She hadn’t lied to Tommy. The date with Brody had been nice, and they did have a lot in common. But there hadn’t been any kind of spark.
And that sucked, because Brody was perfect. They liked the same shows—sans Real Housewives, to which he’d had the same reaction as Tommy, which of course she’d immediately thought of as soon as Brody had scowled. He loved animals and did volunteer work at a local no-kill shelter. Even though he did on occasion go out to the local country bar, The Boot Scoot, after training with the guys, he wasn’t into the club scene like Tommy was, and he never stayed long.
The man was completely opposite of Tommy.
And yet Tommy refused to leave her mind.
The walkie-talkie screeched to life. “Julie?”
Turning her head on the pillow, she stared at the yellow-and-black device. Why had she left it on? Ignore it. Pretend you’re asleep. But she reached for it anyway, cursing her weakness for this man. Pressing the side button, she said grumpily, “What?”
“Do you remember the day we met?”
Her heart caught. She stilled for a moment, her annoyance notching down a fraction. “Of course. Could never forget it. What brought that up?”
“I was thinking about it earlier today.”
He was thinking about it? That was so…sweet. Though it didn’t make up for him being such a butthead today. “Wishing we hadn’t met? That why you’ve been so obnoxious lately?”
“Very funny. No, I’m serious. Remember?”
She couldn’t stop a small smile as she recalled the ten-year-old boy with shaggy blond hair and green eyes, a wooden sword hanging from his belt, who hadn’t even introduced himself to her, he’d just put his arm around her and placed a kiss on top of her head—just as he still did. “You were so gallant that day.”
“A fair maiden weeping for her lost puppy. What was a young knight to do?”
She chuckled. “You were so into knights and dragons back then.”
“I found your puppy, though. Do you remember me bringing him to you?”
“Posey was trying so hard to get free.”
She’d been sitting on her front steps, sniffling over losing Posey. She’d only had the pup a week —a present from her parents because they’d had to move to a different state due to her dad’s job transfer. Tommy had come walking up the path, carrying a wiggling, excited puppy in his arms.
When he reached the bottom of the steps, he bowed, held out the dog, and said, “For you, m’lady.” And she’d fallen head over heels in love at that very moment.
Unfortunately, she’d never fallen out again.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes.
“Sometimes I wish we could go back to being kids,” he said wistfully. “It was so much easier then. So straightforward. Why do things have to change?”
She had to take a moment to speak. “Adulthood sucks.”
“Yeah. Messes everything up.” There was a sigh, then, “Good night, Lady J.”
She had to swallow the lump in her throat. “Good night, Green Knight.”
As she placed the walkie-talkie back on her nightstand, she brushed away a tear that slid down her cheek. It had been a long time since she’d cried over Tommy. When she was in her teens, crying had been a constant as Tommy had started dating, never once looking at her the same way he had other girls. She’d been desperately hurt when he asked other girls to the prom or homecoming. Then she’d gone off to college and he’d gotten started in fighting.
The separation had done her good. She’d dated and come into her own as a person, separate from him. They still talked and hung out together when she was in town, but she’d realized her life wasn’t over just because he didn’t return her feelings.
When she moved back to Atlanta four years ago and opened her clinic, she had hoped enough time had passed that any childhood feelings she’d had for her best friend had only been a childhood crush. They hadn’t been.
If anything, those feelings had blossomed into an adult yearning that left her feeling overwhelmed at times, angry at others. But she’d kept her mouth shut about how she felt, believing that somewhere she would find the actual man who was meant for her alone. Because it wasn’t Tommy. It couldn’t be Tommy.
They were too different. She was wine and a quiet night home. He was shots of tequila and thumping music in a club. She was planning. He was chaos. She wanted a future. He was firmly planted in the right-here-right-now.
But he was also the boy who’d found her puppy. The teenager who’d bloodied Bruce Coleman’s nose for refusing to respect her “no” and taking a kiss anyway. The man who’d held her after her dad had died from a heart attack. Who’d dropped everything every time her car broke down.
Worked tirelessly to help her demo the clinic and renovate it. Then helped her move in and paint her new house. He had always been there. No matter what.
He had always been her hero.
And that was the man her heart firmly refused to let go.