Mad About Moon (The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor #5)(4)

As she walked up to the door, she glanced back at the car, but the headlights made it impossible to see inside. She turned and trained her eyes on the front door, willing herself to be strong for Hail’s sake. Hell, for her own sake, too. She climbed the front steps, unable to hear past the blood rushing through her ears. She lifted a trembling hand and knocked before she could lose her nerve.

The door opened—and Sarah’s face blanched. “Josie—” Music and voices billowed out from behind Sarah as Bones came to her side and swept an arm around her.

Sarah was so beautiful, and pregnant, and right there in front of her. Josie’s eyes filled with tears, and she prayed she wouldn’t pass out.

“Dude, stop staring,” Bullet’s gruff voice drew Josie’s attention to another man standing just to the left of Sarah, watching her. He was tall and broad chested with dirty-blond hair—features that could belong to anyone. Except they didn’t. Josie knew those Carolina-blue-gray eyes. She’d never forget the piercing stare that made her feel as though he could see all her thoughts, or the scar on the ridge of his cheekbone she’d traced with her fingers and kissed with her lips. In the space of a second, her past came tumbling back.

Moon?

The door closed, snapping her out of her shock and back to the present. Sarah and Bones were standing on the porch, staring at her expectantly. Maybe even hopefully.

Josie’s thoughts spun. She didn’t know what to do or say, so she took the pamphlet from her pocket and held it up, forcing her words to come. “Bones gave this to me with this address and said to come by anytime. I didn’t know you were having a party.”

“We’re not,” Sarah said quickly, worrying with her hands. An enormous diamond sparkled from her left ring finger. “Stay, please. Scott is right inside, and I know he’s dying to talk to you.”

Josie was numb. Scott was inside, and Sarah was truly happy. Engaged. But was that Moon? Her worlds were colliding, overwhelming her. She glanced back at the car and managed, “I can’t. My friend’s waiting with Hail in the car.”

“Invite them in,” Sarah said quickly. “I’d love to meet them.”

The hope in her voice and the plea in Bones’s eyes nearly had her agreeing, but there was a good chance that the only man besides Brian she’d ever slept with was right inside those doors, and there was no way she could deal with that on top of reconciling with her siblings after a decade.

“No,” Josie said quickly. “I’m not ready to…” Deal with all of this. “I just wanted to say that I read your story. I didn’t know your life was so hard. I’m sorry.” She hurried down the porch steps, stopping abruptly on the walkway, and slammed her eyes shut against tears. She shoved her hands into her pockets again and turned back. Not wanting to run away again but unable to do more, she said, “Merry Christmas. Maybe we can talk after the holidays?”

Tears streamed down Sarah’s cheeks as she said, “I’d like that.”

Good. Perfect. Josie wasn’t sure she’d actually said the words. She was shaking all over as she climbed into her car, taking one last glimpse at Sarah and her fiancé embracing. Hail giggled from the back seat, and she managed, “Still buckled up, bean?”

“He is. We’re good. You did good, too, Josie.” Tracey put her hand on Josie’s shoulder as she backed out of the driveway and said, “Want me to drive?”

Josie shook her head, unable to stop the flow of tears. Sarah hadn’t turned her away. She’d invited her in. She doesn’t hate me. And she was engaged!

Relief and happiness rushed through her, and she felt herself smiling. A puff of a laugh escaped, and hope swelled inside her.

“Look, Mama!” Hail exclaimed. “I can see the moon through the trees.”

Moon’s face appeared in Josie’s mind. Her nerves prickled and burned as she remembered with a heavy dose of guilt the one and only time she’d ever been attracted to someone other than Brian.

“The moon is really far away, even though it seems like you can reach out and touch it,” Tracey said.

Josie swallowed hard. It’s not as far away as you might think…



JED STOOD BY the window long after Josie—Joanne, Jojo—drove away. Sarah and Scott had been trying to reconnect with their younger sister for months, and Jed hadn’t had a clue that they were searching for the girl he’d known briefly years ago. He’d seen her only through the door, and she’d had that hood on. Could he have been wrong?

He ran his hand over the tattoos on his left arm, remembering the moment he’d first seen Jojo across the field at a keg party. Girls were a dime a dozen at those parties, but Jojo had stopped him in his tracks. Not just because she was utterly gorgeous, with long strawberry-blond hair and keen brown eyes, but because she was a tough little thing. He’d seen her at a few field parties, but she usually kept to herself. Things were different that night. She’d shot him an interested and challenging look that had seared through him like lightning, blazing straight to his cock. From the very first words out of her mouth and the hours they’d spent talking, to the way she went fucking wild when they were having sex, their connection had not only sizzled, but it had bored deep inside him like nothing he’d ever experienced—even to this day.

Fuck, she’d gotten to him that night.