Born to Be Wild: Welcome to Paradise, Book 3 (17 page)

Lexie couldn’t help but feel touched. “Thanks, Wyatt.”

“Now the question is—how good are you at pool?” Cooper’s best friend teased as he handed her a cue. “Because mayor’s daughter or not, I won’t go easy on you. I play to win, Price.”

“So do I,” she said with the haughty raise of her eyebrows.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows right back. “Bring it,
princess
.”

Laughing, she rounded the table, then paused mid-step as she realized she’d forgotten to do something. Leaning the cue against the wall, she marched back to Cooper, brushed another kiss over his sexy mouth and murmured, “By the way, I love you too.”

Chapter Eleven

Three weeks later…

Jake was itching to get on the road, but he didn’t want to rush his brothers, who were taking their sweet-ass time finishing their food. Besides, he was the one who’d invited them to breakfast, so he really had no right to complain.

He’d only hung out with Nate a couple of times since his big brother had returned to Paradise last week, and Owen had been busy with a construction job in the next town over, so Jake hadn’t seen much of his twin either. As for Austin, he hadn’t answered his cell when Jake called about breakfast, which meant the jerk was still sulking about that botched intervention and had decided to give Jake the silent treatment.

“I’m psyched you’re only going to be an hour away,” Owen said between mouthfuls of his turkey club. “We should drive out every Sunday and catch the games with you.” He glanced at Nate. “What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan,” their older brother replied. “Charlotte hates football so she’s no fun on Sundays. Hey, are you all moved in yet?”

Jake nodded. “I bought a shit ton of stuff from IKEA and spent the whole day yesterday putting it all together. Military housing’s pretty sweet. I’ve got a yard and everything.” He shrugged. “I’m thinking of getting a dog.”

Man, he’d never thought he’d ever hear himself chatting about houses and furniture and dogs, but since the night Bree dumped him, he’d been doing a lot of soul-searching. Everything Bree said had been spot on. He
was
scared of responsibility. Enlisting in the army had been his way of avoiding college, or getting stuck in a boring nine-to-five job that would eventually suffocate him to death. And even though he’d had a successful military career, Bree had been right about something else—he
didn’t
take himself seriously.

He’d gotten so used to people comparing him to his father that he’d simply stopped trying. He hadn’t bothered making any friends, hadn’t tried to make a home for himself anywhere. He’d run away from Paradise, from his family, from the women he’d slept with over the years. He’d balked when anyone mentioned settling down, because deep down, he’d feared that he’d fail at the whole home and hearth thing, just like his father had.

“Jake? You gonna answer that or what?”

He glanced over at Owen. “What?”

“I wanted to know if you’re planning on seeing Austin before you go.”

“Oh. Yeah, I am. I don’t think he’ll be happy to see me, but I can’t leave without saying goodbye to the jerk.”

“Well, when you see him, tell him to start taking my damn calls,” Nate grumbled as he pushed his empty plate away.

As the waitress wandered over to drop off the bill, Jake took a last sip of his coffee, then slid out of the booth. “I should get going. I’ve still gotta see Austin, and then I’m making a pit stop in Denver before I head back.”

Owen raised a brow. “Planning on paying someone a visit?”

“Maybe.”

“Is that someone named Bree?”

Jake’s heart squeezed at the sound of her name. “Yeah,” he admitted.

Nate and Owen exchanged grins.

“Should we be wishing you good luck?” Owen asked.

“Definitely.” He sighed. “I’m gonna need it.”

“Good luck,” his brothers said in unison.

Jake glanced at the check, then pulled a few bills from his wallet and dropped them on the table. “Breakfast’s on me.”

Nate guffawed. “That’s a first.”

“Hey, I’ve got a real job now. I can afford it.”

He bid his brothers goodbye, then strode out of Betty’s and headed for his truck. As he drove away from the diner, he couldn’t help but wonder how Bree would react when she saw him. Hopefully she wouldn’t slam the door in his face, but he wasn’t ruling that out. He hadn’t contacted her in nearly a month. No phone calls, no texts, no email. She probably thought he’d written her off, just as she’d predicted he’d do during that eye-opening argument at her parents’ place.

She was wrong, though. Jake had no intention of letting Bree go again. These past three weeks, he’d done everything in his power to change his circumstances. To act like the man she’d always known he could be. He’d accepted the instructor job, got his own place. Hell, he’d even started shaving. He felt like a different person, a man Bree Lockhart would be proud to date.

Even the nightmares had ebbed. After Bree had accused him of using his last op as an excuse to avoid the responsibility of holding a real job, he’d realized he’d been doing exactly that. Losing Daniels had been a crushing blow, and although a part of him would always wonder if the rookie’s death could have been avoided if he’d just acted differently, he was determined to put it behind him. There was no point in dwelling on what-ifs, or letting the tragedy destroy his chances of success.
 

Because for the first time in his life, Jake was confident that success was truly within his grasp. He’d only been working at the base for a week, but he already loved the job, and he saw some real promise in the trainees he was working with. Didn’t hurt that they all had a serious case of hero-worship. His ego was liable to inflate if they kept up with all that reverent yes sir-ing.

Jake slowed the pickup in front of the rambling Victorian a few blocks from the heart of town. The house had been converted into four apartments, and Austin was staying in the flat Maddie had once occupied before she and Owen got married.

As he climbed the front stoop, he took a deep breath, hoping Austin would at least be civil when he found him on the doorstep. He was tired of his little brother’s behavior, but like he’d told Owen, he didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. Jake wasn’t sure when he’d be back in Paradise, so this might very well be his last chance to see Austin. Now that Nate was back to run the pub, Austin would probably take off again.

When his brother didn’t answer the door, he got the sinking suspicion that Austin was already gone.

