Lakesides and Longing

Forbidden Romance. Brother’s best friend. One hot summer all alone.

I left home at 18 and never looked back. It’s not that my home was horrible or anything, it’s just that my cheating scumbag of a husband didn’t approve of my family.

He’s gone and now my brother’s way overprotective and visits me at least once a month and has all my neighbors texting him if they think something is wrong.I keep telling him I’m fine.

Even if I can’t drive anymore because of my panic attacks.

Even if I wake up screaming every night.

Even if someone breaks into my house.

That was one too many things for him so now he’s left his meathead bff to watch over me and I can’t stand the man.

But one night we fall asleep together watching movies and suddenly everything is different. The problem is if my brother finds out, he might kill us both.

Blake stood out on the deck of the ferry and
let the breeze ruffle his hair. He loved this
ride even though it was on the chilly side. It was peace‐
ful, though not terribly effective at erasing the memory
of the last twenty-four hours.
He was surprised he’d even made it here.
He had been between jobs and decided to give the
love of his life one more shot. Debbie had left him three
times—the last right before he planned to propose—but
he couldn’t let her go.
Well, at least not until he showed up in Kyoto and
found out she wasn’t there on a business trip, but a
honeymoon. He was such a fool. He’d really thought
she’d just been scared of commitment, not him, but then
she went and married the Italian playboy she’d run off
with.
He was gutted and numb. Love wasn’t something he
understood. All he knew was that Debbie took his heart and smashed it to pieces. He’d never love anyone again,
and he had to give himself time to grieve and heal.
He wanted to find a job that would distract him. As a
pharmaceutical research scientist, he never had a steady
job, only projects. He didn’t need it. Several years ago,
he’d created a medication that helped lessen the side
effects of chemo and made a fortune. He’d never have to
work another day in his life if he didn’t want to, but he
did like his work, so he did projects. He was involved
with a few top-secret projects with various govern‐
ments and so even if he didn’t seek work out, it came to
him at least once a year.
What he needed right now was a good trek in the
jungle to find a poisonous spider or snake that would
cure a rare disease. But none of his contacts panned out.
So he got on a plane and flew back to the States. He
spent a few nights with his buddy Tristan in Florida and
then hopped into a rental and drove north with his
Doberman, Tria, not stopping until he reached
Michigan.
Why Mackinac Island, he didn’t know.
But it was as good a place as any to clear his head
and mourn his loss. And his buddies, Lukas and
Hayden, would see him through it.

TESS SET a cup of coffee down in front of him. She’d
welcomed Blake into hers and Lukas’s home, no ques‐
tions asked. Lukas had definitely found a keeper.
“Sorry if I woke you guys up,” Blake said. He’d taken the first ferry of the morning over. Hadn’t even called to
say he was there.
“No, Jack was already up. We just weren’t dressed
yet. I’m sorry about Debbie.” She gave him a pained
smile.
He shrugged. He’d spilled the whole story to the
both of them the second he stepped over the threshold.
They seemed happy to see him, and Dio was over the
moon that Tria came to play. He hadn’t seen his dog
since he arrived. They were playing hard in the
backyard.
“You think I can stay in the carriage house for the
summer? I just need to be somewhere I can recharge for
a few months. I’m between jobs, and I just don’t want to
think about her. You know, even after Debbie left me in
Prague, I figured we’d get back together at some point.”
It’d been a few years, and he’d talked to her a couple of
times.
Thank goodness for best friends. Blake had no living
family. Lukas and Hayden were the closest things to
brothers he had, and they lived three doors down from
one another. Truthfully, he thought about going to
Hayden first because his wife Anna had become Blake’s
best friend in the whole world, but he knew they were
not morning people. He’d visit them this afternoon.
“Yeah, sure. No problem. I’ll call Estelle and get it
cleaned up.”
Lukas’s cell buzzed. He picked it up and stepped out
of the room, leaving Blake with Tess.
“When are you due?” Blake pointed to Tess’s swollen
stomach.
She placed a hand on it. “September. Jack is getting a
little brother.”
They chatted a bit about Jack and the coming baby,
and then Lukas stomped into the room, his face red like
the inside of a watermelon. He clenched his fists, his jaw
tight. It was a look that Blake had not seen on him
often.
“What’s the matter?” Tess asked, tensing. Apparently
neither had Tess.
“It’s Paige.” Lukas had talked about his sister before,
but Blake had never met her. He wracked his brain to
see if he could remember what Lukas had said about
her in the past, but the only thing he could remember
was that her husband died a couple of years ago. Lukas
had talked about how hard it was to watch her go
through that.
Tess’s shoulder’s relaxed, and she let out a nervous
laugh. “What’d she do now?”
Lukas rubbed his face. “Just riling up the local sher‐
iff’s department. We need to pay her a visit. Blake, you
up for a short road trip to rescue my baby sister?” It
might take a couple of days.
Blake grinned. “I’m always up for a road trip.”
Anything to distract him from the hole in his chest.