Maybe Forever (Missing Pieces Book 1) Read online

  Maybe Forever

  Missing Pieces Book 1

  Keyanna Butler

  Maybe Forever

  Copyright © 2016 by Keyanna Butler.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: July 2016

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-718-0

  ISBN-10: 1-68058-718-8

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To my girls, Shandise Cokley, Jackie Bitzer, and Sabrina Taggart. Thank you for your fifteen-plus years of friendship, your unyielding loyalty, and your ability to accept a nerdy girl who loved to write short stories on construction paper and bug you to listen to them. This book is dedicated to you, summers at Smith Playground on our circle rock, and whole days spent on the bleachers in “the field.” Thank you for listening and thank you for being my friends. Had it not been for you, I would have never continued writing. You listened, you encouraged, and you supported my dream to write. I am forever grateful. I couldn’t have made it here without you.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

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  Chapter One

  Dakota

  “What’s the password, sir?” Dakota Daughtry rolls his eyes at the boy standing in front of him. Jamie Montgomery folds his arms over his wide chest. With his five foot seven frame, he could easily pass for a very young security guard.

  “Boobs?” he guesses.

  Jamie shakes his head, his lip quivering from the force of trying not to smile. “Someone’s mind is in the gutter.”

  Dakota chuckles. “Uh, fart?”

  “Try again.”

  Dakota’s eyes narrow slightly as he tries to concentrate. He looks at Jamie’s fifteen-year-old mischievous face.

  “You are so immature, Jamie. I hope you don’t ask your first girlfriend for a password every time you hold hands.” Jamie laughs, untwining his arms. Dakota catches Jamie in his moment of weakness and head butts him in his stomach, forcing his way into the house. He kicks the door shut with his foot as he wrestles with the teenager.

  “You two are toddlers…” Dakota peeks out from underneath Jamie’s chokehold, feeling like he can’t breathe. He thought he would be used to it by now, but every time Harper Montgomery walks into a room, she captivates him.

  “All right! I give up!” Dakota says, and Jamie lets him go.

  Dakota smiles up at Harper standing at the foot of the stairs and then turns back to Jamie. “You should be nice to me. I come bearing gifts.”

  Jamie’s eyes widen when he realizes what Dakota is holding: a bag labeled ‘GameStop’.

  “No way, D!” Jamie rushes to take the bag from Dakota’s hands. He opens it immediately to reveal a new PlayStation 4.

  “D, this is awesome! Thank you!”

  Dakota chuckles at his reaction. “You’re welcome. Go ahead and set it up.”

  “Okay,” Jamie says, not taking his eyes off it as he kisses his mother’s cheek, saying goodbye quickly, and then rushing into the living room. Dakota feels Harper’s glare as soon as Jamie is gone. He braces himself for a spat.

  “How much was that thing?” Harper asks.

  “Doesn’t matter…” Dakota says sharply.

  “Dakota, you have to let me pay you back for that. It’s too much.” She turns to the coat rack behind her and grabs a jacket.

  “It’s nothing, Harper. Don’t worry about it. I knew he wanted it, so I got it for him.” Harper’s eyes narrow as she looks at him. Dakota rolls his eyes and grabs the flaps of her jacket, pulling her toward him slightly. A smile plays at her lips as she looks at him.

  “Stop worrying so much.” Harper watches him as he buttons up her jacket for her. When he reaches the last button, he pushes her brown satin-like hair behind her ear and winks.

  “Don’t try to butter me up, Daughtry,” Harper says softly.

  “Go to work, Montgomery.” They break apart from each other.

  “I’ll be home at around eleven-thirty,” she says, opening the front door.

  “We’ll be here,” he says.

  “As always,” she replies. Dakota stares at the door for a few seconds after it closes and shakes his head slowly. Smiling, he enters the living room to join Jamie in breaking in his new present, which is secretly a present for Dakota as well.

  ***

  “D?” Jamie calls sleepily as he gets comfortable on the living room’s sofa bed. Dakota lies beside him on his back, one arm behind his head and the other resting comfortably over his stomach.

  “’Sup, man?” He turns his head to look at Jamie.

  “Can I ask you something?” He yawns softly.

  “What’s on your mind?” Dakota asks.

  “Are you going to stop coming around once I start school?”

  “No, why would you think that?” Dakota’s eyes narrow slightly.

  “I’m starting high school,” Jamie says matter-of-factly.

  “And?” Dakota raises his eyebrows in confusion.

  “I don’t know. Sometimes I just think you’re going to…” Dakota feels the emotion coming off him in waves. “Sometimes I hope you won’t start getting tired of me. You’re my best friend, you know.”

  Dakota smiles warmly and then looks up at the ceiling to hide the emotion pooling in his eyes. “You have nothing to worry about, Jamie. I’m not going anywhere. Think about it…how often do we talk on the phone?”

