Chapter 35 Broken Promises
Broken Promises
Wes
Sawyer and I had been nearly inseparable this past week. I worked with Luci every afternoon and helped Sawyer muck out stalls and put fresh bedding down every night before we’d go inside and give in to the hunger simmering between us.
When I’d told her I was still planning on leaving, she hadn’t seemed surprised or disappointed in the least. And I haven’t been able to get her indifferent response out of my head.
“I hadn’t thought your plans would change just because we fucked.”
I didn’t know what to make of it. It had felt like a slap in the face, but then she’d come around the table and sat in front of me with no underwear on under her T-shirt, and I’d simply given myself over to my carnal urges instead of agonizing over the state of my heart.
But in the days following, my heart was the only thing I could think about.
The way it swelled whenever I saw her and then turned into a pattering mess the second I laid my hands on her.
How it grew wings and took flight whenever she laughed at something I said or looked at me with that lust-filled blue gaze.
The more I dwelled on what was happening to my heart, the more adrift I felt—as if I really was that lost little boy Pops had accused me of being when I first arrived.
Sawyer and I spent every free moment together. It felt like a clock was ticking down, and we needed to cram in as much time together as possible, which is why she’d agreed to come with me to my mom’s birthday party tonight—despite how much she loathed fancy events.
Pops was impossible, as always, when it came to how much time I spent at Sawyer’s. His remarks were getting more and more pointed every day. I shake my head as the memory of this morning runs through my head.
“Are you sure you’re even helping out on this ranch anymore? Sawyer sees you more than I do. Did she have some more horses that needed chasin’, or can we just say to hell with the pretenses and talk about how you’re ditching your grandfather to knock boots with the neighbor girl?”
He made me want to dig my brain out of my skull with a teaspoon so I could forget every word he said. “Are the questions about my sex life really necessary??”
“I’m seventy-seven years old. I don’t have the time and energy it takes to be polite. I gotta get to the point or I’ll die before I get answers.”
For Christ’s sake.
“What are you smiling at?” Sawyer asks from the seat next to me. We’re driving my Lexus to the city, since it gets much better gas mileage than either of the trucks do.
“Just thinking about something ridiculous Pops said earlier.”
Her eyes soften when I talk about Pops. “Still giving you a hard time?”
“Yep.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less,” she says.
“Me neither.” I smile, glancing over at Sawyer.
Her red hair is down in curls, and with the makeup and dress she’s wearing... Damn. She nearly knocked me on my ass the second I saw her. I was speechless.
The slit on the sage green cocktail dress she’s wearing is riding up, baring most of her thigh to me, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the road.
You would think after how much of her I’ve seen, a little flash of thigh wouldn’t be my undoing the way it is right now, but all I want to do is pull over, tear that dress off her and fuck her so thoroughly that riding the horses tomorrow will be a problem.
“Why do you look so serious?”
“Because I’m seriously debating the pros and cons of turning this car around and taking you back home so I can fuck you again.”
Her cheeks turn pink and she laughs, shaking her head like I’m ludicrous.
“You think I’m joking? I can’t keep my hands to myself when you’re in this,” I say, gripping the silky fabric in my fingers.
She wraps her hand around mine. “You’re going to have to find your city manners, cowboy. Your mom would be upset if you miss her party tonight.”
I sigh, knowing she’s right, but hating that she is.
My stomach churns with nerves. I wanted Sawyer with me for moral support and maybe as a bit of a buffer with my parents. But now I’m wondering how much my family will read in to me bringing her along. I didn’t even call to warn them she was coming.
Sawyer’s hand finds mine on the middle console, our fingers twining together. “You okay?”
I peek at her out of the corner of my eye. She’s gnawing on her lip, just as nervous as I am. “Yeah, I’m good.” I try to sound convincing. “It just feels weird being back in the city. Like I’ve been gone for months instead of weeks.”
Life at Dawson Ranch felt like an entirely different world compared to the one I left behind here.
She nods in understanding and stares at the twinkling lights that illuminate the city streets.
Reaching up, I pry her lip from between her teeth with my thumb. Her gaze finds mine, quickly turning molten. Her eyes are bottomless pits of blue as I swallow past the surge of desire for her that's suddenly coursing through my veins before I turn my attention back to the road ahead.
