Until There Was Us Read online

  Hell, he wasn’t even going to let her avoid him for another five minutes.

  “Hey,” he said softly as he ducked his head into the room. Her big brown eyes went wide at the sight of him, and those soft pink lips parted as she gasped.

  “Oh! I…I didn’t think anyone was ready to start in here yet. I thought I’d…um…” But her words died away.

  Smiling, Alex stepped into the room and explained the plan he and Zach had come up with.

  “So…we’re supposed to start moving stuff into the office?” she asked.

  Nodding, he looked around. The room was large with a queen-size bed, two nightstands, and a dresser. There was a flat-screen television mounted on the wall along with several pictures. Megan was moving some things into the dresser drawers and was doing her best to keep her back to him. Alex chuckled.

  “What? What’s so funny?” she asked, still not turning around.

  “You’re going to have to look at me eventually, you know,” he said casually and was pleasantly surprised when she did. She looked a little flushed and embarrassed, but at least she was looking at him.

  “So you’ve been here a week already. How are you enjoying Portland?”

  She returned her attention to her task. “I haven’t gone out sightseeing or anything yet. This whole week has been spent getting settled in at work. Summer’s been great with pointing out things on our way to work and all, but—”

  “And you’re staying in the guesthouse?”

  “For now. I was relieved to have a place to stay right away. It takes some of the pressure off so I can focus on work.”

  Work. Yeah. That was a sore spot with him where she was concerned, and right now, he was kind of glad she wasn’t looking at him because he was certain his displeasure was written all over his face.

  “I’ll start looking for a place of my own in the next couple of weeks, but it’s nice to not have to think about it yet. As it is, I have to buy a car.”

  He looked at her oddly when she turned around to start moving other items into drawers. “Didn’t you bring anything with you from New York? I know it wouldn’t have been easy to drive cross-country, but it seems like you must have sold everything in order to move here.”

  “I did,” she said as she closed a drawer. “The cost of moving all my furniture and keeping it in storage until I found a place wasn’t cost-effective. I figured I would start fresh when I got here.”

  Nodding, he slid his hands into his pockets and waited to see if she would offer up any other information about herself without him prompting her.

  But patience wasn’t his strong suit right now.

  “So, how have you been?” he asked, stepping closer to her.

  “Good.”

  He chuckled softly. “Good,” he said. “Me too.”

  She nodded and then moved to unplug the lamps. When she went to turn away from him, he placed a hand on her arm to stop her. She turned to him, and he saw every emotion she was feeling right there in her eyes. His heart melted a little, and he couldn’t help but smile.

  “Hey,” he said softly.

  That one word seemed to do the trick because she visibly relaxed.

  “I was surprised when Zach told me you’d moved here,” he said quietly, his hand still on her. He wanted to skim it down her arm and take her hand in his, but he knew it was too soon for that. “I wish you had called and let me know.”

  Megan took a step away, and he instantly missed the feel of her.

  “Alex,” she began, “it’s been two years. I…it would have been weird to reach out to you after all that time.”

  “Why?”

  “Seriously? What if you were involved with someone? And why would I even assume you’d want to see me? After the way things ended—”

  “Do you?” he interrupted, fairly blurting out the question.

  She looked at him curiously. “Do I what?”

  “Do you want to see me?”

  Her brows furrowed. “I’m seeing you right now, Alex.”

  He laughed. “I know, but…did you want to see me? Did you think about looking me up when you got settled?”

  Her hesitation wasn’t encouraging.

  “Alex…”

  Then he stepped forward and reached for her hand. “Okay, it wasn’t fair of me to put you on the spot like that. But I want you to know I’m happy you’re here. I…I think about you a lot.” His eyes met hers, and he saw confusion in those dark-brown depths. “I mean it. I hated the way things ended between us.”

  “I did too. But geography wasn’t on our side, and then my job, and…I don’t know… I don’t expect you to feel obligated to make something more of it than it was.”

  Okay, that wasn’t what he was expecting, and this time it was he who stepped away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Megan sighed. “Look, I’m sure this is awkward for you because Zach’s a good friend and I’m his cousin. No one knows about us, so there’s nothing that says we have to do anything now—you’re off the hook. Zach will never know, so we’re free to be…acquaintances or something.”

  Was she for real? Did she really have no idea that was the last thing he was looking for? Hell, he’d practically lived his life in limbo for the past two years because he couldn’t get her out of his mind! And now she was saying it didn’t mean anything? “Megan, I—”

  “Hey, man,” Zach said as he walked into the room. “I grabbed a screwdriver and a drill for you. I think you’ll need them to take the television bracket from the wall.” Without any indication that he felt the tension in the room, he grinned. “Let me know when you’re ready to start moving furniture, and we’ll come in.” Then he looked at Megan. “Don’t worry about helping with all of this. Seriously. The girls are in the kitchen, and I saw my wife pulling ice cream from the freezer.”

  Megan smiled—a real smile. Not the forced ones she’d been throwing his way all night. “It’s fine, Zach. I may not be strong enough to move the furniture, but I can at least help with some of the smaller stuff.”

