Naughty Little Wishes (Birthday Dare) (16 page)

On some level, he wished she had done one of those things. Then he could hate her and let her go without a second thought. “She didn’t. Shana did.”

Devin almost spit out his coffee. “Shana? What does she have to do with this?”

Even as he heard himself say the words, he still couldn’t believe it. “Tab tracked Shana down and brought her to my house.”

“Why the fuck would she do that? Do they know each other?”

“No.” Drew sat heavily in the chair. “I told Tab about Shana and the accident. She thought we needed a reunion.” His partner didn’t respond. “In case you missed it, my silence is your cue.”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“Telling me what a gullible asshole I’ve been is a start.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far. From what I know, Tab has her own way of interpreting things, but sometimes, she’s on point. Maybe seeing Shana again was for the best.”

“Yeah, for Shana. What’s that saying, confession is good for the soul? Well, her conscience is clear. She told me the truth about our relationship. She was unhappy for most of it. The only reason she stayed was because her father’s campaign advisers saw us being together as good for his image.”

Devin blew out a derisive snort. “I know it’s a ball buster, but are you really surprised? I told you her father was an underhanded sneaky bastard, but you told me you knew what you were getting into.”

“Because I believed Shana loved me. I thought we had trust, but guess what? She was cheating on me. The night of the accident, when we took a break at a rest stop, she called the guy, and they got into an argument.” Bitterness lodged in Drew’s throat. “She filled in the details of what I didn’t remember about the accident. When we were in the car, I mentioned our wedding plans, and she got angry. We crashed because she took her hands off the wheel to take off her engagement ring and throw it at me. She panicked when she saw the deer in the middle of the road and overcompensated.”

“Fuck.” Devin’s mouth remained open in disbelief.

“Her father’s campaign had survived her brother’s arrest for a DUI. Naming Shana as the cause of the accident would have interfered with his reelection. His advisors decided to spin the story as the courageous model losing everything and him being the supportive father at her side. He typed the letter and she signed it.”

“They took advantage of you not remembering.” An expression of disgust hardened Devin’s face. “Destroying your reputation and piling on the guilt was their way of neutralizing you.”

“Yeah, I guess it was. Even if I had remembered what happened, it would have been my word against hers. Blaming Shana, which I wouldn’t have done, would still have made me look bad. In the end, it didn’t matter. Lies fucked us both. If she would have told me the truth in the first place, we would have never been in the car and the accident wouldn’t have happened.”

It had taken everything within him those first two years after the accident to recover physically and get his shit together to not lose a grip on life.

“But it did happen,” Devin said, “and there’s nothing you can do about that. As sick as it sounds, Shana did you a favor. You were so into her, I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you’d found out about her and her father back then. Hell, I’d probably be visiting you in prison right now or some country with no U.S. extradition because you took them out.” He leaned in. “Think about it. Everything you went through made you better and stronger for the company. Fuck what she told you. It doesn’t matter now. Let it go and move on.” He blew out a long breath. “The big decision on your plate, now, is what to do about Tab.”

“There is no decision. She betrayed me, like Shana.”

“What?” Devin’s brows rose. “You honestly think Tab trying to help you compares to what Shana and her father did? Are you blind? Drive you crazy, yes. But I heard she made you smile. You went home at night instead of living in your office, and you actually took time off. And look at you—you even dress sharper.”

Running late, he’d grabbed the gray shirt and tie combo before he’d realized it. Tab had succeeded in her plan and met her endgame. Add another notch on her belt of successes. He was one more cause she’d championed to make herself feel good. Someone she had to make over because they were too helpless or lost to know better. He’d let his dick rule his actions because he’d thought she cared more about being with him than fixing him for the cause. Was she shocked by what happened when the Shana-bomb went nuclear? Probably. Was she hurt by what he’d said? From the look in her eyes, yes, but in her messages and calls, she’d never said sorry
.
And that told him everything. She didn’t believe she’d done anything wrong.

“Tab and I are over.”

Devin huffed out a wry chuckle. “And I bet you’re planning on bullshitting your way into believing it by focusing on this race and training your ass into the ground for the next one. But, you’ve got a problem. You don’t have five years of demons driving you now.”

