A Long Goodbye (18 page)

“Grace, I never could, nor would I want to. I’ll call as soon as I can.” He kissed me again, but this time, it was hurried and not another word was said. He walked out that door without looking back. Not once.

When I heard the door to the hotel room close, I burst into tears that I’d held back showing him.

CHAPTER 32

DANE

I had gripped onto Ashton so tight I thought I was going to break her in half before I left. Part of me wanted to scream out the truth, but the other part knew that if I did, it was all over. That calm feeling she brought me, the feeling I’d never felt in the pit of my stomach for a woman before would all be gone.

Just as I was heading out, Lu stepped in front of me. She shook her head, hands planted firmly on her hips. “You’re leaving for good? Is Ashton all right?”

“She’s okay with it. I promise you.”

Lu held the door open and I didn’t hesitate to walk through it. “You’re so wrong, Woody” she yelled out and then slammed the door shut.

Saying goodbye to Ashton was hard on both of us. I knew I should’ve just walked away instead of taking her in that bed one last time. But she asked me and couldn’t say no to that face, those eyes. If having that last connection was something she needed to have, I wanted to give her that memory. Hell, I wanted to give myself that memory too.

I developed strong feelings for Ashton, and I knew that I should have told her I loved her when she confessed her own feelings, but in the end, I figured it would only hurt her more. What good would it have done with me walking away anyhow?

That damn song that we had danced to that one night in Tennessee was playing and it made me want to head back to Grace, and I hadn’t even gotten off the 1A yet. A part of me wanted to say screw Winslow, screw Jason’s business, and turn around at the next red light, but I forced myself to grip that wheel, turn the station, and hit the gas a little harder to stop myself.

My head and heart were aching at the thought of leaving her in that room most likely crying over me. I rolled down my window, stuck a wad of Skoal in my mouth, and then cranked up the radio one more notch before jumping on the highway to take me back home.

Once I hit that five hundred mile mark on my odometer, I knew I had only a little over an hour to go. The sun was still shining brightly as I coasted down the old road that led to my mama’s house. Jason had fixed up the barn years ago when he wanted his privacy but couldn’t afford to move out, so that was what I called home now.

I hadn’t ever talked about AJ with anyone other than his wife and his mama, but I was glad to share it was Ashton. It felt good to tell her some of the shit that was bottled up inside my head.

As the dirt kicked up behind my truck, I noticed two things. My mama waving from the porch happy to see me, and the motorcycle that Kara insisted I take after AJ had died. He loved that thing almost as much as her, and I didn’t want it, but she pleaded with me that he’d start a fight up in heaven if she handed it over to just anyone. So I did. It sat next to the barn with a tarp covering it, so it wasn’t something I had to look at every day. I knew it was there and I itched to drive it, but I never could bring myself to do it.

“Hey, Sweetie,” my mama called as I stepped out of my truck.

I shuffled up the front porch steps. “Hey, mama,” I greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“The boys told me you’d be home about now. I just pulled a peach pie out of the oven. C’mon inside and I’ll fix you up a plate.”

Mama’s peach pies were known all over town. When Catherine Woods offered her famous baked goods, even if the world was coming to an end, you didn’t turn it down. What you did do was sit your ass down, and grabbed a fork.

I’d barely had the first bite when Jason and Josh walked in rubbing their hands together knowing they were in for a treat.

Jason slapped me on my back. “How you doing, man?”

“I’ve been better,” I admitted. I stabbed my fork into the crust, but lost my appetite, so I pushed it away.

“What’s going on? You never turn down my pie. You can tell me anything, sugar,” Mama said as she wiped the counter clean.

I picked the plate up and scooted out of my chair. “Do you mind if I eat this in the barn? I have some thinking to do.”

She tilted her head, eyeing me up, but then grazed her fingers down my jaw. “Okay, baby. You need me? You know where to find me.”

“Thanks, mama.”

Josh and Jason grabbed a plate and started to follow me outside. Quickly, I turned on my heels. “Not now.”

“Yeah, now, asshole. This is my business, my livelihood and yours too,” Jason spat out.

