Page 2 of Don't Look Back

“To be fair, she’s not actually Riley’s mother,” I point out.

“She should’ve been. She’s Riley’s mom in every way it matters and you know that.”

“Fine. I’ll stop trying to get the rugrat to mess with you, but I'm not taking her for a month. Maybe a night, but nothing more. Eh, maybe a weekend. She could be fun for a few days.”

“Do you want Duke for the weekend too?” Tucker perks up at the thought of that.

“Yeah, but tell Skylar to let me borrow her tits for the weekend.” I roll my eyes. “How am I supposed to feed him, Tuck? And do you honestly think I can handle a baby and Riley for an entire weekend by myself?”

“Yeah, I do. You’re an amazing uncle and those kids love you. You’re going to be a fantastic dad one day.”

“Eh, I think I need to find myself a woman first.” I wave him off. I’d love to start a family, but I can't do that yet. I haven’t found anyone worth dating… Well, I have, but I'm not sure it will ever work out.

“Oh, shit. I know that face. Stop thinking about Leslie. Skylar’s going to kill you if you sleep with her.”

“She’s perfect, Tuck. I don’t know how I never noticed her before Skylar basically presented her on a silver platter for me.”

“Skylar didn’t present her on a platter for you.” Tucker chuckles deeply. “I'm pretty sure she said you were a dumbass for never noticing Lesliebefore.”

“Exactly! I'm learning my lesson and listening to Skylar. What if Leslie’s my future wife?”

“Then, I’ll start praying for her now.” He grins. “I can't wait for you to have kids.”

“Why?”

“Because then I get to be the fun uncle who plants bad ideas in their heads.” He rubs his hands together as a devilish grin spreads across his face.

“Yeah, I might have to leave Maple Springs before I have children.”

Chapter 2

Leslie

“I’m going to come down in a few days, is that ok?” Sophia holds the phone a little higher so I can see her entire family.

“What up, Zoey?” Jax waves.

“I miss the blonde hair,” Cody mumbles, making me laugh.

“Sorry, Cody. I'm doing my best to mix things up.” I pull my long brown hair into a bun and freeze when I spot someone I wasn’t expecting to see. “Charlie?” I squeal.

“Hey! I wish I had some time to come visit you too. I won't until after baseball season is over though. Maybe we can plan something then?”

“Definitely! I miss all of you.”

“Even me?” Uncle Wes pretends to glare at the phone.

“Especially you… I need to get going though. Sophia, let me know what day you’ll get here. I have off all next week for winter break though.”

“Ok! Bye!”

After a round of goodbyes, I hang up and grab my things. I want to get to the grocery store before it starts to get dark. I don’t really like going anywhere once the sun sets. I’ve found nothing good lurks in the shadows at night.

Living in such a small town can be a blessing and a curse. Everyone knows everyone and it’s hard to outlive your past. On the bright side, no one knows much about me here. It makes things a little easier for me.

Maple Springs is far enough off the highway that we don’t get many visitors. It’s a safe town and the most the police seem to deal with are accidents and kids goofing off. It’s nice knowing you don’t need to worry about your safety in Maple Springs.

I pull onto the main road, heading straight for the grocery store. As long as I don’t get stuck talking to anyone, I should make it home long before the sun sets. Long before anyone can creep around undetected.

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