When We Kiss (19 page)

Aubrey knew how sick Alex had been—hospitalized on occasion with pneumonia, often oxygen dependent, exhausted and lethargic on a regular basis. She thought of Liam watching that his whole life, knowing that if not for a twist of Fate, it could've been him. “Why doesn't he move back now that Alex is gone?”

“I don't know. Maybe he's just really happy in Denver. Although I have to say, he's seemed pretty happy here the past few weeks. It's been great having him back.” She slid a glance at Aubrey. “I was hoping it was because of you. It sucks that isn't the case.”

Aubrey's chest tightened. She wished things were different, but they were exactly the same as they'd always been. They'd hooked up, and he'd left. If anything, he'd only hung around that long because it had taken that much time to wear her down into bed. She inwardly cringed. Is that what she really thought? She honestly didn't know. There was one thing she
did
know, however. “No, that ship has sailed. Whatever Liam and I had going is Donesville.”

Tori clenched her hand around her coffee cup. “Ugh! I want to choke him for screwing up what could've been a great thing.”

Aubrey appreciated the support. “Don't be mad at him. He never made me any promises.” She wanted to think they'd just helped each other through a rough year. They'd comforted each other when they'd needed it most. That couldn't be a bad thing, could it?

“I should get back to the office,” Aubrey said. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

They grabbed their drinks and left. When they got back to the law firm, Aubrey thanked Tori for the coffee and gave her a quick hug.

After they moved apart, Tori brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “Let's do this again soon. I hope we're still friends, despite my brother's douchiness.”

Aubrey laughed. “Yes. We're still friends.”

“Excellent. See you later.”

Aubrey waved before turning and heading up the stairs to the front door. Their conversation hovered in her mind like a catchy pop song. And like a catchy pop song, Aubrey doubted she'd be able to shake it for quite some time. When she thought of Liam and his twin and everything the Archers had endured, the grief she'd conquered threatened to overcome her again.

But did you really ever conquer grief, or did you simply adapt and learn to live with it? She suspected that's what most of the Archers, like Tori, had done. For the first time, she wondered what, exactly, Liam had done with his.

B
Y
F
RIDAY
L
IAM
was more than ready for the weekend. After being in Ribbon Ridge so long, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to manage his own company. That wasn't exactly true, but he'd missed the day-to-day. Or, as it actually happened, he hadn't missed it all that much.

He found himself thinking of Archer Enterprises and the changes going on there with developing the bottling operation, The Alex schedule, the zoning brief, and, of course, Aubrey. He hadn't heard from her since she'd sent the group e-mail about the filing on Monday. He'd read through the revised brief, and it was really damn good. He'd e-mailed her back and told her so, but she hadn't responded.

He also hadn't talked to any of his family. That wasn't really abnormal, but after spending so much time with them, he missed them. He was bummed he wouldn't be going to the Sunday dinner. All the more reason to accelerate his plane purchase. He could afford one. He just had to find the right deal. Liam picked up his cell phone to text Rylan, who was on the lookout for him.

“Liam?” Boyd, his right-hand guy, popped his head into the void between Liam's door, which stood ajar, and the frame. “I'm heading out. You good?”

Liam glanced at his open laptop. Shit, was it five fifteen already? He wiped a hand over his face. “Yeah. Wait, where are you going? It's past beer-thirty.” Liam kept a keg of Archer beer tapped in the office kitchen. They typically gathered around for beer at least one night a week, and they hadn't yet.

Boyd pushed the door open and walked into the office. “I've got plans. Heading to dinner, then a party later. You should come.”

Normally Liam would, but he was tired. And shockingly, he didn't really want to go. “Where are you going to dinner?” That he could do.

“I'm meeting up with Mark, Brett, and Dusty at Steuben's.”

That was a heavy-hitting crowed. They'd be on the prowl. Again, Liam was surprised that he wanted to decline. “I don't know. Maybe. What time?”

“Seven.” Boyd sat down on Liam's leather couch and stretched his legs out in front of him as he leaned back. “What gives, man? You haven't been out with us in ages.”

“I've been gone.”

“Nah, before that even. You haven't been to a party with us since . . . January?”

“I dislocated my shoulder, remember?”

Boyd shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” He raked his hand through his short blond hair. “Dusty says you've got a girl back in Ribbon Ridge. I'm beginning to think he might be right.”

They were talking about him, too? Shit, he couldn't avoid people speculating about his damn love life. “Very funny.”

Boyd chuckled. “I was kidding. I told Dusty he was high.”

Liam snorted. “He probably was.”

