My stomach rolls.
There was a part of her that still wanted me.
Stilllovedme.
And I destroyed it.
Iruined us.
She was drunk and sad and thinking of me—and I made sure she would never do it again.
I nod slowly, still watching him. “How’d you find out?”
“She told me.”
Of course she did. Because Emmett didn’t shut her out when she tried to talk. He made space for her. He let her speak. Let her be heard. He didn’t twist her honesty into something to regret.
My throat tightens, but I nod again, processing. “You gonna tell Dad?”
He snorts. “When have I ever narced on you?”
I let out a slow, quiet breath. “You never know.”
We stand there watching Outlaw, tail flicking as he grazes. The sky is now a deep indigo, just a sliver of golden orange on the horizon.
“Sorry for being unpleasant these last few weeks,” I mutter, scuffing my boot on the ground.
Emmett chuckles, low and tired. “You’re always unpleasant.”
I huff something that’s not quite a laugh.
He blows out a long breath, running his fingers through his hair. “You know it wasn’t really about Sadie for me, right?”
I glance at him. His gaze is far off. Distant. Like he’s talking to himself more than to me.
“It’s just hard to want something you can’t have.”
I know exactly what he means. “Yeah.” I sigh. “I get it.”
He nods once, then pushes off the post. “You okay?”
Nope.
“Yeah.”
“Alright.” He turns to leave, but hesitates. “She’s a good one, Wes. Don’t let her go without knowing how you feel.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “She deserves more than I can give her.”
He gives me a sad smile before finally walking away.
Mydadisonthe porch when I finally pull up to the house. I missed dinner again. I know how much that pisses him off—how important it is to him that we sit together—but I can’t do it. I can’t pretend everything is fine. Not with her at the table.
The beautiful girl who turned my entire world upside down.
Before Sadie, I had my shit together. I had a plan. A routine. Rules that kept me on track. But then she showed up, and suddenly everything I thought I wanted stopped feeling like it could ever be enough.
Now that I’ve had a taste of a life where she exists, nothing can ever go back to the way it used to be.
