Chapter 31
DARREN
A half hour into my shift at the kissing booth, Bryce stops the line for a break and finally says what’s been keeping her tense beside me the entire time.
“I hope you know that you’re going to get kicked in the ass, D.”
“I’ll take it,” I say.
She joins me behind the booth. With the line dispersing for the time being, she pinches the back of my arm, making me hiss.
“Don’t try and be funny.”
“I’m not. If Delaney kicks me in the ass, then I’ll know she cares enough about me to be bothered.”
“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard.”
“Are you saying you’d have an issue with Daisy kicking you in the ass? After all those years of your silent pining?”
Bryce scowls at me, mouth flat. “You’re really not being funny now.”
“Again, I’m not trying to be. It’s honesty, B. I’m done with pretending like I wouldn’t get donkey kicked in the chest by one of the broncs on the ranch if it meant I’d earned a few uninterrupted hours with Delaney.”
“That’s . . . pathetic. ”
I shrug, unbothered by that. “So be it.”
“Well, I don’t think pissing her off is going to earn you those hours, so if a donkey kick it is . . .”
“Why is she pissed, Bryce? Why did she come over and immediately cut my time short earlier?”
Her eyes dart off to the side before slowly returning. “Your groupies are still hanging around, probably trying to listen to what we’re saying. Damn small-town gossips.”
“I don’t care if they hear or not. I’m done giving a shit about what anyone in this town thinks about me.”
Bryce nods, seeming to straighten as her mood tips into one more serious than before. “Alright then. Just don’t come running to me complaining when the gossip train pulls into town tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sure it’s already here. Now, tell me why you think Delaney came over and interrupted what I was doing earlier and why she’s made herself scarce now that I’m the kisser?”
“Oh, I know why. You’re both jealous fucking idiots. I’m just saying that you’re playing a dangerous game here.”
“Well, a safe one hasn’t done me any good, has it?”
“You could push her too hard.”
“I thought I did that already, but she’s here again.”
“You’re playing risky, Darren.”
“I’m done with playing it safe. She’s my woman, and I want her back.”
Her scowl cracks just enough for me to know I’ve gotten to her. “What exactly happened between you two?”
“What do you mean?”
She lowers her voice, turning to give the line a full view of her back. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always known you should have been together. I just feel like I’ve been kept out of the loop here. I’m getting whiplash.”
“I thought I was doing fine, Bryce. A year ago, I made peace with the restlessness that I’d been feeling. I slept for the handful of hours I could get and learned how to live with that bone-deep exhaustion. But then I spoke to her again at your opening at Shade’s place, and . . . it hit me.”
“Okay, maybe we shouldn’t talk about this here,” she mutters, eyeing the field in front of the booth.
“I need her. I haven’t been myself since she left. There was always something wrong with me. A problem I could never fix.”
In a rare moment of softness, Bryce squeezes my wrist. “I know. We know that, D. Whatever you need from me, you’ve got it.”
“The only thing I’ve needed is your friendship, B. You’ve given that to me in spades.”
“Fuck off, you softy,” she says, scoffing lightly.
“I don’t want to kiss anyone else.”
“But you’re going to. Finish what you started so I don’t have to feel responsible for talking you out of your plans,” she demands.
“Even if it means watching me get kicked in the ass?”
“I’ll record the moment for you.”
A pointed clearing of a throat has my best friend turning forward. Her eyes immediately narrow into slits.
“What are you doing here?”
“I could ask the same thing.”
My ex-wife’s voice sours my stomach, making it a struggle to face her. And once I do, I wish I hadn’t. Her pursed lips and narrowed eyes are beyond familiar as she leers at me and pulls Abbie in front of her—as a shield, I’d bet.
“Hi, Dad!”
“Hi, sweetheart. I didn’t know you were coming, or I would have met you somewhere first. There’s lemonade.”
Abbie spins to face Sasha and juts her bottom lip. “Can we get some? Please? I’ve been soooooo good today! I put all my laundry away.”
“Of course we can. You don’t even have to ask.”
I swallow a bitter laugh at her pettiness. “Are you here because you want a kiss, Sasha? ”
“No. Abbie just wanted to come see what all the fuss was about over here.”
“The booth looks cool, Dad. The hearts shine all the way back there,” my daughter says, pointing to the parking lot.
