Until Melissa Read online

  Until Melissa

  AJ Alexander

  Until Melissa

  Copyright © 2021 by AJ Alexander

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Published by Boom Factory Publishing, LLC.

  * * *

  AJ Alexander CONTRIBUTOR to the Original Works was granted permission by Aurora Rose Reynolds, ORIGINAL AUTHOR, to use the copyrighted characters and/ or worlds created by Aurora Rose Reynolds in the Original Work; all copyright protection to the characters and/ or worlds of Aurora Rose Reynolds in the Original Works are and shall continue to be retained by Aurora Rose Reynolds. You can find all of Aurora Rose Reynolds Original Works on most major retailers. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage or retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, photocopying, mechanical or otherwise, without express permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, story lines and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or any events or occurrences are purely coincidental.

  Cover Design: RBA Designs and Y’all That Graphic

  Editing: CPR Editing

  Proofreader: Emma Mack

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Dane

  “Why do I do this to myself?” I mumble as I pull around the semi-circle driveway leading to Asher and November Mayson’s house.

  Pulling to a stop at the end, I climb out and grab the case of beer in my back seat. My mama always told me never to show up to someone’s house empty-handed. Since I’m not the best cook, I assumed beer was the next best thing.

  As I head toward their Southern-style ranch home, I notice the beautiful, oversized windows covering most of the front side of the house, each framed with black farmhouse shutters and an array of bright-colored flowers below them, welcoming visitors.

  “Farmhouse shutters,” I mumble to myself as I pull out my phone, snapping a photo.

  I’ve been trying to decide what would make the front of my house look inviting, and I believe I’ve found it.

  Laughter and music filter through the air, bringing a smile to my face. Maybe coming to this party won’t be so bad after all.

  I’ve always been up for a good party, but in the last few years, it’s lost its appeal. I’m a red-blooded, decent-looking man who has needs, but living in a small town doesn’t leave you with many options. The Mayson’s are known for their epic parties, which is one of the main reasons I’ve been avoiding Wes’s invitations to spend any amount of time at his in-laws’.

  Wes and I met shortly after I bought a fixer-upper near his and July’s house a few years ago. Although you can barely see their house through the trees surrounding my yard, we’re apparently neighbors. He’s been trying to get me to come and meet the rest of their family ever since, and today, I finally ran out of excuses. It helped that he promised to help me hang the cabinet in my kitchen next weekend if I came tonight. Who am I to turn down free help?

  “Dane! I’m glad you could make it,” Wes shouts as he jogs toward me, pulling me into a one-armed hug. “Everyone is around back. Just head through the gate. I need to run and grab some more beer.”

  I raise the case of beer hanging at my side to eye level. “This should last us a few hours at least.”

  He chuckles as he grabs the case from me and heads toward the gate. “It depends on how much Asher plans on drinking.”

  I don’t even make it through the gate before Mrs. Mayson wraps me in her arms, giving me a tight squeeze. “Look what the cat dragged in. I was starting to think you didn’t like us.”

  She pulls back from our embrace, holding me at arm’s length.

  “No, ma’am. I’ve just been busy getting my place fixed up,” I respond, attempting to placate her.

  “Well, make yourself at home.” She gives me a warm smile, then pats the side of my face and heads through the French doors leading into the house.

  “Settling in?” Wes says as he kneels down and begins unloading the beer into a cooler full of ice. “Don’t want Mrs. Mayson knowing that you’ve been avoiding her?” He tosses a beer in my direction.

  “I’m not avoiding anyone. You, of all people, know how much work I’ve been putting into the house.” I crack open my beer and take a big swig.

  “You need to live a little, man. There’s more to life than your house.” He slams the cooler lid shut and stands up to his full height. “I’m gonna go find my wife.”

  I give him a curt nod before he disappears into the crowd.

  Having nothing better to do, I continue to take small sips of my beer and scan the party guests, looking for any other familiar faces. Suddenly, I become mesmerized by the woman standing in front of me.

  It’s as if the crowds have parted, revealing the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Her dark hair rests just below her shoulder blades, with streaks of red brought out by the halo of sunlight behind her head. My eyes continue to wander down her body, taking in the green top covering her short, curvy frame and the way her apple bottom fills out her cutoff jean shorts. Her legs are encased in a pair of brown cowboy boots.

  Images of sinking my teeth into that ass as I take her from behind fill my mind, creating a rising problem in my pants.

  Her face lights with happiness as she throws her head back, letting out peals of laughter. Jealousy shoots through my veins as I notice the man standing next to her. I have no idea who she is, but I plan on remedying that as soon as possible and learning everything about her.

