Chapter 35 Summer
Summer
Rebel’s brothers, Ivy, and Dizzy are all noticeably absent from the barn. Burke is slow dancing with Kia under the twinkling white lights. Henry and Kale are still manning the bull, but the rest of my brothers went God knows where with Rebel.
Adira, the queens, and the rest of the guests are having a grand old time.
One of the queens is currently riding the bull.
The tassels on his iconic, conical gold bra are swinging with every movement.
The platinum curls piled high on his head stay perfectly in place as he levitates from the saddle at one point.
Ivy’s college friend watches the antics from a table where he sits alone, a beer nestled in one hand. Ben looks slightly awkward and uncomfortable. It must be hard coming stag to a wedding where you don’t know anyone very well.
Adira spots Ben too. With a flirtatious pucker and one finger, he summons him to join the queens.
Is it me, or does the guy look flustered as he gets up from the table?
Since everyone else has already skipped out, including the bride and groom, I don’t feel bad about what I’m about to do.
Henry waves as I pass him.
I don’t stop. It’s been a long time coming, but there’s something I need to do that I should have done a long time ago.
Leaving the barn, I head up to the house.
It’s time I make the boys who were in the bathroom that night tell the town exactly what they did. I’m over letting them have an impact on my life. I’m done staying away from my home and my family because of them.
It’s time I took my life back.
I walk into the bedroom and start pulling out clothes. I need to hurry. I want to get this done and get back in case Ivy needs me. Although she and Rogue are no doubt snuggled up somewhere enjoying a little one-on-one time before it’s all systems go.
I change out of the bodysuit and into black leggings and one of Rebel’s T-shirts. I put on Converse and lace them up before looking for a sweatshirt. Rebel brought a couple, but he didn’t unpack them.
His suitcase is on the bed, so I open it and take out a fleece lined hoodie. It smells like him. I drag it over my head and smooth it over my baby bump.
That’s when I see the ring box nestled with his other sweaters. I suck my cheek between my teeth and reach down and run my fingers over its velvety top.
Was he going to propose and I ruined it by saying I didn’t want to marry him? My heart drops. That’s what happened, isn’t it?
I should rip off his hoodie and stuff it back in the suitcase. I should shut the lid and pretend I never saw the ring. Like I’ve been doing for months. Except…
Another glance can’t hurt. I pick up the box and pry open the lid. It really is pretty. Perfect, if I’m being honest. I pinch the gold band between my fingers and take it out of the box. It’ll fit me too. I’m certain he would have made sure it was sized. He notices the little things.
I slip it on my ring finger, push it down over my knuckle. It fits snuggly. Like it’s meant to be on my finger and not in the box hidden inside the suitcase.
“Hey, can I talk to you?” Kelsey asks.
I jump out of my skin and toss the box back into the suitcase. Slamming the lid down, I turn around to face her while shoving my hands in the hoodie pockets.
She looks tired.
“Only if we walk and talk.” I leave the room and gesture for her to keep up. “Rebel is with my brothers. I don’t know how long he’s going to be, and there’s something I need to do before he returns.”
“Do you get jealous?” Her voice wavers. “With all the feminine attention Rebel gets?”
“Oh, I get jealous. It can be hard to watch gorgeous women hit on him.” I grab my bag and keys. If the FBI agent is here for Riot, the man is not going to care what happens in town, right? “It’s not like I plan to kill anyone.”
“I’m not either.”
“Huh?” I look at Kelsey.
She looks at me.
“Anyway.” I grab a plastic bag and raid the kitchen cabinets for supplies. Zip ties, hay string, and rags. I shove a thick roll of duct tape on top. “I have somewhere I need to be. Can we continue this conversation in the morning?”
“I’m coming with you.”
I hurry toward the front door. “That’s a bad idea.”
“What’s a bad idea?” Ivy says, coming in from outside.
Looks like I might have to abandon my plan. “Are you okay?”
“Not really. No.” Ivy’s attention catches on the bag in my hands. “I don’t want to talk about me. I want to know what you’re up to.”
“I can put this back and—”
“I think Summer was planning to do something crazy,” Kelsey says.
“This is my problem to deal with. I don’t want to drag either of you into it.”
“I’m in,” Ivy says. “I could use the distraction.”
“And I am not staying here and watching Rochelle try to make out with my boyfriend. If I can call him that. It’s not like he told her to lay off because he’s seeing someone.”
Damn it. That is partly my fault. If I’d warned her about Rochelle’s plan, then she would have had a chance to warn Riot and get some reassurance. Dizzy and her antics distracted me. “Fine.”
I might be able to get Ivy to open up about what’s troubling her on the drive too.
The screen door squeaks closed behind us as they follow me down the steps. Crossing the yard, I pull myself up into the Range Rover.
Kelsey climbs into the passenger seat.
Ivy hops into the back. She slams the door shut as I start the engine. “So what are we doing?”
“Going into town.” I wring the steering wheel while I imagine it’s my ex’s neck. I’m not going to strangle him though.
“What are we doing in town?” Kelsey asks.
“Are there sexy cowboys? Strippers? Please tell me there will be sexy cowboy strippers.” Dizzy pops up from the trunk.
I strangle the steering wheel and scream. The car drifts across the driveway, and I swerve as I clutch my chest. “Holy shit. You scared me.”
