When We Kiss (17 page)

How he wished he was going to his own condo back in Denver. He wanted his bed, his things, his world. Here, he was a visitor, a guest. Which was bullshit. Ribbon Ridge was his home. He ought to feel as comfortable returning here as the rest of his siblings had. Every single one of them had left and come back—save Hayden, who'd done the opposite.

They'd embraced the legacy that Alex had left them, working together and making lives in Ribbon Ridge, as Alex had hoped. A tiny voice in the back of his head said
you could do that, too
. Except he'd spent his entire adult life keeping everyone on the outside. Keeping all of the messy emotion out of his neatly ordered and carefully planned life.

Why was this bothering him now? Because he was spending too much time in Ribbon Ridge. And he liked it. He liked being around his family and helping with the zoning—it wasn't much, but it was something. Plus, it was what Alex wanted.

He gripped the handlebars and gritted his teeth. Alex shouldn't have the satisfaction. He'd already gotten what he wanted: death. While they'd been left to pick up the pieces. Watching his siblings and his parents, Liam would say they'd done a pretty damn good job, too. They laughed, they made memories, all without Alex being a part of it. It was almost like he'd never been.

A hole opened in his chest. It was black and sucking and threatened to pull him inward until there was nothing left. Alex was gone, and they'd all moved on.
How could they?

He rode past the turnoff to the house and kept on going.

A
UBREY
'
S WALK TO
work later that morning felt like an arduous trek, thanks to the weight of her thoughts. After Liam had left, she'd read through his comments and suggestions on the zoning brief. He was right about most of it. And she felt like an idiot for thinking it was ready. It wasn't bad, but it could be better.

She felt like an even bigger idiot for allowing him to spend the night. No, she'd promised herself that she wouldn't have regrets, that she'd accept and appreciate it for what it was—one last night with the man she'd worked so hard not to fall in love with.

She'd been infatuated with him for sure, but love? He was smart, funny, completely charming. And he was
nice
—all the little things he did when they were together made her feel special, like he really cared about
her
, that he wasn't just going through some motions. He was also incapable of commitment, so it didn't really matter what she labeled her feelings.

Once the zoning was decided, Liam would go back to Denver and she could go back to getting over him. But the zoning wasn't over yet, and the biggest hurdle—the oral argument—was yet to come. First she had to submit this brief, and right now she couldn't. Not without her uncle's help.

She walked up the steps to the remodeled house that was her uncle's law firm and made a beeline for her office, where she dumped her laptop. She came right back out again and stopped in the kitchen for a cup of coffee before heading up to her uncle's office.

His door was ajar, and she rapped on the wood before pushing it open. “Morning, Uncle Dave.”

“Morning.” He sneezed, then grabbed a tissue to blow his nose.

“Are you feeling okay?”

He tossed the tissue in the garbage and pulled his glasses off, setting them on his desk. “Just a bit of a cold.” His eyes narrowed with concern. “What's going on? You have a look—like you're unsettled about something. Is it the zoning case?”

She exhaled, feeling relieved that he'd been the one to bring it up. She sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk. “How'd you know?”

He chuckled, which spurred a minor coughing fit. She scanned his desk and saw that he had a water bottle. She plucked it up and handed it to him as soon as he was done wheezing.

She didn't like the sound of that cough. “Yikes, that doesn't sound good.”

He sipped the water several times. “Just a run-of-the-mill spring cold.”

She'd had plenty of those. “If it isn't better by Monday, you should see a doctor.”

“You sound like Aunt Cyndi.” He gave her a warm smile. “I appreciate you both. Now, continue please. What's going on with the zoning? The brief's due Monday, right?”

She sipped her coffee, then set it on his desk. “Yes. I'm finished with the draft. I shared it with Liam Archer, since he's dealt with several zoning appeals in Denver. He found some places that ought to be strengthened.” Or maybe completely rewritten, but she'd let Uncle Dave make that call.

Uncle Dave sat back in his chair and studied her. “I see. Why didn't you send it to me first? Liam Archer's not a lawyer.”

“You've been really busy,” she said lamely. “I should've sent it to you.” She'd sent it to Liam because . . . because what? Because she'd hoped he would be impressed? Ugh, she was worse off than she thought. And she was tired of it.