  Unable to contain my desire to meet this woman, I stalk toward her, pushing through anyone who stands in my way. Forgetting everything my mother taught me about manners, I step between her and the person she’s speaking with.

  “Hello,” she says as she raises her eyebrow in question. “I was having a conversation with Evan.”

  Flecks of gold sparkle in her hazel eyes as she looks me up and down, probably making many assumptions about me and my manners.

  I hold out my hand, completely ignoring her protest. “Hello. I’m Dane.”

  She looks down at my outstretched hand before taking a step around me to continue her conversation with this Evan person.

  “Isn’t it customary to introduce yourself to someone after they give you their own name?”

  She spins, her hair spinning around her face, covering her eyes slightly. I reach out and tuck the strands of hair behind her ear, and an electric current shoots through my fingertips as they caress her soft skin.

  Her eyes widen and her pupils dilate slightly as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. We stare at each other, neither of us moving, trapped in each other’s gaze, until Evan clears his throat and breaks the spell.

  She takes a step back, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, and I smirk down at her.

  “Your name?” I press.

  My question once again ignites her anger. “I don’t know what manners they taught you Tennessee boys growing up, but where I’m from,
you learn to wait your turn.” She jabs her pointer finger into the center of my chest. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d love to finish my conversation.”

  I open my mouth to respond when I feel a large hand grip my shoulder.

  Wes gives her his trademark grin. “Excuse him, Melissa. This is my neighbor, Dane. I promise he doesn’t bite.”

  Melissa gives him a tight smile as she threads her arm through Evan’s, pulling him toward another group of guests. Once she’s out of hearing range, Wes smacks me in the back of the head.

  Melissa.

  “Yeah, her name’s Melissa. She’s one of June’s friends from college, but that’s all I know about her. What the hell is wrong with you?” he growls, then lets out a deep breath. “What happened to your grand plans of being a bachelor for the rest of your life?”

  I turn toward Wes, completely unaware that I said her name out loud. Damn, I sound just like a lovesick schoolboy.

  Shit, who am I kidding? That’s exactly what I am.

  “After meeting her, I might be rethinking my stance on relationships. Didn’t you say there was more to life than fixing up my house?” I mumble as I lean around him, trying to catch another glimpse of her. “There’s just something about her that calls to me.”

  Wes laughs. “You’re hooked, aren’t you?”

  I pause for a moment and consider what he just said.

  Am I hooked on a girl that I’ve never laid eyes on before today? I don’t know, but do I know one thing. If there’s one woman who I would trade my little black book in for, it would be her.

  Chapter One

  Melisaa

  I pull to a stop in front of June’s house and shut off the car.

  “Finally,” I mumble to myself as my head drops forward onto the steering wheel.

  I never imagined the eight-hour drive from my parents’ house in Alabama would take so much out of me. I glance down at the clock on my dashboard.

  “It’s not even two o’clock. Why do I want to sleep for days?”

  “You’re here!”

  Without lifting my head, I turn and see my best friend bouncing up and down on her front porch. A small bump the size of a basketball protrudes from her shirt, and her dark hair is curled into a messy bun on top of her head. Since she’s five months pregnant, I assumed she’d have less energy, but of course, June is just as happy as ever.

  June has tried to convince me to move here since we graduated, but it wasn’t part of the plan I laid out for my life. Have my business up and running, get married, and then kids would follow shortly after that. With all my goals laid out neatly and in order, I didn’t have time to rearrange my life on a whim.

  “You really shouldn’t be doing that. I don’t want to be responsible for you going into premature labor.” I sit up slowly and open the door. My muscles protest as I reach my arms over my head and stretch. “You look like you could be due any day.”

  June has the perfect body, and probably no stretch marks either. She barely looks pregnant, let alone ready to pop, but I couldn’t resist getting her all frazzled.

  “What?!” June screeches loudly before turning to her husband, Evan, as he steps through the front door and wraps his arm around her waist.

  I haven’t seen Evan since their wedding a couple of months ago, when June told me she was three months pregnant.

  “Don’t listen to her, honey. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” Evan rolls his eyes at me over her head.

  “Sorry, June,” I giggle. “You’re practically glowing with happiness. You know how much I love to push your buttons.”

  Being a military brat, my family moved every few years. New place, school, friends, the works. I learned at an early age that being independent protected me from a lot of things, mainly heartache and disappointment. That is, until June and I quite literally ran into each other our sophomore year of college. She is a force of nature, and she decided on the spot that we would be the best of friends. I tried for weeks to get her to leave me alone, but eventually gave in to her demands.

  “If bouncing put women into labor, I don’t know if I would have lasted this long with the way Evan can’t keep his hands off me,” June says.

