Under the Lights (2 page)

No woman would ever touch my heart. I was too damn smart for that. I had loved my mother once, but she'd managed to ignore me—unless she wanted to show me off like a prize pony—most of my life. I had loved my father, too, and sought his approval until I realized one day I'd never earn it. Rhett was his golden child. The son who he bragged about. The son that was his. I knew I was better off without all of them, but that still didn't stop my heart from sometimes aching at what I had missed out on.

My life would be full of adventure. It was my life plan. I would never stay tied down to one girl. I'd travel, see the world, and get the hell out of Lawton. Never love anyone and never get hurt again.

When I reached my room, I glanced back down the hall to my mother's bedroom. She and my father didn't share a room. They never had. At least in my lifetime. Maybe once, when the house was new, they had. I wasn't sure nor
did I care to know. Her door was closed, and I knew she wouldn't check to see if I was home safely. Because she didn't care. Neither of them did. The only person who cared about me was me. Sure, I'd like to think Ms. Ames did, but the older I got, the more I disappointed her. It was only a matter of time before she hated me too.

I was okay with that. I knew I could always trust myself. That was all I needed. The rest of them could all go to hell.

WILLA

I was almost back to the cottage from my evening walk to go see if the tree house was still there when I heard leaves crunch behind me. I froze.

“Hey,” a male voice called. “What are you doing here? This is private property and that house isn't yours.”

My heart sped up as I tried to put the faint memory I had of a young boy's voice to the deeper voice I was hearing behind me. Could it be Gunner? And was I ready to face him?

“You better speak up or I'm calling the police,” the guy warned.

I'd seen the headlights coming down the mile-long drive
that led to the Lawtons' house a few minutes ago. They had slowed, and I thought then that I might have to explain myself. I wasn't sure who knew I was back here. Had my nonna told anyone yet? From the sound of his voice, I was thinking my presence was still a secret.

The door opened to the cottage and my nonna appeared. Our eyes met, and then she glanced over my head to the guy behind me. I saw her face soften before she smiled. “Thank you, Brady, for watching out for me, but Willa belongs here. She's moved back to live with me for a while. You remember Willa. Y'all played together as kids.”

Brady Higgens. I wished I could remember his face more clearly. The only feeling that I did remember was the flutter in my stomach when he was near me. Slowly I turned around to see the kid from my youth who had played such an important part.

The soft glow from the porch light touched his face, and my breath caught a little. The beautiful boy I'd left behind was tall, muscular, and even more perfect than he'd been when we were eleven. His gaze was locked on mine, and I couldn't seem to form words. I wanted to look away, but then I never wanted to stop looking at him either. It was completely confusing.

“Willa?” His voice was a husky sound that made me shiver.

I nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak just yet. All those silly butterflies he'd caused as a kid were back and more intense.

A smile broke across his face as he took a step toward me. He looked happy, pleased, and something else. Something that I understood. Something that as much as I liked it, I knew I couldn't act on it—he looked interested.

“Willa, come on inside, now.” Nonna's voice was stern and held no room for argument. “Thank you again, Brady, for checking up on me. You get yourself home now so Coralee don't worry about you.”

I tore my gaze off him and hurried up the steps, keeping my head down so I wouldn't have to meet my nonna's eyes. She had noticed that look in his eyes too. And she didn't trust me. No one did.

If Brady only knew, he wouldn't have looked at me that way.

“Anytime, Ms. Ames. Y'all have a good night,” he called out. I kept walking to the bedroom that belonged to me.

I didn't want to hear the lecture to stay away from Brady that I knew was coming. When the front door clicked shut, I cringed and grabbed for my bedroom door.

“Not so fast.” Nonna's voice stopped me, and I wanted to growl in frustration. I didn't need her to tell me what I
already knew. “Brady Higgens is a good boy, Willa. He's turning into a fine young man. He is quarterback of the football team, and college scouts are already trying to recruit him. He'll make this town proud. You've seen more than that boy has. You know more about the world than he does. He sees that you've turned into a beautiful young woman. That's all he knows. I don't intend on telling folks what happened with you. Ain't their business. But until . . . until you heal from this—until you're better—boys aren't something you need to be spending your time on.”

It was hard to hear. Nonna had taken me in when no one else wanted me, but she didn't trust me or believe me either. That hurt. So much so that my chest ached. All I could do was nod. “Yes, ma'am,” I replied before hurrying into my bedroom and closing the door to any more hurtful words that she might say. I just needed someone to ask me what had really happened and believe me when I told them.

Just like every night since the accident that changed my life . . . I didn't get much sleep.

•  •  •

Registering for a new high school your senior year was intimidating. Nonna reassuring the principal and counselor that I would cause no trouble had only added to it. I was required to go to the counselor every Tuesday and Friday during my last-period class to discuss how I was feeling. I
knew I should be thankful that was the only thing I had to do, but I dreaded it all the same.

Nonna had squeezed my arm and looked me firmly in the eyes while she told me to work hard and make her proud. If she only knew that was exactly what I intended to do. I'd lost too much at this point to lose her, too. I was going to earn her trust. I had to.

The first bell had already rung while I was meeting the counselor and Nonna was explaining my situation. Which meant I was going to have to walk into my first period of the day late. Everyone would stare at me. The teacher would stop talking, and he would also stare at me.

I glanced down at my schedule. Mr. Hawks was my US Government teacher, and I'd be facing him first. I walked down the empty hallway lined with lockers until I found room 203. I could hear who I assumed was Mr. Hawks talking through the door. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that I had faced things far scarier than this. I had lived through six months with girls who deserved to be in a correctional facility. That had been truly terrifying. This was just a classroom of kids who would never understand me. Who didn't matter. All that mattered was that I made the best grades I could and stayed completely out of trouble.

