Page 97 of Tennessee Trouble

What? What have I been?

“Off?” Milo adds, using his same descriptor.

“I’ve been going with lost, but off works too. Things changed around here, and I’m not saying that any of it was bad but…”

“But it’s not just us anymore.”

“It’s not. And really, I’m happy for you and Brenna. I might not have understood it at first, but…I know how perfect you two are for each other. And deep down, there’s a part of me that’s…”

I trail off, trying to put this in a way that doesn’t sound weird. Or creepy.

“What?” Milo quirks an eyebrow.

“Jealous is too strong of a word. And…also feels wrong to say that about my sister.” Milo chuckles, thankfully understanding where I’m going with this. “But…I dunno. Our life has been this place for so long, and that was perfect, and then all of a sudden…it was like something was missing.”

“I get it. I also get the very weird and mysterious feeling of realizing just as suddenly that it’s no longer missing. It just took the form of a girl. A really smart, sexy brunette.”

“Still my sister,” I quip.

“But my wife.” He points at me, knowing he’s got me there.

“Thing is, Lindee isn’t just smart and sexy. She’s creative and clever, and has this blonde hair that shimmers in the sun, and these cute little black-framed glasses that slide down her nose when she’s trying to measure stuff in the lab, making her irresistible…”

“So everything you’ve ever wanted?”

Yeah…

Fuck.

Throwing my head back, I let out a groan, my insides shredding themselves all over again.

“So, why’d you do it? Errr…not do it?” Milo second-guesses his own question, still landing the punch the way only a best friend can. He’s the only person on this earth who can ask without it being judgy or pushy. He knows that I know that it was the dumbest thing I could have done. It doesn’t need to be said out loud.

“As lame as it sounds, it just never seemed like the right time.” I shrug, knowing full well how trite that comes off. “At first, it was a fling. A one-night thing to blow off steam. Then, it turned into more, and throughout all the more, it never really seemed to come up in conversation. Not to mention, I didn’t have any real thought that it would place.”

“You got the finalist email,” Milo points out, his tone harsher. “You told me about it; you could have told her.”

“I know.” I run my hand down my face, wishing I could turn back time and do just that. “But I didn’t want to take away from her excitement.”

“You’re a dumbass.”

The short, succinct, definitive statement catches me off guard. I sputter out a laugh, not knowing how else to react. He’s not wrong. And after all my waxing poetic and wallowing these last few minutes, I deserved a sucker punch like that. I’m just glad he did it with his words rather than his actual fist.

“I am aware.”

“Then explain to me why you’re here and not trying to win her back?” He pushes off the bar as he issues his challenge, still looking at me like I’m the biggest idiot he’s ever laid eyes on.

“There’s no coming back from this. Not after both the comment I made on the video and keeping my drink entry from her. She’s convinced I was using her, and there’s no doubt her older sister is in her ear confirming that thought process.”

“Still gotta try.”

“Now you sound like your wife,” I lob at him. “I fucked up. I own it. And in the process, lost whatever future I thought we could have.”

“Soooo, what are you gonna do about it?”

The sassy, feminine voice complete with Louisiana accent stops me dead. Slowly, I turn to my left, taking in the fierce redhead standing on the other side of the bar, arms crossed in front of her chest.

Margeaux Finnegan-Hayes is a force to be reckoned with on a good day. A powerhouse of a legal mind, with a quick wit and an even sharper tongue. I’m damn glad she’s on our side of things when it comes to all the legal stuff. However, right now—in this moment—something tells me she is not on my side of anything.