Changing Lanes (The Lone Stars Book 3) (2 page)

He tried to explain to her that he’d already met the woman of his dreams and they’d lost touch. He’d purposefully left out the part about having met her at Camp Huawni when he was seventeen and that he couldn’t remember her name. A long time ago, he’d learned two things—most people didn’t believe in true love and those that did, didn’t believe he’d met his at the age of seventeen.

But he had.

Even now when he dreamed of her, he still got that zip of a feeling. She’d had eyes the color of the Caribbean, hair the color of peanut butter, and wanted to be a painter instead of a doctor like both her parents. Back then it had been a lightning bolt to the heart.

Now, he was just waiting for The Universe to circle back around and reintroduce them, another fact which he left out.

“Marla?” He scratched the back of his head. “Was she the blonde or the brunette you set me up with last week?”

Grace rolled her eyes as she shifted her newborn son from her right arm to her left. “She was the redhead. She called last night to tell me she thinks she’s in love with you even though you kept calling her Monica.”

“Oh yeah … Monica.” He nodded. “She had a whiny voice and kept flipping her hair. It was weird.”

“You’re so picky. She was nice … good marriage potential.” Grace smiled kindly. “I know you’ve met Miss Right and that you lost touch. I wish you’d let me help you find her.”

He shook his head. “You’ve been talking to my mother.”

His mother was dying to hire a private detective to track down EJ—short for Elaine Janece—but he wouldn’t let her. Unfortunately, Camp Huawni hadn’t been big on last names so he only knew her first and middle names. They’d called each other by their initials—EJ and DJ.

Grace put her free hand up like a traffic cop. “We just want you to be happy. We love you and worry.”

How could he argue with that? The women in his life wanted him to be happy. He just wished they’d dial it down a notch. Re–meeting EJ because his mother and his friend had signed him up on e–Harmony, Match.com, Christian Mingle, Jewish Singles, and Farmer’s Only wasn’t exactly the way he’d envisioned it. He imagined it would be something more organic, like the way his father had met his mother.

When his dad had met his mom at the grocery store pouring over the mangos, he’d taken one look at her and asked her to marry him. Devon smiled to himself. His mom had promptly slapped the crap out of his dad, turned around, and finished her shopping. They met again six months later at a Fourth of July barbecue and began dating.

Clearly God or The Universe was taking its own damn time directing him back to EJ, but he would wait because she was worth it.

He reached his hands out to the baby. “Give me my godson.”

It was the proudest moment in his life when Coach Robbins and Grace had asked him and Clint Grayson to be co–godfathers to their son Luke.

“You’re all sweaty and gross.”

“Guys love sweat.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Luke’s precious little head. “It’s manly.”

Grace shrugged and handed him the baby. “He needs a bath anyway.”

Carefully, he cuddled the little guy like a football. Not having been around babies much, he was a little intimidated at first, but all it had taken was one look into Luke’s sweet and soulful eyes, and he was in love. Luke yawned with his whole body and his eyelids drooped. Devon couldn’t help the grin. That was just about the cutest thing ever.

“He’s getting tired.” He rocked Luke back and forth. “Seth, get over here and sing this baby to sleep.”

Devon winked at Grace. “Since he’s the newest rookie, we make him do all sorts of crazy things. He likes it.”

“I can’t sing.” Seth Charming ambled over. “I’m not singing the baby to sleep.”

“Yes, you are.” With his free hand, he pointed to the field. “Remember how those pesky defensive tackles want to kill you. Remember how I’m the only person standing between you and them?”

“Twinkle, twinkle little star…”

“That’s what I thought.”

Grace put her hands over her ears. Clearly, just because she was a singer with one platinum single and an album coming out, she couldn’t appreciate some excellent humiliation singing. He glanced down at Luke. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady and shallow. The kid didn’t mind that Seth was off key, hummed when he couldn’t remember the words, and tapped his foot to some imagined rhythm that wasn’t Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Grace looked like she was about to cry. “Please stop. For the good of the hearing world, please stop singing.”

Seth shot her a charming smile. “Told you I can’t sing.” His hips rocked from side–to–side. “But I sure can dance.”

