Wildest Dreams (Forbidden Love, #2)

by L.J. Shen

The bartender clasped a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for doing that. Shit. I panicked. I can’t believe I blurted out about her job when her life was in danger.” “No problem.” I turned to smile at him, standing up. “People say weird stuff when they’re stressed.” “Are you a nurse or something?” He eyed me curiously. “Nope. Worked in restaurants my whole life, actually.” “So how did you know how to do…it?” He looked confused. “What, CPR?” I chuckled. “I took a course before I had my daughter. You know, just in case.” He nodded. “Well, suffice it to say, your drink and your cake are on the house.” “Thanks.” I glanced around. “So…do you need any help here? It seems busy, and you are one bartender short.” “Sure do,” he grunted. “There’s a recipe menu in the drawer right next to you. I’ll pay you double what I pay hourly if you save my ass today.”

Med school, though romantic, was no longer in the cards for me. “Dylan,” the bartender—who turned out to be the owner, Max—hollered at me. “Your shift ends in ten minutes. I’ll Zelle you the money. You wanna take the rest of Faye’s shifts for the week?” “Text me the schedule. I’ll see if I have childcare.” And then I was off, a thousand dollars less poor after the tip split. The clock read 6:45 p.m., and I knew I owed Rhyland a lot of answers and an apology. I pushed the door open, about to pour myself out onto the street, when a hard body slammed into mine. My hands shot out to his chest. Muscular pecs that felt familiar beneath my fingertips bumped into me. My stare volleyed up like a bullet to his face. Patrician nose. Dark blue eyes I knew well, because once upon a time, they’d stared back at me every day. “Dylan,” he gasped. “Tucker?” Just when I thought the day couldn’t possibly get worse.

“Babe, shit, you look so good.” He stuck a hand in his hair, which was still lush brown, thick, and unfairly glossy. “I work here as a bartender.” Tucker’s eyes roved over me like restless hands. “Kieran told you to seek me out, huh?” He smirked smugly, and I wanted to kill him and Kieran and every man I knew. “I wanted to reach out—” “But you didn’t.” I tried to stay calm, but it was hard to do when all I wanted was to claw his eyes out. “You ran away, and now you don’t even know what your daughter looks like. What her hobbies are. Her dreams. Her allergies.”

“She has your eyes, you know,” I sneered. “Big and blue and curtained with thick lashes.”

“She’s allergic to kiwi, just like you. She’s athletic. Got it from both of us. Superfast and tumbles the best in her age group in gymnastics. She knows how to count to one hundred, how to read, how to draw a three-dimensional box. She’ll be four in December and is already as advanced as a seven-year-old. She is smart. And cunning. I got a message from her sitter today that she extorted him twice.” I didn’t take a breath, didn’t stop the rush of words from streaming out of my mouth like a troubled river. “She’s so eloquent, so bright. She’s beautiful and loving and warm—” “I want to meet her.” He reached out to touch me again. I zapped his hand away. A few people squeezed past us on their way out of the bar. “Dyl, fuck, you look so good. I missed you so—” “Her name is Gravity.” I ignored his words. “I know,” he said dispassionately, still eye-fucking me. “My parents told me.”

Tucker’s gaze broke away from mine, landing on my hand and the diamond that sparkled on my finger. Smothering darkness fell over his face. I knew this look. He was furious. “Are you…” He didn’t finish the question. “Oh yes,” I confirmed, waiting to feel triumphant, redeemed, or just a little less humiliated, but that victorious feeling never came. “I’m engaged to Rhyland Coltridge. Remember him?”

“I always thought he was hot. Had a thing for him growing up.” A croupy laugh bubbled out of me. “Actually, remember that night we first hooked up? That was because he rejected me. It was always him. Everything worked out fine in the end.” It was the same night I went ballistic over Cal and Row having sex behind my back. Definitely something I wanted to forget. “No, it didn’t,” he said tightly, his monotonous, clipped voice sounding extra harsh in my ears. “You belong with me. You and my kid.” Gravity, you asshole. That’s her name. “You’re high if you believe your own words,” I informed him. He ignored me, shaking his head. “I deserve a second chance. I freaked out. I wasn’t ready…” Holding back tears, I jerked my trembling chin up. “Well, you can’t meet her. You don’t deserve her. Never have.” “Don’t be a bitch. I’m trying to do the right thing here.” “Are you kidding me? A second ago, you were fine not knowing whether she was alive or not.” I tried to sidestep him again. “But now you’re here, and—” “And it doesn’t change anything,” I bit out. “You’re still a stranger, and I still don’t want you anywhere near my daughter.” I squeezed past him. “God dammit, Dylan, why do you always have to be so difficult?”