Page 6 of Theo (Stone Brothers #6)

FIVE

THEO

T he party had cleared out. It was Thursday, and most people, me included, had work in the morning.

Crusoe was supposed to help his dad, Hunter, at the motorcycle shop first thing, but something told me he wasn't going to make it in, and if he did, he'd be little use.

He had gone down to the basement, our gaming room slash theater, to play video games.

I could still hear him down there yelling either at the game or the other online players.

It was hard to tell, but Crusoe took his gaming very seriously.

I glanced at my phone for the hundredth time to check the clock, so I could mentally count down how many hours of sleep I would get if I fell asleep in the next few minutes.

Of course, all that did was make me more anxious because I knew I was going to be tired as shit when the alarm went off.

I worked for my Uncle Colt, and he always knew when I didn't get enough sleep or had been up partying too late just by looking at me. I was going to get an earful from him.

I'd started the night with only a beer, but after the texts and phone call with Lacey, and then the abrupt end to all of it, I started in on the tequila shots.

Jules caught me downing them in quick succession and finally took the last one out of my fingers, downed it herself and then dragged me away from the tequila bottle.

We talked a few minutes about Lacey. I was confused about why she'd contacted me after all this time, but Jules assured me she was probably just having pre-wedding jitters and thinking about how much fun she had back in Trayton.

It was a reasonable explanation and also pretty fucking disappointing.

Stupidly, I'd talked myself into thinking that Lacey was having second thoughts and that she'd finally come to her senses and realized that she belonged with me.

I glanced around the dark room. My mini blinds had broken months ago, and I never replaced them.

The blinds hung sideways in the big window, and the moon glowed through the darkness.

It also illuminated my dumpy room. I'd found a free dresser on someone's front lawn, and the same shabby piece of furniture stood in the corner of my room, only I rarely had time to get my clean clothes back into the drawers.

They were piled in a laundry basket on the floor, and the only reason they were in the basket was because they were clean and the floor was gritty from my work boots.

Sure, why the hell wouldn't Lacey have second thoughts when instead of a glitzy fucking mansion she could bunk here with me …

and Crusoe, the king of partying and gaming?

I fluffed up my thin pillow and rested my head down. "What the hell, Lacey? Why'd you put me in this fucking funk again?" As I said it, my phone rang. I knew instinctively it was her and I practically sent the phone across the room in my hurry to pick up. "Lace?"

Sniffles came through the phone.

"Lace?" I asked again but sounding less like a psycho.

"You know when you make a big decision and it seems like the right one until it doesn't and a million regrets get tossed around with a thousand what ifs and then you have to ask yourself what the hell am I doing?"

She sounded upset, but the fact that she'd called me made me smile. In the past, she knew she could call me anytime. Back then, I somehow always knew what to say to make her feel better. This time my response was for purely selfish reasons.

"First of all, you're talking to the king of regrets and what ifs, and secondly—" I paused. Her sniffling stopped.

"Theo? Are you still there?" The background voices and music had gone silent. The big pre-wedding party was over.

"You belong here. With me." The words came out, and I knew they were going to be one of those regretful decisions, but I had to let her know how I felt.

"I never stopped loving you, Ace. I never stopped thinking about you.

I don't have the money and success he has, but I'd spend every minute of the day making sure you were happy. "

"Theo," she said my name in a soft, breathy way, which circled around the room and landed directly in my chest. Hearing her say it that way brought back so many memories, good and bad.

"I remember every minute with you, Ace. Fuck, you had me spinning. I couldn't think straight when you were with me."

She giggled lightly into the phone. "I'll never forget the day you climbed up on the cafeteria table to yell 'I fucking love you, Lacey Michaels!'"

"I had to do something drastic. You were pissed at me about something. Can't remember."

"Yes, you can," she said pointedly.

"Right, I do. I'd forgotten to order you one of those red carnations for Valentine's Day. I think my Valentine was more original. It also got me suspended for the rest of the day, but it was worth it cuz I got my message across."

"To the whole damn school but you're right. It was way better than one of those wilted carnations."

"Besides, it was true. Loved you then, Lacey, and I love you now. Come home to me." I'd already put myself out there, so I figured I'd just go for it.

"I'm getting married on Saturday," she said.

The tequila buzz was starting to fade and reality was sinking in like a heavy weight. "Yeah, so I hear. Jules keeps me posted on all the fancy wedding news. Never pictured you as the expensive, showy wedding type."

"That's because I'm not. I'm just sort of a fixture in my future mother-in-law's dream wedding.

All I have to do is put on the dress, show up and smile for the photographers and videographer.

And yes, she hired three photographers, so she could have more photos to choose from.

" A scraping noise came through the phone.

"Oh wait, that's Oscar. He's my only friend this weekend. Just a second. I need to let him in."

I heard her walk across the room and greet Oscar enthusiastically. I sat up like a jealous asshole. Was Oscar the doctor, the fuckface who decided he could take the love of my life and fucking marry her?

She picked up the phone.

"Wait, are we talking in front of your fiancé? What the hell?"

A photo came through. It was Lacey with her cheek pressed against the cheek of a yellow lab. "That's Oscar," she said.

Seeing her made me sink back against the pillow. Her thick brunette hair was piled up messily on the top of her head, and she was wearing a pair of silky pajamas. She used to walk down the beach in her bikini, and every head would turn.

"Those eyes," I said not really meaning to say it out loud.

She laughed. "Oscar, Theo likes your eyes. They are something, aren't they?"

Blue eyes stared back at me from the photo.

"They sure are. God, Ace, you're still as hot as ever.

I'd do anything to hold you—" I needed to check myself.

She was marrying someone else, and she sure as hell wasn't heading back to her small hometown or to me.

"Hope that asshole knows how lucky he is. "

Lacey didn't answer. She'd started the sniffles again. "Theo, I should go," she said softly.

"Not yet," I said. "Just need to hear your voice a few more minutes."

"You remember," she said. "You always said that to me when we were talking at night. Even after we'd been talking for two hours, you always said 'not yet. Just need to hear your voice a few more minutes.'"

"Couldn't get enough of you, Lacey. Remember what we used to say as we hung up?"

She paused. "How could I forget? Shall we?"

"Yep. Sweet dreams, lover, just make sure I'm in those fucking dreams." We said it in perfect unison and then she laughed. Missed that sound so fucking much.

I'd had my dream moment, but it was over. She was getting married on Saturday, and maybe that would be good. Maybe that would force me to stop dreaming about her. I had to let her go. It was going to feel like a rubber mallet hitting my chest, but maybe it was for the best.

"Thanks for this, Lacey. Thanks for letting me—I don't know—fuck—thanks for letting me know that there's still a piece of me in your life."

"Never forgot you, Theo, and I never will. Goodnight."

"Night, Ace. Hope it all turns out great for you. It's what you deserve."

We hung up. I held the phone for a minute longer.

Somehow, there was still enough tequila in my bloodstream to let me believe she'd call back and tell me it was me, that it had only ever been me, but the phone didn't ring.

I set it down on the nightstand, scooted down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Fuck. I'm never going to sleep tonight."