Chapter 5
The One That Got Away
? Giving You Up - Kameron Marlowe
Griffin
Three Years Ago
I kick the snow off my boots and slide onto a stool at the end of the bar. The town is still recovering from the storm that shut us down for a week before Christmas, and we’re all existing in that weird time leading up to the new year when nobody remembers what day it is.
Liam materializes in front of me with a towel slung over his shoulder and sets a coaster on the bar. “Usual?”
I hold up two fingers.
“Double?” His brows raise. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Much rather drink about it.”
He nods once and pours me a double on ice.
Ruby dated Liam’s brother in high school. There’s a long, messy history there, but Liam’s a good guy, and he’s always been good to my sister. Doesn’t mean I want to tell him about my messy history with Angelina, though.
A cool breeze wafts in from outside, and Tyler takes the stool next to mine. “Fancy meeting you here,” he says sarcastically.
We’ve been friends since our saddle bronc days.
There was some friendly competition between us back then, and I edged him out of a few statewide competitions.
It took its toll on my body, leading me to retire a few years back.
Tyler stuck it out for another year, but when he lost his dad, he was forced to hang up his spurs and take over his family’s dairy farm.
I’m the closest thing he has left to family.
Liam slides my drink across the bar before turning his attention to Tyler. “What can I get ya?”
“Pint of whatever’s on tap”—he jerks his thumb in my direction—“put it on his tab.”
“Fuck you. Pay for your own drinks.”
“I had a pretty little redhead in my bed when you called me. You owe me.”
I shake my head and blow out a breath. Tyler’s a bit like whiskey. You have to get past the initial burn to find the pleasant notes under the surface.
I bring the drink to my lips and throw back half of it, letting the burn chase away the dull ache I still can’t seem to shake two years later. It’s like she imprinted herself on my soul.
I clear my throat and stare at a random spot on the wall. I’ve never been much for talking about feelings and shit, but Tyler’s the only one who knows about what happened between Angelina and me back in Colorado.
“Angelina’s in town,” I tell him.
“The Angelina? The one that got away?”
I balk at the description, but he’s not completely off base. “That’s the one.”
“You talk to her?”
I nod. “Her car broke down on the side of the road. I dropped her off with the Davises. Haven’t talked to her since.”
“She stayin’?”
I stare straight ahead, gaze unfocused. “Yup. Wilder said he heard from Caroline that Angie’s staying in their rental while the contractors are working on her new place. She’s taking over for Doctor Briggs.”
“No way. So, she’s essentially working for you now?”
“Mhm.”
He pats me on the back. “This is your chance, man. You can have your do-over.”
“You forget she gave me the wrong number? She’s not interested.”
He laughs into his beer before taking a long pull. “You ever met a woman before, Griff? They change their minds like they change their underwear.”
Feminine laughter drifts in with the cool bite of winter air. Even after two years, I’d recognize that sound anywhere.
Angelina Rossi.
I catch a whiff of rose and amber as she breezes past, oblivious to my attentions. She takes a seat at one of the high-top tables across from Sarah, a friend of my sister’s from high school.
I gulp down another mouthful of bourbon as Sarah drapes her jacket across the back of the chair and makes her way to the bar.
Angie plants her elbow on the table, resting her pert chin against her palm.
So much has changed since I last saw her, but time hasn’t affected the innate pull I feel whenever she’s around.
I’ll never forget the weekend we spent together. I fucked her on every surface of that apartment in ways I’d never even dreamed of, but it was the intervening moments that affected me the most—when she showed me who she was underneath all the surface-level shit.
Sometime around dawn on the second day, she walked into the kitchen in nothing but my shirt.
She hummed along to a song only she could hear while she made us breakfast, her long dark hair cascading down her back.
We talked about our lives, the future, her passion for her job, and my desire to own a rescue.
We connected on a deeper level than I ever expected, and then it was over.
Tyler’s hand enters my field of vision. “Earth to Griffin.”
I blink myself back to the present. “Sorry. What were you saying?”
He jerks his head toward her table. “That her?”
I nod.
His eyes linger a little too long for my liking. “Dark hair, round ass. Mmm.”
“Shut the fuck up, man.”
His shoulders shake with silent laughter. “I’m just saying. I get it.”