  Walking over, he hugged her and gave her a loud, smacking kiss on her head before he left the room.

  When they were alone again, Alex knew it wouldn’t last too long. Things needed to be done, and he wasn’t going to get the answers he wanted from her tonight. With a sigh of resignation, he said, “I’m going to work on the TV. If you could take those pictures and put them in the office, that would be great.”

  Nodding, Megan turned and immediately took one painting from the wall and then the other. They worked in silence for a few minutes, and then he needed her help. The television wasn’t large, and he had carefully started to take it from the wall, but a second set of hands was required to disconnect the wires. “Can you give me a hand with the cords?”

  She was right there and did what was needed. She was so close he could smell her perfume, and he had to fight the urge to inhale deeply. “Thanks,” he murmured and quickly stepped away and took the television to Zach’s office. And that’s where he stayed for a moment to catch his breath and try to regain some focus.

  “This is crazy,” he mumbled. Leaning against the desk, Alex took a couple of deep breaths, let them out, and forced himself to clear his mind. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to push away visions of Megan when Ethan stepped into the room.

  “Don’t tell me you’re taking a break already!” he teased. “Dude, even Megan’s moved more stuff than you.”

  It was the perfect way to break the tension, and Alex laughed. “Yeah, well…if I hadn’t won the game against the two of you earlier, I’d have a lot more energy.”

  Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. “Nice try. But I’m on to you now, and I’ll be making sure you pull your weight so we can get this done in one weekend.”

  “Don’t worry about me, old man,” Alex teased. “If any
thing, I’ll be checking up on the two of you to make sure you don’t hurt yourselves.”

  They both laughed hard at that.

  Alex spotted Megan walking toward the kitchen, and he knew that for now, the only thing he had to focus on was moving furniture.

  Chapter 3

  “I think you forgot something,” Megan said as she looked at her reflection in the dressing-room mirror.

  From the other side of the door, Summer asked, “What?”

  “The rest of this dress. It’s a little—”

  Summer laughed. “It’s a little black dress, and every woman needs one.”

  Megan tugged at the hem and then shimmied around to try to cover things she felt should be covered.

  Like more of her.

  “Maybe the next size up?” she suggested. “It’s a little snug.”

  “Open the door, and let me see.”

  Megan complied, and Summer gasped as soon as she stepped in. “Gabs! Come here! Quick!”

  “It’s too small, right?” Megan asked nervously, turning to look at her reflection again. “I’m normally a size—”

  Behind them, Gabriella gasped. “Oh wow! Megan, look at you!”

  Confused, she looked over her shoulder. “What?”

  “That dress is perfect on you,” Gabriella said with a smile. “I mean, absolutely perfect! Why are you hiding such a great figure under oversized sweaters?”

  A great figure? Seriously? “Umm—”

  “She’s always had a cute figure,” Summer said. “And now that you’re not living at your job, you can start wearing clothes that accentuate your assets and go out a little more!”

  “Um—”

  “We could fix you up with someone,” Gabriella said. “You seemed to hit it off with Alex last night, and he is one of the sweetest guys I know. I think the two of you would be a good fit!”

  Summer’s eyes lit up. “Yes! I could see you and Alex dating!”

  Okay, things were starting to get out of hand, and if Megan didn’t do something now, it was only going to get worse. Holding up her hands, she cut them both off. “I appreciate your…enthusiasm…for my social life. I really do. But I have so many other things to think about first that are way more important. I know you both mean well, but can we let this topic go for a little while?”

  They both agreed—almost too easily—and then they were back to shopping. Megan decided to think about the black dress and was immediately dragged through the lingerie department, where she ended up purchasing more underwear than any one woman should own.

  “Why am I buying all of this?”

  “Because I have a feeling you don’t own nearly enough of this kind of thing,” Summer said. “If we’re going to try to get you to lose the always-casual-Friday look, we have to start with underwear.”

  “Um…why?” Megan asked.

  Summer sighed. “We have so much to teach you.”

  “If you feel pretty under your clothes, you’re going to want to wear something pretty for everyone to see,” Gabriella explained as they walked out to put this round of purchases in the car.

  It was lunchtime, and this particular store was already their third stop.

  “Any chance we can get some food?” Megan asked. “I swear I’m starting to feel light-headed.”

  Summer decided to go home and feed Amber, and as much as Megan was ready to be done, she knew the girls would fight her on it. So she and Gabriella picked a small Greek restaurant that was close to some of the boutiques they planned to hit next. They agreed that Summer would meet up with them two hours later, and once she was gone, Megan collapsed on the front seat of Gabriella’s car.

  “You’re not having fun, are you?” Gabriella asked.

  Shaking her head, Megan said, “Not really. I know this is something I need to do, but I didn’t realize how exhausting it would be.”

  “We can call it a day if you want. Of course, then I’ll have to go home and deal with the guys painting, and really, I’d like to avoid that. Just the idea of the smell of paint makes me queasy.”

  At the mention of the guys, Megan instantly pictured Alex in her mind.

  Shirtless and sexy.