“I'd love to take a look.” He turned his chair and put his glasses on to look at his computer screen. “Did you send it to me?”

She shook her head. “Not yet, but I will as soon as I get downstairs. I hate to ask you to work on the weekend, especially with a cold, but it's due Monday.”

He smiled at her as he turned back toward her. “It's okay. We'll get it handled. We're a good team.”

They were. She loved working with him, and it went beyond family. He was an exceptional attorney with a loyal and satisfied client base. She couldn't have asked for a better professional path. She loved Ribbon Ridge and saw herself living here the rest of her life with her family. Her husband, whoever he turned out to be, and their children.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” But there was more. She'd been thinking about it on the walk over this morning. “I was actually hoping you might do the oral argument, too.”

His eyebrows arched briefly. “Really? I would've thought you'd be excited to do it.”

She had been. She was particularly invested in this case because of Alex. He'd left this legacy for his family, and it was in jeopardy. “I thought I could watch you and learn. And I admit going up against a legend like Sutherlin intimidates me a bit.”

Uncle Dave grabbed another tissue and blew his nose. “Don't let him. He's kind of a blowhard, actually, and I'd bet the land-use board knows it. I'll run through it with you—you'll do great. Unless it's more than that?”

It was. So much more. But she couldn't tell him that. Well, she could, but she didn't want to. “I might . . . I might need a break from this. It's so important that they win, that this appeal is denied. So much is wrapped up in the project—and not just financially.”

“I know.” His gaze was warm, sympathetic. He knew how upset she'd been when Alex died. He'd come to the funeral with her and held her hand while she'd cried. “It's important to me, too. If you really want me to do the argument, I will. But, Aubrey, this isn't about your dad, is it? His expectations of you were completely unfair.” He was doing a good job of talking about her bouts of inadequacy without actually saying the words.

“I'm sure that's part of it. But it is really critical that this turns out in the Archers' favor.”

His answering smile was deeply reassuring. “It will. Don't worry. Send me the brief, and I'll read through it. We'll work on it this weekend, okay?”

She realized how tight her muscles were as the tension seeped out of her. “Thanks.”

She felt much better. Now if she could just feel better about the rest of her life. “That sounds great.” She stood and picked up her coffee.

“Liam . . . Is he important to you somehow?” Uncle Dave asked, making her pause on the way to the door.

Was it obvious? How could that be? She'd barely talked about him, and Uncle Dave had never seen them together. “Not really.” At least he shouldn't be.

The look he gave her said he maybe didn't buy her answer, but he didn't press the issue. And maybe that was why she spilled the beans. Or part of the beans, anyway.

“We see each other from time to time. Casually.”

“I see. Are you sure it's just casual?”

She nodded.

“That's too bad. Those Archers are good people, and I know you're ready to settle down.”

She felt heat rising in her cheeks. “
Uncle Dave
.”

He chuckled again and managed to keep from coughing. “Sorry, your aunt and I talk. We can't help it. Plus, I know you. You're bright, beautiful, and ready to put down roots. I know how much you love it here.”

“I do. I can't thank you enough for opening your home to me and giving me a future.”

“I didn't give you anything—you earned it. Cyndi and I are proud to be here for you, and we want to see you happy. If Liam Archer makes you happy, why not make it more than causal?”

Because he doesn't want what I want . . . the Ribbon Ridge life, the kids, the happily-ever-after. “I don't think that's in the cards. I'm not willing to compromise.”

His dark eyes lit with pride. “Atta girl.”

She nodded. “I'll go send that brief.”

As she made her way back down to her office, she thought of calling Liam to tell him that Uncle Dave was on the case. But why? Just because she wanted to hear his voice?

Screw it. She was busy. Let him contact her. Or not, which was what he usually did after one of their hook-ups. Only this time was different, because he wasn't already on a plane back to Denver.

She walked into her office and shut the door.

So many things were different this time. First and foremost, the friend thing. They now had a defined relationship aside from their mutual attraction.

She flopped into her chair and cupped her coffee mug between her palms.

Even that—the sex—had felt different. She couldn't quite pinpoint why, just that it had felt richer, deeper, more intimate, if that were possible. That was probably only her wanting it to mean more than it did because of the feelings she was developing for him.