I continued walking to the backyard and inside the barn. It wasn’t much. I had a small bathroom, a seriously tiny kitchen (if you could even call it that), and a bedroom that was hidden by a curtain. The television room was the size of a horse stall.

“How did you finish it up with Ashton?” Jason drilled me straight away.

“We parted ways. After I get that bonus, I’m giving it no more than two weeks before I call her and tell her everything. I just pray she’ll find in her heart to forgive me.”

Josh grabbed a beer from my icebox and sat down, kicking up his feet for the show about to go down.

“I know why you want that money. You want to send it off to Kara for AJ’s daughter, but you cannot tell Ashton about her father. I made a promise to that man.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t.”

“Bro, please tell me you didn’t fall for Ashton fucking Winslow in two weeks?” Josh finally felt the need to chime in.

“What’s in to you? And by the way, asshole, Lu figured me out because of you and that tattoo that I told you not to get.”

He grinned looking happy with himself. “Oh, yeah, how is LuLuBelle? Maybe I’ll call her and see if she wants to recreate some of that magic.”

“Pissed at me, but she hates you, so I wouldn’t touch that one with a ten foot pole.

He waved me off as Jason paced around. “What was Ashton like in bed? I heard she was a virgin.”

I picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “I’m not telling you shit.”

“C’mon just one little thing, I won’t tell anyone.”

Jason stepped in front of me. “Would you shut up,” he shouted at Josh. He looked at me and then fixed his eyes on Josh. “I need to talk to Dane alone for a few minutes.”

Josh stood but got in Jason’s face. “No fucking way.”

“Josh,” I commanded.

“What?” He said in a raised voice but didn’t stop his stare down with Jason. Those two always butted heads. I think partly because Jason was nine years older and treated Josh like a kid all the time. When I left home Josh was only eleven, so I missed most of it, but Jason was here for all the calls from some poor girl’s mama, or the police when he’d run into trouble. It was harmless teenage fun, but still, Jason took care of it before the folks found out.

“Go help mama in the kitchen. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

Jason watched and waited until a reluctant Josh was all the way up the front porch, before he swung his gaze at me.

“You might want to sit for this. You’re not going to like it, but if you think you’re going after Ashton, I want you to know what could happen if you do.”

I grabbed a beer and stood with my arms crossed, not sitting down. “Spit it out.”

“We got a problem, Dane.”

I gestured with my hands for him to get on with it already. “He threatened my business and mama’s land.”

I shook my head trying to make sense of all of it. “I don’t get what me and Ashton getting together would have him bothering mama’s house.”

He sighed, and took a seat on my beat up recliner. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but after Daddy died, Winslow paid off the debt he had.”

I started to object, but he held up his hand to stop me.

“Let me finish. He was doing a favor for mama. She was going to have to sell, seeing as she can’t keep this place up on the little she gets every month. Josh was in school, you were off being a hero, and the bills were getting backed up. College was expensive. Dad got laid off and had to take out a large loan from the bank. Of course, Winslow being Winslow got wind of it all and propositioned mama. She didn’t want to take him up on it, but this land has been in her family for a long time. He paid off the debt and is now holding that over my head.”

“What the fuck for?”

“He hated daddy and he’s not too fond of the boy’s mama had with him. Dad stole mama out from under Winslow and he has a thorn in his side about it—still, if you can believe that shit.”

“I still don’t get it,” I said confused. I was racking my brain trying to figure it all out.

“How do you think you being in love with his precious Ashton is going to sit with him? He wants her with that asshole Owens, not a troublemaker from the woods who reminds him of the woman he loved and lost a long time ago.”

“He asked for me specifically to keep her safe. That’s gotta count for something?”

“You willing to shut my business down, and hold mama’s hands while she’s crying turning over the keys to that man?”

“Fuck!” I screamed, looking up to the ceiling.

I sank to my knees and raised my head lightly. “I fell in love with her.”

“I know, but sometimes we need to do something we don’t want to.”

“You’ve been with the same girl since you were fourteen, Jay.”

“So.”

I laughed. “So, you found who you wanted to be with way back then. I’m twenty-eight and just found that person I know that I want forever. Do you understand?”

