Charlie, ever the sweetheart, twists around from the passenger seat with a bright smile. “She’s a gem, Will. Tell her I’d love to have her over again for another game night.”
I stare at Will. He’s gone completely still. His jaw tight. Hands clenched in his lap like he can hold the silence in place if he just keeps from moving.
My throat dries. The taste of him still on my lips from hours ago. His mouth. His body. His words.
"I want more than just a few stolen mornings."
I wait for him to correct them. To say something. Anything.
But he doesn’t.
He just sits there, quiet and still and complicit.
And that silence?
Itscreams.
Charlie’s still smiling in the passenger seat, oblivious to the bomb Sam just dropped in my lap.
“Did you ever get the recipe for the caramel dip? The one I couldn’t stop eating? It was so good.” She laughs. “And I can’t believe y’all got so tipsy you couldn’t leave.”
Sam chuckles. “Never thought I’d see the day Will would settle down.”
My stomach twists.
I can still feel Will’s hands on my skin. His mouth on mine.His body coming undone for me.And now I find out he’s been spending time with Missy-freaking-Jones? Is that what I missed in the month I was avoiding him?
“Yeah,” I say, tone tight, forcing the words out through a clenched jaw. “She seems like a real gem.”
Will finally speaks, his voice low and careful. “That’s not?—”
“Oh no, don’t stop on my account,” I cut in, sweet as poison. “I’m dying to hear more about this caramel-dip-sleepover situation.”
Charlie turns, brows pulling together. “Phern?”
But I’m already looking out the window, biting the inside of my cheek so I don’t say something I can’t take back. Will doesn’t say anything else, either. And the silence in the cab is louder than any shouting match could ever be.
When we get to the fairgrounds, I hop out of the truck as fast as I can. My strides are long, but not long enough to get away from Will. He grabs my hand, pulling me behind a trailer.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it?”
“Missy’s lonely. We’ve just been hanging out. Nothing else, I swear.”
“Then why does my brother and his wife seem to think you two are an item?”
Will drags a hand through his hair, looking torn between frustration and panic. “Because I let them. It was easier than explaining the truth.”
“The truth?” I spit, yanking my hand from his grip. “What truth, Will? That you’re fucking around with me in secret while letting the rest of the world think Missy’s your sweet little caramel-dip girlfriend?”
He winces like I hit him.
“We didn’t even kiss, Phern,” he says, voice sharp now. “She was with me when Charlie invited me over. I couldn’t not invite her. We went out there, had some whisky, watched a movie, and then I fell asleep on the damn couch while she took the bed in the guest room. That’s it.”
“And you just didn’t correct anyone?” I scoff, taking a step back. “You let them run with the story. Why? So you’d have someone safe to show off while keeping me tucked away across the street?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
