Paige - Present day

 

I STOOD IN front of the old house and smiled. I’d always loved this place. I’d even dreamed of owning it someday, and I was positive I had mentioned that a time or two to William. The fact that he left me the house thrilled me more than I could say.

Well, he left me half of the house. The other half belonged to his grandson. My ex.

Lucas.

Looking at the large, two-story white house, I took in the little details. They didn’t build houses like this anymore. The large white columns held up the second-floor roof. I remembered sneaking out of the upstairs bedrooms and climbing onto that very roof. Lucas and I would lie out there and look at the stars. It wasn’t uncommon for all of us to spend the night at William and May’s house. May was Lucas’s grandmother. They loved having us kids there. Said it filled the house with love and laughter. Jen and I would stay in one room, while Lucas and Milo stayed in another.

My gaze wandered to the empty front porch. Then Milo’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “I can give you an estimate to paint the house and do a few minor repairs. You want to keep it white, right?” Milo asked, writing in his notebook as we walked up the steps, into the foyer and over to the large living room.

It was a no-brainer to call Milo when I realized the house could use a coat of paint inside and out. I probably should have waited for Lucas, but since I hadn’t heard from him after I left him a voicemail asking him to call me, I decided to jump feet first into this project. It had awakened my soul the moment Lou told me I was part-owner. I had to admit, I wasn’t surprised when Lou told me William had left the house to both of us. The man had wanted us to get back together something fierce and hadn’t been silent on the subject for the last ten years.

“Yes, if we could match the shade of white, that would be amazing. I also found this old picture in one of my photo albums. Do you think you could build me a porch swing? I remember the four of us swinging on it. I was hoping the old one might be on the property somewhere, but I haven’t found it yet.”

“I can talk to Carl. He’d be the best person to build it, since he probably swung on it too, and might enjoy building it,” Milo said with a wide smile, before it faded. “Paige, have you talked to Lucas yet?”

“Nope,” I said, popping the P and holding up a swatch of paint colors against the wall in the living room.

“Don’t you think y’all should decide which half the house is yours and which half is his?”

The humor in his voice wasn’t lost on me.

“My plan is to buy Lucas out.”

Milo’s eyes went wide, and then he laughed. When I didn’t laugh, he stopped. “Wait, you’re being serious?”

“Of course I am. Lucas doesn’t want this house. I’m pretty sure that his girlfriend doesn’t want to move to Johnson City. Besides, he has a home in Austin.”

“So do you!”

“Not anymore. I put my downtown loft on the market and moved into this farmhouse this morning…right after I quit my job.”

He looked around, a stunned expression on his face. “Where’s all your stuff?”

“Fresh start, Milo. On everything.”

“Okay, but this house belonged to his grandfather. You don’t think he’s going to want to keep it?”

I laughed mockingly. “Please. He’ll want to be rid of it simply because I’m a part of it now.”

He frowned. “I don’t think so, Paige. He has asked about you a number of times in the past. Either to me or Jen.”

I stared at him. Jen had never once mentioned Lucas asking about me. I decided to ignore him and keep talking. I’d have to deal with that bit of information later.

“I intend on bringing this house back to its glory days. When William told me he had a storage unit outside of town filled with furniture, I knew he wanted it to be put back the way it was when he was little.”

“When did he tell you that?”

With a shrug, I said, “When I would visit him, he would talk about how the house used to be. And, he wrote it in a letter for me, telling me about the storage shed.”

Milo looked around the house. “But there is already furniture in this place. And he has a storage shed full of it?”

I nodded. “Maybe his parents’ furniture? Things he and May wanted to keep over the years. I haven’t made it over there yet to look at it.”

“Does Lucas own part of it, as well?”

With a smile that might have been a little snarky, I replied, “Nope. Just me.”

Needless to say, when Lou told me William had left me fifty percent of his home here in Johnson City, I thought he was kidding. Then he handed me the letter William had written, and my heart nearly exploded. I felt in my pocket and smiled when I touched the faint outline of the folded-up paper that mentioned the storage shed and its contents being all mine.

