Until Bax (Until Him/Her #14)

1. Bax

CHAPTER 1

Bax

S hoving open the door to Blue’s Bar and Grill, I step inside, bypassing the podium where a small crowd is waiting to be seated for dinner. I nod at the people I know as I head for the bar, where my brother Talon is sitting with a beer in front of him. His eyes are glued to the game playing on the TV behind the counter.

His focus turns to me when I pull out the stool next to his and ask, “Did you just get here?”

“About ten minutes ago.” He glances behind me. “Where’s Liam?”

“He’s on his way. He got caught up with the delivery guys that were dropping off the roofing supplies for that house on Hickson.”

“They late again?”

“You already know the answer to that question,” I mutter, and he presses his lips together.

“That’s the third time, right?”

“Yep, which is why we need to have a serious conversation about finding a new supplier.”

“We signed a contract with them, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, but I believe it’s up at the end of this year. We can confirm with Liam when he gets here.” I make eye contact with the bartender and motion to the beer Talon’s drinking, letting her know I’ll have the same and getting her smile in return.

“Did Maxim reach out to you?”

“No, what’s up?”

“He wants to meet up to talk about some work he’s wanting to have done at that house he and April bought to flip in West Nashville.”

“Do we have time to take on that job?”

“I’m not sure.” He shakes his head. “I’m going to meet with him on Monday and do a walk-through of the house to see how extensive the job would be. I just don’t know if we have the time to commit to that project with everything else we have going on.” He drags his eyes from mine to look at the TV when clapping erupts around us, and I do the same, catching the tail-end of the team that just scored a touchdown celebrating before it cuts to a commercial.

“You put any money on this game?”

“I bet Liam twenty dollars they’d win.” He shakes his head, lifting his beer. “This season was supposed to be their comeback.”

“You say that same shit every year.”

He turns to glare at me. “They’re your team too.”

“Yeah, but I’m not under some false impression that they’ll come back better than ever.” I laugh at the look he gives me, then change the subject. “Where’s Mia tonight?” He’s always with his wife and kids when he’s not working, and it’s rare that he asks to go out for a beer anymore.

“With her sister and all the kids, setting up for tomorrow.”

“What’s happening tomorrow?” I pick up my beer that the bartender slides in front of me.

“Pumpkin carving, and if you tell me you forgot and made other plans, Mia will have your balls.”

Shit.

“I didn’t forget.”

“Right.” He pulls out his phone when it starts to ring. “It’s Mia. I’m gonna go talk to her outside, be back.” He slides off his stool and walks toward the door.

I take a swig from my beer, then turn to look over my shoulder when a tinkle of laughter hits my ears. I wouldn’t say I know everyone who lives in the town I grew up in, but there aren’t many I don’t, and I definitely have never seen the woman sitting at a high-top table with my next-door neighbor Kourtney. The laughter comes again, and I watch her with her head thrown back and a smile on her face. Sensing me looking, she takes her eyes off Kourtney, and her face softens in a way that says we do, in fact, know each other as our eyes connect.

Dragging her gaze off mine, she says something to Kourtney, who looks back at me, lifting her hand in a small wave while her friend slides off the tall stool she’s sitting on. As she starts walking my way, I try to figure out how the fuck I know her.

I don’t. I would remember her long-as-fuck dark hair that my fingers could get lost in and the flare of her hips, which are accentuated by her jeans and the sweater she’s wearing. Her face has likely played a role in a million men’s fantasies. She’s not just pretty; she’s gorgeous, with delicate, feminine features, big brown eyes, and full lips that look unbelievably soft.

So caught up in my perusal of her, I’m unprepared when she’s suddenly in front of me, leaning in to give me a hug. “Hey, Bax, it’s been a long time.”

The scent of whatever fucking perfume she’s wearing grips me by the balls when her arms wrap around me. It’s feminine and soft—the same as her features and her body pressed against mine.

“I…” I clear my throat when she lets me go, and her smile widens as she tips her head to the side, causing her dark hair to spill over her shoulder.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about me.”

I want to say I would never forget her, but I obviously have.

“Hey.” Liam appears out of nowhere, slinging his arm over her shoulders, and my hand involuntarily balls into a fist on top of my bent knee. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“It was a last-minute decision.” She smiles up at him, patting his stomach. “I got the job, so I came to celebrate with Kourtney.”

“Yeah?” He grins.

“Yep, I start Monday.”

“Congrats, kid.” He gives her a squeeze, and I look between the two of them, the puzzle pieces clicking into place. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that his sister was in town visiting, but he hasn’t mentioned her since then, and I didn’t think about it because I’ve never seen her when she came back home to visit.

Shit.

There is no fucking way this woman is Olivia. Liam’s little sister, who used to follow us around, and when she wasn’t doing that, her nose was stuck in a book.

“Oli?” I mutter, and her gaze comes back to me.

“Yeah.” Her face softens like it did earlier, and it ramps up her beauty tenfold.

Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “It’s been a long time.” Fuck, this feels awkward. I haven’t seen her for years, and before that… well, before that, she was just Liam’s little sister. She sure as fuck didn’t look like the woman standing in front of me now.