Kelsey, who almost jumped out of her seat when I screamed, has a death grip on her seatbelt. “Me too.”
Ivy helps Dizzy climb over the back seat from the trunk. “What were you doing back there?”
“You didn’t think you girls could leave without me, did you?” Dizzy grins from ear to ear. “I heard you saying you were going somewhere and figured I’d invite myself.”
“By climbing in the trunk?” Ivy glances over her shoulder like perhaps she expects to find that Dizzy built a fort there.
Dizzy ducks down as the FBI agent walks past and takes the path to the cabins. Did she and West not make up after all? “So what were you all planning?”
“I’m going to do something crazy.” I catch her eye in the rearview mirror as we start down the driveway.
“Even better.” Dizzy bounces on the back seat. “Anything to get away from...”
The last part is said so low I don’t catch it.
“I know that feeling.” Kelsey bites her thumb nail. “We’re keeping it on the downlow, but when your ex asks to rekindle things, you should at least tell them that you’ve moved on.”
I take a deep breath. “Hey, I’m sor—”
“Unless you want your ex as much as your current lover,” Dizzy states.
“What?” I glance at Kelsey who mouths a sarcastic noiseless wow. “Do you know that FBI agent?”
“No. And I don’t want to. I’m talking hypothetically.” She talks a million miles an hour and with way too much pep. “About Riot.”
That girl is so on sometimes it makes me worry about what’s underneath.
“Do you think Riot wants her?” Kelsey sounds pained.
“It feels like I’m his secret because he’s not ready to acknowledge our relationship to the public.
And that everything else is an excuse.” She grabs the oh shit bar as we bounce over the cattle grid.
“He said he wanted this to be serious when we were on the plane, but in the past twenty-six hours, he’s made out with Sonatina and let Rochelle throw herself at him without saying anything about being in a relationship. ”
“He’s your best friend, and he adores you.” Anyone can see that. “But you know him best. Better than almost anyone. What’s your gut tell you?”
“Ro’s not the public, Summer.” She squeezes her eyes shut, and when she opens them again they’re watery. “I don’t know that I can do this.”
“You think he’s a duck.” Dizzy sits forward.
“What?” Kelsey frowns.
“If he fucks like a duck, and he talks like a duck,” Dizzy says.
“I don’t think it’s fucks,” Ivy says.
“Not the point.” Dizzy brushes it off. “She thinks he’s a duck. She thinks he’s a duck who likes to fuck.”
We speed along the deserted country road toward Devil’s Bend in silence.
I should say something to make this better. “Kels—”
“Rogue is hiding something from me,” Ivy blurts. She glances out the window and swallows. “And that’s after Bianca tried to instigate a threesome as a wedding gift.”
“She did what now?” I almost swerve off the road, twisting to see if Ivy’s joking.
“Do you need me to poison her, sis? I can do that.”
“No.” Ivy pats Dizzy’s hand. “I don’t need that. But I appreciate the offer. I think Bianca just really needs some therapy.”
“She’s been extra lately,” I agree. She’s always been a party girl through and through, but these last few months it seems to have been getting out of control.
“Anyway, Dr. Keller asked Rogue if he had any misgivings or anything and the look on his face… I can tell he’s hiding something from me.”
More quiet settles over the car.
“I’m sure it’s nothing serious.”
“Rogue adores you,” Dizzy says. “It could be he’s keeping one of his extravagant gifts a secret.”
“That could be it.” I can’t imagine it would be anything other than a surprise for his bride.
“Maybe. It’s probably nothing. But after the whole Bianca thing I needed to get out of there for a little while.”
It seems like our men need to get their acts together across the board.
I glance at my hand, where the edge of the emerald stone in the engagement ring peeks out from my sleeve.
Still stuck there, taunting me. “Should we let Rogue know you’re with us, Ivy?
So he doesn’t think you’ve been kidnapped again and freak out? ”
“That would be bad,” Dizzy says.
“He has a tracking app on my phone.” Ivy bites her lip. “And I messaged him to tell him I was with you all. He’ll be fine. Where are we going anyway? You didn’t say.”
“She said we’re doing something crazy.” Dizzy crosses the fingers on both hands and holds them up. “Come on cowboy strippers.”
“That’s not that crazy,” Kelsey says.
My heart picks up speed as we pass the Devil’s Bend welcome sign. I’m antsy to begin, but I can’t say I have a plan. “I should have a plan.”
“Ominous,” Kelsey says.
“Yeah.” I ease my foot off the accelerator. I should probably give them a chance to opt out. “I’m going to get revenge on the guys who hurt me.”
“A wedding and a revenge spree.” Dizzy claps her hands. “This is the best weekend ever. I’m in. Where do we start?”
“I don’t know.” It sounded awesome in theory, but how do we do this without getting caught? Or worse.
“We need to be logical about this.” Dizzy grows still, serious. “What’s the end goal? Do you want them to hurt? Or do you want them to pay?”
“Pay.” My heart skips a beat, but I don’t. “They hurt me, then convinced the whole town I was to blame. I want every single person in Devil’s Bend to know what truly happened. I want them to have to live with the judgement I’ve felt every time I come back here.”
I want to send them a message like the one those bastards sent me. They deserve it.