Inevitable

  Inevitable

  Angela Graham

  Copyright 2013, Angela Graham.

  Cover Artist—Melody Simmons

  Editor—Laura LaTulipe

  Book Designer—E.E. Long, Biblio/Tech

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part,

  without written permission from the author.

  To all the hardworking mothers out there who find time to follow their dreams!

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One—One Year Later

  Chapter Two—First Impressions

  Chapter Three—Oliver

  Chapter Four—The Muffin Man

  Chapter Five—The Power of Men

  Chapter Six—Let the Games Begin

  Chapter Seven—Flirtation

  Chapter Eight—Taste Test

  Chapter Nine—One Step Forward

  Chapter Ten—Two Steps Back

  Chapter Eleven—Lowered Inhibitions

  Chapter Twelve—TLC

  Chapter Thirteen—Olive Branch

  Chapter Fourteen—Open Door Policy

  Chapter Fifteen—Exposed

  Chapter Sixteen—Misconceptions

  Chapter Seventeen—All Bets Are Off

  Chapter Eighteen—Expectations

  Chapter Nineteen—Revealing

  Chapter Twenty—Help Yourself

  Chapter Twenty-One—Puppy Love

  Chapter Twenty-Two—Pillow Talk

  Chapter Twenty-Three—Charmed

  Chapter Twenty-Four—Vulnerable

  Chapter Twenty-Five—Consequences

  Chapter Twenty-Six—Waiting

  Chapter Twenty-Seven—Wide Awake

  Prologue

  Everything about the sight in front of me was wrong. Only an hour earlier, I was blowing a kiss to my boyfriend, Mark, as he drove off to work. Yet there sat his truck in his usual spot. Instead of rushing upstairs to see if he was all right and find out why he was home already, I stood frozen, staring at the white Jeep parked beside his truck.

  My chest tightened at the sight. A cold shiver of dread crept up my back. The thunderous pounding of my heart rang through my ears. I recognized that Jeep. It was definitely not one I wanted to see.

  I bit my bottom lip, gnawing on it when I felt Hilary’s hand on my back. Hesitantly, I looked up to meet her tight, awkward smile.

  “Maybe he wasn’t feeling well, Cassandra.” She hunched her shoulders. But I could see the concern clouding her usually bright-chestnut eyes as she glanced at the Jeep and then back at me. “I’m sure it’s not what you’re thinking.”

  What was I thinking? Mark was the perfect boyfriend. Five wonderful years spent in complete bliss. He was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The man whose arms I dreamed would hold me when I was old and grey, taking my final breath of life. I was being silly, right?

  I bolted up the metal stairs, taking them two at a time, toward the front door and gripped my doorknob. I was being silly but the dread that settled in my gut sent a series of doubts racing through my mind. With my feet planted firmly on the welcome mat, I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer that I’d find Mark with his infectious smile and a perfectly justified reason as to why he came back home. The knob turned in my clammy hand, unlocked, as always.

  My stomach rolled into a tight, painful knot as I tiptoed through the makeshift foyer. The apartment was nothing more than a large open room with exposed brick walls. There was a tiny kitchenette and a partition separating the bedroom, which was large enough for our king size bed and small dresser.

  Fear froze me in place. I needed to see, but my legs wouldn’t move any farther. They were suddenly stiff as boards with cinder blocks for feet.

  Erratic thoughts of the owner of that Jeep being in here pounded in my head. Bile rose in the back of my throat. Every fiber of my body screamed something was wrong. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth, but my words were cut off by a loud feminine moan, followed by the gruff voice I was certain I would cherish until I was a little old woman surrounded with our grandchildren. “Yeah…oh, baby.”

  I doubled over. The sound of his voice ripped the air completely from my lungs. As my knees gave out, Hilary’s fingers dug into my forearms attempting to hold me up.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here.” She tried to help me stand, but the pain wracking my body and mind overwhelmed me.

