“I take it you met my brother?” Mae chuckled.
“Oh, god. Do NOT tell him who I am. He’s so handsome! I’m a doughy mess.”
“Ew. Please don’t ever talk about his looks again. All I see is a doofus when I look at him, and I can’t for the life of me understand what anyone else sees as attractive.”
Andpart of her was holding out hope for some news of something going on between her brother and Jessie. After everything she and Jessie went through together, after seeing the way Jessie looked at Hawk when they were found…
“Sis. What the actualfuckis this? Do Mom and Dad know you’re out here peddlingerotica?”
Mae couldn’t hold in her laughter. “That book is romance, you idiot. Sex isn’t driving the plot line in that series. You’ve got to look on the top shelf if you want the erotica.”
“Noted.” Hawk tossed the book to Mae and walked back to the bookshelf, whistling the entire time.
“I’m out of here,” Paisley hissed. “But I’ll see you tomorrow… text me if Hawk’s staying in town for a while.”
“Would. You. Get. Out. Of. Here.” Mae smiled as she swatted at her friend.
Paisley’s words played over and over in her head. How longwasher brother planning on staying? And why had he decided to take such an impromptu trip home?
She felt the pang of worry growing with every passing minute. Because no way in Hell did she think her brother just randomly showed back up in their hometown. Nope. He was there to execute some sort of scheme… she was sure of it.
“He’s working his ass off to get you back, you know?” Hawk leaned against the corner of the wall, his voice making her jump.
He.
Hawk didn’t even have to say his name, and a million emotions came rushing to the surface. Stone. The love of her life. The man she hadn’t spent a single day in the last year not thinking of. Wondering if he was thinking about her. About what they had. About what could have been…
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked since I left.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“It’s mine.” Mae shrugged. “One-thousand percent. I’m not holding that against him. I’m thankful he’s given me this time… I just?—”
“Well, I’m team Stone,” Hawk declared, shocking the hell out of her. “And I am also team ‘get your ass back to Texas because what theactual fuckare you doing here?’ You’re not going to find what you’re looking for in Grandpa’s old shop. I mean, who stuck around this damn town that’s our age? Sean Lovitt? That douche peaked in high school.”
One nice thing about a small town… she knew all the gossip. But hadn’t that been the same way in Silver Springs? Mae missed stopping into Dolly’s, where every slice of pie was served up with a heaping scoop of ice cold, refreshing, and oftentimes very salacious, gossip. “He’s also married to Stephanie Davis now. They have three kids together.”
Hawk rolled his eyes. “Exactly. You belong in Texas. With Stone.”
Mae laughed. “Why the hell did he and I ever think we needed to sneak around behind your back? You’ve become the biggest cheerleader for our relationship… one that doesn’t even exist right now.”
“Rah, Rah…” Hawk lifted his hands up and shook them around.
“Very funny.”
“You know… if you’re really done with Stone, I like the Ford brothers. But god, I’d hate for you to break one of their hearts and then I’m stuck without pie because Dolly bans our family from the diner.”
Mae laughed. “You really think that I’m the one in this family we need to worry over getting us all banned from Dolly’s? I feel like if you were that worried about it, you wouldn’t have stuck your?—”
“It was one time, Mae. One. Things just boiled over between the two of us. It’s been a year. She’s moved on.”
“And have you?”
Hawk groaned. “We’re not here to talk about me. I’m here to bring you back. Whether it’s for you to reconcile with Stone or not. We have to go.”
“You know I’m flying into Dallas next week. The wedding?—”
“Exactly. Thevow renewal. You think you get to get out of the bachelorette party? Lily specifically told me she needs her maid of honor with herthis week.I can’t go back there without you. Gunner will beat my ass. And then Lily will. I’m not sure who I’m more afraid of.”