Grace held her arms out for the baby. “Let me put him back in his stroller for his nap.”

Devon took a step back. “He’s good. I don’t mind holding him through the team meeting.”

Plus, it would have him an excuse to duck into the locker room if the meeting ran too long.

A loud whistle blew, and he turned around.

Coach Robbins motioned them over to him. “Take a seat. Today we’re talking about team work.”

There were groans and moans and lots of eye rolling, but everyone took a seat on the front few rows of the stadium. Devon scanned his fellow teammates looking for a seat that would give him an easy out. He plopped down in front of Grace.

“While y’all are working much better as a team, I would like for you guys to meet some ladies who have taken team work to a new level. The Tough Ladies are a local triathlon team who just completed the Ironman Cozumel. When I heard their story, I knew I wanted you to meet them.” Coach pointed to the four ladies walking around the backside of the track toward them.

Devon leaned closer trying to make out the four women laughing and talking as they walked. One was a tall blonde who looked like she could have just walked off a beach, there was another short blonde who talked animatedly with her hands, then a tiny, dark haired beauty, and a slightly taller than average sized brunette wearing the ugliest brown pant suit he’d ever seen. Sunlight skipped off her hair—it was the color of peanut butter.

He sat up.

As they got closer, the brunette looked up, and her Caribbean blue eyes made contact with his. His pulse skyrocketed. Could it be EJ?

Relief and nerves jangled through him. Finally. Thank you, God. He’d sent her back to him.

Devon’s gaze never left her. Part of him couldn’t believe that she was really here. She’d filled out in the last fourteen years. Gone was the skinny girl he’d known—she’d been replaced with a tall, lanky woman. Did she still have freckles on her nose? He strained to see, but couldn’t tell from this distance.

It seemed as though a lifetime and no time at all had passed since the last night they’d snuck out of their cabins to meet by the lake.

And here she was again.

She smiled and waved to him, and he nearly dropped poor Luke.

EJ headed straight for him. She recognized him—of course she did. His heart rate skyrocketed. He turned on his most charming smile and waited for her. It seemed to take a lifetime. Had she thought about him everyday too? Did she still have the leather bracelet with his initials he’d made for her? He still had the one she’d made for him.

Anticipation nearly choked the life out of him. He couldn’t believe his luck. He’d been in love with her for almost half his life and here she was finally making her way to him. In a matter of milliseconds, she would jump up and down, screaming with joy and sobbing her heart out because she’d found him again.

She nodded in his direction and kept on walking. “Grace, what are you doing here?”

He waited for her to say something to him … and waited … and waited … and waited.

Nothing.

She didn’t remember him. His heart fell out of his chest and rolled to her feet. He actually glanced down to see if it was under her ugly brown shoe.

How could she have forgotten him? He’d thought of her every day since her dad had picked her up two days early at the last session of Camp Huawni.

He craned his neck so he could keep watching her.

“Laney, I didn’t know you were a Tough Lady.” Grace said from one row behind him.

Laney? She didn’t go by EJ anymore? Maybe this wasn’t her. Then why did his gut twist up like a pretzel? Hell, nervous excitement vibrated out of him. Maybe Laney was a nickname for Elaine?

“For three years now.” She nodded as she turned to him. “May I hold my favorite baby?”

She was smiling directly at him. The radiance of it made him want to offer her marriage right on the spot. He chewed on his lower lip. He was ninety percent sure that was a bad idea.

What exactly was he supposed to say to her? At camp they’d talked about everything, but now it appeared she didn’t remember him. The subject of lost love wasn’t exactly small talk. He looked around. Did he mention the weather? He’d never had trouble talking to her before, but he was pretty sure his mouth was broken. Her gaze locked onto his, and he forgot how to breathe. He forced air into his lungs.

“The baby.” She pointed to Luke. “May I hold him?”

Devon glanced down to find he was indeed holding baby Luke.

“Sorry about Devon. He’s Luke’s godfather, and he loves holding him.” Grace smacked him on the back of the head. “Give her the baby.”

“Sh–sh–sh–sh … sure.” Now he was stammering. He’d never stammered in his life. He stood and gently passed Luke to her. As second–time first impressions went, this was a fumble of epic proportions.

