Keeping You Away Read online

  “Now that school’s done, I can actually spend more time remodeling. It needs a new paint job and a good cleaning. Then I can decorate it and make it cozy.”

  “It’s nice, actually. You’re close to your dad’s house but far enough away to have some privacy.” I walk around, looking at everything.

  “I plan to keep her art hung, at least my favorite ones.”

  “You never got into painting?” I ask, closing the gap between us.

  “I tried. I think I liked it as a child, but then I think I associated it with pain because I was sad she wasn’t here.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. I’d much rather you kiss me again instead.” She grins, grabbing my shirt and yanking me toward her.

  I smirk and lower my eyes to meet hers. “I think I can accommodate that.”

  Our mouths fuse again in a white-hot kiss. The way she makes me feel burns through my entire body. I crave her, and I need to feel more of her. The way our relationship grew over the years led us to a deep connection. The emotional drives the physical, and being with her like this feels even more intense than I could’ve anticipated.

  Peppering kisses down her jawline, I attach my lips to her neck. She shivers against me as I flatten my tongue against her soft, smooth skin and lick up to her ear.

  “Fuck, Gemma. You’ve consumed me for so long that I can hardly control myself around you.”

  “I don’t want you to…I’m yours. Take all of me.”

  Gripping the bottom of her ass, I lift her as her legs wrap around me. I walk us toward the bed, then lay her down on the mattress and crawl over her body. Our mouths collide as I slide a hand up her stomach, then palm one of her perky breasts.

  “That feels so good,” she murmurs.

  “Better than the tool bag who thought he was fingering you?” I smirk against her lips, and she bursts out laughing.

  “Oh my God, how do you remember that? I told you about Benny like two years ago.”

  “I kept thinking about how fucking hilarious it was, and how much I wanted to be the one who touched you there.”

  “Trust me, I want that too.”

  “Should I show you how it’s really supposed to feel?” I lie next to her on my side and slip my fingers inside her skirt.

  “Yes,” she whimpers. “Show me.”

  I slide under her panties and immediately feel her wetness. Every inch of her begs for my touch. The pad of my finger glides up and down her slit before rubbing circles against her clit.

  “Oh my God. That feels way too good.” She closes her eyes and hums. “Please, don’t stop.”

  “It might hurt when I push my finger inside you, Gemma,” I warn.

  “I’ve fingered myself before,” she tells me.

  I chuckle at her honesty. “I’ll still be gentle.”

  “I trust you, Tyler.” She wraps her hand around my neck, pulling me down until our mouths touch. “I know you’d never hurt me.”

  The confident way she says those words has my heart bursting. That’s the last thing I want to do to her, ever. Gemma Reid is everything I’ve ever wanted but don’t deserve.

  She gave me all of herself that night. I told her we could wait and didn’t have to rush, but she was firm with her decision. I was her first, and she was the first woman I ever loved.

  But three months later, after spending the entire summer together, I broke both of our hearts when I left with no plans to return to Lawton Ridge. I asked her to come with me—together we could travel and be spontaneous—but she didn’t want to leave her dad and the only home she’s ever known.

  As much as it hurt, she couldn’t leave, and I couldn’t stay.

  Gemma will always be the one I let go, the woman I walked away from—my biggest regret.

  Chapter One

  TYLER

  TWELVE YEARS LATER

  The air feels different for the first time since I’ve entered this hellhole. I inhale a deep breath and smile when I see my best friend’s truck in the parking lot. After spending five years in prison, it’s the best fucking sight ever. Walking out with only the clothes on my back and a new sense of freedom, I head toward them.

  Maddie hops out with her seven-month pregnant belly, and I chuckle when I hear Liam calling after her.

  “Tyler!” she shouts, waddling as fast as she can to me.

  As she approaches, I smile and open my arms, and she cries the moment we embrace. My emotions start to bubble over too, but I hold them back, knowing she’s on hormone overload.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re out!” She pushes back slightly, eyeing me up and down.

