Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
KASEY
I’m in way over my head.
Rhett carries two handfuls of beers over from the bar, followed by Colt Rustler balancing a tray of shots. I eye the clear liquid sloshing around each one with a healthy level of skepticism. “That better not be tequila,” I mutter.
Wells grins. “It’s definitely tequila. I can smell it from here.”
I grimace. “That’s definitely not a good sign.”
“Drinks for the husband-to-be!” Rhett shouts loud enough for the whole damn bar to hear. A raucous cheer erupts from the tables around us, which only eggs him on. “Body shots coming soon!” he hollers. “Also, looking for volunteer bodies!”
“Jesus,” I groan, hiding my face behind my hand.
Spurs is crowded tonight with a mix of tired cowboys, beautiful women, college-aged troublemakers, and even a rogue table of bikers in the far corner who stare down anyone who gets too close.
It’s busy as hell—the vibe so much different than the lower, grumpier energy we get at Wild Coyote.
I usually try to avoid places like this, but tonight I’m soaking in the pulsing vitality, hoping it’s enough to distract me from the torment a certain wild-mouthed brunette is wreaking on my mind.
I’m marrying him because he’s the best man I know.
Because he’s honest and he’s steady and he’s careful with my heart.
I’m marrying him, sir, because I love him.
It was real. I could tell from the look on her face that Ava wasn’t lying when she said the words that nearly buckled me in that office.
It was like shooting out of a fucking chute in a championship rodeo.
I’ve replayed them over and over again, wrestling with myself over the urge to try to talk to her about it.
I’ve been working so hard to keep myself safe from the feelings I still hold, but I’ll be damned—I think Ava might have let ’em all loose at that moment.
The guys drop a shot and a beer in front of me. I immediately throw back the shot.
Rhett frowns. “Dude, couldn’t even wait for the cheers?”
Wells laughs across the table.
I shrug. “Sorry. Needed it.”
Rhett’s eyes narrow.
“That’s okay,” Colt says, “we have plenty more.” He unceremoniously drops another shot in front of me.
“To the groom!” Rhett cheers.
“To the groom!” Wells and Colt echo.
I lift the drink, chest still squeezed tight. “To Ava,” I say before tipping it back.
Colt slaps a hand over my shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “Heard you have it bad for this one, Kase.”
My eyes snap to Rhett, who snickers as he sits down next to Wells.
“Well, I mean, we are getting married.”
Colt doesn’t know that my upcoming nuptials are anything but real.
I don’t trust anyone other than my family with truths that could hurt us or Ava.
“Never thought I’d see the day you got wifed up.
” He turns his gaze to Rhett. “Also never thought I’d see him with a girl at all.
Must be something in the water y’all are drinking.
” He shudders. “Keep it the hell away from me.”
“You should try it,” Rhett says over the music.
“Fuck no.” Colt frowns.
“Olivia told me Ava’s got a dress,” Rhett says, looking at me.
My throat constricts. “Yeah?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I don’t really keep tabs on what she’s doing,” I say defensively.
“I’m with Colt—I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Wells says, tipping beer into his mouth.
Rhett snorts. “Me either.”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I say.
They both look at me with growing amusement.
“Marriage is like, a huge fucking deal,” Colt chimes in.
I shoot him a glare, like I don’t already know.
“What do you like about her?” he asks, genuinely curious.
Rhett and Wells lean in.
It takes effort not to roll my eyes. “She’s . . . beautiful.” So fucking beautiful. “And she keeps me on my toes, you know?”
“How is she in bed?” Colt asks, wagging his eyebrows.
I shove him so hard he falls out of his chair.
“Fuck!” he yells, hurrying to get back up. “Geez, it was just a question. No reason to get fucking testy.”
“That’s my future wife you’re talking about,” I growl. “Show some respect.”
He throws his hands up in surrender before setting his chair upright and sitting back down beside me.
I turn to look at my brothers, who are both hiding knowing smiles. I point a finger at them. “Don’t.”
Rhett raises a hand to his forehead in salute.
“I’m surprised Sheriff Joe hasn’t paid us a visit yet,” Wells says, looking from Rhett to me. “Does he know?”
I shrug. “Ava’s avoiding it. But if he hasn’t heard from someone else yet, it’s only a matter of time.”
“How do you think he’s going to take it?” Rhett asks, voice low.
Anxiety pummels through my gut as I look sidelong at Colt. I might not blame him for what happened at his family’s ranch, but I’m still fucking pissed his older brother Ellis put us all in such reckless danger. “Honestly, I’m more worried about him hearing about something else.”
Colt’s eyes skip around the bar as he sips from his sweating bottle. He must feel the weight of my attention though, because he drops the bottle and scratches the back of his neck. “Look, I’m furious with Ellis too. But he swears it’s on him if shit goes south.”
“And you trust him?” I ask. “Ellis only ever looks out for himself.”
Colt looks at me with a level of hurt so profound it nearly steals the breath from my lungs.
“Well the fuck aware,” he grumbles. “Still, I’ve never seen him like this.