I toss her a wink. “Well, that was all you. Your painting skills are quite top-notch if I do say so myself.”
“I thought Abbie was kidding about the kissing booth. It seems she wasn’t,” Sasha notes.
Bryce ups the venom in her tone, not bothering to hide how little she cares for my ex-wife.
“It’s for the drive-in. Everyone’s just doing their part. Do you have anything planned?”
“I don’t have time. It seems like it’s more than handled, anyway. Judging by the line we saw a minute ago, Darren’s mouth is quite a hit.”
“It’s still gross that you’re kissing people, Dad.”
I choke on a laugh. “They’re only cheek kisses, sweetheart. There’s no lip action happening around here.”
“And it’s not just your dad doing all the kissing. Delaney’s here too, but she’s taking a break too,” Bryce explains.
The smoothness of her words is for my daughter’s benefit because she stares directly at Sasha as she says them, the devil dancing in her eyes. I sigh and push in before the two of them can get into it here the way they always seem to no matter where we are.
“We’re working on this together,” I clarify.
Sasha’s nostrils flare as she smiles and drops her attention to Abbie. “How about that lemonade?”
“Oh, don’t go yet. There’s Delaney,” Bryce announces.
My heart jolts, feeling like it’s flush to my ribs. I spin around and search for her, my pulse loud in my ears. It’s an electric feeling, this excitement . I could get addicted to it again.
“Can we stay to say hi, Mom? Please?” Abbie asks.
If Sasha answers, I don’t hear it. Spotting Delaney, I inhale a lungful of air and adjust my hat despite it already being perfectly in place.
Somehow, she looks even more beautiful now than she did a half hour ago. Her hair is glossier, and the freckles on her face and neck and arms have deepened in the sun, even if it isn’t as warm. Even the grassy colour of her eyes is lighter, gleaming with what I hope is excitement.
Well, that is until they flick to Sasha and stay there, frozen. Slowly, I watch the colour drain from her cheeks and a muscle beneath her eye tighten. There’s no gloss in her eyes now. Instead, they’re dark and unforgiving.
“Hi, Delaney!” Abbie calls excitedly.
My dream woman finally joins us. She keeps a few feet between herself and everyone else while focusing on my daughter.
“Hey, Abbie.”
“Is that lemonade?”
Delaney glances down at the two cups in her hands and nods. I examine both of them, trying to figure out if one of them is for me. And if so, whether I’ll be drinking manure or not.
“It is,” she says.
“Is one for my dad?”
“Yes . . . they accidentally made an extra one. I figured your dad might be thirsty.”
Sasha blows out a breath loud enough for everyone to hear, not believing her and making sure she knows it. I strain to keep from saying anything I shouldn’t and keep my eyes on Delaney.
“Which one’s mine? I’m assuming they’re different?”
She rolls her lips, hiding her initial reaction to my questions while handing me the left one.
The corner of my mouth tips up into a teasing smirk as I take it and give it a long look. “Safe to drink?”
“It’s safe enough.”
“Mm, that’s reassuring. ”
“You should say thank you, Dad,” Abbie tells me, nudging me with her shoe.
I let loose a low laugh and ruffle the top of her head. “Thank you for the lemonade, Elle.”
“Hi, Delaney,” Sasha says under her breath.
“On that note, we should leave to get your lemonade, Abbie. Say goodbye to your dad and his friends,” Sasha says.
Abbie frowns for a quick second before stealing a hug from Bryce and then wrapping her arms around my middle. I drop to a crouch to kiss her hair.
“Bye! See you Monday, Delaney.”
“Don’t forget your library books this week,” Delaney reminds her.
“Okay!”
Sasha doesn’t give us the same goodbye as our daughter, but I can’t say I mind it. I wait for them to get far enough away before taking another look at my lemonade.
It’s in a plastic cup with a thick blue straw, but neither of those things means anything to me. What does is the blue syrup floating around inside the cup amongst the slices of lemon and seeds big enough to clog the straw.
“Blue raspberry?” I ask.
Delaney stares at her lemonade, avoiding mine. “It was all they had.”
“It’s not in your cup.”
“Just drink it before I actually do go and poison it,” she snaps.
