Finding Peace (Breaking Free Series Book 2) Read online

  As we pull into the driveway, I ask Mike, "Are you going to come up?"

  "I'm beat. I think I'm going to head out." He yawns. I know he doesn't like staying here. But I thought after the nice time we had, he would.

  "If that's what you want. I had fun tonight." I lean across the console expecting to get at least a decent good night kiss. What I get instead is a little peck.

  "I'll talk to you later," Mike tells me.

  I wordlessly get out of the car and head upstairs as he pulls away.

  I’m still wired from Molly’s Irish coffee, and not ready to go to sleep. The porch swing is calling my name. The gentle crashing sound of the soft waves on the shore is my favorite way to start and end each day.

  Bentley pulls into the driveway. When he sees me on the porch, he comes up and sits next to me, placing his arm on the back of the swing, and asks, "How was your dinner?"

  "It was delicious as usual. What did you do tonight?"

  "I worked the closing shift and went out with Hunter. He needed to pick up some lumber for one of his projects. Then we went for a beer."

  Bentley and I sit on the swing talking about our plans for the upcoming week. He notices my eyes growing heavy.

  "Go to sleep, Aly. I'll see you tomorrow."

  Standing up sluggishly, I yawn and say, "I guess I should."

  He starts heading up the stairs and I stop him. "Bentley?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Why don't you come down for coffee tomorrow morning? I'm baking cinnamon rolls for breakfast."

  "I'll be there. Now, get some sleep." He winks.

  "Night."

  Alyssa

  MY LIFE FEELS AMAZING. I couldn’t be happier with the way things are falling into place. Mike and I are getting along like we used to. Work is going great, and my living situation is working out perfectly. I love my “landlord-slash-hot-neighbor”—the name all my friends started calling Bentley. The construction noise doesn’t even phase me anymore. Bentley always warns me ahead of time.

  “Today is going to be a loud day, Aly.”

  Usually, I go out on the “loud days” with my best girlfriends: Kat, Lexi, or Jade. Sometimes we all go out with the boys too.

  Kat has this list that she keeps, her adventure list. Being her best friend, it’s my duty to make sure that Kat keeps adding checkmarks to it. So, when she said one of those item was country line dancing, I was in. She and I, along with Caleb and Bentley, go to a country bar and learn how to line dance. The boys are surprisingly really good dancers too. Bentley spends the night protecting me from wandering cowboy hands, and spinning me around the dance floor, playing the role of a true southern gentleman the entire night.

  Unfortunately, the good times come to an end when Kat and Caleb have a falling out, which results in her living with me when her lease was up and she couldn’t find a place to live.

  For a week, she’s been moping around, and frankly, it’s getting annoying.

  “Katerina, I can’t take it anymore. I know things are shitty right now, but you need to start living again. I miss the fun we were just starting to have.”

  Kat looks at me with her pouty face. “Aly, I don’t feel like having fun. What I feel like is opening that container of cookie dough ice cream and eating the whole thing. Thighs be damned.”

  When I giggle at her comment, she grabs my pig slipper and throws it at my head, missing by a mile. I pick it up and throw it back at her, making direct contact. “This is what we are going to do. I’m calling Lexi and Jade, and we are having an adult slumber party. Get me your little list, and we are going to start crossing some things off with the girls tonight.”

  Kat and I grew up together in New Jersey and both our families migrated south. We met Jade and Lexi while at a club and became instant friends. Dani used to be around more, but work transferred her away from us. We would do anything for each other.

  Reluctantly, Kat goes to her bedroom and comes back with her list. What she doesn’t know is that I already called the girls this afternoon and they are on their way armed with chips, dip, chocolate, and—most importantly—alcohol. They are due in… well, now.

  Lexi comes barreling in, hands loaded, with Jade not far behind.

  Lexi lays all the provisions on the table declaring, “It’s time to get this party started.” She looks at Kat with a scrunched face. “Kat, Kat, Kat. This is not going to work. Go get your ass in the shower and put this on.” She reaches in her overnight bag pulling out a cute butterfly nightie set for Kat to wear.