“True dat.” Boyd sat forward and brought his legs up. “I figure it's more like you've got something up your sleeve. Something extreme.” Boyd liked to do some of the same sports as Liam—he was big into skiing and rock climbing. He was a true Coloradoan.

“I just might. Listen, thanks again for holding things down while I was gone. I may spend a little more time back home than usual. My dad is transitioning some stuff and might need my help.” Wait, was he actually considering splitting time between Denver and Ribbon Ridge? He
could
do that—temporarily. It didn't mean he was going home.

Boyd cocked his head to the side. “ ‘Home'? I thought this was your home.” He looked genuinely surprised.

“You know, I'm from there and the rest of my family is there. It's home in a sense.”

“Huh, never heard you call it that before.” Boyd stood. “I hope you decide to come to dinner at least. Remember, seven at Steuben's.”

Liam nodded. “Thanks.”

Boyd left, and Liam realized he was still holding his cell phone. He pulled up Rylan in his text window and asked if he had any leads on planes.

With a plane, he could fly back and forth between Denver and Ribbon Ridge—at least until The Alex was open and Dad had sorted everything out at Archer.

He set his phone down and checked his calendar. He saw that tomorrow was a monthly hike one of his friends led. He was an outdoor guide, and once a month he took a group on an extreme excursion. They'd climb, there'd be water, and the mileage would be brutal. Sounded like just the high he needed to get his head back on straight.

That had to be what was wrong. He was bored. The injury had taken him offline for a while, and he'd eased back into things the past few weeks, but he needed more. The BASE jump training in a couple weeks would really reset his brain. He could hardly wait.

He thought of Alex, as he invariably did when he planned a new excursion. Alex had loved talking things through with him. He'd done a lot of the research into the things that Liam now enjoyed. The extreme-sport hobby was as much Alex's as it was Liam's, even if he hadn't actually done any of them.

Liam turned in his chair and stared out at the Denver skyline. He'd been thinking of Alex far too much lately. He blamed that on being home, too. It was hard not to dwell on him while spending so much time where they'd grown up and with the people who'd known them both.

Damn it, why had he gone and killed himself? He'd ruined everything.

For Alex it had already been ruined, hadn't it? He was the one who'd spent his life hooked to machines or oxygen, the one who'd told Liam on several occasions that he wished he'd died or, better yet, had never been born. Who needed six babies anyway?

The worst part was that Liam had actually considered that. Without Alex, he wouldn't have any of the guilt of being the one who'd dodged the bullet. And damn it if that didn't fill a person with self-loathing.

Liam closed his eyes. If anyone knew what went on in his head—what he really thought about—they'd be shocked. Or maybe they wouldn't be. Evan had figured it out.

Alex had known the truth, of course. He'd told Liam the night that he'd died. When he'd called Liam to tell him it was over, that he could come back to Ribbon Ridge.

Except in doing that, he'd all but ensured that Liam would never go home.

A
UBREY PARKED IN
the unpaved lot at The Alex. She hadn't been up here in a few weeks and was amazed at how great everything looked. They'd completely transformed this property over the past year.

The monks' quarters looked like a hotel instead of a derelict pile of wood and stone. The former chapel had been enlarged and reshaped into a gorgeous restaurant. She wondered how the underground pub was coming and hoped someone would give her a tour of everything after the meeting she was about to crash.

She'd called Tori that morning to tell her the oral argument was scheduled for next Tuesday. Tori was thrilled that they were finally going to have their day in court and had asked Aubrey to join them at their meeting this afternoon to share the good news.

Aubrey went to the restaurant, where Tori had said they were meeting. They'd grown too large for the office trailer at this point. Too many of them had come on board to support the project. Everyone, she realized, except Liam and Hayden. And Hayden had certainly done his part before taking his internship.

As she approached, she could see in through the windows flanking the front doors. Everyone was situated around a large table in the center of the room. She opened the door and couldn't help but smile at how beautiful the space was. They'd kept so many of the original features—the dark, rich wood had been polished to a gorgeous sheen, and the stained glass windows added a touch of history and whimsy. But they'd also introduced a trendy and elegant décor, including a handful of paintings by Chloe that matched the Archer brand.

“Hi, Aubrey!” Tori called from the other side of the table. “Come join us.”

Aubrey scanned the group but didn't see Liam. She hadn't really expected to but apparently couldn't keep herself from looking. “You guys, this is stunning. I want to move in here.”

This was met with laughter.

“Too bad, because I have dibs,” Kyle said. He'd become a bit possessive about his restaurant, and rightfully so. He'd been filming its evolution with Sean for a television show that was set to air on the Travel Channel in the fall. This place was going to hit the map in a huge way. And that didn't even take into consideration all the A-list celebrities and power people Alaina's presence would attract.