  “Almost every day,” Jamie says, his forehead scrunched up.

  “And where do I spend most of my time?”

  “Here with me,” Jamie says softly.

  “And do you know why?” Jamie looks up at him. “Because you are the coolest kid in the world, and as long as you want me around, I’ll be here.” There is silence in the room for several seconds, and then Dakota hears Jamie let out a deep exhale. Dakota rubs Jamie’s head as he nods in understanding.

  “Okay,” he says, grinning. They both lay flat on their backs and look up at the ceiling, feeling like they have bonded enough for the night. They lay in silence for a while. Dakota thinks Jamie has fallen asleep until he breaks the quiet.

  “Do you ever think you and my mom will get together?” Dakota’s head snaps to Jamie’s drooping eyes.

  “What
?”

  “Oh, come on…you’ve never thought about it before?” Jamie says, smirking.

  Dakota stares at him for a few extra seconds, slightly shocked by the turn of their conversation. Before his brain can even go down that path, he reverts back to reality.

  “That’s not a topic of discussion.”

  “Oh come on, Daughtry,” Jamie says. “We’ve always been honest with each other. Don’t break the pact now.”

  Dakota sighs, hating the fact that he references their pact from so long ago. He doesn’t understand how Jamie can still vividly remember the orange popsicles they were eating on a summer afternoon and the pinky swear they made that they would always be honest with each other no matter how uncomfortable it made them. Back then, he was just a high school student in a Big Brother program, but he never knew he would end up falling in love with this kid and the family his mother created for them. He never meant to become a father figure. He never meant to find a place here, but he did, and there’s no turning back from it now.

  “D, you okay? I’m sorry if I’m out of line, I just…I’ve been thinking about that lately.” Dakota breaks out of his daze at the sound of Jamie’s voice and registers his words.

  “Jamie, it’s okay, you’re right. We’re always supposed to be honest with each other.” Jamie nods. “You aren’t out of line, either. Some things aren’t appropriate is all.”

  “And talking about your feelings for my mom isn’t appropriate?” Dakota shakes his head, smiling slightly.

  “Yes, that and the best Power Rangers series. I’m just exhausted. We’ll never agree.” Jamie chuckles.

  “Well, if it’s worth anything, I’m sorry we can’t talk it out. I know how it feels to bottle feelings up because you don’t think anyone will understand…”

  Dakota’s eyes narrow. “Jamie, is there something you’re bottling up inside that you want to talk about?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “You don’t have to handle it on your own. That’s what your mom and I are here for.”

  “I know.” The room grows quiet for a few moments, Dakota looking at Jamie thoughtfully. “D…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Just so you know, I wouldn’t mind calling you dad.” Dakota’s eyes water once again, but before he can respond honestly however, Jamie’s steady breathing fills the room. Dakota shakes his head and turns over to his side, opposite Jamie. He closes his eyes and hopes his head can calm enough for him to fall asleep as well.

  Chapter Two

  Harper

  “Hey, sleepyhead, are you staying over tonight?” Harper asks once Dakota wakes.

  “Yeah, is that cool with you?” he asks, wiping some sleep from his eyes. He sits up slightly, looking over at a sleeping Jamie.

  “No. I’ve decided to shake things up after seven years. Go home,” she says before walking toward the kitchen. He gets up slowly and follows her into the kitchen.

  “Did you cook?” Harper asks.

  “Yes. Your plate’s in the microwave,” he says. They sit down at the kitchen table after she gets her food. She sets a soda down in front of him as well as herself. Harper watches him as he holds the soda in his palms, looking listlessly at its label.

  “You okay?” Harper asks as she digs into her meal. Alfredo noodles with real chicken pieces inside. A man that knows his way around the kitchen is one to keep around, she thinks.

  Dakota nods his head, still staring at the soda can. “Your son just…he said something that struck a nerve.”

  “Yeah, what?” she asks, her mouth full of food. Dakota looks up at her and laughs. Harper grins.

  “He told me…”

  “What?”

  “He said I was his best friend,” he says quietly.

  Harper stops eating. “He said that?” Harper asks, smiling sweetly.

  “Yes, he did,” Dakota says. He inhales deeply and then lets it out slowly. “I didn’t have the guts to tell him he was my best friend too. It sounds too pathetic to my ears.”

  “It is pretty pathetic,” she teases.

  Dakota chuckles. “He’s my favorite person in the world, though. I don’t know exactly when it happened, though. It seems like just yesterday we were discussing what is better: being a Power Ranger or an X-man, and now we’re discussing who’s hotter: Kimberly or Rogue.” He swallows a gulp of soda. “Career paths and girls he should date are right up the road. I don’t know if I can handle that.”