She didn't want those feelings. He was arrogant, self-involved, and his goals didn't remotely match hers. Still, she loved his family, his sense of humor, and his drive. She loved the way he put dishes in her dishwasher, like he'd done last night. And the way he set up her new television set. Most of all, she loved the way he held her, the way his lips caressed hers, the way he told her she was the sexiest woman he'd ever met.

She shivered and set her coffee on her desk. She didn't have any more time to waste on Liam Archer.

Pulling her laptop from her bag, she planned to work her butt off this weekend to win this case for the Archers. And to drive Liam from her mind.

L
IAM PARKED HIS
bike in the garage and strolled toward the back door of the house. His pulse was still thrumming from the excitement and craziness of the last few days.

After leaving Aubrey's the other morning, he found out that his latest deal in Denver had exploded with the results of the mold test. Then he'd spent Friday night and Saturday at the coast with his folks looking at the properties they'd planned to buy. Today he'd gone skydiving with Rylan, then mapped out the details of their trip to Idaho for the BASE jump training.

As he walked into the house, he instantly smelled whatever amazing meal Kyle had cooked up. He realized he'd started to look forward to these Sunday dinners. In fact, he'd made sure he would get home in time.

Home? Home was Denver and his sleek condo.

“Hey, Liam, dinner's just about up,” Kyle said as he set out plates on the counter.

“Smells great. What'd you throw together?”

“Doing a little summer in the spring—roasted ribs, grilled corn, and Mom made her signature stacked salad.”

“Excellent.” Liam made his way to the beer tap and pulled himself a pint as people began to filter into the kitchen.

Mom walked in, followed by Dad. “You're back,” Mom said, sounding relieved. She knew he'd gone skydiving, and he knew she worried. When she'd found out that he'd taken the guys out, she'd told him he was a bad influence. Just like Aubrey had. Well, not
just
like Aubrey.

He'd texted her Friday to tell her he'd had a great time Thursday night. She'd responded that she had, too. And then nothing. What else was he supposed to say? He didn't think she'd let him come over again—she'd made a point of saying he could stay
that
night.

He was looking forward to seeing her here. He glanced around, realizing she hadn't arrived.

“I think Mom and I have finally settled on a beach property,” Dad said. This drew everyone's attention. Even Kyle paused in plating the food. “Surprisingly, we went with Cannon Beach, even though it means the drive's a bit farther.”

Aubrey would love that.

“Is it big enough for all of us?” Sara asked. She and Dylan had come up from downstairs.

Dad laughed. “Probably not at once. We're a pretty big crew now with all of you getting married.”

Kyle cast a look at Liam. “Not
all
of us.”

Mom went to Liam and slipped her arm around his waist to give him a squeeze. “Liam may surprise us yet. Look how long he's been home. It's a record.”

He knew Mom didn't mean any judgment, but he also knew they were all scrutinizing his plans. Would he stay and for how long?

He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “It's still only temporary, Mom.”

She withdrew her arm with a sigh. “I know. A mother can dream, can't she?”

Anyone could dream. The problem was when people's dreams didn't align. Like his and his mother's. Or his and Aubrey's.

Kyle pulled off his apron. “Grab your plate and eat!”

The extra chairs had been delivered, and so they all fit around the table tonight. Mom and Dad on each end, six on one side, and five on the other, leaving an empty chair.

“Where's Aubrey?” Chloe asked. “Did we forget to invite her?”

Mom set her napkin in her lap. “Doesn't she have a standing invitation at this point? She should.”

“I invited her,” Sara said. “But she's busy working. The zoning brief is due tomorrow.”

Aubrey was now invited to Sunday dinners? Wait, hadn't he expected to see her? He was disappointed that she wasn't coming. Then again, she
was
really busy with the brief. And it wasn't like they were
together
. Shit, he needed to get his head straight.

Conversation turned to the zoning issue and how they were all looking forward to putting it behind them. “How long until it's fully resolved?” Alaina asked.

Dylan answered before Liam could finish swallowing. “Once Aubrey files the brief, the board will set a date for oral arguments. That should happen relatively quickly—within the next few weeks. Then it could take anywhere from zero time, meaning they'll make a decision immediately, to a few months. But nobody expects it to take that long. Aubrey will argue that we're already losing money by not being open.”

