What Might Have Been: Daniels Brother #4 (Daniels Brothers) (8 page)

But as he’d pointed out, he wasn’t a kid anymore and the feelings he was evoking within her were anything but childlike.

Like the coward she was, Abby had lunch delivered in case Trent was still working out front. She sat in Max’s office, catching up on what was happening with his dad. Hearing that the doctors were suggesting the family talk to a hospice helped to cool her libido. Max might live six hundred miles away from his parents, but they were still close. It was one of the reasons it had hurt Max so much to find out about his dad’s illness. Now he had to face the reality that his father would most likely die in the not-too-distant future.

What Max was dealing with made her problems seem small and insignificant. She almost felt guilty for fretting so much about Trent and his family when Max had so much on his plate.

On her drive home that night, Abby decided to take a detour. With all the talk of family, she was missing her dad. He’d been gone for over ten years, but there were times when she could still feel him with her.

Abby turned down the familiar street and followed it for several miles until she saw the blue and black sign of the shooting range her father used to take her to. She found a parking spot and went inside. The place felt familiar, even after all this time.

She walked up to the counter, already scanning the guns in the case. Since she lived in New York City, she didn’t own a firearm anymore. Gun laws there were beyond strict and she’d had no desire to jump through all the hoops one had to go through in order to purchase a firearm, so she’d have to rent one.

“How can I help you?” the man behind the counter asked.

“I’d like to rent a 9mm and some range time.”

“Sure.” He reached behind him, and then placed a form in front of her. “Fill this out, and I’ll need a valid driver’s license. You said a 9mm?”

“Yes, please.” It used to be her favorite to shoot.

The man nodded and left her to complete the paperwork.

Twenty minutes later, Abby was standing in front of a paper target. The gun felt good in her hands as she clicked the magazine in place and racked the slide. She took aim and fired the first shot, then another. As the bullets hit the target, Abby felt some of the tension leave her body. This was exactly what she’d needed.

Abby went home that evening feeling a lot more relaxed. Unfortunately, when she woke up the next morning all her anxiety had returned. It was Friday, which meant her date with Trent was only hours away.

When she arrived at work that morning, she did her best to keep busy. Max was working on something with accounting, so at least she didn’t have to explain to him why she was so jittery.

She was shutting down her computer at the end of the day when Max called her into his office. Abby grabbed her notebook in case he needed her to write something down, and made her way into his office.

Max motioned for her to take a seat. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“I gathered that.” She smirked as she lowered herself into the chair. Max intimidated a lot of people, but she knew him too well. He was a teddy bear under that tough exterior.

He grinned. “We’ve been so busy this week, I feel like we haven’t talked about anything except for work and my family.”

“Both of which are important.”

“Yes, but I dragged you halfway across the country. Away from your life. And I’ve pretty much abandoned you.”

“I’m a big girl, Max. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“I know. I didn’t mean to suggest that.” He ran a hand through his hair in apparent frustration. “I just wanted to know how you’re adjusting. Are you getting settled into your apartment? Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine. Really. You have enough to worry about.”

He swallowed and she knew something was coming. “What about Daniels? I know you spent a lot of time with him on Monday. And I saw him working out front yesterday.”

The last thing Abby wanted to do was talk to Max about Trent.

Max sighed, pushed back from his desk, and stood. “We haven’t spent any time together outside of work since we’ve been here. What do you say we go grab a pizza and talk about anything other than work?”

“I can’t. I have plans.”

“What kind of plans?” he demanded.

Abby stood and shot him a look.

When he realized what he’d done, he tucked his head down sheepishly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”

She knew he’d been under a lot of stress lately. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

Abby moved toward the door, and Max followed. He placed his hand on her arm before she could step out into the hallway. “Promise me you’ll be careful with Trent Daniels, okay?”

Shock crossed her face. “How did y—”

“If you had plans with anyone else, you would have told me.” His tone was one of resignation.

Max’s parting comment stayed with her on her drive home. He was right. If it had been anyone but Trent, she would have told him. Max was her best friend. She told him everything.

The problem was Max knew what had happened with Chris. He knew how much it had messed her up and he was afraid she’d get hurt again even though what had happened wasn’t Chris’ fault. That didn’t seem to matter to Max and he was transferring his irritation onto Trent. Abby understood. She was as nervous about whatever was going on with Trent as Max was. But making Trent pay for something he had no part in wasn’t fair either.

After parking her car in front of her apartment, she pressed her hand to her stomach. It was flat now. The baby that had been inside still haunted her dreams when she least expected it.

She took a cleansing breath and made her way inside. Dwelling on the past wouldn’t do her any good—especially tonight. She had to get ready for her date.

Two hours later, there was a knock on her door. Abby crossed her small living room and went to answer it. She placed her hand on the knob and steadied herself.
You can do this.

Seeing him standing there in dark jeans and a short-sleeve button-down shirt, Abby almost forgot to breathe. He’d left the top two buttons open and she could see the movement of his throat as he swallowed. Was he nervous, too?

“Wow. You look amazing, Abby.”

She’d tried to keep it simple with a yellow sundress. It wasn’t anything special, but it was far removed from what she wore to work. Living and working in New York, she had to present herself as professional and confident at all times. Looking feminine wasn’t always an advantage. Tonight she looked like a woman. She wasn’t hiding behind layers of fabric. It was just her—take it or leave it.

The look in Trent’s eyes said he liked what he saw, which gave her some confidence.

“Thank you. You don’t look half bad yourself.”

Trent took a step forward, his eyes dark and full of heat.

She felt a little lightheaded as he stared down at her. In that moment, everything else faded away. He parted his lips and her gaze was drawn to them.

Trent leaned down and covered her mouth with his.