He stood over me. “Yeah, but you might need to keep looking.” He walked out and shut the door behind him, leaving me to make one of the hardest decisions of my life.

CHAPTER 33

ASHTON

Lu had crashed into my room not a minute after Woody had walked out the front door. “Oh, honey, come here.” She hushed my tears as she approached the bed and sank down pulling me into her arms.

“I want to go home, Lu,” I cried out.

She held me tight for a minute longer and then pulled away. “No, girl,
you
are not going home to sulk. We have one full day of sun, bikinis, boys, and fruity little drinks melting in our hands to do first.”

“Do you think he’ll call like he said?” She handed me a tissue that she had grabbed off the side table. I took it and blew my nose.

She brushed back the hair off my face. “I hope he does.”

“I told him I loved him,” I admitted.

“What did he say when you told him?”

“He said nothing.”

“Well, he’s a fool because, Ash, honey, you’re the easiest person to love that I know.”

With the sleeve of the robe, I swiped away the last of my tears. “I really think he’ll call, so, I’m getting up and finishing this trip, and then I’ll go home and wait for that phone to ring.” I plastered on a fake smile, got up and slipped on my bathing suit. “Let’s get one of those breakfast burritos and then hit the beach.”

“Now you’re talking.” Lu followed me out and went to get ready. I turned my phone on and looked at the few pictures I’d taken of Woody and me. I placed it in my beach bag carefully. “Yeah, he’ll call,” I said to myself as I stared at a picture of him.

I finished everything on my two-week bucket list except for one: to do something completely and utterly selfless for the good of just doing it. Lu and I parasailed, learned to surf, (well, tried to anyway) sang karaoke to strangers and danced to salsa music with locals. The entire night I missed Woody, but when I crept into that big bed we shared and still could smell the scent of him lingering on the sheets, it wore me down. So much so, I contemplated stealing the pillowcase to smuggle home with me.

I thought that might be taking it a step too far and opted for the shirt that he had left behind. I don’t think he meant to, because I found it balled up sticking out from under the bed. Still, I considered his silly tee shirt the best souvenir I’d ever brought home from a trip.

Not to mention I was still banking on that one phone call.

CHAPTER 34

DANE

Two mornings later, we were sitting at Woods Securities and Jason had just hung up the phone. He clasped his hands and leaned forward. “That was Winslow. Ashton and Lu got back late yesterday. He wanted you to come by and pick up the payment, but I thought it would be best for you to not to push your luck. He’s having someone drop it off in a little bit.”

I nodded, thinking of Ashton and what the two of them did the rest of the time in Miami without me. I missed her lying next to me so badly I couldn’t sleep; instead, I opted for an all-night marathon of old movies.

“You want me to send the money to Kara, or did you want to take care of that?”

“I want to go see the baby. I’ll take it down. ’Bout time I saw my goddaughter anyhow.”

“I figured you might.”

A half hour later, the buzzer went off in his office. “Jason, one Trevor Owens is here to see you.” Amy’s voice filled the room through the speaker. Amy was Jason’s wife and also his receptionist. She only worked part time so she could be home before their son got out of school. He was six and already trying to be a typical Wood’s man. Jonah wanted to fish, hunt, and swim in creeks to catch frogs. Jason and Amy got called down to the school once last year in Kindergarten because he was pinching a few of the girls on their ass. They asked him why he felt like he had the right, and as plain as day, he told them they liked the attention. Jason didn’t know whether to hi-five him, or punish him. He was a chip off the old block that was for sure.

Trevor waltzed in the room wearing one of his expensive suits, looking as smug as ever. He dropped one envelope on the desk and one onto my lap.

I skimmed the envelope checking to see how much money Winslow thought his daughter was worth. “I take it Ashton’s home safe and sound?”

He grinned. “That’s what her Daddy says. I haven’t had a chance to see her yet, but I’ll be getting a piece of that ass soon.” I stood up quickly my hands balled into fists at my side.

Trevor looked down and took note of my stance before smirking. “Bill wanted me to pass a big thank you for keeping everything discreet,” he said with doubt and accusation in his voice.