Page 232 of Small Town Firsts
“Come on, the kid needs some freedom.”
“Freedom like I had? My dad never gave a shit if I was home, but I better not do anything to tarnish the precious family name.”
Even as I said the words, I regretted them. My dad could be thoughtless, and he definitely wouldn’t win the father of the year award, but he hadn’t been a bad parent.
At least he’d stuck around, unlike my mother.
Unlike Laurie’s.
Fuck, were we doomed to repeat every pattern in our lives? Just like I’d pulled a page out of my father’s playbook by paying off Marjorie, I’d tried it again with that stupid contract.
I yanked open my top desk drawer where the contract still resided. I was going to set that stupid thing on fire.
Ally and I didn’t need signatures between us. We weren’t about that. We made our own damn rules.
“Look, dude, I’m just saying it’d be fun if we cut loose and partied like we did in the old days. But if you’re not cool with that, then me and Brad will just see you at the reunion.”
“That’s probably a better idea. Maybe we can get a beer afterward,” I added, though I already knew that probably wouldn’t be happening. Ally would be with me, and she’d been clearly uncomfortable when the subject of high school had come up. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but it didn’t matter.
If she didn’t want to do the whole reunion thing, we’d make our appearances, talk to a few people, and split. I preferred spending the night with her and my little girl anyway.
“Sure, man, whatever you want. I’m just glad to be seeing you and Brad again. I’ve been missing those old days something fierce. Nothing’s been like them, you know? We had the life back then.”
His words were still echoing in my head after I’d hung up. I’d had fun going down memory lane for a few minutes the other day, but perhaps I didn’t need that blast from the past as much as I’d thought.
My present was pretty damn awesome.
I pushed aside the remnants of my turkey sandwich and flipped open the folder. I would tear up the contract. And in case Ally didn’t get how serious I was about her—about us—I’d bring the damn thing back to her in pieces. Maybe then she’d relax a little and let things happen.
If that was even what she wanted.
My gaze scanned the page on top automatically. She’d faxed over the house paperwork separately, so the only thing that should be in this folder was the contract I’d given her. And it was, all signed, sealed, and delivered.
Just not with her name.
Your Ally Catwas written in her tight little scrawl, and fuck if it didn’t make me smile.
Shewasmine, and she had been since high school. And if we went to that reunion together, there wasn’t a person there who wouldn’t know it.
Especially her.
I shoved the folder across the desk and rose. Actually, nope, I wasn’t going to tear up the contract. Not where I had it in writing that she was mine. I’d take proof in whatever way I could get it.
She wasn’t going to shut me out forever.
I’d made it halfway to the door when Oliver swung into the room, his briefcase in one hand and his eyebrow already climbing for greatness. “So you drove her away, hmm?”
Frowning, I stopped dead. “Drove who away?”
“Why, Alison, of course. She’s the only woman in your life, isn’t she? Perhaps not.” Oliver moved forward to sit on the corner of my desk. “That would explain the secrecy. You have to know friends with benefits never works out well long-term. Or maybe you don’t. Consider it free advice. Just another of Oliver’s?—”
“You don’t have any friends, so what would you know about it?” I muttered, not caring if the jab hurt. My brother certainly never worried overmuch about his pointed remarks in my direction. “Oliver’s Life Lessons”, he called them.
I usually offered a lifted middle finger as thanks.
“I know Alison has called out sick all week to work and Sage grew desperate enough to ask me if I’d seen her. I indicated I had not. Clearly, she’s not warming your bed either.”
As if he’d dropped a giant weight onto my shoulders, I returned to my desk and sank into my chair. “She’s called in? She never does that. Maybe she really isn’t feeling well.” Hope bloomed inside me as I did some quick calculations. It was early, but possible. She could definitely be feeling some twinges if something had taken root.