“What did he say in the letter?” Milo asked, standing behind me as I stood on the stepladder.

“Just that he knew how much this house meant to me, how I had always dreamed of owning it. He wanted to make that dream come true.”

“Okay, so where does Lucas fit in with all of this? Not to mention his hotter-than-fuck girlfriend?”

I rolled my eyes, then stepped off the stepladder, only to have Milo hold onto my hips and look at me with a funny expression.

“Thanks, I’m good,” I said. He dropped his hold and took a step back.

“Sorry, force of habit.”

I shrugged, not thinking anything of it.

“The way I look at it, William felt obligated to leave Lucas half the house. He is, after all, his grandson. They were very close.”

Milo rubbed his chin. “And you think Lucas won’t want to move in here?”

This time I laughed for real. “Oh please, Milo. He lives in Austin in a mansion of an apartment with his…what did you call her? Hotter-than-hot girlfriend. I seriously doubt he wants to move her back to the country. I’m positive Bianca doesn’t want to live here.”

“I said hotter than fuck.”

I scowled.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can’t see that. Betty said Bianca does nothing but bitch whenever they stay there.”

“Why don’t they stay at Carl and Lynn’s place?”

Milo’s cheeks went red. “Well, according to Betty, Bianca is a screamer when they have sex.”

I crinkled my nose. “Gross. I didn’t need to know that.”

He shrugged. “Plus Lynn can’t stand Bianca, and she knows it. Lucas told me his mom has slipped a few times and called her Paige.”

Gasping, I covered my mouth. “She has not!”

Milo laughed. “She has, and Lucas said she does it on purpose, to piss off Bianca.”

With my lips pressed together, I smiled. I always loved Lynn.

It was time to change the subject. “When do you think you can get a crew here to paint?”

“You don’t even want to know how much it’s going to cost, Paige.” He folded up his notebook and slid it into his bag.

“Of course, I do, but I know you’re not going to rake me over the coals, right?”

He winked, and I couldn’t help but give him one back. Milo had always been good looking. Not as handsome as Lucas, but good looking. It was nice to have a man do something as simple as wink at me. He’d recently divorced the woman he’d met in college. Brought her home to Johnson City and thought she loved it. She loved it alright; she loved screwing the high school’s assistant football coach—who happened to be Milo’s brother. They were currently living together, which was a huge scandal for the small town of Johnson City.

The divorce was final about six months ago, or at least that was what Jen told me.

We started walking back to the front door. “I’ll get you a quote in the next day or two. Once you narrow down the colors for the inside, I’ll have a better price.”

“What if I helped paint the inside? That would save some money, right?” I asked as Milo stepped onto the front porch.

“Of course, it would. I can buy you the paint at cost, then you can knock out as much of the inside as you can. You’ve got the time now, especially if you quit your job, which I still can’t believe you did.”

“Want to help in your free time…off the clock?” I asked, with a hint of flirting in my voice.

He raised a brow and smiled. “Are you flirting with me, Paige Miller?”

I smiled. “If I am, does that mean you’ll help me paint the inside and not charge for the labor?”

“Will there be beer and pizza included in this arrangement?”

“Yes, of course. Do you not know me, Milo?”

He laughed. “Consider it done. I don’t have much free time, but I’ll come over a few nights and help you.”

I was about to hug him when a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Well, isn’t this cozy. Ink isn’t even dry on the divorce papers, Milo.”

Lucas.

Milo turned and let out a laugh. I—on the other hand—shot Lucas a dirty look.

One, because he looked so freaking handsome standing there it was totally unfair. Especially since my body instantly reacted at the sight of him. I let my eyes move down his body and then chuckled when I found fancy dress shoes. Gone were the days of cowboy boots for Lucas Foster. In their place, preppy shoes that looked uncomfortable and so damn out of place on this property and in this town. Not to mention the khaki dress pants, which he was filling out quite nicely, if I was being honest. But this look wasn’t Lucas. At. All.

“Holy shit, Lucas Foster, the prodigal son has returned.”

