“Yes,” Cash, Theo, and Bowen said at the same time.
“No,” I barked. “If y’all can’t handle it, you can go. But Ihave to listen. To all of them.” I glanced back at Liam. “Please stop asking me.”
So he did.
Each message was a dull blade, tearing—not cutting—my heart a little more. But some of the things she said hurt worse than others. Like,
I keep wondering what it would’ve been like if I’d found my way to you instead.
And,
If you ever wanted to talk in person, I could make that happen.
But the worst was,
We could take a trip. Just us. Two people, one place, no interruptions. I think we both know what that would turn into.
“That’s it,” he finally said.
“James,” I said. “Are you okay?”
He looked more shook than anyone other than me. Skin ashen, eyes glazed over, he stumbled to an old rocking chair against the wall.
“Maybe it’s not actually her,” Theo said, but I could tell he knew how stupid that sounded.
I looked at him. “It’s her. You know it is.”
His chest lifted and lowered once. “Yeah.” His eyebrow arched. “What’re you gonna do?” I knew exactly what he was asking.
“I think you already know the answer to that.” I looked back at Liam. “Thanks for being upfront with me. I appreciate it.” I jammed my hands into my pockets and took a step back. “Just clean up when you’re done,” I said to the rest of them. Then I turned and walked toward the door.
“Griff!” Liam called. “I think we should talk about it.”
I yanked the door open.
“C’mon, Griff!” Liam tried again. “You can’thold it against?—”
The slamming door cut off his words.
In a fury, I drove James’s truck back to Theo’s—the window once again intact—grabbed the divorce papers, then turned around and drove right back to Dupree Ranch.
I handed the papers to Holden without a word.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
GRIFFIN
In an effort to take our minds off Jules, Theo and I stayed up late that night battling it out in League of Legends. So, the next morning, when someone pounded on the door at the butt crack of dawn, it jolted both of us from our sleep.
I nearly fell out of the trundle bed. In just my boxers, I pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. As I stumbled across the kitchen, whoever it was pounded again.
Theo tripped out of his room, hands covering his ears like he had a hangover, hair poking up in all directions. “Ugh. Make it stop.”
I threw the door open, ready to yell if it was a solicitor.
But it was James.
He had Willow tucked in the crook of his arm, Dad’s largest suitcase perched upright next to him.
