AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mouth fell open.
That certainly wasn’t the response I’d been expecting.
10
ALMA
Charlotte shot to her feet and stormed into the kitchen. “I need a damn drink. Where do you keep your booze?” she asked, her voice snappy and indignant, like somehowIwas the bad guy here.
I pointed over her shoulder. “Vodka’s in the freezer.”
“That’ll have to do,” she grumbled under her breath, then stomped to my fridge and yanked the freezer drawer open. Tortellini, sensing the shift in the air and wanting no part of it, darted down the hall to my bedroom where he’d have his mid-morning nap... to be followed by his afternoon nap, then a few hours later by his evening nap.
Charlotte pulled out the bottle of Tito’s I kept in there for the nights I was feeling on edge and a glass of wine wouldn’t cut it. She slammed it on the marble counter top and glowered at me, barking, “Glasses?”
I opened the cabinet next to the microwave and pulled down the shot glasses, lining them up in a perfect row. She filled one and threw it back in a matter of seconds, letting out a hiss as the icy vodka ran down her throat.
“What the hell is happening right now?” I sputtered. “Are you—are you actually mad at me?”
She threw her hands up in frustration. “OfcourseI’m mad at you! Most of us are.” She waved her hand toward the living room, and I turned to look. Judging from the expression on most of my friends’ faces, she was spot on.
“But... why?”
“Jeez, you’re hardheaded when you want to be,” Hardin lamented. “We’re mad because each and every one of us has gone through some pretty serious shit. And we let you in on all of it. Because that’s what friends are supposed to do.”
“That’s whatfamilydoes,” McKenna clarified. “And that’s what we’re supposed to be. That’s why everyone in this room knows my story. Why we were all there for Charlotte when she was searching for her sister. Why each of us had Marin’s back when she left that abusive piece of shit ex of hers. We did all of that together. There were never any secrets in this group.”
“She’s right.” Delanie nodded. “That’s why we rallied around Hardin when her ex-husband’s girlfriend turned into a psycho stalker.”
Hardin pointed at Del. “Yep. And why Asher had all of us to lean on when she pulled a runner on her wedding day. And again when that bat-shit crazy bouncer at the club targeted her.”
“And if it wasn’t for you guys pushing me, I probably never would have given Jude a chance,” Layla admitted.
Sloane rose from the armchair by the fireplace and stopped on the other side of the counter, picking up the shot glass Charlotte filled for her and threw it back. “You know, for years you’ve been going on and on about how you’ll never get married. But every single time one of us found our guy, you were there to have our backs. When Silas epically fucked up, you were there pushing me to forgive him and take him back. For someone who claims not to believe in love, you sure as hell rallied each and every one of us when the time came.”
“Yeah, but that’s because I love you guys. Just because it isn’t right for me doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be happy.”
“Exactly!” Mac cried. “That’s the point we’re trying to make. You love us and have our backs. But you didn’t give any of us the chance to do the same for you. While we were giving all of ourselves, you were holding a part of yourself back. How does that seem fair?”
I lowered my head, unable to meet their eyes as Mac’s question bounced around in my mind. How was it fair? These women really and truly were my family. When I left my entire life behind in Nashville, it took me years to find where I fit. I bounced from place to place, nothing ever feeling quite right. Then I landed in Hope Valley. I discovered Whiskey Dolls and these incredible women, and everything clicked into place. I found my home, my people. I found purpose and enjoyment in life again.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a small, quiet voice.
“Sorry, what was that? We couldn’t hear you,” Charlotte chided.
I rolled my eyes and let out an agitated huff. “I said I’m sorry, all right?” I repeated louder. “You’re right. All of you are right, and I feel like a big old bag of dicks. Happy now?”
Charlotte grinned and slid a shot glass in my direction. I didn’t hesitate to toss it down and tap the rim for a refill. That second shot helped loosen me up enough for what I had to do.
With my coffee and donut in hand, I burrowed myself into the corner of my loveseat, pulling my knees up and tucking my feet beneath me.
“I met Roan in my early twenties. Back before he wasThe Roan Blackwell. He was just Roan then. I did a lot of work as a backup dancer: music videos, concerts, things like that when I wasn’t waiting tables to actually pay my bills. He was playing at a bar my friends and I were at one night, and there was just something about his voice...”
That memory took over. That first meeting. The night that changed everything.
* * *
My friends stopped on the sidewalk outside the entrance of the bar, looking up at the sign with curled lips and open disdain.
