Once we are both finished and dressed, I do one final loop around my tiny home before ushering Colt out the door.
“Let go see Rweey!” Colt cheers from his car seat as I pull out of the drive. As we head the few miles down the road toward the track, an ominous feeling takes over me.
I’m not exactly sure why I began to feel this way all of a sudden, but I can be certain I’ve only felt like that one other time in my life, when Tyler disappeared. Hopefully this feeling results in something other than a broken heart.
Chapter Three
Tyler
“It’s good to have you back, man.” Colton slaps me on the back as he walks beside me toward the garage.
“It’s good to be back.” I smile, thankful for all the things Colton has done for me over the years.
After finishing my stint in rehab, he helped arrange my community service in Southern California. I worked with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build homes for people who otherwise would go without.
To say it was an eye-opening experience would be an understatement. My time with the program helped me learn to appreciate the things and people I have in life. My mind immediately drifts to Lucy. I’ve been back for a few days now and want nothing more than to find her and apologize for being gone for so long, to explain why I left the way I did. But my days have been filled with filling out new paperwork and getting my bearings as the new liaison with Corporate Cares for Colton.
“You need to be on your best behavior today. You will be representing CD Enterprises as our liaison with Corporate Cares. I don’t need to remind you how much this partnership means to Rylee and me.” The deep timbre of Colton’s voice startles me back to the present. I smile, I know there is only one person in the world that makes him sound like that.
“Hey, Rylee.” I smile, holding my arms out for a hug while Colton growls quietly. “Stop being an ass. I knew about the two of you before you two were even a couple. Apparently, me leaving helped with a lot of things.” I smile as Rylee steps into my embrace.
“It’s good to have you back,” Rylee smiles brightly at me before turning toward Colton. He wraps Rylee in his arms and pulls her in for a deep kiss.
I reach up and rub my skin directly over my heart, wishing Lucy was here with me. Everything I’ve done over the last four years has led me back here, to where it all started. I remember seeing Lucy for the first time hanging around the track with Tawny. I believed she was just another one of the pit lizards trying to get close to Colton or the other drivers, but as I got to know her, I discovered she had a good head on her shoulders.
“I need to head down to the track for some practice laps, you two good here?” Colton places a gentle kiss on Rylee’s head as she nods in response.
“Don’t worry about us. I’m just waiting for the representative from Corporate Cares to show up. I want to give them a chance to get to know each other before the fundraiser.”
Rylee and Colton share a look before he leaves the garage to head for the track. “What was that all about?” I lean against a toolbox, crossing my arms. Rylee is up to something, but I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. “I may have been gone for all those years, but I still know that look. You’re up to something.”
“I don’t know what you're talking about.” Rylee imitates zipping her lip and throwing away the key, causing us both to laugh. “You worry too much.”
“I have a lot on my mind…” my words trail off as I notice the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on coming toward me. Her golden blonde hair shimmers in the sunlight as she waves hello to someone.
Even after all this time, she still manages to make my heart skip a beat. Lucy Duke, the only woman to steal my heart, saunters down the track toward me. A bright smile covers her face as she laughs at something the person next to her said.
Her eyes light with mischief as the other guys in the crew are vying for her attention. She always loved being the center of attention.
“Hey Lucy! Thanks for coming. I want to introduce you to someone,” Rylee shouts from beside me.
I reach up and grip the back of my neck, attempting to calm the nerves swirling through my mind. My cock hardens down my leg as her scent reaches me, reminding me of our old times together. A time when things were simpler, before I went and ruined everything.
“Hey, Ry!” Lucy raises her right hand above her head waving frantically. “Okay. Okay. We’re coming, you just have to be patient.”
Rylee turns toward me, a bright smile covering her face. “I know that you and Lucy will get along perfectly during this project.” She places her hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I know this isn’t how you imagined your return to the team would be, but we are all excited you’re back.”
Rylee’s words warm me to the core. Her and Colton have been my biggest cheerleaders since that night. Hell, if it wasn’t for Colton, I’d probably be laying in a ditch somewhere.
“Thanks, Ry. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Okay, what was so important that I had to rush over here right this minute? Couldn’t you have at least waited until I dropped my little man off at preschool?”
Little Man?
My head immediately snaps to her direction. Standing next to Lucy is her spitting image, a little boy. Acid fills my veins as I look from her to the little boy.
“Tyler,” Lucy says breathlessly, gripping the little boy's hand tightly in