  I shook my head, tears pooled in my eyes. I fought back the urge to collapse and cry uncontrollably. It had to be a bad dream.

  Anger grew inside me, temporarily bandaging my heart, preparing for war, and giving me the strength I needed to stand straight and take the short steps around the partition.

  My hands pumped into tight fists as my feet led the way and stopped at the end of the bed. My lips pressed into a hard line, taking in the sight before me.

  Mackenzie was on her back proving every rumor about her was true.

  “Oh Mark, baby you’re so…Cassandra!” Mackenzie’s eyes opened wide.

  Mark’s head shot up, to look over his right shoulder. His eyes bulged when he caught my crazed stalker glare. Cool steel filled my nerves. I didn’t blink or flinch.

  He shot off the bed, shoving Mackenzie’s naked body aside, as if to make her disappear. She skidded off the edge of the bed and landed with a loud smack on the hard wood floor.

  “It’s not what you think, Cassie.” He reached out to touch my arm but grabbed the pillow to hold in front of himself when Hilary stepped into view.

  Mackenzie scurried around the floor, clutching the sheet to her body, trying to collect her clothing scattered around the room. Ever since high school Mackenzie Taylor had been known for only one thing: stealing boyfriends. She disposed of them as quickly as she snatched them up. It was nothing more than a game for a girl with low self-esteem and an egotistical, bitch attitude. I shot her a menacing scowl and then returned my focus back to the bastard in front of me.

  “Cassandra, please.” Mark’s voice dripped with desperation as he stepped toward me. I took equal steps back, my face twisted in disgust.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow to get my stuff.” My tone was cold and clipped. “Don’t be here.”

  I turned on my heel to leave. The moment his hand gripped my elbow something deep inside me snapped. I balled my hand into a hard fist, exactly as my grandfather had taught me, and whipped around connecting it with his nose.

  “Son of a—” Mark dropped the pillow and grabbed his face as he stumbled backward falling over the bed.

  Hilary turned away, her face both proud of my actions but disgusted in seeing him completely nude.

  “What the hell is your problem?” Mackenzie slipped into her denim shorts that covered little of her ass, and then bent over to look at his busted face.

  My problem! I turned and let a small grin cross my face.

  Filled with pride, I took one menacing step toward her. She sucked in a loud ragged breath, and staggered back, nerves visible on her makeup-smeared face.

  I held my chin up high and walked away without another word.

  I’d always been branded the sweet, perky blonde who looked for the good in everyone, but today I was no longer that girl. Today I was a woman betrayed by a man unworthy of my affection or my loyalty.

  The humiliation stung. It ripped through me with no remorse, teaching a painful lesson.

  The rumors around town, which I chose to ignore, were true. I’d wasted countless hours fantasizing about our wedding, raising children, and the house we would build together.

  Hilary wrapped her arm around me, leading me out the front door and down the stairs.

  I had come home to grab a more comfortable pair of shoes for a day of sh
opping and instead I found something more painful than the six-inch pumps I’d been wearing.

  Nothing mattered in that moment. I only wanted to get away. Away from the betrayal and the inquiring stares, which would surface once Mackenzie’s side of the story began floating around our small town.

  Luckily, I had a place awaiting me. A place I always considered home even though I never officially lived there. The quaint house, situated deep in the country, my grandparents willed to me a year earlier. Mark said it was too far out of town to move there, but that was exactly what I needed.

  It sat vacant waiting for me to begin the next chapter of my life…alone.

  Chapter One

  One Year Later

  “Slow down, I can’t…keep up much longer.” Hilary stopped abruptly, bent over, and grasped her knees. “Seriously, unless you plan on calling for help, this is as far as I can go.”

  With a snicker, I stood a few feet ahead of her jogging in place. Hilary’s breathing had been growing heavier for a while and I was quietly waiting for her to call it.

  “I told you to stretch first,” I said, watching her chug from her water bottle.

