Jackson
Fiancé? She has a fiancé and I didn’t know about it?
I fight to keep a smile on my face, but what am I supposed to say to that? I feel completely blindsided and my world is crashing down around me. How is she engaged? How did I lose her right when I was about to confess everything?
I’ve had a thing for Harper for years, but I kept my distance from her. A seven-year age gap isn’t a big deal now, but it would’ve been a massive issue a few years ago. We would’ve gotten a lot of kickback if we started dating when she was eighteen and I was twenty-five.
Now that she’s twenty-two and has basically graduated college, I thought I could finally make my move and ask her out.
I had a whole plan for this weekend. I was going to spend her birthday with her and her friends tonight. Tomorrow, we’d go for a hike and I’d ask her to go out for dinner with me, just the two of us. I wanted to lay it all on the line and see where the cards fell…
But now? I can’t do any of that. I can’t tell her how I feel when she’s engaged to another man. I’m not that type of person. I won't try to destroy what they have because I'm upset I waited too long to make a move.
“Oh, wow. I didn’t know you were engaged.” I turn my attention back to the woman of my dreams and try my hardest to smile. It probably comes out more as a grimace, but I don’t know how to make myself seem happier when my heart is breaking. “Congratulations, Boots.”
“Thanks,” she whispers, watching me carefully.
“I'm going to… get a drink. Does anyone else need one?” I wait a few seconds and when no one asks for anything, I nod my head and spin on my heels.
I need to give myself a moment to work through my emotions. I need to figure out how to be happy for Harper and not bring down the mood of her birthday party.
She was so happy when I said I could come this weekend. I had to move around a lot of things to get away during the season, but I thought it would be worth it. I thought I could finally make her mine.
I couldn’t wait to get here and feel her in my arms again. To see her smile light up the room and her laugh help me relax. I wanted a weekend of Harper and nothing else.
But I didn’t know about Evan. Logically, I know Harper’s dated over the years, but I never heard about anyone serious in her life. Especially a fiancé.
If I had known… I probably wouldn’t have come. I wouldn’t have begged Owen to let me skip these games. I would’ve used work as an excuse and sulked at home.
“What can I get for you, handsome?” The bartender steps in front of me with a flirty smile on her face.
“Can I have a whiskey?” I scrub a hand down my face and try to figure out what to do now.
I can’t leave the bar or Harper will get upset. No matter how frustrated I am, I refuse to ruin her birthday for her. I’ll just have to suck it up and make it through this night.
I'm not sure I can hang around with Evan though. I can’t watch her be happy, laughing, and smiling with him. It will just remind me of how she’ll never be mine.
“I’m thinking a double… maybe even a triple? You look like you’re having a rough night,” she says as she grabs a bottle and a glass.
“How about you just keep them coming until I either tell you to stop, or I can’t stand up by myself any longer?”
“That, I can do.” She grins, sliding a glass across the bar to me. “You look really familiar. Do you come here a lot?”
“Nah, I live in Philly. I'm just here for a friend’s birthday party.”
“Wait… Do you play for the Pit Bulls?” She tilts her head to the side and examines me.
“Yeah, I do.” I chuckle. “I'm Jackson McLaren.”
“Dang, a real baseball player.” She grins as she grabs a clean glass and starts to dry it. “So, why is the player getting drunk at a friend’s birthday party? I doubt you have a drinking problem.” She narrows her gaze on me like she can see into the deepest parts of my mind.
“No one said I'm getting drunk. And how would you know if I have a drinking problem or not?” I take another sip of whiskey, keeping my attention on her.
“Well, if you were an alcoholic, you would’ve downed that drink already.” She taps her nail on the side of my glass that I still barely’t touched. “Plus, I doubt you’d look as sad as you do right now… My guess is it’s a girl.”
“Oh, really?” I arch a brow.
“Yeah, it normally is. But is she the birthday girl?” She’s watching someone over my shoulder and a slow smile spreads across her face. “Does she have light brown hair, blue eyes, and a smile that lights up the room?” She leans down so her arms are resting on the bar and she smirks.
“How’d you know?” My brows furrow, but I make no move to look for Harper. I’m not sure my heart can take it.
“Because she’s been watching you since you sat down. And she doesn’t look the happiest right now.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” I grumble under my breath before taking a sip of whiskey.
“I think you owe me a story,” she singsongs.
“It’s as simple as I came here to tell her I love her, instead I found out she’s engaged.” I down the rest of the drink and slide the empty cup towards her.
“Yeah… that’s rough.” She grabs a bigger glass and fills it up to almost the brim with whiskey. “I think you need this whole thing. Let me know when you need a refill.”
“If I need a refill, I need to call it a night.” I smile softly as I grab the cup and stand.
I can’t stay at the bar all night and ignore Harper. I don’t want to create any sort of drama. I’ll leave as soon as I can and nurse my broken heart at the hotel. Alone.