Whiskey Dreams (Rebel Walking #7) (4 page)

Chapter Five

AIDEN

I wish I could make her calm down.  I know she’s hurting, it’s damn obvious on her face.  Her life has been hell.  Holden told me about her father and that fucker that Luke fought in the ring.  I wish like hell I would’ve been there to see that.

She leaves me standing in the bathroom after she flushes the evidence of her stress.  “Did you really just hold my damn hair.  What’s with you Southern boys?”

“What’s the big deal?  Kimber, sometimes you have to let others take care of you.”

“No really, Aiden.  I don’t.  Because I need to learn that I’m on my own in this journey.  I’ve literally walked away from everything and everyone in my life the last few weeks.  I needed to get away from all the things that…”  She stops talking and looks at her hands.

“Things that what?”

“Just never mind.  I told you I’d stay until I told you I was ready to go.  I just need to spend time thinking about where I’m headed from here.”

“Things that could hurt you?”  She looks at me instantly with anger in her eyes.

“You don’t get to think you know me that quickly.  Aiden, please go fix my Jeep right now.  I’ll call a tow truck and leave in it if you don’t fix the fucker.”  She throws one of her bags on the bed and starts taking everything out.

“I didn’t mess with your Jeep.  I would never do that to you.  Eaven may have wanted me to keep you safe at all costs, but I do have standards.  Kimber, I understand that you want to get away from the group of people that Luke calls family.  But just know that in some way they’ll always be yours too.  Even if you create a distance with them, they’d all rush to help you if ever needed.”  She stops digging frantically as soon as I say I didn’t mess up her Jeep.

“Thank you.  I know they just want to help, but it’s really just something I need to do for me.”

“I can respect that.”  I can.  In fact, it fucking makes me like her even more.  How can I still find her so attractive even though I know who she’s been with and that she already has one leg out the door?  I need my head examined, but there was something about her the second I saw her and damn it if this shit doesn’t just seem par for my life.

How many times have I been the one to help the girl pick up the pieces only to be left with my own brokenness to deal with?

“Why don’t we just make this a day of simple living?  Give you some time to think and reflect.  Then maybe you can clearly make a decision about where you want to go from here.”  I can see her wheels spinning and I know I’ve tempted her with the simplicity of my plan.

“What are you thinking?”

“Well I’d start the day with breakfast.  Then I’d find a fishing hole and maybe catch dinner.  I’d make it a day with no plans and let life take us where it takes us.”

“That actually sounds amazing.”

“Alright.  You get dressed and I’ll see if we have anything at all to cook in that kitchen.”

“I saw bacon in the freezer and waffle mix in the pantry.  Other than that, it’s pretty bare.”

“What if we go and let Rosie make us the works?  She opens back up in an hour for breakfast.”

“I’d like that.”

“Alright, I’ll be in the basement bathroom taking a shower myself, so just text when you’re ready.”  I walk toward the door and begin to hope like hell that I can give this girl a day that she can just smile and not worry about all the demons in her closet.

“Aiden.”  I stop walking and turn to look at her while she looks at me with those gorgeous eyes and those lips I want to feel again.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  Now get your shower.  My stomach is growling.”

“Are you always hungry?”

“I eat six times a day, so yes.”  Her smile falls just slightly. 
Fuck.
  Let me guess, so does Luke.  I leave her with whatever flashback she just had.  My mission today will be to make her smile and laugh.  That’s the best therapy when your heart hurts, I know this.

I’m almost to my truck to grab my bag when my phone rings.  It’s Luke. 
Shit
.

“Hey man, what’s going on?  It’s been a helluva long time.”  I answer just like I always would.  I have always respected Luke, but I was always closer to the twins and Holden of course.  Luke always flew solo.

“I’m just trying to hang on.  This ride of life has been wild lately.”

“I heard.  What can I do for you?”

“I hear that you’re checking on Kimber for me.  Can you please let me know how she’s doing?”

“I can do that.”

“Thank you.  She left before I could really talk to her and I need to know that she’s going to be ok.  I hate myself for how this ended, but Lilly is alive and I can’t tell you how many times I prayed for that.”

“We all did.”

“Kimber didn’t deserve to be pulled into my insanity and I just want to know that she’s going to be alright.”

“I just got here late last night.  Let me see how she is today and I’ll get back with you sometime either tonight or in the morning.”

“Alright, buddy.  If you see anything I can do to help, just let me know.  The last thing I ever meant to do was hurt her.”

“How is Lilly?”

“She’s good.  I’m so glad to have her back.  I just keep looking at her stomach and thinking that I’ll be a dad soon.  Shit.  That’s scary.”

“It is, but that kid will be spoiled and you know it!”

“By me.  I’m so ready.”  He will make a good dad, there’s no doubt about that.

“Ok, well I’ll talk to you soon, but I think it’s all going to work out for Kimber too.  She seems like a fighter.”

“You have no idea how much of a fighter she is.  She doesn’t even know it yet, but she’s a great person.  I need to know she’s good.”

“You got it.”

“Bye.”  Our call ends and I lean against my truck and think about this mess.  She needs to have a good day today.  If I can give her a day of country life, maybe she’ll take it from there and find her own happiness.  I’m going to try to be just like I was last night and not let the fact that Luke is involved matter.  Because honestly, he isn’t involved anymore.  I just heard it from his own mouth.  He’s with Lilly and has no intentions of leaving her, which I knew before that call.  Their connection was strong and no one even tried to deny it.

KIMBER

When he touched me, I felt Luke.  I felt the warmth of his skin against mine and I hate myself for that.  I shouldn’t be torn up like this when I’m the one who walked away from him.  But seriously, what else was I supposed to do?