  “I didn’t think it would burn this badly.” She looked up at the sky with her brows knitted together. “Not to mention, this damn sun is killing me.”

  My legs stilled and I rested my hands on my hips. “Hey, at least this town has a hot paramedic or two, you know, in case you collapse from heat stroke.” I rubbed my thumb and pointer finger over my chin. “Hmmm, sexy paramedics. On second thought, we should jog the entire way back.”

  She narrowed her eyes and with an exaggerated groan, collapsed on her back into the tall grass of the meadow alongside the road.

  “Joking!” I held up my hands in defense.

  She was beat, her face a deep crimson-red and covered in beads of sweat. I had never felt better, completely in my zone. No matter how close Hilary and I were, we couldn’t be more opposite.

  After a short sip of water, moistening my dry throat, I was eager to get moving again. “Come on,” I said. “We’ll walk back.”

  She looked relieved, peeking open one eye. “Thank God.” Hilary gripped her knees to pull herself to a sitting position. “I have no idea how you do this every single day.” Hilary drawled out. She looked exhausted and completely out of her element.

  “You’ll get used to it.” I grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. She would not get used to it, we both knew it, but I felt compelled to play along.

  “Yeah, about that, I’m not so sure this is for me.” She wiped the back of her arm over her temple and wrinkled her nose at the moisture it collected. With a somber sigh, she dipped her head back and scowled up at the bright morning sun. “I’ll stick with the gym. Air conditioning and all, you understand.”

  “You’re going to make me jog alone?” I feigned an exaggerated pout as we began walking back the way we came, toward my house.

  “Very funny, it has to be annoying having me slow you down. Besides, I look ridiculous in these tiny shorts next to you. Look at that stomach.” Hilary leaned over, giggling and slapped me in the abs. “I’m freaking jealous!”

  “You’re jealous!” I continued walking but raised an eyebrow, gaping in her direction. “You know what I’d give to have an ass like yours?”

  It wasn’t a lie. My body may have been toned and tight from a mix of working out and good genetics, but next to her, I looked like a prepubescent girl. Hilary had the body of a grown woman and the confidence to flaunt it. The girl stood at least four inches taller than me and was built to suit any guy’s fantasy. Deep down, she knew it too.

  “What the hell am I going to do, huh? I indulge a little at the bakery for the first time in my life and boom, ten pounds gained.” She sighed. “It didn’t really bother me until you-know-who decided to stroll back into town.”

  “Right, it must be horrible to gain a little weight and have it go straight to your ass. I think your fan club has enlisted even more admirers because of it.” I chuckled, trying to reassure her.

  But still, ten pounds? I didn’t see it. Hilary was being ridiculous. Her anxiety had less to do about the weight and more to do with Caleb, her childhood crush.

  I offered a tight, supportive smile and continued down the road at a brisk pace, thankful she was picking up steam once again. The meadow beside us ended where the forest line began. The thick foliage and full branches of the tall trees offered occasional shade, but the heat beat down over my back, highlighting the sweat glistening over every inch of my exposed body.

  Secretly, I loved it. The sensation of my stomach tightening when my legs stretched out and pounded against the rough pavement was euphoric. I could always get lost in the peaceful melody nature hummed in my ear. My day was just never the same when I skipped my morning jog.

  “So, speaking of Caleb, how long are you going to wait until you finally make a move?” I smiled, tugging out my loose ponytail and pulling it up in a messy bun to keep my long hair off my back.

  “Um, never.”

  “Seriously? You spent nearly every day in high school crushing on the guy. He’s finally moved back to town. What the hell are you waiting for?”

  “Exactly, I spent every waking moment pining for a guy that hardly even noticed me.” Hilary looked down, wiping sweat from her stomach while we went around the first curve. “Even when he did, he looked at me like I was a child.”

  I offered a lopsided smile. “He’s only two years older than you. Do you really think age matters anymore? You’re all grown up now.” I pulled my lips up into an encouraging grin as I gave her an exaggerated once over. “You’re no longer a little girl. You’ve got to go talk to him, make a move before someone else snaps him up.”

