Love Again Read online

  “It’s so small.”

  I made my way to the ladder and climbed. I could hardly stand up straight as I made my way to the middle of the tree house and sat down.

  “Wow. Boy, does this bring back memories,” I said.

  Mitchell followed my lead and sat down. “I know. Now it’s been passed down to the next generation.”

  “Yep.”

  I pulled my knees to my chest and stared at my younger brother. I was happy for him and Corina, but the ache in my chest was heavy. Their baby news made me jealous.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  Lifting my eyes to his, I asked, “Talk about what?”

  He tilted his head. “I know you’re happy for us, but I saw something in your eyes on Thanksgiving when we announced the baby.”

  “I am happy for y’all. It’s just hard to watch my younger siblings settle down and have kids. It’s something I dreamed for a long time, and I feel like Jack robbed me of it.”

  Mitchell reached for my hand. “Waylynn, you do know you’re not an old lady and you have plenty of time to have kids.”

  “At the rate I’m going, Mitch, I’ll be in my forties when I get settled and have kids.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think so.”

  I shrugged.

  “No one has caught your eye?”

  Looking away, I stared at a doll’s crib Steed must have brought up for Chloe. My heart physically hurt.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “I’m not sure it can work between us.”

  “Why not?”

  Looking at him, I replied, “Because there are obstacles.”

  His brows pulled together. “Like?”

  I stretched my legs out and put my hands behind me on the floor as I laughed.

  “Well, for one, he’s younger than me.”

  “So? As long as you aren’t robbing the cradle, what’s a few years?”

  “He’s also friends with one of my brothers.”

  Mitchell laughed. “That could be a problem, but any guy you date is going to have to deal with your brothers, and this is Oak Springs. Everyone knows everyone!”

  I giggled. “That’s true!”

  He bumped my leg with his shoe. “Is it the guy you were with when old lady Hopkins walked in?”

  Heat danced across my cheeks. “Maybe.”

  Mitchell tilted his head and stared at me. “You see it going anywhere?”

  “I think I want it to, but I’m not sure. I’m gun-shy after Jack.”

  He left the conversation to dangle. “Corina being pregnant doesn’t make anything easier… This hit you harder than you’re admitting.”

  My chest tightened. “I feel like it’s never going to happen for me, but I’m okay and I love that you’re concerned. I just need to get a few things in my life figured out is all.”

  “Like where this thing is going with the younger dude?”

  “That’s complicated.”

  “Why is it complicated?”

  I laughed and stood. “Trust me. It is. You ready to head back?”

  “You don’t want to talk about it?”

  I took his hand in mine. “This is something I need to figure out on my own. I’m still trying to deal with the rumors about why I divorced. The last thing I want is to add fuel to this town’s constant gossip fire.”

  “I get it, sis. I do…but at some point you need to live for yourself and not for everyone else. Jack was a prime example of that, and look how that turned out.”

  I knew he was being truthful. It hurt, but every word was exactly what I needed to hear.

  Mitchell stood, and we headed back down the ladder.

  The ride back to the barn was quiet. I was left to my own thoughts, my own decisions. It had been so long since I could make my own decisions about my love life, and here I was, on the precipice of running or jumping headfirst into a relationship. Mitchell’s words replayed in my head. Things with Jonathon were complicated, but was that only because I was making them that way?

  We’d only been together the one time, but the endless flirtation and sexual tension promised that he wanted more. He had even admitted it. So, why did that scare me? Wasn’t that what I wanted in a man? The truth was, I was worried what people would think about me dating a man younger than me. And I couldn’t get that out of my head…

  Reflecting on that, I realized I was allowing this town and its people to make my decisions for me. I’d simply replaced Jack with them…exchanging one prison warden for another.

  By the time we got to the barn I had settled it out. I’d let things go naturally with Jonathon and me. That spark we felt together might be purely sexual and burn out before we could start an actual relationship. A few more times in bed with each other might give us both some fun and release, and then we could both move on.

  Or it might feed the fire Jonathon Turner ignited the moment he caught my eye from across the room. Jesus, I was going to be literally and figuratively fucked no matter what decision I made.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Mitchell said, drawing me out of my own head as he parked the Mule outside the main barn.

  Smiling, I replied, “Sorry. Thinking about the dance studio. Too many decisions still need to be made.”

  He looked at me like he knew I was a damn liar. “I bet.”

  We started toward the two vehicles we had driven down to the barn. “Will you be at dinner this week? You know how much Mom and Dad love having us all there.”

  “Mom said Thursday, right?”

  He nodded.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I saw a text from Jonathon.

  Jonathon: I found this and thought of you.

  The picture of a stuffed turtle appeared on the screen and I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.

  Me: Pick up a stranger in Vegas?

  Jonathon: She was cheap. Like you told me, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

  This time I let a chuckle slip out.

  When I glanced up, Mitchell was leaning against his truck. He motioned toward my phone with his head. “That him?”

  I nodded. “It is.”

  “Well, the guy can’t be all that bad if he makes you smile like that.”

  My chest squeezed.