His lips were so soft. They moved gently over hers, and before Abby could contemplate the consequences, she reached for him. It felt like a lifetime ago since she’d felt desire like this racing through her veins.

Abby tangled her fingers in his hair, needing to get closer. He responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. She could feel his heat radiating through his clothing and hers.

Trent rested his forehead against hers, his breathing labored. He hadn’t let her go and to be honest, she didn’t want him to. Being in his arms felt right.

She looked into his eyes. They were even darker than before and full of emotion. It made her throat tighten and her chest clench. She knew that look. Even still, she couldn’t bring herself to back away.

“I’ve wanted to do that since you came home after spending the summer away at camp,” Trent whispered.

She remembered that day. “Why didn’t you?”

He ran his hands up and down her back before resting them on her hips. It put some space between them and she wasn’t sure she liked that. He placed a single kiss on her lips, and then guided her over to his truck.

Opening the passenger side door, he waited until she was situated inside before he answered her question. “I was young and scared.” He cupped the side of her face with his hand and she couldn’t help but lean into it. “I’m not a kid anymore . . . and I know what I want.”

Abby was still trying to come to terms with what he’d said as he pulled out onto the highway. There’d been no need for him to finish his thought. The implication was clear. He was going to go after what he wanted, and what he wanted was her.

***

Trent probably shouldn’t have kissed her. He knew that. It had been pure instinct. He saw her standing there all pretty and perfect, and he couldn’t resist.

On his way to her apartment, he kept reminding himself that he needed to take things slow. Abby had been reluctant to agree to the date in the first place. He didn’t want to scare her off.

Plus, he had no idea what had transpired between her and Chris. He got the feeling there was a lot more to the story than he and the rest of the family knew. It wouldn’t be wise to rush into anything.

His brain, however, hadn’t relayed that message to the rest of his body. The urge to pull the truck to the side of the road and kiss her again was strong, but he resisted. He had to spend the entire drive to the boat calming himself down. Otherwise, he’d be giving the rest of the boat’s passengers an eyeful.

By the time they arrived at the marina, Trent was more in control. That was good given her reaction once she realized where they were. Abby grabbed hold of his arm and looked at him with wide eyes. “We’re going on a boat?”

Trent nodded. “A dinner cruise.”

She glanced at the paddleboat about fifty feet away. “I’ve never been on a cruise.” He wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to herself.

“First time for everything,” Trent said as he pocketed the keys and got out.

Abby was already standing beside the truck by the time he reached the passenger side. She hadn’t waited for him to open the door for her. Trent tried not to let it bother him. He’d been taught to open doors for women, especially women he dated.

He could still hear his dad’s voice in his head.
“It’s a sign of respect. And if you don’t respect the woman you’re with then you shouldn’t be with them.”

“Shall we?” he asked, offering her his hand.

She hesitated for a moment, and then linked her fingers with his.

They walked across the parking lot and joined several other couples who were waiting in line to board. “That fancy job in New York doesn’t send you on business trips?”

Abby shrugged. “Sometimes. But I usually don’t see much outside of the airport and whatever we pass in the car getting to our hotel and the office building.”

“Sounds rather boring.”

“Oh, really?” Abby gave him a look that made him chuckle. She hadn’t lost her sense of humor.

“Yeah, really. I mean there should be some perks to being stuck in an office all day.” Trent squeezed her hand and winked.

“What about you, big shot? Have you ever been on a cruise before?”

They moved forward in the line and Trent dug out their tickets. “No. But then again, I’m a simple guy.”

Abby snorted and bumped him with her shoulder. “Yeah, right.”

He grinned and handed their tickets to the man standing beside the ramp leading to the boat. The man punched their tickets and gave them back to Trent. “Enjoy your evening.”

The cruise wasn’t scheduled to begin for another twenty minutes, but by the looks of it, most everyone was on board already. There were a few kids about, but most of the other cruise-goers appeared to be couples. Since his brothers had all gotten married, Trent often felt like the fifth wheel. Not tonight. Tonight he had Abby beside him.

She leaned her back against the railing, the wind blowing her hair, and looked up at Trent. “You’re thinking really hard about something.”

Trent chuckled and rested his forearms on the railing beside her. “I was thinking how nice it feels having you with me tonight.”

“Oh.” She turned her head toward the back of the boat.

He’d made her uncomfortable again and he knew he needed to fix it. “You remember Gage, right?”

“Of course,” Abby said, looking at him again.

“He and his wife just had their first child.” She shifted to face him, so he went on. “A little girl.”

“Wow. It’s hard to picture Gage all grown up with a family.”

Trent raised one eyebrow. “You do know that Gage is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, right?”

“I know he plays football.” She blushed. “I-I saw him on the cover of a magazine once, posing in his uniform.”

Apparently, Abby wasn’t immune to his baby brother’s charms any more than the rest of the female population seemed to be. Even though he was now happily married to Rebecca, Gage still had to fend off female fans from time to time.

Abby looked down, playing with the strap of her purse. “What about Paul and Melissa? Are they still together? They used to be inseparable.”

“No. She . . .” Trent cleared his throat. “She died in a car accident about five years ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize—”

“It’s okay. You had no way of knowing.” He moved a little closer to her, their arms barely touching. She didn’t move away, so he counted that as a positive sign. “Paul had some rough years, but he’s much better now. He recently got remarried.” Trent grinned. “To Gage’s wife’s sister.”

Abby’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding.”

Trent’s chest vibrated in amusement. “Nope. It’s a long story, but Megan was exactly what he needed.”

It took her a few moments to digest all the information.

For several minutes, they peered out at the water. Eventually, though, Trent had to address the elephant in the room. “You’re not going to ask about Chris?”

She didn’t answer right away and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to talk about him, considering . . .”

“Considering your history?”

“Yeah.” She glanced over at Trent and held his gaze.