“You don’t need to be nervous, Red. My parents have already met you and they loved you. My dad even made sure I was being nice to you when I first got here. He's the reason I brought you the peace offering brownies. He knows how much you help Pops, and he appreciates how you’ve taken care of him.”
Her eyes are fixed on her lap, her hands fidgeting with the silk dress. “I'm just a little out of my element here. All dressed up with heels on instead of my boots. I don’t quite feel like me.”
My eyes roam over her. “You look beautiful, but if you had come in your jeans and your Same Bitch Different Day T-shirt, I wouldn’t have stopped you. In fact, watching everyone’s faces when they read it would have been the most entertaining part of the evening.”
She laughs as I put the car in park. When she palms my cheek a moment later, I’m struck by how even the city lights don’t shine as bright as her eyes when she smiles. “Thanks, Wes. Just don’t leave me to the wolves, alright?”
“I won’t leave your side all night.” I seal my promise with a kiss before getting out of the car and opening her door for her.
We walk into the party hand in hand. Sawyer gapes at the huge hall.
It’s over-the-top with servers carrying trays of hors d’oeuvres, a four-tier birthday cake displayed on a big table surrounded by gaudy decorations and a thousand balloons.
The hall is full of people milling around.
There’s a bar on the left side of the room, and I have a mind to start the evening there.
A drink might be good to settle the nerves.
I lead Sawyer in that direction, but I’m halted by a hand on my shoulder. I come up short and turn to find my sister, eyes wide, with a harried look about her. “Quinn!” I pull her in for a hug and she tries—and fails—to smooth her face into a neutral expression. “What’s wrong?”
She looks around me at Sawyer and drums up a welcoming smile. “You brought a date, I see.” Her eyes dart to me and I can’t quite figure out what her expression is trying to convey.
“Yeah,” I say, giving her a questioning tilt of my head. “You remember Sawyer Addams?”
“Of course!” she says, catching Sawyer off guard by throwing her arms around her in a hug.
“It’s good to see you again,” Sawyer replies, patting Quinn's back awkwardly.
“We need to catch up,” Quinn announces. “But first, I need a minute with my brother. Do you mind if I steal him for a sec?”
I clench my jaw, hating that Quinn is asking me to go back on that promise I made to Sawyer already. We haven’t even been here five minutes. “What’s the problem?” I bite out under my breath so only Quinn can hear me.
She tugs my arm, urging me in the opposite direction.
I give Sawyer a helpless look. She smiles and rolls her eyes. “I’ll grab us a drink from the bar.”
I extricate myself from my sister’s grip and step back toward Sawyer. “Thanks, Red. I’ll be right there.” I lean down and brush my lips over hers in a brief caress before following Quinn to the other side of the hall.
Once we’ve reached a secluded corner, Quinn looks over my shoulder to make sure we aren’t being followed. “What is your deal?” I ask, taking in the worried look clouding her normally perky demeanor.
“Mom invited Hannah,” she snaps, glancing around before finally meeting my gaze. I freeze, trying to sort through how I feel about my mother inviting my ex-fiancée to her birthday party.
Technically, it’s her party and she can invite who she wants to, but Hannah?
The woman who dumped me the night of our engagement party?
She’s met with my silence, so she smacks my chest. “Did you hear me?”
No wonder Quinn looked so worried. She knew exactly how humiliating that breakup with Hannah had been for me. But here Mom goes again, meddling in my life. She wanted me to end up with Hannah, so now she's pulling the strings, manipulating the controls, and pushing us back together.
“Yes, I heard you,” I answer so she doesn’t hit me again.
I catch sight of my mom and dad speaking to some friends at a table in the middle of the hall, and I stride toward them. I can hear Quinn’s heels clicking behind me, and I’m not sure if she’s following me to play mediator or just to watch the show.
I lean over and grumble in Mom’s ear. “Can I talk to you?”
She smiles a little worriedly at the way I’m addressing her for the first time in weeks, but she nods and excuses herself from the table with Dad following behind her, a weary look on his face.
