“Oh Tessa,” Sue’s eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she brought her hand up to her mouth as if she needed to hold in the emotion Tessa’s request brought. “I’d be honored!” Elle’s eyes were shining as she smiled at her mom and took Sue’s free hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I was also hoping Katie and Becky would like to be bridesmaids,” Tessa bit her lip, looking back and forth from her sister-in-law to my sister.
Katie nodded and smiled while Becky let out a strange little gasp, as if she was shocked. “Of course! I’d love to, thank you so much Tessa!”
“Braden, I’m hoping you’ll be my best man,” Brock said.
I raised my glass of coke in acceptance, nodding at him with half a smile on my lips. I still couldn’t find my bloody voice, not with Elle’s eyes on me. I was all too aware that it was the first time she’d willingly looked at me since I arrived. What I saw within the depths of her dark brown eyes didn’t give me much hope.
She used to look at me with adoration, but now she looked at me with contempt.
“I want you to be in the wedding party, too Gordon,” Brock added, glancing over to Gordon. “Along with Grady and Travis.”
Something passed between the two of them, a silent conversation. Gordon’s solemn face broke into a huge smile. “Of course man!”
“And Tommy,” Tessa smiled at her other older brother. “Will you do us the honors of being our MC for the night?”
“Are you sure you want to give him that kind of power?” Gordon razzed, shoving Tommy, who was grinning wickedly.
“I’m sure your brother will behave responsibly and not embarrass his sister on her wedding day,” Bill interjected.
Tommy’s face transformed to one of utmost sincerity. “Of course Dad! I wouldn’t dream of embarrassing Tessa.”
The rest of the dinner passed with plenty of wedding conversation and Elle completely ignoring me again. My eyes never left her face—they refused to budge. I was staring, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I hadn’t seen her in years, and while she was never far from my mind, I hadn’t realized how deeply I missed her until she was right before me.
She was every bit as captivating as she’d been in high school. Her beautiful chestnut hair hung in thick ringlets down her back. Her blouse made my mouth water. I was dying to talk to her, dying to tell her I was sorry. But she was so far away—and not just because she was sitting across the table, but because she was guarding her heart. She wouldn’t listen to me even if I tried, and that stung. But what did I expect? That I’d see her again and things would go back to the way they were, before I screwed it up?
Dinner was over too soon, and I watched as Elle hugged Tessa goodbye before leaving with her mom. My fingers twitched, itching to touch her. A moment later, I stood up and chugged back the rest of my coke, wishing it’d quench the thirst I had for that girl.
“Well, congratulations you guys. I’m happy for you,” I told them, speaking for the first time since my careless pregnancy comment when I first arrived. I pulled my wallet out and tossed a couple of twenties on the table before turning around and leaving.
Part of me hoped fiercely that Elle would be waiting outside in the parking lot for me, but she wasn’t. I leaned against the cab of my truck, taking a moment to close my eyes in regret while I pulled my pack of smokes out of my pocket and lit one up.
Seeing her again in the flesh brought it all back—how it felt to have her, to hold her in my arms and to kiss her plump lips. If only I hadn’t been so careless with her heart. I was afraid of getting hurt, I was afraid of having her leave me, so I pushed her away and I hurt her. If I had been half as smart as I was now, I would have never done that. I would have taken whatever she wanted to give me. I would have treated her like the goddamn queen she is, and if she did end up leaving…I would have accepted that, because it would have meant that it was whatshewanted.
It would have been hard, and it would have hurt a hell of a lot…but I hated myself for causing her pain and I would do anything to go back in time and change that.
“I thought you were graduating Monday?” Brock asked, startling me. My eyes opened, watching warily as he approached me.
“I don’t need to be there to graduate. They’ll mail the diploma,” I answered, my brow creasing with irritation. I hadn’t been here for four consecutive hours yet, and my siblings were already riding me. Brock joined me, leaning up against my truck too. He looked across the parking lot, nodding slightly. “Look, I’m sorry about the knocked up comment. It was dumb.” I added, feeling like a complete asshole.
“I know,” my brother exhaled, sending me a serious look. “Just next time…try to watch what you say around Tessa’s dad. He doesn’t joke around.”
“No kidding,” I shivered, remembering the dark steely look Bill had given me after the words tumbled from my mouth. Bill Armstrong hadalwaysintimidated me, even from afar. I was going to have to be careful not to cause any turbulence between my brother and his soon-to-be father-in-law.
“So, what’s your plan? Are you sticking around?”
“For a while,” I answered. “I’m going to go talk to Chuck tomorrow, see if he’s got a position at the garage I could take for the time being.”
“You staying with Becky and Aiden?” Brock asked. I nodded in response, and he pursed his lips. “I’m glad you’re home…but…the drinking?”
“Haven’t touched it since I left rehab,” I told him through narrowed eyes. He was thinking about the last time I’d lived with Becky and Aiden, and it pissed me off.
“Good,” he sighed. “I just don’t want to see you go off the rails again. Being back in this town…it could be a trigger for you. Becky doesn’t need any extra stress, and Aiden doesn’t need to see you go through that again.”
My jaw clenched, aggravation rising within my chest. “I won’t cause any problems.”
“What about Elle?” Brock asked, the question coming out of the left field and catching me completely off guard. Her name was a punch in the gut, knocking the proverbial wind out of me.
