Chapter 13
thirteen
. . .
Axel
Archer
I don’t know how much longer I can let Mrs. Dowden watch Melody.
Rafe
Really? You don’t say? Is it the fact that she never gets off the recliner?
Easton
Or that she asks for a foot massage if one of us stops by to see Melody?
Bridger
Dude. Time to cut the cord.
Clark
Melody was brushing Mrs. Dowden’s hair when Eloise and I stopped by last week to see her. She’s got our baby girl working for her now.
Bridger, didn’t she ask you to make her a sandwich when you stopped by to pick Melody up for ice cream on Friday?
Bridger
True fucking story.
Rafe
Did you make her a sandwich?
Bridger
I don’t make sandwiches.
Easton
You let an old woman go hungry?
Bridger
Have you forgotten that I’m in therapy? I can’t be an asshole all the time. I sent her a sandwich from the Honey Biscuit Café and had it delivered.
Archer
For fuck’s sake, this is out of control.
So what’s going on today that you are suddenly on board with what we’ve been telling you for almost a year?
Archer
I came home from a meeting and Melody was sitting on the couch with a Coke, watching TV in the middle of the afternoon.
Clark
The Coke sent you over the edge.
Archer
It’s pure sugar.
Rafe
And what was Mrs. Doubtfire doing at the time?
Archer
It’s Mrs. Dowden, dickhead.
Don’t deflect. Answer the question.
Archer
She was sleeping.
Easton
Well, if you never get off that recliner, you’re bound to fall asleep.
Bridger
The fancy shitter is the same way. I could take a nap on that thing the minute the seat heater starts warming my ass.
Rafe
I often nap on that toilet.
We’d had far too many conversations about these fucking toilets at this point. Give a bunch of dudes a heated seat and a hose to clean their assholes, and it will soon become a topic of constant discussion.
Clark
What are you going to do?
Archer
I’ll start putting feelers out this summer. I’d like to have someone else before Melody starts the new school year, so we can get on a system. But at least right now, with Melody in part-time preschool, at least I know part of her day is productive.
Clark
She’s five years old. She doesn’t need to be productive all the time.
Archer
Man, this parenting shit is no joke. I’m constantly questioning myself.
You’re a fucking fabulous dad, Archie. You worry too much.
Easton
Best dad I know, dude.
Rafe
I hope to be half the father you are when the day comes. You just have an old nanny.
Clark
Exactly. Look at your little girl. She’s the best.
Bridger
That little monster is the best girl around—so stop with that shit. Find a younger nanny who doesn’t have bunions.
Archer
I’m on it. Melody loves taking horseback riding lessons from Wren. I’m bringing her by after work today.
Easton
I mean, you went from a geriatric nanny to a world champion horse trainer.
Rafe
Yeah, I’d say Melody is golden in the horse training department.
Clark
Speaking of Wren, how is it going now that all that shit is out in the open?
I’d filled them in on what had gone down with Collin. They’d all been with me that night, and they knew that nothing he’d said was true. But we also weren’t Collin Waterstone fans. He wasn’t our brother. Wren had to work through the fact that someone she loved had lied to her numerous times.
And I had to work through the fact that someone I loved hadn’t bothered to come to me and had believed a bunch of lies her dickhead brother had told her about me.
I don’t fucking know. We’re getting our friendship back on track. I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that she wouldn’t have just come to me and asked if it was true. We lost two years over a bunch of fucking lies.
Bridger
Listen, you know I’ve always got your back. But I want you to think about something.
Easton
Tell us, all-knowing one.
Bridger
Fuck off. Anyway, if one of us came to you and told you something someone had said or done, would you not believe us?
Yeah, but this is me and Wren. She should have come to me. She should have known that I would never have done those things.
Archer
You and Wren had been best friends your entire lives, and the night before, you’d gotten together for the first time. Collin preyed on her insecurities.
Clark
And he’s her fucking brother. Of course she would think he had her back. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Why, though? She’s his sister. He devastated her.
Bridger
I think he’s a jealous dude. I think he wants to be the standout in every room he enters. And he has a sister who is an equestrian badass. He had a fiancée who was a doctor. He can’t handle women who are smarter than him. More talented than him.
Clark
Holy fuck. Did that just come from Bridger?
Easton
I believe it did. How is that possible.
Bridger
Therapy, bitches.
I think you may be on to something. He’s an insecure dickhead. He knew exactly what to say.