Leaving me standing alone, she goes behind the booth and sets her cup on it. Bryce joins her, glancing between her drink and mine with the same knowledge that’s dancing in my mind.
“Did they only have two?” Bryce asks, poking at her.
Delaney doesn’t react the way I expected. The tease plops onto the ground and dies.
“Poppy has yours. I didn’t have enough hands. ”
“No worries,” Bryce mutters, eyeing me like I’m supposed to know what’s wrong.
My stomach drops as I realize it has to have something to do with Sasha.
“Are you going to continue now? Or am I kissing again?” Delaney asks when neither Bryce nor I speak.
I shake my head. “No, I’ll continue. Unless you want to go.”
“Go for it.”
Bryce takes it upon herself to open the line again and invite the lingering women and even a couple of guys back to the booth.
I take a long swig of my lemonade and watch Delaney, not caring if she gets pissed off with my hovering.
Her good mood from earlier is gone, extinguished with one look at Sasha, and I want it back more than anything.
She takes two steps to the right and stands beside the booth instead of at my side behind it. I don’t blame her for keeping her distance.
Going ahead with this doesn’t feel right. It’s really fucking wrong now, actually. I don’t want her jealousy when I’d rather have her smile and ridiculously lame banter.
“Maybe we should call it quits for today. I’m sure we’ve got more than enough money in the jar,” I offer.
Delaney finally looks at me again, hope filling her eyes despite her cheeks still lacking their natural flush. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. This has already been bigger than I?—”
“Is the booth still open?”
The familiar voice strikes right through the minuscule amount of progress I’ve made. Delaney glances at the woman who spoke, and fuck . I drop a hand to the booth and watch in awe as her entire demeanour shifts, my lemonade forgotten.
It’s not the same as the way she shut down with Sasha, her emotions hidden behind thick walls of steel. No, there’s not pain in her eyes this time. It’s fire instead. A scorching, wild flame that threatens to burn everything in its path .
“I figured I’d shoot my shot one last time before I took off. What’s one more opportunity, right?” the same woman asks.
I’m lost in the wave of possessiveness rippling off Delaney, too stuck to drag my attention to anyone else. She’s not even looking at me. Fuck, I wish she would. She could scorch every inch of skin on my body as long as she had her eyes on me.
Someone pokes my arm, a pointy nail pressing into my shirt. “Darren? I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Frustration lashes at me when I force myself to look at the woman speaking. It’s the same one from earlier in the day. The one Delaney all but shoved away from the booth with a silent good riddance .
“Hey,” I force out, hoping I don’t actually sound that breathless.
The woman grins so wide two rows of teeth appear. She shifts her touch to fall fully on my arm, holding me there.
“Hi again. I don’t know if you heard me earlier, but I wanted to stop by one last time to try and convince you to take my number. And maybe, see if I could snag another kiss?”
My first instinct is to lurch backward. I don’t want to embarrass her, so I stay in place, my arm hanging like a foreign weight at my side.
With a gnawing sensation in my chest, I open my mouth to reply before stamping it closed.
“We’re closed.”
I’m so high-strung that Delaney’s tight voice slips down my spine like a warm, electric touch. My cock stiffens before I shudder, my throat squeezing around a trapped groan.
The woman’s gaze grows hot on my face as she feels me move, taking it as a response to her when it isn’t. It really isn’t.
Her fingers run down my arm to clutch my elbow as she leans fully against the booth. The puffs of perfume hitting me are strong and cloudy, almost enough to turn my stomach.
“There’s no touching,” Delaney snaps, sounding closer now. “You can drop the hand now. ”
“What? Are you the security here? Is that a real thing?”
My favourite laugh slashes through the air. “You’re lucky I’m not.”
The fingers holding me tighten to the point of discomfort. I give my arm a shake.
“I don’t see how this has anything to do with you, Delaney.”
It’s the wrong thing for this woman whose name I can’t find in my memory to say. But somehow, she manages to make it worse.
Suddenly, the hand on my arm disappears and finds my neck instead. I flinch back when the woman leans in over the booth and pulls me toward her with strength I wasn’t expecting.
Alarms fill my head as I reach out to push her away, needing her to back up before?—
Delaney appears in front of me. She shoves the woman away from me and, before I can speak to try and defend myself, brings her hands to my face and pulls me in for our first kiss in a decade.