Page 71 of Incomplete
“Never say never.”
“Sorry, man, I’m not much company tonight.”
“Say no more. Holler if you need anything.”
I tipped my chin to him and looked over my shoulder as he made his way to check on another table. Ryan and his mom moved to our little town during our freshman year, and boy, did he ever come with a giant chip on his shoulder. The problem with small towns was that you either stood out like a sore thumb or made the best of it. Thankfully, he chose the latter and clicked with my friend group. That’s not to say we didn’t cause some shit, because again, small towns and teenagers were known for making our own source of entertainment. But that’s just what it was, practical jokes, a way to blow off steam, and friends sharing laughs. No one got hurt, and memories were made that would last a lifetime.
Taking a swig of my drink, I welcomed the burn, one it was worth noting did nothing to taper the dark cloud that had been blanketing my mood for the past few hours, and it was starting to piss me off royally. It was the reason my run to clear my head had led me astray and here to the bar in the first place.
After I left my flip property, I popped into the grocery store to grab some essentials to make Lakelyn another home-cooked meal, but that was where my plans were unceremoniously derailed. The tabloid magazine covers might not have caught my attention if it weren’t for her eyes. But it was her uniquely hued crystal-blue eyes I’d recognize anywhere that captured my undivided attention.
While there was no denying the woman in the photos was an absolute blonde bombshell, the Lakelyn I’d come to know, the one who had dyed her hair dark, was in an entirely different league. She wasn’t just a natural beauty; her heart and soul spoke to who she was at the core and set her apart. She took my breath away. She was the entire package and had me excited about the future.
“It’s a terrible thing that show did to that poor girl. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”I kept replaying Mrs. Fisher’s words from the grocery store.
My head was filled with noise, and I needed to get it on straight before I saw Lakelyn again. She didn’t deserve a single ounce of my sour mood. Her life was her own, and she didn’t owe me squat. I had no right to judge her actions or life before we met. I wasn’t even sitting here stewing out of anger; the problem I was trying to reconcile in my head was why she didn’t feel she could trust me.
It had always been in my nature to be a fixer. It was what I did. I fixed things, stepped up, and took control of the situation, but with Lakelyn, I reined it in. She was new to town, and we didn’t know each other. It wasn’t my place to interfere or push her to reveal her secrets when she wasn’t ready. Yes, I knew she was being vague and omitting details in our conversations about why she moved here, but I’d been guilty of the same thing. We all had secrets, things we were afraid to share or admit out loud. There was only one way I could help, be her friend, and respect her boundaries.
Lakelyn was special. I knew it right from the get-go with every fiber of my being. But I also knew I needed to tread lightly. Grief was individual. It affected everyone differently.
The bullshit printed in the tabloids was not a reflection of the woman I’d come to know, and just like Mrs. Fisher, I prided myself on being a good judge of character. Yet, here I was, stewing and questioning our time together. Recalling our conversations and dissecting them. As an officer, I was no stranger to lies, but experience had also taught me good people lie as a form of survival.
I should know.
I hung my head, waging an internal battle. I shouldn’t be here. Whatever this situation is really about, I know we will get through it together and come out on the other side even stronger. What we have is unique and worth the fight.
I refuse to lose us.
I shook my head and reached for my phone. Where was it? I patted my shorts pocket, realizing I’d been so dialed into my thoughts spinning off in a thousand directions that I didn’t even notice I had no music on my jog over here.
Leaving my drink relatively untouched, I approached the main doors as the Fisher brothers sauntered in.
“Talk about the last person I expected to see here tonight,” Jameson razzed with a fist bump to the shoulder.
“Same.”
“Tell me you’re not heading out already? It’s still early,” Ford asked with a flick of his wrist, flashing his watch.
The man was one to talk; it had definitely been a while since I’d seen him last. When he wasn’t busy with his rigorous baseball schedule, he was a dedicated hands-on dad to his son Maxim, so a boy’s night out was a rarity.
“I shouldn’t have come here.”
The guys eyed me curiously as my gym wear wasn’t exactly bar attire.
“Something tells me you’ve got a lot on your mind. Stay for a drink.” Jaxon tried to convince me.
“I—”
“One drink, man.”
“Nah, another time. I’ve got someplace I need to be right now.”
* * *
In the past, moving my body moved my mind. It brought forth perspective when the weight of a work shift came home with me. It provided an outlet to channel the adrenaline I had no other way to burn off. I welcomed how my lungs burned against the savage pace I set, competing in tandem with my muscles. Pounding the pavement earlier started as an escape, a reset button. A way to work through my anger over how the tabloids characterized Lakelyn and calm my emotions so I didn’t cause her any further stress.
I just needed the space to do so, or so I thought.
