “Hey, Mom.”
"Phoenix," she whispered with an unfamiliar weak voice.
I frowned because, if nothing else, my mom had always been a strong woman, physically and emotionally. Fiercely protected behind an impenetrable wall that shut people out, including me.
My instincts put me on high alert. "What's wrong?"
She blew out a shaking breath that rattled through the receiver. "I need you to come home. I'm…not well."
The drive to Atlanta was long, made worse by the anxiety swirling in my gut. By the time I pulled into the driveway of my childhood home, my stomach churned with nausea from the stress.
When I stepped into the house, I paused at the sight of my mom sitting on the couch. Her hair hung in greasy waves in place of her usual straightened shiny locks. Her skin was pale and dark circles shadowed her eyes.
My mother struggled to her feet, and I swallowed hard as I scanned over her frail body. Over the six months I'd been gone, her health had declined at a rapid pace, and I barely recognized the woman who gave birth to me.
She worried her lip as a lone tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Phoenix. I should have told you."
I hadn't known how bad the news would be, or how my dreams would come to a grinding halt. My responsibilities shifted with one devastating conversation. Taking care of my mother and the mound of bills stacked on the kitchen table instantly became my priority.
That night as I lay in my old bed, struggling to find the words—an outlet for the restless grief haunting me, they wouldn't come. Though we’d never been close, she was still my mom and the only family I had. I’d never suffered real loss before and now would be staring at the inevitable end of her life nearing each day. I’d always loved my mom, as much as she’d let me, and could already feel the regrets closing in on me.
I slid my notebook in the bedside drawer, not knowing the song I'd worked on only the day before would be the last for a long time.
1
Archer
Two Years Later
"You ready, Arch?" CJ, one of my two best friends and college roommate, slung a heavy arm over my shoulders, jostling me around. His ice blue eyes lit with excitement beneath a fringe of onyx colored hair.
Caleb, CJ's identical twin and my other best friend, stood at my other side. Towering over me, the school’s basketball stars sandwiched me as we stepped out of the parking garage where we'd left CJ’s Jeep. The sounds of the city filled the night, and a warm breeze cut through the stifling Deep South’s humidity as we stood beneath the glow of a street lamp.
I shrugged and stuffed my hands in my jean pockets as I eyed the upscale gay strip club across the street. A bright neon sign that read The Bared Lounge in modern font may have been a welcome beacon to some, but the appeal was lost on me. “I think you guys are more excited about this than I am."
Caleb pulled a cigarette from behind his ear and dug a lighter out of his pocket. He lit up and then exhaled a cloud of smoke as he grinned. "Excited for you."
CJ scowled and waved the haze away. “Dude, other people have to breathe over here.”
The scent of cigarette smoke never bothered me, but the twins were constantly bickering about it.
Caleb stepped several feet away and smirked. “Better, dude?”
CJ rolled his eyes and then his gaze turned to me. "We really do just want you to have a good time for your birthday. If you hate it, we'll bail. Okay?"
I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just stay home and gorge myself on cookies and ice cream cake until I was sick to my stomach and work on my graphic novel. But they’d insisted on taking me out, and I didn’t want to disappoint them. “But what about you guys?”
We were momentarily blinded by headlights turning toward the garage, and I lifted my hand to shield my eyes. Once I could see again, I lowered my hand and blinked the dark spots away.
“What about us?” CJ asked.
"How is this fun for you?" I tucked a dark auburn curl behind my ear and frowned. "Neither of you are gay."