green eyes. The night went flawless. We drank some bourbon and somehow, I don’t know how, ended up in a dark closet. My hands were all over her body, and my tongue enjoyed the flavor of bourbon in her mouth.
Thankfully, I know how to control myself. I’m a pro. I don’t fall for a girl who might have baggage, or worse, a boyfriend, and I definitely don’t mess with family friends. But when it does happen on occasion, I maintain control of myself, that is until tonight.
I lost control.
My knees buckled. Like, I was sitting there thinking … this can actually happen, for real? I thought “weak in the knees” was just a stupid term chicks use when talking about the dude they’re crushing on. Seriously, though, it was so bad, I fell against the wall. I’m just glad I managed to make it seem like it happened like I did it on purpose. Whatever the case, Journey Quinn was a fantasy come true. I wanted to figure out how to barricade us in the closet like a psychopath and keep her to myself for as long as she would have me. There was a spark, one we could have lit the place on fire with. Journey’s heart pounded against my chest, and it was obvious she was feeling the same thingI was. Her nails nearly pierced the skin on my back, and we ran out of breath twice because of how hot things got.
And then, we lived happily ever after.
Nope. Not even close.
Instead, her ex boyfriend, who had only been an “ex” for like two seconds, barged into my love-making palace in the bourbon shop, and claimed his woman back. Well, sort of. When he caught us, he ran off like a sissy and Journey chased after him with a look of guilt plastered onto her face.
In my head, I saw myself getting ready to act like one of Shakespeare’s dude’s, clutching my chest with one hand and reaching out to her with my other while screaming, “Journey, thou shall come back to me!”
But, um … yeah, I’m still standing in front of the firehouse with a beer in my hand, waiting for thou to come back to me after watching a two-car chase burn rubber out of the parking lot. A perfect finish to a lovely evening. I just can’t help but wonder if Journey is the coyote, or the road runner.
I’m hoping to find out sooner rather than later.
Yeah, that didn’t happen, but I’ll save you from having to wait as long as I did for an answer.
It’s been fifteen years, and I’m about to find out who won the fair damsel that night.
Chapter 1
Current Day
“Mother of—”
“Dad, just don’t,” Hannah says with a sigh. If it was possible to hear my daughter roll her eyes, it would be the equivalent of the scream of one of those plants she talks about in the Harry Potter series. Lethal is the way I believe she described the sound. “Who was that, anyway?’
I snicker, quietly so she doesn’t hear me. “Just an old friend.”
“Hmm,” Hannah continues. “I didn’t know old friends kissed upon reuniting.”
I shift around in my seat to look my daughter in her evil eleven-year-old eyes. We were in the blind spot, for the love of—breathe in, Brody. Just breathe. It’s what I’m supposed to do. “Are you capable of offering me privacy at any given moment of any day of the week?” I ask her.
She twists her lips to the side and furrows her brows as if my question is stupid, lame, or “so basic.” “You didn’t ask for privacy. You told me to get into the truck.”
“Still, some things aren’t meant for children’s eyes, Hannah,” I argue.
“Then, some things should wait until a child’s eyes aren’t within seeing range.”
This conversation isn’t going to t end well so I’m just going to drop it and hope she does the same.
I pull out of the parking spot in front of the school where we just hosted another infamous bake sale. Thank God this is the last year for her in this school because Ive, just about had it running the show with the PTA.
The words, “Joining the PTA, and becoming an active member will have a distinct impact on your overall parental appearance during the hearing. You’re already in good shape, and this will make winning a breeze.” This is how my shark of an attorney spoke about winning full custody of Hannah. She was the prize at