Someone Like You (Someone To Love Series) (22 page)

I always let Ruby pick her color first, and then I use it too. At least that way I can look down at my nails and know she’s wearing the same shade. Sometimes just looking at my hands is enough to make me want to cry. It’s a visceral pain, being away from her, but one I’ve learned to live with because each passing day brings me that much closer to seeing her again, then it all starts again on a loop. I steal glances at Ruby, who’s seated to my right with her hands extended for the manicurist to tend to. I try to memorize every bit for later but these warm fuzzy feelings rarely last until next time. I spend way too many nights crying myself to sleep because I desperately miss her. Speaking of crying myself to sleep, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing once Morgan goes back home. And, if Morgan did manage to knock up some girl back in Oregon, I doubt he’d want to make the move in this direction at any point in time. Not that we’ve even broached the topic of what to do when the new school year begins.

“You’re quiet,” Janice says as we soak our nails side by side. “How are things going?”

“Better than ever,” I blurt. Really? Are they? It seems like an odd thing to say after contemplating my relationship’s impending demise.

“Judging by that goofy grin that hasn’t left your face, I’m betting there’s a boy involved.” She tilts her head to the side as if chiding for me to agree. Janice is sweet and cute. She’s at least fifteen years my senior. She wears her hair in a blonde pixie and miraculously manages to keep her figure lean even though I’ve seen her pound the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Chinese restaurant more than half a dozen times.

“Okay,” I whisper. “So there might be a boy.” I bite down on the goofy grin threating to permanently etch itself onto my face.

“Well, don’t just sit there.” She bounces her leg off her knee. “Come on, dish.”

“His name is Morgan.” Just verbalizing his name—feeling it tumble from my lips—excites me in places that shouldn’t be excited in a nail salon. “He’s got this amazing jet-black hair and dimples you could curl up and
nap
in. And his smile, well, it lights up the night clear to the space station.”

“Whoa!” Janice breaks out in a spontaneous laugh that makes all three girls look up with their full attention. “You had me at dimples.” She lets her enthusiasm settle for a minute before prodding on. “So, where are things headed? Is this a summer romance or something that has the potential to last?”

I heave a giant sigh. “I wish I knew. He goes to school way out in Oregon. He’s just out for the summer for his mother’s wedding.” I give a sheepish grin. “I said the
L
word for the very first time.”

Her eyes widen with a smile all their own. “Okay—so, did he say it back?”

“Yes.” I can feel my cheeks turning ten shades of crimson.

“Look, Mommy!” Ruby calls and holds out her bright-pink fingers. It takes a minute for me to notice she’s looking at Janice, not me. Of course she is. I’m “Mama,” and I think it’s way nice of Janice to allow her to call me that. It’s amazing Janice doesn’t feel threatened or worried about letting me visit. Not that she should, but when we established this arrangement four years ago, under the guidance of her legal team, I had every worry filtering through my brain. Fear was my middle name. Still is. Ruby’s father blinks through my mind, and I push him away. Thank God he’s not Ruby’s “daddy,” her “dada,” or her anything. Janice married a good man. She knows how to pick ’em, unlike me—well, except for Morgan.

“Hey”—I turn to her—“I just thought of something.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re a sane person with a great track record in the relationship department, so you must know a thing or two about sifting the wheat from the douche. Would you mind meeting Morgan and telling me what you think?” I already know Morgan Jordan is no douchebag but, in a small way, I want Janice’s approval. Hell, I think I need it.

She blinks back in surprise.

“Oh, Ally”—her face crumbles just enough to worry me—“I’m no judge. If this guy makes you happy, then that’s good enough for me and it should be good enough for you too.”

“I suppose you’re right.” I just can’t afford another mistake. I’m damn lucky I’m not sitting in a prison cell somewhere. One wrong person—one wrong move—can equal a lethal combination and take freedom out of the equation when it comes to your future. I of all people should know.

“You’re still so afraid of what almost happened,” she says it sweetly. Her heart breaks for me. I can see it in her face. “Honey, you’re a different person now. You know deep down inside what makes someone a moral and upstanding citizen. And if that’s the type of man Morgan is, then, sweetie, you’ve already got it all. Of course, you’ll have to figure out the distance thing, but in college that’s no big deal. Angus and I went to schools on opposite coasts, and look at us, we turned out just fine. I promise you, if this is meant to be, ain’t nobody or no amount of land going to stop it from happening.” She gives a little wink.

God, I hope she’s right.

I glance over at Ruby and her porcelain-doll face, the piercing green eyes that make the summer grass jealous of their color, and my heart melts.

Lord knows I can’t afford to make another mistake in love.

“Tell you what.” Janice pulls me from my trance. “Ruby’s birthday is coming up—if he’s still in town, bring him by.”

