Lawton Ridge Duet Series

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

TYLER

TWELVE YEARS LATER

The air feels different for the first time since I’ve entered this hellhole. I inhale a deep breath and smile when I see my best friend’s truck in the parking lot. After spending five years in prison, it’s the best f*****g sight ever. Walking out with only the clothes on my back and a new sense of freedom, I head toward them.

Maddie hops out with her seven-month pregnant belly, and I chuckle when I hear Liam calling after her.

“Tyler!” she shouts, waddling as fast as she can to me.

As she approaches, I smile and open my arms, and she cries the moment we embrace. My emotions start to bubble over too, but I hold them back, knowing she’s on hormone overload.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re out!” She pushes back slightly, eyeing me up and down.

Liam joins and pulls me in for a side hug. “Dude. You look buff as fuck.”

I chuckle. “Gotta make sure I’m prepared for the real world now, ya know?”

Smiling down at Maddie, I look at her bump. “You look huge.”

She playfully pushes at my chest, laughing. “Shut up. I know. And I still have two more months.”

I cringe. “Yikes. Good thing I’m only staying for a few weeks.”

Maddie’s smile drops. “What? That’s it? Why?”

I knew she wouldn’t be happy about that.

Liam grabs Maddie’s hand as we walk to the truck. He helps her into the back seat, and I take the passenger seat.

“You know I didn’t even want to go to Sacramento.” We all buckle up, and I glance back at their firstborn sleeping soundly in his car seat next to Maddie. “I found a job back home. I need a fresh start. There’s nothing here for me,” I tell her, not wanting to upset her further, but Maddie has always been vocal for as long as I’ve known her. I don’t actually have the job set in stone yet, but if Maddie knows that, she’ll be even more relentless about me staying.

“Ugh. Me! And Liam and baby Tyler.”

“And you all have your own lives to live. You won’t mind me invading your space for a little bit, but after a while, you’ll want your privacy again, so it’s best if I try to go back into civilian life the best I can.”

Liam starts the truck and drives us out of the parking lot. “Babe, he’s made his decision,” he tells Maddie.

I glance back at her and see her shoulders slump. “Fine, but I’m using these next three weeks to change your mind.”

“You will after you realize my cooking game is weak.” I’m rusty from being locked up.

My grandmother taught me during my teenage years since my mother barely got her high, drunken a*s out of bed on most days. Mimi and I spent countless nights and weekends bonding in the kitchen.

“I’m happy you’ll have time to spend with baby Tyler at least,” Maddie says, glancing at him with pride.

“Me too, Mads. I’m ready to get back to normal.” Whatever the f**k normal is.

I teared up with happiness when they visited me in prison and introduced me to him. After I saved Maddie from the O’Learys and got Liam out of his arranged marriage with the mob princess, they honored me by naming their first son after me. Even though helping them is what put me behind bars, I’ll never regret what I did to protect them.

Baby Tyler’s almost two now. I wish I could watch him grow up and be in his life every day, but I have to get away. After what happened in Sacramento and Vegas, the last place I want to be is somewhere she can easily find me. Victoria O’Leary ruined my life and stole time that I’ll never get back.

Even considering the outcome, I wouldn’t change anything I did. Liam’s been like a brother to me for years, and I value the friendship Maddie and I formed through it all. They’re my family and always will be.

After Victoria kidnapped Maddie and threatened Liam, I lied to get on Victoria’s payroll, and she stupidly hired me to be one of her bodyguards. When she sent me to Montana for a “classified job,” I had no idea it was to oversee Maddie. After setting a plan into place, I knocked out Eric—the other bodyguard—and escaped with Maddie. Victoria had a rich-b***h hissy fit and planted illegal guns and pounds of drugs in my truck. When I was driving to California to visit Liam and Maddie, one of her shady police officers pulled me over. He knew exactly what he’d find too and stated he smelled pot inside the truck, which gave him probable cause to search.

Fucking bastard.

Though all the O’Learys are f*****g ruthless, Victoria takes the cake. In the few months I worked for their family, I saw and heard the craziest s**t. Still, it didn’t prepare me when I witnessed Victoria murder her brother, JJ, the night Liam was knifed by Victoria’s boyfriend, Mickey.

It was the biggest f*****g scandal I’ve ever witnessed. One I hadn’t seen coming.

Weeks after that, life had gone back to normal, or so I thought. Liam recovered from getting stabbed, and I moved back to Vegas. A few weeks later, that b***h pulled the rug from underneath me.

Every day was basically the same. I tried to keep my mind busy by working out, but the anger ate me alive. I lifted weights and ran until I couldn’t feel my limbs. The only thing that brought a smidge of happiness was when Liam and Maddie came every month. Though I wish they could’ve visited more often, the drive was six hours round trip, so I understood.

