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“Now. I want to do it.”
The resolve in her voice had him jumping from his seat. He followed Everly to his truck, and neither of them spoke until he parked in front of Bill’s Pawn.
Blake killed the loud diesel engine but didn’t make a move to get out. “You sure about this?” He’d been half joking when he’d suggested pawning the ring, but now, he had his hopes up that she’d get rid of it.
She took a deep, shaky breath. “David will be furious.”
“I’m not worried about him. We’re here for you. Will getting rid of it make you feel better?”
“I think so.” She fidgeted the ring in her fingers. “I never liked it. I shouldn’t say that because he gave it to me with good intentions, but it’s notme, you know?”
“You mean flashy and huge isn’t your thing? I had no idea,” Blake joked.
When her soft chuckle died, Blake lifted her chin with a finger, gently asking her to look at him.
“If you gave it back to him, it would be another thing he took from you. What’s he going to do with it? Give it to the next woman who comes along? If he were to keep it or give it to someone else, he’s a jerk. He can’t win unless you let him bring you down. Don’t let him win.” Blake shifted his attention to the ring. “Are you sure you’re not going to change your mind?” He was a glutton for punishment, but he had to know if she was having second thoughts.
“I’m sure. I can’t be with him. I just can’t.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “I want to do this.”
Blake covered her hand that held the ring with his. “One last thing. Ridge can never find out about this.”
Everly chuckled and swiped a hand under her eye. “He’s not my keeper.”
Blake looked at the old pawn shop. Rusted bars blocked the door and windows. Blackwater was a safe place, but he’d kept a healthy distance from the quiet drama in the outskirts. “I know, but he’d throttle me anyway.”
Everly might not know what her brother would do to protect her, but Blake knew there wasn’t a limit. Ridge had torched his career to protect Everly, and Blake had stepped right up to do the same.
Blake opened the truck door and stepped out. “Let’s go lose five pounds.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Everly
Everly squeezed her eyes closed. What was that annoying buzzing? When it didn’t stop, she flopped onto her side and lifted her head. The high sun shone through the window. She jerked her attention to the clock on the nightstand. It was after ten in the morning. She never slept this late. What day was it? Sunday?
The adrenaline faded as she fell back onto the bed. She’d overslept, and there wasn’t any chance of making it to church now. Her heart ached a little. She’d needed the comfort of her church family this morning. That familiar pang of embarrassment was back, and she closed her eyes again. Could the whole mess with David yesterday morning just be a dream? Please, God?
The buzzing reminded her that it wasn’t a dream. David had been calling her nonstop, and the phone wouldn’t let her forget the truth she had to face. Blake had dropped her off at her house–no, the house she’d intended to share with David when they were married–after trying his best to talk her into staying the night with Jess and Remi.
The only good thing that could come from putting off talking to David was that she could stay in the house a little longer. She’d spent months fixing it up just the way she liked it, hoping to live here for decades. As soon as she answered David’s call, it would be gone, and she wanted to pack her things on her own terms, not his.
The phone rang again, and she slapped her hand over it before jerking it off the nightstand. The name on the screen wasn’t David’s, and she took a calming breath before answering the call. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. What happened?” Jess asked.
She’d worked with Jess at Wolf Creek Ranch for years, and they’d lived together until recently. Jess was the kind of friend you always wanted on your side and sometimes needed. “How’d you find out?”
“I didn’t really find out. Hence my question. Blake texted yesterday to say he needed Burgundy for a new trail ride to see how the horses would handle it. Then Brett told me he saw the two of you riding off together. I thought you were leaving for Cleveland.”
“Yeah, about that.” Everly lifted her left hand and rubbed her thumb around the place where her ring had been. Surprisingly, her hand and her heart felt lighter with the reminder gone. “David and I broke up.”
“I never liked him,” Jess said matter-of-factly.
“You’ve mentioned it before.” It had bothered Everly at the time, but she couldn’t fault Jess. David hadn’t exactly been the nicest to her. He’d been civil, but he wasn’t a fan of Jess’s tendency to speak her mind.
“What did he do?” Jess asked.
“Cheated on me.” Everly left off Natasha Franco’s name. Jess didn’t follow celebrities, and Blake’s reaction to the news made sense. It didn’t matter who David had cheated with; it was still cheating.