Lucas’s eyes turned from Milo to me. I tried to hide it when my breath hitched. Just the sight of him made my insides quiver. I hated that he still had such a hold on me. He, on the other hand, didn’t have a single reaction to seeing me. Well, except for the scowl.

“I’m only in town long enough to settle up a…real estate issue.”

My arms folded over my chest as I narrowed my gaze on him. Looks like those ten extra pounds were not helping me in the sexy department because Lucas looked like he was sick simply at the sight of me.

Jerk.

He looked away, totally unaffected. If it didn’t hurt so much, I’d ignore him. But I knew how I would handle all of this. Later tonight I’d lie in bed for far too long and analyze every single second, starting with that look. Then I would compare myself to that stupid girlfriend before I finally snapped out of it and realized I may not look like a super model, but I did have a nice body. Even with a few extra pounds on my frame. I could still get guys to flirt with me. Take Milo, for example. Men asked me out at the office all the time. The answer was always no because I didn’t want to admit I still had feelings for a man who had walked away from me over a decade ago.

God. Again, pathetic. I really needed to dig deep and pull out my inner badass woman. The part of me that said, “Fuck Lucas Foster.” I knew what I was worth, and it had been his loss, not mine.

But still, the stupid heart wants what it wants. Ugh.

“What are you doing here? Planning a date?” Lucas asked, focusing back on Milo, who shot me a smile that said he wanted to have some fun with Lucas. I was down for that. Milo and Lucas had stayed pretty close, according to Jen.

“Just helping a friend out. I’ll give you a call later, Paige,” Milo said.

With a wink, I replied, “Thanks, Milo. I appreciate it. Remember, any free night you want to hang out, I’m here.”

Lucas and I watched as Milo walked down the old gravel sidewalk to his truck. Behind his truck was a Lexus. Of course; a Lexus to go with the khaki pants and dress shoes.

Once he drove off, awkwardness settled in. I realized I was alone with Lucas. I looked back at the car like a coward, too afraid of my reaction to him. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

“Bianca is at the bed and breakfast.”

Milo’s words about her being a screamer came back, and I hated my jealousy. The idea that she got to be with Lucas was maddening. And that pissed me off. I needed to find a guy to help release some of this built-up sexual energy. It had been a long time and being in Lucas’s presence wasn’t helping the situation out at all.

Moving my gaze back to Lucas, I found that he was staring at me.

“How much to buy you out?” I finally asked.

Lucas laughed as he walked up the steps. I tried not to let my eyes linger on how his muscular body moved. His stupid khaki pants showcased his thighs. And then there was his chest. Lord, it was as broad and muscular as when he was younger. No, scratch that. He had more muscles. It was official. I truly disliked Bianca.

He walked past me and into the house. His cologne infiltrated my nose. I was pretty sure I moaned a little. It was the same stuff he wore in high school. Damn him. I didn’t know why, but it made me happy to know Bianca hadn’t changed that about him.

“What makes you think I’m selling my half to you?” he asked.

I shut the door and followed him in, my eyes landing on his perfect ass.

Jesus, Paige. Stop checking him out.

It was definitely time for me to get laid.

“You don’t want this place, Lucas. When was the last time you were even here?”

He turned and looked at me, a fire in his eyes. “So, you came and helped Granddad decorate a tree, and called him, and that makes you worthy of this house?”

My brows rose in shock. Was that a hint of something in his voice? Jealousy or anger that I made time for his grandfather when he didn’t?

“I was here a few months ago,” he said. “Granddad happened to mention you visiting last Christmas. Trying to make sure you kept a hand in things, Paige, for the big payout one day?”

His words cut deep, and I knew he didn’t truly mean them. Nonetheless, it hurt. “Lucas, I want to be angry with you right now, but you’ve always known how much I loved this house, and more importantly, William.”

He actually looked guilty for a moment, then it was gone in a flash.

“I tried to buy this house from William a few years back, but maybe you don’t know that since you rarely came to visit,” I stated, wanting to hurt him like he’d hurt me.

He laughed. “Yeah, I remember that. For next to nothing.”