Everleigh flew from Alabama a few times, but I knew she couldn’t afford it, so I asked her to stop. She opened a boutique a few years ago and put her life savings into it. The last thing I wanted was for her to spend money on visiting me for a half an hour when she could invest more into her business. Instead, I called her and our grandparents a couple times a week to catch up. I miss her like crazy, and though I’m nervous as hell to go back to Lawton Ridge, I’m excited to see and hug my little sister again.

“So, what kind of job did you get?” Maddie asks as we merge onto the highway.

“Mechanic at a garage,” I explain, hopeful I’ll actually get hired. “Working on cars, doing oil changes, greasy shit.”

“Do you still remember how to do that stuff?” she asks. At one point, I worked on her car and even taught her a few things. Maddie doesn’t enjoy getting her hands dirty, but I made her anyway. Thinking back to it has me cracking up.

“Yeah, I know enough. I even read articles and books while I was locked up.”

“You did?”

“I had to keep my mind sharp.” I smirk. “I read other stuff too. We had access to a small library.”

“I feel bad. I should’ve brought you some of my romance novels.”

Liam snorts from the driver’s side. “Yeah, sure. If you want him to get his a*s kicked.”

Maddie leans forward and smacks my arm. “Nah. Look how big his muscles are. They’d be stupid to mess with Tyler.”

Grinning, I pat her hand. “Thanks, Mads. I appreciate the ego boost.”

“You’re very welcome. Now, on to more important subjects. Are you going to see Gemma while you’re there?”

She emphasizes her name like it’s a dirty word, but for me, it ignites a fire in my body. Gemma—the woman who’s haunted my dreams for twelve years—the woman I left, who’s engaged to another man.

I shrug, though I know damn well I’ll see her nearly every day. It’ll be my own personal hell, but one I deserve after the way things ended. Her father owns the garage I’ll be interviewing for, and although my gut reaction was to say no when Everleigh brought up the idea, I also knew my criminal record would make getting hired at most places nearly impossible. Especially in my small hometown where rumors fly like planes at an international airport.

My sister wanted me to come home just as much as I wanted to start over and was nice enough to talk to Jerry about giving me a job. She thinks I’ll get it, and I hope she’s right, but if not, I’ll be looking until I find something. Working at the garage would help get me back on my feet.

“Maddie…” Liam warns. “Quit pushing him. He hasn’t even been out for an hour yet.”

She frowns. “Fine, but I will get the juicy details out of you eventually. I’ll text and call you every day if I have to.”

I chuckle. “I don’t doubt that.”

“Don’t worry, man.” Liam turns to me. “As soon as she pops that baby out, she’ll forget all about your love life.”

“Ha! Love life? There won’t be one for a long a*s time, trust me. You’ll be having your next baby before I have a relationship.”

“Don’t put that idea in his head!” Maddie scolds as Liam laughs. “He’ll keep me knocked up!”

“What’s the problem with that? You’re adorable.” I look over my shoulder and smirk.

“I was adorable four months ago. Now, I’m just a beached whale.”

Maddie talks my ear off for the next three hours, and soon, Liam’s pulling into the driveway. They bought a new house, but the picture I saw of it didn’t give it justice because it’s big and beautiful.

“Home sweet home!” Maddie says, wrapping her arms around me from the back seat. “I’m glad you’re here.”

I squeeze her and smile. “I am too. Thanks for having me.”

“If it were up to me, you’d move in permanently, so don’t thank me just yet. I plan to talk you into staying.”

Liam opens the door and helps her down. “Babe, you can’t harass him the whole time.”

“I’m not.”

Liam gives me an apologetic look, but I don’t mind. Listening to Maddie’s antics brings me back to being roommates and hanging out every day. That was before s**t got complicated with the O’Learys.

Baby Tyler wakes up when Liam grabs him out of the car seat, and he nuzzles his face into Liam’s neck. I take the diaper bag from him, then shut the door.

“Gonna give me the grand tour?” I tease as we make our way to the front.

“Absolutely!” Maddie answers. “I have your room all set and ready. Can’t wait to show you.”

A couple of days after my arrival, we had a cookout and my other friends—Mason, Sophie, Hunter, Lennon, and all their kids—came over. It was the reunion I’d been anxious about for months. Though they all visited me from time to time, it wasn’t as frequent as Maddie and Liam, so it was good to see them.

We drank beer, talked about sports, and I played with the little ones. For the first time in years, I felt normal. Though at moments, I’d look around waiting for the guard to tell me time was up, then push me back in my cell.

I hadn’t realized the PTSD would kick in so quickly or that I’d actually have it. There’s no “therapy session” that walks us through going back to real life. Basically, I’m just winging it. It was often lonely. The only person I had actual conversations with was my cellmate, Archer. We met three years ago, and before him, I didn’t talk much to anyone. He has a few years left, and I told him to get in touch with me as soon as he’s released. I even left him my new address in case he wanted to reach out.

Tomorrow, I’ll fly to Alabama, and Everleigh will pick me up from the airport. I don’t have much packed, maybe a suitcase full. Liam was able to grab some things from my old apartment in Vegas, mostly clothes and some personal items. My sister’s letting me stay in her spare room, which is great for me, but I already feel like a burden. Though she’s told me several times I’m not, it’s hard not to feel like a failure at life right now.

