Chapter 3
three
. . .
Finn
I’d landed at Heathrow Airport and took a car to Reese’s place. She really hadn’t gotten on that plane yesterday, and everyone was worried about her back home. So, I’d tossed some clothes into a duffle and jumped on the first flight I could.
I’d visited her four times over the last year, and she’d come to my opening when Big Sky Ranch premiered.
Her ex-fiancé, Carl “The Shit-Turd” Barley, hadn’t come one time to see her.
He’d been too busy pouting because she’d left, and then he’d grown impatient and jumped in the sack with the one woman he knew would hurt her the most.
Reese was so hell-bent on marrying the dude, and every time I’d pressed her about it, she had the same answer.
I’ve invested more than a decade with him.
So the fuck what?
He’s an asshole, and he didn’t deserve her.
So, I was going to get her and bring her home.
“You look familiar,” the dude driving me said with his English accent, making it sound far more formal than it should.
“Do I?” I chuckled.
“You’re that bloke from Big Sky Ranch, aren’t you?”
“I am. Yes. Thanks for watching.”
He pulled up in front of Reese’s building.
“Ahh… this is amazing. And you snogged that costar of yours, didn’t you?” He barked out a laugh, and I winced internally. This was what I was known for now.
Snogging Jessica Carson.
Which never even happened.
“No comment,” I said, reaching for my duffle bag before handing him cash for the ride.
“Listen, everyone knows it’s a bunch of rubbish. She’s a dodgy bird, isn’t she?”
I chuckled. “I think calling her a dodgy bird is probably accurate, even if I don’t know for sure what that means.”
“Yeah. You’re a cool bloke. You’re all right.”
“You, too, buddy. Thanks for the lift.” I saluted him after agreeing to take a quick selfie with him.
I was still getting used to being recognized wherever I went.
“Are you staying long?” he called out before I closed the door, and I leaned my head back in.
“Nah. Just here to pick up a friend.”
“Ahhh… I’m guessing it’s a beautiful bird by the way you’re seeming so anxious to get into that building.”
“You’d be correct. She’s the best girl around. Take care.” I knocked my knuckles against the roof of the car and closed the door.
I entered the old Victorian building and jogged up the three flights of stairs before banging on the door. Now that I was here, I couldn’t get to her fast enough.
This year apart from Reese had been difficult for me. More so than I ever could have imagined.
“Damn it, Miney. Open the door.”
“Chewy?”
“Of course. Does someone else call you Miney?”
The door flew open, and there she stood. Her eyes were puffy, and her skin was paler than usual, but her green eyes met mine, and all the tension left my shoulders.
I dropped my duffle right there in the doorway as she stepped into my arms. Her body quaked, and I just held her there. When the sob escaped her throat, I pulled back, using my thumbs to wipe away the falling tears.
“Hey. You’re okay.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
She stepped back, and I pulled my bag into her apartment and pushed the door closed before dropping my ass onto her bed as she sat beside me. She leaned her head against my chest.
Her small studio apartment had a kitchenette, a bathroom, and her bedroom, which was also her living room. But she lived in downtown London, and the location was everything she’d wanted.
“You just flew to London on a whim?” she whispered. She fell back onto the bed, so I lay beside her. My feet were still on the floor, but the rest of me was sprawled on the bed. I rolled to my side just as she did. It was something we’d always done since we were kids.
“You needed me,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “We made a deal years ago. I wasn’t about to break it now.”
She tipped her head back to look at me. “You call. I come. And vice versa.”
“Yep. Think of how many times you’ve rescued me.”
“That time Cammie Watkins tried to tie you to her bed, and you didn’t have a car.
That goes down as my all-time favorite. I was the perfect getaway.
You came running out in your tighty whiteys.
” She chuckled as her eyes locked with mine.
I saw the sadness there, but I knew getting her to laugh was the best thing for her right now.
“Good times. That girl was… a lot. She lured me to her house, saying she didn’t want anything but a one-and-done, and then she tried to tie me up while I was sleeping. I ran and took cover in the bathroom until you got there.” I shivered dramatically, which made her laugh harder.
“You sent me that 911 text, and I came running. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth.” She laughed a real, genuine laugh, which gave me hope that she was going to be okay. “I remember you charging down that driveway with her chasing after you.”