“I know.” Her smile is soft.

“How have you been?” I ask as Liam takes a seat on the stool next to mine.

“Just trying to settle in and get used to small-town life again.”

“You’re in Chicago, right?”

“I was.” She drags her eyes off mine when Kourtney walks up and touches her shoulder.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Kourtney says quietly. “I just got a message from my agency, and I need to step outside to call them back.”

“Oh.” Olivia looks back at the table where they were sitting. “I’m done with my drink, so I’ll just grab my stuff and meet you outside.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.” Kourtney glances at me, then Liam, and I notice her cheeks tinge with pink.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I want to see the space so I can work on moving in this weekend.”

“All right, I’ll meet you outside.” Kourtney looks between Liam and me, saying goodbye before she turns on her heels to leave.

“What’s going on?” Liam asks Oli as soon as Kourtney is out of earshot.

“She has a room she says I can rent from her, so I’m going to go check it out.”

“And you’re going to move in with her?” Liam questions with a frown.

“Hopefully. It would be nice to be settled in before I start work Monday.”

“Are you sure you wanna do that?” His frown deepens. “I know you two were friends growing up, but you haven’t really spent much time with her since you moved away.”

“She stayed with me for a month when she was working in Chicago over the summer, so I have, in fact, spent time with her. Plus since she travels as a nurse, she’s hardly home.” She returns her brother’s frown with one of her own. “I thought you’d be happy to have me out of your hair.”

“I don’t mind you staying with me.”

Her face and her tone both soften. “There’s barely room for you at your place.”

She’s not wrong. About five months ago, he bought a couple of acres and has been living in an RV on the land while his house is being built. And even though his RV is nice, it’s small, even for one person. So, I can only imagine how tight it would be for the two of them and his dog, Lucy.

“Kid—”

“It’s fine, and it’s only temporary. I don’t want to rent an apartment until I know for sure where I want to live.”

“Fine.” He sighs, and she shakes her head before giving him a hug.

“I’ll be home later.”

“Drive safe.”

“Yes, Dad .” She laughs, then looks at me and starts to lean in like she’s going to give me a hug, but second-guesses the move and shifts on her feet. “It was nice seeing you, Bax.”

“Yeah, you too,” I mutter.

After shooting me a bright smile, she knocks Liam in the shoulder with her fist, then turns and wanders back across the room to get her bag and jacket. All while I try— really fucking try —not to check out her ass as she goes. It’s difficult, even after I remind myself that she’s Liam’s little sister.

Fuck.

Swiveling back around on my stool, I pick up my beer and take a healthy swig before I look at my best friend.

“You never mentioned that Oli was moving back here.” Those are the words that come out of my mouth, but what I really want to say is, “You never mentioned that she grew up.”

“I didn’t know she was serious about it when she brought it up.” He glances over his shoulder, then looks at me. “Then she showed up, started looking for a job, and told me all of her shit would be here soon.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“I think she’s worried about Dad. You know he ended up in the hospital a month ago because of his diabetes.”

“I remember.”

He nods. “When that happened, I called to tell her what was going on. She couldn’t catch a flight right away because the storms were so bad, and driving would have taken her just as long as waiting another day for the weather to clear.” He shrugs. “I think that flipped her out.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Whatever the reason, I’m just glad she’s back. And Mom and Dad are happy to have her close since the only time they’ve really gotten to spend with her is when she’s come down for the occasional holiday.”

“Your parents never went to visit her in Chicago?”

“They did, but that drive is hard on Mom, and she hates flying, so the visits were few and far between.”

“Sorry that took so long,” Talon says, breaking into the conversation and slapping Liam on the shoulder in a silent hello before taking back his seat. “Mia wanted to know where I put the pumpkin-carving shit from last year, so I had to walk her through how to use the app I set up for all the storage containers in the garage.”

“Shit, that pumpkin-carving thing is tomorrow ?” Liam grimaces, and my brother narrows his eyes.

“You forgot?”

“I totally spaced it and made plans to go to Gatlinburg to meet up with a friend.”

“You mean a hookup,” I clarify, and he shrugs one shoulder with a smug smile.

“Well, you can call my wife and let her know you’re not going to be there.”

“Or you could just tell her for me.”

“And miss out on her giving you shit? Not a fucking chance.” Talon laughs, and I grin at the look on Liam’s face. Mia, Talon’s wife, is one of the sweetest women I know, but she is also a ballbuster. No one, including me, wants to be on her bad side.

An hour later, after another beer and a plate of nachos, I pull into my driveway and hit the button for the garage but park outside since my motorcycle and four-wheelers are taking up the interior space. Getting out of my truck, I walk down to the mailbox at the end of the driveway and look over at the house next door. Kourtney’s BMW is there, along with a red Audi I don’t recognize. I wonder if it’s Olivia’s. It’s a nice ride and expensive, making me curious about her life back in Chicago.

After grabbing the pile of what I know is mostly junk mail from the mailbox, I head through the garage and open the door to the house. Gemma, my four-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, greets me with her tail wagging as soon as I step inside while Ira, my cat, watches with her golden eyes unblinking from her perch on top of the washing machine. After giving both girls some attention, I hang up my coat and walk down the hall.

