AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s good, right? That’s what you want.”
Ivy snorts beside her. “If you honestly think that’s what she wants, you don’t know McKenna.”
I rest my elbows on the counter and put my head in my hands. When did everything become so complicated? Why couldn’t I have come back home to find him in a serious relationship with someone else? Ugh, even the thought of that makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“This is stupid.” I tell them. “Isn’t it? I mean, it’s Colton. He was my friend long before he was something more.”
Tatum makes a face of uncertainty. “I don’t think he was ever just a friend to you.”
I look to Ivy but she just smiles sympathetically. “I have to agree with Tate on this one. You were in love with him for years. He may have thought you were just friends, but you always wanted more.”
They’re not wrong. All little girls have one epic crush. It’s the one person they picture marrying when they’re older and starting a family with. When they think of their dream wedding, it always has that crush standing at the end of the aisle. Colton was that person for me. I was only seven when we met, but I’d never looked at a boy the way I looked at him.
Still, can I really do this? Can I live in this town and not have him in my life? He’s Maverick’s best friend and my parents have watched him grow up. To avoid each other, it would take a constant effort on both our parts. Is it really worth the hassle when I don’t want to stay away either?
Not giving myself another second to overthink it, I go into the fridge and grab two beers, then head for the door. It isn’t until I’m about to open it that Tatum tries to stop me.
“You’re playing with fire.”
I look back at her and shrug. “I’m not afraid of getting burned.”
As soon as I step outside, I can hear Colton playing his guitar from across the patio. It’s something he taught himself to do when he was thirteen. He said he needed to occupy his mind and playing music is the perfect outlet for him. I recognize the tune – Happier by Ed Sheeran. My brain starts to dwell on the significance, but I shake myself out of it. Not the time.
When I step in front of him, he looks up at me. His tropical blue eyes meet mine and I can see the vulnerability in them. It almost breaks my heart, almost. I hand him the beer, making him stop playing to take it, then I sit down on the chair beside his. The sound of both cans popping open fills the silence.
“Does this mean…”
I take a sip of my beer before laying back in the chair and pulling my sunglasses back over my eyes. “Friends. Just friends.”
He doesn’t say anything else, but I don’t miss the way the corners of his mouth raise and how the song he was playing changes to something a lot more upbeat. I can handle this. We’re mature adults. Just because we have a history together doesn’t mean that we can’t have be friends. Nothing has to happen between us. We can stay… Okay, maybe this is dangerous.
7
I’ve never understood the concept of mimosas. How does mixing champagne with orange juice make it an acceptable morning drink? If that’s true, wouldn’t screwdrivers be the same? They just switch out the bubbly for vodka. The same thing goes for a Bloody Mary – just because it’s vegetable juice doesn’t mean it goes with your oatmeal.
My phone vibrates on the table. I glance around to make sure no one else is paying any attention as I grab it and open the new message.
Colton: Hey Short Stack. What are you up to?
The beat of my heart intensifies, though I do my best to ignore it.
McKenna: Day drinking, apparently. What about you?
“McKenna, what do you think?” My mom asks, causing Tatum and Ivy to turn to me.
“About what?”
“The floral arrangements. Weren’t you listening?”
Shit, no. I really should have been.
“Oh, uh, I was.”
Ivy chuckles beside me. “No, you weren’t.”
“Whose side are you on here?”
“Yours, babe. Always yours.”