Archer
He probably knew about his father’s affair all along but never told her. And he knew how close you two were. Plus he wanted to make someone else the bad guy, since he’d just been called out for what he’d done to Emerson.
Rafe
Classic narcissist.
Easton
Ahhhh… we’re using the big words this morning.
Clark
So why not pick up where you left off? It’s all out in the open now.
It’s been two fucking years. She’s not staying. I’m just glad we’re getting our friendship back on track.
Rafe
But you’re not dating anyone else, nor have you since she arrived in town.
I date plenty. I’m just in a dry spell right now.
Easton
Dude, you’ve been in a dry spell for two years. That’s very telling, don’t you think? Perhaps you see her as more than a friend?
I’m not going there again. Not after what happened last time.
Archer
I ran into Lily Anderson yesterday when Melody and I were walking around downtown, and she told me that you two were supposed to go out last week and you canceled on her. I’m guessing that has something to do with your best friend being back in town.
What is this, an episode of The Bachelor?
I never asked Lily out. She showed up at the warehouse inquiring about horse trailers, when she doesn’t even have a horse.
She said we should get together for dinner, and I said I couldn’t swing it because I was swamped at work.
You can’t cancel something that you never agreed to.
Clark
Swamped at work where you spend your days with your hot best friend?
Easton
Agreed. Dude, why not just go for it with Wren. Give it one more shot while she’s actually here.
And then she leaves for another two years and I don’t hear from her?
Rafe
She explained why she did that. And as much as I hate that things went down that way, I don’t think any of it is Wren’s fault. She’s only guilty of having an asshole for a brother.
Well, you also think leprechauns are real, so you can’t be trusted.
Rafe
Fuck you. Leprechauns are real. I saw one in third grade on St. Patrick’s Day.
Easton
That was Dad and you know it.
Clark
Back to reality. I think she deserves a pass on this one, Axel. She was fed a bunch of shit from her brother. I’d believe any of you if you told me something.
Rafe
Yet no one believes I saw a leprechaun?
Bridger
Just swallow your pride and go for it, Axel. Don’t be a stubborn asshole. Life is short.
Archer
So much for the softer side of Bridger.
I’m done with this conversation. We’re working on our friendship. I don’t need dating advice.
Clark
You’re fine, buddy. The women love that rugged rancher look you’re rocking.
And that’s why you’re my favorite.
A slew of texts came through with unwanted advice, and I tucked my phone in my back pocket. I didn’t have a client here, but I had a shit ton of work to do, and I was done with the conversation.
Wren walked by, and I glanced up. She wore a pair of cutoff jean shorts, a brown-and-white plaid button-up, and some cowboy boots. Her hair was a wild mess of waves falling all around her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes were flanked by long black lashes.
“What’s up?” I asked as I tried to focus on the compartment I was building. I’d been a little distant from her ever since everything had come to light. But she’d been trying, and I didn’t want to be a dick. I was happy to have her back in my life. I needed to let this anger go.
Anger at her brother for causing us to lose so much time.
Anger that she didn’t come to me about it two years ago.
“Hey. I made lunch, do you want to take a break?”
I glanced up. “You want me to come to the break room and eat?”
“Nope. I want you to come for a quick ride with me out to our tree. Can you sneak away for a little bit?”
I set the wrench I was holding down on the table and wiped my hands off. “Sure.”
She was trying, and I’d hear her out.
I could tell she was a little nervous. Even after all the time we’d spent apart, I felt like I still knew her just as well as before.
Wren was loyal to the people she loved. She’d always been that way. I’d just always been at the top of the list. But back when she’d caught her father having an affair, she’d become more guarded after that. We’d talked about it.
But I could see the toll that her brother’s betrayal was taking on her.
Hell, I could feel her pain, the same way I always could.
I took the backpack from her shoulders and placed it on mine before we took Wrax and Honey out to our favorite spot.
We tied up the horses, and Wren pulled out a blanket, some sandwiches, a bag of chips, and two bottles of water from the backpack.
“You’ve been distant, and I wanted to talk to you about that.” She sat on the blanket, her gaze locking with mine.
“All right,” I said, taking a bite of the turkey sandwich and groaning because it was so damn good.
“I owe you an explanation, Axel.” She set her water bottle down and screwed the cap back on. “Better than the explanation I gave you the other night. I was in shock that my brother would lie to me like that. And I’ve had some time to process my thoughts.”