He briefly closed his eyes, then reached for the doorknob. Unlocked. Smothering a curse, he stepped inside and took a quick look around the apartment. Five minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed. No sign of Austin, and an examination of the bedroom showed a perfectly made bed and an empty closet.

“Damn it, Austin,” he mumbled to the empty room.

Shaking his head, Jake strode into the kitchen, where he found a note tacked onto the fridge with a pink, heart-shaped magnet.

Short and not so sweet.

I need more time. Gonna do some traveling and take some pics. I’ll be in touch. –A

Goddammit.

Disappointment coursed through him, along with a rush of sorrow. His mom wasn’t gonna like this.
He
didn’t like this. But at the moment, there was nothing he could do about it. Austin was an adult—if he chose to run away from his troubles rather than face them, so be it.

Jake, on the other hand, was done running.

As he headed for the door, he pulled out his cell phone and shot a quick text to his brothers, informing them of Austin’s latest disappearing act.

Ten minutes later, he was on the highway, making his way to Denver.

“Ms. Lockhart? There’s a man in the lobby demanding to see you.”

Sighing, Bree glanced up from the stack of files on her desk. Her assistant, Hailey, lingered in the office doorway, fidgeting up a storm. The young woman had only been working at the firm for a month, constantly jumped at her own shadow, and no matter how many times Bree told her to call her by her first name, Hailey refused to cut the formalities.

“Who is it?” Bree asked absently.

“He said his name is Jake Bishop.”

Shock slammed into her.

Jake was here? In Denver? In the lobby of her law firm?

“Should I tell the front desk to send him up?”

Bree faltered. Her heart lurched at the thought of seeing Jake again, especially now, with dark circles under eyes from all the sleepless nights she’d endured this past month. She knew her insomnia was more than just the stress from her current court battle. She’d spent far too much time tossing and turning and wondering if she’d made a mistake by ending things with Jake.

She’d been so tempted to call him the day after that awful dinner. Her parents hadn’t shown the slightest bit of remorse over the way they’d acted, and Bree had ended up getting into a very loud, very frustrating argument with them. She’d left town angry, which only added to her stress levels. She hated fighting with her family, but she refused to be the one to cave first. Although she’d spoken to her parents since, neither had apologized for their behavior, and Bree was determined to treat them with chilly politeness until they did. No matter how Jake had reacted, her parents didn’t have the right to treat him the way they had.

“Ms. Lockhart?”

She lifted her head.

“Should I send him up?”

Letting out a breath, she nodded. “Yes, send him up.”

After Hailey hurried off, Bree quickly rolled her chair back and stumbled to her feet. She smoothed out her hair, then looked at the clutter on her desk, wondering if she ought to straighten up.

She quickly berated herself for the thought.
Jake
was the one who’d screwed up, and she’d be damned if she cleaned up for him. She didn’t owe him a thing, least of all a tidy desk.

Despite her determination to be cool, her heart did a little flip when she heard footsteps.

A moment later, Jake appeared in the doorway, with Hailey hot on his heels.

When his familiar gray eyes locked with hers, Bree’s pulse kicked up a notch.

In a strained voice, she thanked Hailey and dismissed her, then said, “Come in.”

Jake stepped into the office. He closed the door behind him, but didn’t say a word as he approached her. His gaze took in the wood paneled walls, her big disorderly desk, the burgundy carpet beneath their feet. When he studied the framed diplomas lining her walls, she saw a flicker of pride in his eyes.

“You didn’t refuse to see me,” he finally said.

She moistened her dry lips. “You thought I would?”

“Figured there was a chance. A big chance.”

He moved closer, then stopped, hesitation creasing his handsome features. She suddenly noticed that his face was clean-shaven. Not a hint of stubble, not even a five o’clock shadow. And for once, he wasn’t wearing jeans. Black trousers encased his long legs, and his sky-blue button-down didn’t boast a single wrinkle. Was it a new shirt?

Does it really matter?

Bree dragged her brain out of the gutter. Right. Who cared if he’d bought a new shirt? There were more pressing concerns at the moment—like what on earth he was doing here.

“How’s the case going?” Jake asked, glancing at the mountain of files on her desk.

“Good. The defense is still presenting its evidence, but they should wrap up tomorrow and then I’ll get a chance to state my case. I’m hoping that—” She stopped abruptly, growing frustrated. “Did you really come all the way to Denver to ask me about my job?”

He slowly shook his head.
 

“Then why are you here, Jake? We haven’t seen or spoken to each other in almost a month.”

Regret flashed in his eyes. “I know. I would have come sooner, but I figured actions speak louder than words. I wanted to get my shit together before I came begging for a second chance.”

Bree ignored the rush of warmth that flooded her belly. Feigning indifference, she cocked her head and said, “Is that why you’re here? For a second chance?”

“Yes,” he said simply.

He closed the distance between them, and the scent of his aftershave tickled her nostrils. She found herself backing away, until her ass bumped against the desk, but Jake just moved closer.

“I’m sorry about the way I acted at your parents’ house. I’m sorry I embarrassed you, and even more than that, I’m sorry I disappointed you.” His voice became gruff. “You were right.”

“About what?” she murmured.

“Everything.” Shame flickered across his face. “People in town expect me to be an asshole, so I act like it instead of trying to prove them wrong. I avoid responsibility, I’m scared of commitment, I don’t open up to anyone. Really, I’m just a big fucking child.”

Her lips twitched.

“But not anymore,” he said, sounding confident. “I’ve decided to grow up, Bree, and I think I’ve made some real headway. I accepted the job on the base, I’ve got a house in Colorado Springs, I even bought furniture.” Amusement danced in his gorgeous eyes. “And get this—you’ll totally be proud of me—I’m taking cooking classes.”