He stopped drinking, stopped fucking around with his loser friends.
He’s helping Wylie Jo with the baby and taking on more work at the ranch.
I think he’s hoping if he keeps his nose clean, it’ll keep anyone from sniffing around.
” He looks me in the eye. “But if they do, he promised me he’ll take the fall. For all of us.”
I blow out a breath, letting the words sink in. “I hope so,” I manage.
Wells drives us home well after midnight.
We all have early as fuck mornings to show up for, but it was damn near impossible to get Rhett and Colt out of those barstools.
It honestly loosened some of the strain in my chest to see them both happy and laughing, especially after everything that went down at Rustler’s Ranch, so I didn’t push our exit too hard until I realized they were starting to tip into too-drunk territory.
Both of those boys have been involved in things I’d never wish for them to experience, between our lawless fathers and the illegal shit we’ve all run at one point or another.
It all needs to stop, for both families, but I can only really control my own.
I never realized how much Rhett carries on his shoulders—I thought he was just born to be a hellion, full of our father’s genes.
Had I known all the things he was going through and all the ways he was trying to save our family, I would have set him straight a long time ago.
I don’t blame Colt for that card game going sideways, but that boy is a fucking hellion, and as much as I love him it’s hard not to worry about his influence on Rhett.
Rhett asks us to take him to Wild Coyote.
He’s been calling the apartment upstairs home more and more these days, and I have a hunch he’s not the only one—a point proven when we pull into the lot and see lights turned on through the windows of the second story.
“Olivia’s in there,” he explains sheepishly from the back seat.
Wells chuckles. He turns around to smack him on the knee. “Enjoy your night.”
“See you bright and fucking early.”
“Don’t be late!” I shout as he gets out. “I better find you in that barn at sunrise, or your ass is grass.”
Rhett swings the door shut and scampers off to the bar’s front doors.
“Good to see him happy,” Wells says as he pulls back onto the road that takes us home.
“Yeah,” I agree. “And you too, kid. You and Layla—it feels right.”
He flashes a bright, unfiltered smile.
When we eventually pull up to my cabin, I’m surprised to see lights shining out of my windows too. “What the hell?” I mutter, squinting through the truck’s window.
“You expecting someone?” Wells asks.
“No.”
“Want me to come in with you?” Wells asks, sensing my apprehension.
I think about Mean-Eyed Maverick and his gang of outlaws who are probably looking for vengeance. I’m not sure it’d be cops at this hour . . . “No,” I tell him. “Just wait here a sec, yeah?”
Wells nods, and I get out of the truck, acting as normal as possible.
There’s no use trying to hide the fact that I’m home—anyone inside would’ve heard us pulling up.
I make my way toward the front porch, craning my neck to try to get a glimpse through the front window.
It’s not until I’m climbing up the first couple of steps that I see a mess of long brown hair pulled up in a loose bun and an old red Mustangs sweatshirt.
Ava.
I exhale out a sigh of relief. But then a different kind of panic slices through me.
I turn to wave Wells off before opening the door. Ava tucked herself cross-legged into the far corner of my couch, hugging herself around her middle. When she looks up at me with a small smile, I notice the skin around her eyes is red and puffy.
Like she’s been crying.
Any remnants of the buzz I still had outside is gone in an instant. “What’s wrong?” I ask, eyeing her up and down.
“I’m so sorry for just showing up like this. I just . . . I needed to get out of my house.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I take a few steps toward her. “Are you okay?”
“Were you on a date?” she asks, before squeezing her eyes shut. “Actually, never mind, you don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it isn’t,” I agree. “But no, I wasn’t on a date. How would that look if someone saw me?”
There’s no mistaking the relief in her eyes, or the swoop I feel in my chest because of it. “Oh,” she says. “Right.”
I study her face, looking for any clues that might help me understand why she’s here or how to help her.
Kicking out of my dirty boots, I make my way over to the couch and sit down beside her, keeping a respectful distance between us.
I’m worried that if I press too hard, she might bolt.
She’s here, which means something’s wrong.
But I know from experience I need to let her come around to opening up.
“You hungry?” I ask. “I have some leftover pizza in the fridge.”
She shakes her head. “No, thank you.”
My eyes drop to the sweater she’s wearing. A small grin pulls at my lips. Reaching out, I hook my pointer finger inside the hem at her neck and gently tug. My knuckle brushes along her collarbone, and I feel her lean into it. “If I remember correctly, you stole this from me junior year.”
She smiles too, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s my favorite.”
“Still looks good on you.”
She flushes, her fingers toying in her lap.
“Want a drink?” I ask. “I think I have some beer.”
“Maybe just some water?”
“Okay,” I say, getting up.
I make it halfway through the kitchen before she says, “Kasey, I have to tell you something.”
It’s the fear in her voice that stops me. I turn back around to face her, my worry spiking. The flush in her cheeks has disappeared and the rest of her face has gone pale.
And then she says two words I wouldn’t have ever expected to come out of her beautiful mouth.
“I’m pregnant.”