  Mitchell held up his hands. “It’s complicated. I know. I’ll see you around, sis. And for sure at dinner this week, right?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Mitchell kissed me on the forehead, turned back to his truck, and climbed in. After starting the engine, he rolled his window down.

  “I love you, sis.”

  My heart melted. “I love you too, Mitchell.”

  He drove off toward our folks’ house and an emptiness settled into my chest. Maybe it was more jealousy that I couldn’t admit to myself.

  Closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around my stomach and breathed a deep breath, slowly letting it out along with my negative emotions. When I opened my eyes, the sun began to lower in the sky. It was breathtaking.

  “A new beginning,” I whispered. And maybe that beginning was Jonathon.

  Chapter Five

  Waylynn

  I stood in my bedroom and stared out the window. The morning sun shone through the clouds and caused the dew on the grass to glisten. It was one of the most peaceful things I’d ever seen. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

  Jonathon had sent me a text late last night. He wanted to talk, and yet all I wanted to do was hide.

  Ugh. Pull yourself together, Waylynn Parker.

  Feeling melancholy and a tad anxious, I mumbled, “What is this day going to bring?”

  “Shopping!”

  Screaming, I grabbed the first thing I could find and threw it at the intruder.

  “Ouch!” Amelia said as she, Corina, and Paxton all laughed.

  Clutching my chest, I shot them a dirty look. “You scared the shit out of me! What are y’all doing here?”

  Amelia walked into the room and head
ed to my closet. She started flipping through my clothes.

  “Seeing if you wanted to go into town. There are a few cute boutiques that opened up on the square.”

  Paxton sat on my bed. “I can’t believe how much growth our little town has seen.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’d have the dance studio nearly done if that old bat hadn’t tried to shut me down before I even got started.”

  Amelia grabbed a black dress and held it up. “Oh my! Can I borrow this for a date night with Wade? Holy crap, it is sexy as hell.”

  Sighing, I plopped on the bed next to Paxton. “Sure, Lord knows I won’t be wearing it anytime soon.”

  “You haven’t decided on Jonathon yet?” Corina asked, leaning against the dresser.

  “I told him I’d talk to him when he got back.”

  “Are you going to give it a try?” Amelia asked.

  Chewing my lip, I looked around at all three of them. “I think I want to.”

  They jumped up and started screaming. Their infectious excitement made me smile because I knew these three would have my back, no matter what.

  “Wait!” I shouted as I stood and held up my hands. “I said, I think. I haven’t said I was going to. There is a lot that could go wrong.”

  Paxton scowled. “Like what? You get caught doing the deed in public? Again? Waylynn, why are you so scared?”

  Dragging in a deep breath, I walked to the table next to my bed and opened the drawer. I pulled out the Oak Springs newspaper and handed it to Paxton. “That’s one of the reasons. The other reason is that I want to have a baby. Sooner rather than later.”

  “How do you know Jonathon doesn’t want that as well?” Corina asked.

  I stared at the floor. “We’ve fucked one time. I hardly think he is ready to settle down and start popping out kids.”

  Paxton shook her head. “Why are you in such a rush, Waylynn? You’re only thirty-two! You’ve got plenty of time for kids. And you sort of need ‘help’ in order to get pregnant. What man is going to turn down sex with you?”

  How could I make them understand? I’d been dreaming of a family since I was a little girl. That was the one promise Jack held over me because he knew how desperately I wanted it, and he knew he could eventually wear me down, which he did.

  “That’s the thing…I went to a sperm bank in San Antonio. To see what I’d need to do to get pregnant on my own.”

  “What?” all three of them said at once.

  “Waylynn! Why would you go through something like that without telling us?” Amelia asked.

  Something like anger rushed through me. Maybe anger mixed with jealousy. Whatever it was, it was about to show its ugly head.

  “Because, Amelia, I wasted my time on a husband who strung me along year after year with promises of starting a family, only to emotionally beat me down to the point where I gave up. Because I don’t have a man warming my bed every night like y’all do, or kids running around my house chasing goats! Or a baby in my stomach. I don’t have any of that, and goddamn it, it’s all I’ve ever dreamed about, and for some reason God won’t let me have it!”

  All three of them stared like I had finally snapped. Maybe I had. Tears threatened to spill but my anger kept them at bay.

  “Don’t look at me like that. Don’t the three of you dare look at me like that! You have no idea what my life has been like. All those years I plastered on a smile for everyone and pretended everything was okay when I knew deep down that my rotten husband was cheating on me. A husband who wanted a trophy wife at his side for his functions. Every time I told him I wanted kids, he would take me on a trip to Paris or Italy. Shower me with attention and jewelry and romantic evenings and I fell for it…each and every single time. What does that say about me? That I can be tricked with a shower of gifts and affection? That I’m willing to give up my dreams for a man?”

  The tears finally won out. One blink and they trailed down my face. “Hell, he couldn’t let me get pregnant. It would ruin his perfect image! The powerful millionaire and his Barbie doll wife. But he…got his whore pregnant and splashed it all over the New York Times how excited he is to have a baby.”

  “What?” Corina asked, grabbing my hands. She pulled me back onto the bed. “He’s going to have a baby?”