  “Really, Lexi? Why do I need to dress like this? There’s no one to impress. It is cute though.”

  “Because I said so. Plus, if you dress sexy, you’ll feel that way.”

  Kat does what Lexi says, heading to her bathroom. Lexi reaches in her bag pulling out a purple nightie set for me, a hibiscus one for Jade, and a pink leopard print for herself. Each set has matching shorts. This is going to make tonight’s plans much more interesting.

  After we dress, we set up the snacks and the drinks. I make up a pitcher of vodka with mixed fruit juices, Jade gets the blender ready for the margaritas, and Lexi lines up the shots. Kat returns looking refreshed.

  “Thanks, ladies, this is just what I need.”

  Lexi hands us each a lemon drop shot and delivers her toast. “Bottoms up, bitches. Here’s to boys with big dicks, not being big dicks.”

  I almost spit my shot out when she adds, “And to big boys knowing how to use them big dicks right.”

  We’ve been drinking for a little over an hour, the music keeps getting louder, when I announce that it’s time to start Kat’s first two adventures of the night: keg stands and funneling beer. We have to improvise a little since we don’t have a keg, and beer is not our favorite of drinks.

  Lexi produces a funnel and I bring out the vodka drink I mixed up. We decide to combine the two events into one. Up first is Lexi, who masters it perfectly with her athletic build.

  “That’s how it’s done ladies.” Lexi states proudly.

  Jade and Kat have better luck than me. Just as I start to drink from the funnel, my arm gives out and I land on the pillows below. At least we are still sober enough to think of that. Mid fall, I see my front door open. Bentley and Hunter come barreling in.

  “What the hell are you girls doing down here? We were trying to watch a game, but the noise level is through the roof. Literally.”

  As I try to stand, my head feels a little swimmy, causing me to stumble right into Bentley’s arms. “Sorry. We are having a slumber party. Guess I should have warned you. It’s going to be a loud day, Bents.”

  “Holy fuck. We just walked into fantasy land.” Hunter says, taking in the sight of all my girls.

  Bentley gives him a look hard stare. “Shut up, asshole.”

  “Didn’t mean to offend anyone, ladies. But damn, if I had walked into this ten years ago…” Bentley knocks Hunter with his elbow, ending his sentence. Hunter just smiles.

  Lexi makes her way towards Hunter. “Hey, big boy. Why don’t you grab a drink and join us? You too, Bentley.”

  Bentley grabs a beer for him and Hunter from the fridge. He walks back in the living room just in time to witness my second attempt at a funneling handstand. This one I manage to stay up long enough to get a sip, only to fall again, giving everyone a good laugh. I turn towards Bentley, challenging him. “You think you can do better?”

  “Let me show you how it’s done. Step aside.” And of course, he does it like a pro, drinking the entire beer that Hunter poured into the funnel. Unsurprisingly, Hunter does the same, flawlessly.

  Finally, my head clears enough for me to declare, “Okay, enough of the funnel stands. I seem to recall seeing beer pong on Kat’s list. First up, Kat and me against Bentley and Hunter.”

  Somehow we win, kicking some serious beer pong ass. We even do our own little victory dance.

  “Best two out of three,” Bentley says, not liking the fact he just lost to two girls.

  “Play
with Lexi and Jade this time. I’m going to start warming up some snacks.”

  Earlier, I had made up some stuffed mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, and pizza bites from scratch, so all I had to do was pop them in the oven. I told you, I love entertaining.

  Just as the oven timer rings, the game is over.

  “Take that, big boy.” Lexi jumps on the chair and starts shaking her ass at the losers. If I’m not mistaken, Hunter slightly drools, enjoying the show. But, then again, everyone feels that way around Lexi.

  As we stuff food in our mouths, the girls complain about how I’m going to make them fat. Kat starts talking about a new pole dancing class. “You girls want to try it out with me?”

  “Fuck me,” Bentley says as he covers his face. “I do not want to think about you four pole dancing. Please talk about something else.”

  “Does it repulse you, Bentley?” I ask him, wanting to know the truth.