  “TMI! I don’t need to know about your bedroom activities.” I crinkle my nose in disgust. “Thanks goodness my room is on the other side of the house.”

  “I’m not that loud,” she giggles, her eyes alight with mischief as Evan buries his nose in her neck.

  “Something else I didn’t need to know.”

  After knowing June all these years, I know that look. It’s the look she has on her face when she’s done something she knows I won’t like. That’s the look I can guarantee she had on her face when she sent me the listing for the perfect location for the coffee shop I’ve been dreaming of opening since my junior year in college.

  “Stop being so difficult!” June huffs into the phone as I hit the speakerphone button. “Just pack your bags and get your booty over here.”

  I open the listing she sent me, coming face-to-face with the storefront of my dreams: a two-story brick building with the bottom floor covered in oversized windows, letting in the right amount of sunlight. I can imagine a line of tables along them, and maybe even a bar top where people can sit and enjoy a sunny day while getting some work done.

  I shake those thoughts from my mind and come back down to reality.

  “It’s not that simple, June.” I roll my eyes, knowing full well she can’t see me. “Bristol and Rebekah need me.”

  “No, we don’t,” Bristol chimes in as she plops down on the couch beside me and peeks at the listing over my shoulder. “That place is perfect for a coffee shop.”

  “See, I told you. Even Bristol agrees. It's basically in the center of town, and we have nothing else besides a Starbucks.”

  “Ew, not Starbucks.” I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

  I have made it my mission in life to teach everyone I know about good coffee, and it isn’t anything you could get from Starbucks.

  “This is what I’m telling you. Please put everyone out of their misery and serve us some good coffee,” June pleads, and I can just imagine the puppy dog eyes she would give me if I was there.

  “I’ll think about it,” I grumble.

  I could at least look at the place in person before deciding.

  “Don’t worry, June. We’ll convince her this is a good idea,” Mom chimes in as she walks past us holding my niece.

  Rebekah turns in her arms, immediately reaching out toward me. I stand and pull her into my chest, snuggling in and breathing in her scent. There is no better smell in the world than a clean baby.

  “Come on, Mel,” Bristol says as she throws her arm over my shoulder and tickles beneath her daughter’s chin. “Your lease is up in a few months, and Katie has more than enough help at the coffee shop. What else is holding you here?”

  “But what about you and Rebekah? You need help,” I respond adamantly.

  My sister is one of the strongest women I know, but running a business and being a single mother is hard. I know Audrey is here to help her, but she has other priorities.

  “I’m not alone here. I have Mom, Dad, and all the girls.” Bristol lays her head on my shoulder.

  “What if I fail?” I sigh as I continue scrolling down the listing, falling more and more in love with the place as I keep reading.

  “You won’t. If there is one thing I know for certain, it’s that you can achieve anything you put your mind to.” She brushes her hand gently through Rebekah’s bright red curls.

  “Listen to your sister.”

  I jump slightly at the sound of June’s voice. I’d forgotten she was even on the phone.

  “You’re destined for more than this tiny town in Alabama, Mel,” Mom says as she takes a seat on the other side of me and pulls me tightly into her chest. “Sometimes you have to take a chance and deviate from the plan. The best things in life are the ones we never planned on.”

  “I
love you, Mom,” I say, laying my head down on her shoulder.

  “We love you too, Mel,” Bristol tells me.

  “Does this mean you’re coming?” June questions, the excitement clear in her voice.

  “I guess it does.”

  I smile as everyone squeals in delight, including Rebekah.

  “What are you up to?” I grumble, slamming my car door shut behind me and leaning against it.

  “I may have invited a few people over to the house to welcome you to town,” she admits sheepishly as Evan pulls her into his chest, ready to protect her from me if need be.

  “June! What the heck? I just drove straight here from Alabama. The last thing I want to do is hang out with a bunch of people I don’t know.”

  “You know them,” she chimes in before lowering her eyes. “You know my parents and my sister, July, and her husband Wes.”

  “Who else is coming?” I stalk toward her, trying to remember that she’s my best friend and the mother of my soon-to-be honorary niece or nephew.

  “Wes invited his friend Dane and a few guys from the shop, but nothing too crazy. I didn’t want to overwhelm you on your first night here.”

  “Not wanting to overwhelm me would be not having a party at all.” I give her a forced smile as I step onto the patio. “Hey, Evan.”

  “Hey, Mel.” Evan smiles down at June, their love for each other clear in his eyes. “It wasn’t all her fault. November found out you were coming today and wanted to throw a huge party for the whole town, but we convinced her to keep it to family and a few of our friends.”

  June steps out of Evan’s embrace and wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight. “I’m sorry, Mel. Forgive me.”