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As much as he hated to admit it, Wade knew something had shifted. It wasn’t even Brielle’s fault—not entirely. The last time they were together, it hadn’t been great. Who was he kidding? It had been bad because he’d made it that way. Wade had been the one who refused to take her dancing after Tad had shown up. He should have been the bigger person.
In fact, at this point, he would be lucky if Brielle wanted anything to do with him again. If he had to guess, she would only be tolerating him from this point forward.
Wade shoved his hand into his pocket just as Elijah exited the barn. His brother shot him a curious look, but Wade stormed away from him. He didn’t need another lecture. If he stuck around, Elijah was bound to tell him something he didn’t want to hear.
Just as he got to the house, the front door opened and Tad emerged. “Hey, mate. How was your date last night?”
“Don’t call me that,” Wade said as he moved to push past him.
Tad stepped in front of him. He offered a smile that Wade would have given anything to wipe right from his face. “I feel like we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”
Wade snorted. “Do you, now?”
He held out his hand. “How about we start over? We shouldn’t be at each other’s throats.”
Staring down at Tad’s offering, Wade nearly accepted it. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about the guy. His expression darkened as he lifted his gaze back to the man he couldn’t stand. “You’ll understand if I decline.”
Tad cocked his head and his smile widened. “I suppose I can’t blame you. I am stealing your girl, aren’t I?”
Wade’s whole body tensed.
“Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound quite right, because I’m the one married to her.” His voice lowered further. “You never really had a chance, did ya, mate?”
Wade glowered at Tad. The man was egging him on.
Then it dawned on him. This was simple. Tad wanted one thing.
Brielle.
Since the beginning of time, any man who wanted to win over a woman did what he had to. In this case, Tad was trying to gain a firm upper hand. He wanted to shove Wade out of the picture.
Wade worked his jaw back and forth. “I guess you’re right. I never stood a chance.”
Confusion flitted across Tad’s features and he opened his mouth, likely to say something equally infuriating, but Elijah saved them both.
“Tad! I have to run into town today. You want to come along?”
Tad’s momentary distraction allowed Wade to slip inside without doing something he might have really regretted. At least if this interaction got back to Brielle, she wouldn’t be disappointed in him. He wasn’t so sure the next one would go as well. Perhaps it was time for him to find another place to stay until the month was up.
It was either that, or he’d be moving out into the barn.
21
Brielle
Brielle couldn’t explain it, but she knew something was going on with Wade. He was holding back, or he was actively pulling away from her. The more time they spent together, the more distant he seemed to become.
Wade had always been quiet. It had almost been annoying how present he was—always ever watchful.
Now, not so much.
It had gotten to the point where she thought it was her. She’d pushed him away far too much with her insistence on seeing this thing through with Tad. The ironic thing was that even if Tad wasn’t an issue, she wasn’t sure she was ready to officially do anything regarding her relationship status.
Brielle was right back where she’d started from. Never alone and always lonely at the same time. No oneknewher like she’d thought they would—not Tad and not even Wade.
Though, if pressed, she might admit that Wade knew her better than anyone at this point.
Simply put, she’d gotten herself stuck in a rut, but at least she thought she might have figured out a solution. Brielle sat out on her porch steps, waiting for Tad to pick her up for one of their final dates. He wasn’t going to be pleased, but neither would Wade.