“Did you not hear a word I said?” Drew slammed down his coffee and it sloshed on the table. He got up and paced. “Look. It doesn’t matter what Tab thought she was doing. She didn’t have a right to throw Shana in my face.”

“Fine.” Devin offered up a nonchalant shrug. “Feel sorry for yourself. Go ahead. Turn Tab into another demon that keeps you twisted up and looking over your shoulder. That’s been working really well for you, right?”

“Fuck you.”

“Cuss me out all you want. It won’t change the truth. You’ve let what happened with Shana rule your life. If you leave it that way, you’ll drive your ass into the ground. Set that shit aside and start facing life.” His partner’s gray gaze speared him with a hard look. “It’s time for you stop running away and head toward what you really want.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Drew wove through the crowd at the race expo. Various booths touted the latest and greatest in gear, supplements, and all things triathlon related, but he didn’t stop. He had a plan. Pick up the race packet. Get body marked, and attend the course briefing on what to expect tomorrow. Then, drive out to the restaurant he’d found online for his usual night-before a race meal. After that, back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. Exactly what he needed: regimen, discipline, no surprises.

He went to the end of the appropriate registration line. Relaxed seasoned veterans stood out from the newbies loaded down with literature, samples, and new purchases. When he’d first started, he’d made the mistake of buying a pair of cool-looking swimming goggles at an expo the day before a race. They’d leaked like a sieve and made the swim portion of his race hell. Lesson learned—never try anything new without testing it out first.

Something soft smacked against his calf. Bright green eyes widened with shock stared up at him. The blonde-haired toddler’s expression wavered between tears and curiosity. She decided on the latter. Face scrunched in determination, she got a good grip on the leg of his jeans and pulled herself up.

“Hannah, come here. Sorry about that. She got away from me.” A well-built, blond-haired man picked the toddler up and tickled her tummy. She giggled. “Maybe you should run this triathlon instead of me.” He turned. “I’m Peter, and as you may have guessed, this little dynamo is my daughter, Hannah.”

They shook hands. “I’m Drew.”

Peter stepped behind him. “I take it this isn’t your first triathlon.”

“What gave me away?”

“You don’t have a sample of a power bar or some new energy drink in your hand.”

Drew laughed, happy to talk to someone else with miles of experience under his belt. “Have you done this race before?”

“I was here two years ago.” Peter studied Hannah, who played with the sunglasses hanging from the collar of his T-shirt. “I would have done it last year, but I pulled out of training a month before the race.”

“Injury?”

“No. I was busy preparing for that little guy.”

Drew followed Peter’s gaze to a woman holding a baby. His heart tripped in his chest. Peter’s wife whispered to the baby and waved his hand at his father. The inner radiance that bloomed with the auburn-haired woman’s smile reminded him of Tab.

“My training partner was pissed. He couldn’t understand why I changed my mind. I’d always been so locked in and competitive, but one morning, I started to get out of bed for an early morning run, and I looked at Jill.” Peter glanced over his shoulder. He shrugged and contentment reflected in a lopsided grin. “Can’t explain it, but suddenly, a medal waiting at the finish line didn’t matter. She did, and I don’t regret it.”

Drew faced forward. At one time, he’d envisioned what Peter had, a wife and a family, on his horizon. After the accident, he’d buried it as an impossible fairy tale. Something he didn’t deserve because he’d taken Shana’s dream away. Did he want that again? Before he could stop it, the vision of him, Tab and a smaller version of the two of them formed before his eyes. Waiting for him, standing with him, finishing the races they chose to run…together.

He completed sign-in and went to the restaurant, but he had no appetite. Drew forced down enough grilled salmon to make it worth his while and returned to his hotel. As he walked past the front desk, the concierge flagged him down.

“Mr. Bode, this came for you, special delivery.”

He accepted the small box.
Texas address.
His heart sped up. Pangs of uncertainty and anger tightened his chest. Nothing in a box could change what happened. She’d forced Shana back into his life, made decisions she deemed okay because of the outcome. She’d damaged their relationship and abused his trust.

