Page 5 of When I Found You

“No problem, we’ve only been here for about thirty minutes as it is. Have you ever met Reese?” I ask her.

“Nope,” she tells me as the bartender stops in front of us. They quickly order before she turns her attention back to me. “I haven’t, but Ethan knows her fiancé.”

“Ah yes, the hockey connection. I always forget that he used to play. Well, let me introduce you. Reese, this is Cam. Cam, Reese.”

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Cam tells her.

“Likewise,” Reese replies with a smile.

“Austin still in town?” Ethan asks.

“Nope, the team flew out today. They play in Carolina tomorrow night,” she tells him.

“Figured they’d already be gone.”

“Yeah, it was nice to have him in town for the two nights. Our schedules don’t always align, so it’s nice when they do. Although, with no tour going on, I get to spend a lot of my time in Indy. I just have to be here for the next few weeks, working on my next album and gearing up for the awards show. But once that’s all over, I’ll be heading back to Indy.”

“I don’t know how you guys do the competing schedules so well. I think I’d go insane being away from this guy if he still played,” Cam says, patting Ethan on the chest with her palm.

“It’s crazy, that’s for sure. But we make it work. We also learned to take advantage of all the time wedohave together. Nomatter what little amount of time we get, sometimes just a few hours or a few weeks, we make the most of it.”

We spend the next few minutes visiting and celebrating our success, then make our way over to a table, where we continue to share stories about our many writing sessions and all the shenanigans that happen during those times.

“Hey, man,” I hear a new voice say to someone nearby. The deep timbre causes a tingle to slide down my spine. I turn to see who it is and a guy I’ve never seen before is greeting Ethan. He’s obviously military or in law enforcement, just from his hair cut and physique.

Well, hello there.

“Hey, you made it! Good to see you, man.” Ethan pulls him into a man hug. “Glad you’re back. How was the deployment?”

“Long. I’m glad to be back stateside, that’s for sure,” he says, slapping Ethan on the back.

“I can only imagine. Let me introduce you to everyone,” Ethan tells him, turning to our group. “You’ve met Cam, my fiancée.”

Ethan pulls Cam into his side and drops a kiss to her temple. I love seeing my friend with such a good man.

“Fiancée. Damn, guys. Congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Cam tells him.

“Peyton, this is Stacey, Lee, and Reese. Holly and Carson might also drop by at some point tonight. Guys, this is Peyton. He’s one of my oldest friends and a badass soldier.”

“Hello.” He greets everyone, and I let my eyes wander over his body. I take in his fit frame, the well-kept haircut and days’ worth of stubble on his face, and the carefree smile on his lips. The tattoos that cover his exposed forearms enhance the sinewy lines of his muscles, and the t-shirt he’s wearing clings to him like a second skin that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. I can feel the tingles of attraction sliding across my body.

Everyone says their hellos and we all shift slightly so another stool can be pulled up to our round table. The open spot ends up being between Lee and me, and I’m more than happy to have him next to me.

He takes a seat and the smell ofhimfills my nostrils. A little bit woodsy but all man. It sends another tingle right down my spine and causes my core to clench. I’ve never been this reactive to a man, especially one I’ve just met and haven’t even talked to.

I smile at him as he takes a seat next to me, accepting the beer set down in front of him by a passing waitress.

“Thank you,” he says as she turns to drop off other drinks to waiting patrons. “Stacey, correct?” he asks me, after taking a drink of his beer.

“Yes, surprised you remembered my name.”

“I make it a point to remember a beautiful woman’s name,” he muses.

“Ah, charming,” I quip back. I didn’t get the playboy vibe from him, but his comment has me second-guessing that.

“Fuck, that was cheesy and I’m far from that. Sorry, I’m a little bit rusty, I guess. Six-plus months in the desert will do that to a guy,” he tells me and, just like that, my mind is back to thinking all good thoughts about this guy.

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