  Harper laughs as she finishes her last bite of food. Her chocolate brown curls dance around her face as she giggles. At the strangest times she realizes that Dakota is just as much of a parent as she is. He looks up at her, and the expression on his face makes her knees go weak for some reason.

  “Hey, did you do something different with your hair?” he says, wrapping his finger around one of the loose curls adorning her face. Harper blushes slightly.

  “Oh yeah. I just tried a new kind of curl. You noticed?” She gets up from her seat and goes to the sink to wash off her plate.

  “Of course I noticed,” he says matter-of-factly. “It looks good.”

  Harper blushes deeper. “Thanks,” she says, her back still to him.

  “Welcome.”

  She turns around after washing her plate and stands against the counter, her arms folded in front of her chest. “So, are you going to come over the morning of Jamie’s first day? He’ll probably be expecting you here when he wakes.” Dakota swallows the swig of soda in his mouth.

  “Yup, I’ll be here, camera in hand.”

  “Do you go anywhere without that camera?” she says.

  “Nope, it’s a part of me.”

  Harper laughs. “You’re such a dork, Daughtry.”

  “Ah, you love it, Montgomery.” She looks down at the floor. Her blush has returned. “Jamie thought I was going to call it quits from coming around so much just because he’s starting high school.”

  Harper looks back up at him, a little worry written on her face as well. “What did you say?”

  “There’s no place I’d rather be than here,” he says smoothly.

  Harper smiles brightly. She downs another swig of her soda. “To be honest, I’m a little worried about this change too. It’s like he doesn’t need me all of a sudden.”

  “It isn’t that he doesn’t need you. He’s just going through something,” Dakota says. “I talked to him tonight about it.”

  “Do you think it’s something serious?”

  He gets up and slowly walks over to Harper. He leans up against the counter next to her.

  “I don’t think it’s anything life-threatening. All I told him was if he ever needs to talk, he can talk to me.”

  “I’m sure he already knew that. You’re always there for him.” Dakota folds his arms across his chest, and Harper looks up at him.

  “I guess he just needed me to say it out loud, you know?” He looks down at her.

  She turns around to face him, setting her empty soda can on the counter’s top. She runs her fingers softly through her hair and bites her lip nervously.

  “I don’t know if I say it enough or ever, Dakota.” She puts her palms on his wide chest, feeling like some sort of contact should be made. “It’s hard raising a teenage boy without the full support of his father. Thank you for making it a little easier.” Her eyes slightly glaze over with emotion.

  “You’re welcome,” he says softly. “I know it’s weird to say because I’m not his father, but wherever you lag, I’ve always picked up the slack, automatically. It was never a question for me. We’re in this together and it’ll always be that way…in case you were wondering too.”

  Harper looks at him as if she’s seeing him for the first time. He’s far from the teenage boy she let into her home seven years ago. She takes her hands off him and rests them at her side. Suddenly the soda can on the counter has become very interesting, and she studies it to avoid his eyes and her beating heart. She shakes her head clear.

  “Did
I freak you out?” he asks. Harper finally looks up at him.

  “No, no…” she says. “I just hadn’t realized how much you’ve changed.”

  “Changed?” he says. She looks at him, and he’s a lot closer to her than he was a moment ago.

  “Yes,” she says breathlessly. She swallows her unpredictable fogginess. “You’re not watching as much Teen Nick as you used to,” she teases. Dakota laughs, and the tension in the room evaporates.

  “If I’m not mistaken, you were the one obsessed with The Amanda Bynes Show.” Harper laughs.

  “Oh my goodness, am I ever going to live that down?” Dakota shakes his head. He pulls at a shorter curl, blocking her eyelid, and twirls it in his fingers, slipping it behind her ear softly. He outlines her ear with his thumb, and Harper releases a soft sigh. Her eyes close involuntarily and without preamble, she’s once again too close to Dakota Daughtry. She opens her eyes reluctantly, and Dakota is staring down at her with the same look on his face. A look she can’t quite figure out the meaning to.

  “I should…” She swallows thickly. “I should probably go to bed. I’m going to make a big breakfast tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” he croaks.

  “G’night,” Harper says, setting her empty soda can in the sink and then walking out of the kitchen. She feels his eyes on her back as she walks away. There seems to be a lot of changes happening in the household and some, Harper realizes, she may not be able to handle either.

  ***

  Dakota

  Dakota wakes up to the smell of sausage, bacon, eggs, and chocolate chip pancakes. The sweet syrup is tickling his nose as well, and he has no choice but to get out of bed and enter the kitchen. He yawns before standing up and stretching his long body awake. He enters the kitchen, scratching his stomach sleepily.

  “Morning, peoples,” he says, dragging the last word.