can’t. I can’t leave you like that.”
“See, now you don’t have to worry about me. I’m leaving, too.”
“Vin, what about us?”
Stiffening his spine with every possible ounce of willpower he
had, he looked her squarely in the eyes and lied to her. “There is no
us, Lauren. Just a passing thing to fill the time while I tried to figure
out what to do with myself.”
Her mouth dropped open and pain filled her eyes. “You don’t
mean that.”
“Yes I do. If I hadn’t stolen those cigarettes and been arrested, I
still would have said the same thing. This just sped up the process.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step backwards. “Go
to Louisiana and follow your dreams. Be happy. Don’t look back.”
She’d done exactly as he asked. She’d accepted the scholarship
to LSU, and carved out a life for herself that didn’t involve anyone
from her past. He was proud of her and jealous of the life she’d built.
He’d gone on to spend almost seven years in the Marines followed by
an eighteen-month stint in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
It seemed no matter what happened, he was always going to be
wrong for her. He’d be better off avoiding her as much as possible
while she was here, and yet his body ached something fierce just
knowing she was nearby.
During Sera’s funeral, he’d been too heartbroken to reach out to
her, even though he saw her in the crowd. She’d held back, refusing
Drannon’s offer of a seat with the family. She still didn’t realize that
they considered her one of them. Maybe not a permanent resident of
Crawley Creek, but a large part of their story there.
Abe’s death had been such a shock. He honestly didn’t even
remember the funeral. He moved about for days in a haze of grief,
and by the time he’d come back to the real world it was over and
done. He should have taken one of those opportunities to reach out,
but he hadn’t been strong enough. The question now was whether or
not he had the balls to face her as a grown woman. Would she even
want to see him?
47
Lori King
Lost in his own thoughts, he absently turned the pages of the
book without really reading. It was the scent of her perfume that
caught his attention, and he looked up to find Lauren watching him
from the doorway.
~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey Vinnie,” she said softly, staring into his blazing blue eyes.
So many emotions filled her she could barely think straight. He
looked so good it hurt to look at him. His thick hair was buzzed off,
and she assumed that he’d picked up that particular style while in the
military because he’d always worn it longer as a kid. She drank in the
sight of his muscular limbs unfolding from the chaise lounge he was
sprawled out on. He’d always been a big guy, but years of manual
labor had added a chiseled edge to his jaw and ripples of hard muscle
under his skin.
“Lauren. Damn woman, you get prettier every time I see you.”
The compliment flowed over her, warming her to the core before
she remembered that she was still angry at him. “Thanks. You look
like hell.”
He snorted out a laugh and shook his head, putting his book
down to stand up. “Still the same old charming Lauren, I see.”
Tipping her chin defiantly, she narrowed her eyes. “Yep. And
you’re still sneaking off to spend time with the books.”
“I like books. I don’t have to deal with them smarting off to me.”
She felt her cheeks flush, but she refused to back down. He
might have been able to dominate her when she was a young, naïve
girl, but now she was a grown woman. “I’m surprised to see you still
hanging around here.”
“Why is that?”
“All that talk about moving on, spreading your wings and
experiencing life…” She paused and then shrugged. “Guess life
kicked your ass, huh?”
“I took a few knocks, but I got back up. At least I haven’t spent
the last eighteen years hiding from myself.”
48
Claiming His
“See, now you don’t have to worry about me. I’m leaving, too.”
“Vin, what about us?”
Stiffening his spine with every possible ounce of willpower he
had, he looked her squarely in the eyes and lied to her. “There is no
us, Lauren. Just a passing thing to fill the time while I tried to figure
out what to do with myself.”
Her mouth dropped open and pain filled her eyes. “You don’t
mean that.”
“Yes I do. If I hadn’t stolen those cigarettes and been arrested, I
still would have said the same thing. This just sped up the process.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step backwards. “Go
to Louisiana and follow your dreams. Be happy. Don’t look back.”
She’d done exactly as he asked. She’d accepted the scholarship
to LSU, and carved out a life for herself that didn’t involve anyone
from her past. He was proud of her and jealous of the life she’d built.
He’d gone on to spend almost seven years in the Marines followed by
an eighteen-month stint in prison and a dishonorable discharge.
It seemed no matter what happened, he was always going to be
wrong for her. He’d be better off avoiding her as much as possible
while she was here, and yet his body ached something fierce just
knowing she was nearby.
During Sera’s funeral, he’d been too heartbroken to reach out to
her, even though he saw her in the crowd. She’d held back, refusing
Drannon’s offer of a seat with the family. She still didn’t realize that
they considered her one of them. Maybe not a permanent resident of
Crawley Creek, but a large part of their story there.
Abe’s death had been such a shock. He honestly didn’t even
remember the funeral. He moved about for days in a haze of grief,
and by the time he’d come back to the real world it was over and
done. He should have taken one of those opportunities to reach out,
but he hadn’t been strong enough. The question now was whether or
not he had the balls to face her as a grown woman. Would she even
want to see him?
47
Lori King
Lost in his own thoughts, he absently turned the pages of the
book without really reading. It was the scent of her perfume that
caught his attention, and he looked up to find Lauren watching him
from the doorway.
~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey Vinnie,” she said softly, staring into his blazing blue eyes.
So many emotions filled her she could barely think straight. He
looked so good it hurt to look at him. His thick hair was buzzed off,
and she assumed that he’d picked up that particular style while in the
military because he’d always worn it longer as a kid. She drank in the
sight of his muscular limbs unfolding from the chaise lounge he was
sprawled out on. He’d always been a big guy, but years of manual
labor had added a chiseled edge to his jaw and ripples of hard muscle
under his skin.
“Lauren. Damn woman, you get prettier every time I see you.”
The compliment flowed over her, warming her to the core before
she remembered that she was still angry at him. “Thanks. You look
like hell.”
He snorted out a laugh and shook his head, putting his book
down to stand up. “Still the same old charming Lauren, I see.”
Tipping her chin defiantly, she narrowed her eyes. “Yep. And
you’re still sneaking off to spend time with the books.”
“I like books. I don’t have to deal with them smarting off to me.”
She felt her cheeks flush, but she refused to back down. He
might have been able to dominate her when she was a young, naïve
girl, but now she was a grown woman. “I’m surprised to see you still
hanging around here.”
“Why is that?”
“All that talk about moving on, spreading your wings and
experiencing life…” She paused and then shrugged. “Guess life
kicked your ass, huh?”
“I took a few knocks, but I got back up. At least I haven’t spent
the last eighteen years hiding from myself.”
48
Claiming His
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