I take my time to get ready.  I curl my hair and put on a full face of makeup.  It won’t hurt me to feel good about myself today.  After all, this is a new me.  Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  I know I said this before.  That chapter of my life was just really short.  It’s time to move on to the next section of this book.

I text Aiden and wait for him in the kitchen while I sip on my first cup of coffee.  He wants to go fishing.  I’m not even sure I can catch a fish.  I’m sure he can teach me.  I’ve been deep sea fishing once, but Greg of course got all the action.  I’m guessing this will be a little different and I can’t wait to see where he takes me.

I’m going in to this day with an open mind.  I’d like nothing more than a simple day and I’m positive he’s the perfect person for the job.

He walks up the stairs with just his jeans on.  No shirt.  No shoes.  I stare at him over the top of my coffee cup and take in his definition.  He’s perfect.  His muscle structure and hell, even his tan has me licking my lips.  Fuck.  Why does he have to be Luke’s friend?

He turns to pull a shirt from the back of the bright red couch and I see his back.  Holy mother of all things gorgeous.  Why does he have to have a perfect back?  He has a tattoo of an eagle with its wings spread open across his shoulders.  The rest of his back is just muscled perfection and that’s when he catches me watching.  Damn it.

His smile kills me with those lips and piercing blue eyes that shouldn’t make me melt, but shit they do.  I turn my back to him, because honestly I can’t look at him without his shirt on and not appreciate everything I see.  It shouldn’t be like that since I’ve spent my entire life around fighters, but this guy is just a different level of beautiful.  Damn him.  And damn Luke for having a friend literally hours and hours away that I actually like to be around.

“You ready to head out?”  His voice startles me because he’s moved closer and stands only about two feet behind me on the opposite side of the bar.

“Yes.  If you are.”  I keep my eyes busy and put my coffee cup in the sink and rinse it out.

“You’re driving that Jeep of yours!  We’ll do some off roading today and it’s the perfect thing to get muddy.”

“Oh, I see how this is.  Get mine muddy.”

“We can wash it later with a water hose in our bathing suits.  Don’t worry.”  I stop in my tracks.  Oh shit.  He’s flirting again.  Can I handle him doing that?  I don’t respond, because honestly I don’t know how to.

“You’re driving.”  I toss him the keys before we get off the front deck and into the dark.  It’s so damn early.

He drives us to Rosie’s at a very slow and careful speed.  I’m going to have to drive later and really get the Jeep muddy.  Or he’ll be washing the tires with his bathing suit on.  He parks the Jeep near the front door and there are literally three other cars in the parking lot, I’m not sure one wasn’t left up here after a night of heavy drinking.

“I hope you like pancakes.  Rosie makes mean pancakes with every topping you can imagine.”

“That actually sounds amazing.”  Lou used to make me chocolate chip pancakes as a kid.  I wonder if she makes those, but I wait to look at the menu.  Lou was the man my father let run the dojo and train the best fighters.  He was more of a father to me than my own sperm donor ever was.  He’s my one regret leaving California.

We sit at the bar and Rosie smiles huge over the bottles of liquor she’s wiping down.  “You mean to tell me the two of you are back in my bar this early?  Please tell me it’s because you pulled an all-nighter and both need replenished after all that sex.”

“No ma’am.  But we do want some hot cakes to start off our day.”

“What can I get for you?”

“I’ll take the original, don’t hold back on me Rosie.”

“You know I already know what you want.  What’s the pretty lady want?”  I don’t see a menu, but figure I may as well ask.

“Can you do chocolate chip with no syrup?”

“Sure can just for you.  It’s not a usual, but any friend of Aiden’s gets house treatment.”

“Thank you, Rosie.”

“Of course, Sugar.  Give me a few minutes and I’ll have those out for you.”

“She seems really nice.”  I wait until she’s out of earshot before I mention that to Aiden.

“She is.  She’s been running this bar since I can remember.”

“So, do you live here?”  He knows so much about me, yet I only know a handful of things about him, most I’ve observed myself.

“I grew up here.  My parents lived here for years.  My dad’s business grew and he needed to relocate, so they kept the house and bought a cabin so that we all have a place to stay when we come home.  I graduated high school here.”

“Do you live in Springfield usually?”

“I started college there before I met the crew.  Then as they grew, Holden asked me to help with security.  We worked with my father’s private detective business some and have now started our own company providing security when needed.  We also get called in to help with his big projects some.”

“How did you meet all of them?”  His laughter fills my ears and I know this story is going to be good.

“Well, I went dancing with a few of my friends one night and ran into the girls before they committed to the twins.  Let’s just say I watched over the girls and eventually became great friends with all of them.

“Those girls are amazing.  I knew they were something special when I first met them.  I could see how much they cared about Luke and they didn’t hesitate to take me in as you can see.  They just really have great hearts.”

“They all do.”  He’s right.  I know the guys are just as caring if not more so.  Hell, Holden is a perfect example.  He took me under his wing and protected me the second Luke asked him to at that fight.  He hasn’t stopped since.

“Is Macy your only sister?”

“Yes she is.”

“I remember the girls talking about her one day.  They all told me I’d get along with her.”

“You would, but she’s just an easy soul to be near.”  Like her brother.  I wonder what their parents must be like.

“Can I bring you two a drink?”

“Coffee for me.”  He nods his head, agreeing while holding up two fingers to let her know he wants the same.  She moves to pour our cups and I start to think about what this might look like to her.  I guess there’s one thing that’s a plus, at least I’m not wearing the same clothes as I was last night anymore.

“So you like chocolate chip pancakes?”  He’s smiling again like he’s about to tease me and I notice how easy he is to talk to.