Chapter One
Five years later.
Present day.
I STARED at the perfect ivory door in front of me, duffle bag slung over my shoulder and rolling suitcase resting at my side.
Ally’s apartment building, so far, was perfect.
Humble and charming. The doorman had let me in with no questions asked after giving him my name.
Ally had stated three years ago that wherever she lived, I would always have entrance there.
I was glad she had taken it literally. Especially, after how things had changed.
I bit my lip as the memories rushed again, as they had for years now.
“Honey, I’ve met someone,” Ally spoke quietly while I tried not to choke on the hot chocolate I drank. “I…I love her. I tried to wait. But…it’s been so long…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, but she’s the one.” Her voice tapered off.
I stared blindly. “Her name?” I didn’t know how I spoke, but I did. My heart clenched in agony.
“Samantha,” Ally whispered. “Samantha Blake.”
She wouldn’t meet my eyes, but suddenly she smiled. A smile of a woman in love. And my heart burned.
“You will always be welcomed in my home, Ember. Sam knows about you. It was so hard to make this choice.” Ally cleared her throat and blinked rapidly. “I still love you so very much.”
But, not enough.
I fainted.
I rubbed my eyes to wash the memories away.
It had been long ago. That had been the last and only time I had seen her.
We kept in contact. There was too much history between us not to.
I still loved her, but she had moved on.
My love had changed too. We still belonged to one another but as friends.
A true friendship that couldn’t be broken.
But life and time had changed us. I had taken too long.
Now, I stood in front of her doorway in New York City, where she lived with her “one and only”.
Lord, help me, but I was scared to knock.
It was late. I glanced at my watch. 2:00AM.
Very late, or extremely early. Depending on how you looked at it.
Maybe I should find a hotel and come back tomorrow.
That would be the polite thing to do. I nodded to myself and grabbed my rolling suitcase and turned toward the elevators.
I was halfway there when I stopped dead in my tracks. If I was being honest with myself, I was only leaving because I was afraid what Samantha might think.
Well, the heck with that.
I didn’t give a flying you-know-what, what she thought. This was Ally’s place after all. To the fiery place with Samantha. I wanted in. Now. Not tomorrow. It had been a long hard drive to even get here. And I had been scared out of my ever-lovin’ mind for half the trip. I needed my friend.
I stomped back and rapped my knuckles loudly on the door and waited. Ally didn’t know I was coming. What would she think? Would she be upset I just showed up? And more importantly, what did her Samantha look like? I bet she was beautiful. Had to be.
Dread uncurled in my stomach, and I rubbed in absently, ignoring the bruise I had there--one in a million in my lifetime.
Light footsteps echoed behind the door just as I was bringing my hand up to knock again.
“Who’s there?” I heard a muffled feminine voice ask. Samantha. Ally’s voice was dipped in southern, like mine. This one had a faint British accent. Wonderful.
“Ember. I’m a friend of Ally’s,” I spoke clear and loud, all the while hoping like heck I didn’t wake her neighbors.
Chains rattled and the deadbolt unlatched.
The door swung open and I was face to face with my replacement.
My heart sank. She was more than beautiful.
She was exquisite. Even though I had come to accept nothing would ever happen between Ally and me, it’s still hard to have the woman look so darn good.
Why couldn’t she have been a little ugly?
A crooked nose or a unsightly birthmark was too much to ask, I guess.
Instead, in front of me stood a brunette of about 5’ 9” – right about Ally’s height, perfect cheekbones, green glittering eyes – even if she looked tired, porcelain skin, lush lips, luscious curves that weren’t hidden beneath her satin robe, and legs that went on forever.
And a baseball bat clutched in one perfectly manicured hand. Whoa!
I glanced up at her warily. She could so take me down in a heartbeat.
My 5’ 2”, thin frame had nothing on her.
But, she didn’t look like she was going to use it.
Her eyes were roving over me, just as I had checked her out moments before.
Intelligence gleamed there. Yeah, she knew who I was.
Slowly, she set the baseball bat against the wall.
Her eyes met mine.
There was a challenge in their emerald depths.
I knew she was warning me off. She didn’t need to. Ally had already told me who she wanted.
And it wasn’t me.
“I’m assuming you’re Samantha?” I asked. When she nodded, I stuck out my hand. “It’s nice to me you. I’m Ember Taylor. Sorry to drop by so late. I just made it into town.” Not really so sorry, but hey, it’s sounded polite and all.
Her return smile expressed that she had no delusions to how sorry I was. She shook my hand with a rough, hard shake. “I know who you are. It’s nice to meet you, too. Although, it would have been nice to know you were coming in advance.”
I shrugged and let go of her hand. I wasn’t going to apologize. This was Ally’s place, after all.
“Sam?” Ally’s voice drawled sleepily from somewhere behind Samantha. “Who’s at the door?”
Sam’s lips pinched, but she stepped back and opened the door wide. Ally stood there in a matching satin robe, looking sleep rumpled and like home. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, and I had to smile. She looked just the same. Except for the elegant brunette next to her, she hadn’t changed.
Her eyes widened. Large chocolate brown eyes stared back at me in shock. “Ember?”
“In the flesh,” I offered and laughed outright when she bolted from the safety of their apartment and embraced me in a bone crushing hug.
Her riot of curls smothered me and I was never so happy to be suffocated.
She had changed her shampoo. She smelled of roses, instead of oranges.
I blinked back the tears of happiness…and pain as she hit a nasty bruise on my ribs.
She didn’t know it was there. They were all covered. I whispered by her ear, “I missed you.”
Her tear filled gaze found mine after she planted a kiss on my forehead. “No more than I’ve missed you.”
