“Was that Luke out there with you? I thought I saw him slip away.”
I swallow hard and nod.
“He hates me, Mags. I wish I could take it all back. Do it different now. I was trying to save him, save my dad, and instead I just hurt them all more than if I had stayed.”
Maggie loops her arm through mine. “You were barely eighteen, Rainy. You did what you thought was right at the time. I know you said you wouldn’t tell them but maybe you should. It would go a long way to fixing that hurt.”
I sigh and shake my head. “Best to let sleeping dogs lie. I made my bed, now I have to lie in it.”
We walk back up to the clearing and Maggie guides me over to the table where someone has poured out a line of shots with raspberry sourpuss. She lifts one to me and I take it without hesitation. I shoot it and two more for good measure to dull the pain of how this night went. Hetter drags Maggie away so I drop the clammy towel and move over to the fire to try and dry my shorts and bikini as much as I can. I sway to the opening beats of a slow song that starts to play as the fire warms my skin but a warm swath of fabric is pushed over my head. I breathe in to tell someone off and almost choke on the smell I’d know anywhere. Fresh-cut hay, neatsfoot oil, and the hint of spice that’s all Rex Kingston.
My head pops through the opening of the sweatshirt he’s dragged over my head and I naturally thread my arms through the sleeves. His ocean eyes meet mine and they’re still hard and angry but as we stare at each other inches apart, the lyrics of the song playing hits me like a kick to the gut and has tears welling up in my eyes and his softening.
‘If in ten years' time, I’m still on your mind, would you call and, say you want this?’
My breath comes out ragged as she sings about him still having her heart because she locked it and he’s the locksmith.
Rex’s hand comes up and the back of his fingers brush the tear that escapes away.
“It could be twenty years, Stormy. You’ll always be on my mind. That won’t ever change.”
He says, low and gruff. I want to sway forward, fall into his arms and tell him how sorry I am for everything but I can’t give him the answers he will want so instead I step back from him and force myself to turn away. I wrap my arms around my waist, his sweater a poor substitute for his arms, and walk away.
Things start winding down not long after that and a drunk Maggie and Hetter stumble over to me.
“Babes! We’re going to camp out here for the night but Jackson will drive you home.”
Her hair is a wild cloud around her face and her cheeks are pink as she sends Hetter a look I’m sure has something to do with his magic dick so I just pull them both into a hug and watch as they hold each other up on the way to a tent that’s been set up closer to the trees. Once I see them both crawl in, I turn and search for Jackson, more than ready to head home. Those last three shots have pushed me to the edge of tipsy to teetering into drunk territory and I don’t want to find out what drunk Rain will do if the third Kingston man approaches me.
Jackson waves me over with Star hovering at his side so I gather up my ruined shirt and wet towel and slide my feet into my discarded sandals. Star hands me my phone that she rescued from going into the lake when I meet up with them and Jackson sends me a grin.
“Ready to go?”
I don’t even have a chance to reply before Chase walks up and says, “No point in you driving out our way when you can head straight to town. We’ll see her home safe.”
I muffle the groan that spills out but Chase catches enough of it to shoot me a challenging look, practically daring me to not take the offer. The fucking fireball and the triple fucking sourpuss have me lifting my chin and meeting that challenge.
“Sure, why the hell not?” I turn to Jackson and Star and give them a sloppy salute. “If I go missing, you know who to arrest for my murder!” I say with a bitter laugh before stumbling away towards where all the vehicles are parked.
“Chase…” Jackson says in a tone laced with both warning and concern, “…you sur…” before he is cut off.
“She’s fine, man. We’ll drop her off, that’s it.”
Whatever else is said I don’t catch as I weave my way through the people packing up cars and trucks and finally see Rex and Luke. I head for them and almost laugh when they both straighten up from where they’ve been leaning against a black truck in surprise.
“Make way, boys! Chase has decided it’s a good idea to shove the four of us into a small enclosed space. Shotgun!”
I sneer at them and then yank the door open and haul myself up into the front seat of the crew cab. Sucks to be them with their long legs all cramped up in the back seat. My head spins a little with the alcohol but I breathe deep and it settles enough that I can get the seatbelt on. I don’t even look as the three of them climb in, I just lean my head against the cool glass and close my eyes. There’s nothing safe I can say to them with the booze breaking down my filters so I pretend they’re not even there as we start driving.
I must fall asleep because the truck coming to a stop jars me awake. My hair has dried in its natural state of wild, crazy waves and I have no idea where I left my clip so I just bat it back out of my face and yank on the door handle. I fall more than slide out of the high truck and toss out, “Thanks for the ride,” before slowly making my way to the front steps lit up by the truck’s headlights.
When I hear three doors open behind me, I full-on groan loud enough for them to hear this time. Of course, it couldn’t be that easy.
I keep going and make it halfway up the stairs before Chase calls out, “Rain! You can turn around and talk to us right here or we’ll follow you inside but either way, we will be having this conversation tonight.”
I tip my head back and squeeze my eyes closed in frustration before slowly turning to face them. The headlights hit me like spotlights and I’m on a stage. And that’s exactly what I need to do, be on stage, act this out as best I can without giving away my secrets. I huff out “Fine!” and just wait for the questions to come but all they do is stare at me with those same damn hard eyes so I cross my arms and glare right back.
“Go ahead, say what you need to.”