“Really?” I wanted Janice to meet him, but for it to be on Ruby’s birthday seems like a dream. I’d love to have Morgan there to share that special day with me.

“Yes. That way I can meet this dark-haired god who stole your heart. I promise I won’t judge him. I just want to see those dimples for myself.”

“Fair enough.”

My hearts beats erratically.

Morgan is about to venture into the final frontier in my life—Ruby.

This is going to be big.

And now, suddenly, Morgan Jordan feels a lot more like family than ever before.

Morgan

G
arrison University is oversized and pretentious. It screams
we engineer the future assholes of America.

I shake my head as I take in the sights. How the hell did Ally end up here anyway?
Why
the hell did Ally end up here? Everyone knows state schools are more fun. Not that I should talk. I don’t go to a state school, and come to think of it my own mother went to Garrison. And, of course, Kendall, who I’ve always admired for having her head screwed on straight, attends this wayward establishment and claims to like it.

The grounds are mostly empty with nothing but a stray bicycle here and there. A few skateboards whiz by as I make my way through campus. I didn’t want to tell Kendall what I was up to in fear she’d leak it to Ally and ruin the surprise.

The sun straddles high above as I race up the steps to the administration building and head inside. A blast of air-conditioning greets me as a modern amenity but the pale limestone floors make it feel as though I’ve just entered some seventeenth-century castle. I kind of like the idea because Ally is every bit a princess. Although, ironically in this fairy tale, Ally doesn’t need saving. She’s no damsel in distress. She’s a kick-ass, take ’em by the balls and ask questions later type, which is what attracted me to her in the first place. Plus she’s got a smart mouth, and I can appreciate a girl who can put me in my place once in a while.

A young girl, with a dark mop of a head, sits behin
d the only desk in sight so I make my way over, locked and loaded, with a million questions ready to blow.

“Excuse me?”

She glances up, sans the smile. Obviously they don’t pay her enough to want to be here on a perfect summer’s day.

“Hi.” I tap my knuckles over the counter. “Are you guys still accepting applications for the fall?”

“Of next year?” She reaches for a stack of brochures.

“No. Actually, I was thinking more like this year.” My heart sinks like a lead weight because I know where this is going.

“Oh, no.” She looks at me like I just crop-dusted the vicinity with a foul stench. “Fall semester starts in just a couple of weeks. It’s closed to new applicants. You could apply for
next
fall.” Her eyes widen as she pushes a glossy brochure in my direction, hoping I’ll take this ray of trifolded sunshine and fuck the hell off.

“Got it. How about spring?” I can lose a semester if I have to. Worse things have happened.

“They’ve already recruited for that too. Enrollment for next fall opens in late October and ends right after Thanksgiving. You should hear back from the university around April or May.”

“Got it.” Crap. “So, what’s the tuition?” I think I know. Kendall is on scholarship and has private loans, so it’s got to be in the stratosphere.

“It’s twenty-one thousand for twelve to eighteen units a semester.” She doesn’t even blink at the honest-to-God horror that just spewed from her lips. “If you need assistance we have a great financial aid office. They’ve got every grant, loan, and, scholarship you could think of.”

Fuck.

“I’m sure they do.” It feels like a twenty-one-thousand-dollar bullet just sailed through my heart. There’s no way I can entertain going here. My grades aren’t as stellar as Kendall’s and for sure no one is going to gift me a scholarship for anything but baseball.

Baseball.

“You wouldn’t happen to know the name of the baseball coach, would you?”

Ally and I drive up to the cabin at the same time.

I don’t dare tell her about my adventures at Garrison. Or how I was invited to try out as a walk-on next week, not that it would instantly cure the tuition problem, but it couldn’t hurt.

“Did you enjoy your Ruby Tuesday?” I tease as I pull her into a hug.

“Ha, ha. I get it. Ruby and it’s Tuesday.” She bites down gently on my lower lip and my dick tries its hardest to stand at attention. It’s taking everything I’ve got to control the budding excitement. “It went terrific. In fact, I have a little surprise for you, but it’s for another day.” She tips her head playfully and her eyes siren out at me like a pair of key-lime pies.

“Well, I have a surprise for
you
,” I say. “But it’s for another day.”

“Really?” She squeals and jumps on the balls of her feet.

“No, not really—well, maybe,” I murmur, grazing her gently over the ear. “You’re so fucking cute, you know that?”

“You have a dirty mouth—you know that?” She flirts when she says it. She makes a face as she looks through the tiny window of the cabin. “Kendall and Cruise are home.”

“Let’s go somewhere.” I spin her in the direction of my truck. “We’ve got a little bit before the club opens, and I’ve got Cal doing the liquor run. I don’t have to be anywhere until at least ten o’clock.”

“That makes two of us. Let me get out of these jeans. You want to hit the beach?”