Sam cleared her throat, interrupting our happy reunion. Ah, yes. My replacement. I sighed and released Ally, but she didn’t let me go. She turned defiantly to Sam with an arm slung over my shoulder, but spoke respectfully enough, “Sam, this is…”
Sam cut her off. “We’ve already made the introductions, love. I think we should take this inside before we wake the neighbors.”
“Right, right. We wouldn’t want that now,” Ally’s twang showed up in her merriment. Glad to hear she hadn’t lost it. She ushered me inside before grabbing my rolling suitcase and dragging it in.
The inside of their apartment matched them I decided as I sat down on their tan couch.
Sam went off to make some hot chocolate for me and coffee for the two of them.
Ally sat across from me while I took in their place.
There were southern bits here and there with the artwork of forests and mountains, all beautifully photographed, candles of all colors scattered on bookshelves – fire hazard?
, and a large wooden desk under their window.
The rest screamed London. Some items were old, like the coffee table in front of me made of rock and iron, but there were contemporary pieces of Big Ben and Buckingham palace that were done with swift brushstrokes and lively colors.
It was a smorgasbord of the two of them. Perfect.
Whoop tie-do. I wasn’t ready to be happy for them yet. In time. Possibly. But, not now.
“Your apartment suits you two,” I murmured absently. My roaming gaze caught on a frame. Brent’s gift.
I jumped up and grabbed it like a lifeline. She hadn’t forgotten me completely. I stood there holding it while Ally watched. “Thank you. Sam had a lot to do with it. I was never any good at decorating…but, you know this.”
I nodded absently, staring at the three of us captured forever in our youth.
Nine years later, things had changed so much.
Not only were we all twenty-seven now, but we would never be that happy couple again.
Ally had ruined that for all of us. I sat it down, withholding my sigh.
That was an unfair thought. Ally deserved happiness. Nine years was a long time to wait.
I stood staring out the window blankly. “Are you happy, Ally?”
I heard her stand. Footfalls behind me, then her warm arms wrapped around me from behind. Her head rested on mine and she whispered, “Yes. She’s it for me.”
I swallowed harshly, knowing fully that all I wanted for my past lover was happiness. It didn’t stop the tears that threatened, but I wouldn’t cry. No one had seen me cry, but a bastard. And Ally was not that bastard. She would never see them fall.
A hunk of glasses hitting rock interrupted our solitude of silence and thoughts of a future that would never be. Sam’s voice rang out in the quiet, “Here you go.”
Ally and I eyed her from our comfortable stance and I discretely elbowed her.
Sam was feeling threatened. Her movements were jerky as she cleaned the table off where she’d spilt some of the dark liquid when she had slammed them down and her eyes were slits of suppressed anger.
I wasn’t here to wreck their relationship. I only needed my friend.
Ally released me and walked over grabbing her cup, then placing a lingering kiss of Sam’s lips.
I shut my eyes. Yeah, it was hard. So very hard.
But, I got myself together before they pulled away.
They didn’t notice my flinch, luckily, and I sank on to their couch with my cup.
I blew on it until they took their seats in a loveseat. Very cozy. How nice.
No one spoke for a moment and I decided to drop the bomb. “Momma’s dead.”
Silence existed in their shocked states until Sam’s polite upbringing must have taken over at my completely unsophisticated blurting. “I’m so sorry.”
Ally’s response was a tab bit different.
After her initial shock, she handed off her drink to Sam and jumped from her chair and beat the air with her fists above her head, screaming, “Woo-hoo! ‘Bout damn time! Yea!”
Sam looked appalled and I couldn’t help laughing.
Goodness, it was good to have Ally around.
I jumped up and threw my arms around her and we hopped around like a five years old screaming and laughing.
Sam had to think we were plum loony, but heck even she deserved to be in on the celebration, too.
So I grabbed her hand after she sat the drinks down and gave her a big ‘ol hug – shocking her more – while Ally found a song to put on despite the late hour.
I imagined her having neighbors calling the doorman to complain. Maybe not. It was New York.
“Independence Day” rang out through the speakers and even though Sam didn’t have a Sam-hell of a clue what was going on, she got out the vodka and beer and we celebrated until we were all properly drunker than Aunt Helen on a church day – graciously she was always too sick to go to church, after all. Wink, wink.
An hour later, I slurred from the couch, “Well, now. That was the wake I have been dying to give momma.” I hiccupped and giggled.
“Brent should have been here for this,” Ally belched from her prone position on the floor in front of the stereo. Sam was taking a big chug from the bottle of vodka. Darn it, there went the last of it. Guess Brits could drink.
“How is he?” I asked, looking at her. My turn ended me on the floor face down somehow. Dang, that couch was tall. I rubbed my nose on their carpet. Mmm, soft.
“You American born can’t hold your damn liquor,” Sam mumbled before crashing on the loveseat. A second later, the empty bottle tumbled from her finger and a delicate snore erupted from her perfect lips. Geez Louise, she even snored prettily.
“I haven’t talked directly to him in years.
Not since he found out about Sam.” She pointed to the forest pictures on the wall.
“I bought those from him right before.” She snapped her finger in the air and tried to sit up.
Didn’t work so well. She tumbled back on the carpet and another delicate belch flared.
“I think he has a show coming up. Wanna go?”
I thought about it for all of a nanosecond, “Well, heck yeah. But don’t tell him I’m here. I want to surprise him.”
“Does your Pa know where you are?” She rolled and looked at me. She blinked a few times – or maybe it was me – and hiccupped.
“Hush, now,” I garbled, closing my eyes. “Don’t ruin our fun.”
“Ah, shit honey. Not the answer I wanted,” Ally mumbled. “I love you.”
“Ditto,” I burped.
She chuckled. “You haven’t changed.”
…if only that were true.