Micah snorted. “Doing what? He has hired hands to focus on the livestock. He doesn’t have shit else to do.”
I burst out in laughter as I shut his bedroom door behind me. “That’s so mean. He’d probably try to fight you if he heard you say all that.”
“Probably. Is he being good to you?”
“He is. Brought over brisket and cabbage to eat. How come you never made me brisket?”
“Joel’s a hell of a lot better cook than I am, baby.”
I shook off the shudder that traveled down my spine. His voice deepened every time he called mebaby.
“I just might tell him you said that.”
“He knows already.”
There was a beat of silence that passed through the phone. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but there was a longing held within it. I wondered if it was only coming from my end.
“Did you get a lot of work done?” I questioned, hoping beyond hope that he’d say yes and that he was calling to let me know he was on the way back from Dallas.
“Some good intel, but I have a couple of follow-up meetings tomorrow.”
My heart sank. I knew in all likelihood he’d be staying in Dallas overnight, but I wanted what I wanted.
“You were calling to check in on me?”
“More like checking in on Joel. Making sure he wasn’t too much of a headache.”
I tossed my head back, laughing. “I don’t think that’s even possible.”
Micah grunted. “You didn’t grow up with him, baby.”
“No, I didn’t,” I admitted. I paused, thinking about what Joel had shared with me before Micah called. “Micah?”
“Yeah?”
“I was engaged to be married.”
Silence followed my admission. This one was filled with a kind of coiled tension, however.
“It was two years ago. My fiancé left me at the aisle,” I continued, needing to say these words out loud.
I went on telling him the story of how my former fiancé, Alton, had been the agent of one of my firm’s clients. We met, fell in love quickly, and he asked me to marry him. I still remembered standing in the middle of that fancy restaurant, all eyes on me. I hesitated, but when I glanced around at all the people watching us, and then back into Alton’s eyes, I couldn’t say no. We began making plans, almost right away. My mother was so excited, she flew in from South Carolina to accompany me to my dress fittings. I got caught up in the planning of the wedding, instead of the actual marriage.
Things began falling apart weeks before the wedding. We got into a massive fight over the freaking caterer six days before the ceremony.
My mother said it was nerves, but deep down, I knew it was something else. Yet, I persisted. Alton had other plans. While I managed to make it to the church, dressed in the white, lace dress I’d chosen, he had his best man come and tell me minutes before we were to take our vows that he was backing out. I was left to tell the guests that there would be no wedding.
“I could’ve sent my mom or my dad out to do it, but I chose to do it instead.”
“Why?” Micah asked.
“Because I’m a grown ass woman.”
Micah chuckled, which made me smile.
“I’m serious. He was a coward who had his best man tell me that he was leaving me as he snuck out the back door of the church. I’ve never backed down from anything. My grandfather taught me that. He was there that day, ready to pull out his shotgun and go looking for the son of a bitch.” I giggled, remembering. “It’s all good, though. Alton and I weren’t meant to be.”
“No, you weren’t,” Micah added with so much conviction in his voice that it rumbled in my chest. “You don’t miss him, do you?”
