I glare at him expectantly until he finally agrees.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Call me if you need help with him, okay?” I demand, only walking away after he confirms.
I trust that Ash will make sure Chad is okay, they’ve been friends for years, and he seems like a very responsible person, but it still feels wrong to trust Chad’s safety with another man. Not that Chad can’t take care of himself; I know he can. But he also feels things so deeply, and today he’s gone through so many emotions already before I just fucked everything up with that kiss.
I would never forgive myself if anything happened to him.
I’ll probably never forgive myself for letting things get as far as they did with him either.
Or maybe that I didn’t take things further.
Fuck. What the hell am I doing?
11
CHAD
Of course John storms off after he kissed me like the world was ending.
And he thinks I’m dramatic.
But I heard his hesitation loud and clear: John doesn’t want to move forward physically until we aren’t living together. Every marriage has its thing, so if my husband wants to take things slow and start off by living in separate houses in order for us to touch each other, then I’ll move out so we can start the arrangement that works for him. He won’t have any other excuses to use.
I’m unsure where John stormed off to, but since I think I was semi-successful in making John realize how much he wants me, I have a new mission tonight: find a house.
Blake’s isn’t an option. Definitely don’t want to encroach on their newly married fuckfest. I could ask Wyatt if I could stay with him, but that’s only temporary. Maybe I only need temporary… but I also don’t want to explain my situation to him.
I pull out my phone and open a real estate app, but then a better idea hits me. I don’t need to tour these houses; that takes way too long.
A few people are sitting at the tables still, watching everyone else on the dance floor, so I approach the first table. “Hello, I’m Chad, the best man. Are any of you local?”
A lady in a lovely navy-blue dress smiles at me warmly. “Nice to meet you, Chad. We’re from a few towns over, but we grew up knowing the Moore family and wouldn’t miss Liam’s big day.”
A few towns over? That sounds too far. I need someone even more local. “I’m sure he’s happy you’re here,” I say, deciding to move on. “Nice to meet you!”
“Chad!” My attention is pulled to one of my friends, Brady, from the city. “Come on, man. Let’s do some shots. The dance floor is missing you!”
“I’ll be back out there soon,” I lie, and I don’t feel bad about it at all. “Just give me a few.”
“Alright, meet me at the bar!” he calls out, thankfully walking away.
I use that interruption as a natural exit and hit the next table. They’re apparently here for Blake and live in the city even though I swear I’ve never seen these people before.
The third time’s finally the charm though, and the older couple I approach tell me they live down the road from here. I offer them my most charming smile. “Would you have any interest in selling me your house?”
“Uh, what’s that now?” the man asks, clearly confused by my request.
“I’m looking to move here and need a place to live immediately,” I explain. “I’ll pay cash and all the closing costs. I’ll even give you more than it’s worth. Think about how nice it’d be; you could finally move to Florida or somewhere warmer.”
He snorts a laugh as he shakes his head. “Sorry, but we’re not interested in moving. We’ve got too many memories here. Our grandbabies come over and we want them to experience thesame house we raised our kids in. We plan to die in that house, not Florida.”
“Understood.” I nod, deflating because maybe this was a stupid idea. What person would just up and agree to sell me their house and move out immediately? Where would they even go? This isn’t a well-thought-out plan, but I’m determined.
“You know who you should ask?” the man offers, and I perk up at his tone. “That fella right over there, Phil. He’s been talking about leaving for a while now. Think he’s got a second home somewhere south already, too. He goes every winter.”
“Amazing! Thank you!” I shout, already walking away as I feel a sense of hope flood me once again. I knew this was a genius idea. I approach the man with graying hair, a thick mustache, and a beer in his hand, and take the empty seat next to him at his table. “Hello, sir, my name’s Chad.”
