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Ever since they had parted ways, he’d felt this never-ending feeling of loss. Ella had been the one bright spot in his life. She’d been the one who had made him believe he could be anything—including a husband and a father.
No one else had cared enough to make that observation. Granted, that could mean that there were some who saw his potential, but Ella had been the one to make a difference in his life.
And he’d squandered it.
Maybe he should have told her about Taven’s upbringing. If she’d known, she might have been more willing to hear him out.
Lucas glanced out into the crowd, noting the way Candy clung to Taven as if she were his date. Kris was nowhere insight. Taven smiled broadly in Lucas’s direction and gave him a thumbs-up.
He lifted his cup as if toasting the guy, and the gesture made him feel even more sick to his stomach. Taven was acting like there weren’t any consequences for the way he was living his life.
The more Lucas thought about it, the more a realization became clear.
Taven was definitely a bully when they were kids, and he’d never grown out of it. Lucas had seen that the moment Taven had returned to town. He hadn’t been able to mature and treat others with respect. In fact, he’d turned into his father.
If Lucas had followed his parents’ example, he would have been long gone before now. He wouldn’t be sticking around to help out at the ranch. While Lucas hadn’t exactly prioritized helping out as much as his older brothers, at least he hadn’t abandoned anyone. That was one thing he had going for him.
He straightened a little.
And when he’d shown up to volunteer to rebuild this barn, he hadn’t dropped out. He could have done just that. Ella would have expected it, and he would have never fallen in love with her.
Come to think of it, Lucas had more respect for his family and what they’d managed to pull together since working with Ella. He could appreciate what it meant to have a strong family unit, and most of that came from being with Ella.
His focus flitted toward Taven and Candy. That woman would be dropped off at her place after the party tonight and likely never hear from Taven again. Lucas certainly wouldn’t be leading her on, and a second date simply wasn’t what he wanted.
Even still, the way Taven was cozying up to her, even though he was technically here with Kris, just made the whole thing that much more disappointing. Taven was a bad influence, no matter how Lucas looked at it. He had no interest in changing, either. He wanted to live his life the way he had right out of high school.But they weren’t in their twenties anymore. There came a time when they both needed to accept that they had to grow up.
The song playing ended and Taven guided Candy toward Lucas. “You have quite a date there,” he murmured as he spun her in a circle. He glanced around the room and frowned. “I haven’t seen Kris for two songs.”
Candy smirked. “Last I saw her, she was sneaking out the door with some guy.”
Taven lifted a brow. “Oh.”
“Don’t take it personal, sweetie. She has a tendency to flit from guy to guy like a hummingbird. You never know. She might come back.”
He pulled her close against him, and she let out a squeal of surprise. “Well, maybe I’ll just steal Lucas’s date. It’s not like he’s using her.” He lifted his brows suggestively at Lucas and Candy let out a laugh as she pushed his shoulder.
“I’m not so easily swayed.”
Lucas observed the exchange, not surprised that it left a bad taste in his mouth. He had zero interest in spending the rest of the evening with Candy. If he had his way, he’d slip out much like Kris had, except for he would be alone. The entire evening was so far from what he’d wanted to do that spending a quiet night at home sounded like heaven.
Candy moved toward Lucas, slipping her hand through his arm and resting her cheek on his shoulder. “I’m perfectly happy to leave with the date who brought me here.”
Taven’s gaze shifted from Candy up to Lucas. For a brief moment, Lucas thought he might see a small amount of remorse. But that didn’t make any sense. Taven had proven time and time again that he only cared about one person.
Himself.
The proof was written all over his face. His eyes seemed to plead with Lucas—a request to help him win Candy over so Taven didn’t have to leave the party alone.
Lucas rolled his eyes, stepping away from Candy as he did so. “You know what? I’m actually not feeling all that well. I’m probably going to head out early tonight. But you should stay. And Taven was the one who invited you in the first place, so it makes sense for you to be here with him.” It was a half-attempt. He didn’t have it in him to do much more than that.
At least Candy didn’t appear to be upset with the suggestion. If anything, she was curious. As her eyes bounced from Lucas to Taven, it was clear she wasn’t sure if she should accept.
Lucas chuckled. “This isn’t some kind of test.” He placed a hand on his stomach. “Really, I don’t think I’m going to make it. But I’m sure Taven will take good care of you.”
Taven slipped his arm around Candy’s shoulders and his lips quirked upward. “What do you say?”
Candy turned into him, placing her hand on his chest. Her fingers spread out and then came together. She didn’t have to say anything for Lucas to know exactly what her thoughts were on the matter.