“You can stay in the hotel whenever you like,” Sara said. “Definitely for the opening.”

“Well, hopefully that will be relatively soon. Looks like you're almost ready.” She looked around, and her gaze found Dylan. As general contractor, he'd be the one to say when it was done.

“Almost. We've got some exterior stuff to do still—lighting, paving, etcetera.” He nodded toward Maggie, who'd designed all of that.

“Plus the underground pub isn't done, but we'd never planned for that to be up and running at the opening,” Tori said.

Kyle nodded. “Right, but things have taken so long that it probably will be.”

That was her cue. Aubrey moved toward the empty chair at the table but didn't sit. “We're close to the end,” she said. “The oral argument is next Tuesday. We could have a decision as early as then.”

Kyle pumped his fist. “Yes!”

Dylan cast his head back and closed his eyes. “Thank God.”

Everyone was high-fiving and cheering. Aubrey loved their enthusiasm and just hoped it turned out the way they all wanted. “We haven't won yet.”

“No, but we will,” Derek said, smiling. “And you're going to be the hero of the day.”

Gee, still no pressure. She was glad Uncle Dave was doing the arguing. “Correction—Uncle Dave will be the hero. I'll just be his assistant.”

“Why?” Sara asked. “I thought you were presenting the case.”

“I haven't done it before, and Uncle Dave has. Lots of times. You're in great hands. Anyway, that's all I came for.”

“You want a tour?” Kyle stood.

“I don't want to interrupt your meeting.”

Kyle grinned. “But you want a tour.” He laughed. “We were pretty much done. Come on, I'll take you around.”

Tori got up. “Hey, I'm coming, too.”

“Me, too,” Chloe said.

Soon everyone was traipsing about the property, sharing anecdotes about how something was chosen or some problem they'd encountered. She was amazed at how well everything had come together but not surprised in the slightest. “Dylan, you're incredible. Are we going to lose you to huge projects in Portland now?”

Dylan shook his head. “Not a chance. I've got a winery lined up after this—Tori designed it.”

Sara put her arm around his waist. “
After
our honeymoon. I get two weeks of uninterrupted quality time with my husband.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

After a while, people drifted off to attend to whatever work they had going on, and some left altogether. In the end, Tori and Chloe took Aubrey down to the underground pub.

It had a cool door straight out of the Shire in
Lord of the Rings
. Inside, the main room was larger than she'd imagined, with a bar along the right wall. On the left was a partially completed mural done in the style of a cave painting. It was incredibly intricate.

Aubrey went over to investigate it. “You did this, Chloe?”

Faint dots of pink colored her cheeks. “Guilty. It's in progress, so don't judge it too harshly.”

“I couldn't possibly. It's fantastic. How'd you come up with this?”

“I did a lot of research.” Chloe joined her, and Tori followed. “The idea itself was Alaina's.”

“It's so cool. I love how you repeated motifs.” Aubrey pointed toward the foxes that had crept up throughout the restaurant and hotel and several other designs that she'd seen.

“Thanks. I'm pleased with how it's all coming together.”

“Alex would love it.”

“He would,” Tori agreed.

An awkward silence seemed to fall, and since things were already awkward, Aubrey figured it was a good time to bring up Liam. “Tori, would you mind letting Liam know about the oral argument?”

Tori turned toward her. “You haven't heard from him?”

“Not since I filed the brief.” He'd sent a quick e-mail telling her she'd done a great job. She'd appreciated his praise but hadn't responded. What more could there be to say?

She could tell him that she'd fallen in love with him. She'd tried so hard to resist, to protect her heart, but in the end, she'd tumbled like a course of dominoes.

She nearly laughed out loud. What would be the point of that? He loved his family, and
they
weren't enough to bring him home. Even if he loved her in return, it wouldn't change anything.

“I'll let him know, no problem,” Tori said.

“Thanks. I'd better get back to my office. Thanks for the tour.” Aubrey smiled at both Tori and Chloe before heading to her car.

As she climbed into the driver's seat, she worked to banish the jagged feeling in her chest. Every time Liam went home after they'd hooked up, she'd thought of him and pondered the next time. Then Labor Day had been so great—right up until it hadn't. That time, she'd tried
not
to think of him. Instead, she'd focused her energies on moving on.

But every time he came home, he sucked her right back in. Maybe not into sleeping with him, since she'd successfully avoided him for several months, but the feelings she had, the longing for a future she couldn't have, were always there.

She simply had to find a way to get over him. For good.