Chasing Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers - Wicked Series Book 1) Read online

  “I’ll remember that.” He winked.

  My phone pinged, and a meme of Vicki Vallencorte from The Water Boy holding up a sign that read Want me to kill him? appeared on the screen. I bit back a laugh, flipping the device over before Stone saw it, but his laugh let me know I’d been too late.

  “That the best friend, A.K.A. the neighbor?”

  “Yes.”

  “Should I be afraid?”

  “Yes. Very.”

  “Noted,” he responded, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

  I cleared the table and placed the glasses in the sink. I felt his presence close in before I saw him. Maybe it was his signature smell—spice mixed with citrus, woodsy and masculine—all Stone Mitchell, and still mouthwatering.

  Only a few inches away, he leaned his back against the countertop, his shoulder almost brushing against mine. I peered straight ahead through the kitchen window, heart hammering in my chest. One tiny move, one sway toward him was all it would take. I felt the closeness all the way down my to toes.

  “You’ve done a terrific job. She’s amazing.” The sadness in his voice squeezed my heart.

  Outside the glass, a few hummingbirds gathered, feeding on the sweetened nectar, and I kept my eyes trained on their beauty. “Thanks. I… Saying I’m sorry seems so trite. I was more alone in my life than I’d ever been. I refused to tell my parents until I had no other choice. It would have been easier if I’d been pregnant by a total stranger, a one-night stand, rather than by you.”

  He blew out a long, deep breath. “I’m trying to put myself in your shoes, trying not be such a dick, but I’m not sure I can be any other way. You kept me from the one thing you had no right to. You had an obligation to do the right thing. Gammy could have been your liaison. You could have allowed not only me but my family the opportunity to love that little girl from the moment she was born.”

  My God, how he hurt, and I did that. And Dovie… Dear God.

  I studied his face and opened my mouth to say something…anything…but nothing came out. What could I say? Nothing could ease the grief of losing precious time. Vividly, I remembered feeling ashamed and hopeless, like I had no other options. After the initial shock, my parents had been supportive, and deep down I’d known they would be—it was the way they were made—but we never agreed about keeping her a secret from the Mitchells.

  “Dovie’s going to hate me.” A tear trickled through my lashes as I took a pained breath. And you, Stone. The truth came out and now I’m the one who’s given you every reason hate me.

  “You should have thought about that back then.” Bitterness filled his softened tone.

  Moments ticked by while I fell apart at the seams. “Dammit, Stone! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! You could have done something, could have sworn you didn’t do it! Sworn you weren’t capable of sleeping with my mother. You could have at least made sure I was okay! Something! You could have at least tried.”

  “How could I swear I didn’t do it when I thought I had? When I left West Tempie, I thought I’d fucked up the best thing I’d ever had. I couldn’t check on you because I couldn’t show my face, and later…I just couldn’t!”

  “In the end, I’m the one who screwed up the best thing that ever happened to us.” The tears I’d chased away earlier advanced again, at the point of no return. I pressed my elbows against the lip of the sink, burying my face into the palms of my hands.

  “Shit.” He softened more.

  He pulled me into an embrace, circling his strong arms around me, pressing me flush against his chest. A few tears trickled down my cheeks before I quaked and sobbed unmerciful. Guilt poured from my soul in his embrace. Time ticked, the hands on the clock moved, but life stood still in that moment.

  He held me for what seemed like forever before the tears slowly subsided, until the river ran dry. He pulled away, cupping my face in the palms of his hands. His thumb stroked away the wetness and I welcomed his warm, soothing breath against my skin.

  “One day at a time, Ave.”

  I nodded. “One day at a time.”

  “We’ll figure all this out. We’ll make a visiting schedule without disrupting her usual routines. In the very near future, I want to take her to see my parents and Gammy.”

  A sadness stabbed at me. “I have to be there when Dovie is told. Please, Stone. I have to be there.”

  “I can agree to that, but you need to figure out what you’re going to say, because I want to do it this weekend. In the meantime, I want to see Savannah every day this week, get to know each other. I may have to go to Houston, but it’ll be a quick trip and I’ll be back.”