Alaina's gaze turned shrewd. “Any chance you're going to go after Parker for that lost revenue?”

Liam grinned. “Evan, I like your wife immensely.” He liked that idea, too. He'd love to stick it right back to Whitney and her dad, especially after her last outrageous proposition.

“I don't know that we should bother,” Mom said, exchanging looks with Dad. “Let's just put this behind us and move on.”

Liam took a drink of beer. “I don't know. Parker has cost us a lot—not just in money.” The anguish and frustration they'd all endured seemed like it should be worth something.

Mom dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “That's true, but I'd rather keep as much negativity out of our lives as possible. I'd prefer to focus on all the happy occasions coming down the pike.” She glanced between Sara and Dylan, whose wedding was in July, Kyle and Maggie, whose wedding was in September, and Evan and Alaina, whose baby was due in November.

Right. Moving on. They'd all become quite adept at that. While Liam stuck to his same old, same old. It was an odd sensation—the comfort he enjoyed in being home and yet the distance he felt from everything going on around him. The coupledom. The blisteringly shiny happiness.

Liam dropped the topic, and conversation continued. When dinner was over, they rock-paper-scissored to see who would clean up. The losers were Sara, Tori, Derek, and Liam. Everyone else adjourned downstairs to prep for watching the show.

Tori worked the sink while Sara loaded the dishwasher, leaving Liam and Derek to clean the table, put leftovers—not that there were very many—away, and tidy the kitchen.

“I'm sorry Aubrey didn't come,” Sara said, looking at Liam, who was wiping down the counter by the stove. “We thought maybe you were seeing each other.”

Liam froze momentarily but kept wiping. “Why would you think that?”

He caught Tori elbowing Sara and narrowed his eyes. What was going on? What did they know? He hadn't gone out of his way to hide anything, but it wasn't like there was something to share.

Sara smiled. “No reason.” She focused intently on lining up dishes in the side-by-side dishwashers.

He knew Sara well enough to realize she was lying. Her filter could sometimes be as faulty as Evan's, so it made sense that she might say something she shouldn't.

Liam stopped wiping and leaned his hip against the counter. “What gives? Are you all talking about me when I'm not around?”

Tori rolled her eyes at him. “Duh. We do that to everybody.”

True. “But why about Aubrey specifically?”

Tori shrugged. “We're just playing matchmaker—wishful thinking. She's single, smart, funny, attractive, successful. You're single, smart, successful.”

Despite being annoyed by the topic of conversation—for some reason he and Aubrey were off-limits—he couldn't help but be amused. Tori was good at deflecting and manipulating. It was what made her and him the alpha dogs of the family. He gave her a patronizing smile. “You left out funny and attractive.”

She returned the bland expression. “You're funny
looking
. How's that?”

Derek laughed. “She's got you there.”

Liam crossed his arms and pivoted his weight so he was leaning back against the counter. “Seriously, why the interrogation about Aubrey?”

“Dude, it wasn't an interrogation,” Derek said. “Sara asked a simple question. You're the one making a federal case out of it.”

Tori turned the sink off and dried her hands. “Yeah, because Liam's a douche. God forbid he has a
girlfriend
or something.” The glare, which was a real glare and not a mock one, she tossed him said everything he suspected—they totally knew about him and Aubrey. Had she told them, or had they somehow figured it out? Hell, what did it matter? None of it was any of their business.

“I've had girlfriends.” Defensive much?

Derek finished wiping down the table and tossed the towel on the counter. “Hot models and
Bachelor
-contestant wannabes who decorate your arm for a few months here and there don't count. A girlfriend is someone you'd consider spending your life with, someone you're committed to getting to know on the most intimate level possible.”

Liam kept up his defense. “How would you know? Chloe was barely your girlfriend. Didn't you get engaged in record time?”

Derek grinned. “Yeah. What can I say? When you know, you know. Right, Tori?”

Tori, who'd also undergone a speedy courtship capped off by a secret Vegas wedding, leaned over the counter and high-fived Derek. “Absolutely.”

Liam snorted. “Whatever. Just leave Aubrey out of the conversation, please.”

“Why?” Sara asked, closing one of the dishwashers. “She's awesome. You could do a lot worse and not much better.”