In his room, he started to toss the box aside. Shit. He didn’t need this hanging over his head before the race. Drew tore into the package. The red striped tie she’d taken to seal their deal. She could have patched him up that night and said “hell no” in typical Tab fashion, but she’d bargained with him instead. She’d given Bob what he’d wanted. Gotten him what he wanted. What had she asked for in return? A chance to eradicate what she didn’t care for. Damn red ties. She didn’t want to eradicate him. She wanted to improve him. Tab wasn’t like Shana at all. How had he missed it?

Shana had made the worst decision possible by hiding the truth instead of standing up for herself and ending their relationship. Seeing her in his home and hearing what she’d said had highlighted so strongly how she didn’t fit. She’d never belonged in his life, but he’d relentlessly stayed the course believing he could dismantle the obstacles. He’d paid for that mistake. Tab came at him head on, sass and all. Shana had only cared about his image. Tab cared about him as a man. Changing his wardrobe was just her way of expressing what she saw in him. The best, not the worst.

It’s time for you stop running away and head toward what you really want.

Devin was right. Now that he no longer fought demons or dreams about the past, what did he have to look forward to at the end? If Tab were in his life, she’d be waiting for him at the finish line. She’d celebrate with him no matter if he finished first or last. Like Peter, he wouldn’t give a damn about a medal. Drew opened his suitcase and started tossing in his things. Correction. He
didn’t
give a shit about chasing medals. He gave a damn about Tab.

…

Soaked in sweat from T-shirt to boots, Tab tucked her work gloves into the back pocket of her jeans and wiped her brow. Spending the afternoon with her mother exercising horses and cleaning out stalls helped clear her mind.

Her mother joined her outside the stable and released a breath. “I got a call from your father. He’ll be here in a little over an hour. He’s speeding. That’s the only way he made it back so fast from Nevada.” She shook her head. “How many times have I told him to slow down? What am I going to do with him?”

Even in the midst of a rant, her mom’s eyes sparkled. Jasmine’s did too, whenever she talked about Ethan. Was it the same type of heart-bursting happiness she’d felt with Drew? Would she ever feel it again?

Her mom pulled her button-down shirt from her skin, fanning for air. “Do you mind helping with dinner? Nothing fancy, steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, and a salad with those tomatoes we picked this morning. Maybe an apple cobbler, too. Your dad would love that.”

Tab’s stomach rumbled. “Sounds good. I just need to shower and change.”

They walked down the bricked path leading to the house. A gray, Jeep SUV sat in the circular, pebble-stone driveway.

Tab’s mom gripped her arm. “Shit, that’s probably Darla.”

“I take it she’s not a friend.”

“No, she’s a straight-up pest, but she’s also head of the women’s social league. I forgot she mentioned picking up a check for whatever thing the group’s planning next month.” Her mother swore under her breath. “She never knows when to leave.”

“Do you want me to get rid of her?”

“You could slap that woman silly, and she still wouldn’t take the hint.” Her mom let out a breath. “Well, let’s get this over with. I’ll take care of Darla. You go upstairs and—”

“What?” Tab followed her gaze. Lightheadedness swept over her. “Drew.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Well I can certainly understand why you’d want to preserve his gonads.”

Heat flashed into Tab’s face. “Mom!” she whispered.

Chuckling, her mother patted her cheek. “That’s better. You got some color back into your face. We can’t do anything about those dark circles under your eyes, but I suspect a few nights in the saddle with him will take care of that.”

Drew in the driveway, her mother going on about gonads and saddles. Tab closed her eyes.
Please bury me.

“He’s walking to meet us.” Her mom squeezed her hand. “It’s simple. Listen to him. Say your piece, and then apologize for the things you’re sorry about. The rest will fall into place. I’ll be inside the house watching for a signal to bring out iced tea or my shot gun.”

Her mom headed down the path, and she followed several steps behind. Drew paused, obviously planning to introduce himself. Her mom stalled him with a raised hand and kept walking. “Save it. My daughter will determine if we need to bother with a proper introduction.”