  I swallowed. “Tomorrow, I’m going to…my exercise class. She usually plays in the childcare center at the studio for an hour. How ’bout you come by in the afternoon and she can stay with you instead?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Come here. I want to show you something.” I strode out of the kitchen to the living room, and from behind the glass doors of the entertainment center, I retrieved several scrapbooks. “My parents have some video recordings I’ll get for you, but for now, I’ll introduce you to your daughter from the day she was born.”

  Stone studied each picture-filled page, absorbing the details of each one. He ran his finger across the images of her tiny body.

  “She was so small, wrinkly, and pink.”

  “She was early. I stayed in the hospital a few days while they gave me IV medications to try to stop the contractions and help her lungs develop, then at week thirty-two, she decided to make her entrance into the world.”

  “Do they think that’s why she has epilepsy?”

  “Some studies think so. Others, not so much.”

  We combed through the photographs that had recorded her life for over an hour. I saw the love shining in his eyes, saw how he memorized every feature of her precious face. Savannah’s laughter drifted down the hallway into the living area.

  Stone looked at me and I shrugged. “She’s a happy child, always full of giggles. Tiptoe down the hall and see for yourself. I can’t help but do it all the time.”

  Excitement flashed in his eyes as he eased toward the liveliness of her playful laughter. Without her knowing he was there, he watched with joy in his eyes. Turning toward me with a full smile, he took my breath away. Stone had the ability to make my knees tremble and the world quake. He always had.

  He had the ability to steal my breath, ignite my blood. Holy hell, did he have the capability of lighting me on fire, and there wasn’t a fire extinguisher strong enough to put the inferno out.

  Breathe, Avery. Breathe.

  I slipped away, leaving him alone with Savannah. They needed time to get to know one another. Sitting on the sofa, a thousand thoughts went through my head. Until Savannah was eighteen, Stone and I would be forced to be in each other’s company, and special occasions were going to arise even after she became an adult.

  Resting my head against the cushion, I closed my eyes. Relief washed over me at Stone seeming less bitter. It was going to take a long time for him to get past it—if he ever did—but we were on the right track.

  “I can’t believe I have a daughter.” He eased down in the recliner.

  “She looks exactly like you. I’ve always been in awe of how she sometimes acts like you.”

  “Maybe the old me.” His gaze turned an eerie shade of darkness. “Not the new me.”

  “Tell me about the new you.”

  “Let’s just say, I’m someone you used to know.”

  Lines furrowed between my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “That’s enough about me. What grade do you teach?”

  “Don’t change the subject. How are you so different, Stone?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “What grade?”

  “Kindergarten. So, you own hotels?”

  “Yes, all over the US, but I mainly travel between Houston, Dallas, and Corpus Christi. Of course, the resort in Galveston is easiest to
check on.” He sighed.

  “You said you live in Houston?”

  He nodded. “And hang out at the beach as much as possible.”

  “How long are you planning to stay in town?”

  “However long it takes for us to reach an agreement. We need to have legal papers drawn up.” He stood from the chair. “It’s getting late. I should go.”

  “We’ll see you tomorrow for lunch. The more she’s around you, the more comfortable she’ll be, which will make telling her about you easier, don’t you think?”

  He cupped my chin, trailing his thumb across my lips. “I’ll be here tomorrow at noon. Sweet dreams, Ave.”

  Sweet dreams?

  More like hot, wet, wicked, nothing-but-fantasy dreams.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning, Lindsey and Kaylee showed up for our usual coffee time. We met a couple times a week, alternating between her house and mine. She held up my favorite flavor, surprising me with cinnamon dolce. “Since you didn’t call last night, I figure we have a lot to catch up on.”

  “Thanks Linds. I can’t tell you how much I need this.”

  Kaylee skipped off toward Savannah’s room as we moved toward the quaint little coffee station I’d copied off Pinterest.

  “Well?” She cocked an eyebrow.

