Page 1 of Heart in Waiting
PROLOGUE
Ten years earlier
Music echoed through the ballroom at the Roseland Hotel. Everyone was dressed in their prom finery—except him. His mother barely made enough to make ends meet. Dane had a job, but evenhismoney went to pay the bills. So, no, he didn’t have on a fancy tuxedo. He’d been lucky to scrounge enough to purchase a used suit at the thrift store. It didn’t fit him well, and even after a bit of home dry cleaning, it smelled like death mixed with mildew. He prayed no one noticed.
“Why, if it isn’t Dane Hunter crawling out of the slums for the night.”
Of course his luck wouldn’t hold out. Especially as he never had any to speak of... All he’d wanted was to have one dance and a magical moment he’d be able to carry in his memories for the rest of his life. Perhaps attending prom had been a mistake. The money for the suit and the ticket could have been used for something else—like food. Eating was a commodity they couldn’t afford to ignore, yet he had for this one night.She’dbeen the reason he’d thrown caution to the wind.
Like a magnet drawn to its polar opposite, his gaze drifted to the one female he couldn’t ignore even if he wanted to—Reese Jackson—and he certainly had no desire to forget her. He loved her and always had. Sadly, she barely noticed him; however, one time she had. She’d come into the diner where he worked and made him a promise that if he came to prom, she’d dance once with him.
Of course, she’d been taking pity on him after he said he wouldn’t attend. Dane wasn’t too good to take charity, and that was what that promise had been. She glanced up and met his gaze, and for a brief moment, nothing else existed.
“Hey, douchebag,” someone said as they shoved him.
Dane met the gaze of his jerk of a brother. “Go away, Nolan. I’m not bothering you, so why don’t you return the favor?” His brother was one of the immaculately dressed gracing the ballroom. He had on a designer tuxedo that fit him perfectly. It was probably tailored specifically to him. Their father didn’t spare any expenses for his golden boy. They were as opposite as two people could be. Where Nolan was light—Dane was as dark as sin. Going by appearances alone, one would think Nolan an angel of good and Dane the son of Satan. In that assumption, they would all be entirely wrong...
Nolan laughed almost evilly. Dane hated him a little more with each interaction. There had been a time he’d wished for a brother. If he could take back that wish, he’d have done it a long time ago. How could one person be so rotten? At times like these, Dane wondered if he had a little bit of the evil gene festering inside of him too. Nolan and Dane shared a father, but nothing more. The esteemable Mason Pratt had decided to abandon one family in favor of the other—with one notable exception. He’d agreed to send Dane to the same private school Nolan attended. Something he could have done without, but his mother had insisted. She’d wanted him to have the best education possible. All Dane had wanted was to forget he had a father, and a brother.
Since the school was so expensive, his father considered it all the child support he’d ever give. Dane suffered through the teasing and constant bullying from his classmates. He kept his head down, completed all his schoolwork, and became a social outcast. There was nothing at the school he wanted other than the education provided. At least, until he met Reese. She changed his mind about everything. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a student there and was currently dating one of the seniors. At least it wasn’t his brother. He wouldn’t have been able to stomach that...
“Your very existence bothers me,” Nolan spat out. “Where did you get that suit? A dumpster?”
Of course Nolan would notice his smelly suit. He should have stayed home. A mantra that was soon repeating on a loop inside his head... Reese wouldn’t dance with him. Why should she? The stench rolling off him couldn’t be completely hidden with a few dryer sheets and a touch of cologne.
“Don’t you have something better to do than harass me?”
Nolan hated him. Dane hadn’t started out loathing his brother, but he hadn’t given him much choice. Nolan’s animosity far outweighed Dane’s and that was something he couldn’t completely comprehend. His brother had everything while he struggled and fought for the little he had. Their father chose to stay with his mother and had left Dane’s to suffer.
“Because your existence leaves a foul taste in my mouth—you’re the one person I can take it out on.” Nolan shoved him again, pushing him into a nearby wall. “Leave, and maybe I’ll forget you had the audacity to show up tonight. No one wants you here. Do yourself a favor and drop out of school too.”
Dane took a deep breath and held back the urge to drive his fist into Nolan’s perfect face. It wouldn’t help him and only aid Nolan’s cause to have him expelled from school. It had been his brother’s main goal since their father had him enrolled a few years ago. Dane’s mother, Moira, reminded him daily to keep his cool, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult with each passing day. The moment he graduated, all bets were off though. He’d gladly show Nolan exactly what he thought of him then.
“What are you doing?” a female asked as she stepped toward them. Dane knew that voice. It had played over and over in his dreams each night that he’d recognize it anywhere. Reese was coming to his rescue and all he wanted to do was hide. She shouldn’t see him like this... She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at Nolan.
“Who are you?” Nolan asked and released his hand from Dane’s chest. He practically oozed charm as he spoke. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Reese glanced at Dane and then back at Nolan. “I’m not from here.”
Dane rolled his eyes. That was obvious enough—if she went to the same school, she’d have pretended nothing was happening. No one ever went against Nolan. His word was practically law in the hallowed halls of Shelton Academy. While she was distracted by Nolan, Dane took the time to appreciate her exquisiteness without her noticing his attention. He let his gaze roll over her exquisite beauty. Her blonde hair was piled on her head in a twist of curls that framed her lovely heart-shaped face. The gold flecks in her hazel eyes made them appear to sparkle in the low light of the ballroom and her soft pink lips were delectable. Dane wished he had the privilege of kissing her good night. Something that would probably never happen, but a boy could dream.
“Uh...” Reese continued to stare at Nolan. Dane had the urge to use his fists again due to that look alone.Please don’t let her be fooled by his perfect façade too...She cleared her throat. “I’m Reese.”
That was probably his cue to make himself scarce, but he couldn’t move. This was his luck rearing its ugly head once again. He’d never be the one to get the girl, and he shouldn’t have tried. What in the world had he been thinking? He hadn’t been, and that remained a problem where his heart was concerned. Reese blinded him to reality, and he had to stop living in a fantasy. She’d never look past all the charm Nolan presented and actually see Dane.
“Reese,” Nolan said carefully. “I’d love to chat with you more, but I’m busy taking out the trash. Perhaps we can find time later to become better acquainted.”
Reese glanced at Dane again and frowned. “Actually, I’m going to have to decline. I have a boyfriend.” She gestured toward Dane and smiled. “If you’ll excuse me, I did promise him a dance.”
He couldn’t have been more surprised if she’d declared him a better man than his brother. In a way, she’d actually done that. He couldn’t have loved her more than in that moment. The scowl on Nolan’s face was worth a thousand days of bad luck because, for once, he had a moment of good fortune. He was going to dance with the girl he loved and make that memory he’d hoped for when he decided to attend the prom.
“Are you ready?” Reese held her hand out to him. “I love this song.”
He couldn’t have picked a better song to dance with her to if asked. Dane had nothing without Reese, and he didn’t actually have any claim to her. How sad was that? He swallowed the lump in his throat and held out his hand to her. “It’d be my honor.”
They walked to the floor hand-in-hand. He couldn’t think of a damn thing to say, but sometimes words weren’t needed. If he could declare his love for her he would; however, she didn’t care about him in the same fashion he did her. Reese would always think of him as someone she had to help, and a friend she could lean on at best. He’d have to accept that their relationship would never reach the level he wanted. A small part of him cried out in frustration at what he’d never have, but for the most part, he was all right with at least being able to have something with her. Just because he wanted her to love him wouldn’t make it happen. Some things weren’t meant to be, and he and Reese were one of them.
“Are you having fun?” she asked.