When their hands made contact, he leaned forward wanting to be a little closer to her. Now, if he could only talk to her. Surely that would help to further their relationship … well to actually get her to remember him would be an excellent start.

“There’s my sweet boy.” She positioned Luke with his head on her shoulder and stuck out her hand to Devon. “I’m Laney Nixon.”

Nixon. Now, he remembered. How many nights had he laid awake trying to recall that fact? And here she was.

He concentrated hard on saying his name, trying to keep the stammering away. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

Crap. This was bad.

Chapter 2

Laney handed the baby over to Grace. Clearly this guy had a head injury. Poor thing, it appeared that he didn’t even know.

“Okay, big guy. Let’s have a seat.” She touched his arm meaning to help him into the chair and noticed that he was shaking ever so slightly. The temperature was in the low–eighties—not overly hot for October, but the sun was beating down. Perhaps it was heat stroke. She pulled the penlight she always carried out of her jacket pocket and clicked it on. She leaned down to him and flicked it back and forth checking for pupil response. “Besides the shaking, sweating, and light headedness, are you nauseated? Do you have a headache? Do you feel any tingling in your hands or feet?”

His pupil response was normal.

“Don’t worry, Devon. She’s a doctor.” Grace patted his shoulder.

The dumbstruck look on his face was fading into something a little closer to normal. “I’m fine. I feel fine.”

He stuck out his hand to her. “Devon Harding.”

There was something about him … something familiar. She felt like they’d met before, but she couldn’t place him. It must be déjà vu, or as science explained, an anomaly of the brain in which it creates an impression that the experience has happened before. That made more sense. Her brain had misfired—that was completely understandable considering how magnificently he was built. He was a large, powerful man, but beautiful too.

“I’m fine.” He smiled. “Really.”

Laney wasn’t convinced, but she shook his hand anyway. “Laney Nixon. Are you having any chest pain or numbness in your left arm?”

His smiled drooped like he was disappointed about something, and then he shook his head and smiled brightly. “No ma’am, I’m just about perfect, thank you. Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

“Um …” She looked to Grace for clarification. Was he for real? He still looked a little red in the face.

Grace shrugged.

“Why?” The question fell out of Laney’s mouth. Strangers never asked her out, especially muscular and handsome strangers. Apart from an amazing body that she could clearly see because he wasn’t wearing a shirt, he had kind brown eyes and a headful of thick red–gold hair. It was just long enough to run her fingers through but not too long that it could be pulled back. In her book, a man with a ponytail was someone too lazy to have his hair cut.

“I’d like to have dinner with you tonight because you look like an interesting person, and I want to get to know you better. It’s just dinner. I’m harmless.” He glanced at Grace. “Tell her that I’m harmless and that she should have dinner with me.”

Grace shifted her sleeping baby to her shoulder. “He’s harmless. He lives with his mom. If he does anything to make you angry, just tell his mother, Sweet Louise and she’ll kill him.”

He lived with his mother? He had to be in his early thirties. Why did someone that old still live at home? She’d already dated more than her fair share of dysfunctional men. Being reckless didn’t involve dysfunctional.

“Thanks, Grace.” He shot her a dirty look. “Now she thinks I’m a loser.”

He turned back to Laney. “I don’t live with my mother, she lives with me. Five years ago she came to Austin to take care of me after shoulder surgery, and she never left. I can’t help that we share a house. She won’t leave.”

That sort of made sense.

His gaze turned hopeful. He really wanted to go out with her. It had been a long time since anyone but her patients had looked at her with hopeful eyes.

Laney wanted to do something reckless, well here was her chance.

“Okay. Dinner it is.” Her tone was resolute like she’d just decided she needed to do surgery.

She debated about giving a stranger her home address. “You can pick me up at Dell Children’s hospital. I need to see a patient. How about six o’clock?”

She’d have to buy some sexy underwear and a new dress—something that wasn’t beige. Did she have time to shop this afternoon? If this didn’t take more than an hour, she could stop off at Nordstrom before heading back to the hospital. Maybe Nina could go with her and keep her from buying something beige.