as a loon and I wouldn’t have noticed. Her body and that gorgeous face of hers had hindered my seeing

the real her. She was the kind of good-looking that made guys not give a shit if she was insane.

But the boy had been normal. Happy, even. Didn’t look scared or neglected. A crazy momma

couldn’t raise such a normal-acting kid. Could she? Was he even hers? Could that be her secret, that

she was raising someone else’s kid?

“That brain of yours sure is a-workin’. The tiny tike drug lord worrying you?”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at my dad.

“Is that Dewayne I hear? Did my boy finally come see me?” Momma’s voice called out from the

kitchen. The guilt swamped me as she came around the corner, smiling like I had just lit up her world,

and opened her arms to me. I was the only kid she had now. Not the one who was going to be a star

and make them proud. I was the tatted-up rebel who had planned on raising hell and traveling the

world with nothing but a backpack. No reason to stay anywhere long.

But then the good son, the one who had been meant for greatness, got drunk and ran his car into a

fucking tree going over a hundred miles an hour. Now she had me. I was it. And I was still a fuckup

even though I tried like hell to do the right thing. Make her proud.

“Sorry, Momma. I should’ve slowed down long enough to get over here. Won’t happen again,” I

told her as I returned her hug. The top of her head didn’t even touch my chin.

“Good. I missed you,” she said, stepping back and then swatting me with the dish towel in her hand.

“I’m about to pull the apple pie out of the oven and run it over to the new neighbors. Then we can sit

down and eat.”

Fuck. I hadn’t thought about Momma and her apple pies. Of course she’d want to take one to

Sienna. I needed to prevent that. Bad idea. Momma was still too raw from the anniversary of Dustin’s

death. She didn’t need to see her new neighbors just yet.

“Yeah, not gonna happen tonight. I just went over there and met them. They were headed out to

dinner and to get some groceries. Didn’t seem much to want company. Really odd woman.”

Momma frowned and then shrugged. “Then y’all can eat my pie and I’ll make another tomorrow

and see if I can’t get it over there to them. Shouldn’t be calling the poor woman odd, though.”

She turned and walked back toward the kitchen, and I followed behind her. I knew there would be

beer in the fridge, and I needed one.

“All I saw was legs, but from the look of them, wasn’t nothing about them legs odd,” Dad said

behind me.

The old man loved to cause problems. He found that shit funny. “Legs were okay, I guess, but the

rest of her was average. Nothing special,” I lied.

I so fucking lied.

Chapter Three

Eight years ago . . .

DEWAYNE

“Dude. Seriously. Fuck.” Preston’s tone of voice caught my attention, and I looked up from unlacing

my football cleats to see what he was so excited about.

Ellie Nova was headed our way. And she was smoking hot. But then, Ellie was always smoking hot.

When she’d moved here our freshman year, we’d all walked around with hard-ons, hoping to get a

glimpse up those short skirts of hers or a go at her tits. Which were fucking huge.

“I want some of that. Before we graduate, I want that pussy,” Preston said in a low voice.

The problem with Ellie was that she had a whole shit ton of money and she was a princess. No, she

was a fucking queen. She looked down her nose at everyone. Didn’t matter—guys still fantasized

about her. She was Sea Breeze High’s own centerfold.

“Good luck. I think she may be the only ass in our senior class you haven’t tapped—and the only

one you never will,” I said. I loved rubbing it in to pretty boy that Ellie hadn’t given him the time of

day.

“Okay, first of all, I’ve not tapped ugly ass. I have standards. And second of all, I’ll get between

those thighs before we leave this place. I’m Preston Drake,” he reminded me, with a cocky shrug and a

smirk.

Truthfully, if any of us was going to lay Ellie, it would be Preston. I had no doubt.

“Dewayne,” Ellie’s voice said, startling me, and I turned to look at her. I was pretty sure she’d

never actually said my name in four years.

“Yeah?” I replied, refusing to let her know I wanted a taste.

She twirled a lock of golden hair around her finger and nibbled on her bottom lip as she looked up

at me through thick lashes. I didn’t even care if those lashes were fake. This was a hot look. A very

fucking hot look.

“I was wondering if maybe you could give me a ride home,” she said with a pouty mouth.

I could give her a ride, all right. One she wouldn’t soon forget.

“Fuck that,” Preston cursed behind me. This was going to drive him nuts.

I couldn’t help but grin. “Sure. Just let me get my bag out of the locker room,” I said, trying not to

act like I was happy about this. Playing it cool with Ellie was the only way I’d get what I wanted out

of her.

“Thank you so much. My car’s in the shop, and I didn’t want to call Daddy to come get me.”

I didn’t want her calling Daddy either. I had plans that I was sure Daddy wouldn’t approve of.

Preston shoved me as I walked by him, and I bit back a laugh. This was so pissing him off. And I’d

have it to rub in his face for the rest of our lives. I got between Ellie’s legs first. Because that was the

game plan. I wanted to see if that stuck-up, hot-as-fuck pussy was worth all the attention it got her.

“Hey, Sienna, what’s up with you, girl? Come looking for me?”

Preston’s words stopped me, and I turned back around to see Sienna looking unsure as she smiled

that sweet, shy smile at Preston. Then she looked at me. Damn. That smile. It made something in me

clench up like a motherfucker every time. Did she realize that?

“I, uh, was going to see if I could get a ride. I missed the bus and Dustin has already left, I think. I

didn’t see him much today, and I don’t know where he goes after school,” she said, her cheeks turning

pink as she looked at me.

“Yes, beautiful, you sure as hell can. I was just thinking I hated riding home alone,” Preston replied

in that sugary-sweet tone that was meant to goad me. He was getting his revenge. Or he thought he

was.

“No,” I said, walking over to Sienna to take her arm. “I’ll get Sienna home. You take Ellie home,” I

told him, making sure he understood I wasn’t fucking around.

Preston understood. His smirk was more than pleased. He’d be fucking Ellie first after all. And

after this I was pretty damn sure I’d never get a taste of Ellie Nova. But she wasn’t important enough

to ignore Sienna for. If Sienna needed me, I couldn’t find it in me to tell her no. And I sure as fuck

wasn’t letting Preston around her. Alone. Hell no.

Present day . . .

SIENNA

By Friday we had found our rhythm. Micah got up and dressed himself while I made breakfast, which

consisted of a Pop-Tart and a glass of milk. That wasn’t going to win me Mom of the Year, but he

liked Cookies & Creme Pop-Tarts, and I liked getting him to school on time. We did eat breakfast

together. I ate my breakfast bar and drank some coffee while Micah chatted away happily.

I was not a morning person. I couldn’t even form words until I’d had at least thirty minutes of

wake-up time and two cups of coffee. Micah, on the other hand, woke up singing. This morning he had

told me his predictions for the upcoming basketball season. I’d had no idea what he was saying, but I

nodded and sipped my caffeine.

Getting myself dressed took more time, but it gave Micah a chance to play with his toys and pick