1. Elyse
CHAPTER 1
Elyse
THIS ISN’T PERSONAL
PRESENT
S ome couples are built to stand the test of time; others remind me why I don’t offer refunds. As much as I’d like to be proven wrong, these two are destined for the big D within five years, if not sooner—the big D being divorce, not dick.
It’s not that I don’t want to believe in them—it’s just that my instincts, honed over time, are rarely ever wrong. One—his annoyingly affectionate nickname for her. Now, I am not a nickname hater, love a good nickname. But “baby” pronounced “bee bee” might be my thirteenth reason. It takes everything in me not to gag when I hear it. Two—she looks to him before answering any of my questions, like he’s her keeper. I can’t. What in The Handmaid’s Tale is this shit? And finally, three—at the cake tasting, he broke the cardinal rule of feeding your partner cake. He smushed it in her face. Everyone, and I mean everyone knows it’s the number one sign of a future divorce. I don’t make the rules, but they never fail me.
“Thank you so much for suggesting this bakery, the cakes were all delicious,” Jenna, my client says as she clings to her fiancé Matt like a barnacle on a sinking ship.
“Good thing the pieces were small,” he looks at Jenna with a misleading smile. “Wouldn’t want you gaining any weight before the wedding.”
I clamp down on my lips tightly to keep from screaming. Matt is the absolute worst. He was a douche in high school and clearly hasn’t changed much since then.
Jenna giggles as if he said a joke and continues beaming at him with so much happiness, it makes me want to slap some sense into her. I don’t, obviously. I am a professional.
After several years as a wedding planner, I’ve seen it all—including men who have no business getting married.
“You can’t go wrong with Layered. They’re the best in town for sure.”
Matt checks his watch, and I don’t miss the twitch in his hardened jaw, though Jenna’s too busy mooning over him to notice.
“Baby, let’s get going. I have that thing I need to get to.”
My face involuntarily scrunches hearing “bee bee” again while Jenna’s shoulders fall.
We were supposed to grab apps and drinks across the street. Either Matt has conveniently forgotten or he’s blatantly going against our plans.
Instead of bringing it up and making things awkward, I tell them both goodbye and give her a reassuring smile before we part ways.
The change in plans actually works better for my schedule.At the end of last year’s wedding season, my trusted intern-turned-assistant, Bella, decided it was time to venture out on her own—which I fully supported—but the result has been a gaping hole, nearly impossible to fill.Bella ran all the administrative tasks, freeing me up to spend more time on designs and tending to my couples needs. I ended up hiring three interns to fill her role and it’s been rough, to say the least. One of them—Faith, didn’t even know how to use Word. I assumed they taught that in school.
In an attempt to get a handle on their lack of skills before my schedule gets out of hand, I put together a training packet and will be meeting with them later to go through it. I can’t have interns who make my job harder once the season gets busy. But before that, I have a linen order to pickup for a micro wedding next week, a meeting with a seamstress because she made one of my bride’s cry, and somehow I have to pick up my niece, Lily, from ballet and squeeze in grocery shopping.
With my mom recovering from a partial hysterectomy, I’ve taken it upon myself to shoulder some of the weight. My plan is to stock my parents’ freezer with meals that will make life just a little bit easier while she heals—one less thing for them to worry about in the midst of it all.
In between everything, the day moves at a steady pace. The linen order was packaged and ready for pickup, the seamstress meeting went far more smoothly than expected, and I made it to ballet class right on time. With a few minutes to spare, I even swung by Novel Teas and Coffee—my sister Ariana’s shop—to grab drinks for Lily and me. Since Lily’s only six, her “coffee” was a hot chocolate, but I love making her feel like one of the girls. My brother Gavin, her dad, is raising her solo, so I take every chance to be the cool aunt. After dropping her off at home, happily sugared up, I hightailed it back to town.
Just as I’m about to pull into the parking lot of Harvest Grocers, red and blue lights flash in my rearview mirror. I keep driving, missing the turn in my distraction, even though there’s no way they’re for me. Continuing to drive, my eyes flick to the mirror, expecting to see the cruiser moving around me. It’s not, it’s still right on my tail.
