Chapter 5

 

 

Out of breath, I stumbled to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, I swallowed down the entire thing. Out of all the places her car could break down, it happened in my damn town. Wiping the back of my hand over my mouth, I stared at the ceiling and cursed.

How was it possible that just one look into those blue depths could undo over a decade’s worth of healing? The pain in my chest gnawed at me again, reminding me—no, mocking me—that I had just been fooling myself all these years.

I closed my eyes, and my mind immediately produced an image of Kenzie; so vivid I could almost reach out and touch her. Shit, she was beautiful! Even through a haze of anger, it was impossible not to notice. Confusion had me cursing some more. A part of me wanted to scream and shout until she owned up to her betrayal and repented. Another part—the part I currently despised—wanted to pull her to me and kiss her as if the past twelve years were nothing but a dream.

My tongue snaked over my lips, and my skin tingled, even after a decade I could still recall how sweet she’d tasted. It had taken me a long time to realize and accept that Kenzie Michaels would always be a part of me whether I wanted it or not. The number of women I’d used to try to rid myself of the memories was shameful.

Much like it had since I'd left the guesthouse, the past kept forcing itself to the present. I flattened my palms against my fridge and dropped my head to the smooth metallic surface, utter depletion seeping into my bones. I needed to focus on getting her car fixed so she could leave my damn town.

I pushed off the fridge and started for the bathroom. What I needed was a long, hot shower and possibly some quality alone time. Just as I turned into the hallway, loud banging sounded from the door. With one foot still halfway to the ground, my brows pulled together.

Who the hell could that be?

Frozen in my awkward stance, I eyed the door as if I could see through the wood. I was in no mood for company. Deciding whoever was on the other side could come back another time, I continued my trek.

I'd made it all of three steps when the banging sounded again. "What the—" With a shake of my head, I changed direction and headed toward the front of the cabin with the sole intent of telling the door-banger to piss the hell off.

I wasn't expecting to find three people standing on my deck when I yanked on the wooden barrier between me and the persistent knocker. Normally, seeing my friends' faces wouldn't fill me with the irritation currently scratching on my bones.

"Are we interrupting something?" Chase, Logan's brother, asked while all three of them took in my sweaty appearance. He was the town veterinarian and the youngest of the Jackson brothers.

"Just got back from a run."

"Are you gonna invite us in or not?" Logan's other brother, Eli, piped up. He was the oldest and the broodiest of the bunch. No one could blame his constant suspicious nature, though. Being left to raise his daughter alone, Eli Jackson's life had definitely not been all sunshine and roses.

I could relate to that.

Logan took a step forward and peeked over my shoulder. "Are you having your own kind of dessert in there? Should we take momma's pie and leave you to it?"

Shit! I'd barely laid eyes on the woman, and already she was screwing with my brain. For the first time, I'd completely forgotten about dessert Sunday. Sheepishly, I stepped to the side and allowed my friends entry. "Just the three of you, then?" I asked as the boys rushed past me.

"Yeah," Logan called from the kitchen. I shut the door and took a few deep breaths before I joined them. It never ceased to amaze me how comfortable we were in each other's spaces.

Like now, Logan was digging through my fridge while Eli busied himself with pulling plates from the cupboards. Chase was perched on a countertop digging through my mail. Yeah, we might not have shared the same DNA or last name, but these guys were my family.

I crossed my arms in front of me and propped my shoulder against the doorframe, the irritation I'd felt a mere moment ago already dissolving. "So, where are the others?"

Eli served up his mother's pecan pie. If I could choose what I wanted to have for my last meal on earth, it would be Mrs. Jackson's pie. "Molly and Flynn were too lost in their movie to tag along, and momma and Harper were in the middle of flower talk when we left. Chase and I dragged this one—" he pointed the knife in Logan's direction. "—outta there before he started interfering again."

The middle Jackson emerged from the fridge, triumphantly holding up four beers. "What? Just because I'm a guy, I can't have a say in the wedding?"

"Exactly that!" Chase exclaimed.

"Weddings are overrated," Eli mumbled to himself as he pulled forks out of the drawer. Neither one of us said anything about his remark because he had a really good reason for hating weddings.

Pushing off the frame, I moved to grab a plate. "What the hell happened there?" Next to me, Logan pointed at my hand. Funny how I felt the ache in my chest a lot more than the pain in my knuckles.

I lifted my shoulders and shoved a piece of pie into my mouth, "Nothing."

My friend eyed me suspiciously, but instead of voicing whatever was eating at him, he pulled his pie closer. There were a few moments of silence before our usual chatter resumed.

Eli told us about how his daughter, Molly, had taken to drawing and painting all of a sudden. But knowing the girl, it wouldn't be long before something else stole her attention. I had to hand it to Eli, he might've had his faults, but when it came to Molly, he'd do just about anything. And it showed. She wanted for nothing, especially not love.

"So," Logan drawled as we settled into our seats. After we'd made short work of the pie, we'd grabbed our beers and moved to the porch. "I think my little man has his first crush."

"Yeah?"

"Most definitely," I heard the amusement in Chase's voice.

Logan shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "The boy will not stop talking about Miss. Mazda and her super cool car."

Kenzie. Just thinking about her had my entire body tensing up. My throat closed and the beer that was making its way down became so thick, I choked on it.

My friends turned to me, concern etched on their faces as my coughing fit continued. "You okay man?" Logan asked. "You aren't pulling out Pop's tricks, are you?" Their father had a nasty habit of smoking in secret, much to his lungs' and their mother's dismay.

Nodding I pointed to my throat, "Wrong pipe."

"You need to teach that boy that most women are nothing more than a disappointment," Eli mused from his chair. He took a swig of his beer and relaxed even more into his seat, his eyes lingering on the trees surrounding the cabin. "Once they're done using you, they'll move on like you never even existed."

I couldn't agree more.