Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
WEST
SUNDAY DINNER
The second Miles laid eyes on me, I knew he saw through me. Through us.
He had that cop intuition, that sixth sense, and the way his gaze flicked between Blue and me made my chest tighten. It was like he knew the truth already—that this marriage wasn’t the whirlwind fairy tale it appeared to be. That it was a carefully constructed lie.
I wasn’t ready to confess. I’d talked myself into never having to. One day, I’d tell my family it hadn’t worked out, that Blue and I had decided to stay friends, and it would all fade into another one of my screwups.
But Miles didn’t call me out. He crossed his arms instead, narrowed his eyes, and said, “You’ve got that girl Mandy working Saturday nights? She drives me fucking crazy.”
“Excuse me?” Blue’s laugh came out choked, uncomfortable. “Mandy does an excellent job.”
I lifted my hand. “Wait, you were in town Saturday?”
“We actually got in Friday,” Loxley said before Miles could answer.
“I had a show, but after that, we snuck in and stayed in bed until Saturday night.” She leaned in conspiratorially.
“For the record, I stayed in bed. Miles went up to have a beer with Linc. He said you’d probably be there with Blue and he’d kill two birds with one stone. ”
“Exactly,” Miles muttered. “I tried letting you know we were back.”
“Oh, hush.” Gram’s swatted at him, shaking his head. “You didn’t tell any of us. Not until tonight.”
The conversation moved on, Gramps confirming Easton was on his way while Jesse stayed home with Max, who wasn’t feeling well.
Grams had dinner ready despite Blue and me arriving later than promised, and once Easton came barreling in, hugs were exchanged, greetings made, and before long we were herded toward the dining room.
We hadn’t eaten at the long table in a while. Usually it was the kitchen when just Jesse and Max joined. But with Blue and Loxley added to the mix, we’d outgrown that space. The dining room felt more formal, but just as comfortable.
Easton broke the silence halfway through a loaf of bread. “So, West…” he said, his tone casual, but his eyes sharp when they lifted to mine. “Did you make it out to the house?”
Every fork stilled.
Without Jesse there, the air felt safer to answer, but I still hesitated. Talking about it out loud felt like cracking open a wound. Finally, I nodded, giving him permission to move forward. “I did,” I said quietly. “Held up my end.”
Miles’ voice was rougher than usual when he asked, “How was it?”
I nearly snapped. My instinct was to tell them it was none of their business, that I went, that it was done, and we could all move the hell on. My jaw flexed, the words sharp and ready, but then Blue’s hand slid across my thigh beneath the table.
A gentle squeeze.
It grounded me. The anger ebbed enough for me to take a breath.
“Blue and I went yesterday.” My voice caught. I cleared it, swallowing hard. “It was… surreal. First time I’d seen the damage with my own eyes.”
The room was silent, waiting. But there was nothing more I wanted to say.
What could I add that anyone would understand?
Being at my childhood home felt like I’d stepped back time.
Was it harder than I expected? Maybe. Easier?
Maybe that too. I don’t know. But I kept thinking that if I’d gone back sooner, faced it then, maybe I wouldn’t still be tightening up now.
Maybe I wouldn’t still want to run every time someone brings it up.
“The magnolia trees were beautiful,” Blue added softly.
Every head turned to her, smiling at her gentleness, but more importantly, it shifted the conversation away from me.
She knew I couldn’t give them more than that.
She knew when to step in and save me. Her thumb brushed my leg under the table, back and forth, steady.
And for the first time, I realized how seamlessly she’d learned to anchor me.
Easton’s shoulders loosened and he nodded, satisfied.
The conversation shifted, the weight lifting, though it lingered like smoke at the edges.
When dinner ended, Blue and I were the first to stand and say our goodbyes. We needed to stop by her house, gather a few things, and by the time we’d get back to the chopper, the others would be gone, Grams and Gramps would be tucked into bed.
Out front, Marshal waited by the SUV. Blue glanced at me in surprise, but I’d already had the truck moved back to the lake house, and Marshal had driven back in from the city to get us where we needed to be.
Blue didn’t fight it. She nodded, satisfied, and slipped easily into the backseat beside me. She leaned into me as we drove down the highway, her head resting against my shoulder.
She didn’t even glance at Fiddlers as we passed.
Her body softened into mine, content. And it hit me like a punch that I might not be able to let her go as easily as I’d planned.
In such a short time, we’d become comfortable. Friends. Lovers. And somewhere in between, she’d become something else entirely. Something that felt way more important than I could fathom.
I still intended to give her the bar. I’d promised.
I’d also arranged for her to have everything she wanted.
But a darker, selfish part of me was already considering asking for another favor.
One that would give us more time. One that would test whether this was just a bubble we were both pretending not to see, or if it was something real.
Something neither of us had expected.