My hand touched the cool metal of the door handle, and I twisted it before I could delay this any longer and entered
the room. Just as I predicted, every eye swung toward me. I didn't make eye contact though. I kept my gaze on the balding older man in the front of the room with a button-up shirt on that barely covered his belly.

“You must be Willa Ames,” he said with a smile that didn't meet his eyes. “Please take a seat, Willa. We were just going over last week's notes. There will be a test on them two days from now. I will expect you to ask a fellow classmate for a copy of their notes and prepare yourself. No time like the present to get caught up with the lessons. Just be careful whose notes you ask for. Not everyone in here is a passing student.” He finished that last bit by scanning the room as he looked over his half-moon glasses.

“Yes, sir,” I replied before turning to go to the only empty desk in the room. I didn't look at anyone around me. I kept my gaze focused on that desk like it was a raft and I was on a sinking ship.

GUNNER

“What made you decide to mess with crazy? Thought you'd had your fill of that already?” West Ashby asked me as we walked out of first period. It was the only class we had together. Other than being a great running back, he was also brilliant. Most of the classes he took were advanced classes. I couldn't figure out why he did it. He'd go to college on a football scholarship. It wasn't like he needed an academic one too.

“Not sure what you're talking about,” I replied.

“Kimmie, man. She's telling everyone y'all hooked up and are back together. From the way I remember, y'all were never together.”

Kimmie? Seriously? I hadn't even slept with her, and she was telling shit. Maybe I did owe Brady a thank-you for hauling my ass home last night. “She's lying.”

West chuckled. “Then you better straighten that out with her. Because she's standing at your locker looking like a lovesick puppy.”

I jerked my head up and looked over at my locker. Sure enough. There stood Kimmie, smirking at me.

“Shit,” I grumbled.

“You're gonna have to get a restraining order on that one,” West replied in an amused tone.

I needed to get to my locker, but I didn't need to that badly. I headed down the hall for my second period.

“Good luck,” West called out behind me. I wasn't in the mood for his humor.

I hadn't gotten very far before a hand wrapped around my arm. “You aren't even going to come see me? I was waiting on you!” Kimmie's chipper voice grated on my nerves.

“Let go of my arm,” I demanded through my clenched teeth.

“But I wanted to talk to you. After last night I figured we had a lot to talk about,” she continued as if I hadn't asked her to let me go.

I glanced over her head and saw the sign for the girls' restroom. Before this got any more embarrassing, I shoved
her toward the door, then opened it and went inside, knowing she would have to follow me if she was going to keep ahold of my arm.

She began to giggle. “Bad boy, going in the girls' restroom.”

I dropped my books on the edge of the sink, then reached over and detached Kimmie's hold on me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked, stepping away from her once I was free. “I was drinking. We made out a little. Hell, I don't remember most of it.” Okay so that was a lie. I was not drunk. Just being stupid.

Kimmie looked as if I'd slapped her. “But I thought that you wanted to get back together. I thought you liked me.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. “Kimmie. I don't do girlfriends. Everyone in this school knows that. We were never together. We hooked up. That was it.”

Her bottom lip began to quiver, and I wanted nothing more than to grab my books and get the hell out of here.

“But—but—I thought—” she began to stammer.

“You thought wrong. But I will make you a promise. I'll never come near you again. Drunk or sober. So back off and leave me alone.”

Kimmie let out a sob and covered her mouth, then ran for the door. I knew this time I'd just had to be straightforward. The last time she thought we were an item I had
tried being nice and letting her off easy. But she'd started showing up at my house with food and stalking me. I had used Serena to show her that we were not a couple. I wasn't in the mood to do something that drastic again.

I reached for my books just as a door to one of the stalls opened. I had thought we were alone. Smirking, I waited to see who had overheard all this. Hopefully, it was someone with a big mouth so that the rumors that I was dating Kimmie would be squashed before lunch.

One long, very tan, smooth leg stepped out. The girl was wearing some beat-up Chucks, which didn't take away from that leg. . . . Damn that was a nice leg. I let my gaze travel up until shorts finally ended the endlessly long leg and the rest of her appeared.

Who the hell was she?

Blue eyes the color of the sky framed by thick black eyelashes stood out on her heart-shaped face. They were studying me closely, as if she wasn't sure just what she thought of me. I quickly took in the rest of her face, full pink lips, and a perfect little nose. All in a halo of blond hair that was almost too pale to be real.

“When did you become so cruel, Gunner Lawton?” The southern drawl in her voice was smoother than those I heard around here. It had more of a musical sound. One that you could listen to for days and never get tired of.

Wait . . . she knew me. I stopped memorizing her mouth and lifted my gaze to meet hers. Who was she? I'd remember her. There was no way I had ever met her.

“You don't know who I am, do you?” she asked, and her mouth curled up into a crooked little grin. “Figures. It's been a while. However, I knew who you were the moment I saw you. Your voice is deeper now . . . but your eyes are the same.”

I had to shake out of this trance. She was just a girl. A seriously smoking-hot girl, but she wasn't going to have this crazy effect on me. “Can't say I remember you,” I finally responded.

She let out a small laugh as she washed her hands and looked at me in the mirror. “It's okay. Brady didn't recognize me either,” she said, then dried her hands on a paper towel. She walked toward the door and tilted her head to the side as she stopped beside me. “The tree house looks the same” was all she said before she walked out the door.

The tree house . . . Brady . . . Holy shit! That was Willa Ames.

WILLA

They had turned out much like I expected. Gunner had always been cocky and sure of himself. He hadn't been cruel as a kid, but I wasn't surprised at what I had overheard. Beautiful Gunner Lawton ruled this town. He had money and the power of his family name, and he was breathtakingly gorgeous.