Released: MC Secret Baby Romance (New Adult Contemporary Biker Romance) (8 page)

I looked over Christina’s shoulder at the tall, handsome man that stood standing behind her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, accepting his hand, as he reached for mine, his handshake firm.

“Shall we sit,” Christina said, gesturing toward the lavishly laid table. Max pulled out Christina’s seat while I headed around to the other side of the table. Clicking his fingers, Max called one of the waitresses over, surprise flashing across her face. I inwardly groaned, Max’s attitude was totally out of place and, in such a small town, gossip would spread like wildfire.

“So, what are you up to these days?” Christina asked quizzically, turning her attention back to me, as the waitresses scurried around carrying bottles of what must be their most expensive wine. I watched her pour before taking a sip, taking my time to consider Christina’s question.

“Working. Life is crazy between work and home. You know the drill,” I said, picking my words carefully.

“Christina tells me you’re a musician.” Max turned his attention back toward me, though I could see he was asking out of politeness rather than interest. I felt my cheeks redden.

“Well, I play here and there, but I haven’t played for a while.” I prayed they wouldn’t ask any more questions. The last thing I wanted was for Christina and her fancy fiancé to find out what a loser I was.

“Skye went to a music school over in Nashville. She was always going to be a big star.” I felt guilty. Christina had always been supportive of my dreams, and here I was lying to her.

“Tell me about what you’re up to, Christina. I am sure that is far more interesting than my life!” I said, trying to deflect the conversation from my life. Ever since we were little, all Christina and I could talk about was leaving this place and starting somewhere new.

“Oh my God, L.A. is amazing. You will have to come out sometime!” Christina gushed. I listened to her tell me stories of all her adventures in L.A and all the famous people she had met over the past couple of years. I found myself smiling and laughing at her stories. I was genuinely glad to see my old friend again.

“Shoot, I’ve gotta go,” I said, as I caught sight of the clock on the counter. Dabbing my lips with a napkin, I rummaged around in my purse.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Max said, waving his hand in the air. I was sure that the lunch that we had just eaten would have cost more than I would make in a week working at Mitchell’s. I was also sure that this cost less than Max made in an hour. I inclined my head graciously.

“Thank you, Max,” I said politely, as I stood up to leave. “It was great to see you again, Christina.”

“Oh! Hang on, Skye,” Christina said, reaching for her bag and pulling out a beautiful, gold invitation in her hand. “Your invitation for the wedding and rehearsal dinner,” she added hastily. I opened the envelope delicately, revealing the most beautiful wedding invitation. It was handmade with lace cut out around the edges and 3D rose petals framing Christina and Max’s name. I smiled sadly. Christina and I had dreamed of this day for so long, but I couldn’t risk running into Luke.

“I’m so sorry, Christina, but I can’t. I am just so busy at the moment.” I said apologetically.

“Oh” Christina said, disappointment evident in her voice, “I guess it was rather last minute, but I did try and call you earlier.” I hated hurting my oldest friend, but I couldn’t risk Christina finding out that I was still living here and working the same job I did in high school. But most of all, how could I face Luke again, knowing how I had left things and the secrets I kept from him.

Chapter Four

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the doors to the house that I technically owned. I hadn’t been here before, but I could see why it had cost almost a quarter of my signing bonus. It was lavish, with ornate marble and wood finishing, and the very opposite of the house that I had grown up in. There was a steady buzz coming from the crowds of people that filled it, none that I knew.

“There he is!” Looking up, I could see my dad standing at the top of the stairs, and I instantly smiled. I hadn’t seen my parents for the best part of the year and I hadn’t come home in almost four. Every time I saw them, I realized how much I had missed them. At the sound of my dad’s voice, the buzz quietened and people turned around to stare. I didn’t have more than a moment to think about this before I was swept into my dad’s arms and given a firm hug.

“It’s good to have you home,” he said, as he pulled away from me.

“It’s not really my home anymore, dad. This is certainly not where I grew up,” I said, looking around.

“No, no it isn’t, boy, and I am thankful for that!” The buzz returned as people drifted back to their conversations, forgetting about my arrival.

“Who are all these people?” I asked, letting my dad lead me from the foyer into the kitchen, his arms draped around my shoulders. He shrugged, letting me go so he could retrieve two cans of beer from the fridge.

“I don’t know who half of them are. Wedding planners, TV crews, who knows,” he said, before taking a sip of his beer, “and who cares?” He whispered carefully as if being afraid of being overheard.

“Look who it is!” Turning around, I could see my dad’s boss, Bill, cross the lounge and make a beeline in my direction.

My dad gave a rueful shake of his head before turning his attention back to his beer can. Behind Bill, I could see several other locals heading in my direction.

“Hey, Bill,” I said, reaching out my hand, giving Bill’s hand a firm shake.

“The town hero,” Bill said, a wide grin on his face. The people behind him all laughed and smiled in my direction. I smiled. I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the attention, but, here in my home town, it seemed pretentious and out of place. I had known these people my whole life. They all fired a million questions my way, and I tried to answer as many of them as I could, all the while searching for a way out. Over the head of Mrs. Beasley, my high school English teacher, I could see my sister standing and watching, a wide grin on her face. Pushing herself off the wall, she slipped through the crowd and grabbed onto my arm firmly.

“Give me a moment with my brother,” she said kindly, before pushing me through the crowd and out the patio doors onto the deck, which overlooked a large garden. All around, gardeners and laborers worked, intent on transforming the garden and putting up numerous marquees.

“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” I said, turning toward my sister. She raised a glass of champagne to her lips before turning back to me.

“I can’t believe I’m getting married here, and that you came back,” she said with a smile.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s going to be a spectacle,” I concluded, as I watched the workers frantically trying to set up for the wedding of the century.