  “If I were him, I’d hate me too. He’s really, really, pissed…and he’s so different now. Hardened. It makes me sick that I did that to him.”

  “Oh no.” She shook her head, eyes narrowed.

  “What?”

  “You still have feelings for him.”

  “Hardly.” Although I knew she spoke the truth, I couldn’t say it out loud.

  “Come on, honey. It’s all over your face.” A touch of sympathy laced her tone.

  I twirled Savannah’s birthstone ring on my index finger. “You’ve read way too many books and watched too many movies. There’s absolutely nothing in my eyes except worry. I’m scared shitless of how all this is going to end up. I can’t imagine letting Savannah go with him for weekends, holidays, and weeks at a time during summer breaks.”

  “Maybe that won’t happen for a while. I mean, maybe he won’t want to take on that responsibility this soon and will come here instead. Did ya’ll already tell her?”

  I shook my head. “No. I was afraid he was going to blurt it out, but thankfully he held back after I begged him to be careful with her, told him about her epilepsy.” Vivid images of how he’d looked at her filled my mind, how he’d smiled like a child at Christmas when seeing his own flesh and blood for the very first time. “He’ll be a great father.”

  “Mmmmhmmmm, and quite possibly a great lover.”

  “We are not going to be lovers again, Linds. After all that’s happened, we’ll be lucky to be good friends. We’re parents who should come to an agreement about our daughter. Like he said last night, no judge will ever deny him.”

  “Pulled out the big gun, did he? But that’s not a shocker—even I expected him to threaten that crap.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Want to hear the real shocker? The first thing Savannah said when she saw him was, ‘You kissed him.’ I almost died on the spot. Apparently at some point she found a picture of Stone and me kissing way from back when. Thank God she can’t read yet or she may have quoted some of our letters.”

  “You still have that stuff? Pictures and letters?”

  “I can’t explain why I kept them. I just…couldn’t get rid of it, but enough about all that boring stuff. I ordered a new pair of red patent heels and sure hope they arrive today. Are you ready for tonight?”

  Her long pause told me she wanted to talk more about Stone, but she held back. “Can’t wait! I’m wearing a sweet little red and gold halter with a matching mini.”

  “Ready for coffee?” I stepped over to the cups hanging on hooks above the station.

  “And a blueberry muffin, if you have it,” she added, knowing I always had them.

  “You know I can’t live without them.” I winked.

  “If Mr. Hot Delivery Guy Mike delivers your shoes, you should wear that cheetah corset. You know, the one with red ribbon straps.”

  “Hmmm, I may just do that.”

  “The Pussycat Diva Dancers will be bombshell tonight.”

  Less than thirty minutes after Lindsey left, a knock sounded at the front door. I scurried across the room, bouncing in excitement, ready to sign the receipt for my oh-so-sexy shoes. Looking forward to wearing red patent six-inch platforms for that night’s workout on the pole had me giddy.

  Instead, Stone stood at my door wearing a casual grey tight-fitted shirt that clung to his muscles. Oh. Holy. Hell. He leaned against a post on my front porch, ankles crossed, hands pushed into dark denim pockets, a sharp and intense expression on his face.

  “You’re early.” I offered a warm welcoming smile.

  “Making sure you didn’t decide to take off with Savannah.” The muscles in Stone’s smug jaw tightened.

  “I would never do that, Stone.” My shoulders stiffened.

  “That’s the thing, I don’t know that. I have no reason to fucking trust you,” he snapped.

  I took a step, giving me enough room to close the door behind me. Needing to protect Savannah from Stone’s whiplash mood, I placed my hands on my hips, ready to give him an earful. “And after what I thought you did, I had no reason to trust you years ago when Savannah was born. Don’t stoke the coals and not expect a fight. If you can’t do better, get in your car and leave! Hire an attorney and make this ugly—that is, if you would rather your daughter get to know you in a courtroom instead of in her own home.”

  The sharp edge in my tone surprised even me. Satisfied with the deafening silence, I tilted my head to the side and forged on.