  She laughed, and a soft smile settled over her thoughtful expression.

  Now that Caleb was back in town, I was fully expecting my confident best friend to disappear into the insecure girl she became whenever Caleb was near. It was always an oddity growing up and watching how quickly her sharp tongue could get tied up, leaving her either stuttering or frozen when Caleb would so much as look at her. We walked in silence for a few moments before I grew restless at her sudden lack of conversation. I hadn’t seen Caleb since he moved away a few years earlier, but there was plenty of talk around town about his sudden return.

  “I heard the restaurant will be opening next week. Caleb sent an invite for a grand opening party.”

  “I still can’t believe he bought the old place.” Hilary took a drink from her water bottle. “That place is a dump. My grandparents wouldn’t even eat there the last couple of years.”

  I shrugged. “I’m actually excited to see what he has planned. The building looks amazing, and I heard he renovated the inside and added a bar.”

  From what I’d been hearing, Caleb was turning it into a full-blown restaurant with an expansive bar and even had a dance floor built. The forty-minute commute to the city every time we wanted to go out would be no more. I was thrilled, I hated the long drive just to have drunk guys spill their drinks on me and throw out cheesy pick-up lines. I went out to dance and even that would always seem to get ruined. They never seem to take the hint, sometimes a girl wants to dance alone. It was as though they assumed if you don’t come with another guy then your begging to be picked up. Not the case, at least not for me.

  Hilary continued walking, her expression indifferent. How was she not excited? She was the one that had to plead with me to go out with her all the time.

  I jumped in front of her. “Come on!” She stepped back pursing her lips to hide a smile. “A real bar!” I shouted.

  She shook her head at my antics and walked around me.

  “You know it’s going to be great. We can go dancing. Plus, we’ll finally have a decent place to eat in this town,” I added and watched her expression begin to brighten.

  Just as we rounded the second curve, indicating we were less than a quarter mile from my house, a large moving truck sped by b
laring its horn. Hilary grabbed my arm and leapt off the road, practically diving into the grass, with me at her side.

  Staring at each other and then the back of the truck in disbelief, I fell back panting.

  Hilary stood up, brushing the grass from her purple shorts, shouting several explicit slurs but the near death experience caused my blood to pump so fast, the ringing in my ears blocked out most of her rant.

  “What the hell!” Hilary yelled, her arms flailing furiously. “Dumb son of a ugh! He could have run us over!” She looked back at me, furious.

  We had just began walking back to the road when two more trucks raced by, followed by a sleek black BMW with dark, tinted windows.

  “Where the hell are they going out here?” Hilary’s breathing finally calmed.

  “I don’t know,” I said, deep in thought.

  Why would moving trucks be out here at this hour? There was no other houses out this way besides mine and—

  “The Miller’s Estate.” I let out a puff of air, annoyed at my own forgetfulness. “I completely forgot—it sold early last week.”

  “Really?” Hilary said, surprised. “I have to admit, I never thought anyone would ever buy that place. The house is practically a mansion. It’s been on the market for what, four, five years? Why would someone with that kind of money move to Harmony?”

  I shook my head and raised my shoulders. “Maybe they’re on the run from the mob and need a place to hang out. This would be the town for that.” I chuckled.

  She looked over at me swinging her arms as she walked and laughed. “That must be it.”

  Through my laughter, a tiny sting radiated through my chest at the idea of a new family living in that house. The Millers were the sweetest old couple and built the place for their family over fifty years ago. I remembered my grandma saying how heartbroken the Millers were once their children grew up, scattered around the country. Only one of the kids ever came to visit, and later helped move them into a retirement home.

  “Well, it’ll be good for you to have some neighbors. Your mom hates you living out here all by yourself. You do realize it would take the sheriff at least fifteen minutes to get out here, speeding, if you needed help.”