“You wouldn’t believe who I had lunch with yesterday,” Christina teased.

“Who?”

“Skye.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. All the emotion that I had kept under lock and key started to bubble in the pit of the stomach. That was twice in one day that I had thought about Skye.

“Oh yeah?” I asked, trying to sound casual. “What’s she up to these days?” Christina paused for a moment before turning to look at me.

“You know, she was so damn mysterious about it all. I wouldn’t have a damn clue.”

Why hadn’t I thought about this before? Of course, Skye would have been invited to Christina’s wedding. The two of them were inseparable growing up and had only talked about their wedding day nonstop for nearly a decade.

“Is she coming to the wedding?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Now that I knew she was in town, I was going to find Skye Flynn, and finally get the answers that I damn-well needed. Why had she broken it off with me, and why didn’t she have the guts to say it to my face.

“Well, that’s the damn strangest thing. I asked her to come, and she said she was busy!”

“You know Skye, she’s always got a hair in the wind, but she wouldn’t miss it for the world. So, is she staying in town?”

Christina shrugged. “Why the sudden interest in Skye? Actually, she didn’t say where she lived or if she was even livin’ back here.”

“No interest at all. I just find it strange that your high school best friend wouldn’t want to come to your wedding. It is the wedding of the century,” I teased, trying to deflect Christina from my questioning.

“You’re right. She’s like that. She’ll come anyway…”

Christina chatted away excitedly about all her plans for the wedding, but her voice faded into the distance. There was only one thing on my mind and that was Skye. This was a small town, and there were only so many places to hide.

Chapter Five

I scrubbed the table furiously, my hand flying across its surface, trying to scrub the stains of some unknown sauce in preparation for the next set of customers. I didn’t hear the quiet hush that came over Mitchell’s, my thoughts once again anywhere but here. It was only when I felt a presence over me that I looked up to realize that a hush had fallen over the diner. Turning slowly, I was not prepared for who I saw standing behind me.

“Hello, Skye,” Luke said with a wolfish grin. I felt the blood drain from my face, and I felt like I was going to pass out. “They told me you still worked here.”

“Who?” I managed to stammer.

“Just about everybody, and your folks, though they were none too happy to see me. Just muttered something about being a sinner and slammed the door right in my face.”

“Sounds about right,” I whispered, looking straight at the floor. I couldn’t meet his gaze. All the feelings and emotions that I had pushed down deep inside me bounded toward the surface, clambering over one another to be the first to emerge.

“Can we sit for a minute?” He was standing so close to me now that I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck.

“I can’t. I’m at work, Luke.” I bit back furiously, anger being the first to emerge. How dare he turn up like this. I could feel the stares of the customers as they watched big shot Luke Wallace talking to a small town girl like me.

“I’m sure you have time for a break,” he took the choice away from me. Taking the cloth gently out of my hand and throwing it onto the counter, he slid into the booth and looked at me expectantly.

“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth, as I sat down opposite him. He hadn’t changed a bit. His blond hair was now slightly longer, but he still had the same piercing blue eyes that could read me like a book.

“How have you been, Skye?” He asked warmly. The sight of his smile made my heart beat faster. I had always loved his smile. It made his eyes dance and he had the most amazing set of dimples.

“I’ve been good. Real good.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to relax.

“I gotta say, I’m surprised to find you back here. You were always on a path outta here.”

“Yeah, well the music thing didn’t quite work out. Turns out I kinda missed this place when I was gone. Thought I would come home for a little while and figure out what comes next.”

“Don’t stay here too long, Skye. You're too talented for that.”

I shrugged in response. “Look at you: Luke Wallace, big shot quarterback playing in the NFL. Looks like at least one of us is living our dreams,” I said lightheartedly.

Luke scoffed. “Yeah, it is pretty great.” If there was one thing I remembered about Luke, it was that he was born without a bone of modesty. “You’re looking good, Skye,” Luke said appraisingly. I felt myself blush. I had always been slim, but since Emmy was born, I had developed some serious curves.

“And, you’re looking much the same.”

“Can’t change perfection” Luke teased. I found myself smiling. I had known Luke most of my life, and there was a large part of me that missed him terribly. His eyes darkened. “Are you seeing anyone?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Nope, just going solo these days. It’s easier and less complicated, but I bet you can’t beat off the ladies fast enough.”

“Something like that, but you know me, Skye, I’d rather be a one-woman man.” There was no doubting his tone, and I hesitated for a minute. Was Luke flirting with me or was I imagining it? “It would be good to catch up properly while we are both in town, maybe over dinner.” It wasn’t a question, but more of a statement. I shook my head.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Luke.”

“We’re still friends, aren’t we Skye?” Luke frowned, and my stomach turned somersaults.

“Luke, of course we are,” I whispered, “but, if we are seen together, it will be all over the papers by the morning,” Luke shrugged.

“I don’t care.”

“I do, Luke. You might be used to it, but I’m not.” The last thing that I needed was whirlwind Luke to come back into my life only to leave again. His reputation with the ladies hadn’t escaped me. Every magazine and tabloid delighted in spilling the gossip of Luke’s playboy lifestyle. I had to protect my heart this time. It had taken too long to pick up the pieces the last time.

“I have to get back to work,” I said, excusing myself and rising from the table. “Goodbye, Luke,” I added, before turning my back and walking toward the storeroom, tears threatening to spill.

His hands trailed across my naked body, his fingers tracing light circles on my skin. Luke lowered his lips onto mine, his lips soft and salty, the taste of whiskey lingering on them. I giggled, reaching up and pulling him closer to me. “I could get used to this, Luke Wallace,” I whispered into his ear before returning his kiss.