“You getting tired? We can go.”
I don’t want to drag him away from his friends, but it’s been a long day and I’m fading fast.
“I think I’ll help Talia tidy up a bit.” I move to stand, and he starts to follow. I reach out and stop him, letting my fingers graze over the hairs of his forearm. He’s pushed the sleeves of his shirt up, warm from sitting this close to the fire. “No, I got it, you stay. Enjoy your friends.”
He glances down at my hand and smiles just a little wider. Does he know what his forearms do to me?He gives me a small nod and leans back in his chair, rejoining the conversation with the rest of the group.
I head over to where Talia is gathering everything from dinner and offer to help, grabbing as much as I can fit in my arms before following her into the house. We set everything on the counter, and she starts moving around the kitchen.
“How can I help?” I ask.
“Just keep me company, this shouldn’t take me long.” She glances over her shoulder, scanning the room to make sure we’re alone. “So, what’s going on with you and Wes?”
I probably should have seen that question coming, but nope. I am completely blindsided by it. My mouth hangs open like a fish, and I’m unable to form a coherent thought.
“Oh, um, nothing. We’re just friends.” I fumble out the response, and she throws me aI don’t believe you for a minutelook.
If she had asked me yesterday, I probably would have been a bit more convincing. As it is, with the memory of a naked Wes and theway he pressed himself into me earlier, I don’t think I can convince myself there’s nothing going on here. Even if there shouldn’t be.
“Oh, come on now.” She gives me another one of those looks. “Even Breck has told me he’s never known Wes to be like this with a girl.”
I prepare my protest, ready with all the reasons we’re just friends—can onlybefriends—but she continues.
“Even with Brenna. Of course, Breck never saw them together in person, but still.”
“Brenna?” I say the name with too much emphasis to get away with it being casual.Who is Brenna?
Talia’s head whips around like she heard the words I didn’t say. Her dark ponytail nearly hits her in the face, surprise evident in her features. She must’ve assumed I know who Brenna is.
“Brenna…” She trails off. “She’s Wes’s ex. He hasn’t told you about her?”
“He told me he wasn’t a relationship guy.” I give a noncommittal shrug, trying to pretend it doesn’t sting.
“You’ve never wondered why?” she questions, and I want to roll my eyes. Of course I’ve wondered.
“I mean, I know his parents didn’t have a great relationship. He’s also moved around a lot. I guess I just figured he didn’t want to settle down.”
“You’re probably right there. He’s not really the ‘settling down’ type, but the closest he’s been was with Brenna. You know about the crash, right?” The condescending tone in her voice grates on me. As if she knows oh-so-much about him and I’m clearly out of the loop. As if her being with Breck somehow makes her the resident experton all things Wes. This is the first time I’ve seen this side of her, and I don’t care for it.
“Yes, I know about that, but what does—”
“It has everything to do with it,” she cuts in. “Wes was with Brenna when he went on that last deployment, and my understanding from Breck is that she fancied being a fighter pilot’s girlfriend. Hoped she’d eventually be a fighter pilot’s wife.”
She pauses for emphasis, eyebrows raised, lips pursed, and I nearly lose my dinner at the thought of Wes married to someone else. Someoneelse? God, what does that even mean? I’m almost thankful when Talia continues talking.
“Between his injuries and the PTSD from the crash, Wes decided he couldn’t be a fighter pilot anymore. She left.” Talia’s arms are crossed against her chest and though she’s not exactly smiling, there’s this vibe under the surface, like she knows she just dropped a bomb and she’s content to watch the world explode around it.
“What? Even after everything with Bobby, she just left?”
My face is hot with the anger I feel on Wes’s behalf. Seriously, how do I find this Brenna person and kick her ass?
“Yup. I don’t think Wes has dated since. I think he pretty much swore off relationships and women after that.” She smiles, and it seems genuine, but this whole interaction has given me whiplash. I continue to stand there in stunned silence as she looks me dead in the eye and says, “Until you.”
My heart falters a beat and I can’t find words to respond.
“So I guess I should ask you again… What’s going on with you and Wes?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
