Prologue
Damn, I’m running late. I should have known better than to let Old Man Kramer into the shop five minutes before closing. Especially with Gramps and Jay already gone for the day. The old man isconstantly bringing in his car with imagined problems. And it never fails that I spend half an hour convincing him that his car is fine.
I fly into my apartment, tossing the keys to my motorcycle on the counter as I race to my bathroom. Shoes and clothes get strewn behind me as I step into my shower, not even giving it a chance to heat.
Nerves hit about the time the spray of the shower warms.I want everything to work out, but if they don’t, it can go epically bad. For a moment, I second guess myself. I am risking a lot.
Two years ago, I came home from UCLA after busting my ass to graduate a year early. I was ready to be back home with my family and friends.
I felt like I’d missed so much over the last three years. My best friend, Dane, found his two younger sisters. Ryder had his heart ripped out in away Ican’t even imagine. Maddoxdiscovered his friend in an alley and then in his bathroom with blood everywhere a year later.
I’d met Dane’s sister, Tori, a few times on my trips home. She’d join us at Lucky’s or at Maddox or Ryder’s for a party. I’d never gotten the chance to meet his youngest sister, Cara.
When I did, I wasn’t surprised that she and Tori looked so much alike. What I wasn’texpecting was the visceral reaction I had to her. I’d never felt so much as a twinge for Tori.
But the minute I laid eyes on Cara, the world shifted.
And I was going to hell for it.
I couldn’t think of more ways that it was wrong than the blatantly obvious one.
She was my best friend’ssixteen-year-old sister.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off her dark ones filled with so much life and brilliance they showed like black diamonds against her creamy skinand wheat blond hair. That pale blond hair, a few shades darker than Tori’s platinum locks,hung down the middle of her back. The way she tossed her head back when she laughed made my insides tighten.
Wrong! Wrong! WRONG!
For two years, I’ve choked down my need to have her. Pushed away the jealousy when Dane would complain about her boyfriends. Gritted my teeth against my envy at her ease with Ryder and Maddox. She saw me as nothing more than her brother’s friend.
It has been eating me alive, and no matter how many other girls I dated or fucked, I still wanted her.
Tonight, with any luck, that all changes. I am going to Lucky’s for her eighteenth birthday party. I am going to charm the fuck out of her. I will get her to agree to go out with me.
I hope.
And I hope I don’t lose my best friend or any teeth.
I stare into the mirror, giving myself a pep talk. I feel stupid for being so nervous. I’ve never been nervous about a woman. Ever.
“I’ve got this,” I tell my reflection as I rake my hands through my dark, unruly hair, attempting to tame the curls. I shrug on a blue t-shirt, dark jeans, and my boots, ready as I’ll ever be.
I grab my keys and my bass, ready to leave when a tapping starts at my door just before I reach it. I open it to find blond hair and blue eyes I haven’t seen in months staring back at me. “Peyton?”
“Hi Jake,” she says softly without meeting my eyes. “We need to talk.”
“I was actually just heading out,” I tell her, confused why she’s here or what we could possibly have to talk about.
“I’m pregnant, Jake,” she spits out, but it doesn’t clear things up for me. “It’s yours, Jake,” she continues when my brows furrow in confusion.
I feel all the blood rush from my face. My stomach drops,and my knees begin to shake. “Thatis not possible,” I tell her more calmly than I feel. “We haven’t been together in years.”
“Nathan’s party a couple of months ago,” she says quietly but firmly. Like that is supposed to explain everything, but it doesn’t.
I remember the party. I remember getting blackout drunk because the hangover was massive. I remember waking up on Nathan’s sofa the next morning. I even remember seeing Peyton there. Half the place was packed with friends from high school celebrating Nathan coming home from the Marines.
But I donotremember fucking her.