Liam uncrossed his arms and lifted them. “I'm not looking for a girlfriend! But if I were, I'd take your suggestion under advisement.” Because he agreed—Aubrey
was
awesome. And so many other things.

Sara smiled. “Good.” She closed the other dishwasher and programmed them both. “I'm done.” She looked around at the others in question.

“Me, too,” said Tori.

Derek nodded toward them. “You go on ahead. Liam and I will sweep up.” He went to the pantry to fetch the broom and dustbin.

The girls left, and Derek started sweeping while Liam finished the counters.

“What's the real story with Aubrey?” Derek asked.

“Does it matter? Sounds like you've all drawn your own conclusions.”

“No, we haven't. I have zero opinion other than I like Aubrey, and I obviously like you. Though sometimes I wonder why.” Derek tossed him a sarcastic smirk.

Sometimes Liam wondered why, too. Aubrey was great, and she deserved to be someone's girlfriend in precisely the way Derek had said. Liam wasn't sure what he deserved. “I'm not to that point yet—for that intimate, potentially forever relationship you just described.”

Derek paused in sweeping to look at him. “And she is?”

She'd said she was looking for Mr. Right, and she didn't want to be tied up with Mr. Right Now and maybe miss him.

Liam nodded.

“Then you should probably leave her alone.” Derek held up a hand. “Not that you aren't, but
if
you aren't . . . just something to think about.”

He'd been thinking of little else.

They finished cleaning up and headed downstairs. Liam lost himself in the show while it was on—thank goodness for fictional tragedies to take your brain offline—but as soon as it was over, the specter of Aubrey rose hard and fast in his mind.

Derek was right. He should leave her alone.

He looked around the theater at his family, at the couples, at the happiness and love filling the room. He didn't belong here. He'd moved to Denver to take himself out of the emotional equation, and after Alex had killed himself, it had been the perfect buffer to keep himself safe. The longer he was here, the more everything threatened to break through that wall. He'd have to do what everyone else was doing—move on, grow up.

He stood abruptly. He wasn't some kid who couldn't mature. He owned and ran a multimillion-dollar real-estate development company, for Christ's sake. And it was past time he got back to it.

T
HE IMMENSE SENSE
of relief Aubrey felt at filing the zoning brief was tempered by the nudge of anxiety caused by how—or if—Liam would respond. She'd e-mailed all of the Archers as soon as she'd filed it and provided them with an electronic copy. She doubted most of them would read it but expected Liam to.

She and Uncle Dave had worked all weekend making it perfect, and she felt great about how it had turned out. It was out of her hands now, at least until the oral argument, which Uncle Dave had agreed to do.

Aubrey refreshed her e-mail again, but still nothing from Liam about the brief or the flying date he'd promised her.
It's not a date
, she told herself. Then she stood up from her desk to get another cup of coffee.

Tori appeared in her doorway. “Hey!”

Aubrey smiled in greeting, surprised to see her. “Hi, what are you doing here?”

“I wondered if I could take you for a celebratory cup of coffee. Since you filed the zoning brief.”

Just like she'd told Liam, Aubrey was reluctant to celebrate anything yet, but she wasn't going to turn down an offer for coffee. “As a matter of fact, I was about to get a refill.” She held up her empty mug.

“Put that down. We'll walk over to Books and Brew.”

“Sure.” Aubrey set her mug back on her desk and followed Tori to the door, telling the receptionist she'd be back in a bit.

The morning had started cloudy and cool, but the clouds were burning off to reveal a bright blue sky. Aubrey didn't bother grabbing her jacket. It was only a couple of blocks to Books and Brew anyway.

“It has to feel good to get the brief filed,” Tori said.

Aubrey walked beside her along the sidewalk. It was still a little cool, so she wrapped her arms around herself as they made their way to the intersection. “It does. One step closer.”

Tori nodded. “Have you talked to Liam?”

Aubrey cast her a sidelong glance, but Tori was looking straight ahead toward the main street that ran through town. It was an innocent question . . . maybe. Probably. “No.”

Tori came to a stop at the crosswalk and turned to look at her. The breeze rustled her dark hair, and she tucked a wayward strand behind her ear. “He went back to Denver this morning.”