You’re fucking kidding me.
The siren goes off and I let out a long exhale as I pull over.
Please don’t be who I think it is.
My gaze rolls up toward the sky, begging in silent prayer that I’m being pulled over by literally anyone else. I wasn’t even speeding and have no idea what’s warranted me getting pulled over.
A thrum jumps in my neck as I wait with a held breath to see who’s going to exit the patrol SUV.
Please. Please. Please.
The door swings open slowly before someone steps out. I desperately want to whip my head around to get a better look but force my eyes to remain trained on the rearview mirror instead. Unfortunately, what I manage to make out is confirmation enough. Olive skin, corded arms covered in tattoos, and that familiar, cocky walk.
Fuck me.
I steal a quick glance at my reflection, making sure my lipstick is in place and there’s nothing in my teeth. I won’t give him the upper hand, not even in something as trivial as my appearance.
His shadow looms over me as he waits for me to roll down my window.
With a few deep breaths, my disinterested expression is firmly in place and ready to face him.
Normally, I love how small Red Mountain is, but getting pulled over by my ex makes me wish it was much larger, lessening my chances of running into him. Ever.
I roll down my window at the same time that Dominic bends at the waist and leans his elbows over the door—his veiny arms practically taunting me. He’s so close now I wish I didn’t need oxygen to stay alive, because I just know the next time I risk an intake of air it’s going to smell like him and wreck me.
“Look who it is,” he says, humor lacing his words. The dusting of his breath warms my left cheek, sending an unwelcome trail of heat down the side of my neck.
He chuckles, likely amused at my refusal to look at him. “Still stubborn as ever, huh, Ellie girl?”
Wonderful. He finds this hilarious.
I don’t.
And he really shouldn’t call me that. It’s too familiar.
“Is there a problem, officer?” My voice is dull and flat, hopefully proving how unaffected I am by his presence.
Because I totally am.
Reluctantly I turn my head, refusing to actually make eye contact, but I still notice his hand move to the silver star pinned to his chest. He taps the metal with his index finger.
“It’s Deputy Alvarez, actually.”
Fighting an eye roll, I breathe out an audibly annoyed sigh as I try to ignore the way blood is rapidly running through my veins.
“Okay then, Deputy Alvarez , is there a reason you pulled me over?”
He clears his throat, and then pauses, letting silence linger between us as the ghost of a smile plays on his lips. I hate it.
“You have a taillight out. Might want to get that fixed.”
All this for a stupid taillight? Ridiculous. “Good to know.” I reach for the gear shift, but the disapproving sound coming from Dominic stops me.
“You can’t leave yet. I need your license and registration.”
My head jerks at him. “Seriously?”
He nods, the corner of his mouth twitching as he stares at me.The air inside the car thickens, the space shrinking as his gaze holds steady, pressing in with a heaviness I can’t escape. His eyes are hidden beneath sunglasses, and I can see my reflection in them. It’s unsettling, like he can see more than I want to show. I need to get out of here. This is unbearable.
“Seriously. Have to follow procedure. ”
Quickly, I reach into my glove box for the registration and grab my license from my wallet, handing it to him in a way that prevents our hands from touching.
He shoots me a smug grin. “Be right back.”
Once he’s gone, I let myself collapse into the seat, my body sinking like the air’s been knocked out of me.His scent lingers—a maddening blend, both new and familiar. It’s so good, I can’t decide if I want to breathe it in or hold my breath and suffocate instead.He wears a different cologne now, but he still smells like him—like cedarwood and soap—spicy, clean, and undeniably Dominic.
My hands clench at my sides, knuckles white, as memories claw their way to the surface—memories I’ve spent years trying to lock away. Being near him again is like standing on uneven ground, my footing slipping with every passing second. We’ve crossed paths more times than I’d prefer since he returned, but this is the first time it’s been just the two of us. No buffer, no distractions, no audience.
