I took another long gulp of margarita. Liquor healed inside boo-boos, right?
Just then, Molly’s phone buzzed against the coffee table.
“Speak of the devil,” she said, seething at the phone.
“Don’t tell him I’m here,” I begged, whispering as if he was in the house with us.
“Everyone quiet, I’m going to answer and see what the little shit wants,” Molly said, hushing Ellie and me.
“Hello?” she answered calmly, putting him on speaker and pretending she didn’t know what had happened between Jace and me just twenty-four hours prior.
“Hey sis, have you seen Cassie? I really need to talk to her, but she’s not answering my phone calls.”
“Nope, haven’t seen her,” she replied smoothly.
“Weird, because Colt said you, Ellie, and Cassie were having girls’ night tonight,” Jace said, confused.
Busted.
“Well, I wouldn’t pick up your calls either if you tried sleeping with me and then bolted five minutes later like a jackass,” Molly said.
Ellie and I looked at each other, eyes wide. So much for playing it off, Molly.
I looked at her likewhat the hell are you doing?She just turned her back to us and continued to tear into her brother like only a sister could.
“You think you can treat Cassie like that? You’re dead wrong. She’s like family to us, Jace. You fucked up big time, and now you can sit and sulk and think about the consequences of your actions. Goodnight, douchebag,” she said, ending the call.
We all just looked at each other stunned, not exactly sure what had just happened.
After a few seconds, Ellie ended the silence.
“No, this is good actually… Hear me out… He clearly knows he fucked up, and now we get to let him sulk. This is when it's time to show him what he’s missing out on, Cass. Don’t hold back. Let that man know he lost the best thing to ever happen to him before he even had it,” she said, encouraging the mind game everyone wanted to play on Jace.
I sat there for a moment contemplating. Hiding my emotions was not something I excelled at. So how was I going to play off one of the most embarrassing moments of my life as if it never even happened? Act like it was all no big deal, just a quickie that fizzled out. Short and sweet, no strings attached. Just like I wanted, right?
Wrong.
Chapter 15 – Jace
It’s been a week since my royal fuck-up with Cassie.
Tonight was the rehearsal dinner for Colt and Ellie’s wedding.
One night, the whole family, all together. Eating dinner and preparing for the big day tomorrow. Too bad the biggest day of my brother’s life was going to be one of the hardest of mine.
My game plan was to act like nothing had happened. Cassie and I were adults. We could eat dinner in the same room together and play nice—no problem.
As Colt and I drove to the venue, the truck rumbled down the windy two-lane highway, the sun sinking behind the mountains.
“Have you talked to her at all since last weekend?” Colt asked. He didn’t need to say her name, I knew exactly who he meant.
“Nope. Haven’t seen her once. Figured it was better to steer clear of the coffee shop. Plus, the ranch kept us busy this week, so it’s not like I had much time to dig myself into more trouble than I already have.”
“Probably for the best,” Colt said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. But no matter how many jokes he cracked, my knee hadn’t stopped bouncing since sunrise.
I woke up thinking about how I hurt Cassie. I went to bed thinking about how I hurt Cassie. Hell, even my dreams wouldn’t let me escape.
One night, I dreamed we were back in her kitchen—the place it all started—but instead of ruining things the way I had in reallife, we went all the way. It was everything I’d ever wanted and more. Even my subconscious wouldn’t let me forget my royal screw up.
