Is tonight going to be the first taste of what living in the same town with her when I can’t have her will be like?
I slam the tailgate shut and stalk around the pickup to get into the passenger seat.
Haven climbs in. “So you ran Natalie off and you’re regretting it?”
“Jesus, can you quit with Natalie?” I snap. “It’s over. We’re done. I’m not interested in her.”
I’m being a moody bastard. He doesn’t know the whole story, and every time he opens his mouth, I’m tearing him a new asshole.
“I think Campbell saw the texts from Natalie, the ones where she said she had a job offer in Bozeman.”
He whistles. “That would look fishy to a woman.”
“I got a ‘thanks for everything, see you around’ text from her after she left.” I sink into my seat and glower out the window as he pulls away from the fence and bumps across the pasture. “So I guess we’re done.”
When we hit the road, he doesn’t take the turn to his place.
I sit up. “I need to get my pickup.”
“Yup.” He continues going straight.
“It’s parked at your house.”
“Yup.”
He’s being obtuse on purpose. “I have to be at the reception in three hours.”
“You sure do.”
The wedding starts soon, and I sure as hell won’t go to that. I won’t witness two people who hurt Campbell get a happy ending, and I can’t watch Campbell and not be able to hold her. I take my hat off and stuff a hand through my sweaty hair. “Is this payback for being an asshole?”
“You can’t pay back an amount that high,” he says dryly and turns down the road that’ll take us to Iverson’s.
“Dammit, Haven. Are you and Ivy going to crawl up my ass?”
He slides his dark gaze toward me. “You deserve it.”
Why? Because I’m easy for women to walk away from?
Iverson’s garage door is open and the sawhorses are lined up on the concrete with some boards across the top. He’s brushing them with stain, the brim of his ball cap shading his face. Kacey has a giant pack of sidewalk chalk and there are stick figures all over the concrete pad in front of the garage.
Lane and Cruz are watching the distillery so we can be free for the wedding, since we’re all tied to the bride through the Hawthornes. Haven’s going to help me serve the reception tonight, and Iverson’s staying with his family.
My niece sprints toward us after Haven parks, arms out, and her sandals slapping against the ground. Her ponytail swings behind her. It lifts my destroyed heart out of the gutter. Not far, but enough to get me out ofthe pickup to swoop her into a big hug. Iverson clicks off the music playing, some Dolly Parton song.
“She just saw me this morning,” Haven says as he climbs out, “or she would’ve hugged me first.”
“Daddy said it’s almost quiet time,” Kacey says solemnly. She studies my face with her doe-brown gaze. “You need quiet time.”
I must look as bad as I feel. “I could use some, but I think Haven has other plans.” I set her down, and she runs to Haven for a hug.
After he places her on her feet, he cocks his head toward me but keeps his gaze on Iverson. “This guy needs some girl talk.”
“I like girl talk,” Kacey says.
Iverson holds his hand out. “Time to go in. I’ll read you the first book.”
She looks to us, like she’s hoping we’ll insist she stays for girl talk. Her lips turn to a pout, and she takes her dad’s hand.
