Me
Fuck. No.
“We’re texting. Is that a bad thing?” I shrugged, stepping off the platform at the same time Lachlan stepped up.
“Seeing as the woman has shot you down more times than you care to admit, it’s a bit strange. What changed?” Lachlan worked on his sleeves once more, rolling them up to his elbows before moving to his tie.
What had changed? If I were to rewind the clock to when my fist hit Archie’s nose…the world seemed to slow down. Eventhough I was trying to act like nothing was different, life moved in slow motion. It wasn’t until I accepted it that I finally broke, not entirely sure what was going on with my life, until she raced back in it in January. These past months with her were as if everything was being pieced back together. Rodeos, pizza, sushi, TV shows—she was bringing me back to life without even knowing it.
Everything made sense with Quinn. Natural even. I couldn’t help but flirt; I couldn’t help but stare and push down that urge to kiss her, but she had become so much more than a girl I wanted. She had become what I would consider a close friend, and by the way she was texting me—by the way she hugged me that night—I’d say I was a close friend to her, too.
Everything changed, but at the same time, everything stayed the same.
“Nothing changed,” I settled on admitting, locking my phone before I had a chance to read her reply.
“You’re not playing her along, are you?” Cash asked, furrowing his brow at me in the mirror.
“God, not you, too. Abi and I already talked about this.” I slumped my shoulders.
“Well.” Lachlan turned. “How many women have you been with in the past two years?”
I squinted and tried to pull up a number. It wasn’t massive by any means, but the number was up there. “Am I counting repeats as one?”
Cash and Lachlan froze, both staring at me with an eyebrow raised.
“I’m kidding—”
“Are you?” Lachlan stepped off the platform.
“You can’t blame us for worrying about her. She’s young and doesn’t need to be—”
“I’m not playing her.” I held out my hands, stopping Cash from saying anything else. “The last girl I had over was Melanie…and if I remember correctly, Cash, you had no issues with her being over. This is Quinn. This is different. I haven’t been with anyone since she came back into town, and I don’t plan on seeing anyone else. I need to talk to her, tell her how I really feel, and see what happens.”
Cash narrowed his eyes. “Hold up. How you really feel?”
“Don’t act like Abi hasn’t told you.” I folded my arms and looked at my soon-to-be brother-in-law.
“She hasn’t. I don’t pry. She tells me things if she needs to. When it comes to you, she’s pretty private—she was even shocked when I told her I wanted you by my side at the wedding. She’s pretty sure we still hate each other.”
“Yeah, well, right now, I do,” I clipped.
“Can we circle back to this how you really feel thing, because that’s new.” Lachlan spun his finger in a circle in front of him, rewinding the last ten seconds. “I thought you were just hitting on her like you’ve always done.”
“I mean…it may have started that way, but now—” I heaved a sigh. “I really…really…reallylike her. I don’t want to say the other word quite yet, even though I know damn sure that’s where it’s headed. I don’t know if she feels the same or if she really sees me as a friend, but…” I dropped my arms and looked at them. Cash done up to the nines, looking exactly as he will in a few weeks. Lachlan a scruffy ‘nice’ mess with his tie half done, his sleeves rolled up, and a glare on his face. They both eagerly waited for me to finish. “I want to tell her how I feel soon, and we’ll see what happens. If she’ll have me, I’m hers. If she wants me as a friend, I’ll be that, too.”
The thought of telling Quinn how I felt came as easy as deciding to announce at a rodeo. Every time I was with her, I was warm. Whenever she smiled, I felt a buzz fly through mybody. That spark of electricity happened whenever she touched my skin, even if it was a light brush, it was there. When her arms wrapped around my neck, I inhaled her coconut scent and fell a little harder each time. I waited for her texts to come and counted down the minutes until I was next to her again. I wanted all of her, and I hoped she wanted all of me.
I just had to tell her.
Twenty-Three
Quinn
Inthepastfivemonths, I’d gotten dressed up twice. Dressing up made me feel fun and free, and I didn’t get to do it enough. But this time, standing next to Kyla in the same turquoise flowy dress, my hair with a curl and makeup bringing out my best features, I felt like a princess from my show. And having Wyatt keep sneaking grins at me while Abi and Cash exchanged their vows didn’t help the feeling.
Each groomsman, including Stetson, wore the outfit Wyatt sent me a photo of, but paired with a gray cowboy hat, thesame purple band around the crown. Even Rhett—sitting in the audience with Poppy in her turquoise dress—matched the men. Abi was stunning in her cream gown, her blonde hair curled around her shoulders—and the looks that Cash kept giving her were everything. Love etched into his eyes, not once faltering from her. I hated that I couldn’t see her reaction, knowing what these two went through to get here.
Abi’s father, Leo, stood in front of Abi and Cash, and when he announced them, Mr. and Mrs. Cash Callahan, Cash took a step towards his bride and wrapped his arm around Abi’s waist, dipping her as he kissed her. Everyone in the crowd cheered for them. And my eyes hit Wyatt’s.
