“Fine,” he said, blowing out a long breath. “Call me if you need me. I’m always here.”
Gratitude washed over her as she watched him leave. She leaned her head on Tia’s shoulder. Everything in her life might be upside right now, but she had good people in her corner to help keep her afloat. She just hoped things would get back to normal before she drowned.
6
With the cameras and sensors installed, Lane walked the perimeter of the house. The sun beat down on him, the brim of his hat shading his face. An explosion of colorful roses swayed in the flowerbeds and hugged the blue siding, making him smile.
Of course Celine would plant flowers everywhere she could. She always loved them, prompting him to buy her a bouquet any chance he got when they were younger.
The house itself wasn’t what he’d expected. He might not have been around much lately, but he knew the man she’d married was loaded. He’d assumed she’d gotten some money out of the divorce, but maybe her ex found a way to screw her over. He’d gone to school with Kevin, and even then, he’d hated the smug bastard.
Hated him even more once he’d married Celine.
The night he’d stumbled upon Celine, pissed and grieving her broken marriage, he hadn’t asked any questions about what caused the split. He hadn’t cared. He’d just thanked his luck the stars had aligned, and their paths had crossed. It’d been morethan the two drinks that led them back to the place she’d once shared with her ex, a mansion of a house on the outside of town.
No, it wasn’t the alcohol that coaxed him into her bed. And if he was being honest with himself, that’s not what had caused the outpouring of promises he couldn’t keep. It’d been a deep-seated desire towantto keep those promises, a compulsion to completely let down his walls with a woman who meant so damn much to him.
A woman he’d lied to and left behind, betrayed again.
Anger at his own stupidity tensed his muscles, and he kicked an ugly little garden gnome standing in the mulch.
“Hey now,” Duke said, rounding the corner of the house. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”
Frustration sizzled in his veins, and he curled his hands into fists at his sides. “Don’t tempt me.”
Duke stopped in front of him, his mouth turned down at the corners. “Dude, what the hell crawled up your ass and died? I didn’t expect you to be thrilled to find me on your doorstep, but you’ve been lower than a worm’s belly since the moment you opened the door.”
Shaking his head, Lane rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You’re giving me grief? When you just showed up out of the blue and played make-believe buddies all day? You haven’t even told me why you’re here. You just followed me around, spouting off stupid little sayings and making smart-ass remarks.”
The release of heated words loosened the knots in his stomach. Duke might not deserve the full brunt of his anger right now, but he had to let it out.
And the asshole seemed to not only understand that but encouraged it.
“That’s right,” Duke said, wiggling his fingers in a come-on motion. “Let it out. Scream at me—hell punch me if you need to. But moping around all stern-faced and acting like a dickisn’t going to solve whatever your problems are. And something tells me those problems have to do with whoever lives in this house. Old girlfriend? Sister? Secret crush from years gone by? Whoever it is, she was quite a looker in those pictures on the wall. Maybe I can say hi to her while I’m in town.”
Lane let out a war-like roar and charged forward. He didn’t think, didn’t rationalize, just unleashed the build-up of emotions that overwhelmed him since he’d stepped back into town. Head forward, he tackled Duke to the ground.
His breath came out in ragged pants and he drew back his fist, his other hand grabbing hold of the neckline of Duke’s T-shirt.
Duke laid still, all the humor gone from his face. Replaced with a look of understanding that had Lane dropping his arms to his side and rolling onto his back. He stared up at the white puffy clouds and let the slight breeze across his face cool a bit of his anger.
“Feel better?” Duke asked. “I meant it, you can hit me. One time offer. Do it a second time and I’ll be forced to hit back.”
Lane squeezed his eyes shut against the bright sun. The tightness in his chest loosened but he still struggled to catch his breath as he battled the war brewing in his gut.
“I’m fine.”
Duke snorted. “Whatever you say. I know you’re not a let’s sit and chat, kumbaya kind of guy but you need to do something before you have a damn stroke.”
He hated that Duke was right. The events of the past few days weighed heavy on him, one heavier than others. He didn’t have a lot of people to talk to, and even if he wanted to tell Suzy what he’d learned, he wasn’t sure if Celine wanted the truth of Parker’s paternity shared.
Because he might not know the whole story, but if his sister had known he was a dad, she’d have told him.
Leaving Duke as the next best option. He didn’t know anyone in town and would hopefully be gone by morning.
“Oh, what the hell,” he said, forcing himself to sit on the hard ground. “I got home yesterday planning on selling that God-forsaken house dear old dad left me and getting the hell out of here.”
“And those plans changed?” Duke asked, raising to sit beside him.