“If it means staring at you in a bikini, hell yes I want to hit the beach.” The beach, the sheets,
both
.

We head inside to do a quick change and find Kendall and Cruise knotted up in one another’s arms watching a movie.

It takes less than five minutes for me to throw on my swim trunks so I hang out with the lovebirds for a second while Ally gets ready.

“You guys heading out?” Cruise asks, nodding at the towel thrown over my shoulder.

“I thought we’d check out the ocean—see if it’s still wet and salty like they say it is.”

“You should head over to Pine Tree Cove,” Cruise whispers, glancing toward the hall as if he doesn’t want Ally to hear. “It’s private. If you go to Charleston you’ll be surrounded by soccer moms and teenagers.” He nods as if this were a part of some bro code. “Just saying.”

“Pine Tree Cove.” I nod. That should be easy enough to remember. If I forget I’ll just smack into one.

Ally comes out with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her face scrubbed fresh. Ally’s so beautiful all on her own she doesn’t need anything from a bottle to make her pretty.

“Catch you two later,” I say as we head out the door.

“Morgan?” Kendall glances back at me. “Rehearsal dinner is Thursday, don’t forget.”

“Got it,” I say as Ally and I head outside. “You’d think by the fifth go-around there wouldn’t be much to rehearse.” Actually, it might be Mom’s sixth march down the aisle. I stopped keeping track.

“That’s a lot of wedding dresses to buy.” Ally wraps her arms around my waist as we step out into the sunshine. “I plan on doing it once and getting it right the first time.” Her mouth opens with surprise as if she just realized she said that out loud.

“No, it’s okay. I agree. I think something like that should be entered into carefully—done once and done right.”

“Carefully.” She smiles. “That’s my new favorite word.” Her gaze drifts for a moment before settling in the direction of her car. “Oh no.”

The front tire is flat on the passenger’s side, and her Honda looks like it’s taking a nap. Hell, it looks like it needs one.

“Don’t worry.” I press a kiss in over her temple. “I’ll throw on the spare in the morning, and we can head into town and get it fixed.”

She pulls me in by the chin and sears a kiss over my lips that takes the breath right out of my lungs.

“You’re always saving me—you know that?” Ally holds my gaze as if those words were gospel.

“You don’t need saving, darlin’. You’re strong enough on your own. Besides, we’re a team.” I give her shoulders a little squeeze. “Teammates help each other out.”

“Well then”—she runs her tongue over her lips and they shine like glass under the sun—“I feel damn lucky to be on your team.”

“I’m damn lucky to have you.” Now if only I can think of a way to keep the team within kissing distance next semester.

But I’m on it.

And I never let my teammates down.

Pine Tree Cove is about seven miles up the coast, and thanks to my good sense of direction, and even better GPS, we manage not to miss the turnoff.

P
INE
T
REE
C
OVE
. Ally reads the sign while gliding her long, tan legs over one another.

Ally Monroe has been doing her best to elicit a boner in me all the way over, and with nothing but my swim trunks on there isn’t a lot of room to hide the evidence.

Cruise mentioned this place was private and both my hard-on and I are hoping he’s right.

Sure enough, the parking lot is bare as my ass in the shower. It’s
free
too, which is another point I’d like to award him since I’m running low on quarters, but thankfully not on cash. The nightclub business is apparently where it’s at because for the first time in my life I’ve got more than two dimes to rub together. I could get used to this, that’s for sure. But it’s for a limited time so I appreciate the fact I’ve got to make every last penny count.

A layer of salted air clings to our skin as we get out of the truck.

“It’s not this humid back home,” I say without thinking as we walk down a small hill on our way to the beach.

Perfect. Remind her you’re leaving in a couple weeks. Shit.

“Oh”—she wraps her arm tight around my waist—“it’s not like this all year.” My body goes weak thinking we might be able to count on one hand how many more times we can do this. “Fall is my favorite time of year,” she says. “The colors are outrageous, and the air goes cold right after Labor Day. It’s amazing the way nature just knows to do that.” She says that last part quietly, drawing it out, as we walk down to the brown, sugary sand.

“I like fall too.” I say it quiet, somber as a eulogy as we stroll through the warm sand.

A set of boulders sits near the hillside. A few pepper trees offer the area shade, so we migrate over. I lay out the blanket, and we toss our stuff down. My wallet has a condom snug inside in the event we decide to get enthusiastic with our bodies.

Ally tilts her head seductively and smiles with those strawberry-colored lips. Her eyes lower to slits as she reaches down and pulls off her T-shirt, revealing a barely there red string bikini. She peels off her shorts, and my dick pulsates just taking in the bandage of a bottom held together with a few measly strings. Suddenly I’m overcome with the urge to unwrap her like a present. I’m enjoying the hell out of the fact her bottoms are equally as pleasantly scant as the top.