  He bends to whisper in my ear. “No, Aly. Quite the opposite.”

  Bentley walks away, heading into the kitchen. Hunter follows. Both take a shot of something before grabbing a beer from the fridge. They head out to the deck. I’m overheated, so I follow behind them.

  “Mind if I join you?” I ask, knowing I will follow no matter what they say.

  Bentley unzips his hoody, handing it to me. “Put this on first. The old man next door does not need to see you in that.”

  “That totally defeats the purpose of me coming outside. It’s hot inside. I need to cool off, not put on a parka.” Hunter laughs at me.

  I sit on the swing. Hunter leans against the railing, looking at the Gulf.

  “I better get out of here before I do something stupid.”

  He does some shoulder bump goodbye with Bentley then kisses my cheek. “Thanks for the impromptu party.”

  Bentley sits down next to me.

  “What was that about, Bentley?”

  “Hunter and Gabby split up. He didn’t want to say anything in front of the girls.” Bentley leans his head on the back of the swing.

  “Is he alright? I mean, they’ve been together for a long time.”

  “He’s better than I thought. He deserves better than Gabby. Even on a good day, she’s a complete bitch.”

  Lexi walks outside as Bentley is talking. “Who’s a bitch? I love gossip.”

  I look at Bentley. He nods his head, giving me the okay to fill Lexi in. “Hunter is a free man.”

  “Interesting,” Lexi says. Bentley takes that as his cue to leave. He says goodnight to everyone before heading upstairs.

  We stay up until way past my usual bedtime, ending the night with a drinking game. Whoever mentions boys has to take a shot. Kat and Lexi tie as losers. Before heading off to crash, I hand out the hangover medicine that I always keep in stock at the house. Tomorrow, I may feel the after effects of everything we did tonight, but the night was a huge success. That’s all that matters.

  Alyssa

  JUST WHEN I THINK things are getting better, Kat starts getting in a funk again. Her moods are beginning to affect me. That cannot happen. So, I grab her adventure list. One item on her list keeps sticking out; my eyes are drawn to it every time. Kat has been hesitant to do this one and I expect her to chicken out at the last second. She walks in my room dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Not me though. I put on my sexiest bra, you know the kind that gives a lot of lift for ample cleavage. I dig through my closet searching for a flowy tank top and short skirt. I feel like I should at least dress up somewhat.

  “Are we really doing this?” Kat asks me. But, her attitude and the tone in her voice makes it sound more like, “Do we really have to do this? I’m not in the mood for fun.”

  “Yep. I just need to find shoes.” Might as well have a head to toe look for this. I start digging to find a pair of sexy heels. ‘You can do this’ keeps repeating in my head. In the kitchen, I toss back a shot of some liquid courage. Grabbing her own shot, Kat joins me.

  “Let’s do this.” I say as we head up the stairs.

  My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. Kat encourages me. At least she’s pushing me to move me forward, but I think she’s using me as a shield to block herself from being seen. I take a deep breath before knocking on Bentley’s door. He answers, dressed in sweats and nothing else. Before he can even speak a word, we lift our shirts to flash him like two college girls on Spring Break. The two of us start running down the stairs before I can even see the expression on Bentley’s face. I miss it since my eyes are closed the entire time. Somehow, I manage to make it safely down the steps, even in these shoes. From above, I hear Bentley yell, “You two are going to pay for that.”

  An hour later, while Kat and I are laughing in the kitchen, the front door opens. Bentley is dressed in some novelty underwear with an elephant face on the front. Kat starts laughing hysterically, but not me. My tongue literally falls to the floor. Holy shit, could it really be that big? Is that even possible? He’s gone and out the door before I can double check.

  “Thanks, Aly, I needed that. Not necessarily seeing Bentley like that, but the laugh felt good.”

  My jaw is still on the floor, rendering me speechless. Kat tosses me a napkin. “Here. You have a little something on your chin.”

  With my jaw now intact, I ask Kat, “Do you think that was real or stuffed?”

  “Oh my God, Aly. Were you ogling Bentley? Why don’t you go upstairs and ask him? Or, perhaps, see for yourself.”