I stroked her hair. Damn, it was good to see her. Reese was my girl in every sense of the word—minus the sex.
She was the one I shared everything with and who I trusted with my deepest secrets.
My best friend and my favorite person.
“You sure did. So, I’m just returning the favor. I knew you were hurting, and I came to bring you home. We’re flying out in two days.” I glanced around to see most of the tiny place was already packed up.
“Thanks for coming, Chewy.” She blinked a few times, and I saw tears welling in her pretty sage-green eyes again. “I can’t stand the thought of seeing them together.”
“Stop worrying about them. It’s your home. This isn’t you, Miney. You don’t curl into a ball on your bed and throw in the towel. You’re the strongest person I know.”
The shit she’d overcome was more than most could ever wrap their head around.
I’d watched her fight cancer. I’d watched her beat cancer.
Ever since then, Reese had always known what she wanted for her life.
Family. Kids. That whole fairy tale. And she fought hard for it.
Almost gave up a part of herself to claim it.
“Don’t go flattering me. I don’t hold a candle to Brinkley,” she said, and the corners of her lips turned up.
Now it was my turn to laugh. My sister was tough as nails, but she wasn’t dealt the shitty hand Reese was. “Brinks is a tough one. But so are you.”
“I don’t feel so tough at the moment.”
“How about we start with food? I’m starving, and the way those jammies are hanging on you tells me you haven’t been eating.
Let’s go get some burgers at that place up the street that we ate at the last time I was here.
” Reese had always been thin, and not eating for a few days had her looking slightly gaunt.
Anytime she lost any weight or looked pale, I couldn’t help but let that fear seep in.
I’d never admit it to her, but Reese’s battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma had changed me in many ways.
I’d been with her every step of the way, from her first treatment, until we’d been told that she was in remission.
It was the first time in my life that I’d been overcome with the fear of losing someone that I loved fiercely.
So, yeah, I worried about her. All the fucking time.
“I could eat. I haven’t had anything outside of dry Cheerios in the last three days.”
“Up,” I said, pushing to my feet and tugging her to stand. I reached into my duffle bag and unzipped it. “I brought you a surprise.”
The corners of her lips turned up when I pulled out her favorite white cowboy boots. She hadn’t thought she’d need them when she’d left for London, but Reese was a country girl at heart. She loved her boots almost as much as she loved her horse.
“Ahhhh… Do you remember the day my parents gave me these?” She held them against her chest. They were slightly dinged up, but they were her favorite.
“Yep. You wore them every day for a month, even down to the cove in your bathing suit.”
“Hey, good boots are like a good man. They’re even better when you break them in.” She chuckled, but I still saw the pain in her eyes.
“I’m here. The boots are here. Let’s eat.”
“Fine. Give me five minutes to change and brush my hair.”
“All right,” I said as I scrolled through my phone and answered a few emails.
Five minutes later, Reese came strolling out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of jeans, a navy hoodie, and her white cowboy boots. Her golden-brown hair was pulled back into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her face was clean of makeup, and she was fucking gorgeous.
She’d never had to try. She’d always been the prettiest girl I’d ever known, and I’d told her as much more times than I could count.
“Better?” she asked.
“Well, you don’t smell like despair anymore,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and breathing her in. She smelled like violet and amber.
It had always been my favorite scent.
Reese Murphy had always smelled like home.
She laughed and took a step back, reaching for her phone and purse as we made our way out into the crisp fall air.
Once we were settled at our table, we both sipped our iced tea and waited for our burgers.
My phone vibrated multiple times, and I glanced down to see several messages from my agent.
Angelique
You’re in fucking London? I talked to you a few days ago, and you were chilling at home. I’m guessing you went to get Reese?
Angelique
When I said to find a girlfriend, I didn’t mean for you to leave the country to make it happen. But I am so here for this.
There were several texts from my siblings in the group chat, with screenshots of the selfie I’d taken with the driver who’d given me a ride from the airport.
“Good Christ. The fucking driver posted a photo of me and him, saying I was in London to see my girl,” I groaned.
She put her glass down just as the burgers were set in front of us. “What did you tell him?”
“That I was in fucking London to see my girl.” I reached for my burger and took a large bite.
“Well, you’re a superstar now, Chewy. You can’t say things like that. What is Angelique saying? Does she want you to clear it up?”