Chapter Four
Maisie
Admittedly, I might’ve oversold how much I remember about riding horses, but I wanted to prove him wrong.
I might be a city girl now, but I’m a country girl at heart.
Warren’s determined to do this the hard way, so I have to keep up with his antics if I want him to sign the damn papers.
He’s stubborn and I don’t want to hurt him, but I only have a couple weeks to convince him.
My brother and sister-in-law’s baby shower is next weekend, so I already planned to come for that.
Since Hayes and I are getting married in the next town over, being here makes it easier to coordinate with my mom and the wedding coordinator on things we still need to decide.
This was the best time to fly down and face Warren without Hayes getting suspicious.
When he got down on one knee and proposed, I hadn’t expected it. It was a lovely surprise, but I knew I could no longer drag my feet on getting it done.
There’s a real fear that Warren won’t sign. If I go the default divorce route, it’s a risk he’ll appeal it and drag it out even longer. Most people wait for that period to pass before getting married again, but I might not have a choice—assuming it goes through on time.
At that point, I’d tell Hayes the truth so he’s not blindsided if things go to shit. He’ll be pissed and disappointed, but if our love is as strong as I think it is, he’ll understand and forgive me.
Hayes is an established epic fantasy author and his online fanbase is protective of him.
When he shared a photo of us on his social media for the first time, some of his fans were brutal.
They commented about my looks and age while others made threats if I became the reason he didn’t finish a series or didn’t release his next book fast enough.
Or if it was bad, they’d point the finger at me for being bad juju.
It’s why I never revealed the truth because if people found out that I’m still legally married while dating him, they could use it against him and it’d tarnish his beloved reputation. After all the sacrifices to get where he is, I couldn’t risk his career.
Or mine.
I use my maiden name for my literary agency, so there’s no connection when people search me online, but it’s why I’m careful not to post too many personal details. Living in New York City, he attends book events for each release tour and his readers usually recognize me when I tag along.
He hired a professional photographer to hide nearby to take our proposal pictures, and as soon as he posted them, his circle of the internet blew up.
Everyone was noisier than usual about who I am, where I’m from, and what I do for a living. It was invasive, to say the least. My anxiety has spiked each day since then, wondering if today’s the day someone goes all detective mode to find out the truth.
It’s why I need to get this done .
Following Warren out of the barn, I try to relax on the saddle and move with the horse, but I think she can feel me tense. She abruptly stops as we approach the trail.
I click my tongue, encouraging her to go, but she stomps a hoof and stays in place.
Warren glances over his shoulder, noticing my predicament, and slows down.
“Give her a little kick,” he tells me.
I do and nothing happens.
“C’mon, Lilith. Let’s go,” I say, squeezing my thighs to encourage her to move.
Warren comes over, riding next to me. “Get movin’, girl.” Then he gives her ass a slap.
Without warning, Lilith takes off and in my scramble to hang on, I lose my grip on the reins. I tighten my legs and fall forward, holding on for dear life, and forgetting everything about what to do when a horse runs off like this.
My heart races at the thought of being thrown off or falling to my death and I squeeze tighter.
Warren whistles at his horse to catch up and then he’s next to me, keeping the pace and reaching over to grab the fallen reins.
“Whoa, Lilith.” He gains control, and we slowly come to a stop.
His gaze finds mine, but his are hard to read.
“You okay?” he asks, but before I can respond, he adds, “Squeezin’ your thighs tells her to go faster. You need to relax.”
I release my death grip, then push myself back up into a sitting position and take the reins from him.
“I think she has a death wish for me.”
Warren’s horse starts walking, prompting mine to do the same. But this time I remember to keep my legs loose over her .
“Well, we don’t call her Lilith for no reason.”
My eyes widen at the realization he gave me a spitfire on purpose and he cracks a smile, the first real one I’ve seen on him.
“I figured you hated me but didn’t realize you wanted me dead.”
His expression softens. “I could never hate you, Maze.” Then he smirks. “ Loathe , maybe.”
“Well…I definitely loathed you every time those papers returned without a signature.”
“Figured you would’ve gotten the hint.”
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Why are you makin’ this so difficult?”
His gaze shifts and he stays silent, making me think he’s not going to answer that, until he looks over. “You ever think you’re the one makin’ this difficult for me ?”
The trail takes us higher into the mountains as his question simmers in my mind.
“I thought you knew it was over when neither of us was willin’ to budge on the long-distance or movin’ thing.”
“I wasn’t ready for it to be over. We didn’t get a real shot.”
My throat goes dry and words are caught in there before I can say them aloud. “Sometimes things don’t work out. You can’t hold onto the past forever. At some point, we need to move on with our lives and accept that it didn’t go as planned.”
His jaw twitches, but he doesn’t speak again until we get to his destination.
“Careful, the ground is uneven up here.”
Lilith follows his horse’s lead as he trots near the fence.
“Shit, it’s worse than I thought.”
Glancing over to see what Warren’s looking at, I notice metal posts bent in half and some tilted in the wrong direction. It’s probably not a huge deal since they don’t keep the horses up here anymore, but it’s still dangerous to keep it that way with guests trail riding up here.
Warren takes some pictures and then leads us to another area that’s closer to the property line. It’s not much better.
“I’ll probably yank out those other posts so no one gets hurt,” he mutters more to himself. “These others I can replace.”
“When are you plannin’ to work on it?” I ask, wondering if he’ll use it as an excuse to avoid me.