Just those few minutes between us had felt too overwhelming. Now, the empty space he’s left behind lingers with a gravity I’m trying my best to not acknowledge, but it clings to me like a second skin. It was easier to push him out of my mind when he wasn’t at every corner I turned—he’s inescapable.
Dominic moved back to our small town, Red Mountain, about a month ago. And true to form, had to make a big whoop about his return, showing up uninvited to my parents’ anniversary party.
As the town’s former golden boy, he’s been welcomed back with open arms. The charming, state-winning quarterback turned deputy sheriff.
Now, he’s acting like he can just waltz back into my life like a decade hasn’t passed since we’ve been anything more than strangers. I wish I could say I’m immune to him with years and distance having hardened me, but my pulse quickens in a way that betrays every lie I tell myself.
I think it’s more of a muscle memory thing, like when someone has amnesia, but their body remembers how to do everything. That’s all this is. That’s all it can ever be.
Minutes pass before gravel crunches under steady steps, the closer it gets, the more anxious I feel.
He’s holding my license and registration but makes no move to hand it to me.
“Am I free to go now?”
Rather than answer me, he stays silent, his posture rigid, his stance unnervingly formal. It’s almost as if he’s slipped into another persona—detached, professional. This must be how he carries himself on duty. And fuck, is it hot. Why is it so hot? It shouldn’t make my stomach flip. It definitely shouldn’t make my skin tingle. And yet here I am, gripping the steering wheel so tightly, I’m surprised it hasn’t cracked in my hands. Ithought there was a universal rule that exes are supposed to get less attractive as the years go by.
Dominic didn’t get the memo.
Clearing my throat, I shift in my seat, willing away the heat spreading across my chest.
“I don’t have all day. Either give me a ticket or let me go.” My bite is forced, lacking the grit I intended.
An unreadable expression twists his features, and he looks to either side before speaking, like he’s checking to see if anyone is listening. He removes his sunglasses, slipping them into his front pocket where his name is stitched D. Alvarez .
“I’m going to need you to step out of the vehicle.”
His already deep voice sounds foreign in the professional tone he’s trying to exude.
My head falls back, colliding with the headrest, and a laugh barks out of me. It’s unhinged and slightly manic sounding, I let it flow,nonetheless. I don’t know what game he’s trying to play, but if he meant to rile me up, he failed. He’s acting like he’s going to arrest me or something. Hell, this is the first time I’ve ever been pulled over. Apart from some stupid antics as a teenager, which Dominic was part of, I’ve never been in real trouble.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Elyse.”
The last bits of my laughter bubble out and I clear my throat to stop it completely. He called me Elyse . I don’t think he’s ever called me by my full name.
I make the mistake of meeting his stare, and he locks me in place as my stomach barrels down to the floorboards.
I’ve been doing so well—avoiding truly looking at him. Clinging to every shred of determination not to study him, not to sink into his eyes the way every instinct in me has begged to. But all that effort vanishes in a heartbeat.
Instantly, I’m hit with every detail of him at once. Deep brown eyes under dark, thick brows. There’s the start of wrinkles on the outer edges, ones that weren’t there ten years ago. His pupils are consuming all the bits of gold flecks that are normally present when they aren’t so dilated. Smooth-shaven cheeks sit above faint creases on either side of his mouth, laugh lines likely caused from that contagious smile of his. There’s a new scar above his upper lip—well new to me. And a gold chain is peeking out from beneath the collar of his uniform. Despite it all, he’s just how I remember him, but filtered through age, with sharpened features, and somehow even more good-looking than he was when we were younger. Now that I’ve really looked at him, I don’t want to look anywhere else. It’s only the seriousness in his eyes that keeps me from getting lost in him completely.
“Ellie, please get out of the car.” He sounds almost pleading, the strain in his voice louder than anything he’s actually saying.
Is he not joking ?
As if he can hear my thoughts, he slowly shakes his head. “It’s not a joke. I’m wearing a body cam and the dash cam is recording.”