  Liam joins and pulls me in for a side hug. “Dude. You look buff as fuck.”

  I chuckle. “Gotta make sure I’m prepared for the real world now, ya know?”

  Smiling down at Maddie, I look at her bump. “You look huge.”

  She playfully pushes at my chest, laughing. “Shut up. I know. And I still have two more months.”

  I cringe. “Yikes. Good thing I’m only staying for a few weeks.”

  Maddie’s smile drops. “What? That’s it? Why?”

  I knew she wouldn’t be happy about that.

  Liam grabs Maddie’s hand as we walk to the truck. He helps her into the back seat, and I take the passenger seat.

  “You know I didn’t even want to go to Sacramento.” We all buckle up, and I glance back at their firstborn sleeping soundly in his car seat next to Maddie. “I found a job back home. I need a fresh start. There’s nothing here for me,” I tell her, not wanting to upset her further, but Maddie has always been vocal for as long as I’ve known her. I don’t actually have the job set in stone yet, but if Maddie knows that, she’ll be even more relentless about me staying.

  “Ugh. Me! And Liam and baby Tyler.”

  “And you all have your own lives to live. You won’t mind me invading your space for a little bit, but after a while, you’ll want your privacy again, so it’s best if I try to go back into civilian life the best I can.”

  Liam starts the truck and drives us out of the parking lot. “Babe, he’s made his decision,” he tells Maddie.

  I glance back at her and see her shoulders slump. “Fine, but I’m using these next three weeks to change your mind.”

  “You will after you realize my cooking game is weak.” I’m rusty from being locked up.

  My grandmother taught me during my teenage years since my mother barely got her high, drunken ass out of bed on most days. Mimi and I spent countless nights and weekends bonding in the kitchen.

  “I’m happy you’ll have time to spend with baby Tyler at least,” Maddie says, glancing at him with pride.

  “Me too, Mads. I’m ready to get back to normal.” Whatever the fuck normal is.

  I teared up with happiness when they visited me in prison and introduced me to him. After I saved Maddie from the O’Learys and got Liam out of his arranged marriage with the mob princess, they honored me by naming their first son after me. Even though helping them is what put me behind bars, I’ll never regret what I did to protect them.

  Baby Tyler’s almost two now. I wish I could watch him grow up and be in his life every day, but I have to get away. After what happened in Sacramento and Vegas, the last place I want to be is somewhere she can easily find me. Victoria O’Leary ruined my life and stole time that I’ll never get back.

  Even considering the outcome, I wouldn’t change anything I did. Liam’s been like a brother to me for years, and I value the friendship Maddie and I formed through it all. They’re my family and always will be.

  After Victoria kidnapped Maddie and threatened Liam, I lied to get on Victoria’s payroll, and she stupidly hired me to be one of her bodyguards. When she sent me to Montana for a “classified job,” I had no idea it was to oversee Maddie. After setting a plan into place, I knocked out Eric—the other bodyguard—and escaped with Maddie. Victoria had a rich-bitch hissy fit and p
lanted illegal guns and pounds of drugs in my truck. When I was driving to California to visit Liam and Maddie, one of her shady police officers pulled me over. He knew exactly what he’d find too and stated he smelled pot inside the truck, which gave him probable cause to search.

  Fucking bastard.

  Though all the O’Learys are fucking ruthless, Victoria takes the cake. In the few months I worked for their family, I saw and heard the craziest shit. Still, it didn’t prepare me when I witnessed Victoria murder her brother, JJ, the night Liam was knifed by Victoria’s boyfriend, Mickey.

  It was the biggest fucking scandal I’ve ever witnessed. One I hadn’t seen coming.

  Weeks after that, life had gone back to normal, or so I thought. Liam recovered from getting shot, and I moved back to Vegas. A few weeks later, that bitch pulled the rug from underneath me.