  I nodded while the sob I was trying to hold back came out. Corina pulled me into her arms and I forced myself not to cry harder.

  “What a cocksucker!” Amelia gasped.

  “Bethany Lenard wrote this?” Paxton asked. She was reading the article that was written in the Oak Gazette that I had handed her earlier.

  I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yeah, I guess. I have no clue who she is, but she certainly likes to talk shit about my ex-husband.”

  Amelia took the article. “She’s Jonathon’s ex-girlfriend. She sometimes writes guest articles because she’s friends with Kenzie Lewis, who works for the Gazette.”

  Pinching my brows together, I asked, “Wait, isn’t that who Jonathon brought to Steed and Mitchell’s birthday part?”

  Paxton nodded. “It looks like Bethany has a little bit of a jealous streak.”

  “What does the article say?” Corina asked.

  “It basically says that Waylynn is a washed-up dancer who couldn’t make it happen in New York so she hooked up with a rich guy who ended up cheating on her, causing her to come back to Oak Springs with her tail between her legs.”

  I stared at Paxton. “Wow. Thanks for that great summary, Paxton.”

  She frowned. “Sorry. I can’t believe I didn’t see that article sooner.”

  Amelia tossed the newspaper down. “Holy shit. What a C-word!”

  Laughing, I dropped onto my bed. “She wrote that right after I hired Jonathon to help with the dance studio. It was before we’d even hooked up. I don’t even know her!”

  Corina was now reading the article. “I mean, they put it on a page where it could easily be missed. Probably on purpose. Waylynn, if your parents saw this they would have laid into the Gazette.”

  “They did see it. Mom brought it to my attention. I asked them not to make a big deal and draw more negativity to our family.”

  Amelia huffed. “Why? Oh, my gosh, Waylynn. Why would you let them write this trash about you?”

  Sitting back up, I looked at my baby sister. “Meli, I’ve had worse things written about me when I was in New York and when I was with Jack. A lot meaner, as well. I figured rumors would fly when I came back.”

  “Sure, rumors, but to put it in the newspaper? I have lost respect for the Gazette. They’re not a rag magazine.” Amelia placed her hands on her hips, her cute nose turning red the more pissed she got. “I’m writing a letter to the editor. They can’t get away with this.”

  Corina clapped her hands. “I love when you get fired up!”

  Amelia let an evil little smirk play across her face. “Fired up? Oh, you haven’t seen fired up until you’ve seen a Parker women pissed off. And I am pissed off.”

  Paxton started herding Amelia toward the door. “Well, before you burst into flames of vengefulness and write an article, can we hit up the stores in town before I have to relieve Steed from daddy duty?”

  I sat up. “Let me change into something else, and I’ll be ready to head out.”

  The three women retreated out of my bedroom so I could change. After slipping on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt with the name of the ranch on it, I put my sneakers on and was ready to go. My phone beeped and I couldn’t ignore the small pull in my stomach when I saw his name.

  Jonathon: I’ll be home tomorrow. Can we meet for dinner?

  My fingers trembled as I came up with my response. Even a text message from this man got me worked up.

  Me: Where? I don’t want it anywhere public.

  Jonathon: Waylynn, I’m the contractor on the build out of your dance studio, I hardly think it would be scandalous if we met for dinner in a public place.

  Smiling, I chewed on my lip. Should I be flirty or play
it cool? Fuck that. Flirty it is.

  Me: Well, what if we decide you need to do some hammering? I don’t plan on wearing any safety gear to this dinner. And by safety gear, I mean panties.

  Jonathon: Christ, woman. Now I’m gonna have to jack off before we go to dinner.

  Me: I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not. Enjoy your dinner!

  Jonathon: The only dinner I’m going to enjoy is the one with you tomorrow.

  Me: Am I on the menu?

  Jonathon: Fucking hell… You’re gonna be the death of me, Waylynn Parker.

  Me: Gosh, I hope not. I’m looking forward to dessert tomorrow night. Gotta run…

  I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and headed to the living room to meet the girls. The idea of seeing Jonathon and the hopes of what would come after dinner lifted my spirits. I walked into the living and clapped my hands.

  “Come on, ladies. I’m in the mood to do some Christmas shopping!”

  Chapter Six

  Jonathon

  Cord talked non-stop on the flight back home. All I could think about was burying my dick in Waylynn, which filled me with nothing but guilt. My best friend had no idea I was falling for his sister, and I sat next to him like a pussy and didn’t say a word.

  Truth be told, if Waylynn hadn’t asked me not to say anything, I’d have already told Cord I had feelings for her. Of course, I knew Cord and his brothers. They would expect me to get their blessings first, but fuck that. Waylynn was a grown woman who didn’t need anyone’s permission.

  I sighed. The whole situation still bothered me. I didn’t like keeping secrets from Cord.

  “Did you hear a word I just said, Turner?”

  “What was that?”

  “Dude, I’ve been going on and on and you’re not even listening.”

  I smiled. “Sorry, hangover from last night.”

  Cord smiled. “Last night was fun. Dude, I can’t believe you didn’t hook up with that redhead. Hell, she was practically dry humping you.”