“The baby has been kicking all day.” Maddie waddles into my room and plops down on the bed. “He’s protesting you leaving.”

“Is that so?” I ask with amusement, popping a brow.

She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns. “Yes. He wants to meet you as soon as he’s here.”

“You can FaceTime me on my new phone,” I remind her. “After the birth, though, please. Not during.”

Liam chuckles as he walks in holding baby Tyler, glancing at Maddie, then me. “Trust me, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“It won’t be the same.” Maddie pouts. “But either way, you better answer when we call. No matter what.”

“I will, promise.”

She closes her eyes, and tears stream down her cheeks. It guts me to see her upset. I love Maddie and appreciate everything they’ve done for me, but I can’t stay. No matter how much she wants me to, I just can’t.

“Mads, don’t cry.” I lean over and wipe her cheek. “I’ll visit. We’ll text and talk on the phone. You’ll send me photos of your babies. I’ll FaceTime you and show you around my hometown.”

She sniffs and nods. “You better!”

“I will.”

Maddie cracks a smile, and I wrap my arms around her, giving her a hug without adding too much pressure.

“How about I cook one more dinner for old times’ sake?” I grin.

“Not that spicy s**t, though.” She points a finger at me, and I laugh. When I was her bodyguard in Montana and before she knew I was Liam’s friend, I made her one of my grandma’s Southern pasta dishes. Before I could warn her to stir in the seasonings, she took a large bite, and her tongue went numb.

“Whatever you want. Lady’s choice,” I offer, standing.

She follows my lead, and we walk toward the kitchen. “Mac ’n cheese mixed with carrots and cut-up Vienna sausages.”

I turn and narrow my eyes at her, then glance at Liam.

He shakes his head. “Don’t ask. She’s had the weirdest pregnancy cravings these past few months.”

“It’s not that weird!” she argues.

“I don’t know, Mads. That sounds like prison food.” I chuckle, grabbing a pan from the cabinet. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten it but made with generic s**t and old powdered cheese.”

“Oh, we’re going fancy tonight. Kraft shells all the way and extra cheese on top.” Maddie grabs two boxes from the pantry, then shakes them in the air like maracas.

Soon, dinner is ready, and the three of us are laughing as we serve ourselves, then sit at the table.

“This is so good.” Maddie moans around a mouthful. “Right, baby?”

We all look at baby Tyler who’s half-feeding himself and half-tossing the noodles on the floor.

“He looks just like Liam when he stuffs his face full of food,” I say.

“Yeah, and he looks just like his uncle Tyler when he’s having a hissy fit,” Liam throws back.

“Oh man, low blow.” I cackle. “I can’t wait until he’s older, so I can teach him how to box. He’ll be kicking your a*s before he’s ten.”

I miss training in the ring and teaching people how to fight. It was my favorite profession before prison and something I hope to get back into once I’m settled. Even though Lawton Ridge is a small town, and there aren’t many gym choices, there’s one I can join if it’s not too expensive. For the past three weeks, I’ve been running outside, but I miss lifting and hitting a punching bag.

“I don’t think so…” Maddie intervenes. “He loves to dance just like his mama.”

“We are not putting my son in dancing classes.”

“Yes, we are.”

“He’s going to play football like his daddy.”

“Daddy and Mommy also did yoga, so he could do both,” Maddie adds with a grin, and Liam groans with an eye roll. Even I know it’s no use arguing with her.

We spend the rest of the evening talking s**t and playing with baby Tyler. It’s surreal to say good night to them one last time, knowing I’ll be gone tomorrow. I’m so proud of my two best friends and how much they’ve accomplished. They fought for each other for a long a*s time and endured much drama and many hardships, but it led them to where they are now. They have the picture-perfect family, and no two people are more deserving. I’m truly happy for them.

I hope someday good karma comes around and rewards me with the same.

The next morning, Maddie’s in tears again as I hug her goodbye. I kiss baby Tyler, hug Liam, then grab my two suitcases.

“Text me when you land,” Maddie calls out.

“I will.” I flash her a wink. “Good luck, you two.”

“Same to you, man,” Liam says.

“I wanna hear all about Gemma. Don’t forget!” Maddie shouts as I walk through the sliding doors at the airport. I shake my head at her persistence. This isn’t the first time she’s asked about her, probably more like the hundredth. It’s my fault for mentioning Gemma years ago and then bringing it up a few times in the letters I wrote Maddie. But it hurt too much to talk about her, so I stopped. I didn’t want to open that wound again. What happened between Gemma and me was years ago, and I need to let it go.

That was before I decided to return to Alabama. Before I realized I’d be working for her dad.

Before I found out she was engaged to a rich prick.

Before I realized my feelings for her never went away.

But it doesn’t matter now.

Too much time has passed and she’s in love with another man. I kept her away this long, so it shouldn’t be that hard again.