Page 14 of Under My Skin

“Thanks again, Morgan, for doing this. I won’t be out late,” I say as I start to walk out the door.

“Have fun. You deserve time outside of being a dad.” My sister waves goodbye and closes the door as I jump in the truck and drive off.

I know Morgan is right. I deserve some me time where I’m not directly responsible for two little girls, but it’s still hard to leave them.

I shake my head. I’m taking advantage of tonight and having a good time. Nottoo good, because I’m driving and all, but blowing off some steam with Reid and Liam and just shooting the shit sounds exactly like what I need. Once Theo is back from his business trip, the whole gang will be together again.

As I bump down the dirt road leading me away from my and the Montgomery farms, I turn up the radio and blast some music. I drive to Rangers and focus on all the good things that are going to happen for me and my family by being back home. How having Renee out of our lives is going to facilitate our happiness, not hinder it. Tomorrow is a new day, and great things are going to happen because shit luck can’t last forever, right?

I have so much to be grateful for, and I need to remind myself of that. I have two daughters who are happy and healthy. I have my sisters, a brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews close now. I have my best friends and a support system here.

And I’ve got a hot neighbor that I can’t get off my mind.

That last one is definitely not one I should be thankful for, but I can’t seem to stop my thoughts from going to her.

The last time I saw her has been playing on a loop in my head, and all I can think about is flirting with her some more. Making her cheeks turn that bright shade of red or watching a confused look slide across her face like she can’t make sense of whether I’m flirting with her or not.

Maybe I should make it more obvious.

But I know Lizzie Montgomery will be my downfall if I let her get too close. She’s too good and too sweet and too fucking irresistible. Mouthwateringly sexy without even trying. My dream girl, if I’m being honest.

My ex notwithstanding, I prefer the natural, raw beauty Lizzie has. I couldn’t believe it was her when I saw her at the funeral—beautiful and caring, making sure to talk to my girls to see how they were holding up.

I knew she had a crush on me as a kid, and while I was never mean to her, I did my best to discourage that. But now…it’s like she’s under my skin.

But she’s also too young, and I have too much baggage to saddle her with.

So yeah, the best plan of action is to avoid her by all means necessary. I need to nip this in the bud, because the last thing I need is a relationship, and Lizzie deserves more than being the hot neighbor that I fuck.

As I park, I try to pretend it wasn’t images of her beneath me in my bed that kept me up last night. I’m choosing denial.

It’s time to make smart decisions for Addy and Mackenzie—and myself—and that definitely means keeping my dirty thoughts away from Lizzie Montgomery.

8

CAMERON

I jumpout of my truck and look at my phone to check the time. Eight o’clock. Jesus, it’s a Wednesday night, but judging by how crowded it is, it feels like a Friday or Saturday.

That’s the thing about small towns—there isn’t a lot to do, so people don’t feel the need to wait till the weekend to go out, drink and dance, and have a good time. So yeah, Wednesday night at Rangers is the place to be.

I walk through the doors and am instantly hit with the smell of beer and fried food, not to mention the loud music. I weave through the crowd by the bar and find Liam and Reid sitting at a high-top table between the bar and dance floor.

“Hey, guys. Where’s that first round?”

At the sound of my voice, Reid and Liam get up, and we exchange hugs and pats on the back.

“I almost ordered you a fruity something with an umbrella,” Reid says as a server stops at our table, ready to take my drink order.

“They’re set, so what can I get you?” the server asks as she eyes me up and down, not being shy about blatantly checking me out. “You look like a whiskey guy.”

“Nah, I’ll just take a beer. Whatever IPA you have will work.” I drop eye contact with her and turn back to my friends, not in the mood to flirt or make small talk.

“Sure thing, boss,” she replies with an attitude and walks away, disappointed that I didn’t flirt back. Maybe I should, but I just don’t have it in me.

“What crawled up your ass?” Liam asks.

“Nothing. I just want to be able to leave my house and not have to fend off women left and right.”

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