"You could use a shave, dear," she says, eyeing my beard with distaste.
I ignore her remark. “You invited Hannah?” My voice is thick with accusation.
“Well, you two always looked so good together, and she’s been talking to me the last few weeks, telling me how much she regrets leaving things the way she did with you.”
That explains all the phone calls I’ve had from her lately. I’m not na?ve enough to believe she truly regrets breaking up with me. She’s just scared of starting over again.
I huff out a frustrated breath. “I brought a date, Mom.”
“Oh, well, I didn’t know you were bringing a date. You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone. You never talk to me now that you’re at that ranch all the time.” Her nose wrinkles in distaste.
I sigh. "I know, Mom. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you more. But you really thought your party was the best place to put me and Hannah in a room together again? After she threw a vase at my head last time I saw her?"
My mom straightens her posture and waves off my concerns. “She’s over all that silliness from before. I’m sure she wouldn’t throw anything at you tonight. And the party is romantic. There are drinks and music and dancing. She gestures toward the dance floor that has a few couples dancing on it.”
“This isn’t a Hallmark movie,” I growl.
Quinn bites back a smile.
“Don’t be so hard on your mother. She was only trying to help, Wes.” My dad’s eyes plead with me to drop it. To give Mom the benefit of the doubt and forgive the misstep.
I give a resigned nod. She only wanted what was best for me, even if her idea of "best" didn't always line up with reality—and despite the fact that I’m a thirty-five-year-old man who doesn’t need his mommy to help play matchmaker.
“I’m sorry. Happy Birthday, Mom.” I give her a kiss on her cheek and pull out the package I’d picked up for her at a small jeweler’s shop in town.
She opens the small box and her face lights up. “Oh, Wes. They’re beautiful!”
Quinn peeks around my shoulder and gives me a little squeal. “Where’d you get those earrings? They’re so pretty!”
“A little shop in Cottonwood Creek. Saw them in the window and thought they’d be perfect for Mom.”
“They are. Thank you, darling.”
“How are things going on the ranch?” Dad asks, fiddling with his cufflinks.
“The ranch is good. The herd is thriving, and Pops is managing better with another set of hands to help out.”
“Good.” He nods his approval. “And he’s still agreeing to sell after the eight weeks are up?”
I run a hand over my short beard as my stomach ties itself in knots. "He hasn’t said otherwise. Everything going okay at the firm?"
Dad nods, gifting me with a small smile. "Todd's done a great job filling in while you've been gone. It's been a smooth transition."
A bit of the knot residing in my chest loosens.
“How’s the house looking?” Mom asks. “Whoever buys the property will probably tear it down, but it’s good to have everything looking like it’s been kept up over the years when we put it up for sale.”
My heart stutters in my chest, but I ignore it. “It looks better since I got the fresh coat of paint on it.”
Mom glimpses an acquaintance and waves at them with a well-placed smile. “Well, that sounds promising. It’s good to see you, dear, but I need to make the rounds with your father.”
“Sure, Mom. I’ll see you later.” She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing with my dad into the throng of people and tables.
“Have you seen Hannah?” I ask Quinn, glancing around but hoping I don’t see her.
I really don’t want to be anywhere near that woman, especially here, at a party full of people, with the girl I've been unable to stop falling for.
“Last I saw her, she was over there.” Quinn gestures toward the bar where I’d sent Sawyer a few minutes ago.
“You let me send my girl—I mean, my date over where my ex-fiancée is holding court?”
Quinn snorts. “If I remember right, Sawyer has no problem handling herself. Besides, Hannah probably didn’t even see you two come in together. I just wanted to warn you before you accidentally bumped into her. I didn’t want you to freak out.”
“I wouldn’t have freaked out. I’m over her.”
Quinn’s eyes go wide, and I’d think it was from what I’d said except for the fact that she’s staring at something over my shoulder. I crane my neck around and my heart drops to the floor.
Hannah is right next to Sawyer by the bar, chatting with a saccharine smile on her face. Sawyer might be smiling back, but she has a wild look in her eyes that tells me she wants to tear my ex limb from limb.
“Looks like Hannah found your girl after all,” Quinn observes.
Shit.