I freeze with my drink halfway to my mouth and my heart in my throat when her gaze lands on me.
It’s impossible to miss the subtle flash of grief in her eyes.
I probably remind her of Jess. That’s how we met, after all.
She practically shoved Angie and me together back then. Not that I was complaining.
My sister-in-law was an incredible, kind, selfless woman. Three months after that trip, we lost her, and a part of my brother died, too. Jess’s passing changed a lot of lives, including Angelina’s. None of us will ever be the same again.
“You gonna go over there?” Tyler asks.
Angie’s attention shifts as Sarah returns with their drinks. She looks at me, then at Angie. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but Angie shakes her head, and the room goes cold.
I frown. “Nope. Ancient history.”
“Mind if I shoot my shot?”
My fist tightens around my glass. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave her the fuck alone.”
“You know I’ve never been one to follow the rules. If you’re not interested, I sure as shit am.” He throws back the rest of his beer and stands. “Wish me luck.”
Tyler strides toward the table with that cocky confidence he wears as armor. If I know Angelina, she’s about to chew him up and spit him out. I’d love to watch the show, but I’m already too invested.
I toss some cash onto the bar and head out into the night. I’ve been holding onto a connection that, by all accounts, should’ve fizzled out a long time ago. There’s no reset button for us. I have to let her go.
Present Day
It takes all of my willpower to walk away from Angie after one drink, but I can tell she needs space. The past two days have been intense, to say the least, and I don’t want to come on too strong.
I make it home in time to see Jaxon locking up the barn for the night. I roll down my passenger window and wave.
He strides over, pulling off his gloves one finger at a time, revealing new ink on the tops of his hands, adding to the tapestry of tattoos that already covers most of his upper body.
He sweeps his hand through his dark blond curls and leans his elbows against the door frame. “Where’s the wife?”
“Home.”
“How’d you do it? You bury Tyler in a shallow grave in the desert first?” His green eyes, which are identical to our mama’s, crinkle with amusement.
I huff out a breath through my nose. “Didn’t have to. He was long gone by the time I got there.”
“You’re shitting me. He ditched her on her wedding day?”
I jerk my head to the side. “Get in. It’s a long story.”
He slides into the passenger seat and tosses his gloves onto the dash. “Head to Wilder’s place. That way, you only have to tell the story once.”
The sun is setting below the distant horizon as I relax back in one of the Adirondack chairs in Wilder’s backyard. It’s too warm to light the fire pit this time of year, but it’s still our favorite place to hang out.
Wilder is my oldest brother. He and his wife, Olivia, live in our childhood home—the house that holds all of our fondest memories.
Pops had Mama’s dream house built closer to the big barn once all of their chicks had flown the coop, so when Wilder returned from Colorado to raise Emmy, he took over this place.
It just so happened he didn’t come back to Oak Ridge alone. Along the way, he met Olivia, and they had Gracie. Their happily ever after didn’t come easily, but they are the picture-perfect family.
The nearby treehouse is still in disrepair, and I keep meaning to do some work on it for our nieces. Emmy and Gracie are the light of our lives. Some might even call them spoiled, but that’s the way it should be, in my opinion. They’re only little once.
Olivia’s perched on Wilder’s lap as he brings a bottle of beer to his lips, while Jaxon sits between Callie’s legs and she plays with his hair. I can’t help but feel jealous at the sight.
Jaxon’s a few years younger than me, but we’ve always been thick as thieves. Nearly fifteen years ago, he watched his best friend die in his arms on this very ranch. For a time, his grief seemed insurmountable—that is, until he met Callie.
She’s the newest addition to the Hayes family. We knew from the moment Jaxon brought her home she’d be staying for good. They met at the library one town over, but I’ve always suspected there was a lot more to the story.
That leaves our baby sister, Ruby—the Country Music Darling herself.
She spends part of her time here in Oak Ridge with her husband, Liam, and his son, Aiden.
The rest of the time, she’s either touring the world or recording in Nashville.
She’s always been the heart of this family.
That didn’t change when she left to chase her dreams.
Right now, she’s off promoting her new single, but she’s due home in a few days. She’s going to be pissed she missed this, but I have no doubt the women will video call her later, with boxed wine on hand, to give her all the salacious details.