My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me, I offered him fair market value, which I’ll do the same for you. Dickwad.”

That last part I mumbled under my breath.

“What did you just call me?” Lucas asked, taking a few steps toward me. I didn’t move back. If he thought he was going to intimidate me, he had another thing coming.

“Obviously you heard it, so why repeat it? Unless you enjoy being called names.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m here to buy you out.”

A strangled chuckle came from my throat. “Ha. No. I’m not selling. Especially after the letter I got from William.”

That piqued his interest. “What did your letter say?”

I put on my best pout. “What’s wrong? Are you afraid my letter is better than yours?”

Lucas smirked. “I got a letter. I haven’t read it yet.”

“What?” I said, positive my shock was clear on my face. “Lucas, when did you get it?”

“Earlier today. Lou gave it to me when I went to his office. I wanted to read it here, in his study.”

A small part of my cold heart melted because I totally got it. I had done the same thing. After Lou had given me the key, I came to the house and into the study where I sat at William’s desk and read his letter, knowing that he’d written it while sitting at this very desk.

I allowed the corners of my mouth to lift slightly. “I did the same thing.”

His eyes snapped to meet mine. We stared at one another for longer than we should have before Lucas turned and walked down the hall and turned into his grandfather’s study. I jumped when I heard the door slam. What the hell was that about?

I made my way to the kitchen and poured two glasses of tea. I wondered if Lucas still drank tea. I placed them on a tray with a few cookies I had bought at the grocery store in town, and after a few minutes, I walked to the study. I figured it had been enough time for him to read through his letter. Ever the proper hostess, something my mother had taught me to be, I went to the door and knocked lightly before opening it.

When I walked into the study, I stopped. Lucas had his face buried in his hands, elbows rested on the desk. I went to leave, but his voice stopped me.

“Wait. Don’t go.”

I swallowed hard and readied myself. If Lucas was crying, I couldn’t play hardball. No matter how angry or hurt I still was. The sight of him crying would make me crumble.

When I moved closer, he looked up at me, and I frowned. He wasn’t crying. Hell, he didn’t even look upset. He looked…terrible. He had dark circles around his bloodshot eyes. Maybe he had been crying before I got in here.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m tired.”

I set the tray down and handed him one of the teas. A part of me wanted to be sympathetic, but the girl who was still reeling over my broken heart wanted to be a bitch. It was an internal battle, and I wasn’t honestly sure who would win. Oh hell, I knew who would win so I let her come out to play.

Bitch, it was.

“Right, I heard something about your travel problems from your momma. Something about a lost passport or some nonsense. For as much as y’all travel, I was surprised that you’d misplace a passport.” That’s right. I had put stress on those words, to get my point across.

Lucas shot me a dirty look, and I smiled politely in reply. Okay, it was a cheap shot with a bit of jealous on the side, but what the hell.

“So. What do we do? How do we resolve this problem?” I asked, taking a seat, then picking up my tea.

Lucas sat back in the chair and rubbed his neck. “What did your letter say?”

“What did your letter say?” I asked with a smug grin.

“I asked you first.”

“Well, I’m the one who showed up to the house first, so I win.”

He leaned forward, a pinched expression on his face. “You win?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I win.”

“What the fuck is the game we’re playing, Paige? Where someone wins and someone loses?”

“The who-got-to-the-house-first game, Lucas. That counts for something. I care more about this house than you do.”

He scoffed. “What makes you think that?”

“If I sell my portion to you, are you moving in?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous. I’m selling it.”

I nearly choked on my own tongue. “Selling it?”

“Yes. Selling it. I’ve already got an idea of what to do with it.”

My voice was gone. Lost. I couldn’t have made a sound if I had wanted to, and believe me, I wanted to.

After a few moments, my mouth moved, and words finally came out. “Lucas, why in the world would you want to sell this house to anyone other than me? To someone who wouldn’t cherish this place and would only see it as a moneymaker?”

I saw the conflict in his eyes. There was no way he would sell, or would he?

“Because, Paige. There is nothing here for me.”

“The memories. All the amazing times we had in this house. You had in this house. This house meant something to your grandfather, Lucas.”

