Page 9 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)

Holy shit!

For a moment, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Or maybe it was the stress. The heat. The fact that all sorts of crap was playing havoc with her project.

But no. It was him.

Finn Ryder.

Of all the things that could have happened today, seeing him wouldn’t have been just last on her list. It wouldn’t have made the list at all.

And yet here he was, standing here with broad shoulders filling out a black T-shirt, jeans low on his hips, and dusty boots. His jaw was a little sharper, his arms thicker and his dark hair cropped shorter. But he had the same dark eyes, the same unreadable expression.

The boy had become a man. And oh boy, what a man.

Her heart pulsed erratically. She tightened her grip on her clipboard. She was disoriented for a moment, then nervous in a way she hadn’t felt for years.

How long had it been?

Ten years—she should know. Luke was nine. And the last time she and Finn were together, well…

They had been friends for years. Best friends forever. Laughed at the same dumb jokes. Sat in comfortable silence.

And then graduation night came. It had been a blur of parties. They ate, drank, and laughed. Then later that night, the music turned slow and sweet. He had his arms around her waist. Their bodies tight together. She had looked up, saw desire and heat in his dark eyes, and took a chance.

She kissed him.

That kiss led to a little motel on the outskirts of town. The room was small. The AC was clunking in the window. The drapes were faded, and there was a funky odor coming from the rug. The bed was just a double. Finn took up more than half, but they didn’t care.

Finn’s arms wrapped around her, and she was in heaven.

They’d spent the night making love. It hurt the first time, but he was gentle and let her get used to him. Held her like she was the most precious thing in his life. Loved.

She thought he’d come around and knew that she loved him. She had been patient. It was all she ever dreamed of with Finn—to have him love her, to marry him, have his children.

He would deploy today. Lainey was sure he’d ask her to wait for him. And she would. College would keep her busy while he was away.

But when she woke early, stretching out all the aches in her body and looking over, expecting to find Finn lying next to her, the bed was empty.

Maybe he went out for coffee. She sure could use a cup. And a sweet roll.

She waited all morning. There was no note. No goodbye, just an awful sinking silence.

And still she waited.

Waited until the motel staff knocked on the door and told her she had to leave. Even then, she sat on a bench outside the office for another couple of hours, hoping against hope he’d come back.

He never did.

Finally, she called a cab and left. Never told a soul what had happened. When she found out she was pregnant, she asked her mother if she could move in while she went to school. It would save money. She worked as long as she could. Her mother picked up the slack.

She never told anyone who the father was. She’d written Finn a few times just to inform him she was pregnant, not asking for anything. Sent the letters to his mother’s house. He never wrote back. Never tried to get hold of her.

So she moved forward. Built a future for her and their son. A future that didn’t include Finn. Although nature was funny that way. Every time she looked at Luke, she saw Finn. She told Luke the truth—that his father was someone she once loved who didn’t know about him.

And that was the hardest part. For all she knew, he might have read the letters and thrown them away. Or maybe he never received them at all.

And now, the man who had broken her heart, whose son she was raising, was standing five feet away and staring at her like she was the one who had disappeared.

She swallowed hard and stayed calm. She didn’t say a word.

Let Gus do the talking.

Let the two of them tour the site like this was any other inspection.

She didn’t watch them go. Just turned away clenching the clipboard so tight her knuckles ached. The pain kept her focused.

Like he hadn’t just sucker-punched her. Like she wasn’t standing there holding herself together by sheer force of will. Like she couldn’t handle bad news when she’d already survived the worst kind.

The backs of her eyes burned, but she blinked hard. She refused to let him see her crack. Not today.

Fine by her.

Let him walk away. He was good at that.

She had work to do.

And if Finn Ryder thought he would just step in and play the hero? Think he could take over her project?

He had another think coming.

They were almost done. Gus thanked Finn for coming, clapped him on the shoulder, then stepped aside to take a call.

And then it was just her and Finn. Alone.

“Yeah.” He looked around. “So you’re the project manager?”

She nodded. “I am.”

His eyes scanned the structure, the workers loading a load of lumber from the flatbed. “You’ve done a lot with the place.”

“I’m trying to bring it back to life,” she said, voice calm, despite the pounding of her heart.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he added after a beat.

“I can imagine,” she replied. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.”

He glanced over toward Gus, then at her again.

He didn’t ask anything else. Not about her life. Not about the years in between.

And maybe that was for the best.

Because if he had asked, she wasn’t sure what she would’ve said.

She stepped back slightly. “I should get back to the crew.”

“Of course,” he said.

She turned before he could say anything more. Before her voice cracked or her composure slipped.

Let him walk away. He’d done it before.

This time, she’d be the one who didn’t look back.