As I stood and watched the coffee brew, mug gripped tightly in my hand, waiting for it to finish, the patio door opened and Alex walked in. He was drenched in sweat.

“Good morning,” he spoke as he wiped his face with a towel.

“Where were you?” I demanded to know.

“I went for a run. Can’t you tell?” He smirked. “I’m surprised you’re up already. I figured you’d be in bed all day, hung over.”

“Is there a reason why you didn’t make coffee when you woke up?” I asked with an attitude.

“I wanted to wait until I got back. I don’t like to run after drinking coffee.”

It was gnawing at me. The question that I had since last night. “Are you going to tell me who the frizzy curly-haired woman was that you were kissing last night?”

His eyes narrowed at me and he pursed his lips. Leaning against the counter, he folded his arms.

“No. Actually, I’m not going to tell you. I’m sorry you saw that.”

“Sorry? You’re sorry? Fuck, Alex. Could you be any more of a douchebag?”

“A what?” He cocked his head.

I took my phone from the counter, googled the word “douchebag,” and handed it to him.

He arched his brow as he read it out loud from the Urban Dictionary site. “‘Someone who has surpassed the levels of jerk and asshole; however, not yet reached fucker or motherfucker.’ Well, at least I’m not a fucker.”

“Not yet anyway, but you’re sure close.”

“Umm. You just received a text message from someone named Keith.”

I grabbed my phone from his hand and looked at it. Rolling my eyes, I set my phone down and poured myself a cup of coffee.

“Are you going to tell me who Keith is?”

“Actually, I’m not going to tell you. I’m sorry you saw that.” I took my phone and my coffee and strutted to my room, shutting the door behind me.

****

Alex

I watched as she walked her sexy ass, which was barely covered by her shirt, away from me. And who the hell was Keith? Why did a fire erupt inside me when I saw his name? It was none of my business, just like Bella was none of hers. As I left the kitchen and started walking up the stairs, I heard Emerson’s voice.

“You can’t shut me out, Parker. We’re friends and friends talk. I told you things that I had never told anyone before.”

Standing on the steps, I turned and looked at her. “You expect me to believe that in all your worldly travels and of all the men you’ve fucked, you never spoke about your family or the accident?”

“Yes, I do expect you to believe it because it’s true. I’d never opened up like that to anyone.”

Narrowing my eyes, I slowly walked down the stairs until I was standing in front of her.

“Why me, Emerson?”

“I don’t really know, Alex. Maybe because it’s being back here and you were there.”

I placed my hand on her cheek and stared into her beautiful eyes.

“I appreciate you telling me, but I’m not talking to you about Bella. There are some things that are off limits.”

“Oh really?” She backed away. “Guess what? There are some things that are off limits for me as well and that includes sex. Bye, Felicia,” she spoke as she put up her hand and walked away.

“What? Who the fuck is Felicia?” I yelled.

I placed my hands on my head and went upstairs. Slamming the door, I took a shower to cool off. I could feel my blood pressure rising because of one Miss Emerson James and I was no longer going to stand for it.

Chapter 20

Emerson

“There are some things that are off limits, my ass,” I mumbled as I showered and got dressed. He was irritating the fuck out of me and the best thing to do was separate myself from him for a while. I was suffocating here anyway. I packed a small bag and climbed into Adam’s car. I was taking a road trip to Napa Valley, the one place that me and my sister always said that when we were of drinking age, we’d go visit and get drunk off the amazing wine they had there. I never had the chance to go because I left California when I was eighteen. But now that I was back for a short period of time and Alex Parker was being nothing but a douchebag, I was off to explore the wineries. I had one credit card that I saved for emergency purposes only and this was an emergency situation. As I was making my seven-hour drive to Napa, my phone rang. It was Adam.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Em. I was just calling to see how you’re doing.”

“I’m good. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking your car to Napa Valley.”

“WHAT?! Why the hell are you going to Napa Valley?”

“I needed to get out of that house. I was suffocating, and me and Emily always wanted to go there. Adam, tomorrow is the anniversary of their death. This is something I need to do.”

“I know what tomorrow is, Em, and I wish I could be back in California with you. But I can’t.”

“I know you can’t and it doesn’t matter anyway. I’ve spent the last eight anniversaries alone, so tomorrow will be no different.”

“Emerson, I’m—”

“No need to say it, big brother. I already know.”

“Do you need some money?” he asked.

“No. I have cash and a credit card that I have saved for emergencies.”

“Okay. Have a safe trip, and if you need anything, call me.”

“Thanks. I will.” Click.

As I was driving down the highway, I pulled up the playlist on my phone and played “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis. It was our favorite song in the whole world and we sang it together almost every day. I turned up the volume and rolled all the windows down. I began to sing it as loudly as I could as the warm breeze swept over my face.

As I pulled up to the Wine Country Inn bed and breakfast, I prayed they had a room available. If not, then I would have to find somewhere else in Napa. When I walked into the lobby, a blond-haired woman smiled at me from behind the desk.

“Hello. Welcome to Wine Country Inn. How can I help you?”

“I’m hoping you have a room available. This was a last-minute trip and I didn’t call to make a reservation.”

“Ah. How many guests?” she asked.

“Just me.” I smiled.

She looked at me as she checked her computer. “We have one room available and it’s our Private Vineyard View King Cottage for $615.00 a night.”

“Ouch. That’s the only room you have?”

“Yes. How long are you planning on staying?”

“I don’t know. A few days maybe.”

“On Tuesday, we have one of our standard rooms available. If you want, you can stay in the cottage for two nights and then we can switch you over to one of the other cheaper rooms.”

I twisted my face, unsure of what to do. Six hundred fifteen dollars a night was more than I was planning on spending. But, if it was only for two nights, I could manage it and it was surely beautiful here.

“Fine. I’ll take it.” I smiled.

“Excellent. I’ll just need your driver’s license and credit card.”

Once she input my information, she handed me the keys to the cottage and gave me directions as to its location. Upon opening the door, I stepped inside and the first word out of my mouth was “Wow.” I could see why this place was expensive. The room featured a small living area with a loveseat and a chair that sat across from a fireplace with a TV mounted above it. Behind the living area were three steps that led up to the king-sized bed with a large window that faced the vineyards. Setting my bag on the bed, I began to unpack and put my clothes away in the three-drawer dresser that sat against the wall. When I heard my phone ding from my purse, I grabbed it and found a text message from Alex.

“Where the hell are you? You’ve been gone all day. It’s nighttime and I would like to know that you’re safe.”

Did I answer him? Where I was, was none of his concern. He wasn’t my keeper. But I didn’t want him to worry and get his blood pressure all high, so I replied.