  “Do you know how long they’re planning on working today?” she asked quickly.

  They were on the move, and Megan was enjoying getting to know her way around town as Gabriella talked about what was going on at home. “If I know the guys, they’re going to want to get all the painting done today. And believe me, I don’t doubt for a minute that they will—especially if they divide and conquer. The plan was to let them do their thing, and I was going to pick up some takeout—Chinese food or pizza—for everyone. I just figured the longer we stayed out, the better. Less chance of slowing them down.”

  “So then no one should have to come over tomorrow,” Megan said conversationally.

  “They’ll have to move the furniture back and rehang pictures and fixtures and whatnot,” Gabriella went on. “But it shouldn’t take too long. I’m sure if Alex came back to help Zach it would be fine.”

  “Why not Ethan?”

  Gabriella slid her a sly look. “What’s wrong with Alex?”

  Great. Way to draw attention to the whole darn thing, Megan chided herself. “There’s nothing wrong with Alex,” she forced herself to say. “I just thought it would be Ethan coming over to help since they’re so close.”

  “Normally I’d agree. But Ethan and Summer haven’t had a whole lot of time to themselves since Amber was born. Like we were saying last night, they had Summer’s mom there for almost eight weeks and then Aunt Monica and your mom there for two. I’m sure they would love a day with just the three of them.” Then she paused. “I don’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  But Megan waved her off. “It’s fine. I’m trying to stay out of their hair as much as possible—and not just for their benefit. I’m used to being on my own, and I like my privacy and quiet time, so it’s no big deal. Really.”

  “Honestly, I hadn’t thought about this turning into an all-weekend event either,” Gabriella commented. “Dinner last night was sort of spur of the moment, and I had already planned on today, but tomorrow means another round of takeout or something easy to make, and I’m kind of in the mood for something a little more…or should I say a little less…fast.”

  Megan chuckled. “Fast food is my middle name, but I get what you’re saying. It’s nice to sit down to a dinner you’re not eating with your hands.”

  “Exactly!”

  “Well, we have two hours to kill before we have to meet Summer. This Greek place we’re going to is more of a sit-down place, right?”

  Gabriella nodded.

  “Then we’ll make it a leisurely lunch and eat real food that requires utensils, and then we’ll brace ourselves for another round of shopping.”

  “You’re sure? Because the last thing I want is to torture you.”

  “I’ve never been a girly-girl,” Megan admitted. “Much to my mother’s chagrin. But maybe with a little help I’ll learn to like it.”

  Gabriella’s smile grew as she pulled into a parking spot next to the restaurant. “Stick with me and Summer. We’ll have you loving it in no time.”

  Somehow, Megan doubted it, but she was willing to go along for the ride.

  “But I do have an idea that might make the rest of today a little more…palatable for you.”

  Megan grinned. “I’m listening…”

  “First, let me get some food in me, and then I promise that by the time I lay it all out for you, you’ll never doubt my ideas ever again.”

  And even if she did, Megan thought, she’d never admit it out loud.

  * * *

  The pizza the guys had ordered for lunch finally arrived. The three of them gathered around the kitchen island and ate their first slices in silence. Then th
ere seemed to be a collective sense of relief.

  “Bathroom’s done,” Ethan said. “It took two coats, but I think in an hour or two, we can start hanging fixtures again.”

  Zach grabbed a second slice. “What about the guest room? Does it need a second coat?”

  Alex shook his head. “Nah. The colors were close enough, and the paint covered the old color well. I have one more wall to do, and then we should be able to start moving the furniture back in. How’s the nursery coming?”

  “Slow,” Zach said around a mouthful of pizza. “I’m trying so hard not to mess up the trim that I’m being overly cautious.”

  They talked about their schedule for the rest of the day, and once all the pizza was gone, Zach walked into the living room and sat.

  “You know it’s going to be that much harder to get up again, right?” Alex asked.

  “Right now, I don’t even care. I feel like I’ve been standing for days.”

  Ethan pulled his phone out and smiled.

  “What’s up?” Zach asked.

  “Since the girls went shopping today, we left Amber with the nanny.”

  “Seriously? You got a nanny?”

  Ethan nodded. “And she’s a godsend. Anyway, Summer went home for lunch so she could feed Amber, and she sent me a selfie of the two of them.” He held his phone out and beamed with pride.

  “That’s a good-looking family, Ethan,” Alex said. “You’re a lucky man.”

  “Don’t I know it.” He paused and studied Alex for a moment. “What about you?”

  Alex’s eyes went wide. “What about me?”

  Both Ethan and Zach started to laugh. “Did you see the panic in his eyes?” Zach teased. “Geez, relax.”

  “All I was asking was when you were going to stop doing the single guy thing,” Ethan said with a smirk. “No need to get all tense.”

  Before Alex could say anything, Zach spoke up. “Did you call the girl you were telling me about?”

  Alex looked at Ethan briefly and then at Zach. “Um…no. Not exactly.” Great. Why did he have to add the not exactly?

  “What the hell does that mean?” Zach asked. “It’s a yes or a no.”