  Every day was basically the same. I tried to keep my mind busy by working out, but the anger ate me alive. I lifted weights and ran until I couldn’t feel my limbs. The only thing that brought a smidge of happiness was when Liam and Maddie came every month. Though I wish they could’ve visited more often, the drive was six hours round trip, so I understood.

  Everleigh flew from Alabama a few times, but I knew she couldn’t afford it, so I asked her to stop. She opened a boutique a few years ago and put her life savings into it. The last thing I wanted was for her to spend money on visiting me for a half an hour when she could invest more into her business. Instead, I called her and our grandparents a couple times a week to catch up. I miss her like crazy, and though I’m nervous as hell to go back to Lawton Ridge, I’m excited to see and hug my little sister again.

  “So, what kind of job did you get?” Maddie asks as we merge onto the highway.

  “Mechanic at a garage,” I explain, hopeful I’ll actually get hired. “Working on cars, doing oil changes, greasy shit.”

  “Do you still remember how to do that stuff?” she asks. At one point, I worked on her car and even taught her a few things. Maddie doesn’t enjoy getting her hands dirty, but I made her anyway. Thinking back to it has me cracking up.

  “Yeah, I know enough. I even read articles and books while I was locked up.”

  “You did?”

  “I had to keep my mind sharp.” I smirk. “I read other stuff too. We had access to a small library.”

  “I feel bad. I should’ve brought you some of my romance novels.”

  Liam snorts from the driver’s side. “Yeah, sure. If you want him to get his ass kicked.”

  Maddie leans forward and smacks my arm. “Nah. Look how big his muscles are. They’d be stupid to mess with Tyler.”

  Grinning, I pat her hand. “Thanks, Mads. I appreciate the ego boost.”

  “You’re very welcome. Now, on to more important subjects. Are you going to see Gemma while you’re there?”

  She emphasizes her name like it’s a dirty word, but for me, it ignites a fire in my body. Gemma—the woman who’s haunted my dreams for twelve years—the woman I left, who’s engaged to another man.

  I shrug, though I know damn well I’ll see her nearly every day. It’ll be my own personal hell, but one I deserve after the way things ended. Her father owns the garage I’ll be interviewing for, and although my gut reaction was to say no when Everleigh brought up the idea, I also knew my criminal record would make getting hired at most places nearly impossible. Especially in my small hometown where rumors fly like planes at an international airport.

  My sister wanted me to come home just as much as I wanted to start over and was nice enough to talk to Jerry about giving me a job. She thinks I’ll get it, and I hope she’s right, but if not, I’ll be looking until I find something. Working at the garage would help get me back on my feet.

  “Maddie…” Liam warns. “Quit pushing him. He hasn’t even been out for an hour yet.”

  She frowns. “Fine, but I will get the juicy details out of you eventually. I’ll text and call you every day if I have to.”

  I chuckle. “I don’t doubt that.”

  “Don’t worry, man.” Liam turns to me. “As soon as she pops that baby out, she’ll forget all about your love life.”

  “Ha! Love life? There won’t be one for a long ass time, trust me. You’ll be having your next baby before I have a relationship.”

  “Don’t put that idea in his head!” Maddie scolds as Liam laughs. “He’ll keep me knocked up!”

  “What’s the problem with that? You’re adorable.” I look over my shoulder and smirk.

  “I was adorable four months ago. Now, I’m just a beached whale.”

  Maddie talks my ear off for the next three hours, and soon, Liam’s pulling into the driveway. They bought a new house, but the picture I saw of it didn’t give it justice because it’s big and beautiful.

  “Home sweet home!” Maddie says, wrapping her arms around me from the back seat. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  I squeeze her and smile. “I am too. Thanks for having me.”

  “If it were up to me, you’d move in permanently, so don’t thank me just yet. I plan to talk you into staying.”

  Liam opens the door and helps her down. “Babe, you can’t harass him the whole time.”

  “I’m not.”

  Liam gives me an apologetic look, but I don’t mind. Listening to Maddie’s antics brings me back to being roommates and hanging out every day. That was before shit got complicated with the O’Learys.