  “Shut up, Kat. That’s not funny. I was just wondering. Because Mike is definitely not that size.”

  Kat looks at me with complete disgust. “One: never mention Mike’s junk again. And two: it is most definitely possible for a man to be that endowed. Some even more so.”

  More so? For the rest of the night I was left with an image of my neighbor that would be embedded in my brain forever.

  Bentley

  "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGEL!" I sing as I barrel into Aly's apartment. Tonight we are celebrating her twenty-seventh year on Earth. I come down early because I want to give her the birthday gift I got for her before everyone arrives for her party. I don't think Mike will appreciate my gift, but I know Aly will.

  When Aly moved in, she got this huge-ass entertainment center. Problem is, it is lacking in entertainment. It has been functioning as a huge-ass bookcase. While Kat keeps her busy getting ready for the party, I set up her brand new 50 inch, smart TV.

  "Bents, what did you do? That's too much. Return it." Aly yells, using the nickname she gave to me. When I pretend to start unhooking everything, Aly slaps my arm. "You can leave it. But you shouldn't have."

  "Just so you know, I did it for pure selfish reasons. Since your sofa is so much better than mine, I can come down here and watch my sports or movies." That's only a half truth. The other half gives me a reason to come down here and watch with Aly.

  "I love it."

  When she kisses my cheek, it makes it worth every penny spent.

  That's the closest I get to Aly for the rest of the night. Any time I look or try to approach her, Mike “The Tool” pulls her closer or moves her to another area of the room.

  After a few mixed shots, the girls start dancing. Lexi takes an interest in Hunter and they look pretty cozy dancing. I'm dancing with Paige, the girl I'm supposed to be dating, but we both know there is nothing but friendship between us. Mike starts dancing with Aly, which makes me want to both punch him in the face and laugh at him at the same time. The man has no rhythm. Aly is doing all the moving for him.

  Hunter walks up to me, ready to head out for the night. “I’m out. You all good here?” I nod and give him a fist bump. I notice Lexi waiting in the wings. When Hunter leaves, he motions to her. She waves bye, and willingly follows.

  After a quick cleanup job, I head up to my apartment, only I’m still too wired to go to sleep. I am sitting on the deck outside, and I can hear talking from inside Aly’s place. I can't make out the words, but they are getting louder by the second. I
make it halfway down the stairs, wanting to be close if I need to step in. The front door swings open and slams closed. Mike runs down the stairs, hops into a waiting car, and it speeds off. Gone in seconds.

  Aly comes outside, her eyes searching for her tool of a boyfriend. I finish my descent to the bottom step. I don’t want to scare her, so I speak softly. "He's already gone. Someone picked him up. Are you alright? I came down when I heard yelling.”

  She looks up at me and breaks into in tears. No one should feel like this, especially on their fucking birthday. The mother fucker doesn’t deserve her.

  "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

  She shakes her head no.

  "Do you want me to leave?"

  Again, no.

  "Do you want me to get Kat for you?"

  This time she really shakes her head no.

  "Okay then. Let's get you inside.” When I hold out my hand, she takes it without hesitation. Embracing the feel of her soft fingers, against my rough callused ones, I can't help but notice how well our hands fit together. Something I shouldn't be thinking about while she’s crying over him, but I do.

  I lead her to her bedroom.

  She's already dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Once I get her in the bed, I go to leave. Aly stops me.

  "Don't go, Bents."

  "I'm not leaving. I just need to get a few things.” I return with a glass of water, pain reliever, and my guitar. I hand her the pain medication, knowing she drank one beer, three mixed drinks, and four shots. After she swallows them down, I go to tuck her in for the night. Aly takes me by surprise when she grabs my hand. She pulls me down next to her, placing a kiss on my lips.

  I thought that would be the end. Instead, she reaches behind my neck, and does it again. The soft moan she makes breaks any control I have. I suck her bottom lip between mine, grazing it with my teeth, and she opens, allowing access to her sweet mouth. I roll my tongue with hers, but let her control the rhythm of the movements.