For a moment, he looked like he was going to smile. “None of that matters anymore. Granddad isn’t here, and the dreams I once had for this house died a long time ago, so I have nothing of interest here anymore.”

I looked down at my tea. Once upon a time, Lucas had said we would get married here. Raise a family in this house. Make it our home. Then Lucas changed his mind about how he felt about me—and used my choice of college as an excuse to break up. It still made me feel sick to my stomach.

Before I could stop the words, I whispered, “I didn’t want to lose that dream either, Lucas. I was simply asking you to put it on hold. You walked away from it.”

He stared at me for the longest time. Both of us realizing we shared the same loss. His eyes looked as if he wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, the moment was gone.

“Bianca doesn’t like the country. Even if I kept my half of this place, I’d never be here.”

“Thank, God,” I mumbled. Okay, the inner bitch was back. The idea of that woman sharing a house with me made me want to gag.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged. “Rumor has it she’s a screamer. And sound carries in the country. Might be awkward with me living here. Don’t you think?”

“You can’t live here, Paige. You live in Austin. You work in Austin. Are you really going to make that drive every day?”

I took a slow, deep breath and exhaled just as slowly. I could tell he was waiting for my response.

“First off, Lucas. I can do whatever the fuck I want to do.”

“Nice language.”

“Thanks. Second, dickhead, if it’s any of your business. I quit my job and moved into the house this morning.”

He coughed and hit his chest. “Wait, you did what?”

“Which part of that are you asking me about? The job or the house?”

He grunted. “You quit your job and moved into the house already?”

“Yes. And yes.” I took another sip of tea and watched as his face grew redder by the second.

“You moved in. To the house. This is still my house.”

“Half of it is, and half is mine. I left you the main master downstairs that was William’s room. I took the guest room with the bathroom upstairs. I always did like being on top.”

He stared in disbelief as I snapped my mouth shut. I wanted to punch myself for making that sound so sexual. What in the hell is the matter with me?

“I mean, I always liked the bedroom upstairs. That bedroom. That particular bedroom. Not that I want to be upstairs all the time, of course. The kitchen and everything is down here, so that would be ridiculous.”

The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “Are you done yet?”

I pressed my mouth into a tight line. Lucas looked at his tea, and I could tell he was fighting a smile.

Then he let out a long sigh. “You need to just sell me your half, Paige.”

“No, you need to sell me yours.”

“I’m not selling you mine,” he stated.

“I’m not selling you mine.”

With a frustrated groan, he stood. “Then what the fuck are we going to do because I can’t own a house with you.”

“Then let me buy you out.”

“No!”

I gave him a half shrug as I remained seated. “Then it looks like you own half a house and twenty-five acres of land. Oh wait, I know what we can do!”

His eyes lit up. “What, do you have an idea?”

“Yes! I’ll take the house and ten acres of the land and you can keep the rest and sell it to whoever the hell you want.”

I could practically see the steam coming from his ears. “I want it all.”

I lifted a brow and smirked. “I see some things never change.”

I stood and took the tray. Turning away, I made my way to the door.

“Still walking away from me. You certainly have that down, don’t you?”

Stopping, I slowly turned back. “I wasn’t the one who walked away, or did you forget that, Lucas?”

He looked as if he might be sorry for his decision all those years ago, then a cold expression moved over his face. “And look how well we’ve done for ourselves, all the places we’ve seen?”

I didn’t want that jab to make me feel the way it did. A part of me wasn’t even sure how I felt. Sad, angry, jealous? It all mixed together in one flash.

“Fuck you, Lucas.”

He smirked. “You wish you could.”

I forced a smile. “Why would I wish that when I’ve got Milo?”

Lucas’s smug expression instantly faded, and I walked out of the room without another glance.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

What had I done? Milo was going to kill me for dragging him into this. Maybe, if I was lucky, he’d be in the mood for a bit of fun.

Who was I kidding? He’d add this inconvenience onto the bill for painting the house, and I had a feeling the price of that upgrade was going to be a steep one.