CHAPTER ONE 

LUKE

Being in love with my best friend was never easy. 

Maddy and I grew up next door to each other. Everyone knew we had a special bond since we were toddlers. Everyone except us, that is.

Sure, we were inseparable and always seemed to know what the other person was thinking. We played in the street and ran around in our backyards until long after the streetlights came on. 

"Lucas Colton Pine!" my dad would yell. "Kiss your girlfriend goodnight and get the hell in the house!" 

"Ewww!" Maddy and I would both protest before finally going inside as ordered. 

We even developed our own language so our parents couldn't snoop on our conversations. Rather than Pig-Latin, we developed something similar called Goat-Latin. When I got Walkie-Talkies for Christmas one year, I gave her one and we'd stay up for hours whispering in Goat-Latin and trying not to laugh too loud. 

But our friendship felt so natural, it never even occurred to us that what we had was special. Like breathing, it was something we took for granted. Something we never thought about how much we needed until it was cut off.

For me, it was like I lived my whole life in darkness and a switch suddenly flipped on and I could truly see for the first time. 

It was at our high school graduation. Maddy was valedictorian, of course. She was too smart for anything little old Cloverville had to offer and yet she was content to stay here. Her dreams were simple-- become a nanny, work various jobs for the many business owners that loved her, and then eventually become a kindergarten teacher here in town.

As she glowingly delivered her valedictorian speech out in the middle of the football field, the switch flipped on in my head and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. 

I loved her. 

Not just as my longest and closest friend but I was heart-stoppingly, completely in love with her. 

Maddy Peters was the embodiment of all the warmth and goodness in the world. 

The sun shone on her bright blonde hair like a halo, a light breeze fanning it out around her underneath her graduation cap. 

Her crystal blue eyes looked sharp and soft at the same time. She never looked at anyone with anything less than kindness. And her smile was the purest, brightest, most genuine one I'd ever seen. 

My heart flip-flopped with its newfound realization during the whole ceremony while my stomach churned and ached with longing.

I was going away to tech school to become a mechanic. For the first time in my life, I wouldn't see those eyes or that smile on the way to school. I'd come home for the summers but I wouldn't be done with my program until after two years. 

School was never my strong suit. With Maddy's help, I maintained good enough grades to play football. It was thanks to her that I even learned about two-year technical colleges in the first place. Sports, shop class, and chasing after the cheerleading squad were my main interests. 

I swallowed a dry lump after realizing how many times I complained to Maddy about my so-called girl problems. She listened patiently while I ranted about girls I hooked up with wanting more from me and suggested ways on how to let them down directly but gently. 

God, I must have sounded like such a douchebag. And not once did I ever ask her if guys were giving her any trouble. If anyone treated her like I treated other girls, I would have knocked them out flat. 

It didn't matter though. By the time my dumbass heart realized what it wanted, it was too late. 

At the end of our graduation ceremony, the salutatorian, a nerdy, skinny kid with huge glasses, walked around with his arm around her and his chest puffed out like a peacock. 

They took selfies together and with friends, but the last straw for me was seeing them hold hands.

I left for tech school a few days later. 

Maddy and I still maintained contact despite our new busy schedules and learning to navigate the adult world. I refused to let my feelings get in the way of our friendship. Plus, I couldn’t bear to let her go in the off-chance we could ever make something work in the future. 

By the time I came home for my first semester break, Maddy and Nerdy Guy had already broken up but I was casually seeing someone new. That girl didn’t hold a candle to Maddy’s beauty, class, or intelligence, but I was making an effort to stop being a douchebag. 

Maddy would never give me a chance if I held onto my player habits from high school and I wanted to be a man worthy of her. Even if ten years passed before that happened.

The next two years of tech school were the longest of my life. 

Every time I came home on a break, Maddy looked even more stunning and womanly. Not just in her body but in her confidence, her work ethic, everything. She was growing up before my very eyes and made my heart weaker with every time I saw her. 

And still, the timing was never right to tell her how I felt. Either she was dating someone or I was. But the heat between us jumped higher off the charts with each passing visit. We were just as emotionally close as ever, but I couldn’t even sit next to her anymore without my eyes lingering over the sweet curves of her breasts, or wondering what her lips tasted like. And her eyes seemed to roam over my muscles, which exploded with growth in the last few years, just as much. 

The moment I completed tech school and received my certificate, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.

