Somewhere in the distance, a hawk drifts over the tree line, and for a moment, I almost forget about Lane. About everything.
When we drive past the barn, Iris comes bounding across the pasture, barking and chasing after the truck.
“I thought you said training was going well?” he asks, watching my wild puppy sprint after us in the rearview mirror.
“It is.” I laugh. “She just has alittlething with chasing cars.”
“We’ll work on that tomorrow.” He looks at me, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Something warm flickers in my chest before I can stop it, but it’s gone just as quickly when I force my gaze back to the road ahead.
Gravel crunches beneath the tires as we pull in, and my heart rate spikes.
Lane’s truck.Parked right beside Emmett’s. My once-happy memories in that truck are now tainted by that night. His broken promises.
My hand fumbles for the door handle, then freezes. I know if I ask Wesley to turn around, he would without hesitation. But what would that solve? Hard things don’t get easier the longer you avoid them.
It’s difficult to see him—Lane. The person I almost gave a piece of myself to. The person I stupidly thought I was falling in love with. The person who would’ve hurt me if the man currently sitting next to me didn’t stop him.
I glance at Wesley. The muscles in his jaw tick as he stares at the same truck.
“Did Heath invite him to dinner?” I ask, my voice low.
“He never said anything to me.” He exhales slowly. “But he also didn’t tell me Lane was coming to dinner withyoulast time, either.”
“Right.” I nod slowly.
The same dinner where Wesley said the four words that have played on a loop in my brain every day since.
It should’ve been me.
I wish everything wasn’t so complicated. I wish Wesleyhadasked me to dance that night. I wish he had never pushed me away and built this wall between us.
I wish I had never kissed Lane.
Being with Lane meant sealing the door on me and Wesley forever. How could I ever be more with him after everything that happened?
Then Lane would be right. Wesley would get his turn—and I would be a slut.
I fucked everything up trying to move on from something that never really existed. What did I think would happen?
Summer is almost over, and then I’m going back to California.
Wesley’s place is here—working on his family’s ranch.
I force a smile, hoping he can’t see the dread hidden beneath. “Well, sitting in the truck won’t change anything. Plus, you know how Heath feels about tardiness.”
Before I can talk myself out of it, I swing open the door and slip out of the truck.
Wesley catches up to me before I reach the first porch step, putting himself between me and the front door.
“Wesley, what are you—”
“You have a choice. You don’t have to do this.”
“It’s fine—”
“No, it’s not. You don’t have to sit at the table with him and pretend none of it happened.”