“Bodie said next week, but I’d be surprised if he does it. He’s been puttin’ it off, so I might do it myself if I can find the time.”
I nod, riding next to him down the trail.
“Are—”
“Do you?—”
We blurt the words at the same time when the silence gets awkward.
“Go ahead,” I tell him.
“I was gonna ask if you wanted a tour.”
“Of what?”
“The ranch. A lot has changed since you’ve been here.”
“Really?”
He shrugs. “Posey started a goat soap business and we built a new shed for ’em all.”
“You have goats? Oh my gosh, yes. I’d love to see ’em.”
He chuckles. “Shoulda known that’d work on you.”
“Well…who doesn’t love goats?” I hesitantly laugh because we’re not fighting for once, but I doubt it’ll last. “How many do y’all have?”
“I think she’s up to a dozen now.”
“Wow. A whole goat farm. ”
“Posey will probably be there, if you’re okay with that,” he tells me cautiously.
“I am if you are.”
He lifts a shoulder. “I’m sure Bodie’s texted the sibling group chat by now anyway.”
Not sure what to think about that, if that’s good or bad, but I don’t ask.
It doesn’t take long to get to the shed, and I beam at how cute it is. Some of the goats are grazing and unfazed by our arrival, but as soon as Warren and I climb off our horses, Posey bursts out and rushes toward me.
“Oh my God!” She wraps me in a hug before I can brace for it and nearly fall to the ground.
Laughing, I cling to her and pull back when she does.
“Maisie! I can’t believe you’re here.”
With her only being two years younger, we became friends when Warren and I started dating. She was thirteen, but we went to the same high school and had some classes together. Whenever I’d come to see Warren, she’d fight for me to hang out with her instead. She was the little sister I never had.
But we didn’t stay in contact after I left for New York the second time.
That’s the sad reality when your relationship ends.
His parents and siblings were like a second family to me, and I haven’t seen them in years.
“You’re all grown up!” I beam.
In one word, Posey’s adorable. She’s petite, with long blonde hair and a baby face. Although I’m certain she gets highlights to lighten her hair because it wasn’t always this blonde.
Either way, she looks amazing.
“Yep…but in my case, twenty-seven and still single. ”
I snort when she pouts.
“No one’s put a ring on your finger yet?”
As soon as the words come out of my mouth, Warren tenses next to me.
Shit .
“Nope, not even close. Every time I go out with my friends, the only eligible bachelors we meet are forty-year-old men who ‘aren’t ready to settle down yet.’” Her eye twitches as her fingers do air quotes.
“That’s unfortunate. Maybe you need to branch out of your small town.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m booked and busy.” She casually lifts her shoulders. “I’ve tried datin’ apps a couple times, but they’re worse than the men I meet in real life.”
I wince, remembering the one time I tried a dating app before I met Hayes.
“Gonna show her around?” Warren asks, getting impatient. “I still have work to finish.”
“Relax, grumpy pants.” Posey scrunches her nose at his growly tone, but she takes my hand and drags me away while Warren stays by the horses.
“Batman, no!” Posey scolds one of the goats chewing on a boot.
“Batman?” I muse.
“Yep, and Robin’s here somewhere. They’re troublemakers.”
Posey shows me her soap-making area and gives me a brief summary of the process. It’s quite fascinating and honestly sounds fun.
“If you ever move back, I could always use the help…” Posey singsongs. “I need like four extra hands at this point. ”
I’m not sure what she knows about why I’m here or that I’m engaged, but I don’t want to be the one to burst her bubble.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Walking around, I pet some of the goats, but then I’m hit with déjà vu.
Warren used to take me to street fairs and farmer’s markets where they had petting zoos.
It’s probably why he knew I’d want to see their goats.
Although my parents’ house is on a good chunk of land, we never had any farm animals, and that’s why I loved coming here. There was always something fun to do.
Before we say goodbye, I give her another hug.
“It was so good seein’ you. Thanks for showin’ me around. Looks awesome.”
“Thank you! And it was so amazin’ to see you too. Don’t become a stranger.”
“I won’t,” I say sincerely.
“Oh wait, Warren…” Posey grabs his attention before he climbs on his horse. “Did you show her the house?”
Warren tenses, shaking his head firmly.
“What house?” I ask.
“Warren built it after you moved away. It took him years to finish, but it’s gorgeous. The large wraparound deck is my favorite, but there’s a huge library room on the lower level, a ginormous tub he never shares, a fireplace in the living room and big kitchen. Oh, and?—”
“Posey, zip it.”
My heart plummets into my stomach at the descriptions she mentioned.
I think back to when I walked through his house last night, but it was too dark to see anything. The only light was my phone’s flashlight and in the hallway once he turned it on. But when I walked to the front door, the rest of the house was pitch-black.
Did he build our dream house?
It’d explain why he hung our wedding photos on the wall, but it’s hard to comprehend why he’d do that after I left.
Warren gets on his horse and starts moving before I’m on Lilith. Once I’m settled, I give her a little kick to catch up to them.
“Hey, wait up.”
He glances over, his expression unreadable, but he lifts a brow.
“You built the house we talked about?”
“Yeah.” His voice is low, but there’s a roughness in his tone.
“Can…I see it?”
He averts my gaze and nods.
There’s something in his features that makes my chest ache. Like his guard is no longer up and all that’s left is…pain.