  “Why don’t you try again? Say something like, ‘Thought I’d drop by early and spend time getting to know Savannah, that okay with you?’ Sounds better with a positive twist on things, don’t you agree?”

  He shot me a warning look. “I want to trust you, but I don’t.”

  “Look around, Stone. I live here. I teach at a great school. Savannah’s and my best friends live next door. We love our small town. If I were going to bail, don’t you think I would have done so as soon as my dad called me after you left their house? Before I ever let you lay eyes on her? You once knew me better than anyone, Stone. You know I’m not like that.”

  It took a few seconds, but the iciness in his eyes turned to broodiness. My mind went back to all those times we said goodbye because miles separated us, how his current expression mimicked those moments when he’d wiped away my tears with the pads of his thumbs.

  “That’s the thing—I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.”

  I wanted to push him into telling me exactly what he meant and explaining who he thought he was, but brakes squealing at the curb stopped me. A familiar black and lime green delivery van pulled to a stop. Mike—or as Lindsey called him, Mr. Hot Deliver Guy—strode our way, carrying a bright pink bag with the signature scripted logo that read Diva.

  “Hello, Avery Anderson. Having a good day?” he greeted, chipper as always.

  “Hi Mike, great. What about you?” I bit out in frustration, sarcastically smiling.

  Frequent online shopping had this cutie stopping at my house often for the last four years. He appraised Stone and then me, raking his eyes between us several times. “It’s a hot one out here today, close to ninety-eight degrees.”

  “Yes, and it’s not even quite July.” I scribbled my name on his tablet. “Thanks. See you next time.”

  He made a few taps on his screen before handing it back to me. “One last signature, please.” Typed words written in bold print displayed R U OK across the screen.

  I bit back a grin; this was yet another reason I loved small towns. Mike put himself between me and Stone and kept his eyes trained on mine, blocking Stone from seeing my expression.

  I wrote YES. PROMISE!

  For several seconds, he caref
ully surveyed my gaze for confirmation, and I offered a sincere smile. “Thanks again, Mike. Be careful on your route.”

  Nodding, he still eyed me closely. I returned the nod, reassuring him with a genuine grin as he handed over the package. “Could you wait inside, Stone? It’ll only be a minute. Hang on, Mike, I’ll walk you to your truck.”

  I didn’t miss Stone’s surprise as he cocked an eyebrow before I stepped onto the cobbled stepping stones with a guy whose last name I didn’t even know. Halfway to the van, I whispered, “Thanks for watching out for my safety.”

  “Any time. For a minute, I thought I was gonna have to kick his ass before calling the police.”

  I chuckled. “Everything’s good on Holly Lane. Thanks again, I really appreciate you looking out for me.”

  “No problem. Have to take care of my customers.” He winked.

  I lifted my hand in a friendly wave as he climbed into the cab of his van. Turning back to the house, I rolled my eyes. Instead of Stone doing as I’d asked, he watched, wearing a scowl. Deep lines creased his forehead and his gaze shifted between me and the cutie driving away.

  “Are you fucking that guy?” Stone asked in a hushed whisper.

  “Not today.” I brushed past him, opening the door as a playful smile curled at the corners of my lips.

  “Avery—”

  “I’m not about to talk to you about my sex life.” Not giving him time to reply, I called Savannah’s name, and she pitter-pattered around the corner like the happy child she was. As soon as she saw Stone, a silly grin spread across her face.

  “Sweetheart, Stone dropped by to see us.”

  She lifted her small hand in a bubbly wave. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” A softness filled his tone, and pangs of jealousy stabbed me. He’d said he wasn’t the same man he used to be, but just now, the way he was with Savannah, he reminded me so much of the guy I’d been madly in love with. That was the Stone I once knew. He said he was different, but he was wrong. He had proved that just now.

  “Baby, after I put away my new shoes, would you like to go to the park?” I asked her.

  “Yay! They have a big green slide. Kaylee’s afraid of it, but I’m not,” she informed Stone.