Two years ago, I got my house for a steal when the original owners decided to move to Florida after their youngest left for college. They wanted a speedy sell without putting any money into the property, and I planned to flip it for a quick profit. That didn’t work out.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve done quite a bit of work. I opened the kitchen up to the dining room, updated the flooring and paint, and added all new cabinetry and appliances. I also started to update the bathroom in the primary. But after working on other people’s homes all day, I typically have zero energy to put into this space, so it’s going to be a while before it’s all done. And right now, the housing market is a mess, so I’m in no rush to sell.

Plus, at close to three thousand square feet on almost an acre of land, this house would be a great one to start a family in.

Not that I see that happening for me anytime soon. I work too damn much, and dating is about as fun as getting a root canal, so I’ve avoided it like the plague for a while now.

When I reach the kitchen, I drop the mail on the counter, adding it to the pile already there, then walk past the dining table to let Gemma out the double glass doors. The moment I slide it open, she darts across the deck, down the steps, and into the yard. When I get to the edge of the deck, my attention goes to the right at the sound of laughter coming from Kourtney’s backyard—the same laughter I heard at the bar. Gemma hears it too and runs that way, barking. The electric fence is the only thing keeping her from running next door.

“Quiet,” I order, and she shushes, glancing my way before taking off at a run to move farther into the yard.

When Gemma runs back toward me with one of the dozens of tennis balls, she’s hidden in the yard. I walk down the steps, then pick it up from where she drops it at my feet. While I’m tossing it toward the shadows cast by the trees that line the back of my lot, I look over at the house next door and find Olivia and Kourtney sitting on the back deck. They’re talking quietly, with a fire burning in a round gaslit fireplace between the two of them.

I’ve lived next door to Kourtney for a couple of years now, but as Olivia said, she travels a lot for work as a nurse. So besides the occasional chat when we catch each other coming or going, we haven’t had much contact. She was also in the same grade as Olivia, which put her a few years behind Liam and me in school, so we never ran in the same social circles.

After about ten minutes of playing fetch, Gemma begins to slow, obviously tiring herself out with all the running.

“You ready to go inside?” I turn to head for my deck but stop when Olivia’s voice cuts through the dark.

“I guess we’re going to be neighbors.”

Turning her way, I glance behind her and notice Kourtney is no longer outside, and the fireplace has been turned off.

“You’re taking the room?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect for right now.” She takes the steps down into the backyard, and Gemma takes off for her, stopping just short of the invisible fence. “Liam told me that you two got pups from the same litter a few years ago.” She continues into my yard.

“This is Gemma.” I bend down and pick up the ball Gemma dropped and carry it with me toward where Olivia stops.

“Hey, Gemma.” She squats down, and my dog—never one to miss an opportunity to make a new friend—immediately greets her, her entire body shaking in excitement. “You look just like Lucy.” She tips her head back to look up at me with a smile that causes my fist to flex around the ball in my grasp. “Liam told me that your cousin July was pretty insistent you two both needed puppies when they were dropped off at her vet office.”

“You could say that, or you could say she didn’t give either of us a choice.” I laugh, and her smile brightens before she falls to her ass to sit crossed-legged in the grass, allowing Gemma onto her lap.

“Do you guys ever let them play together?”

“She normally goes with me to work, and since Lucy does the same with Liam, they spend a lot of time together.” I squat next to her.

“That’s sweet.” She runs her fingers through Gemma’s thick fur, then looks over her shoulder at my house. “I was surprised when Kourtney told me you live next door to her.”

“Were you?”

“Yeah, I always pictured you living on a piece of property like your parents’ land, out in the country, with no one around and lots of trails for four-wheeling,” she says softly, her eyes lifting to mine.

I don’t know if it’s the outdoor lighting coming off the back of my house or the quiet of the night around us, but she looks even prettier than she did back at the bar.

“Some of my favorite memories growing up are from when you and Liam would let me tag along, and we’d spend the whole day riding in the woods on your parents’ property.”

The reminder of our history stings. She’s not some woman I met for the first time a few hours ago. She’s Liam’s little sister—the girl who used to ride behind me on the back of my four-wheeler and squeal with laughter when I’d purposely go through every mud puddle. The girl who would eat s’mores until she was sick and who giggled anytime Liam and I threatened to beat up some boy who liked her… or a boy she liked.

“My parents still live out there. You’ll have to have Liam take you the next time he goes.” I stand and take a step away from her, catching her brows dragging together before she pulls her eyes from mine.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” She glances over at Kourtney’s house. “I should get back over; I need to head back to Liam’s soon.” She wipes her hands down the front of her jeans and pushes up off the ground, dusting off her ass. “Bye, Gemma.” She rubs the top of my dog’s head, then stands to her full height, which I still tower over, and tips her head back. “Have a good night, Bax.”

“You too, Oli.” I watch her walk away with my hands fisted at my sides and wait until she disappears into Kourtney’s house before I let my head fall back to my shoulders and curse the night sky.

I’m so fucked.