I was going back home. I’d make a living, make her my woman, and provide her with everything she needed. 

***

Asher Forsythe glanced over my work with his sharp, eagle eyes. He leaned over the engine bay, inspecting closely before jotting something quickly down on his clipboard.

I waited patiently while leaning against the hood of my own car, trying to appear calm but I couldn't help being nervous. 

This was my first and only job interview right after finishing school, and there was no other person I wanted to work for more than Ash Forsyth. 

He owned the only auto shop in Cloverville and his dad owned it before him. I don't know if it's in their blood or what, but he and his old man had an otherworldly talent when it came to working on cars. Ash wasn't much older than me, but I looked up to him all the same. He was the only man I wanted to learn from. 

People came from San Francisco and even further away to get their cars souped up or worked on here, but Ash and his crew made sure the locals took priority. 

He delivered excellent service and could easily charge more than his competitive rates but he was also a man of integrity. He wanted to be fair to the older folks on limited incomes as well as the ballers with tricked-out muscle cars, and I admired him for that.

I knew Ash would put immediately put my skills to the test, rather than go through some lame interview questions and I was eager to prove myself.  

"Not bad, Pine," he said finally, scratching the dark stubble on his face. "Looks like those tech schools are still teaching you kids some things." 

"I spent lots of time practicing on the more complex engines outside of class," I said, straightening up. "We were taught the basics but I wanted to go deeper than that." 

Ash nodded thoughtfully.

"Well I'd like to see what else you can do," he replied. "And I always gotta give a local boy a chance." He stuck his hand out. "How does starting next Monday sound?" 

My shoulders sagged with relief while my heart simultaneously jumped for joy. 

"Sounds great!" I said eagerly and clapped his hand. "Thank you. I won't let you down." 

"Easy tiger," he smirked. "You start at the bottom like everybody else. Keep the shop clean, rotate tires, change filters, all that easy shit. If you do as you’re told without complaint, we'll give you better work."

"Understood," I said. "I'll be here bright and early Monday." 

I fired off a quick text to Maddy as soon as I left the shop. 

"Big news! Meet me at the park." 

Her reply came immediately. 

"OMG! On my way now." 

Adrenaline pumped with a hard rush through my body. I had no idea if I'd be able to stop myself from lifting her off the ground and kissing her with everything I had. 

She was already waiting for me when I arrived, long legs dangling as she sat on the lowest branch of the oak tree, our usual meeting spot. 

"I got the job!" 

The declaration burst from me as I jogged across the grassy knoll toward the tree. Her mouth dropped open and she jumped to the ground to sprint toward me. 

"Oh my God!" she shrieked. "I knew it! Congratulations!" 

Her arms flew around my neck and I pulled her into my chest, lifting her off the ground and spinning in a circle to the musical sound of her laughter. 

Her legs went around my waist when I didn't put her down. I inhaled the sweet, clean scent of her hair as I held her securely against me. We hugged like this millions of times before. How could I never notice how perfectly we fit together? 

I finally put her down, but our bodies barely separated. Her hands remained around my neck, mine on the sweet curve of her waist. Our foreheads pressed to each other and our breath mingled in mid-air between us. 

"Luke," she said, her long, dark lashes fluttering down shyly. "I've been wanting to talk to you about something." 

Before she could go on, I brought my mouth down on hers.

She let out a surprised squeak before melting like hot wax in my arms. Opening up and letting me taste her, feel her, and drink her in.

She was the sweetest, softest rain after years in the desert. We were like two lost puzzle pieces that finally locked into place. My heart, my mind, my body all felt at ease and overjoyed at the same time. 

"Better late than never, I suppose," she grinned shyly once we came up for air.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" I asked, my voice dark with lust as I pulled her tightly against me. 

"Sort of," she said coyly, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I was going for a more poetic confession of love but my brain can't seem to think right now." 

"We've got all the time in the world," I chuckled as I planted a light kiss on her forehead. "I owe you at least two years worth of love and attention." 

She blinked up at me. 

"So this is really happening?" Her fingers intertwined with mine at her waist. "You and me... together?"

"If that's what you want, babe," I said with a squeeze of her hand. "You're all I've wanted for years but I know I didn't deserve you before. I want to be good for you, Maddy. I promise I will be."

"I believe you," she answered, "And I'll be good for you, too." 

That was the happiest moment of my life. Sweet, simple love. 

Little did I know that our new relationship would soon become anything but sweet. Or simple.