Page 45 of Broken Boundaries

“Oooo, Owen,” I tease in a sing-song voice.

“Shut up.” She laughs. “You need to text you-know-who to come get you.”

I groan. It seemed like a good idea when we got here—have a few drinks, then have Brooks come get me. But now that I’m drunk and a little horny, I think being around Brooks is a terrible idea.

Unfortunately, I don’t really have a choice. There are only two Ubers in this town, and they both have a long wait.

“Yeah. I guess I have to.”

CHAPTER 17

Brooks

It’s after midnight when my phone finally pings with a new message.

Aspen: Hey bossman. You stillll up??

Me: Yep. Need a ride?

Aspen: If you don’t mind.

Me: Stay put. I’ll be there in 10.

Aspen: Thanks

I hop off my couch and head straight to my truck. I wouldn’t say I’ve been waiting for this text all night, but I’m definitely usually asleep by now if that says anything.

Aspen looked good when she left her cabin. Too good for any of the boys in this town. I know that because I’ve watched most of ’em do the most idiotic things you could think of over and over again. Another curse of living in a small town: no one forgets anything. Can’t think of a single one of them that would be good enough for her.

I pull up in front of Roadside in no time. Aspen is standing out front with Jasmine, the both of them laughing. Watching Aspen laugh is becoming one of my new favorite activities. Her entire face lights up every single time. It’s almost as if she’s letting herself be happy for the first time ever. Like she’s surprised that she’s laughing. It’s cute.

“You ladies need a ride?” I yell once I’ve rolled the window down on my truck.

“Just me. Jazz here has plans,” Aspen explains with a giggle and a hiccup. Looks like I’ll be handling drunk Aspen tonight. This should be fun.

“Yep. A certain bartender is taking me home tonight. Lucky him,” Jazz says as she gives Aspen a hug.

“Well, you be careful, Jasmine. And call if you need anything.”

“Got it, bossman. You just worry about getting my girl here home safe. She had all the boys at the bar buying her drinks.”

Jasmine helps Aspen into my truck, and I clench my jaw thinking about all those boys trying to get Aspen’s attention. I wonder if she liked any of them. It’s not my business, but something inside me really wants to know.

“That’s not true,” Aspen says with a slight slur. “It was one boy buying me a few drinks. You bought the rest!”

Jasmine laughs. “That’s true. Alright, you two have a good night.” She winks before she shuts the door. I’m not sure exactly what that wink was supposed to mean, but I’m choosing to ignore it.

“So, first night out and already got people buying you drinks?” I ask as I pull back onto the main road. I want to know who it was so I can tell her how he’s not good enough for her. That’s what I should do for Zach’s sake. He wouldn’t want his friends messing around with Aspen. Not when he’s still trying to convince her to give him another chance.

“It was one person. And he was nice. Not pushy at all. We had a few drinks and danced a little.”

My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I picture someone putting their hands on her. “Hmm. That sounds fun. Who was it?”

The question comes out before I can stop myself. I just need to know.

“His name was Dawson. I didn’t catch his last name.”

“Tall? Blond hair?”