Dumbfounded, I stare at him open-mouthed.
“Step out of the vehicle, ma’am,” he says loudly, like it’sfor someone else.
My hands grip the steering wheel harder, tightening as his words sink in. He’s serious. Dead serious. My heartbeat picks up, banging against my ribs, trying to escape, and I realize this isn’t just Dominic trying to mess with me. I sit there, frozen, trying to convince myself this is some kind of elaborate prank, and the universe really isn’t this cruel.
“Dominic.” I force his name out like a plea, even though I hate the desperation in my voice. “You can’t be serious. You’re not actually going to do what I think you are, are you? You don’t even have jurisdiction, this is a city road and you’re not a city cop.”
A glimpse of something that looks like regret passes over his face, but it’s gone before I can decipher it.
“Jurisdiction or not, I’m obligated to proceed.” His tone is clipped but his eyes are rapidly blinking, as if he’s wrestling with every decision he’s making. “I’ll explain once you’re out of the car.”
“Explain now,” I counter, my voice rising despite the lump forming in my throat. “This is ridiculous!”
“Ellie,” he says softly, trying to soothe me, and that only makes it worse.
“Don’t ‘Ellie’ me! You can’t just?—”
“Step out of the car,” he cuts me off, firmer now, his gaze darting to the dash cam on the cruiser behind him. “Please.”
And then it hits me—he has no choice. Whatever this is, it’s bigger than just us.
Swallowing hard, I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the door. The spring air smacks me as I step out, and I’m suddenly aware of how exposed I feel under his unwavering stare.
“Turn around,” he says, reaching for the handcuffs on his belt.
My breath catches. “You’re actually arresting me?”
He hits a switch on a device on his Kevlar vest—I’m assuming it’s his body cam.
“We’re muted, just for a minute. Can you keep your face neutral and calm while I explain?”
I nod wordlessly, my mind still spinning in shock.
“There’s a bench warrant out for your arrest. You didn’t show up for jury duty, and now I have no choice. I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”
Fucking jury duty?!
“Do what you have to do,” I force out through clenched teeth, knowing there’s no point trying to argue with him. It’s been years, but I think I still know him well enough to know he wouldn’t be doing this unless he absolutely had to.
At least I hope.
His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. “Given our history, I can’t show you any favoritism.”
History. Such a simple word. It doesn’t feel complex enough to explain us . I don’t think a word exists to describe all the intricacies of who we’ve been to each other. Best friends—until it wasn’t enough. Even before we crossed the line, our relationship was always more. Deeper. Undefinable. Dominic has been everything to me. And now…he’s nothing.
The harshness in his jaw eases, and his mouth softens.“This isn’t personal, querida mía.”
My eyes fall shut, both hating and loving the old term of endearment. I was always Ellie girl , but querida mía came later. It came with the more .
He hesitates, only for a fraction of a second, but it’s enough for me to see the flare of guilt in his eyes before he switches off the mute on his body cam and moves behind me.
Fighting the shiver rolling over my body at his proximity, my gaze dips, unsure of where else to look except down at the cracked asphaltas the cold metal snaps around my wrists.
His thumb brushes lightly over the inside of my left wrist, so soft I almost question if I imagined it, but I’m certain of what I felt.
“Elyse Ledger, you’re under arrest for failure to appear. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as I’ve explained them?” His voice is monotone and distant. Robotic.
A surge of hot anger crashes through me.How dare he not only move back here, but then be the one to arrest me? Publicly. Humiliatingly.
None of this would be happening if he’d just stayed wherever the hell he’s been all these years.The truth is, he’s the last thing I need right now.
I whirl my head back to meet his gaze, my side-eye sharpening into a glare. His brows are tilted in, skin flushed like he’s embarrassed.
The audacity.
If anyone has the right to be embarrassed in this situation, it’s me.
“Just so you know, I’m never going to forgive you for this,” I grind the words out embarrassingly shaky.
“Careful, Ellie girl. It’s a crime to lie to a member of law enforcement.”