  Baby Tyler wakes up when Liam grabs him out of the car seat, and he nuzzles his face into Liam’s neck. I take the diaper bag from him, then shut the door.

  “Gonna give me the grand tour?” I tease as we make our way to the front.

  “Absolutely!” Maddie answers. “I have your room all set and ready. Can’t wait to show you.”

  A couple of days after my arrival, we had a cookout and my other friends—Mason, Sophie, Hunter, Lennon, and all their kids—came over. It was the reunion I’d been anxious about for months. Though they all visited me from time to time, it wasn’t as frequent as Maddie and Liam, so it was good to see them.

  We drank beer, talked about sports, and I played with the little ones. For the first time in years, I felt normal. Though at moments, I’d look around waiting for the guard to tell me time was up, then push me back in my cell.

  I hadn’t realized the PTSD would kick in so quickly or that I’d actually have it. There’s no “therapy session” that walks us through going back to real life. Basically, I’m just winging it. It was often lonely. The only person I had actual conversations with was my cellmate, Archer. We met three years ago, and before him, I didn’t talk much to anyone. He has a few years left, and I told him to get in touch with me as soon as he’s released. I even left him my new address in case he wanted to reach out.

  Tomorrow, I’ll fly to Alabama, and Everleigh will pick me up from the airport. I don’t have much packed, maybe a suitcase full. Liam was able to grab some things from my old apartment in Vegas, mostly clothes and some personal items. My sister’s letting me stay in her spare room, which is great for me, but I already feel like a burden. Though she’s told me several times I’m not, it’s hard not to feel like a failure at life right now.

  “The baby has been kicking all day.” Maddie waddles into my room and plops down on the bed. “He’s protesting you leaving.”

  “Is that so?” I ask with amusement, popping a brow.

  She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns. “Yes. He wants to meet you as soon as he’s here.”

  “You can FaceTime me on my new phone,” I remind her. “After the birth, though, please. Not during.”

  Liam chuckles as he walks in holding baby Tyler, glancing at Maddie, then me. “Trust me, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “It won’t be the same.” Maddie pouts. “But either way, you better answer when we call. No matter what.”

  “I will, promise.”

  She closes her eyes, and tears stream down her cheeks. It guts me to see her upset. I l
ove Maddie and appreciate everything they’ve done for me, but I can’t stay. No matter how much she wants me to, I just can’t.

  “Mads, don’t cry.” I lean over and wipe her cheek. “I’ll visit. We’ll text and talk on the phone. You’ll send me photos of your babies. I’ll FaceTime you and show you around my hometown.”

  She sniffs and nods. “You better!”

  “I will.”

  Maddie cracks a smile, and I wrap my arms around her, giving her a hug without adding too much pressure.

  “How about I cook one more dinner for old times’ sake?” I grin.

  “Not that spicy shit, though.” She points a finger at me, and I laugh. When I was her bodyguard in Montana and before she knew I was Liam’s friend, I made her one of my grandma’s Southern pasta dishes. Before I could warn her to stir in the seasonings, she took a large bite, and her tongue went numb.

  “Whatever you want. Lady’s choice,” I offer, standing.

  She follows my lead, and we walk toward the kitchen. “Mac ’n cheese mixed with carrots and cut-up Vienna sausages.”

  I turn and narrow my eyes at her, then glance at Liam.

  He shakes his head. “Don’t ask. She’s had the weirdest pregnancy cravings these past few months.”

  “It’s not that weird!” she argues.

  “I don’t know, Mads. That sounds like prison food.” I chuckle, grabbing a pan from the cabinet. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten it but made with generic shit and old powdered cheese.”

  “Oh, we’re going fancy tonight. Kraft shells all the way and extra cheese on top.” Maddie grabs two boxes from the pantry, then shakes them in the air like maracas.

  Soon, dinner is ready, and the three of us are laughing as we serve ourselves, then sit at the table.

  “This is so good.” Maddie moans around a mouthful. “Right, baby?”